Remus stared up at Harry from over his book as he sat across from him in the coffee shop. He'd never understand why the other liked coming to these places, preferring tea himself, and also because they were so crowded and busy with people in a rush to get to wherever it was life was taking them. He imagined it had something to with the other's new acquired caffeine addiction, and the fact that he wasn't noticed at all in such a large group of people. It was New York though, if you weren't trying to stand out it was easy enough to fade into the background.
It was part of the reason they were both here, Harry to gain some anonymity after the war, and for him to just have a change of scenery. He couldn't live in Grimmauld Place anymore, too many ghosts from his past there, and he refused to teach at Hogwarts no matter how many times the Headmistress asked, because the castle just held too many memories. He couldn't live on his own, that much was proven when Harry took off after the war to try and find himself and to get away from the press, the Weasleys, and especially Hermione. After Harry had defeated Voldermort it was only to discover that Bellatrix Lestrange had killed his best friend. Harry couldn't face anyone after Ron had died and he'd fled, running away across Europe. He blamed himself, and Hermione, for a time, blamed him as well; It had taken a couple years, and Remus attempting to take his own life for Harry to come home.
Remus was not proud of his past actions but at the time, the grief of losing his best friend and the love of his life, Sirius, had taken a toll on him. A toll he had pushed aside during the war by working undercover for the Order and joining Fenrir Greyback and his pack to learn any information he could on how the werewolf was aiding Voldermort. When the smoke finally settled and the war ended, he was forced to acknowledge not only the death of Sirius but what he had done while working with Fenrir to help the Order.
It didn't help that what he had done was never acknowledged by the public at large and that werewolf rights as a whole had suffered after the war. The public had focused on the werewolf raids and the lives lost at the hands of Fenrir, and had tightened the metaphorical leash they had on the werewolf population going so far as to make everyone who was a werewolf register with the ministry and make those records accessible to the public. They had also taken away some rights that had been long fought for, like the right for anyone who had suffered a werewolf bite to have access to a Healer specializing in werewolf health issues and free wolfsbane potions available at certain apothecaries that were subsidized by the ministry. It was now perhaps more difficult to be a werewolf then it was before the war, and as much as Remus would like to fight for werewolf rights, he had long since given up.
"You're thinking too hard." Harry groaned from behind his sunglasses as he rested his head on the table, "Seriously Moony, it's too damn early in the morning for that."
Remus smiled and closed his book, placing it gently on the table before reaching across the table and ruffling the others already messy hair. Harry reminded him more of James everyday, but at the same time it was easy to see how the other was his own person and completely different from his father.
"Maybe if you didn't go out so much at night and drink so much, you wouldn't be so hungover, and would actually be able to form thoughts of your own this early." he said with a smile, sipping some tea that had long since gone slightly cold.
"Too early for a lecture!," complained the young man as he gulped down his coffee and gathered his books and papers scattered across the table, "besides I never rebelled as a teenager, I have at least five years to catch up on still."
"Just take care of yourself. It doesn't really do you any good to go out on a Thursday night when you have a test the next morning, which by the way you're going to be late for if you don't leave soon"
Harry simple stuck his tongue out, pulling an NYU hoodie that had been hanging off the back of his chair over his head. "Yeah, yeah, not like the classes mean much anyway. Just something to do to keep me busy."
It was true, after moving here it had only taken a couple months for them to get to used to their surroundings, their minds then wondering to dark places if they weren't kept busy. It was why Harry was taking classes at NYU and why Remus volunteered so much, that and Remus had too much grief over some of the things he had done during the war that he still needed to atone for.
Standing up with the other they both made their way out the door. They could walk together for a few blocks before Harry had to head towards the university just a couple blocks away, and he needed to head south back to their flat for a while before heading off to a nearby shelter for the recent victims of the alien attack that were now homeless. The alien attack a few months ago hadn't surprised either Harry or Remus so much as the group of individuals who had managed to fight it off. They both had been back in England when it happened, but it was all over the news and the two had quickly made their way back to help however they could with the clean up and relief efforts. The wizarding world had viewed the event as simply another muggle war that they had no business getting involved in, though both Harry and he disagreed. It was only a matter of time before muggle wars and affairs would become an issue for the wizarding world as well and the wizarding world was vastly under prepared for when that happened.
Simply talking and chatting not paying much mind to anyone around them, Harry and Remus were in the middle of saying good-bye when a young brunette girl carrying several cups of what appeared to be coffee and a bag of bagels ran into them knocking everything to the floor.
"Dammit!" she exclaimed brushing off her blouse that was now dripping wet, her neck and chest visibly red from the heat of the beverages. "That's like the third time this week, I need hazard lights or something, these streets are just too fucking crowded."
Harry laughed taking off his sunglasses to get a better look at the girl. "Sorry, about that. Do you need any help? Are you hurt?"
The girl immediately turned to look at them as if just noticing they were still there, "Oh, an accent. Me likey." She finished picking up the rest of her cups with Harry's help, and threw them in a nearby trash can.
Removing his hoodie Harry offered it to the girl, "Sorry again, I've been living here long enough I should know the dangers of stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. Can I buy you some more coffee? It's the least I can do."
"My knight in shining armor." replied the girl simply accepting the hoodie, placing it over her soaked shirt. "Seriously though Lancelot if you wouldn't mind helping me carry the next batch of drinks, I promise it'll be worth your time."
Remus watched the two shaking his head, Harry was definitely his father's son. "Try not to be too late to class Harry! See you later this evening."
"There's a damsel in distress here Moony, a gentleman must keep his priorities!" was Harry's only reply as he followed after the girl. Yes, Remus thought, definitely Prongs' son. The last thing he heard before leaving them was the girl inquiring who Harry's favorite Avenger was.