Initially, Anton had dragged Lupin to risk his life seeking a goblin for treatment, hoping for a reliable support system.
After all, living alone in wizarding and Muggle society was too difficult for a ten-year-old like him.
However, he now looked at the crowd of people on the wooden board with a strange expression.
There was a blood-cursed orc with blood magic, and a cool little girl from a pure-blood family. There was a middle-aged werewolf, said to be above average in strength, but suffering from a bug in the Cruciatus Curse that left him weak.
There was a goblin who had lived for centuries, now lying dead, his life or death unknown. There was a translucent headless wizard ghost, holding his own head, hoping he would help him become a body in the future.
And there was a twelve-foot-long viper in an iron cage.
Yes, he had found Nagini too.
Oh my god!
He had been looking for someone to rely on.
But fate had played a huge joke on him.
Not only was he left without anyone to rely on, but he had been given five people who needed him!
His frail, ten-year-old shoulders—
it was so hard—
so hard!!! He was so young, and yet he had to support such a large family?
"Fate is such a funny, mischievous little bitch." Anton beamed, his smile bright. With a wave of his wand, an arrow of light appeared in mid-air, swaying and pointing southeast. "Destination: France, let's go!"
A rope tied to the end of the broomstick connected it to the wooden plank.
They sailed along the depths of the sea.
The old wizard floated on the plank, facing the faint light where the sea and sky met, singing ancient, rugged maxims.
"The heroic reformer, he emerges from the mist."
"Morning dew wets the corners of his clothes."
"Birds sing for his arrival."
"Wildflowers by the roadside sway and dance for him."
"He walks with a smile, carrying light behind him..."
Pedro and Lupin lay side by side. Nagini, in her iron cage, spat out snakes. Anna hugged her legs, resting her chin on her knees, tilting her head to look at Anton with a sweet smile.
…
… …
…
Time flies.
Winter snowflakes drifted, quietly blanketing the streets of London, England.
At Grimmauld Place, a 20-minute walk from King's Cross Station in northwest London,
at 11 Grimmauld Place, Chadha Information Consulting Company, another busy day began as the warm sun melted the snow at noon.
"Oh, damn! When will US headquarters assign us a new manager? This is all terrible!" A young blonde in a beige woolen coat and gold-rimmed glasses complained, looking at the mess of documents on her desk.
Beautiful women always win the favor of their colleagues. A young employee, slightly balding and with a slightly protruding belly, leaned over, as if to get a little closer.
"Ilsa, you must not know that our new manager has arrived."
This statement immediately caught everyone's attention, and the young man's face became even more proud. "I heard he was transferred from France."
"Unbelievable!" Ilsa's face was full of resistance. "Why from France? Even if the US headquarters doesn't have the right person, can't we find someone suitable in the UK?"
The young man spread his hands. "We know that in the future, no, in just two years, information consulting companies will be everywhere, but right now, apart from those specializing in civil engineering, we're the only one in London."
"It's so hard to find the right person. Are we going to choose a detective as our manager?"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Ilsa curled her lips and shook her shoulders. "I wouldn't mind having Sherlock Holmes as my boss."
At that moment, a man who looked about 30 years old and had been reading a newspaper across from Ilsa put it down. He had the dark green eyes that Ilsa admired, and a healthy, strong physique that made his shirt look very stylish.
"I asked my colleagues in France, and our new boss is British."
"Really?" Ilsa exclaimed in surprise. "Gerber, I mean, how is that possible?"
All eyes shifted from the young man to focus on Gerber.
Gerber gracefully took a sip of his coffee. Seeing everyone looking at him expectantly, especially Ilsa's anxious gaze, he couldn't help but smile mysteriously. "It's said he's a British expatriate living in France. After working for a French company, he was highly regarded by headquarters for his outstanding abilities and was specially assigned to lead operations in the UK."
"Yes, that's true." Standing at the office door was a remarkably refined gentleman.
He elegantly removed his hat, revealing a perfectly slicked-back hairstyle, with nearly every strand of hair neatly combed. The dim yellow light from the lamplight shone on his golden hair, radiating a touch of elegance.
The gentleman's face was covered in wrinkles, but his shrewd smile blurred the lines, giving him an air of wisdom.
"My name is Remus John Lupin, and I'm honored to be your colleague."
