Good morning my beautiful readers! How is everyone today? Hope you are all well! Who is getting ready for the holidays?! I, personally, cannot wait for the holidays. My partner and I are currently doing a Christmas Movie Advent where we pick out a movie from a hat/pouch/thing and I'm loving it!
Anywho, I wanted to mention something before we go into the next chapter. The reviewer, goddess bubbles asked about Harry being Master of Death and if I will be going into more detail as it was pretty much skipped over in the last chapter. The answer is - it will be mentioned in future chapters, but it is not something that I want to focus on this early. Thank you so much for the review though, and I hope you continue to read when I update! As for everyone else who reviewed the last few chapters, thank you so so much, your support means so much!
Geronimo!
Harry woke up from the best sleep that he had had in a while. He couldn't explain why he slept so peacefully, only that he did and boy did it feel good. He knew that today was going to be a big day, what with Jacob and his friends coming to the shop. Getting up and out of bed, Harry thought back to the evening before and the stories shared by the Cullens. Listening to their stories was very interesting for him as it gave him an insight into their lives and how they came to be together as a family. Harry liked that they were just that, a family.
Harry went through his usual morning routine and took his shower. As he washed himself, he started to hum the tune of the Hogwarts School song.
"Hmm hmm hmm hmm, hmmyhmmy hmmhmm, hmm hmm hmm hmm hmmmmm," He hummed, smiling as he did so. He remembered thinking how pathetic their school song was when he saw Bauxbatons and Durmstrang enter the hall back in fourth year.
Soon rough, Harry had finished in the shower and was deciding what to wear. He wasn't sure if he should dress in nice clothes on the off chance that Jasper showed up, or if he should just go scruffy due to the work that he and the guys will be doing that day. Looking into his wardrobe, he saw his button down shirts and his nice polo shirts hung up and looking pristine. Lulu would kill me if I ruined them, he thought as he went to his drawers and grabbed an old t-shirt from before they moved. Scruffy it is, he smiled and he threw the t-shirt over his head. It wasn't anything fancy, just a plain mustard yellow t-shirt that from the feel, was getting a bit too tight on him as it outlined his muscles very nicely. He put on a pair of old washed out jeans that had some holes in them before heading downstairs to make breakfast.
On his way towards the stairs, Harry looked into Teddy's room only to find him gone. He looked towards the portrait of Tonks and Remus only to find that they were also gone from the room. Harry began panicking a little, logic failing him as he didn't even think that Teddy could be downstairs already. Harry started rushing all over the house trying to find his godson, until he heard a giggle coming from below. Harry raced down the stairs and followed the giggling into the living room where he found Teddy watching cartoons on the tv. Harry released the breath he had been holding before walking over to Teddy.
"Morning Teddy-bear," Harry said, ruffling his hair while Teddy tried to bat his hand away.
"Morning Uncle Harry. Aunty Loony is in the kitchen making breakfast!" Teddy said excitedly. Harry got a terrified look on his face. "That's what I said!" He called as he giggled at Harry's look of terror.
"I'll have you know Teddy Lupin, that I can make cereal just fine, thank you very much." Luna said with some sass as she walked into the living room carrying a bowl of coco pops for Teddy. "Now sit and enjoy my culinary creation!" She finished with a flourish. Teddy laughed at her before digging into his cereal. "Are you having something before you go?" She asked Harry as he got up to leave.
"Uhh…" Harry stalled in the doorframe.
"I'll rephrase, go get something to eat before you go," Luna commanded. At the possibility of a voiced protest, she raised her eyebrow in challenge. Harry sighed before making his way into the kitchen to make a few slices of toast.
"You're going to make me late, Lulu!" Harry called, pressing the bread into the toaster.
"Then you should wake up at a normal time then!" She replied, enjoying it far too much for Harry's liking.
"What are your plans today?" Harry asked as he got the butter out ready to butter his toast.
"Unsure. I think I might take Teddy to a park or something, maybe even drop in to see you later, who knows where the blibbering humdingers will take us today," She answered in her own Luna way. Harry chuckled as he buttered his toast.
