Chapter 321: The Leaky Cauldron

Diagon Alley.

This long cobblestone street was lined with the most enchanting wizarding shops in the world.

At this moment, it was thronged with people, bustling and vibrant.

“To Gringotts.”

In November, the cold wind howled, and Wizard Sean’s voice rode on it.

“Alright.”

Lupin nodded.

He wore an extremely worn wizard’s robe, patched in several places.

In his hand he carried a suitcase, battered and cracked, with a faded label reading “R.J.Lipin.”

The suitcase was bound tightly with many ropes, barely holding itself together.

“Mr. Lupin, are you carrying that suitcase so you can move at a moment’s notice?”

Walking through the noisy Diagon Alley, Wizard Sean asked as if curious.

“Has anyone ever told you your observation is too sharp?”

Lupin sighed gently.

He recalled how precisely the boy had described his wand, down to the inch.

“Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Tera said so.”

Wizard Sean replied.

Lupin chuckled silently… he hadn’t actually been asking a question…

His weary, listless expression eased slightly.

“Yes, for a… werewolf, having no fixed home is common.”

Lupin smiled faintly, though the smile still seemed forced.

The cold wind swept again; Lupin pulled his robe tighter. His patched robe and battered suitcase stood out sharply in Diagon Alley.

Even if he failed to notice it, the strange glances from other wizards would make him aware.

“I’ve advanced you your first month’s salary. You should buy yourself proper clothes. And Mr. Lupin, your suitcase is about to fall apart.”

Passing a noisy gnome in Diagon Alley, Wizard Sean pointed his wand forward, and the cracks in Lupin’s suitcase sealed themselves.

The ropes twisted and wove themselves into the suitcase’s structure.

“Remarkable Transfiguration skill…”

Lupin watched the transformation, his gaze sharpening slightly.

He grew more curious—where had this child come from? And advancing salary…

“What if I ran off with the money? That’s not in the contract.”

Lupin smiled.

“Hmm… then I hope next time I see you, you won’t be freezing, Mr. Lupin. Scotland’s weather is always damp and chilly.”

Wizard Sean spoke, his gaze turning toward the grand entrance of Gringotts.

“I’m going to retrieve something. If you’re not planning to run off, wait here for me.”

Lupin stared blankly for a long moment—he had never met a young wizard like this.

…

Wizard Sean withdrew many gold coins from his vault, filling the Undetectable Extension Bag Dumbledore had given him.

His vault’s location was soon to change; a goblin named Gory wished to move it to the Dragon Guard Zone.

Wizard Sean refused—he had no time to oversee the relocation—so the move was scheduled for Christmas.

“Your advance payment, Mr. Lupin.”

Emerging from the vault, Wizard Sean tossed Lupin a bag. The heavy weight of the gold Galleons made Lupin feel as if he’d tricked a child.

“This…”

Lupin instinctively wanted to refuse.

“A shopkeeper’s shabby appearance ruins business.”

Wizard Sean stared at his patched robe and said,

“The bookshop will soon clear the attic for your residence. You’ll still live at the bookshop, Mr. Lupin, and work until dusk every day.”

Wizard Sean finished speaking, feeling a pang of irony—he had become a heartless capitalist.

“I understand.”

Lupin’s eyes no longer looked at the bustling street; he felt as if he had been severed from it all at once. A complex, indescribable emotion surged through his chest, leaving him dazed.

After so long, he finally had a place to belong.

“For now, you can stay at the Leaky Cauldron. And you’ll need an owl, to keep in touch with me.”

Wizard Sean spoke, then walked with Lupin across the street toward the Magical Beasts Shop.

The shop was tiny, its walls crowded with cages. The air reeked, and noise filled the room as the creatures inside shrieked, chirped, or hissed.

Behind the counter, a witch was instructing a wizard on caring for a two-tailed water newt. While Lupin bought an owl, Wizard Sean examined the Veritaserum in his hand.

He had prepared a recording brooch to ask himself questions.

The Leaky Cauldron.

Second floor.

Wizard Sean and Lupin followed Tom up a beautiful wooden staircase to a door marked with a brass number fourteen.

This was Wizard Sean’s first time staying in the second-floor quarters of the Leaky Cauldron.

It looked decent enough.

Inside was a bed that looked instantly comfortable, several gleaming oak furnishings, and a fireplace blazing with a cheerful, crackling fire.

“Put down your things. We need to return to Hogsmeade, Mr. Lupin.”

Wizard Sean said.

Lupin placed the suitcase beside the oak wardrobe. The young wizard seemed exceptionally trustworthy in Tom’s eyes—the landlord had even given them the room without collecting any Galleons.

The sniffing sack reluctantly spat out a few gold Galleons; Tom beamed and left:

“Mr. Green, welcome back anytime.”

Lupin had felt out of touch with the modern magical world—this young wizard clearly had some fame in Diagon Alley.

“I own several shops in Diagon Alley.”

Wizard Sean seemed to read Lupin’s thoughts and added,

“A gifted child… then, take my hand.”

Lupin extended his hand, watching Wizard Sean drink a peculiar potion—something that eased the discomfort of Apparition… an unusual brew, one he had never seen before.

…

Wizard Sean left Hogsmeade, and the Green Bookshop welcomed its new owner.

Beneath the massive holly tree, its branches hung with blue and green ribbons, Lupin stared long at the direction the young wizard had vanished.

Snowflakes drifted gently down; the chimney of the Three Broomsticks puffed steam like a steam train.

The young wizard had left faint footprints in the snow; even walking alone, he carried an unmistakable, striking presence.

Perhaps it was his quietly elegant robe, or perhaps the face the young witches secretly watched…

Regardless, Lupin would admit: this was an extraordinary wizard.

Lupin stayed at the Leaky Cauldron, and that day he kept drifting off.

Outside the window, the sky shifted rapidly—from velvet blue to cold gray, then slowly to pink streaked with golden light.

By the window, he still felt a lingering unreality—he had a well-paid job, and now a place to stay.

Before him lay a brand-new, inexplicably appeared day.

“A peculiar and strange day.”

He gave a self-deprecating smile and fell into exhausted sleep.

That sleep was more comfortable than he had imagined.