Chapter 259 - Cure

With the Easter Holidays wrapping up, the second years were fraught with worry as they choose their electives. On the other hand, the 5th and 7th years were either sleeping in or relaxing. They knew this would be the last bit of relaxation they'd have. Not to mention it being their last good night full of sleep until exams were over. Though everyone was looking forward to the last Hogsmeade visit which would be held the upcoming weekend.

Sitting in the common room, Regulus sat next to his two friends, both girls, Florinda and Flortentia Champlain. Neither girls were sisters despite looking so much alike, but rather first cousins. And the reason they looked so much like was that their fathers and mothers are identical twins. Florinda had curly coffee-colored hair with a cute button nose and an emerald ribbon pulling her hair back. Flortentia, on the other hand, had straight hair, the same colored hair, and a button nose with a silver ribbon neatly in a bow.

Seeing Regulus furrowing his brows, Rowan glances over from her chess match against Terry and says, "I thought you'd decided on Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures."

"As it turns, I don't much like most creatures," Regulus drily said recalling the fire salamander incident during the winter. He'd ended up in the infirmary as a result of several burns across his hindquarters.

Shivering, Regulus adds, "No, I think, I best stick to Ancient Runes. But I'm not sure if I can handle both Arithmancy and Ancient Runes at the same time."

"In that case, you best take Muggle Studies or Divination," Rowan replied as she glanced down to only order her bishop to move.

"I can't take muggle studies," Regulus made a face. "My parents would kill me. But I don't want to take Divination either."

"Just take muggle studies," Terry interjected without glancing up from the chessboard. "Just say that you want to go into politics and that you will need the muggleborn wizard vote. That wukk quickly shut them up and they will cease their fussing."

Regulus brightens up and says, "I think, I'll take your word for it, Terry!" Regulus happily writes down his answer as Terry takes Rowan's knight.

"Excuse me," one of the girls next to Regulus said, causing Rowan to glance up from the board.

"Yes?" Rowan asked as she studied the curly-haired girl with the emerald ribbon, Florinda.

"Flortentia and I are looking to take Arithmancy, could you tell us a bit more about it?" Florinda asked.

"Unlike Divination, where one is guessing the future as there can be multiple means to a sign, numerology calculates everything. But of course, one does have to be able to calculate numbers," Rowan explained. "If you aren't sure that you like sums very much, it might not be the best choice."

"No, Florinda and I are quite good at them," interjected, the straight-haired girl with the silver ribbon, Flortentia. "Thank you, very much."

"Your welcome," Rowan said with a faint grin as she ordered her bishop to take Terry's queen. Terry winces as Rowan adds, "Have you elected your second choice?"

"Care of Magical Creatures," both girls said in unison with a giggle. "Unlike, Regulus, we're quite good with all sorts of beasties." Regulus puffed out his cheeks in a sulk as he muttered something about traitors under his breath.

The rest of the day passed in such a pleasant fashion and after nightfall, Rowan teleported into the hidden chamber beneath the castle. With Salazar's book under her arm, she took a seat as the new enchanted lanterns that she'd kindly taken from the room of requirement burst into flame. A warm, bright blow was cast over the room as she took a seat and began to read the remaining pages were no more than twenty.

Once more, Rowan didn't learn much of interest until the first paragraph of the second to last page.

"As I have stated before that vampires, unlike werewolves who are cursed and not born. A vampire can share some of their power with another being be it a wizard or a human making them a vampire-like creature. But unlike a trueborn vampire or a half-blood born between a vampire and a wizard or human, created vampires do not possess the long-life span of their sires. Though they certainly do cease to age and remain at the age in which they were turned. And unlike what most humans seem to believe vampires are immortal, we know that vampires are only as long-lived as wizardkind. It is believed by some scholars that we possess a common ancestor due to our shared long lifespan. Which are utter lies as many magical creatures possess long life spans including life spans that even suppress ours!

Returning to my prior point all werewolves are cursed beings. Even the human folklore from Greece, Germania, and the Nordics further north all state that the first werewolves were all cursed by the gods or as I believe a powerful dark witch or wizard. However, the curse had become a plague and many that I know have become infected. I must seek the cure lest I lose many of those who follow me to madness or the hunters."

