It turned out that Lupin was a werewolf.
Tess covered her mouth as she watched the professor—who had consistently helped Harry as a righteous figure—transform into a ferocious, bloodthirsty beast that couldn't distinguish friend from foe. He began to bite and wrestle with Sirius Black, who had transformed into a large black dog.
In the world of Harry Potter, lycanthropy was a virus, and a completely incurable one at that. After Lupin arrived at Hogwarts, Professor Snape brewed the "Wolfsbane Potion" for him so he could maintain his sanity after transforming. All he had to do was drink it for a week before every full moon. By chance, because of the chaos surrounding Harry and Sirius, Lupin had forgotten to take his medicine.
Though Sirius transformed into a black dog to protect Harry, the difference in size was too great. He was no match for the brutal werewolf and was slammed to the ground, barely clinging to life. Just as the werewolf was about to attack Harry, the howl of a female werewolf echoed from the distance, luring it away and resolving Harry's crisis.
Seeing this, Tess sat on the floor, overcome with sadness. Although she was deeply invested in the plot and worried about Sirius's injuries, her mind was clearly occupied by something else. Amy and Anita intended to come over to check on her, but Wayne gently waved them away with a hand.
That secret belonged to the Greymane family. How could outsiders understand?
Tess didn't know that Wayne had long been aware of the secret her father, the King, carried. Suppressing her sadness and longing, she gave Wayne a forced smile. "I'm fine. I'm just tired and want to sit for a while."
Wayne thought to himself: This is a movie... your physical body is sitting in a chair; how could you be tired?
"I know about your father, and I know why he sent you here..."
Tess turned her tear-filled eyes toward Wayne, looking at him in shock. Wayne began to recount the events of those years to the partially uninformed girl:
"During the Third War, Lordaeron fell completely, and even its capital became a living hell. To hold back the Scourge, your father had no choice. He knew a single high wall couldn't stop the tide of undead. The wall at the Arathi Highlands was the perfect example."
"On the advice of Archmage Arugal, he agreed to summon werewolves to protect his kingdom. Later, the undead were routed by the ferocious werewolves and retreated into Silverpine Forest. But it is easier to invite a god than to send one away. The werewolves, unable to satisfy their bloodlust, turned their sights on the Gilneans."
"This time, your father ordered the soldiers to fight and retreat behind the high walls. But even Archmage Arugal didn't know that these werewolves weren't natural creatures; they were a... curse. Humans attacked by werewolves became werewolves themselves and began attacking others inside the walls."
"One full moon night, while your father and several lords were out hunting werewolves, he pursued a runaway beast alone and was ambushed. He was bitten on the shoulder. He wiped away the blood and hid the wound before reinforcements arrived. Since then, he has locked himself away every full moon. A close friend, a Night Elf priestess, helped him control his mind after the transformation."
"With the help of friends, a tenacious will, and the conviction to save his kingdom, he became one of the few who could barely restrain the urge to kill after transforming. But even in Darnassus, there is no way to completely lift the curse. To be safe, your father sent you and your mother away. Your brother, who was not cursed, remained in Gilneas as the heir."
"In your father's plan, if he ever lost control, your brother would immediately ascend the throne. And you are the last hope to ensure the purity of the family bloodline."
Tess didn't know the specifics of this process; after all, she was only seven years old when those things happened. But now she understood. Her father hadn't sent her away because he had become cold and heartless after becoming a werewolf—he did it to protect them.
She wanted to ask about the future, but felt that no one knew the ending, so she changed her question. "Did Professor Lupin ever find a way to lift the curse?"
Wayne pretended he hadn't seen the later Harry Potter plots and said he didn't know, but added firmly, "Your father will be fine. This world needs him. You and he will eventually reunite, just like Old Wang... I mean, the Fordrings."
Tess asked another question. "What about my brother? Will he become a werewolf?"
Wayne didn't want to tell the young girl the heartbreaking ending of the future prematurely. "He... he won't."
"Boss, I believe you," Tess said, "because everyone believes in you."
Wayne stayed with Tess through the rest of the plot, following Harry to the lake to find the dying Sirius. His mind, however, was elsewhere. In the old World of Warcraft, whether it was Arthas killing his father, Fordring's "Love and Family," Windsor's sacrifice, or even Pamela's doll—a side quest that had no impact on the world—every story gave players a sense of emotion and a memory.
NPCs didn't need long-winded lectures, nor were there "low-intelligence" plots where enemies were forcibly reformed by "love." It was impossible for them to shout clichés like "We are family" after defeating a boss. Yet, players would always remember Arthas's fall, Fordring's grief, Windsor's martyrdom, and Pamela's tragic life. That was what truly moved countless players.
Fortunately, Wayne now had the chance to mend those regrets.
Elsewhere, the Fordrings were watching Harry Potter in their deluxe double booth. Harry fought a swarm of Dementors by the lake to save Sirius, but his shallow training was no match for such terrifying demons. Just as a Dementor was about to suck out the last shred of Sirius's soul and leave him a vegetable, a silver stag made of white light appeared on the opposite bank. Its holy radiance instantly drove away all the Dementors. Harry saw he and Sirius were safe and fainted.
Later, he woke up in Hogwarts, but Hermione told him Sirius had been captured again. To rescue him, under Dumbledore's hint, the two used a "Time-Turner" to travel back before the events occurred. The Time-Turner was a magical item that sent the holder back to the short-term past. Hermione's original purpose for having it was to create enough time to attend every elective class without scheduling conflicts.
Going back, they relived Lupin's transformation and the battle with the Dementors. Only then did they realize that the ones who had saved them were themselves. It was Hermione who mimicked the howl of a female werewolf to lure away the frenzied Lupin, and it was Harry who cast the high-level Patronus Charm—Expecto Patronum—to summon the stag.
Seeing this, Taelan Fordring couldn't help but ask Tirion, "Father, if... I mean, if..."
"If that female Troll hadn't gone to the net cafe, if Eitrigg hadn't received the intel to find you, and if you hadn't met Miller... if he hadn't sent someone to find me..."
Tirion knew what his son wanted to say and cut him off. "Taelan, there are no 'ifs.' Even without him, I believe I would have ridden Mirador to Hearthglen to find you one day. The ending might have been different, but I would have brought you out. What matters now isn't the past, but the future. Wayne said a trial is waiting for us."
"This time, I will fight by your side, Father," Taelan replied.
As the movie reached its conclusion, Amy and Marlin tried chanting the "Expecto Patronum" incantation within the movie world to summon their own Patronuses. Marlin tried several times before succeeding; his Patronus turned out to be a pug. This delighted Amy and Anita, and even Tess, who had been immersed in sorrow, burst into a smile.
Amy succeeded on her first try. Her Patronus was a whelp Blue Dragon. This drew envy from the others; as one of the five dragonflights, the Blue Dragon was the symbol of magic. Wayne, however, frowned when he saw it.
His attention remained mostly on Tess. He took a wand from the classroom in the movie world and let her try. As a Rogue in reality,Tess had never cast magic, so she was both excited and nervous.
"Expecto Patronum..."
"Expecto Patronum..."
She failed twice in a row, but Amy, Anita, Marlin, and Zaldimar all encouraged her from the side.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Finally, a brilliant light appeared. A blue-and-white werewolf appeared beside Tess. After glancing at her, it let out a long howl. Tess could no longer restrain her emotions, and tears poured down her face. Amy and the others assumed the young girl was excited because of her first successful spell. Only Wayne and Tess understood that this was another story of Love and Family.