"Well, if you do decide to come by the shop, I'm sure Jacob would love to see you," He teased, his grin widening at the slight blush that came upon her cheeks.
"I guess we will have to see where the day takes us then," She responded, trying to act cool about the fact that her cheeks were anything but.
"I'll see you later Lulu, I gotta go." Harry said as he kissed her cheek on the way past. "You should probably stick your head in the freezer, cool down that blush you got going on," Harry joked before ducking as a slice of bread was thrown in his direction. He ran into the living room to give Teddy a goodbye hug and kiss before running out of the door, laughing all the way.
"Bye Uncle Harry!" He heard Teddy call as he got into his car. Looking at the clock on his dash he uttered a curse as he realised it was 8:55am and he asked Jacob and his friends to be there for 9am.
"Not a great first impression, Harry." He muttered as he drove out of the drive.
Ten minutes later, Harry was pulling into the staff parking lot behind the store. He sighed as he realised that he was late. He unlocked the back door and went inside his new shop. Looking around briefly, he once against started to envision what his bakery cafe would eventually look like. He smiled as he went towards the front door.
I'm just glad that it's been cleared out. Going to need to replaster the walls though, he thought, feeling one of the walls on his way to the front door. Because of the direction that he drove in, Harry wasn't sure if Jacob and his friends had arrived yet. The windows of the antique store were completely covered by black out curtains. He took a deep breath before unlocking the front door. He was shocked at how many of Jacob's friends were there having only expected an extra one rather than three.
"Hey guys, so sorry I'm late. Teddy decided to play hide and seek this morning. Please all of you come in and then we will do quick introductions and I'll lay everything on the table for you." Harry smiled as he let them into the store. The store had a counter that he could use for the initial conversation and so he directed them to take a seat. Some of them had to stand due to not having enough chairs around. Going to the mini drinks fridge that Harry had placed in there after he officially owned the place, he handed out cans of coke to his future staff, happy to note that there was at least one girl in the pack. Cracking a can open for himself, he began.
"Okay. So, introductions first please. Jacob, I know you. My name is Harry Potter and I recently moved here from London with my sister and godson. I'm sure you'll get to meet them at some point, so I'll leave them to introduce themselves properly. So, names, ages and a little about you please?" Harry started, leaning against the counter as he had given up having a seat to make sure that they had an extra. Still didn't mean they could all sit, but still.
"Well, you know me, I'm Jacob Black, 21 years old, and I've been looking for steady work for a few months now." Jacob started. "You can call me Jake if you want, everyone but my dad does." He smiled. Harry instantly liked him and was glad of it. Not only did Luna have a very hot mate, he also gave Harry some very good vibes and seemed like a nice guy, we'll see, Harry thought.
"Umm, I'm Jared, I'm 22 and same as Jake, looking for steady work."
"Embry Call, 21, went to school with Jacob and have known him for my whole life. I'm pretty easy going, up for anything," Embry stated with a grin. As the introductions continued, Harry was still getting used to how hot they were, and not just in looks. It felt like they had literally heated the whole shop floor.
"I'm Leah Clearwater. I'm 23 and I have a little brother, Seth. He wants to know if he could come by after school about a possible summer job?" She asked. Harry smiled and nodded.
"How old is he?"
"16, but he is strong and is more than happy to get his hands dirty," Leah answered.
"Tell him to come over after school and I'll see what is available for him," Harry replied with a smile. Leah sighed and nodded before whipping her phone out to text Seth.
"Quil, 21 and like Embry, known Jacob and Embry my whole life." Quil said.
"Alright, great. Okay, so I'm going to do a very informal interview. Just a few questions and then we can get started." The pack nodded. "Okay, so firstly, what kind of experience do you have?" He asked.
"My dad owned a construction company and I used to help out and work part time for him when I could. I'm qualified in pretty much everything you'll need; plastering, plumbing, carpentry, you name it, I got it." Jared said, almost trying to impress how much Harry would need him on this project. Of course, Jared had no idea how many positions Harry had available, so he thought that putting his qualifications on the table could help secure him a position, not that it's helped before, he thought to himself. Harry smiled and nodded.
