Greetings, everyone! I’m thrilled to share an exciting new chapter with you today, called Lycanthropy & the Wolfsbane Potion. As you can guess from the title, I’ve decided to focus on a topic that may not be well known amongst my fellow students, and even kept quiet by others. Join me as we dive into the fascinating world of werewolves, uncovering myths and truths specifically in the world of Harry Potter!

According to Harry Potter Wiki, a lycanthrope (also known as a werewolf) was a creature which normally resembled a human being but upon the complete rising of the full moon, became an uncontrollable, fearsome and deadly wolf.

This condition is caused by an infection from the bites of other werewolves, as we know from example with Remus Lupin. Unfortunately, in other cases, many victims would bleed to death from werewolf bites rather than live on to become werewolves themselves.

Upon reading Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scammander, we can tell that werewolves are found worldwide, and have been known to originate from northern Europe. Their transformations occur once a month on the full moon, and during that time, werewolves will actively seek humans as prey. They are classified as XXXXX by the Ministry of Magic, so they are impossible to contain/train, and should be avoided at all cost (at their times of transformation) because of how dangerous they can be.

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As you’ve probably guessed, we’re not only here to talk about lycanthropy, but also an infamous potion known to help with the relief of symptoms lycanthropes face: Wolfsbane Potion!

Unfortunately, there is no known cure for werewolves, but this potion is very innovative for its time as it has been known to ease the process of transformation. So, what is it exactly?

Well, wolfsbane potion was said to have been invented by Damocles Belby, a potioneer who became famous for this creation. The potion mainly consisted of the plant wolfsbane, also known as aconite and monkswood.

It allowed the user to keep their human mind for the duration of their transformation, making them much less dangerous and unhinged as a werewolf without a conscious human mind. Unfortunately, all of the ingredients needed for this potion are said to be quite pricey, which makes it difficult for those who aren’t particularly wealthy.

If this sort of thing is interesting to you, potions classes might be worth putting an effort in! This potion specifically is meant to be taught to students in 6th year, so if you choose to pursue the subject, keep an eye out for it!

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At this point in the chapter, I wanted to introduce someone who’s certainly much more expertised than myself: Lycan Moon! Lycan has been studying lycanthropy for quite some time, and she’s allowed me to interview her today. Let’s hear what she has to say!

Daphne: Hi Lycan! Thanks for taking the time to allow me to interview you today. Around HiH, you've been known for your expertise on werewolves and the subject of lycanthropy, and we're psyched to learn more about it!

Lycan: Hey! Thanks for considering me for an interview on lycanthropy and werewolves. I'm more than happy to share my expertise. I've been studying the subject for a while now, and I'm excited to share what I know with you. Go ahead and ask your first question!

Daphne: Great! First of all, can you tell me how you got into studying werewolves? What inspired you to specialise in this topic?

Lycan: Well, it all started on a dark and stormy night…. No, I’m just pulling your leg. But, I suppose you can tell by my pen name that I myself am one. Well, I suppose I was inspired to start studying and writing in depth about lycanthropy when a dear friend stood up for someone who was being bullied for being different. At that moment, I knew that I also had to take a stand for what is right, and I thought that by sharing my experiences along with in-depth research, it could be enough to convince people to have empathy for others, regardless of any factor.

Daphne: Interesting! While conducting your research, what were some common misconceptions you noticed about lycanthropy?

Lycan: My, my, there are quite a lot of misconceptions indeed, so I will focus on three to save you the time. One of them is just an opinion of mine; a theory which I have put thought and research into, but have not been able to test.

The theory is this: Lycanthropy is a disease, not a curse. A curse is classified as a Dark charm, which is primarily defined as any spell that affects the object in a negative manner. According to the National Institution of Health, some diseases spread via direct contact with infected skin, mucous membranes, or body fluids. Lycanthropy is spread when a werewolf bites into human skin and comes in contact with the blood stream. Lycanthropy cannot be cured, but there is an albeit, unreasonably overpriced potion that helps with its effects; much like modern medicine cannot cure all diseases, but can lessen pain. While, yes, of course a curse affects the individual negatively, so would an incurable disease.

A misconception I see passed around occasionally is that you become a werewolf the night you are attacked, or that you can control when you transform, like animagi. Neither are true. Most who are attacked by a werewolf on a full moon do not live to tell the tale unless they have dittany leaves available, which can be applied to the wound and save the victim. It would not be until the next full moon that the victim would transform, which leads me to my next point, that lycanthropes only transform during the full moon. Statistically, this means that if they were to live to 100 years of age, they would spend only 1.64% of their lives transformed, or 98.35% as regular human beings. That calculation was done assuming that each night lasts exactly 12 hours, but of course the night and day hours during each season fluctuates.

