Disclaimer: I don't own anything...
A/N: I'm not really sure where this story came from... The idea just popped into my head one day and I've been writing it off and on ever since. I'm not sure if I'll continue it or not, but please take a couple of minutes out of your day to read it and then give me your opinion on it! Thanks!
How does one, in full consciousness of their deed, simply step into another person's life and bring it to a screeching halt? How do they explain to a person that because of relatives the person couldn't even remember, their life would be turned upside down? Most importantly, how does one explain to them that for the sake of a world they've never known, they must take in an orphan and raise it as their own?
On Albus Dumbledore's orders, Remus Lupin had spent many days watching Iris Evans from a distance. He had seen her live her life. She was happy. She was content.
By all outward appearances, Iris Evans was a perfectly normal twenty-two year-old. She was just over five feet with a curvy figure, shoulder length red hair, grey-green eyes, and pale skin. Barely out of college, she had a seventh floor one-bedroom appartment and a job at "Flowered," a successful teenage magazine.
Every morning she got out of bed at exactly 6:02 A.M., dressed in a women's black or grey business suit, chatted for a moment with her doorman, and went to her favorite cafe on the corner before heading to work. It was a comforting old routine that had always served her well.
Friday, June 15 started out like every other day. Iris got out of bed at exactly 6:02 P.M., dressed in a white oxford shirt with straight black trousers and a fitted black jacket, pulled on a pair of black spike-heeled boots, clipped back the front of her hair,and applied minimal make-up. On the way out of her appartment, she grabbed her black leather shoulder bag and black sunglasses.
As she stepped out of her twelve floor appartment building, she shared a quick word with Will, a retired school teacher with kind blue eyes and grey hair at his temples, and stepped out into the humid New York air walking in the direction of her favorite cafe.
"The usual?" Anna, the young girl who waited on Iris every morning asked. Anna was a short sixteen year-old girl with brown hair and big brown eyes spending her summer working at at Cafe Fabbrica, a charming cafe on the corner filled with cozy sofas and recliners.
Cafe Fabbrica was the kind of place that hardly ever got new customers. No, it succeeded only on regular customers. Some came with groups of friends and sat around gossiping. Some stopped in before workor during lunch for a quick coffee break. Some came in and sat at secluded tables and read for hours.
"Yes, please," Iris said as she propped her chin on the counter. Anna had been filling her drink every morning for the past three months. Over the months, the two had become casual acquaintances.
"Tired?" Anna asked with a smile as she fixed Iris' drink.
"Tiny bit," Iris replied, yawning.
"Here ya go," Anna said handing Iris a coffee to go.
"Thanks," Iris said paying for the drink before walking into the street, putting her sunglasses back on, and flagging down a cab.
Upon arriving at work, Iris collected the high stack of messages from her secretary, Ellie, before stepping into her slightly messy corner office. The office was small and cozy with cream walls, deep green furniture, accents of pink flowers everywhere, and pictures of friends and her boyfriend framed on her desk and tacked up on tackboards covering the room.
As head of talent, Iris had to keep the entertainers booked for the magazines cover story happy. Actually, not only did she just have to keep them happy,she had to book them as well. Though booking them was sometimes a task in itself, it wasn't the hardest part. No, the hardest part was keeping them happy.
Today promised to be harder than usual. A young starlet was in the offices and, at only a quarter past seven, was already making absurd demands.
By the time her workday was finally over, Iris had been hung up on by several people in a hunt for a nightclub willing to shut down to the public, searched all of downtown New York for a tank top, located a rare bottle of wine, sweet-talked one photographer out of quitting, and convinced one severly slim starlet that a skimpy black dress did not make her look fat.
When Iris finally got back to her office to pick up an article to approve over the weekend after stepping off the eleventh cab of the day, she was completely exhausted.
"Iris," Ellie, Iris' secretary called out as she poked her head into the office. Ellie was twenty-six with wavy brown hair and blue eyes. While the two weren't the best of friends, they hung out often outside of work. "Someone from your building just called. There's a man there who wants to see you," Ellie said with a hint of urgency in her voice.
"Who is it?"
"They refuse to say," Ellie said with a shrug.
Iris looked at Ellie in confusion. She was sure there was no reason to be alarmed. It was probably just an old friend from college.
"I guess I'll be off then," Iris said with a smile as she stood up, put on her jacket, and grabbed her bag.
"Aren't you worried?" Ellie asked timidly.
Sometimes, Iris wondered if worrying was Ellie's favorite pastime.
"Not much. Have a lovely weekend."
As Iris sat in the cab on the way home, she began to wonder. No, she hadn't lied to Ellie. She wasn't worried in the least. However, she was somewhat anxious she decided as she bounced her leg nervously and chewed on her fingernails.
Chewing her fingernails drove Devon, her boyfriend of four years, crazy. People who were too nervous or anxious always drove Devon crazy.
I drive him crazy, Iris decided with a smile.
It seemed like they had been together forever.
She could still remember when they had met as though it were yesterday. She was just a lost freshman wondering around campus on her first day of college looking for her Political Science class. He was an uperclassman sitting on a bench waiting for his next class to begin. She anxiously asked him for directions. He found her after class and asked her out.
They'd been together ever since.
Remus Lupin sat nervously on the couch where the doorman had left him. Hundreds of questions ran through his head.
