The next day, Jane Yu met her loyal employees.
Remus Lupin looked much healthier. His previously gaunt and hollow cheeks were now full and rosy, and his graying hair had returned to black.
Dressed neatly in his work uniform, he smiled as he greeted his new boss and welcomed her inspection of their work.
"Our production has skyrocketed!" Aberforth Dumbledore exclaimed, throwing an arm around Jane's shoulders. "Remus is an excellent worker—he's worth three people!"
Hearing this, Dobby immediately began guiltily hitting himself on the head with a wooden stick.
"Oh—bad Dobby—bad Dobby—" The sound of the stick hitting his head echoed loudly.
"Dobby has disappointed Miss Jane—great Miss Jane gave Dobby a uniform—and even raised Dobby's wages—"
"But Dobby can't even work 24 hours a day! Bad Dobby—bad Dobby—"
Jane quickly stopped him, and Dobby, with tears streaming down his face, continued muttering phrases like "How can I deserve my wages?" and "I've let Miss Jane down."
Lupin, struggling to hold back his twitching eyebrows, pressed his temples in exasperation.
He never imagined that one day he'd be competing with a house-elf for work!
Unfortunately, he didn't understand what "workplace competition" or "996" meant.
Otherwise, he might have roared at the top of his lungs:
"Get out of the Hog's Head, you overachieving maniac!"
His thoughts drifted back to his first day on the job—
He had arrived at the Hog's Head with his worn-out luggage, dressed in the best outfit he owned, looking nervous and reserved.
Aberforth and Dobby had warmly welcomed him and showed him to the employee dormitory, where a neatly folded uniform and Wolfsbane Potion awaited him on the bed.
Taking a deep breath, he smiled sincerely, realizing he was about to embark on a happy chapter in his life.
But his fantasies were quickly shattered once he started working.
The seasoned employee Dobby worked as if he were on a sugar rush, his fingers moving so fast they seemed to leave afterimages. Components flew together and assembled themselves at lightning speed.
As he worked, Dobby shouted enthusiastically:
"Go! Work harder! Put your back into it!"
Meanwhile, Aberforth, acting as both technical advisor and trainer, bellowed commands that echoed through the workshop:
"Remus! Raise your wand! Follow my spellcasting—think of it as alchemy!"
Lupin couldn't help but feel inspired by the fiery atmosphere.
Perhaps this was the courage, spirit, and boldness of Gryffindor!
With this thought in mind, he threw himself into the intense and passionate work.
After eight hours of non-stop effort, Lupin finally set down his wand with satisfaction.
As a new employee, he wanted to leave a good impression on his colleagues and supervisors, hoping they'd say nice things about him to the boss.
In his eagerness, he had overexerted himself, barely eating lunch and drinking little water, leaving him feeling slightly fatigued.
He was about to head back to his room when he noticed Dobby's fingers still moving as fast as ever—if not faster!
Why hasn't he clocked out yet?!
Rubbing his eyes in disbelief, Lupin hesitated before asking:
"Dobby... uh... aren't you going to take a break?"
His question elicited an ear-piercing shriek, as if it had struck a sensitive nerve in Dobby:
"Break?! Oh no! Dobby doesn't deserve a break! Dobby has only worked eight hours!"
"Does Miss Jane say Dobby should work only eight hours just because she says so?"
"With such generous wages, a uniform, and such wonderful accommodations—Dobby doesn't need to rest anymore!"
Lupin was dumbfounded.
A... perpetual motion machine?
Perhaps this was the caution of a new employee. Observing the senior employee enthusiastically working overtime, Lupin felt compelled to tread carefully.
Would it be inappropriate to casually go downstairs for a meal? Or return to his room to rest?
Would it make him seem out of place? Too independent?
Should he leave a jacket on his workstation to signal he hadn't left early?
No, this was his first day on the job—he couldn't afford to leave such an impression.
His steps faltered, and before he knew it, he found himself back at his workstation, wand raised once more.
Hours passed, and by 9 p.m., Lupin couldn't help but glance repeatedly at Dobby—
How is he moving even faster?!
A surge of primal frustration welled up within him—
Unable to outwork a house-elf, Lupin felt madness creeping in. He almost wanted to transform into a werewolf, grab Dobby by the collar, and demand:
"Don't you eat, drink, or sleep, little buddy?!"
By 3 a.m., a delirious Lupin, foaming at the mouth, watched Dobby shout "For Miss Jane!" with fervor and felt the world turn gray.
He couldn't believe it—he had been outperformed by a house-elf!
Fortunately, Aberforth came to his rescue, preventing him from dying of exhaustion on his first day.
"I still have a pub to run!" the old man said cheerfully, stroking his beard. "Go get some rest, Remus!"
Lupin was left bewildered—
Aberforth had started work with them in the morning, hadn't he?
At over a hundred years old, he had worked all day and still had the energy to run a pub at night?!
Whose body was truly over a hundred years old—Aberforth's or his own?
The only weak link in the entire operation... was him?!
...
Although Lupin began to question his own abilities, Jane remained oblivious to his doubts.
She was thoroughly pleased as she surveyed the warehouse filled with arcade machines, expressing her full approval of the impressive production output.
What excellent employees she had chosen!
Such affordable and outstanding workers were rare finds indeed!
She had always known that as a former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Lupin would excel in arcade machine manufacturing!
Look at this output—it had nearly doubled with ease!
However, with her collaboration with the Malfoy family about to commence, there was still a significant production gap.
If only she could find more employees like these, she could seize the market windfall.
"Do you know anyone in a similar situation as yourself?" she asked Lupin. "If they pass the interview, they'll receive free room and board, monthly Wolfsbane Potion, and performance-based wages—but they must swear not to harm anyone."
Lupin was stunned.
Werewolves were not accepted by wizarding society and faced widespread discrimination.
Finding work in the wizarding world was nearly impossible—even for someone as well-educated as himself.
What's more, Wolfsbane Potion was difficult to brew and prohibitively expensive—werewolves could hardly afford it...
His boss was a truly compassionate person!
In this world, no one else could treat werewolves with such kindness and equality!
Not only that, but she had also established an equal employment relationship with house-elves...
Such a scene was unprecedented in wizarding history!
After breaking down the barriers between Hogwarts houses, she had taught him another invaluable lesson—one against species discrimination!
Lupin's eyes grew moist. Feeling deeply respected, he lowered his head and sniffled:
"I do know a few... They come from good families, are kind and gentle, and have strong moral values..."
"But I'm not sure they'd believe me... Such generous working conditions... How could they possibly be for werewolves..."
As he spoke, a sly thought crept into his mind—
If more employees joined, perhaps Dobby wouldn't drag everyone into working until 3 a.m. every day?
After all, with more people, the workload would be spread out... Everyone could take it easy...
Lupin suddenly raised his head, his voice firm:
"Jane, no matter what, I'll bring them here! It would be an honor for anyone to work for you!"
Little did Lupin know—
The "kind and gentle" werewolves he spoke of would later enthusiastically shout "For the boss!" and "No tasks? Let's create some!"...
—working overtime until 4 or 5 a.m. every day, far surpassing Dobby!
They even initiated assembly line production, shouting, "This is our blood-pumping combo move!" as they cast spells with fervor!
One particularly talented individual even divided roles into specialized positions: spellcasting, alchemy, game design, art and graphics, quality control, level design, and more.
Amid Dobby's self-flagellating cries of "Bad Dobby" and his tearful apologies, Lupin stood in the wind, utterly bewildered and questioning his life choices.
This world... His fellow werewolves... Were they a little... abnormal?
Was it his fault he couldn't work 24 hours a day?
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