Opening the door to the smell of old books and coffee was one of Remus's favourite ways to wake up. Especially after battling with the old rusty key to unlock the door, He told himself that his masculinity was only slightly hurt. The kitchen was tiny, with only enough storage to store various coffees, teas and Remus's baking supplies.

Before beginning his morning of baking muffins and preparing various sandwiches, he made himself a large cup of his finest coffee, while rereading 1984 for what felt like the millionth time, enjoying the simple tranquillity of his shop.
After this morning ritual of baking and pondering, he attended to his bookshelves, arranging and rearranging the books until he was satisfied. To the untrained eye, Remus probably looked like an old man, sitting in his café-bookshop, prowling over the organisation of his countless shelves of well-loved books.

He wouldn't blame anyone that thought him older than his real age of twenty-three, painfully aware of the tattered jumpers and trousers that morphed him into a much older man.
Hearing the shop bell jingle, he looked up from the comfortable seat behind the counter, giving a warm, toothless smile to one of his morning regulars, Effie Potter.

"Mornin' Effie, what can I do for you today pet?" He welcomed her with his strong Scottish accent. He had to admit that he had a soft spot for Effie and her husband Monty. They were an older couple - who had retired to the Highlands after their son had grown up.
"Just the usual muffins for me Rem, I'm afraid I can't stop for a long chat, James and his pal are coming home today!" She said excitedly, her once English accent had been dulled with Scottish slang after living in the Highlands for so long.

" Och, that's brilliant, coming home for summer is he?" Remus asked, curious to know more about her son that she always talks about. Effie nodded gleefully, chattering about how she needs to shop and clean for the arrival of her son and his friend.
Remus nodded, umming and ahhing at the various string of compliments Effie spouted about her son, describing him as if he was coming from heaven, not London.

"So he's got a pal comin'? Does he work with him or sommet?" Remus asked, in the mood to hear Effie chat, loving the look of pure bliss on the woman's face."
Aye, business partners, they are! been attached to the hip since school. Sirius his name is, basically a second son." Remus nodded happily, handing Effie her Muffins and an extra cookie, slipping it in so she wouldn't insist on paying extra.

"He's too bonnie for his own good that Sirius, certainly too bonnie to be me own son" Effie laughed, giving Remus a cheeky wink. "I think he'd be good for you, maybe you two would even hit it off.." Effie suggested, taking the bag from Remus and paying her usual £3.50.
"Away!, get out before I charge ya extra" Remus blushed, waving her away.

"As if you ever would, goodbye sweetheart!" Effie shouted, exiting the shop with a wave and smile.
Remus was rather lucky to have Effie, now that everyone in the village knew he was queer, (after being outed by his ex, Fenrir Greyback) it was with the help of Effie and Monty that the village grew to accept him, which wasn't exactly easy in a small Scottish town full of old-fashioned minds.

However that didn't stop the village from talking, and everyone begging to play matchmaker for Remus - Effie being the worst of them all.
It was around 10 am before his best friend and flatmate decided to surface. She entered the shop, tired and cranky, her hair dripping wet from her shower, Lily Evans stuck out her bottom lip and pouted.

"Remussssss, where can a lass get a cup of coffee round 'ere?" Lily asked her head in her hands, dramatically sighing.
"You could get fresh coffee if ya actually woke up on time" Remus teased, already in the kitchen preparing Lily's morning brew.
"If only your Dad didn't keep me up all night, with all that passionate sex we've been havin"

Remus cringed in disgust, the thought of Lily and Lyall together (even hypothetically.) was enough to make him boke on the spot.
"I hope you're on the pill doll, cause those babies willna be braw, that's fae sure," Remus said, walking through and handing Lily her coffee - an overcomplicated vanilla brew.

"Are you 100% sure you're gay? Cause I'd marry you in a heartbeat" Lily said, jokingly, taking a sip of her coffee. "I reckon you'd make a brilliant housewife! You've even got the apron and everythin!" Lily added cheekily, pointing to Remus's apron that Lily had bought him - a frilly pink one with a heart over the crouch.

"I'll consider the offer Evans if you grew a third leg," Remus said, taking a sip out of his own coffee. "Right on it!" Lily said, sneaking a muffin from the tub.
"Paws off!" Remus said, swatting Lily with the nearest tea towel, aiming for the muffin, but he was too late - Lily had already stuffed the whole thing in her mouth, grinning a chocolatey grin at Remus.

Remus had known Lily since childhood. They grew up in the same small Scottish town together, They had practically been conjoined since primary school.
They had even attended the same University, (Lily taking business and Remus taking English.) So when Remus needed to get out of town - and away from his parents - Lily went with him, without a second thought.

