Chapter Four – Working
Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter.
*******IMPORTANT TO READ!************
Tonks is the same age as Remus in this fic and Teddy will be the same age as Harry!
WARNINGS: SLASH: RemusxSirius and possibly other pairings later on.
"Thank you for your purchase Sir. Have a nice day." Remus smiled and as soon as the man turned his back he let it fall. He was just so exhausted; it had been a week since he had dinner at the Potters and the full moon was in three days. He glanced down behind the counter where Teddy was curled comfortably on a few large pillows with numerous colouring books spread around him a look of concentration fixed firmly on his face. His smile returned less forced this time, sometimes he thought the only reason he could get up in the mornings was his son.
The bell rang once more indicating a customer and he plastered on his smile turning to the door before his mouth dropped open. It was none other than Sirius Black.
"Hi." Sirius said dropping his voice down a notch and Remus nodded a blush spreading across his cheeks. Teddy popped his head up from under the counter at the sound of the voice.
"Sirius!" He yelled his hair flickering to black.
"Teddy." Remus said sternly and Teddy yelped his hair colour going back to the sandy brown Remus told him it had to be if he came into work with him. He noticed however that Teddy's eyes had turned grey, the same grey that Sirius' were, though Sirius' seemed a bit more silver. Remus shook his head to snap out of it.
"Hey their Tedster. How are you doing?" Sirius asked and Teddy proceeded to tell Sirius all about the picture he was colouring in at the moment and he glanced around the shop before whispering that his Papa would make them move when he'd finished.
"Actually his Grandmother will." Remus shrugged as Teddy went back to his drawings.
"So, got any good books on motorcycles?" Sirius asked and Remus nodded.
"Down there and to the right are all of our mechanics books but if you just want something to look at the models its third down and to the left." Remus explained pointing as he did.
"And if I wanted to find an answer to a question I've been dying to answer where would I find that?" Sirius asked his voice dropping quieter and getting huskier.
"That uh…that would depend on the question." Remus stuttered before cursing his self.
"What if the question was how to get a sweet brown haired, amber eyed male who works in a bookshop to go out with me, where would I find that answer?" Sirius asked his eyelids lowering even as the slight blush in Remus' cheeks turned to a raging inferno. He glanced down at Teddy who was completely oblivious to the conversation going on over his head.
"I have a son." He said and Sirius chuckled.
"I know that." He said leaning closer.
"I'm really boring."
"I beg to differ."
"I…uh… I…" He trailed off unable to think of any other answers especially since Sirius wouldn't stop looking at him.
"So, yes or no?" Sirius asked and Remus in a moment of complete and utter weakness, or madness depending on how you looked at it nodded. Sirius beamed.
"Great, is tonight okay? I'll pick you up at seven! Don't worry I'll get your floo address from Lils. See you then. By Tedster!" He called and before Remus could get a word in edgewise Sirius had left the shop. He stood for a good ten minutes staring into space wondering what just happened and only snapped out of it when a customer called for his attention.
"Sirius are you sure about this?" James asked frowning. "I mean his wife died a year ago. He has a kid for Merlin's sake. He's not going to want a fling!"
"Who said I want a fling?" Sirius asked as he fixed his tie causing James to splutter for a moment before he burst out laughing.
"You?" He asked incredulously.
"Yeah, I see what you and Lily have and I want that." Sirius said frowning and pulling the tie off. "There's something about this guy. I don't know. It seems like there's more to him than meets the eye. It's intriguing."
"You can't base a relationship on the fact that the guy's mysterious!" James cried running his hand through his hair. "You just…you can't hurt this guy Sirius. From what Lily's told me he's been through enough without you doing your usual heart-breaking routine."
"What does a guy have to say around here to get his point across!" Sirius yelled. "He was hot in the way I liked; you know the ones who don't know they are. So I flirted with him. When I found out he was interesting I decided to stick around for more and his kid just adds to him if anything-"
"Dear Merlin's Underpants." James whispered and Sirius raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "You have a crush. An actual Dumbledore-be-damned crush!"
"Well whatever. I'm just thanking Merlin he said yes."
"Oh sweet Merlin why did I say yes?" Remus yelled frantically searching his wardrobe. He had got off work at half four and had called Andromeda told her what happened and she had instantly flooed over with a big smile on her face. She had been encouraging Remus to try dating again for a month or so and this was the first time he had even come close.
"Calm down Remus-dear." She said putting her hands on his shoulders and turning him to face her. "You've dated before, it will be fine. I'll pick out your outfit for you so you don't have to worry about that. Teddy will be well looked after and you need to just relax."
Remus took a deep breath and sat down on the bed.
"I feel like I'm cheating on Dora." He whispered closing his eyes and Andromeda sighed sitting next to him on the bed and wrapping her arm around his shoulders.
"If you were the one who died what would you say to Dora if she said what you just said?" She asked and Remus sighed.
"I'd tell her to not be stupid and to get out there again; she was always too beautiful for me anyways." Remus said with a small smile, that comment would have caused numerous rows between him and Dora she had always hated when he had tried to say she was too good for him or anything of the sort.
"Now you know that's not true. But anyways, you are going to go out there with this man and you are going to have fun." Andromeda said in a tone that brooked now argument. He sighed but nodded and didn't argue with her.
She stood and with barely a glance pulled out brown slacks, a darker brown shirt and high collared robes which were such a dark brown they were almost black.
"Wear this." She said firmly and once she had left the room he changed without complaint before coming back out to the living room where she and Ted were playing with Teddy trying to guess who he was trying to be. As Teddy saw him he changed his hair and eyes to match.