"I've helped my parents redecorate a few times, Quil and Jake helped too," Embry said, a little less sure of himself after Jared listed the things he is good at. Harry nodded.
"Umm, I guess I don't really have much experience in this kind of work. I'm just looking for some kind of work to help my Mom out," Leah explained. "Seth will pretty much do anything that is asked of him." She finished. Harry smiled.
"Most of my experience is with mechanics, but I'm a fast learner and like Em said, I've a little experience with decorating." Jake said with a grin. He really wanted this job, Harry seemed like a decent guy, he just hoped that he stayed decent when having to work around their patrolling schedules.
"Alright, great. Now what is your availability. I know you guys aren't school age, but are there any college classes you're taking or anything at the moment?" Harry asked, making notes along the way.
"No college classes for us. Seth finishes for the summer in a week though." Leah explained. "Apart from the odd night, I'm available pretty much all the time." Leah replied.
"Us too." Jacob said, pointing to the others.
"Okay. Now the main thing that I want to know is, why haven't you been able to keep a job?" Harry asked, creasing his forehead. He wondered if they would tell him the truth or some made up bullshit, or a mixture of the two.
"Well, for one, there aren't a lot of opportunities around here that fit our schedules. We have responsibilities as members of the tribe that we all take very seriously, most of the people in town and even some on the Res, don't understand that and so they either don't hire us, or they let us go after a month or two." Jacob explained. Harry sighed as he saw the truth in what Jake was saying. He didn't outright tell him that they were wolves, but he kept very close to the truth which Harry definitely appreciated.
"Thank you for telling me that. I understand that sometimes, you may not be available. I only ask that when you have these responsibilities, that only a maximum of two of you are off at any one time. I don't ask this to be strict, I just want to get this business up and running as soon as possible." Harry explained. The pack nodded, relieved that Harry didn't seem to mind. "Now, here's is what is going to happen. When you know what days you need off, let me know as soon as possible. This is a full-time job so you do have leave included so until I know the extent of these responsibilities, when you have to go to those responsibilities you will take the day as leave with a days pay." Harry layed out as he made notes on his notepad.
"Wait, we'll get paid if we don't work?" Quil asked, shocked. Harry looked at them with a confused look in his eyes.
"Yeah, it's called holiday pay. Is that not a thing here?" Harry asked, genuinely confused.
"Oh it is, but it has never been for us. But that could be that we have never kept a job long enough to need the leave," Leah responded.
"Huh. Weird. But yes, you will get a day's wage when you take a day of leave. If you are sick and you can't come in, let me know." Harry continued but stopped when they chuckled. At his raised eyebrow, Jacob responded.
"Oh we don't really get sick. We have very good immune systems," He chuckled as if it was an inside joke.
"Oookay then. Just so we are clear, you will get one month worth of leave per financial year and you won't need to worry about sorting out your taxes because that will be done by me and taken straight from your pay. Also, as my employees, be it full-time, permanent, temporary, part-time where Seth is involved, you will have fully comprehensive health insurance for you and your families." Harry continued as he made his notes.
"Seriously?" Jacob asked, genuinely confused.
"Yes, seriously. Why is it such a shock to you?" Harry asked, looking up from his notes.
"Usually the most that employers offer for health insurance is for the employee only." Jared responded.
"Well, I'm not most employers." Harry replied with a smile.
"No you are not." Leah muttered with a smile.
"Alright, so far so good?" Harry asked. They nodded with smiles. "Great! Okay so for you guys, I want you to work 9am-5pm with an hour for lunch and two twenty minute breaks - one before lunch and one after lunch. If I keep you on when the shop is up and running then you will be free to have food from the shop. Until then, I will usually make food at home and bring it in, or you can bring in your own food. Completely up to you. Questions?"
"Where should we start?" Jacob asked after a few minutes of silence. Harry smiled.
