And I'm back! Probably quite briefly, and it's not an update of an existing story which I know is v. annoying of me, but... I have no excuse. I'm an annoying person. But hopefully you enjoy the little foray into Remus Lupin's life anyway!

ONE

Remus Lupin blinked confusedly at the women in front of him.

"Computer skills?" He asked.

"Yes, Mr Lupin. Typing, basic understanding of spreadsheets. The programs we use are fairly simple, but we do ask for a little computer literacy in all of our employees, I'm afraid."

She said it kindly but Remus felt his heart sink anyway. Computer skills. He could lie, of course, and say that he had them. These computer skills that all muggles seemed to have. But she'd find out eventually, if she didn't already know, and Remus had never been the best of liars anyway. He sighed. Computer skills.

"Ah, I see. Well, I don't actually have any understanding of any of that, I'm afraid. My upbringing was rather… sheltered." Remus cleared his throat a little and looked down at his knees. He couldn't get a job in the magical world and now, it seemed, he couldn't get one in the muggle one either. He was, to put it lightly, absolutely screwed.

"I am sorry about that Mr Lupin, as you do seem like you would be a good fit with the rest of the office here. But I'm afraid that we just don't have enough time to train you up at the moment. We're looking for someone who can just jump right in."

"Ah. Well, I, uh, I'm sorry for wasting your time then. I'll just show myself out," he stood to leave, the unfamiliar muggle office chair's metal legs scraping across the laminate flooring as he did so.

"I'll tell you what. I shouldn't be telling you this but we have a few people planning to retire in half a year or so. Learn the basics before then and re-apply. I know the local library does classes for free, and I'll be happy to give you another interview if you do decide to try again." She smiled at him briefly before shuffling the papers on her desk. Remus took this as his cue to leave. He thanked her and walked out of the building deep in thought, hands tucked into the pockets of the slightly shabby overcoat that Peter had bought him so many years before. Computer skills.

"I'm sorry, Mr Lupin, what did you say these devices were called again?" Minerva McGonagall creased her forehead in concentration, peering at her former student over her mug of tea.

Remus smiled into his own mug. If there was one thing he had truly enjoyed in the five years since… in the five years since everything had… happened, it was his monthly visits with his old head of house. For him, there had been truth in the words that she told every new bunch of first years: Gryffindor house had truly been where he had found his family.

"Computers. You can write on them, like typewriters but… better. You can use them to do calculations and things, to sort data. You can even use them to contact people and to research almost anything using this thing called the internet." Okay, so he was gushing a little, but it was just such a wonderful opportunity to learn.

"And you've learnt to do all of this? To use this internet and such?"

"Well, I'm still learning, but I think I know enough to get by. I still need some practise but I'm definitely getting there. And I have another couple of interviews next week, so fingers crossed." He had decided already that he wouldn't mention his first class in which he spent half an hour staring at a blank screen before the librarian supervising them had kindly told him that the 'on' button was on the side of the machine. Even the old lady sitting next to him had laughed at that one.

Remus and Minerva shared a smile. He was glad he could bring good news for once. He'd spent so many hours in this office, a complete mess, crying and shaking and wondering out loud whether life could possibly go on for a werewolf with no friends left and no job prospects to speak of.

"Anyway, how are this year's first years? And how's little Harry doing? Is he still standing up to that prick of a cousin of his?"

"Hmmph," Minerva snorted, setting her mug down on a coaster a little too forcefully. "Yes, he's doing a very good job of it, for a six year old. Why Albus won't let anyone step in… at least make that Aunt and Uncle of his do something… but oh, there's no use arguing with the old codger."

"Of course not," Remus sighed. He took a large slurp of his tea and tried his best to push the thoughts out of his mind. He couldn't, like always, but he tried anyway. "And the first years?"

"Oh, the usual bunch. The Hufflepuffs seem like a nice bunch, one of the girls in Ravenclaw is fluent in six languages, plays three instruments and has achieved a myriad of muggle qualifications. She was about to start her degree, which I believe they only start at 18 or 19 usually, when she got her letter for Hogwarts. No new Weasleys in Gryffindor this year, though no doubt we'll get young Percy next year. And in Slytherin we have a boy who wears a necklace of teeth that rumour has it come from the muggles that his father killed in the war. Severus isn't sure of the truth of it, claims it could be an attempt to increase his standing in the house, but the boy is a Nott, so you never know."

"Huh. Usual bunch, eh?"

"So, here's your desk then, and if there's any questions, don't hesitate to ask."

Remus grinned at his new boss and she smiled indulgently back. He couldn't help it. Everything was actually going right for him. He had a new job. He had a new suit. Hell, he even had a bank account in the muggle world, a bank account that his first pay cheque would be deposited in a month from now. Although that had been bloody tricky to set up – nosy buggers, were muggles. And now he had his own desk, on a block with a smiling middle-aged lady wearing slippers under her desk and a bored looking man with long, dark dreadlocks tied loosely at the nape of his neck.

"Thank you, I will."

He sat down and swirled experimentally in his chair. He grinned at the office in general. He decided that he'd try and change the computer's screensaver to something nicer than that odd symbol like a flag.

"I'm Paula," the middle-aged lady introduced herself, reaching a hand across the little row of pot plants that separated her desk from Remus'.

"Remus," he grinned, shaking her hand and trying not to wince when her silver wedding band came into contact with his skin.

"Oh, like the wolf-boy, right?" she asked, smiling and his eyes widened before he got full control of himself.

"Romulus and Remus, yes," he managed in a slightly weaker voice than he'd introduced himself in.

"Graham," the man with dreadlocks sighed, holding up a hand in half-hearted welcome, "No cool, wolf-boy names around here I'm afraid."

He looked genuinely quite sad about it as well, Remus thought, having gotten over most of the shock.

"Well, it's not all it's cracked up to be, really. Especially being called Remus Lupin, I might as well be called Wolf McWolf," he laughed a little. He'd always quite liked the irony of his name and his furry little problem.

"Better than Graham Smith, mate, let me tell you. Graham Smith, Admin Assistant." He sighed again, making the leaves on Paula's plants shiver as his breath passed over them.

"Graham here is exceedingly morose," Paula explained, turning back to her filing. Remus nodded. He wondered where the things to be filed were kept and if he was supposed to be doing something like that.

"I am not 'exceedingly morose'," Graham grumbled, " I am simply disinterested in pretending to like the boring, pointless life I've built around myself."

"Ah." Remus said intelligently, "Well, trust me, having an interesting name is not all it's cracked up to be. I know a man called Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Try fitting that on forms."

He hoped that made sense. He'd had to fill out an awful lot of forms to get his bank account so surely that was something that most muggles usually did...

"Ha, true that, mate. Paperwork to file is in the blue tray, to scan is in the red one and to input into the database is in the ugly brown one down the end," Graham jabbed a thumb over his shoulder to the shelves behind him and Remus grinned. He'd had a successful muggle conversation with his new co-workers and he'd figured out what he was meant to be doing in this job. This day just got better and better. Maybe he should buy a pot plant for his desk…