Another misconception is that lycanthropes can control the wolf when transformed. The only way an afflicted individual can keep a handful of human senses and logic when transformed is in the presence of other werewolves. That’s just one aspect of why joining a pack of other lycanthropes could be beneficial; however, not all packs do good, as seen with Greyback’s.

Greyback is known to "specialise in children," and when they grow up and have nowhere to go, he promises shelter, a community, friends, food, and doesn’t discriminate, and only asks in return for loyalty. He calls everyone he has bitten or in his pack "son" and "daughter," and in return they call him "father" and each other "brother" and "sister." It seems promising, especially when the world tries to shut werewolves out. However, he uses this to his advantage. Because young lycanthropes are likely to be shunned and never find a job due to being absent for a day or more every month, they’ll turn to him and he gets to use them anyway he wants. Then he’ll have an army and be more powerful than ever before, killing and destroying lives simply for the fun of it. And his army of supporters would be completely willing to kill and attack simply because they think they’re getting revenge for the mistreatment they faced.

Thankfully, not all packs are like cults. Other packs include the same benefits, but they don’t usually band together to attack quite like Greyback’s pack does.

Going back to the original point, werewolves are otherwise not in control during the full moon. A werewolf desires human blood above all else, but will settle for what it can hunt in a forest if there aren’t humans close by. Unfortunately, many witches and wizards have died from getting too close to one thinking that the werewolf would recognize them as a friend and not attack. I can assure you, a werewolf will not recognize you, even if you are a friend. If you approach as an animagi, however, and show the wolf respect as a leader, the werewolf may tolerate you, and eventually grow to enjoy your company if you come along every full moon. The lycanthrope will have a better memory of the night with animagi than alone, but it is much stronger with other werewolves.

Daphne: Fascinating! I see that there are a lot of misinterpretations that come with understanding lycanthropy. Speaking of, how has studying lycanthropy influenced or changed your perspective on the subject?

Lycan: Well, I’ve always had a strong sense of right, wrong, justice, and equality. But studying a misunderstood, misrepresented group of people made me feel a lot of new emotions. For one, I felt angry at the world. I felt pity for those less fortunate than I, who don’t have support systems built around them. I felt sorrowful that unaffected people just don’t listen to us. And I can even say I understand why a werewolf would join Greyback—though of course I would never.

Daphne: Wow…That’s very inspiring to hear! Now, I’ve heard that you’ve been working on something to do with this subject. Can you tell us a little about the project you've been working on? What are your plans for the future?

Lycan: Oh, of course I can. At the moment, I am working to write a self-help book for werewolves and anyone curious to learn more about them. I can’t say much about its contents but it will likely be very controversial. It is titled ‘Understanding the Magic and Mystery Behind Our Curse: A Werewolf's Guide to Finding Community, Purpose, and Control in the Magical World.” It is a very long, scholarly title so I have abbreviated it to UMMBOCWGFCPCMW, which is an acronym almost as long as the title itself, haha. My plans are to have it done some time next year before I publish it, although I don’t think any press will want to print my book so I’ll likely have to pass it around to my classmates at Hogwarts and have them spread the word.

Daphne: That is very cool! I’ll certainly make sure to give it a read once the book has been published. To end off, what advice would you give to someone who wants to learn more about lycanthropy or study similar topics?

Lycan: When it comes to learning about lycanthropy or studying similar topics, I would start with some foundational knowledge. Read books written by experts in the field-which, admittedly, are hard to come by as people typically don’t want to study something that could kill them violently and purposely- and study the myths and legends associated with werewolves. It is important to keep an open mind and I encourage everyone to listen earnestly when studying new subjects.

Daphne: Perfect! Thank you very much for participating in this interview and sharing some of your knowledge with us Lycan!

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That’s all for this chapter! I hope you found it as interesting to read as I did to write. I can say with certainty that I’ve learned a lot, so I hope you have as well, readers. Once more, thank you so much Lycan for interviewing. Your thoughts and opinions were certainly fascinating and very fun to hear! For now, goodbye!

Written by Daphne Clarke. 
Edited by Marlee Potter.  
Proofread by Hazel Antler.