A/N: This story was born out of a seedling of an idea I came across while scrolling Tumblr that grew into this massive thing. I just hope that I can do it justice.
Disclaimer: The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, despite how much I wish I could lay claim to James Potter.
The entrance to the pub was dim and crowded as Lily Evans made her way through the door. She paused at the edge of the room, looking around the crowd for the familiar head of sandy blonde hair. Remus had told her to meet him here for a round after a very unsuccessful day job-searching.
Finally spotting her mate in the back corner of the pub, Lily wound her way around the clusters of uni students spread throughout the place and made her way to where he was sitting.
"I am so bloody tired of being broke." Lily sighed, dropping her messenger bag with a heavy plunk on the tabletop. She lowered herself into the bench seat of the pub booth. Her best mate, Remus Lupin, sat opposite her nursing a beer and nodding emphatically.
"I think I've eaten cheese sandwiches three days straight now."
"It shouldn't be this hard to get a job. We've just graduated! We're fresh into the world with energy and ideas, people should be snapping us up."
Remus chuckled and pushed a full mug of golden liquid towards Lily. She downed the drink, relishing in the burn at the back of her throat and relaxing her tense shoulders as she felt the alcohol start to work its way into her system.
The both of them were recent uni grads, fresh out of school with the hope of putting their degrees to use. Yet here they were, sitting in a pub and drinking away their frustrations. Remus's degree in political science, paired with his indecisiveness on what career he wanted was not making things easy for him—or paying his rent. And while Lily had a degree and experience in journalism, the fact that she couldn't manage to get a meeting with anyone relevant in her field was discouraging, to say the least.
"I take it your meeting didn't go well?" Remus asked.
"The assistant won't even take my name down, let alone schedule a meeting."
"Can't you get what's-his-name, the one you interned for, to get you an interview?"
"I left that internship two years ago, Black probably doesn't even remember me." Lily shrugged, sliding her empty mug back and forth between her hands. She knew that her statement wasn't even remotely true—she had become pretty close friends with Sirius while interning for him, though that probably had more to do with her involvement with his best mate than anything about her—but she couldn't bring herself to walk back into a situation that would surely be uncomfortable.
Even knowing that Sirius had exactly the connections that she needed—and would be more than willing to put her in contact with all the right people—she couldn't risk even the slightest chance of running into him.
"You ran that bloke's life for an entire year. There's no way he could forget you, and that mate of his…"
Lily held her hand up, stopping Remus. She didn't want to talk about Sirius or the mate of his that Remus was talking about. While Remus knew the basics of what had happened during Lily's internship two years earlier, she had never gone into detail about just how deeply it had all affected her. He sighed, but didn't press. Instead, he rose from the booth and grabbed the two empty mugs from the table.
"I'll get another round. You sit here and think up a way for us to make money quickly and easily. It'd be nice if billionaires like Black just gifted some of their wealth away, wouldn't it?"
As Remus made his way to the bar, Lily pondered his words. There was something there, niggling at the back of her brain. Her internship for Sirius Black—media mogul and businessman—had taught her a lot of things, but most importantly it taught her how little attention privileged people paid to their privilege. Sirius Black, for example, cared for his business dealings and his interviews, but paid no attention to the amount of money he spent on a daily basis.
Lily shook her head, breaking out of her thoughts and coming back to the present as Remus returned to his seat with two shot glasses. She raised an eyebrow as he slid one across the table to her.
"Rosie gave them to us on the house," Remus explained. "Someone ordered them before running outside to be sick. She didn't think they were coming back for them."
Lily winced but picked up the small glass—after all, free liquor was free liquor. The amber liquid inside smelt strongly of cinnamon, and Lily grinned.
"At least it's something I like this time."
"Lucky you. I can barely stomach the stuff after last New Years."
Lily chuckled, remembering the night clearly. They had decided to try their hand at bar-hopping with their mutual friend, Marlene and her girlfriend Dorcas. It was a first for them, seeing as both Lily and Remus hadn't been much for the social scene at uni. Remus had gotten so drunk that night that he had to stay at Lily's apartment and was still drunk the next morning. The hangover lasted for two days.
"Free is free, though." Lily replied, tipping her head back and swallowing the shot. Remus followed suit, grimacing heavily after swallowing.
"So why'd you have a shit day?" she asked, leaning her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her cupped hands.
Remus rolled his eyes. "There're no jobs on the political market for people that aren't born into it or have the money to buy their way into it. Unless I want to work under some stodgy old professor doing all their research while they take the credit for the rest of my life."
