Opening a Shop

"I feel like I'm going mad!"

Sirius tossed the rag aside and dropped into a chair. They had been cleaning Grimmauld Place No. 12 for several days straight, putting considerable effort into clearing away heaps of dust, cobwebs, and miscellaneous junk.

Yet even now, they had not thoroughly cleaned a single room. Making the place fit for habitation was no easy task.

Sometimes magic was not as useful as one imagined, especially when dealing with a house that had not been cleaned in over a decade. Even directing rags to scrub diligently made it difficult to get things completely clean. Quite a few stubborn patches of mould had to be removed bit by bit with great effort.

"Don't slack off, Sirius. If you want to bring Harry to live with you at Grimmauld Place No. 12, you need to clean this place properly." Lupin frowned at the listless Sirius. He had long guessed that the other man's patience was nearing its limit. Most wizards were not good at housework, and they usually preferred to solve problems with magic.

"I'll give Harry a new home, but let me rest first!" Sirius poured himself a glass of Butterbeer, took a large sip, then changed the subject. "Did you return that Galleon payment to him?"

"Mr. Anderson has already received an Order of Merlin, Third Class. I suppose he no longer needs me to help test the Human-Shape Restoration Charm." Lupin sighed softly. "Besides, I thought he gave me too much from the beginning."

"He only shared some of the five thousand Galleons he got from me with you." Sirius drained his Butterbeer, shot a glare at the furtive shadow outside the door, and used his wand to shut the wooden door. He continued, "Still, there's no denying that he's generous—and formidable. Getting