"Harry, this semester I plan to finish all my third-year coursework right at the beginning of term—for the Quidditch League. You know, because as a student, I'll miss games. The Cannons lose half their games every year, and even when the team enters championship contention, they fail to make the playoffs due to their poor overall record.
So I'll be very busy once school starts. Once the Professors let me train and play during class hours, I might not even be living at Hogwarts—
So, can you take care of S.B. for me?"
Harry was momentarily stunned, then looked down at the large white dog lying at his feet. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but the dog, while pretending to sleep, subtly leaned against his leg.
"Of course, Dana. You can rest assured—I'll take care of him."
Dana nodded.
"Thank you."
Ron, who had been standing nearby, wore a conflicted expression. Of course, he hoped the Chudley Cannons would win the championship—he still believed "Cannons" and "Chudley" fit better together. Calling them the Merlin City Cannons just felt odd. But what truly annoyed him was Dana's attitude of brushing off the idea of completing a year's worth of coursework as easily as eating or drinking.
He wanted to say something, but in the end, held back.
After all, the twins' joke shop had brought a noticeable improvement to the Weasleys' finances. The most obvious sign? He now had a monthly allowance of one Galleon! And all of that stemmed from Dana. Through the Earl, Dana had secured the shop in Merlin City for the twins—and even invested five hundred Galleons in it.
Ron knew perfectly well: if the Wizarding Joke Shop hadn't been established, his mother would never have allowed them to invest the five hundred Galleons they had won.
"Whoosh—"
The compartment door slid open. Standing there was an adult wizard with a small mustache. He didn't look old, but half his hair had turned white. He was carrying a suitcase.
"Hello, children. I'm the new Professor at Hogwarts. Do you still have seats here?"
Dana glanced at the man and immediately smiled.
"Mr. Lupin—no, I should call you Professor Lupin now. Please, come in. We've got seats."
Lupin smiled and nodded as he entered the compartment.
Harry and Ron greeted him a bit awkwardly, but Lupin returned their greetings with a warm smile and placed his suitcase on the rack.
Once seated, Dana asked with a grin:
"Professor Lupin, are you sure the Earl is okay with you coming to Hogwarts to teach? If it weren't for your help, the Earl's West Coast properties would've never been sorted so quickly."
Lupin laughed.
"No, I would never betray the Earl. My teaching at Hogwarts has his full approval. Actually, this is just a part-time job. My main role is serving as steward of the Dantes Trading Company in Merlin City."
Harry looked surprised.
"Dana, you know Professor Lupin?"
Dana nodded.
"Of course. Professor Lupin was discovered by the Earl a year ago. Since then, he's been helping manage the Earl's properties. His abilities are far beyond most people."
Lupin laughed again.
"'Discovered by the Earl'—Dana, come on. Be honest. I was destitute, nearly starving to death, and the Earl happened to save me."
Dana replied:
"The Earl's helped a lot of people. But you're the only one who became a steward, aren't you?"
Lupin smiled but didn't respond. Instead, he looked at the large white dog by Harry's feet.
"Is this your dog?"
"No, Professor. He's Dana's."
Lupin nodded.
"He looks familiar... Oh, if I'm not mistaken—you're Harry Potter, right?"
"Yes, Professor."
"Harry—if I may call you that—I was very close friends with your parents."
Ron interjected:
"So, Professor, were you in Gryffindor too?"
Lupin nodded.
"Of course. And you're a Weasley, aren't you? Ronald, if I remember correctly? I held you when you were just one year old!"
Ron's face went bright red.
"That's me... but everyone calls me Ron. Only Mum says 'Ronald' when she's mad."
With just a few words, Harry and Ron instantly felt closer to Professor Lupin.
Dana quietly pulled out Alchemy and Transfiguration and began to read, choosing not to join the warm reunion chat between Lupin and his friends' children.
"Harry," Lupin said, "you're in your third year now. As someone who lived in the Muggle world, what do you think of the Wizarding World?"
He handed each of the boys a piece of chocolate.
Harry, caught off guard, scratched his head and thought.
"I think it's much more interesting than the Muggle world—and everyone's been really kind to me."
Lupin smiled.
"Then if you had to choose, would you live in the Wizarding World or the Muggle world?"
"The Wizarding World," Harry answered without hesitation.
Lupin nodded.
"A good answer."
Ron was curious.
"Professor Lupin, which would you choose?"
"Me? My answer might differ from Harry's."
"Huh?"
"I hope the boundary between our worlds disappears. So wizards can live wherever they want."
Ron was shocked.
"But that breaks the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy!"
Lupin laughed.
"Exactly. The statute exists, so what I said is only a wish. In reality, I strictly obey the law."
His expression turned slightly bitter—just like his name, Lupin. In flower language, lupine represents bitterness.
"Before I met the Earl, I couldn't find work in the Wizarding World. Had I not obeyed the statute, I could have infiltrated the Muggle world to earn a living. I wouldn't have starved and ended up being rescued by the Earl."
Harry looked surprised.
"Why? If Dumbledore hired you as a professor, that proves you're capable—"
(Ron seemed to recall Lockhart and twitched his mouth.)
"Why couldn't you find work?"
Lupin gave a bitter smile.
"I have a condition. Every month, at a specific time, I... can't work."
Harry asked, puzzled,
"But you're a steward in the Dantes Trading Company. That proves how capable you are. Are the other merchants really so blind?"
Lupin sighed.
"There are very few people like the Earl in this world."
Ron asked:
"What about your friends in the Wizarding World? Couldn't you ask them for help?"
Lupin shook his head.
"That would place them under a massive debt of gratitude. Ron, you must understand—not everyone can accept someone like me."
Harry nodded.
"If Professor Lupin went to the Muggle world and subtly used magic, he could probably live quite well. There are plenty of part-time jobs there."
Lupin laughed.
"If I were a postman, I could handle the entire city's deliveries myself. I'd probably earn over a thousand pounds a day."
Ron asked:
"A thousand pounds? How much is that?"
Harry replied:
"Last I saw, Gringotts had it at five pounds per Galleon. So a thousand pounds is about two hundred Galleons."
"Two hundred?!"
Ron's eyes widened.
"So if there was no secrecy statute, wizards could earn loads in the Muggle world?"
Lupin chuckled.
"It's not that simple. The statute was originally meant to protect wizards—and, in some ways, Muggles too. But as times changed, the statute became a tool for pure-blood families to exploit lower-class wizards.
If anyone tries to challenge the statute, you can bet many pure-blood families would fiercely oppose it."
Ron wrinkled his nose and muttered:
"Well, our family wouldn't."
Harry's expression turned thoughtful. He hadn't lived Lupin's difficult life, but he could understand it. He could sense Lupin's hopelessness—unable to work, unable to live freely in the Muggle world.
From behind his book, Dana hid an imperceptible smile.
Lupin's speech echoed the one Dark Dentis gave before many lower-class wizards joined the Fire Serpent Party.
Dana had heard it hundreds of times. He knew it by heart.