Bewitched | wolfstar au

Two

Remus is a little annoyed that his perfectly empty Sunday is being rudely interrupted by a trip to Potter's Herbs and Misc., but the thought of seeing James appeases him somewhat. James could paint the greyest of days over with all the colours of the rainbow.

So Remus throws a russet brown jumper over his shirt and grabs his bag. He shoves a couple textbooks in it, along with his small notebook and this novel he'd borrowed from the Public Library. If he can't avoid going out on a Sunday, he might as well make a trip to the café afterwards.

He throws some Floo powder into his fireplace and goes straight to Diagon Alley. Remus steps out into the bustle of people, flinching slightly at the noise level.

Diagon Alley is one of those places where everyone has a purpose to be at. Everywhere he looks, Remus sees people marching forward, as if buying an owl or grabbing a hot cocoa is the most important task they could hope to be assigned.

It's cold, but he doesn't really mind that it nips at the back of his neck. The smell of coffee sneaks up on him as he walks, sweet and tempting.

He turns into a narrow lane hidden behind a large building. The change in atmosphere is still surprising to Remus. It's as if he's entered a completely different world, sleepy and quiet and blissfully impervious to the chaos of the main street. The road ends at a quaint little building, Potter's Herbs and Misc. It's rooftop spills a cascade of pink and white flowers down the wooden walls. They are always abloom, even in the dead of winter.

A pair of bells give out a merry tinkle as Remus steps in, smiling. As soon as the door closes, his smile vanishes. He's overwhelmed by the putrid smell of burning nicotine. The interior of the shop is completely obscured by a heavy cloud of smoke that hangs in the air. It curls and arcs in the sunlight dizzyingly, and Remus starts to cough.

"Shit, sorry," it's a stranger's voice that speaks out. Remus can see someone behind the counter -definitely not James- wave his wand. The smoke disappears in a second. Remus coughs a final time into the sleeve of his jumper, and narrows his eyes at the man behind the counter.

It's actually a boy.

And he is nothing like James. The smoke has vanished, but the shop doesn't have the same light it had yesterday, or any other day before. The sunbeams are still golden warm, but the closer Remus' eyes travel to the counter, the darker and colder it seems.

The boy is pale, and his hair falls down to his shoulders in a soft curl. There's an odd familiarity about him. He's wearing a black t-shirt, and a black leather jacket is hung on the back of his -James'- chair. He doesn't light up the shop like James. Instead, he's a black hole, sucking whatever light into himself.

"Want me to pose for a picture?" The boy asks, a smirk playing on his lips. Remus feels his cheeks warm up. "No, that won't be necessary," he manages to reply. Remus sees the cigarette in the boy's hand, half gone.

"Where's James?" He asks.

"James? James is sick," the boy shrugs, and stands up. "Are you, by any chance, Remus Lupin?"

Remus nods. He's sure that he's seen this boy before. "I'm Sirius." The boy extends a hand. As Remus takes it, his familiarity finally clicks into place. Sirius Black. Of course Remus knows who he is. James' best friend at Hogwarts. Everyone at school knew about Sirius Black.

"James told me that you would come," Sirius says. "But you're a little too early."

"Too early?" Remus asks, surprised. Sirius nods. "The weather's pretty bad in Cheshire, it seems... delivery's being delayed."

Remus can't help the sigh of exasperation that leaves his lips. So much for a lazy Sunday. The bag on his shoulder is starting to feel heavy, and he wishes he had something to eat before leaving.

Remus watches Sirius raise the cigarette to his lips, closing his eyes as he drags the poison into his body. Remus takes a step back, holding in a cough. "Do you... do you mind putting that out?" His voice is a little scratchy as he speaks.

Sirius tilts his head. "I actually do," he smirks, and blows a thick puff of blue-grey smoke right in Remus' face. Remus waves his hand to clear it. He's tempted to pull his wand out and vanish the cigarette from Sirius' hand, and maybe throw a small hex Sirius' way while he's at it. But he doesn't.

"Fine, then. I'll be back," he says coldly, and adjusts his bag on his shoulder before turning to leave. The bells sound angry as they mark Remus' exit. The air outside is fresh and Remus takes a deep breath so that it can fill his lungs, letting any traces of the disgusting cigarette smoke leave his body.

He wanders into the main street again, where he finds a petite café which is fairly uncrowded. Before he can enter, a hand grabs his elbow. Remus spins around.

It's Sirius Black.

"I'm sorry," he says, but all Remus can see is the watery grey of his eyes. They look like the sea before sunrise, dark and calm. Sirius blinks, long eyelashes touching the skin below his eyes just for a second before rising back up. That's what makes Remus snap out of his trance.

"Uhm," he doesn't know why he's suddenly so shy. "It's okay..." Remus feels a little embarrassed about how he'd acted before. "Are you going in?" Sirius asks, nodding towards the café. "I was going to," Remus replies.

Sirius places a surprisingly gentle hand on Remus' back. "Come on, then. I'll treat you to a drink."