"You're Papa!" Ted cried triumphantly and Teddy giggled pointing to his Dad who blushed as all attention turned towards him.
"Oh, Remus, you look stunning!" Andromeda sighed, a smile on her face. Ted nodded and coughed briskly.
"Yeah. You look handsome son." He said brusquely and Teddy grinned running up to his Dad getting caught in his arms and swung around.
"Papa looks trés jolie!" Teddy cried slipping back into French for a moment and Remus gasped.
"Pretty! Pretty! I am not pretty I am a manly man. I look handsome, rugged! Dashing! Not pretty!" He tickled Teddy who shrieked in glee.
"Pretty Papa! Pretty Papa!" Teddy laughed. The roar of the floo made all the occupants of the room stop and look just as Sirius stepped through the fire. He shook he ash from his cloak before turning to face the room. Remus frowned as Andromeda's eyes widened.
"Sirius!" She cried and Sirius' mouth dropped open.
"'Meda." He exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"I am Teddy's grandmother." Andromeda said and Sirius nodded before a pained look crossed his face.
"So Dora…" He murmured and Andromeda nodded her hand taken up by Ted. "I'm sorry I didn't know. If I did then I would have come, you know, to the funeral."
"We figured you couldn't come. To contact you would have been in breach of the disownment laws." Ted said and Remus frowned.
"Wait a moment. How do you know each other?" He asked bewildered.
"I'm Sirius' cousin. I was disowned for marry Ted." Andromeda said proudly holding her head high. Remus' mouth dropped open. He knew that Andromeda didn't speak about her family much but he had never figured to ask. Ted's family made up in the numbers plenty either way.
"Oh." Remus said, always eloquent. Teddy was frowning in confusion and he tugged on his Papa's hair trying to get his attention.
"Sirius is family?" He asked and Remus nodded.
"It would seem so." He said shrugging.
"So are you two going to get on this date or not?" Andromeda asked raising a perfect eyebrow at them. Remus blushed and Sirius smirked.
"I'd like nothing better." He said practically purring and Teddy was passed to his Grandmother before Remus was dragged though the floo.
They landed in a place which seemed to be a dark damp backroom of some sort with a fireplace so old that it seemed to be barely able to stand the floo they had just made, if the creaks it was making were any indication.
"Wow, you sure know how to treat a guy Black." Remus said dryly and Sirius chuckled taking Remus' hand once more and dragging him from the room. Remus' mouth dropped open when he saw where they were. For some reason he had been expecting a large ritzy place filled with gold and chandeliers, that seemed to be the type of guy Sirius was and Remus was fully prepared to be uncomfortable throughout the whole ordeal. Instead they were inside what looked to be a slightly run down but still homely little café which had a lovely looking old woman behind the counter and a few couples holding hands under their tables.
"I kind of figured you'd want somewhere quiet to eat and this place makes some of the best lasagne that I've ever eaten so…But if you don't want to eat here then it's fine." Sirius said biting his lip and suddenly making himself look so nervous that Remus couldn't help but be endeared. Maybe he had the wrong idea about Sirius Black.
"It's great. I love it." He said following Sirius to a corner booth which was small enough to put them close enough on the 'date scale' but large enough to give him space. Sirius handed him a menu and he looked through it before deciding on the lasagne that Sirius had said was so good and a glass of red wine. Sirius grinned at him before leaping up and taking their orders to the counter where the old woman quickly wrote them down before taking the order back to the kitchen.
Sirius came quickly back and sat down. They sat in silence for a few long minutes before Sirius cleared his throat.
"So, how's Teddy doing?" He asked.
"He's good. Completely smitten with Harry though and this boy Ron I haven't met yet but from what Teddy's shown me he has red hair and blue eyes." Remus said smiling awkwardly.
"Ah. That'd be young Ronald Weasley. His family is good friends with the Potters." Sirius said. "Got so many kids though that I can never tell them apart. Seven including Ron."
"Really!" With that the conversation flowed much more readily. They even touched on family but after Remus seemed so uncomfortable talking about his, from the past anyway, Sirius steered the conversation away. Sirius was right about the lasagne it was one of the best Remus had ever eaten. Once they had finished Sirius whisked him away to a small bakery down the street where Remus' mouth watered at the smell of the most divine chocolate cake he had ever had the good grace to set his eyes on.
"I noticed that you liked chocolate when we were over the Potters." Sirius said his eyes darkening as Remus practically moaned at the taste.
"Yeah. It's the most amazing thing muggles ever invented." Remus moaned liking his tongue over his teeth to get the last of the chocolate away.
"I beg to differ. Motorbikes have to be the most amazing!" Sirius said and this started off a light hearted debate about which was better.
It was nearly midnight when Sirius took him back to the floo entrance. They stood awkwardly for a long moment before Sirius leant in and kissed Remus softly on the lips. Remus breathed in sharply but didn't pull away. Slowly Sirius pressed closer and opened his mouth. Remus did the same, feeling ever so inexperienced. He hadn't done this in so long. Sirius' hand moved up and gently pressed to his neck. Remus flinched and pulled away as Sirius' fingers pressed into his tattoo.
"I-I'm sorry. It's just..." Remus trailed off and Sirius nodded a light flush colouring his cheeks.
"It's okay. So…you want to do this again sometime?" He asked and Remus nodded. "Am I ever going to get a verbal confirmation from you about a date?"
Remus laughed releasing the tension before he kissed Sirius softly once more before pulling away, grabbing a handful of floo and disappearing behind a curtain of green fire.