"You can just call me Lupin. I enjoy this relaxed atmosphere."
Lupin gestured to the empty reception desk. "Look, our receptionist has resigned again? It looks like we have a lot of work to do."
This energetic, amiable, and intelligent boss, in such a new industry, instantly gained widespread recognition.
Everyone stood up and applauded his arrival.
Lupin clearly lived up to the expectations. He glanced at his chest clock. "Since you're new here, I'd like everyone to come to my office for a one-on-one meeting so we can get to know each other better."
"We have twenty excellent employees. If we work quickly, perhaps we can finish this before the end of the day?"
He asked in a questioning tone, but his decisive demeanor instantly won everyone's trust.
"Mr. Gerber, as the company's accountant, I'd like you to be the first one, okay?"
"Yes, boss," Gerber agreed happily.
Gerber didn't notice that Miss Ilsa, sitting across from him, was frowning at the boss.
The new manager, Lupin, was a man of wit and gentle disposition, but also possessed a sharp mind. This view was reinforced after each employee who spoke with him came out.
"That's great! I've always worried our company would be shut down by headquarters," the bald young man who spoke first said to Ilsa excitedly, his face lighting up. "After all, under our previous boss, our performance wasn't ideal."
Ilsa forced a smile. "Is... is that so? That's fantastic."
Finally, ten minutes before the end of the shift, it was the last person's turn. Miss Ilsa, her hands clenched tightly, her fingers turning pale from exertion, and she quickly stood up.
Gerber, standing across from her, smiled faintly. "Don't worry, Ilsa. The boss has a broad mind and is a generous man. He won't mind an unintentional offense."
He winked. "Of course, we have to be careful not to offend him, right?"
Ilsa seemed not to have heard him speak, and walked into the boss's office in a daze.
Bang!
The heavy wooden door of the manager's office slammed shut, and everyone in the office hall looked at each other in surprise.
When Ilsa came in, Lupin was holding a cup of coffee, one hand in his trouser pocket, quietly gazing out the window at the ruins.
It seemed as if there was something hidden in the ruins between numbers 11 and 13 Grimmauld Place.
"Lupin!" Ilsa growled coldly, gritting her teeth.
She grabbed Lupin's collar hard, "Listen, you are not welcome here, I want you to leave immediately."
Lupin was obviously frightened and looked at her in surprise, "Miss Elsa, what are you doing?"
Elsa sneered and moved her face closer, "Remus John Lupin, I know you!"
"If you don't want everything to get worse, leave this company immediately!"
Lupin's face turned cold, frowned slightly, pushed Elsa away, and gently adjusted his tie, "I'm very clear that I didn't know you before, Miss Elsa, did you recognize the wrong person?"
Elsa looked very angry, glanced out the window, and straightened her chest, "Today is a full moon night! Listen, either you leave decently, or I call someone from the Ministry of Magic!"
"The Ministry of Magic?" Lupin laughed, as if he had heard something amusing. "Miss Ilsa, today isn't April Fool's Day. Did you get a little sleepy and drift off?"
His expression turned cold. "I don't want to hear any more childish talk about magic or anything like that. This is an information consulting company, not a children's playground!"
Ilsa glared down at him. "That's ridiculous."
She flung open the office door, looked at all her colleagues, and announced, "Perhaps we should have a welcome party, tonight at dinner, how about that?"
The office was full of men courting her, and as they joined in the booing, everyone cheered.
Ilsa turned to look at Lupin and sneered. "Well, Manager, do you dare come? Tonight's a full moon!"
Lupin smiled calmly. "I don't know what you're up to, but I hope you'll sincerely apologize to me after this dinner. After all, you're an extremely talented information processor. I'm giving you this opportunity."
Ilsa turned and walked out.
Behind her,
by the window, Lupin smiled calmly, took another sip of the coffee in his cup, and frowned.
"Polyjuice Potion tastes disgusting!"
Rowling's setting for Lupin's poverty and destitution: because he is a werewolf, he can't find a paid job. But the outrageous thing is that when Lupin became a professor and it was revealed that he was a werewolf, all the parents were stunned. So, as the only magic school in the UK, the number of professors there can almost be described as single digits. Why didn't those who knew Lupin was a werewolf and didn't offer him a job come out and say it? ... Because of this problem, I almost went crazy when writing the plot.