"At your command, Mr. Weasley. Take care."
Mundungus bowed and scraped as he saw him off. Only after Vaughan Apparated away did he straighten up.
Lupin found his change in attitude utterly distasteful. "He's already gone. Are you putting on this act for me now?"
Mundungus raised his absurdly thick eyebrows. "Whether Mr. Weasley sees it or not, I have to show it. That's called heartfelt respect, dear Remus."
"Ha, so your nickname wasn't wrong after all, Dungray!"
Mundungus did not care in the slightest about Lupin's mockery. "Curse all you want, Remus. I have a feeling Mr. Weasley thinks highly of me. Maybe one day I'll get to serve under him too. When that happens, I might even climb above your head."
"Keep dreaming!"
"No, no, this isn't a dream. Mr. Weasley is a big shot. Big shots always need some lowlife to do their dirty work for them, and unfortunately, that's exactly what I like doing!"
Mundungus grinned. He truly meant every word.
When Dumbledore had recruited him more than ten years ago, he had just as decisively latched onto the White Lord's coattails...
It took Lupin and Mundungus quite some effort to cast a ring of layered magic over the site where the little building, now reduced to ruins, had stood. It included the Muggle-Repelling Charm, the Confundus Charm, Salvio Hexia, protective charms, and more.
Throughout the process, Lupin was distracted, while Mundungus worked with great effort.
Once the ward was complete, he carefully inspected it several more times.
"The Muggle-Repelling Charm and the Confundus Charm will drive Muggles away and make them instinctively overlook this place. Salvio Hexia and the protective charms can defend against wizards' spells, so some tourist wizard doesn't suddenly lose his mind and fire off a few spells here, blowing the ward