It was a long day. Remus spent most of it sitting at the cash register, helping the few people who actually were there to enjoy a nice dinner. They chose a bad night.

By the time he got back to his flat, he was dead tired. Without even stopping to take off his shoes he crawled into bed and fell asleep.

For the next few weeks, life was both better and worse. Worse, because of all the uproar. There was still shouting in the Cauldron on occasion. On the upside, the Ministry was actually catching a few Death Eaters. But a downside came with that – they were passing new security legislation that put everyone on edge.

Why hadn't they done this before Voldemort fell?

But whether Remus liked it or not, they were doing it now. Every day in the news were countless articles on the new laws, the captured Death Eaters, trials, and more protests. Remus wondered how the Ministry was going to manage this. He was very much inclined to think they'd botch the job as usual.

But that morning, as Remus opened the Daily Prophet to check for anything actually important under all that rubbish, he read a headline that made him choke and violently spit out his cocoa.

---

The headline read bNEW ANTI-WEREWOLF LEGISLATION DRAFTED/b

Remus felt a rising bubble of anger. Quickly he skimmed the article.

iToday the Ministry announced a new piece of anti-werewolf legislation, drafted by Dolores Umbridge. This new legislation states that a werewolf cannot apply for a Ministry job, therefore preventing possible sabotage attempts upon highly guarded information. It also restricts jobs in or near residences.

"This is necessary to ensure our safety against retaliation," said a smug Dolores Umbridge yesterday afternoon. "These werewolves are dangerous creatures, you know. Who knows what they are capable of?"

Ms. Umbridge found herself supported by much of the wizarding community.

"If we let these creatures run around unchecked, who knows what will happen?" said a resident of London, who asked to remain anonymous.

In any case, a majority of citizens have expressed relief at this new act of protection.

"It's for their own good," said Dolores Umbridge last night, referring to the werewolf communities will be effected by this. "And it's for our good too."/i

Remus seethed. He had heard of this Umbridge woman before, yes – but he had never expected this. He knew very well that most of the werewolves were loyal to Voldemort at this point, or had been – but that didn't mean he was.

Although it wasn't like he'd be applying for a Ministry job any time soon anyway.

Time was going too fast for Remus. It flew on ahead of him, leaving him to blunder in its slipstream. Before he knew it, August had come, and he was beginning to see Hogwarts students, coming to Diagon Alley to pick up their school supplies.

Watching the scared but excited eleven year olds and the older students brought back many good memories. He remembered his first trip to Diagon Alley, and how overwhelmed he had been. A smile tugged his lips at the thought. He watched as a few new students went into the courtyard, and then returned to wiping the counter.

Remus had never really been a morning person, so when he awoke one September morning he slid his feet into his slippers and shuffled into the kitchen for his usual cup of cocoa. He paid the eagle owl that delivered the Prophet the usual five Knuts, and sat down to read it, sipping his cocoa.

For the first time in months he opened the paper to a headline that made his insides go cold. Severus Snape had been arrested for Death Eater activities. Remus shivered. He had never really liked Snape. But he had never thought that Snape would do something like this. Remus put down the paper without reading the article. He didn't want to know.

Instead he Apparated to work early, gave Tom a cheery good morning, and sat down at the cash register and began organizing it.

The rain poured. And poured. It fell in great sheets, so much that hardly anyone braved the weather to come get a drink. So Remus finally got around to doing something he had wanted to do for ages-

He cleaned the windows. It had always bothered him how grimy and crusted with dirt and who-knows-what. All it took was a little elbow grease, and a little magic, and the windows were sparkling clean.

Remus smiled. He had been fixing and repairing little things throughout the bar during his employment there. Next he planned on getting some better lighting, and maybe fixing that creak in the seventh stair.

The dependable London weather caused plenty of days like this, when only faithful regulars came for a drink and a chat. Tom handled them, while Remus worked on improvements. He repainted the sign that read "The Leaky Cauldron", repaired several of the furnishings in the rooms, and planted some flowers in the courtyard. He made sure everything was organized and in good working order.

People began commenting on the cleanups and repairs done in the bar, complimenting Tom on the bar's new cleanliness. Every time someone said something, Tom told them how Remus had been fixing things in his spare time. Most of the regulars were familiar with Remus, as he'd been seeing them nearly every day for almost a year. They praised him for his work, and he found himself accepting some offers to do repair work around their homes and businesses. Remus found having something to do in his free time was quite enjoyable, and very financially beneficial. He also began doing repairs around his own home.

Remus also managed to keep up with his writing, and hoped to someday get it published when things weren't so financially tight. Even with his repair works, it was a struggle to make ends meet. He planned his meals ahead of time, buying only what he needed, and took utmost care to be thrifty.

He dreamed of someday buying his own house, and started saving up his money in a small jam jar, putting in every Knut he had to spare. He also stopped receiving the Prophet – that was five more Knuts daily towards a house of his own.

He would get there eventually, no matter how long it took.