Whether it was due to Lupin's resilient physical constitution—perhaps enhanced by his lycanthropy that had forced his body to endure countless transformations over the years—or the effectiveness of Adrian's antidote potion that had been crafted from mutated herbs, Lupin quickly recovered his vital signs.
When he finally awoke from his toxin-induced unconsciousness, the brilliant golden rays of morning sunlight were already streaming through the frost-patterned glass windows of the shop, casting shadows across his face.
The chirping of birds could be heard faintly in the distance, creating a peaceful ambiance that contradicted his recent brush with death.
Lupin slowly opened his heavy eyelids, which felt as though they were weighted down with lead, and discovered himself lying on an ingeniously designed bed entirely woven from vines.
The organic mattress was located right inside the main area of Adrian's plant shop, surrounded by shelves of bottled herbal remedies and carefully labeled jars of mysterious substances that caught the morning light.
He wearily rubbed his eyes with knuckles that ached from the residual effects of the poison; the sunlight streaming unhindered through the east-facing window shone directly into his sensitive pupils, making him wince uncomfortably and turn his face away from the harsh light.
Moreover, his entire body still felt distressingly stiff and uncomfortably numb, as though he had been petrified and then only partially restored.
But at the very least, his mind had cleared considerably from the fog of poisoning, and he quickly judged and understood his current situation. He guessed that he must have passed out from applying that poisonous variant of dittany to his wound.
Fortunately, it seemed he hadn't gone to meet Merlin directly in whatever afterlife awaited wizards.
With a grimace of embarrassment, he realized he had nearly earned the distinction of becoming the first wizard in recorded magical history to be killed by what appeared to be ordinary dittany.
Thinking about this humiliating near-death experience, Lupin couldn't help but cover his face with his trembling hands—the entire incident was rather embarrassing.
After mustering the strength to swing his legs over the side of the vine-woven bed, wincing as his muscles protested for the movement, he carefully stood up on unsteady legs and looked at the magical clock on the far wall; its single hand was pointing to the "9" position.
"Has it truly been an entire day already?" He murmured hoarsely to himself.
He looked around the cluttered but organized shop, finding it completely empty of any human presence and disturbingly quiet except for the gentle ticking of the clock and the occasional rustle of what sounded suspiciously like semi-sentient plants shifting in their pots.
Feeling somewhat disoriented by the silence, Lupin directed his attention toward the counter at the far end of the shop, definitely remembering that the door leading back to the potentially deadly greenhouse was located behind it.
The door was closed, and Lupin guessed that Adrian must still be inside tending to his extraordinary collection of magical plants.
Just as he was thinking whether he should call out to announce his recovery or simply wait patiently for Adrian to appear, the greenhouse door suddenly creaked open with a sound that seemed unnaturally loud in the quiet shop.
A small, thin figure—unmistakably that of a young boy—quickly slipped out from inside the greenhouse. The child paused abruptly upon noticing Lupin standing beside the vine bed. Then, without warning, the boy promptly turned on his back and disappeared back through the door quickly, the door sung shut behind him with a decisive thud.
"Wait! Please don't go!" Lupin called out instinctively, his voice cracking slightly from the strain.
But before the words had fully left his parched lips, Lupin couldn't quite make out the boy's face clearly enough to identify him. He had only managed to catch the briefest glimpse of dark hair before the child hastily vanished behind the closing door.
A moment later, the door reopened, and Adrian appeared in front of Lupin.
"Remus, you're finally awake," Adrian said with relief upon seeing Lupin up and doing, "I was afraid you might never regain consciousness."
"Thank you sincerely for your intervention and assistance, Mr. Westeros," Lupin replied with formal stiffness, embarrassment coloring his tone. "I was inexcusably reckless in my actions."
Adrian waved his hand dismissively, appearing genuinely unconcerned about the incident. "It's certainly not your fault, Mr. Lupin. These unfortunate accidents are very difficult to avoid. However, you should indeed be more careful with my plants in the future."
Remus nodded solemnly, "I've learned my lesson in the most direct way possible."
Then Adrian walked to the front of the counter, pulled a thick notebook from a hidden drawer, and handed it to Lupin.
"What's this?" Lupin asked.
"It contains detailed information about variety of plant I currently cultivate in the greenhouse—their properties, care requirements, dangers, etc." Adrian explained, suppressing a yawn. "I stayed up throughout the entire night compiling and organizing it for you, to prevent another potentially fatal accident."
Lupin accepted the notebook with a complicated expression. The fact that Adrian had needed an entire night to document all the dangerous plants in his collection was not particularly reassuring.
To be perfectly honest with himself, he didn't particularly want to continue with this employment opportunity anymore, regardless of the generous compensation, as its associated hazards seemed significantly higher than he had initially anticipated. His monthly transformations provided quite enough mortal danger without adding toxic plants to the equation.
So, gathering his courage and preparing to potentially return to desperate poverty, Lupin spoke up with determination, "I think I need to seriously reconsider this position."
Adrian, hearing Lupin's carefully chosen words, was visibly surprised.
"Well..." he began hesitantly, then seemed to make a rapid calculation in his head. "How about I triple the originally offered salary?"
He continued, "You can take some time to consider the offer, Mr. Lupin. I should mention that this is absolutely the highest wage I can offer."
However, this time the Galleon-based offensive strategy seemed ineffective, as Lupin's face still showed clear resistance and reluctance despite the astronomically generous offer that would have solved his financial difficulties
After all, this matter concerned his own life.