"Have you tried the uni? Maybe they could use someone…"
"I've tried just about everything now," Remus sighed, dropping his head into his hands. "I don't know why I chose such a useless major. I should've done something sensible—accounting or something."
"You'd die of boredom as an accountant."
"That's probably true, but at least I'd die being able to pay my rent."
Lily reached over and patted his hand affectionately. "Something will come along, Remus. Until then, we've just got to keep trying."
Remus shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. "All I can say is if something doesn't come along soon, I'll have to resort to criminal activity."
Lily tipped her head back and laughed, though she wasn't sure what was a reaction to Remus and what was the alcohol in her system. She had never been much of a drinker, and after a long day with little food the drinks she had consumed were having a bit of an effect.
"Remus Lupin—aspiring politician by day, con man by night. I can picture it now."
"Quite the same thing, aren't they?" Remus chuckled.
"Oi, you have a point." Lily grinned. "Maybe I should start hanging about with more upstanding people from here on out."
He rolled his eyes and shook his head in amusement. "Are you ready to turn in? I've got a potential interview tomorrow. I'm not holding my breath for it though."
Lily nodded and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Sure. I should revise my CV, might get more interviews if I tweak it a bit."
"By tweak it do you mean actually talk about your accomplishments rather than downplay everything you've done?"
Lily rolled her eyes at Remus but turned away before he could see the faint pink tinge of her cheeks. He was right, after all. Lily had a habit of diminishing both herself and the things she had worked hard to achieve. She knew that she should proudly display both her accomplishments and her personality; however, years of being talked down to and being called worthless and a freak by her own sister made it hard to want to show off. Petunia had always made it very clear that it was preferable for Lily to be hidden in the background, and that was where Lily found herself most comfortable now.
She pushed herself out of the booth, swinging her bag back onto her shoulder and pulling her long auburn hair to one side so it didn't get caught under the strap. "Let me know how your interview goes."
Remus didn't say anything about her change of topic. Instead, he grabbed his own messenger bag and slung it over his head so that it rested against his back. He stepped back and held out his hand, nodding for her to make her way to the door first.
"Like I said, I'm not holding my breath, but I'll let you know what happens."
They made their way through the crowded pub, weaving in and out of groups of college students and clusters of stodgy looking businessmen in pressed suits standing around the bar. Lily took a deep breath of the crisp night air when they finally pushed their way out of the door. She could see the small puffs of foggy air coming from her mouth—it was nearly spring, but the nights were still like winter—and she tucked her hand under her arms to keep them warm.
Remus hailed her a cab quickly and held the door as she climbed in. Her flat was a thirty minute walk and while normally she wouldn't mind the trek the cab ride was much welcomed because of the icy temperature.
"You coming?" she asked, leaning to look up at Remus.
He shook his head. "My flat's just around the corner. Besides, you know I don't mind the cold."
"Goodnight then Remus. Good luck again, for your interview."
Remus smiled. "Night Lily. And thank you. But remember, if in the meantime you devise some brilliant plan to make a lot of money rather quickly, my flat payment is due end of month."
Lily chuckled and shook her head as Remus winked and shut the door of the cab. She waved and blew a kiss through the window as the car pulled away from the curb, watching as Remus tucked his hands into the pockets of his threadbare coat and began his walk to his flat, his shoulders hunched against the wind. Lily only looked away when the cab rounded the corner and Remus was out of sight.
She turned and settled into the seat, resting her head against the cool window and closing her eyes. There was still that thought there, niggling at the back of her mind—a memory trying to burst through, something small and forgotten that seemed like it should be relevant now. It'd be nice if billionaires like Black just gifted some of their wealth away, wouldn't it? Remus had said, triggering the idea. If only she could pinpoint the thought clearly, maybe—
"Where to then, Miss?" the driver asked, breaking Lily out of her thoughts.
She turned to look at the driver in the mirror, and apologetic smile on her face. "Right, sorry. Kynance Mews."
Lily remained quiet for the remainder of the ride, thanking the driver when he dropped her at the ivy covered archway leading to row of flats on the narrow, cobblestone street. She paid him, slung her bag over her shoulder once more, and made her way to the flat she shared with Mary, the thought that there was something obvious she was missing still flitting around her mind as she went.
A/N: And here it is! Finally! I plan to stick to weekly updates for this story, either Thursday or Friday evenings—though I will try my very best to pick a day and remain consistent with it. I hope you enjoyed the beginning, and that you are as excited to read this story as I am to write it. Any feedback is always extremely appreciated—whether it's so much as an 'Ah!', what you liked/disliked, or constructive criticism—it is all welcomed and cherished!
xox