Chapter 320

Remus John Lupin was coming to take a look.

It had been exactly one month since he lost his job.

Throughout that entire month, his life had grown increasingly destitute.

The villagers of Hogsmeade were already familiar with his face; finding work here was difficult, even for seven Galleons a week.

“You’re here to apply for manager too?”

A young witch blocked him at the bookstore entrance and led him to a line separate from the customers.

“Madam, I’m here to apply for a clerk position.”

He said.

“What’s the difference? If you can’t get manager, you can always apply for clerk later.”

The young witch was busy; she walked back to the shop entrance and pulled other applicants over to this line.

Lupin scanned the store interior—it carried only one book: the banner declared “The Green Notes Series.”

All other shelves held different editions of that same book: bound volumes, as well as smaller, lighter, more detailed subdivisions.

This was astonishing for a bookstore. No bookstore dared claim it sold only one title—but this one clearly did.

Soon, Lupin understood why.

These books… were selling wildly.

He pulled a copy of “History of Magic, Part One” from the front shelf and soon became absorbed.

Until—

“Do you have a wizard here with a wand of ten and a quarter inches, yew, unicorn hair, aged between thirty-two and thirty-three?”

The young clerk called out.

The applicants froze, then erupted in murmurs—what kind of requirement was this?

Lupin was even more confused; this description was practically naming him directly.

“I might fit.”

Lupin said.

“Please follow me.”

The young clerk glanced at him and nodded approvingly.

Only when he entered the inner room did Lupin understand what was happening.

Inside the room.

The carpet was thick and plush; books lined the walls; the fireplace crackled merrily; elegant silver vessels simmered pumpkin juice, incongruous with the room’s tone.

On the chairs, a golden-haired young wizard was handling contracts, while another, with black hair, was reading a book.

When he entered, both looked up at him.

“We meet again, sir.”

The golden-haired boy said, then stepped out.

“Wizard Sean, I’m leaving it to you.”

Now only two remained in the room.

Lupin felt tense now—tension born of uncertainty.

“Who are you?”

Lupin had no idea what the boy wanted; what could he possibly gain from him?

His patched, tattered clothes? His werewolf identity?

What startled him more was how young the two shop owners were; a closer look at their clothing revealed they were from Dufan Tailors—expensive, high-end.

They looked like sons of wealthy families.

“Wizard Sean Green.”

Wizard Sean said.

Lupin fell silent—this child…

Hearing the name, he recalled the shop’s sign: “Green’s Bookshop.”

He quickly connected the dots.

No wonder the History of Magic notes still showed immaturity—though they introduced an entirely new system and offered readers a fresh, excellent experience, traces of the author’s knowledge gaps remained.

For a published author, it was barely passing;

But for a first- or second-year student…

It was unthinkable.

“This was published by me and my friends—we’re still at Hogwarts, so we need an acting manager. What do you say?”

Wizard Sean closed the book in his hands.

Lupin lowered his eyes—he struggled to keep any job long; once his werewolf identity was exposed, he was usually swiftly fired.

But now he was destitute and truly needed work.

“I must decline…”

Lupin’s voice was hoarse.

These two young wizards… they’d come to hire a manager—they must have gone to great lengths to leave Hogwarts Castle; he knew exactly how hard that was, especially for rule-abiding wizards.

They probably had only this one chance—if he got fired, they’d have to wait until holidays to hire again.

“Can you give me a reason?”

Wizard Sean asked.

“I… I’m a werewolf.”

The young wizard had an odd power—when he asked with such sincerity, lying was impossible.

“No problem. I’ll give you two extra days off, as long as you finish your duties here first.”

Wizard Sean spoke as if mentioning a trivial matter, and Lupin stood frozen.

“Perhaps you don’t understand what I mean…”

Lupin paused, then spoke again.

“A werewolf who looks like an ordinary person except during the full moon, when he transforms?

You registered with the Werewolf Registry, right? You know the Werewolf Code of Conduct—like locking yourself away each full moon to avoid harming others?”

Wizard Sean said.

“Of course…”

Lupin said.

“Then there’s no issue.”

Wizard Sean’s calm demeanor made Lupin wonder if his former bosses had overreacted; finally, he gave a weary smile:

“Child, I appreciate your kindness, but you clearly have no idea what being a werewolf means.”

Wizard Sean looked at him, his emerald eyes bright:

“Beyond being werewolves, they’re still wizards, aren’t they?”

On Wizard Sean’s desk lay a book titled “Furry Noses, Human Hearts.”

An anonymously authored book by Huzzar Hadd Publishing, it told a heartbreaking story of a wizard’s struggle against lycanthropy, published in 1975.

By the 1990s, it had become a classic.

“You have a one-month trial period. If you don’t perform well, I’ll still fire you.”

Wizard Sean added.

Lupin laughed softly—he felt he’d met an unusually intriguing young wizard:

“I’ll do my best.”

…

After slipping out of the bookstore, Jia Jia Siting parted ways with Wizard Sean.

He didn’t ask why Wizard Sean had hired a werewolf as manager; instead, he kept glancing curiously at Lupin.

Wizard Sean now had an extra helper:

“First, we’ll go to the Toy Shop, then to Gringotts. Can you Apparate?”

Wizard Sean asked.

That way, he wouldn’t trouble the overwhelmed Gao Er, the shopkeeper.

Because Diagon Alley’s shops were tightly managed, the Weil Wei Silai twins had assigned her to expand their territory here.

“You’ll be Duke of the North!”

Fred always grinned mischievously.

“Your salary doubled!”

George joined in the teasing.

Gao Er had nothing to say and was always grumpy; Wizard Sean didn’t want to bother her now.

“Of course.”

Lupin tightened his patched clothes.