Vividly remembering the helplessness and creeping terror he had experienced while the poison gradually paralyzed his body, Lupin shuddered again at the memory. He had already developed significant psychological trauma from the experience, which his mind kept replaying in vivid detail.
Galleons were undeniably important, particularly for someone in his financial position, certainly, but they were far less valuable than his survival. Even with his often-difficult life as a werewolf, he wasn't prepared to risk cutting it short for any amount of galleons.
Just as Lupin was about to conclusively decline the position with carefully prepared words of gratitude, the door behind them suddenly opened again.
The same boy Lupin had glimpsed earlier walked out from behind the door with an excited expression on his young face. He was tightly gripping a small crystal bottle containing what appeared to be a clear, slightly swirling liquid.
"Sir, I believe this attempt should be successful this time!" The boy's voice was filled with confidence as he carefully handed the bottle to Adrian.
At some point, Harry had started addressing Adrian as "Sir".
Adrian didn't mind, though, since he was indeed teaching Harry how to brew potions.
If nothing unexpected happens, he would also later become Harry's professor of Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts.
Adrian took the bottle, carefully examined the liquid inside, and finally uncorked it to pour some onto his hand.
"Hmm, this one is quite good. The essence is very pure. It seems you've mastered the key technique, Harry," Adrian said approvingly.
Receiving Adrian's praise, the boy immediately showed an excited smile.
While the boy continued his conversation with Adrian about the potion-making process, Lupin stood absolutely stunned beside them.
"Wait, what exactly did you call him?" he couldn't help asking when he heard Adrian casually say the boy's name.
"Oh, I do apologize—I completely forgot to properly introduce you two," Adrian replied with a slight smile, gently pulling the boy in front of him and resting his hands on the child's shoulders. "This is Harry Potter. I imagine you've certainly heard his rather name before."
Harry, hearing Adrian's formal introduction, turned curiously to look at Lupin and politely said, "Hello, Mr. Lupin. Mr. Westeros mentioned your name to me while you were unconscious."
Lupin's expression instantly transformed to absolute astonishment, as though he had been struck by a particularly powerful stunning spell. His face paled noticeably despite his recent recovery.
He stared intently at Harry for a moment.
The messy jet-black hair that stood up at odd angles despite obvious attempts to comb it. The startlingly familiar emerald green eyes that gazed back at him with innocent curiosity behind those round-framed glasses.
Everything about the boy's appearance perfectly aligned with Lupin's treasured memories of James and Lily Potter—and with what he had imagined their son would look like as he grew.
"You... you're truly Harry Potter?" he asked in a soft whispering voice, half-skeptical and half-overwhelmed by the emotional impact of this unexpected encounter.
Harry looked at Lupin with confusion, then glanced questioningly at Adrian beside him. He clearly didn't understand why the man in front of him was so shocked upon hearing his name.
"Yes," Harry nodded with the straightforward certainty, seeming somewhat uncomfortable with the intensity of Lupin's gaze but maintaining polite composure. "That's my name."
Adrian carefully observed Lupin's emotional reaction but wasn't particularly surprised by its intensity; this dramatic response was within his expectations.
In the original story that Adrian was familiar with, Remus Lupin and James Potter—Harry's father—had been close friends during their time at Hogwarts.
This much Adrian knew.
Anyone with such deep personal connections would naturally experience overwhelming emotions upon unexpectedly encountering their deceased best friend's orphaned child—especially given the tragic circumstances of James and Lily Potter's deaths.
"Mr. Lupin, I can assure you that this is indeed the genuine Harry Potter," Adrian added reassuringly, noticing Lupin's continued stunned expression. "He lives nearby. As you can see, I'm currently teaching him brewing some relatively simple useful potions. Harry is also quite passionate about potions."
When Harry overheard Adrian casually mention to Lupin that he was supposedly passionate about potions, his mouth twitched in barely suppressed disagreement, and he very nearly contradicted Adrian directly before thinking better of it and maintaining silence.
Was he passionate about potions?
How strange that he himself remained completely unaware of this supposed enthusiasm!
It was only because Adrian insisted on teaching him those tedious potion techniques rather than the real, practical spellwork with wands that Harry truly longed to learn.
After receiving Adrian's definitive confirmation about Harry's identity, Lupin gradually composed himself somewhat, though his eyes continued to return to Harry's face with a complicated mixture of emotions. He had never expected nor prepared himself to encounter Harry in such circumstances.
Adrian looked thoughtfully at Lupin's conflicted expression and smiled slightly with knowing awareness. "Have you reached a decision regarding my offer, Mr. Lupin? Do you want to work here?"
Lupin glanced at Harry, who was now excitedly examining the shimmering dittany essence in the crystal vial and felt conflicted.
Now it seemed clear that he absolutely had to accept this potentially dangerous employment opportunity, regardless of the personal risk involved.
His decision was no longer about personal safety or financial security—it was all for Harry's sake. Although Adrian didn't seem to have any bad intentions towards Harry, Lupin wasn't comfortable leaving young Harry in Adrian's care.
After all, even if Adrian possessed no ill intentions, his collection of magically modified plants could still present unintentional dangers to Harry.
"Of course," Lupin finally said. "I'll take the job."
"Excellent decision!" Adrian nodded with a satisfied smile, "I'm genuinely pleased you've reconsidered and made this wise choice, Mr. Lupin."
Harry also gave his congratulations from where he stood examining the potion, "Congratulations on your new job, Mr. Lupin!"