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Naruto: Uchiha Shiroge Rebellion
Dumbledore, who had somehow ended up taking the blame for everything, didn't seem bothered in the slightest. He stood up, gave Lucien's shoulder a gentle pat, and said quietly:
"Come on. Let him rest properly."
Lucien nodded and followed Dumbledore out of the hospital wing.
The door clicked shut behind them.
Dumbledore adjusted his half-moon spectacles, the corner of his mouth curving upward.
"In the hospital wing, only Madam Pomfrey has the final say."
Lucien glanced back at the closed door.
"You can tell she really cares about her patients."
Dumbledore chuckled. "She once told me, 'If I wasn't worried about what would happen to my students without me, I'd resign in protest!' When it comes to student safety and health, Madam Pomfrey takes it very seriously."
As he spoke, he held out the stack of notes toward Lucien and asked casually:
"What were you going to ask Snape? Maybe I can try to answer."
Dumbledore was every bit the master when it came to potions as well.
Lucien answered directly. "Improving the Wolfsbane Potion."
At the mention of "Wolfsbane Potion," Dumbledore's hand instinctively pulled the notes back a fraction.
He'd been extremely busy lately, but he'd also been searching nonstop for a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for Hogwarts.
He'd reached out to every capable wizard in Britain and the surrounding countries he could think of.
But the position had a terrifying reputation. Even offering better pay hadn't helped.
Dumbledore had even started wondering if he'd have to go farther afield—trick, no, hire—a foreign wizard.
A few weeks ago, though, one British wizard had shown interest in the offer.
The man was in desperate need of a steady, well-paying job because of his personal circumstances. Yet he kept hesitating—not because of the curse on the position, but because he worried his own "identity issues" might put the students at risk.
Dumbledore had planned to wait until the wizard accepted the post, then ask Snape to improve the Wolfsbane Potion as a kind of "guarantee" for him.
He just hadn't expected Snape's recent streak of bad luck to land him in the hospital wing.
When Lucien mentioned he was working on improving Wolfsbane, a spark of relief lit Dumbledore's eyes.
Wolfsbane Potion—a relatively new brew that helped werewolves keep their minds during the full moon and greatly reduced the chance of them losing control and hurting someone.
If it could be made even better, it might finally ease that particular wizard's worries enough for him to take the Defense job…
"That would be wonderful," Dumbledore said, his voice carrying a note of genuine relief. "I was already planning to ask Severus to improve it. I just didn't expect him to have such rotten luck lately."
Lucien's thoughts sharpened.
Ask Snape to improve Wolfsbane?
This had to be for Lupin.
So the old man had already decided to bring Lupin in as the next Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?
Lucien turned the idea over in his head. In the original timeline, Lupin really had taken the post during Harry's third year—that thin, shabby-looking man who had been one of Harry's father's closest friends… and a werewolf.
Because of his condition, he'd faced constant discrimination and had spent years drifting from place to place, barely able to hold down a steady job.
If Wolfsbane could be improved—stronger effect, fewer side effects—Lupin might finally stop worrying so much about hurting someone on the full moon.
Tsk. If Snape actually brewed and improved the potion for Dumbledore, only to find out it was all for Lupin—his old rival from their school days—and that this same rival was about to snatch the Defense Against the Dark Arts job Snape had wanted for years…
What kind of face would the old bat make?
"Oh, right," Lucien added silently in his head. That rival would also be stealing the position the old bat had been dreaming about.
"How soon do you think you can have the improved version ready?" Dumbledore asked.
Lucien thought for a moment. "I've got the basic ideas. A month at most. I'll definitely have it done."
Dumbledore nodded, satisfied. The two of them walked side by side down the corridor, sunlight streaming through the high stained-glass windows and casting colorful patterns across the floor.
Laughter from a group of younger students echoed faintly from somewhere ahead, then faded away.
Lucien stayed quiet for a few steps before suddenly asking:
"Professor Snape getting hurt like that… was it because of the curse on the position?"
Dumbledore didn't answer right away.
He slowed his pace, hands clasped behind his back.
Logically, it shouldn't have been. Snape had only been covering the class for a few months.
The curse was nasty, but it usually took longer to activate…
Still, curses were unpredictable. No one could say for certain.
It didn't care whether you were "temporary" or not.
Even changing the name of the subject hadn't worked. As long as someone was teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, the curse would find them.
That was exactly why Dumbledore had never been willing to give Snape the full position.
He knew how badly Snape wanted it. But precisely because he valued Snape so much, he couldn't bear to let him take the risk.
And now this cauldron incident had sounded a clear warning bell.
One student's mistake. One flying cauldron. One unlucky angle—and Snape was in the hospital wing.
It wasn't life-threatening, but who knew what the next incident would be?
The whole thing had only strengthened Dumbledore's resolve.
Until the curse was lifted, he would not—unless there was absolutely no other choice—let Snape take over as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.