"So for today, I want to start with a clean work space. Obviously, there is the laundrette next door that will be part of the shop too, so if two of you want to go round there and get started that would be great. There is also the upstairs of both shops too, one of them is going to be a staff area and the other is going to be an apartment. This might be more than a four man job, so if you have anyone else who you can call who would be interested in a job then please, call them. I'll be in the back typing up your contracts if you need anything." Harry said with a smile before heading into the back room. He had found a working typewriter in the back so he was going to start typing up the contract before heading out to get them copied. He did think about using magic, but he didn't want to risk them walking in on him using magic and forcing him to reveal himself before he was ready.
Back in the main area with the pack…
"Well, I don't know how much he is gonna be paying us, but I think we have a pretty good thing going on here," Embry grinned as he went to pick up some cloths. "Day one seems pretty simple too, cleaning? Easy." He gloated as he picked up a bottle of cleaning fluid.
"Cleaning is not that easy," Leah muttered as she grabbed the spray bottle and cloth from the side. "I'll be in the other building making a start." Leah left the room and wandered into the next building. She soon saw that the laundrette was going to be much easier to clean as it was mostly empty, only a stool and set of ladders were in the front of the store. Because it was just a laundrette, the section that used to be open for customers, extended all the way back to the corridor just before the loading docks. It was slightly different from the old antique store because the shop front stopped about halfway up the main wall that separated the two. Leah was more excited about this opportunity than she was letting on to the others. I'll finally be able to help mom, she has been struggling since dad passed, she thought as she headed up the stairs to start on the top floor. She knew that that would be the most time consuming task as she assumed that the shop floor would get a lot messier before it got cleaner.
Jacob and the others decided to stay in the antique store and get that cleaner first.
"I'm just gonna call the guys, see if they want to come over and help out." He said as he took his phone out. Quil and Embry had decided to stay on the shop floor where as Jared took the back rooms and began clearing them out. Jake rang Sam as he knew that the others were most likely to be at his and Emily's place. He picked up after a few rings.
"Jacob, what's up?" Sam asked.
"Hey Sam, so I spoke with Harry and he has offered the five of us full-time work and will be offering Seth some part-time work while he is in school."
"That's great, what about your patrolling schedules?" Sam asked.
"Well, I told him as close to the truth as I could, he is my imprint's brother after all. I told him that we all have responsibilities on the Res that we take very seriously. He just said that when we know when we can't be in work, to let him know and we will take it as leave. He also asks that no more than two of us be off at the same time, but that might be negotiable if he gets more employees. He actually asked me to see if any others wanted jobs for now,' Jake explained. Sam understood where he was coming from with telling Harry about their responsibilities and was happy that Jake didn't let any secrets out about the pack.
Well, Paul is here with me so I'll ask him if he wants to and get him to text you or something, but I'm too busy with the elders and the pack to commit any time to a full-time job at the moment." Sam responded. Jake nodded in understanding.
"Totally understand. Maybe in the future then?" He asked. "Alright, ask Paul and if he is interested, tell him to come to the old antique store and I'm sure Harry will have a quick chat with him." Jake said.
"Will do. Make sure that this is legit though Jacob."
"I will. Speak later," Jake said and put the phone down. "Paul might decide to make an appearance later." He mentioned to the others.
"Ahh cool. Jaren went out back, if you're wondering," Quil said and Jake nodded.
"I'll go help him." Jacob walked into the back and popped his head in the room where Harry was busy typing away at the typewriter. "Umm, Mr Potter, one of my friends might be coming round later, if that's alright?" Jake asked. Harry smiled and nodded before correcting Jake to just call him Harry. "Alright, I'll be upstairs with Jared and I think Leah went next door," he said before heading further into the back of the shop.
Around an hour later, Harry heard the sound of the front door opening. Curious, he went into the front to investigate. He saw that Embry and Quil had made a very good start on the cleaning. Looking to the front door, Harry saw another guy enter. He was huge and had a lot of similar qualities to the others. He decided that this must be Paul.
"Hi, you must be Paul?" Harry asked. At the guy's nod, Harry held his hand out and Paul took it. "Jacob mentioned that you may show up. What can I do for you?" Harry asked.
