Bitter Transmutation : Cruel Transformation || Drarry

Part 17

Harry scanned the great hall. Breakfast was nearly over with most of the tables were already half empty, but he spotted Ron's red hair near the middle of the Gryffindor table and hurried over to them.

Ron waved when he caught sight of Harry, "You're late!"

"Yeah- I was busy-" Harry said haltingly as he reached them.

Ron grabbed his arm and pulled Harry into the seat next to him, pushing an empty plate in front of him, "You're looking rough, mate, did you sleep in those clothes?"

"Sort of," Harry said, he hesitated and then grabbed some toast and making a bacon and egg sandwich. A quick glance around Ron showed that Hermione was writing, her own food mostly forgotten on the plate. Harry doubted she had even noticed him arrive. "Morning, Hermione," he said.

Ron rolled his eyes as Hermione looked up in surprise.

"Harry! I didn't see you!" Hermione said.

"Just got here," Harry said.

Ron had a resigned expression on his face, "She has a new theory."

"I have a new theo-Hey!" Hermione elbowed Ron with a frown.

Ron just shrugged.

"Is it about the werewolf?" Harry asked.

"I think I know why the werewolf hasn't died yet," Hermione said, flipping through her notebook and holding up a page of cramped writing that Harry didn't even have time to read a single word of before she had it in front of herself again. "I was working out a progression of the illness based on what we know of the thestral's decline and estimated that the longest it could have survived would have been two weeks. The wolf was showing clear signs of decline when we encountered it and looked half transformed-"

Ron gave Harry a what can you do? look that was entirely too fond.

Harry was just glad he had gone to the kitchens and hospital wing first so he could return to the tower right after this.

"-but that was right before the full moon. My theory is that the werewolf's body was trying to change back, either because it was getting too weak to maintain the transformation or it was too far away from a full moon, or perhaps a combination the two.
"Lycanthropy, the disease, reacts to moonlight, growing stronger as the moon waxes- I think maybe lycanthropy is caused by some sort of virus that inserts a strand of RNA into the cells of the afflicted person, basically changing the DNA in all the person's cells as it spreads-"

"Getting in the weeds a bit," Ron said.

Hermione blinked and nodded, "Some other time. Where was I?"

"Your theory," Ron said.

"Theory! Right! So, basically, I think every time the wolf is exposed to the full moon, and it transforms again, it repairs at least some of the damage caused by the illness." Hermione frowned, "I have to assume that eventually, the transformations won't be enough to keep the illness at bay. But we can't know for certain how long the wolf has had it or have anywhere enough data to tell the rate of the werewolf's decline compared to the thestral."

"Are the auror's doing anything about it?" Harry asked.

Hermione shrugged, not nearly as interested in things outside the medical aspect.

Harry turned to Ron, "Have you heard anything?"

"I asked McGonagall first thing this morning," Ron said, "Apparently they're scouting the edge of the forest setting up proximity alarms along the boundary and that's all she knows. They told Hogsmeade and the school to stay closed up for now."