Chapter 338: Warming the House
It was another day of swirling white flurries.
A few owls struggled through the wind and snow to deliver the morning post. While a roaring fire blazed in the Great Hall, the drafty corridors remained bone-chillingly cold, and the classroom windows rattled incessantly against the gale.
Snowy hadn't delivered a letter to Sean in quite some time, but today, she swooped down from the high rafters and landed firmly on his shoulder, dropping a thick envelope into his lap.
[Renovations complete. Please finalize the remaining balance.]
It was a notice from Green's Bookstore. The arrival of this letter meant that Remus Lupin was finally ready to move into his new home.
Sean pulled out the Project Map; a red exclamation mark was pulsing over the label for Hogsmeade. Justin Finch-Fletchley, who had just received a duplicate owl, looked over at Sean and received a sharp nod in return.
"It's Sunday, luckily..." Justin said with a warm smile. "When shall we head out, Sean?"
"Now," Sean replied.
With a flick of his wand, a thin volume on Potion-making zoomed across the table and tucked itself into his Undetectable Extension Pouch. Thanks to the gift from Professor McGonagall, Sean now carried a miniature library with him wherever he went.
Lately, he had been wondering if such charms qualified as "High-tier Alchemical Constructs." After all, space-folding was among the most sophisticated branches of magic in the Wizarding World.
Leaving the Great Hall, Sean and Justin climbed the stairs and turned into a secluded corridor. The light here was particularly dim. A loose windowpane allowed a blast of icy wind to scream into the hall, extinguishing the torches.
"Sean, I've been meaning to ask you something," Justin said suddenly. He had been carrying a weight of unspoken worry and confusion for several days.
"Mmm?" Sean hummed.
"About Mr. Lupin," Justin frowned. "He is clearly a man of great skill—your eye for talent is never wrong. But... why is he so... transient? Why does he look like he's been running his whole life?"
"He's a werewolf," Sean answered. The explanation was simple and blunt.
"A werewolf... a werewolf?"
Justin froze for a heartbeat. Outside, the sound of the blizzard seemed to intensify, but a small smile began to tug at the corner of Justin's mouth. He realized his worry had been misplaced. The young wizard beside him always stood a bit apart from the crowd, but when asked, he never hid the truth.
It reminded Justin that they were, in every sense, a team.
Hogsmeade was perpetually decorated with magical candles. These were Ever-Burning Tapers, and their flickering light could be seen in every nook and cranny of the village.
A man who looked as though he had traveled a long, weary road stepped into the fresh snow, clutching a battered old trunk. The villagers in the Three Broomsticks seemed to recognize his face; as he passed, several of them wore expressions of guarded suspicion.
Lupin pulled his hood lower to hide his face.
His attire was as contradictory as his life. He wore a set of high-quality robes and polished boots—purchased with the advance Sean had given him—yet his hat was ancient and his trunk was a ruin. It was as if he refused to spend a single Knut on anything that wasn't strictly necessary for his public image.
Under the weight of the villagers' gazes, Lupin quickened his pace. Snowy had delivered a letter earlier that morning informing him that his quarters were ready. It had included a formal residency agreement.
The final line of the contract had left him staring into space for nearly ten minutes:
[Green's Bookstore shall provide Remus John Lupin with indefinite residency until such time as he finds a permanent dwelling or the employment contract is terminated.]
Folding the agreement, he allowed himself a rare, genuine smile. He had completely forgotten that today was his moving day. In the Wizarding World, moving into a new home was often celebrated with a "Housewarming" party.
At the same time, in Diagon Alley.
Gertie, the shop manager, was enjoying a rare moment of peace. Not far from her, Justin and Sean were returning from a quick shopping trip.
"Finished already? My dear bosses, did you really break school rules just for ten minutes of shopping?"
"We're heading to Hogsmeade," Sean replied.
"Very well, very well. I suppose I can't complain when you're paying me double," Gertie sighed, though she didn't ask further questions.
Soon, three figures materialized in the snow-dusted outskirts of the village.
Walking through the heart of Hogsmeade, Sean and Justin passed dozens of wizards. The area outside Honeydukes was filled with laughter and the scent of sugar. Zonko's Joke Shop was packed with students, their pockets bulging with Dungbombs, Hiccup Sweets, Frog Spawn Soap, and the occasional Nose-Biting Teacup.
As the only all-wizard village in Britain, it was a tourist magnet and the "promised land" for Hogwarts students. Interestingly, the snack trolley on the Hogwarts Express was officially known as the "Honeydukes Express," with all its stock coming directly from the village.
They passed the newest branch of Weasley & Green's Wizard Wheezes. It was the most crowded spot in the village. People were waving bills in the air, clearing the shelves of stock as fast as the staff could replenish them.
"A new piece! Look! The Werewolf Knight!" a young wizard shouted excitedly.
A crowd of children gathered around him immediately.
"You pulled the hidden rare from the Whimsical Wizard Chess set?!" his friend gasped in shock.
Everyone surged forward, desperate to catch a glimpse of the "Werewolf Knight" figure. These children, all under the age of eleven and full of mischief, darted past Sean and Justin like a whirlwind.
"Werewolf..." Justin murmured, clutching a box of delicate potions a little tighter.
Soon, they reached Green's Bookstore.
The shop was full of customers browsing the latest collections. Sean and Justin headed straight for the second floor, where a private living area had been newly refurbished. The warmth of a roaring hearth spilled out through the crack in the door.
Peering through the gap, Sean saw the corner of a photograph sitting on a desk. Even without an introduction, the sight of a much younger Lupin in the photo told Sean that these were likely Remus's parents.
The sight triggered Sean's memories of the man's history.
Remus John Lupin: a composed, capable, and brilliant wizard. Bitten by Fenrir Greyback as a child, he had been condemned to a life of monthly agony and isolation. Yet, the influence of a father who had spent his life fighting dark creatures and a kind, wise mother had ensured that Remus grew up gentle and humble. Though his childhood was defined by pain and loneliness, his upbringing had ensured he would never descend into the darkness inhabited by his attacker.
Inside the room, Lupin sat in silence. He was used to the quiet; he was used to being alone. He had no memory of a housewarming party, for in his world, moving was never something to be celebrated. Usually, they moved because a neighbor had suspected the truth, and their "home" was a temporary refuge that lasted only as long as his secret.
He remembered the only other time a knock at a door had signaled a turning point in his life—the day Albus Dumbledore had come to invite him to Hogwarts.
He could still hear that knock in his mind: "Hello, Remus. I am Albus Dumbledore."
Green's Bookstore was currently draped in a fine veil of falling snow. On the second-floor window, thin streams of meltwater traced paths through the frost.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door.
"Hello, Mr. Lupin. It's me, Sean Green."
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