The Half-Beast Mutual Aid Shop

At the Nonexistent Shop in Diagon Alley, Lupin was taking stock.

"Good afternoon!" Evita suddenly popped her head in, grinning. "How have you been lately, Remus?"

"Very well," Lupin replied, then looked at the somewhat uneasy Nagini. "And this is..."

"My new shop assistant." Evita put her hands behind her back and tilted her head. "Her name is Nagini."

"Hello... sir."

"Pleased to meet you, Nagini. I'm Remus Lupin."

"All right." Evita clapped her hands. "Now that you've met, you're good friends, so make sure you help each other out."

Lupin raised an eyebrow. Wasn't that a rather strange way to talk, as though she were coaxing children...?

Evita noticed nothing amiss. Her plan to help Nagini had made an initial success, and the next step was to find her somewhere to live.

As it happened, business at the Nonexistent Shop was steadily improving. After some thought, she ran outside and threw Galleons at the problem, buying the shop next door in less than ten minutes. She immediately set about expanding, planning to add an attic above the existing three floors. If Nagini came to feel a sense of belonging at the shop after starting work, familiar surroundings might suit her better.

"An attic of about eighty square meters," Evita murmured to herself. "I'll have to renovate it." But wasn't Nagini more familiar with her now?

Having made her decision, she changed her mind again. "Rebuilding will take a little time. Why don't you stay at my house first, then choose where you want to live afterward?"

Lupin said nothing. The previous renovations had been slow because the goods hadn't arrived, and buying certain special magical items had also caused delays. But things were different now; a few waves of a wand would probably get the job done in a few hours.

He looked at Nagini, whose brow seemed clouded with sorrow, and understood a little.

Evita pinned another silver badge, the symbol of a shop assistant, to Nagini's clothes and patted her arm. "Come on, let's buy you a wand. We'll go to Ollivander's Wand Shop, just a little way from here."

"A wand?" Nagini followed her. "But I've never learned how to use magic."

"That's all right," Evita reassured her. "Your seventies are just the age to venture out. You can learn at your own pace."

"All right," she said again. "Here we are."

The sign outside Ollivander's Wand Shop was as shabby as ever. Evita pulled the hesitant Nagini inside as though they were playing tug-of-war. "Please choose a suitable wand for her. Thank you."

"Of course," Ollivander said readily. "Everyone can find the wand companion best suited to them here."

A sharp light flashed in his large, very pale eyes. "Tell me, madam, which hand do you use for your wand?"

"My right hand, sir."

"Let's try this one first." Ollivander held out a box. "Cedar, phoenix feather, and ten and three-quarter inches."

Nagini picked up the wand, but nothing happened. It wasn't until the fourteenth wand that there was any change.

"Willow, unicorn tail hair, twelve and a half inches, very soft and flexible, and it makes a 'swish, swish' sound," Ollivander said, smiling happily. "Absolutely perfect, madam!"

"Thank you." Nagini gave a somewhat shy smile.

Evita paid, then looked down at the long piece of parchment in her hand. "Hmm... there's still a lot to buy."

As they walked, she asked, "What do you like doing best? Reading? Brewing potions? Looking after herbs? Oh, right, we also need to buy some clothes. Do you like robes or other kinds of clothing? I know a shopping center nearby."

"It's too much," Nagini said softly. "You don't have to."

Evita shook her head inscrutably and opened the small bag she carried. The golden gleam of the Galleons inside was almost overflowing. "Don't worry. I'm very rich."

She patted the suitcase she carried, which was about the size of a book. "If I only spent money on you, that would mean my intentions were unclear. But if I spend money on countless people, that means I really do love spending money."

Seeing that Nagini seemed unable to process that, Evita took matters into her own hands and pulled her straight to a robe shop. Only after another lavish shopping spree in Diagon Alley did they return to Godric's Hollow.

The little three-story house still stood there quietly. Evita hadn't even had time to breathe a sigh of relief before Lily came storming over, holding Harry's hand in her right hand.

Her slender eyebrows raised, she stood in the living room and asked in an extraordinarily "peaceful" tone, "Weiwei, I thought that in your letter-oh, heavens, I'm so glad you remembered to write to me after leaving without saying goodbye—so, was that part true?"

Evita instinctively took a step back. "Which part?"

Lily took out the letter. "'Dear Lily, by the time you read this, I'll already have become the Monkey King in a forest in Albania.'"

"'I wanted to bring you some gifts. I don't know if you'll like the tulips here, or the first branch my hat touched when I went out early this morning.'" Lily finished reading, utterly baffled. "And why is that?"

Evita looked perfectly serious. "A goose feather sent from a thousand miles away may be a modest gift, but it carries a lot of affection."

She produced a large bunch of tulips from behind her back and handed them over along with the branch. "Because it's red, just like your hair."

"All right," Lily said, easily persuaded. "But what's this about being the Monkey King?"

"I was looking for Nagini at the time," Evita replied. "I asked the monkeys living in the forest for help, but for some reason, they suddenly elected me their king."

She thought back for a moment, then said slowly, "The old Monkey King said I was a great hunter, and that the troop needed a talented monkey like me. But I don't know why they were so good at spotting talent."

"Nagini?" Lily finally turned her gaze to the unfamiliar woman who had been quietly watching Evita all this time.

Long black hair, a beautiful face, and a gentle, reserved demeanor.

Because she trusted Evita and had a good first impression, Lily was soon chatting happily with Nagini.

Evita stood with her hands on her hips, pleased with herself for a while, only to find herself entrusted with Harry.

"As it happens, I have something to go out and do, and James isn't home either. I didn't know what to do about Harry," Lily said cheerfully. "Thank you so much for coming back just in time."

"Long time no see, Sister Evita." Harry watched his mother leave and scrunched up his little face. "I'm hungry."

"Okay, then I'll go cook," Evita said excitedly. "I just learned something new recently."

She stood in the kitchen, put taro in a cup and mashed it into a paste, then added cola. She also brought over a hamburger and confidently set it in front of Harry. "This is my 'I missed you, baby' combo: mashed taro, cola, and a burger."

Harry scrunched up his face.

Evita said, "Huh? What's wrong?"

Harry firmly pushed the cup away. Still not satisfied, he jumped down from his chair and headed straight for the cookies on the coffee table, so single-minded he was practically unstoppable.

He finished the cookies in a few bites, patted down his clothes, and fled the scene without looking back.