Lost and Found
James and Remus friendship fiction
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I am not making any money from this
Five year old Remus Lupin was lost.
The supermarket was large (hence the name super, Remus guessed), and full of high stocked shelves of different things people needed. It was also full of people of all shapes and sizes. Big people. Small people. People with dark hair. Light hair. Red hair. Blue hair. Remus was a little freaked out about that last one. Tall people and short people. He was sure he'd seen someone with a gold tooth and dreadlocks.
But none of them looked like his daddy.
So Remus was lost. In a supermarket. Without his daddy. Wondering where his daddy was. And that was how Mr. Potter, and his small son James Potter found the sandy-haired kid. Lost.
"Hello Remus!" said Mr. Potter brightly. Remus, who had been sitting on one of the benches at the side of the store (that's how big the supermarket was - it needed benches), looked up to the kind eyes of the his friends daddy. Who wasn't his daddy. He looked back down in a mood. He wanted his daddy. "Are you lost?" asked Mr. Potter, and James stuck his head out from behind his fathers leg to survey Remus with his chocolate brown eyes.
"He's lost dad." Said James, and Mr. Potter raised an eyebrow at his son. James was obviously trying to show off. If he wasn't then James would have called him 'daddy'. He let a very small smile slip on to his features. This could be interesting. James continued on. "He's lost dad. Don't you get it? He's lost!"
"Yes James." Replied Mr. Potter patiently to his sons impatient words. "I know."
"Well?" asked James huffily, "What are we going to do about it?"
Mr. Potter chuckled lightly.
"Why don't you come with us Remus? We can find your daddy, yeah?"
Remus looked up again, blushing slightly. James grinned at the sandy-haired boy. Remus ducked his head in embarrassment.
"I don't wanna be in the way." he said, standing and scuffing his feet. Remus always was mature and independent. "I'll find my dad on my own!" he added, giving Mr. Potter and rosy glare. Mr. Potter smiled encouragingly.
"Well that's too bad." he said, "I could do with the extra hands."
Remus stumbled over his words slightly, processing what Mr. Potter had said.
"Err… you could?" he asked, and Mr. Potter nodded, before taking both James' and Remus hands and leading them away into the shop. James looked over his shoulder to Remus, on the other side of this father, who was looking up at Mr. Potter with a happy smile. James let go of his dad's hand, making all three of them stop. Remus was still holding on tightly, not wanting to end up lost again. Mr. Potter gave his son a raised eyebrow in question.
"I don't need to hold your hand." said James in explanation, crossing his arms. "I'm not going to get lost."
Remus blushed, but let go of Mr. Potter's hand as well; rising to the challenge. Mr. Potter blinked, but chose to let the children be childish.
"Alright you two, but you better stay close. I wont slow down for you." he said, and both boys turned to him with matching looks of determination.
"You don't need to!" they replied in unison. Mr. Potter shook his head, laughing slightly, ushered them in front of him, and continued on his shopping. The two boys were glaring at each other in competition, and Remus seemed to have forgotten all about his missing parent.
"James?" asked Mr. Potter as they walked down the toiletries aisle and the two boys, who had been talking quite animatedly about James toy broomstick and how Remus so didn't sleep with a teddy bear, both turned to look at him. Mr. Potter had decided to steer them off a subject which could end up in a large falling out. "When we get to the aisle with all the books in are you going to choose something for me to read with you?" he asked. James nodded enthusiastically, grinning, and they continued on, James now talking about what type of book he wanted to read with his dad. Then Mr. Potter realised that Remus had become much less talkative.
He shushed James, and knelt down in front of his son's friend.
"What's wrong Remus?" he asked. Remus, who'd been staring intently at the floor, looked up, and Mr. Potter saw the rosy cheeks that suggested he had been secretly crying. The sandy-haired kid bit his lip, glanced shyly at James, then whispered;
"I miss my daddy."
Mr. Potter lent forward and hugged the boy, rubbing his back to comfort him. James rushed forward to make sure his friend was okay. Remus turned his head so that James couldn't see the evidence of his tears. Mr. Potter stopped hugging and held Remus at arms length.
