Moon's Projection

Madam Malkin watched Lupin walk in with a suspicious look, only smiling again when she saw Kane behind him.

It looked like this time, Lupin really hadn't come up with some gimmicky way to apply for a job.

Going to the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley for some bragging was practically an essential experience for most people, but neither Kane nor Lupin had any interest in it.

The former was still a child, and Kane did not like drinking. As for the latter, first, he had no money, and second, no place had better-informed gossip than a bar.

Even MI5 and MI6 might not know as much as Tom the bartender did.

So, more or less, someone there was bound to know Lupin was a werewolf.

He had no intention of walking in and making a nuisance of himself.

More importantly, Kane's gift for Hagrid was a set of robes for the new term, but he still had no idea what to get for his own gift.

Kane watched Lupin linger at every stall in Diagon Alley, then start haggling, driving down the price, and finally forcing the owner to pull out a wand before moving on to the next stall...

"How about I buy your gift for you? I won't tell anyone. No one will know."

With his back turned as he bargained, Lupin waved a hand. "It's a token of friendship, after all. It's more sincere if I use my own money."

Kane said nothing more. He casually sat down on a bench in Diagon Alley, then spotted a little wizard swaying in the wind around the corner.

It was Malfoy. Kane was rather puzzled. Were the customs of the Wizarding World really this cold-hearted? After all this time, had no one come to save the poor kid?