Rowan furrowed her brow and quickly turned the next page as she continued to read.

"It has taken three years, but at least I have achieved success, I have found the cure to the curse."

The book trembles in Rowan's hand as she hurriedly reads the following sentence.

"The cure is permanent and the ingredients though some rare are not hard to come by. The cure does not lie in exterminating the curse, but rather changing it's intended purpose. If its purpose as a curse is to cause the cursed to become a wild wolf-like creature than by consuming my potion, the cursed being will transform into a full wolf much like an animagus would.

Three doses of the potion must be given for three full moons, but at the end of the three moons the cursed being's bite will no longer be cursed and nor will they be forced to transform into that hideous cursed beast form. The once cursed will now have a wolf animagus form and though some compulsion is left after the many years of transforming under the light of the full moon, they are no more dangerous than any other animagus."

Rowans stops reading as her lips curl in disgust. "Are you telling me that bastard could have eradicated the curse all along?!" Rowan swore out loud. "You really did deserve the rotten reputation you ended up in the end. Though I wish the rest of Slytherin didn't have to pay for your mistakes."

With a sigh, Rowan intently returned to reading the rest of the page.

"I would have shared the curse with the world if not for taking delight in the suffering of those lesser than us. I have made sure to cure all my followers and made them swear an unbreakable vow to me to never speak of the cure to others."

Rowan swears again, before with a disgruntled huff returning to her spot.

"The cure is simple enough, and I have left it down below. And to my heir, if you have discovered this as I have left I behind for you, please take credit for my discovery. You will need the power and achievement that it will grant you.

Farewell, descendant,

Salazar Slytherin."

With trembling hands, Rowan reads the cure for werewolves threatening to tear the book apart in her anger. After breathing deeply several times, she managed to smooth the wrath felt inside of her but nothing that took away her fury towards Salazar Slytherin. Glancing down at the cure in her lap, she ponders on what to do with it.

She most certainly will not claim credit for it nor has any desire to do so. She'd originally give it to Severus, but frankly, she does not want Salazar Slytherin to receive the least bit of credit for it. The credit should only go to someone worthy who has dedicated their entire lifetime to find a cure for the curse.

Rowan straightened up in her seat at a potion master's name shines brightly in her mind. Quickly making a copy of the page, she shoves the book onto the bookshelf. Hurriedly taking out quill and pen, she pens down a note, before shoving the cure and note into a brown envelope. Making sure to seal the envelope with red wax she pulled out her sealing stamp and slammed it into the wax. Waving it in the air to make the wax quickly dry, she finally teleports away to the Owlery.

The Owlery is a circular stone room; rather cold and draughty because none of the windows have glass in them. The entire floor is covered in straw, owl droppings, and the regurgitated skeletons of mice and voles. Hundreds of upon hundreds of owls of every breed imaginable were nestled on their perches that rose right up to the top of the tower. Half of them were gone, no doubt out hunting at this late hour.

Round amber, black, yellow eyes peeked at her, before closing their eyes. Rowan scanned the owls to finally spots two large Great Horned owls, Nibby and Owyn next to a barn owl. Doing her best to avoid the droppings, she hurries over across the straw towards the two dozing owls after having hunted down a meal. "Owyn!" Rowan whispered as Owyn let out a sleepy hoot as he fluttered his wings awake.

"Good boy," Rowan said as she tied the letter to his stuck-out leg. "I need you to deliver this to Damocles Belby and only to his hands," Rowan firmly instructed as Owny gave a proud hoot. Nibby at his side let out a soft hoot as she rubbed her face next to his, before Owny turned away and gently nipped Rowan's finger. Spreading his wings, Owny took off into the night and soared away in the still very much dark sky.

"Fly true, Owny," Rowan whispered, before turning to give Nibby a gentle scratch under her chin. Nibby flutters her wings and gently opens her beak to playful nibble on Rowan's fingers. With one last tickle, Rowan teleports away back to the girl's bathroom, before getting ready for bed. She could only hope that Damocles Belby would believe her.