"Effie came in earlier" Remus shouted from the kitchen, he was raking around the cupboards, looking for his missing oven glove.
"Och, I love Effie! What did she have to say? Any updates on Mr Tom's alleged stealing of her garden hose?"
"Nah, but her son's apparently coming home, bringing a mate she says," Remus said, reaching behind the cupboard and finding the glove, whispering I've got you, ya cheeky bugger.

"Fir fucks sake, not that wankpot" Lily groaned, pretending to shoot herself in the head with her finger. Remus smiled as he walked back into the shop, rolling his eyes at her theatrics.
"Lily! you met the lad once , he surely cannae have been that much of a dick"
Remus had never met James Potter, who had moved to London before Lily and Remus had arrived in Godric Hollow, and the infamous boy hadn't visited in the two years the pair had lived there.

Lily had met him once though when she went with Effie down to London for a so-called girls trip, which ended up with Effie and Lily having lunch with James. (Effie's ploy to try and set the pair up no doubt.)
Her plans failed, however, with the lunch ending badly, with Lily slapping James in the face and storming away, proclaiming him " Britain's biggest Wanker "
"Remus, he literally asked me - in front of his Ma, if the curtains match the drapes."
Remus rolled his eyes but silently agreed that it was probably one of the worst things he could have ever said.

"Oh before I forget, Marlene left a message, wants you to pop by Inn to collect all the little mini shampoos and that she's nicked for you" Remus said, eager to change the subject from James Potter. Thankfully, this worked and Lily's face lit up with excitement.
" Smashin! You can always count on Marls to supply the freebies... I wonder if she kens who nicked Mrs Potter's hose…" Lily asked, her mind clearly racing to figure out who the hose culprit was.

"Cor Lils, you are the worst for small-town gossip," Remus said, shaking his head at the girl.
"Remus, are you seriously not curious? like who would steal a hose? A garden hose."
"Maybe a hose thief?"
"No way José!" Lily said, laughing shamelessly at her own pun. Remus just groaned - throwing his head on the counter as he seriously rethought his entire friendship with this horrible pun-making redhead.

One hour. one blissful hour is what Remus has given himself for lunch every day. So, in typical Remus fashion, he kept to a routine - never straying from it.
He ventures out the confines of his safe, warm café and into the village. Usually stopping a couple of times to chat with some regulars, small talk was the bane of his measly existence.
The townsfolk of Godric Hollow had rather taken to Remus, they liked his coffee, books and dry wit. Some stay wary of him (mainly the older folks) but Remus had humbly deemed himself king of the over 40s crowd.

Today he was stopped by Horace. (Nicknamed Slughorn by Lily) He was an old retired professor who was honestly a bit of a nutter. He reeked of tobacco and only spoke of himself, constantly name dropping several unimportant people as if they were renowned celebrities. He was a character - to say the least.
"Remus laddie! did ya hear what happened to Effie's hose?!" ~

Remus nodded, and stopped walking reluctantly - It took most of his self-control not to groan over all this hose talk.
"Disgraceful, isn't it? I bet you it was those youths , always youths it is. When I was teaching, the youths would never go around stealing hoses!" He boasted, puffing out his chest proudly.
"Even though there was that one sticky-fingered lass, Mandy Moore if I remember correctly." He added, tapping a finger to his chin thoughtfully.

Remus nodded and silently wondered who the hell Mandy Moore was, As Slughorn was clearly expecting Remus to agree. Luckily, he managed to escape after only five more minutes of Horrance's many complaints, making up several excuses about needing to reopen the shop.
After his great escape, he decided to walk in the park. The day was beautiful, with the sun out and the birds singing, Remus almost sighed as he tilted his head into the sunlight, gathering some much-needed vitamin D.

Deciding he was in the mood for a pasty, he entered the Weasley Bakery, seeing Molly Weasley behind the counter, a small redheaded toddler on her hip.
"Fáilte Remus! What can I get you today, love?" Molly greeted, rocking the child on her hip and offering Remus a toothy grin. Remus genuinely liked Molly and her husband Arthur, they two had three children and ran the village bakery.
"Just a steak pasty if that's alright," he asked bashfully, smiling at the babbling child on her hip.

"Of course that's alright! anything else? a cake? you just look so thin dear... how about a sausage roll? Arthur made them fresh this morning!" Molly coaxed, her motherly nature seeping through
"Go on then, a sausage roll can't hurt" Remus laughed, and Molly gave him a happy grin, tottering about, gathering a pasty and two sausage rolls.

