Day Two: A Bite To Eat

"Professor Lupin!" Came a joyful cry from a little ways down the street. Remus grinned, spotting the bespectacled boy he had grown quite fond of.

"Harry!" He said merrily, Harry Potter stopping abruptly in front of him.

The boy flattened a fringe ofhair that came down to cover an odd-shaped scar, the one that distinguished him as the boy who lived, the only one ever to survive the Killing Curse.

"Hermione, Ron, nice to see you both as well." Remus said, watching as a tall, skinny red-haired boy ran up with a shprte,r bushy-haired girl at his side.

"Professor Lupin! Just at Fred and George's shop, business is booming as usual. Now they have glasses with charms on them so you can sleep during class, but you look awake... Bought a pair myself, for History of Magic you know."

Remus chuckled, shaking his head, "I take it your summer hasn't been too rough, Harry, I don't believe any Order members had to come pay the Dursley's a visit."

"No, they ignored me as usual, but they found it in their hearts to let me watch the news in peace..." Harry's green eyes were twinkling slightly, it seemed he was happy for the first time since June...

"Well, I know I should be telling you it's not good to do that, but I believe I did something much like that when I was in school..." A wide grin was across his pale face, turning to Ron.

"That's at least better than last summer, eh Harry?"

Ron smiled broadly as he went about explaining how the glasses worked, though Remus was only 1/2 listening, as he spotted a familiar person scurrying towards Gringotts.

"Rianna?!" He called, jogging off, Leaving Ron standing there feeling foolish, Harry watching Remus as he ran off, and Hermione smiling brightly.

"Oh, what are you so happy about Hermione?" Ron asked finally.

"In case you haven't noticed, Rianna is a GIRL'S name... Professor Lupin has a girlfriend!"

"Oh... Well... I wonder why he didn't tell us." Harry said thoughtfully, watching after him as he caught up to the dark-haired woman.

**************

"Remus?!" Rianna bawked, Stopping to stare at the young man, even if he did have a few premature grey hairs..

"Rianna... You're a witch?" Remsu asked, just as dumbstruck, blinkign rapidly.

"Well, if I wasn't then I suppose I'm pretty lost!" She said with a bright smile, "I should have known, you were a wizard... It just seems so, right, I suppose."

"I agree." Remus said with a growing smile, his amber eyes twinkling just as magically as 1/2 of the enchanted objects staring at them through shop windows. "But, how come I've never seen you before?"

"I don't really know, I've lived in England for a year now..." Rianna said, "I would have thought I would have seen you before..."

"Ah, well, that might be it then. I've been rather busy over the past year, with Voldemort rising again and all..." Remus sighed exasperatedly, any social life he had previously had was now quite gone, as The Order took up most of his time...

"Yes, I suppose it is. Well, still up for that cup of coffee?" Rianna asked, still smiling brightly, seeming to not notice the fact Remus had spoken the Dark Lord's name directly.

"Of course.. But since we're both here, I suppose we needn't go searching for that tea shop on 5th avenue, hm?" Remus said, scanning the street for a tea shop that wasn't too busy. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and he found himself rocking back on forth on his feet, ball to heel, ball to heel, ball ot heel.

Rianna giggled, and he blushed once more, looking down at his feet now as he continued to rock back and forth.

"Sure.. I know a nice little place, it's out past Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.. Melanie loves that store, Fred and George know us by name." Rianna said, laughingly as she took Remus by the hand and strode off down the alley.

"Me too, then again, I taught them for a year, and am clsoe friends with their parents, brothers, sister, and their brother's friends..." Remus said, smiling and chuckling as Fred waved through the large front window of his store at him.

Remus casually waved back as Rianna laughed, "Well, that could be it, oh, here's our place!" She stopped in front of a building that looked old with a homely air about it. Over the door hung a sign saying, "Aunt Lynn's Tea and Coffe Shop" with a smiling old woman's face beneath the writing, winking and waving at passers-by.

As they pushed through the door, the faint scent of flowers tickled their noses, and it was pleasantly warm. Remus gazed around adn wooden tables were set in booths and out in the open, each adorned with a soft pink or baby blue tablecloth, atop it a single red or white rose sat within a crystal vase. A large chandelier dangled overhead as little fairies danced about in a show atop it.

"Another couple! Tha's the 5th today! You look so adorable together!" Said the plump old witch behind the counter, her face resembling the one on the sign above her door, "You know what? Because you two look so adorable together, you're tea's on the house, hm?" Aunt Lynn said with a wlecoming smile.

"I really couldn't." Remus began, but was cut off quite quickly by aunt Lynn.

"Oh, don't worry about it, I can tell when romance is in the air, and I think you two deserve to worry about a few other things than the bill.. Come now, take a seat, I'll be back in a moment."

Rianna guided Remus over towards a booth in the corner, sitting down on the opposite side of the table as him. At that moment Aunt Lynn came puffing over, holding a tray with two large, steaming cups of hot tea.

"Thank you very much." Remus said quietly, running a hand through his prematurely greying hair.

"Yes, thank you..." Rianna echoed, smiling as she took her hot cup and sat it gently on the table before her.

"Oh, no problem sweethearts... Take care." The woman winked and walked off, leaving Rianna and Remus quite alone in their little corner.

Remus held his cup out before his face, the steam pouring off of it obscuring his vision as he sued it as cover to stare at Rianna, to study her.

"So, tell me a little about yourself... I'm veyr interested..." Remus said quietly, taking a sip of tea to hide his pink cheeks.

"Oh, well, I've travelled a lot. I was born hare in England, but moved to France at a young age. I went to Beauxbatons, as my mother had. When I graduated I decided I wanted to get back to my roots, though, so I moved back here for a few years. Evantually I decided I wanted to see some more of the world and visited America, then Japan, and came back here to stay." Rianna said thoughtfully.

"Ah... Interesting. I don't want to be nosey or anything, but what about Melanie?"

"Oh..." rianna paused, staring down at her tea as she felt its heat on her face, "Well Melanie... I got pregnant with Melanie during a very short-term relationship with someone I really don't feel comfortable talking about... He's dead now, and I miss him.."

"I'm so sorry. I know how it feels to lose a loved one. My two best friends are both dead, as of now... They were like my brothers..."

"Oh... Who were they?"

"Well, James Potter..."

"James Potter? His son is Harry..."

"Yes, I was with Harry and his friends when I spotted you, I can introduce you all later..." Remus said, taking the chance to change the subject, he wasn't sure if Rianna believed Sirius was innocent, and he really didn't want her to hate him because of what people had believed Sirius was....

"I would like that... But who was the other?"

"Well, that one's a bit more touchy, you see."

"I wont mind.. It can't be as bad as mine..."

"Well... It was Sirius Black."

Rianna's hands began to shake, and she felt hot tea spill over her milky skin, it hurt. Her eyes clsoed and she took in deep breaths, pulling her hands to her chest in pain.

Remus reached out to her, wanting to help as he always had.

"Let me... You must think I'm a crazy man, but let me help you..."

Rianna whimpered and held out her hands to Remus, who immediately began to mend them with a spell.

"I don't think you're mental, but..." She took in another deep breath, not from pain, but from debating if she could trust him or not.

"Sirius Black is Melanie's father."

The words hit Remsu like a ton of bricks in the chest. He slumped back and couldn't breath, he wanted to reach out and grab something for support. His best friend had had a daughter, and had never known about it...