The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part One

Couldn't Possibly Miss That

James and Remus stepped out of the floo at the entrance of the Auror Training Center on the west embankment. There were a great number of witches and wizards headed into the ATC, and a couple young witches waved at James as they went by. James half waved back, focusing on Remus instead.

"So about Sirius," James said delicately, "Are you two... okay?"

Remus nodded, "Yeah we're fine. Sirius is just being extra siriusy, that's all. He can drive me mad, but I love him, no matter how mad he makes me."

James smiled. "Good."

Remus smiled, too, then sighed, glancing at a big clock in the center of the entryway for the Department of Magical Justice. "I gotta go or I'll be late! They're expecting me!" He turned and hurried away, rushing as much as his achey knees could carry him.

James watched him go, then turned and hurried on go his training.

Diagon Alley was overrun with witches and wizards, and Sirius clutched his sheet of adverts as he ducked his way through the crowd, motorbike tucked safely in his pocket. The first place he stopped was Quality Quidditch Supplies because, even if they hadn't placed an advert in the paper, Sirius wanted to give them the first crack at hiring him.

When the bell over the door ding-donged as he walked in, the man at the counter looked up and sighed. "Sirius, I still don't have any openings for you."

He frowned, "Oh c'mon Stanley, you know you could use a good set of muscles 'round here." Sirius flashed his toothiest grin and played at flexing his arm.

"Aye and that's precisely why I don't have a position for you! Somebody might mistake you for a Keeper's Ring if you worked here."

Sirius sighed, "C'monnnn Stanleyyyy, mate, I know everything there is to know about Quidditch. I'm a bloody expert. And I'm an excellent salesman. I could sell a rug to a homeless man, I reckon."

Stanley stared at Sirius and solemnly shook his head, "I'm sorry, kid, I'd love to help you out, but with the school seasons over and the local teams all out of the running for the Cup, my sales are dropped for the season. I can't afford to take on another employee at the mo'. Come back in the fall when things start picking back up again."

Sirius sighed.

"Now if your friend James Potter's looking, that kid's got some muscle. You tell him I'd consider it if you popped in."

"James is in the Auror Training Program," replied Sirius, "He doesn't need a job like I do, Stanley."

"Come back in September."

Back on the street, Sirius shook out his page of advertisements and started looking over the list. A bunch of rubbish he wasn't interested in, really. He wished there was a joke shop on Diagon Alley that he could try working at, but Zonko's had closed their London branch the year before, and there wasn't much else. What was hiring were places like Gomer Grimes Gnome Removal Service (they were seeking a degnoming agent), Eeylops Owl Emporium (janitorial work cleaning cages), and Goldie's Cauldron Shoppe (though Sirius suspected that was a muscles-required sort of position, too).

He visited each of the places with help wanted adverts and a couple that didn't have anything listed but agreed to let him leave behind a CV just the same. It took him most of the morning, and he wandered down Diagon Alley til he was tired. He sat down in one of the violently green tables outside of Florian Fortescue's and took out his coin purse, shaking it to have a look-see what he had left in his pockets. There wasn't much, but he was hungry, so he went inside the ice cream parlor and walked up to the counter.