"Did you hear about Effie's hose? God, what fecker could possibly need a hose?!" Molly gossiped, setting the child down to bag up the treats.
"Who knows, Horace suspects it's the youths " Remus teased, knowing Molly shared a similar distaste of the man.
"Och he's off his rockers! What would teens do with a garden hose?" Molly laughed, handing Remus the bag.

"Drugs, perhaps Vandalism! maybe they could sell it on the black market?" Remus joked, and Molly laughed along, a hand on her chest.
"Aye, as if Godric Hollow has a black market" Molly laughed, looking down at the register and back up at Remus - a glint in her eye.
"That'll be £4 pet"

"Molly..." Remus asked, raising a brow at the woman.
"What? it's £4!" Molly defended, trying to hide the real total. "Stop undercharging me! what's the real price?"
"Fine! £5.50" She confessed, uncovering the total. Remus tutted lovingly at her, giving her £7 and adding a 50p to the tip jar.

"Thank you, darling, see ya tomorrow!" Molly grinned, rosy-cheeked at Remus's payment. Remus waved goodbye to Molly and her son, before walking out the shop, a smile on his face.

The last thing Remus expected to see when he walked back into his shop was Lily Evans holding a strange man in a very tight headlock.
"Lily, what the fu-" Remus asked, frozen in place, searching to see if Lily was hurt or in any danger.

However, after seeing the struggling man in her grasp, Remus concluded he was in way more danger than Lily was. Lily just looked up at Remus - grinning at his shocked face.
"Hey Rem, just welcomin' James Potter back to Godric Hollow," She said, still holding the man tightly in a headlock.
James didn't look very welcome, as he was currently thrashing about in Lily's arms, thumping at her back to get free.
"Lily! get-go of the poor laddie!" Remus said, still in disbelief at seeing his best friend wrestle a complete stranger.

"Exactly Evans, listen to the man! let go of the poor laddie!" James exclaimed, trying and failing to wriggle out of Lily's tight hold.
Lily just rolled her eyes, reluctantly letting go of him. James stood up and brushed himself off, and immediately Remus saw the resemblance to Effie and Monty, he shared their dark brown skin, he had Effie's brown eyes and Fleamont's crazy unruly hair.
"Ya alright mate?" Remus asked, trying not to laugh at the dishevelled man as he readjusted himself.

"Smashing, It's not every day a beautiful lady wrestles ya into a headlock," James said, winking at Lily and flashing a smirk. This obviously angered the girl, who looked ready for round two.
"Potter I swear to Mary, Joseph and the donkey! I will not show mercy next time." She said, her fists clenched.
"Ahh Lily, just the firecracker I remember.." James said as he sighed fondly, approaching the counter and hopping on a seat.

"Sorry about that, I'm James Potter, I'm sure you know my parents?" James said to Remus as he held out a hand to the man. Remus shook his hand - trying not to laugh at the suddenly polite man who had just been flailing about on his shop floor moments earlier.
"Och yeah, Effie and Monty are in and out of here constantly, speaking about you in almost every sentence." Remus smiled, seeing a blush appear on the man's face.

"That's Ma for you, a complete gossip she is," James said and Remus laughed in agreement. The three heard the shop bell go off, and Effie was standing at the door, grinning wickedly.
"Bitchin' about me while I'm not here boys?" Effie said smugly, approaching the counter.
" Never Ma," James said, kissing his mother's cheek and smiling.

"Ahh Effie, my favourite and most beautiful customer, how could you birth such an arsehole of a son?" Lily cooed, turning round to prepare Effie's usual tea.
"Oi!" James called, looking offended as he held a hand to his chest, making a show of looking hurt.
"And why my dearest Lily, is my son an alleged arsehole?" Effie asked, ruffling James's already messy hair. "Because Effie, instead of a welcome or a simple hello he decided to ask me what kind of underwear I'm wearing today!"

Effie gasped and clipped James on the head swiftly. "Ouch... Ma!" James groaned, holding his own head. "James Fleamont Potter! we do not go around asking girls what underwear they are wearing!" Effie scolded, earning a laugh from Lily.

"Snitch much Evans?" James moaned, rubbing at his own head dramatically.
"Creepy much Potter?" Lily quipped back, sending him a look that could kill, bury and cremate the man. Remus rolled his eyes in amusement, catching Effie's eye as the pair continued to bicker. They shared a knowing look and a sly smile.

"James darling, I'm sorry to interrupt this petty fight that Lily is so clearly winning-" Effie started, "She is not winning!" James whined. "Sore loser are we?" Lily grinned, looking extremely smug. "Suck up to my mum are we?" James mocked, sticking out his tongue in a childish manner.
"James! honestly !" Effie sighed, trying to disguise her utter joy at the whole situation.