"Well, Jake mentioned that you needed an extra pair of hands and possibly a full-time job going?" Paul asked after waving to Embry and Quil and followed Harry into the back room.
"That's right. What kind of experience do you have that could be helpful with this kind of work?" Harry asked as he stood against the desk.
"Well, living on the res, we all take care of each other. I don't have any official qualifications but I can do as much as Jared. But tell me what to do and I'll do it," Paul replied. Harry nodded.
"Alright then. I'll tell you the same as I told the others. I know and understand that you have some responsibilities on the res which could make you miss work. I only ask that for now, if you know when you need to be off, you let me know as soon as possible and that we only have two people off at once." Harry started and at Paul's nod, he continued. "You will get one month of annual leave that lasts for a year and you will get a full day's pay for it. If you are sick then you can call or text me in a morning and we can go from there. I'm typing up the contracts now so they will be ready to be signed by lunch. You'll have an hour for lunch and two twenty minute breaks - one before and one after lunch. You and your family will have fully comprehensive healthcare insurance like the others, and the working hours will be 9am-5pm. Any questions?" Harry finished.
"Yes, actually. What is the pay going to be like?" Paul asked, arms folded.
"Well, I have a figure in mind, but it is something that is negotiable and will be discussed when we go through the contracts with the others. I wanted to wait until Seth arrived, even though he will be on a slightly different contract." Harry replied with a smile. Paul nodded.
"Alright then, where do you want me?" He asked as he saw Harry gathering up the papers on his desk.
"Well, Leah is cleaning the apartment above the store next door if you wanted to go help her? I know that Jared and Jake are cleaning out the back rooms here and Quil and Embry seem to have the front covered." Harry started, looking unsure.
"You know, I won't be sticking around if it is just cleaning you want doing." Paul said gruffly.
"Oh no no, only today is cleaning. I want the shop and the surrounding rooms and areas to be in a decently clean enough condition before the real work starts. Hell, if everywhere is cleaned by lunch then I'd be happy to start on the actual construction side today if I could." Harry laughed.
"Why can't you?" Paul asked.
"I don't have the right equipment yet," Harry said bashfully. At Paul's raised eyebrow, Harry continued. "I didn't exactly expect to get an answer from my posters the day after I put them up. I'm gonna need today and tonight to get the right tools needed for the initial construction side of things, and that is going to take some time because I have no idea where to even buy that kind of stuff. As you can see, I'm kinda new at this." Harry said, rubbing the back of his head. Paul chuckled at him.
"Well, I'll get started on the upstairs of this store for now and then after lunch I can show you where to go and help you grab everything you will need. You can tell me what you wanna do to this place on the way." Paul said with a small smile before he headed up to the space upstairs. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Again, he had thought about just conjuring the materials and tools needed, but he really wanted to do this the muggle way, channel my inner Hermione, he thought with a chuckle.
"Best get these finished," he said, sitting back down at his desk. He had finished typing up the contract for the full-time employees, he was just finishing up the part-time contract for Seth and any other students who wanted a part-time job over the summer.
Half an hour later, Harry had finished typing up the contracts. Merlin, I forgot how slow typewriters were, he thought as he stood up from the desk and stretched. Best go get these copied, he thought as he gathered up the papers. Walking out the front, Harry mentioned to Embry and Quil that he would be gone for about ten minutes to make some copies, before heading out the door.
He didn't have a clue where to go to get them copied, so he figured the local library would be his best bet. He didn't take his car because the library was across the street and he wanted the fresh air. Harry liked the guys who worked for him, he was glad that Jacob seemed to be a guy with his head screwed on properly. He just hoped that things would work out well between Jake and Luna.
Entering the library, Harry asked the librarian if they could make him some copies. When asked why he couldn't do it himself by a cocky, spotty looking teen, he blushed.
"Well, I've never actually used one before so I wouldn't want to break it," he responded.
"I could always help you," drawled a southern accent that made the hairs on the back of Harry's neck rise. Turning on the spot, Harry was shocked when he saw Jasper stood there holding some books.