"Don't worry. We'll find him!" he reassured, "Now, why don't we go get some Lolly-pops for you two? Yeah?"
Remus nodded shyly, sniffing slightly, and James jumped into the conversation with an excitedly 'yeah!'.
They carried on to the confectionary, and Mr. Potter let his son and Remus loose on the lolly-pops.
"What flavour do ya want Remy?" asked James, studying the Lollies. Remus studied them too, then said;
"Cherry?"
James pouted.
"You can't have cherry. I want cherry."
"There's more then one cherry."
"But if we both get the same we can't share."
Remus made a face at James' suggestion.
"But if we shared… that'd be like… ew."
James rolled his eyes.
"Don't be silly."
"I'm not!"
"Are too!"
"Are not!"
"Are-"
"Boys!"
Both boys smiled sheepishly at Mr. Potter. The man shook his head, laughing slightly, and motioned for the two boys to keep debating which flavour they should pick.
"I want cherry." said James, stubborn as ever. Remus shrugged, forgetting why he'd picked cherry in the first place anyway. There were plenty of other flavours.
"Can I have…?" he studied the lollies again, until: "Ah! Chocolate! Please Mr. Potter?"
Mr. Potter smiled, picking up both a cherry and a chocolate lolly, then giving it to the respective children.
"You can eat them now, but give me the wrappers so we can still pay for them, okay?" said Mr. Potter, and the boys unwrapped their lollies and gave him the wrappers. He placed them in the basket so he wouldn't forget to pay for them, then ushered the boys in front of them to continue the shopping.
Remus popped the lolly in his mouth and ran his tongue around it, tasting the chocolate goodness. Definitely better then cherry. He pulled on the stick, to free his mouth, so he could talk to James.
"How would you share a lolly anyway?" he asked the wild-haired boy. James shrugged, leaning forwards.
"Like this." he said, then licked Remus lolly. Remus shrieked.
"EW!"
"What?" asked Mr. Potter, glancing up from studying the list of stuff he needed to buy. He saw a smug looking James and a disgusted looking Remus.
"He licked it!" Remus exclaimed, "It's been in my mouth! And he licked it!"
Mr. Potter full on laughed at Remus expression, then made his way over to James, kneeling down so he could whisper in his sons ear.
"WHAT!?" shouted James. "I didn't KISS him!" he added, blushing and stepping away from his clearly mental father. Mr. Potter laughed some more.
"You shared saliva, that means it's an indirect kiss."
James shook his head, and tried to spit out whatever saliva he had shared with Remus, but Mr. Potter gave him a stern look and he stopped spitting at once.
"Remus!" came the shout from down the aisle. They all looked up to see Mr. Lupin running towards them. He stopped and swooped his son into a hug. "Oh thank God! I've been looking everywhere!" he looked up, locking eyes with Mr. Potter. "Thanks." he said, but Mr. Potter waved if off.
"No problem, he's such a nice kid… though I think James may have traumatised him." he walked forward and whispered in Mr. Lupin's ear. "James licked his lolly, so I told them it was an indirect kiss."
"I didn't kiss him!" James squealed, blushing, and Remus caught his fathers hand.
"Daddy, I'm tired." he said.
"Alright. Say thank you to Mr. Potter and James, and we'll go pay and go home, okay?" said Mr. Lupin.
"Thanks Mr. Potter. Thanks James."
"That's okay Remus."
"Hey Remy. Next time, don't get lost 'kay?"
"Kay"
"And don't go telling anyone I kissed you. 'Cuz I didn't."
"Why would I wanna?"
"Come on boys." said Mr. Lupin, and he smiled at Mr. Potter. "Remus and I need to go now."
James looked up at Mr. Lupin sadly. And as the man turned, holding tightly to Remus hands, he walked forward and tugged on Mr. Lupin's sleeve. Mr. Lupin looked down at him kindly.
"Can you and Remy come play again soon?" asked James
"Of course!" replied Mr. Lupin. "We'll come play again really soon."