"Sorry Ma, what is it?" James said, expression soft and tone lowered - Remus clocked that he was an extremely whipped Mama's boy. "When is Sirius getting here?" Effie asked, taking an almost regal sip of her tea.
"Hopefully he'll be here for dinner, he got caught up at home - his boyfriend decided it was a grand time to break up with him"

James gritted his teeth, the tone of his voice dangerous, obviously extremely protective of his friend.
Remus obviously perked up at the knowledge that Sirius had a boyfriend - it now made sense why Effie had tried to set them up earlier.
"Really? Oh poor thing, was it that Benjy bloke?" Effie asked, automatically in mother mode.

"Yeah, I mean I never liked the guy but Sirius seemed to have had it bad," James said, shrugging and tugging a hand through his hair - somehow making it even messier.
"Well! I better make dinner extra special, I got a lot of work to do!. Come on James, you can join me, you surely need the cooking practise, I don't know how the pair of you have lived this long on pot noodles & microwave burgers." Effie fussed, causing Remus to smile fondly at the woman. Effie with her natural giving nature making Remus pang for his own soft-spoken and caring mother.

Effie put on her coat and turned to Remus, that similar wicked glint appearing in her eye. "Remus dear? Why don't you and Lily join us tonight? I've already bought too much food and I can't bear to even think of the pair of you ordering another takeaway"

Remus froze, he could feel Lily's burning gaze on the side of his face, the clear " No, NO FUCK NO" painted on her face, but Remus was a pushover, and mixed in with his indescribable need to please people - Effie knew he couldn't possibly refuse.
"That would be lovely, wouldn't it Lils" Remus smiled, giving Lily a pleading look.

Lily threw him a look back that said:
"you are washing up after dinner every night for the rest of your life Lupin."
"Yes Effie, that would be great!" Lily proclaimed, she was a smooth talker and an even smoother liar. "Perfect, 7 o'clock sound okay?" The triumphant look on Effies' faces unmistakable. What an evil woman.
"Grand" Remus forced a toothy grin, wishing to simply bake himself alive.

"Lupin, how hard is it to just say, no thank you, we're busy " Lily huffed, slamming the car door shut. "She knows how weak I am Lily! she did it on purpose!" Remus whined while retrieving the bottle of wine out of the backseat of his beaten-up car.
"Of course she did!, she's an evil, brilliant and cunning woman" She sighed, looking up at the Potters mansion.

"She's quite sexy too if you think about it" Remus winked, earning a smack on the arm from Lily. "I think you mean incredibly sexy!" an unrecognisable voice shouted from behind Remus. Remus turned, seeing that the voice belonged to the most gorgeous man he's ever met. He was tall (but not tall as Remus.) He had black shoulder-length hair and piercing grey eyes that absolutely screamed danger.

Remus was frozen, taken completely by the beautiful stranger who approached the two with a grin that should've been illegal. He was holding his motorbike helmet on his hip, and he raked his fingerless glove covered hands through his silky black hair. Remus felt almost winded as he stood shocked, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"I'm Sirius Black, and whatever Prongs has said about me is a lie" Sirius grins, holding out his hand for Remus to shake.
However, Remus's brain was still trying to get air back into his lungs, so instead of shaking the man's hand, he simply stared at it. Sirius stood awkwardly for a moment, assessing Remus's clearly anxious face until Lily saved him by shaking the man's hand for him.
"I'm Lily Evans and this goldfish of a man is Remus Lupin" Lily smiled, trying to diffuse the awkward tension.

Sirius almost chokes as Lily says her name, his eyes lighting up in awe. " You're Evans?!" Sirius stuttered, acting as if Lily was some A-list celebrity he's meeting for the first time. Lily, however, wasn't amused as she crossed her arms and threw Sirius a stern look.

"Apparently so... what has that idiot James been saying about me?" Lily asked suspiciously, her complaints about the Potter boy had not stopped since the incident in the café.
"Nothing- well... everything actually... James hasn't stopped talking about you since you two met last summer"
" Honestly , what an immature sod" Lily complains. "Can't agree more" Sirius grins, sending Remus's heart flying. "Can't he see that I loathe him?!' Lily said, causing Remus to snort unattractively.

"I think that's what he likes about you Lils" Remus immediately retorts, forgetting about the godlike man standing in front of them.
"Yup, that's basically it, James isn't used to being told no," Sirius says, looking at Remus with a fond smile. "Clearly!" Lily says, looking back up at the Potters vast mansion.
"Come on Lils, let's go in, then you can tell Potter how much you hate him to his face ," Remus says, grabbing Lily's arm and dragging her up the driveway.
"I like your style Lupin!" Sirius proclaimed, jogging after the two, and Remus couldn't help but grin back, and he knew he was well and truly fucked.