"Jasper! Hi. Umm, what are you doing here?" Harry asked getting a little jumpy but not necessarily for the reason Jasper was thinking. Harry was thinking about the pack of wolves currently in his shops and how they may react to him being two feet from a vampire.
"Alice asked me to return some of the books she was using for a school assignment. What are you doing here?" He replied with a smirk.
"Attempting to make copies of some contracts for my new staff members." Harry replied, deciding that he didn't care what the wolves thought or how they reacted. "Do you know how to work the copying machine?" Harry asked. Jasper nodded and the pair walked over to the printers and copiers.
"Here." Jasper said, taking the papers from Harry. Harry smiled which made Jasper freeze up for a second. Snap out of it Jasper, he thought to himself. Jasper continued with his job and asked, "How many of each do you want darlin'?" He enjoyed the way Harry's face blushed a little at the term.
"Umm, could you do thirty of each please?" Harry mumbled with a smile, knowing that he would be able to hear him. Jasper nodded. "So what have you been up to Jazz?" Harry asked, deciding to test his flirtation skills and hoping that they had improved since the Cho Chang disaster. His heart started beating a little quicker when he saw Jasper pause at the nickname before a small half-smile graced his face.
"Nothing much, the usual really. Reading, listening to music, hunting," Jasper replied, turning to look at Harry in the eyes on the last word. He enjoyed the way Harry swallowed when their eyes connected.
"Right. H-how's the family?" Harry asked but was really thinking, what an idiot! Really channeling his inner Hermione. Definitely NOT improved since Cho, he thought with a quick shake of his head. Jasper smiled.
"They're good. They were wondering when we could continue with the Q&A session that Luna mentioned last night," Jasper asked. Harry nodded as he picked up the copies.
"Well, I'm going to be busy for the rest of the week, but we could do this weekend I think? If that works for you and your family?" Harry offered. Jasper smiled and nodded.
"That should be perfect." He answered. Harry grinned a little. "Could I come round before then? Hang out maybe?" Jasper asked, hope gleaming through his dark topaz eyes.
"Just you? A-and me?" Harry asked, needing to be sure. "I don't see why not. You know you are always welcome at my house, hell you can come help with the shop if you wanted?" Harry suggested, running his hand through his hair. Jasper scowled a little at the last suggestion.
"I don't think your furry employees would like that very much," He responded.
"I'll handle them, seriously any of your family can come over. I want this business to be inclusive of all magical beings, so where you and the pack are concerned, there will be rules in place," Harry stated, getting back to business. He really did want the store to work out and be open for all both human and magical. "Give me your phone," Harry said, holding his hand out. Jasper handed his phone over looking a little confused. Harry then proceeded to type his mobile number into the contacts list. "Here's my number, just give me a call if you want to talk or something," he said, handing the phone back to Jasper's shock. Very smooth Harry, Harry thought with a grin.
"I will do that," Jasper responded. Harry nodded and took the last of the papers out of the machine.
"Well, I got to go. Thanks again Jazz, and remember, text or call whenever!" Harry said, retreating through the library. As he turned away, he saw Jazz give him a small wave before his phone started to ring from an unknown number. "Hello?" Harry asked, answering the call.
"Is now a good time to call?" He heard Jasper ask through the speaker. Harry chuckled.
"Jazz that was quick. Hope you're not that quick at everything," Harry flirted while thinking, now THAT's what I'm talking about Potter! Strangely, that voice sounded more like Draco than his own voice. He heard Jasper chuckle on the other end.
"I'm a vampire Harry, I'm quick at everything unless I choose not to be," Jasper responded, causing Harry to chuckle.
"Seriously Jazz, I have to go. I need to speak with the guys at the shop and then go buy materials and stuff with Paul," Harry said, his tone turning slightly more serious. He heard Jasper sigh.
"You're going with Paul? Be careful around him, he has quite the temper," Jasper responded. It sounded like there was some wind so he must be running home.
"I'm sure I can handle him if needs be. I'll talk to you later Jazz," Harry finished and just as Jasper responded and said goodbye, Harry hung up the phone and entered the building.
A/N:: Well that's it for this chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it, please review! The next chapter may be along sooner than you think! Much love!