Disclaimer—Don't own anything.

A/N- I forgot to add in my first post that this story is dedicated to my friend Dave.

Chapter 1:
Screw Paris

I wish I could say that in the weeks after seeing Remus at the funeral that I didn't hesitate to renew our friendship, but I can't. I completely forgot about him, in fact. His address ended up shoved in one of my travel journals, and I didn't give it another thought. If that makes me selfish, then I guess I was. But the truth is that even in our school years Remus and I were never that close. Given my anti-social nature, it was amazing that I had even stuck up any conversation with him at all. No one who knows me well would consider it the least bit odd that I didn't think of him for months.

During that time, I was bouncing from city to city with no real rhyme or reason. I'd been doing it for years really. The idea is that I eventually find something in my travels that gets me writing again and then stay there until the inspiration is gone. I spent almost a year in Seville writing my last novel. This time around, I was frustrated because nothing seemed to get me going. For a rather unemotional man, I need a surprising amount of it around me to create characters, but everything just seemed so dead to me…even in Paris.

When I was younger, I loved the city. I left Hogwarts with no regrets, and came to France with only a second hand French dictionary and an idea for a story. Everything that happened next was pure magic. Not only did I get published, but my first book became a bestseller. In the twenty five years since, I've always come back when things were really bad. Needless to say, things were really bad, but I couldn't fix it with a stroll through the Latin Quarter and a day in the Louvre. After three days in my favorite suite, I hadn't written a damn thing. Now at this point in my career, I could have simply made a few phone calls and gotten some time off from things, but that wasn't the point. It was the first time in my life that I was completely incapable of writing a damned thing.

Sighing, I sat down on my bed and started to flick through some of my travel journals for ideas. I've never been one to believe in fate, but looking back, it seems odd to me that at that exact moment Remus' address would fall from the book. I picked it up with the thought that I hadn't been to the states for years…why not? I checked the time zones and wait until a safe hour to call.

A voice I didn't recognize answered on the other end. "Hello?"

"Hello. Is Remus in?"

"Sure. May I ask who's calling?"

"Severus Snape."

"Ok. Just hang of for a second while I go get him."

I waited what seemed an intolerably long time for Remus to pick up. Drumming my fingers on the desk, I began to wonder where he had to go to find him. Just when I was getting extremely irritated, Remus came on the line. "Severus, I was wondering if I'd hear from you again. How are you?"

"I'm fine. I was just wondering if I might be able to see for a bit next week."

"You're coming to California?"

"For a bit. I wanted to take a holiday from my latest work," I lied. There was no reason to let him know that I hadn't written a bloody thing.

"When does your plane arrive?" he asked. I could tell that he was looking forward to it. Remus always did enjoy people, and I never did understand that about him.

"Well, I haven't exactly gotten a ticket yet, or a hotel room?" I admitted.

He laughed. "Forgo the hotel. You can stay with us, but you might need the plane ticket."

The thought of staying with two lovers wasn't appealing. "No, I wouldn't want to impose."

"Nonsense," he said firmly. "We'd love to have you, and we're rarely home so you'd have all the space you could want."

"Fine, but if you want me out don't hesitate to say so."

"Agreed."

The next day, I was on a plane. The good thing about being wealthy is that I can afford to buy the seat next to me as well. In my opinion the only thing worse than the flying itself is being crammed in with complete strangers who feel obligated to make polite conversation for hours on end. The flight was blessedly peaceful, thank God, and it didn't seem that long before I was on the ground. I was met at the airport in LA by a chauffer and driven out to Remus' home.

Remus lived about an hour outside the city in a rather quiet little upscale suburb. I couldn't help thinking to myself that his restaurant must do very well to keep him in this kind of style, but then again anything Remus got he deserved. I know that his childhood was not exactly easy, nor did he have much given to him. He was always very secretive of his past and I never did ask why.

The Spanish style, ranch house we pulled up to was absolutely breathtaking. It sat majestically on the top of a hill with scenic gardens planted around it and a little courtyard in the center. I only vaguely noticed the ramps taking the place of the front steps. At the time, I was more in awe of how perfectly manicured the yard was.

Remus met me with a big smile on his face and open arms. "I'm so glad you come."

I nodded. "Thank you for allowing me to visit." I gestured to the house. "It seems you've done well for yourself."

"I have, but house isn't mine. It's Harry's. I only moved in after my break up with Sirius. Come in and I'll give you the grand tour."

I followed Remus through an eloquently furnished entry way and into a very large, open kitchen where a young man sat at a table reading a paper. He was beautiful. His hair was as black as night and stylishly disheveled. Wire rimmed glasses sat on a delicate nose, and his mouth was set intently. The only thing that could have been considered a flaw on his tanned face was slightly lighting shaped scar on his forehead. When he fixed emerald green eyes on me and smiled, I felt my stomach knot. Remus Lupin was a very lucky man.

"You must be Severus," Harry said with a very friendly tone. He offered his hand, and I thought it odd that he didn't stand to greet me.

Remus seemed to notice my reaction to him and very easily stepped in. "Severus, I'd like to introduce my God son, Harry…" I didn't catch the last name as I was more intent on the fact that he was not Remus' lover.

"God son?" I asked still in shock. "I assumed he was your lover."

The young man threw back his head and laughed. His voice was smooth and enticing when he spoke. "You really must have gotten your wires crossed on that one."

Remus and I joined him at the table, and had no sooner struck up a good conversation when the phone rang. "I'll get it, Remy," Harry offered before wheeling himself out from the table.

I was absolutely speechless, and stared after him rudely. Remus cleared his throat. "I guess I should have explained things about Harry a bit more before you came."

I felt like an ass. To cover up my embarrassment, I simply switched from his disability to his relationship to Remus. "Well, I did think you had taken a very young lover."

Remus chuckled. "He's twenty-five, Severus, and I'm not that old. I'm surprised that you aren't more concerned with his parents."

"Parents?" I asked dumbly. In hindsight, if I had paid more attention, I wouldn't have been in that mess.

"Harry is James and Lily Potter's son."

"WHAT?"

He sighed heavily. "You really were a million miles away when I introduced you. Sirius and I raised him after James and Lily died."

I shook my head. "I didn't know. How did they die?"

"Car accident," he said sadly. "A drunk hit them when Harry was five."

"Is that how he..uh..is that the cause of his disability?" I asked.

"Yes, he took quite the hit to the head. It was a miracle he survived at all, let alone leads a fairly normal life. Listen, I don't want you to hold any of this against him. Harry is a good man. He has an enormous heart," Remus told me proudly.

Still out of my element, I just nodded.