The Library - The Next Day
Ernst sat in his private alcove, analyzing a diagram of a Mandrake root's nervous system.
"Dr. Ernst."
Albus Dumbledore stood at the end of the table.
The Headmaster looked grave, the twinkle in his eyes dimmed by the weight of leadership.
"Headmaster," Ernst didn't look up.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Can you do it?" Dumbledore asked directly.
"Can you help Remus Lupin control his transformation?"
Ernst leaned back, taking off his glasses.
He knew why Dumbledore was here. It wasn't just benevolence.
The magical world was fracturing.
The Dark Lord Voldemort was rising, gathering outcasts to his banner: giants, vampires, and werewolves.
If Dumbledore could offer a cure, or at least control, he could turn the werewolf population away from the Death Eaters. It was a political move as much as a humanitarian one.
"I can try," Ernst shrugged.
"But why ask me? You have potion masters. You have ancient spells."
"Magic has failed them for centuries," Dumbledore admitted.
"The Wolfsbane Potion is a sedative, not a cure. I need... a new perspective."
"And if I refuse?" Ernst tested.
"Lupin is just one boy. I have my own research."
Dumbledore stiffened.
"Then you lose your access to the Restricted Section."
"Empty threat," Ernst smiled.
"I've already memorized it. But fine. I will do it. Not for you, but because the biological anomaly fascinates me."
"Excellent," Dumbledore relaxed slightly.
"What is your plan?"
"Two vectors," Ernst explained, raising two fingers.
"First, physical reinforcement. Lycanthropy is essentially a viral rewriting of the genetic code. The human body rejects the wolf phenotype, causing the agony of transformation. The body breaks itself to fit the mold. I intend to strengthen Lupin's cellular density. If his body is stronger than the curse, the transformation won't tear him apart."
"You mean... make him stronger?" Dumbledore asked warily.
"I mean evolution, Albus. We adapt the host to the parasite."
"And the second vector?"
"Mental conditioning," Ernst tapped his temple.
"The wolf is an instinctual drive, a sub-routine in the brainstem. The boy tries to suppress it, which is foolish. You cannot stop a tidal wave. I will teach him to ride it. He needs to compartmentalize the wolf consciousness and retain the human driver."
Dumbledore nodded slowly.
"Occlumency, but for the beast."
"If you want to call it that," Ernst said.
"In scientific terms, it is a bio-feedback loop reinforced by psionic discipline."
Dumbledore held up a hand.
"Spare me the techno-babble, Doctor. Just... keep him safe."
"Safety is relative," Ernst replied.
As Dumbledore turned to leave, he paused.
"One more thing. I heard you visited Borgin and Burkes. You purchased a cursed skull."
"I did," Ernst nodded, lying effortlessly.
"The skull emits a necrotic radiation field, a curse. I successfully inverted the polarity of the field. Instead of draining life, it now stimulates cellular regeneration. I'm building a medical device."
Dumbledore blinked, looking completely lost.
"You... inverted the curse to make a healing artifact?"
"It's just magnetic resonance, Professor. The soul fragment acts as a battery, "
"Stop," Dumbledore sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Just... ensure it does not eat anyone."
The Potions Lab - Afternoon
Remus Lupin arrived right after classes ended.
He looked pale, terrified, but determined.
"Dr. Ernst," Lupin panted.
"Professor Dumbledore said I could... that we could begin."
"Sit," Ernst ordered, pointing to a chair.
He didn't waste time with pleasantries.
He approached the boy with a syringe.
"I need a baseline," Ernst said.
"Blood, marrow, hair. I need to map the infection."
Lupin flinched as the needle went in, but he didn't pull away.
"You are brave," Ernst noted.
"Good. You will need that."
After collecting the samples, Ernst sat opposite the boy.
"The cure is not a potion, Remus. It is a war. And the battlefield is your mind."
Ernst leaned forward, his eyes glowing faintly.
"I am going to teach you a technique. I taught it once before, to a soldier in Brooklyn a long time ago. It is called Willpower Fortification."
"What do I do?"
"Close your eyes," Ernst commanded.
"Visualize the wolf. Don't run from it. Look at it. Give it a shape. Is it a monster? A shadow?"
"It's... smoke," Lupin whispered, squeezing his eyes shut.
"Black smoke with teeth."
"Good," Ernst said.
"Now, visualize a cage. Not of iron, but of light. Your will is the bar. Push the smoke into the cage."
Lupin strained, sweat breaking out on his forehead.
"It's... it's fighting back."
"Push harder," Ernst ordered, his voice echoing in Lupin's mind via telepathy.
"You are the alpha. The body belongs to you. The wolf is just a tenant. Evict it."
For an hour, they practiced.
Ernst guided Lupin's mind, helping him build mental walls, fortifying his psyche against the lunar influence.
When they finished, Lupin was exhausted, but his eyes were clear.
"I felt it," Lupin gasped.
"For a second... I felt quiet."
"That is the goal," Ernst said, checking the blood sample under a microscope.
"Your DNA is fighting a losing battle, Remus," Ernst observed.
"The wolf gene is dominant during the full moon, recessive otherwise. We need to flip that switch."
Ernst began mixing a solution, a combination of the Super Soldier Serum base he had perfected decades ago, modified with the specific genetic markers of the werewolf.
"I am going to synthesize a serum," Ernst told the boy.
"It won't cure you. But it will make your human side so strong that the wolf can't break it."
"A Super-Werewolf?" Lupin asked nervously.
"A Hybrid," Ernst corrected.
"The best of both worlds."
He looked at the sample.
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