Surprised or Not? (Votes Please at the Start of the Month!)

When Amosta and Remus's plane landed, London was in the grip of a rare thunderstorm. Dazzling azure lightning repeatedly flashed across the gloomy sky, while peals of thunder boomed like giant hammers striking people's hearts, filling them with dread.

The waiting platform was packed with Muggles whose flights had been delayed. The poorly maintained airport had revealed its true colors under the torrential rain. Rainwater had pooled across the marble floor, and everywhere, passengers who had slipped on the wet ground were cursing furiously.

The two joined the queue to disembark, struggling through the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd as they inched toward the arrivals gate.

Though the weather was terrible and there was a mountain of work awaiting them, Remus remained in an excellent mood.

The results of this trip to New York had gone in a completely different direction from his original goal, but they had turned out even better than he could have imagined. It was easy to foresee that their workshop would enter a period of rapid growth.

"What a mess, isn't it?"

Remus looked at the chaos before them and said with a smile,

"Sirius wrote to me earlier. He said he'd come to pick us up at the airport. I don't think you need to rush back to Hogwarts, Amosta. We can spend one last pleasant night at Grimmauld Place, rest up, and then face even harder challenges."

"That doesn't sound like you, Remus—"

Amosta pulled his foot free from beneath a Muggle's shoe and shook the dripping hem of his trousers.

"I thought you'd rush straight back to the workshop the moment we landed. Still, I wasn't planning to return to Hogwarts right away either. I intend to make another trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow. Tonight, we can stay at—oh, I think I've spotted Sirius."

Among