Would she remember him? Would she remember the boy? Would she kick him out? Would she hear him out? Would she accept his proposal?
"Lovely day, I hope?" Will asked as he held open the heavy glass door with the building's name frosted onto the front.
Iris and Will were friends. He had even once confided in her that if it wouldn't mean giving up his job, he would grow his hair out and join a tribute band. As much as she normally enjoyed speaking with him,Iris was not in the mood for small-talk.
"I understand there's someone here to see me?" She asked sharply as she stepped into the entrance hall.
"Yes, he's waiting for you in the lobby," Will said with a kind and encouraging smile.
Iris anxiously walked through the entrance hall and into the lobby.
When Iris had first moved into the building, she could hardly believe her luck. Just the entrance hall was stunning with arched cielings, hanging chandeliers, cream colored tiles, and richly colored carpeting. Today, she hardly even took the time to notice.
The lobby was decorated similarly only it was smaller and had a couch and four chairs arranged around a coffee table.
On the cream colored couch with a rich flowered patter, there was a man sitting with his back to her. From where she was standing, she could tell he was thin with greying hair.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Iris said in a business-like tone as she stood behind the couch.
The man stood up and turned towards her.
"Remus!" Iris cried out in surprise. She couldn't believe he was there. She hadn't seen him since... She hadn't seen or heard from any of them in over a decade. Her eyes filled with tears.
"Iris," Remus said, his voice filled with emotion.
Completely overwhelmed, Iris slouched into the very couch he had been sitting in, buried her face in her hands, and began to cry silently.
It had been fifteen years sincethat fateful night.
She had spent her entire life wondering, wishing, and praying. She'd missed them at the best of times and cried for the comfort of them at the worst of times. Years ago, she had given up all hope at ever seeing them again.
Now, there he was, standing in the lobby of her appartment.
As much as she hated to make a scene, now was not the time for brave faces.
"I-I can leave if you wish," Remus said gently as he watched her cry.
"N-no... It's... I-I... Can we go up to my appartment?" She choked.
As happy as she was to see him, just seeing him brought back dozens of vivid memories that Iris had tried so hard to leave behind.
"Of course."
After one silent elevator ride, the two stood in the hallway as Iris fumbled with her keys for a moment before opening the door and flicking the light switch.
She stepped into the small red foyer and tossed her keys on the small spindle-legged table she kept near the door.
"W-would you like something?" She asked as she wiped the tears from her eyes, "Tea?"
"No, thank you," Remus said as he stood in the doorway taking in his surroundings.
Just beyond the small foyer was the living room and kitchen.
The living room was small and cozy with an overstuffed tan leather sofa and a matching chair with knitred blankets thrown over the back. Opposite the chair was a large bookcase filled with books and framed photos. Just beyond the living room was a tiny and crowded kitchen.
"Have a seat," Iris said gesturing towards the living room as she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.
"You've grown so much," Remus said in awe as he took a seat on the sofa, "You look beautiful."
Iris smiled sadly at him as she walked over to her overstuffed chair and perched on the edge. She knew he hadn't come here after all this time just to catch up. No, he'd had a reason for coming here and she knew it.
"I know you probably don't want to hear this, but you look just like--"
"No, don't say it. Please don't say it," She said with obvious pain in her voice. She couldn't hear it. It was all too much.
The two sat in silence for a second. It was a silence that could only come from two once close people. It was a silence that could only comewhen one had spent years wishing to forget the other.
"I'm sure you'd like to know why I've come," Remus finally said, finally breaking the silence.
Iris avoided his gaze.
Of course she wanted to know why he'd come.
"Please, just hear me out," Remus said pausing for a moment for her to protest. When she said nothing, he continued carefully. "When... After... He's miserable... He got sent to Vernon and Petunia's--"
"You sent him to Petunia?" Iris cried in outrage. As hard as she was trying to not let her emotions get the better of her again, she couldn't help it. The idea was almost impossible to fathom.
"We had no choice," Remus said regretfully.
All of a sudden, it all clicked in Iris' head. She'd been right, he wasn't there to catch up for old time's sake.
He'd been sent. He'd been sent on a mission he probably thought he was doomed to fail.
They wanted her to care for the boy.
"Until now, I guess."
"How did you know?"
Because it was obvious, really.
"Why else would you show up here after all these years?"
"Iris, please, he's completely miserable," Remus pleaded.
Of course he was.
"Who wouldn't be?"
"It's different for him though. He had more responsibility than you or I could ever imagine," Remus said with a pleading look in his tired eyes. "We were thinking... If he had a home to go to during the summers... Where he was--" Remus broke off and took a deep breath, "If he weren't miserable at home, we were hoping it would help. We were thinking it would be one less on a long list of burdens. We were thinking that he might even be almost happy."
"You want me to take him in, don't you?"
"Please."
"Why me?"
"He has no where else to go. Sir--" Remus swallowed, "Sirius was killed last week by him."
"Sirius?" Iris choked out with tears rushing to her eyes. "P-please, just go," Iris pleaded. This was all too much to take in at one time.
Remus stood up and looked at Iris for a moment as though he had something to say and then turned and walked out of the appartment.
As soon as Iris heard the click of the door closing, she curled up in her chair and began to sob quietly.