An Afternoon at RJ's

A.N.: This is the story I wrote for the June Challenge on the Hogwarts Online forum. The challenge was to write a story using Harry Potter characters where there was no magic, no Hogwarts, or anything like that. We could claim one character to be the focus of our story and could use any others we needed.

This is my take on Remus-as-Harry's-dad type story.

I'd like to Monse for being my beta for this story.

I sit down at the bar of RJ's Pizzeria & Pub and sigh. The lunch rush was busier than normal today and I am exhausted. I look around and see that the place has emptied out except for one or two tables. The room is large and holds a total of twenty-five tables, as well as a bar that seats fifteen. During the two to three hours that makes up the lunch rush, RJ's is packed, usually leaving customers with at least a half hour wait.

I smile as I think of how successful RJ's is. I opened RJ's about 5 years ago. My wife, Sam, made an off handed comment that my pizzas are so good that I should sell them. I had never thought about starting my own business. I was wary of the idea at first. I didn't know the first thing about starting a business, let alone know how to run one.

Sam suggested that I attend a short class at the university about starting up a business. I did as she suggested and the classes turned out to be very useful.

After several conversations about the pros and cons of owning our own business, Sam and I decided to try out hand at our own pizzeria. A few calls and several thousand Pounds later, RJ's became a reality.

It was hard at first. For the first year or so it didn't look like we would make it.

We have a food critic to thank for our success. He was well known in London as the food critic. If you wanted your business to succeed, he had to give you a good review. After trying our signature meats pizza, we had him hooked. He wrote that we were one of the best pizzerias he's ever been at. Business has been great ever since and he became one of our regular customers.

I am brought out of my thoughts by a noise, which I realize is the bell above the door.

"Hey, Dad," says my sixteen year old son, Sean.

"Hey, Remus," says my godson, Harry, who is also sixteen.

"Hello boys. What are you guys doing here?"

"Mom decided to go out with her friend Lisa and dropped us off here. She thought that we could work for you today. You know we could always use a little extra spending money."

"Are you trying to say that the allowance we pay you isn't enough?"

"Not at all, Remus. We greatly appreciate the allowance, it just isn't always enough for what we do in a week; going to the mall everyday adds up."

"Suck up," Sean snaps.

"I am not! I am simply making sure we keep our allowance, dear brother. It's not my fault that I am the adorable younger brother."

"Younger yes, but not adorable. Everyone knows that I am the charmer in the family."

"Oh, really? Is that why I'm the one that has had a girlfriend for over a year and you haven't?"

"Shut it, Harry!"

I laugh as I tell them they can start cleaning the dishes. If you looked at those two, you would think that they are brothers. They may not be brothers by blood, but they are as close to brothers as two people can be.

We took Harry in after his parents were killed in a horrible car crash. Sam and I had Harry that Halloween as Lily and James wanted some alone time. Sam wanted to take him trick-or-treating with Sean so we offered to take him for the night and spend some quality time with our godson. Sean was only seventeen months old, two months older than Harry, at the time. We were all devastated at the loss of Lily and James, but we managed to move on together, as a family.

On Harry's fifth birthday we formally adopted him into our family. He knew, and still knows, that we aren't trying to replace his parents, we just want him to have a family. He still refuses to call us Mum and Dad, though he will slip up when he is feeling real upset. Sam and I completely understand and try not to push him about it.

I look up at the clock and realize that I've been lost in thought for almost an hour. I get up and walk into the kitchen to check on the boys.

"Wow, you boys are almost done. After you get done, please put them away and restock the tables."

"Sure thing, Dad."

I walk out of the kitchen and go behind the bar to count the tickets from lunch. I know the lunch rush was a busy one today and I imagine dinner will be the same. If it is, I imagine the boys will make a good amount of tips tonight.

I smile again. I love when the boys come in and work.

I go back to my count, thinking that tonight will be a good night.

A.N.: Reviews are always welcome. Please let me know if I you'd like to see me continue with this story line.