This Time - Chapter Nine

Lily hung around with me and Sirius for a short while after he came back, before going back to bed. Sirius Clothes remained on him a very short amount of time longer than that.

That night, as the door to the bedroom slammed, and the two of us fell against the bed, wrapped in each other's arms and locked in each other's lips, I realised the many things I was thankful for. The main one at the time however, was Sirius' great butt. And that morning, waking up tight in his arms, that's when I realised how much he means to me.

Sappy stuff aside, I have to work this morning, as does Lily, in return for Minerva pretty much hiding us all yesterday. Sirius isn't supposed to leave the house, just in case. I'd rather not risk it for a few days.
"You'll be fine without us?" Lily asks, putting her purse and makeup bag into her handbag.
"Yes Mum." Sirius replies, rolling his eyes.
I pull on my coat and give him a quick kiss. "Be careful, and don't do anything stupid." I tell him, feigning a stern look, before following Lily out of the door.
"Would I ever?" Sirius laughs as we disappear.
"You don't want me to answer that." I call over my shoulder.

The air outside is cold and crisp, a sharp but slow breeze flowing through the city. The sun has broken through the clouds above, and the city is a alive with quiet sounds of everyday life. Lily and I link arms as customary, and walk the pavements.
"How are you and Sirius?" Lily asks while we wait at a traffic light.
"Good. I mean, It's still so recent, but I haven't been this happy in a long time."
"I'll feign that I took no offense." Lily chuckles.
"You know what I mean." I laugh along with her. "How's Sev?" I jokingly ask.
She punches me in the shoulder. "Stop it. I have to do shifts with him now. Minerva wants more time off."
"Well I'm sure Sev won't mind, he was probably ecstatic about it."
"Ha Ha Ha." Lily mutters sarcastically.

It's a warm day, so being stuck in an even warmer coffee shop is complete hell. All of the regulars are in, and it feels like nothing's changed over the past few weeks since Sirius came into my life. Yet with Lily and Sirius beside me, I have never been happier.

Yet I didn't know then, that the man I was making coffee for would be one I would come to hate, to despise, to wish all the worst upon for what he would do.

He was handsome, a fact I will admit. Tall, dark of hair, features similar to that of Sirius. Voice smooth and sleek as peanut butter. I'd have been honoured if he asked for my number, not that I'd have given it to him. So it's no surprise that Lily was.

"How can I help you?" she asked.
"Viennese Coffee, Black, to go please Darlin'." he replied.
"Sure. Remus, Viennese Coffee to go, black. Can I have your name sir?"
"On the condition that I can have your number." I heard him say as I busied myself with the machine.
Lily giggled. "I don't give my number to a man without a name." she teased.

What on earth was I hearing? Uhh, straight people.

"It's Rodolphus. Is there one to go with your pretty face and number?"
Lily must have thought he was really something special, as I heard phone tapping.
I handed Lily his coffee and went to serve the next customer.

By the time I'd made three or four more coffees, I'd realised that Lily and this man were still talking. I coughed, aiming for the upmost subtlety in doing so. Lily gathered this.
"Well Rodolphus, I really must be getting back to work."
He looked disappointed. "Well, I don't want to distract you. I'll take you out for lunch though, yeah?"
"I'd love it. City Centre at 1?"
"I'll be there." He gave her a wink then left with his coffee.

"You seemed enthralled." I observed.
"I, he just... I felt like you looked when Sirius came in."
"So you're letting him take you on a date?"
"Yeah, I mean, I felt something, and he clearly did, so why not? Please cover for me at 1 though, I'll try not to be too long."
"Okay, but just be careful okay?"
She looked at me, eyebrows raised. "You need to tell me that, after the Sirius experience?"
I chuckled. "I guess I don't, but promise you will."
"I always am, don't worry."

I just smiled, though I wasn't comforted. Just the way he spoke, with an undertone of arrogance, or... I don't know, but It concerned me. It's not my place to judge, but the way Lily fell under his spell, it made me uncomfortable.

The shift ended a while later, and Lily left to go for lunch. I eyed the growing crowds outside, and decided to do it. Not ten minutes later, my bike was parked outside and Sirius was tying on an apron.
"I thought you didn't want me out the house?" He joked, eyeing all the equipment around him.
"That was before Lily got invited on a date, and I realised I'd need help. Now, I'll do all the running of machines, you just need to take the orders and bring people their stuff, okay?"
"Yeah, okay. I warn you, I may put you out of a job." he started to joke, suddenly being startled as I let steam out of the steamer.
"Yeah, I'm so scared." I laughed back.

Sirius took to it fairly well, only screwing up a few times with orders.
"You'll make a good Barista yet." I tell him, eyeing the clock. It's ten to five, so the evening shift starts in twenty. Lily certainly took her time.
"Hasn't she texted or something?" Sirius asked, noting the growing concern on my face.
I checked my phone, no new texts.
"Nothing. I hope everything is okay." I say, worry evident in my voice.
"I'm sure she's fine. She's probably having a great time, is in a cinema or some fancy restaurant being wined and dined."
"Still, it's not like her to not say something or text."
"She knows how to look after herself, so don't worry. Now, are we doing the evening shift?"
"No, Minerva and Sev are covering it."
"Then Lily has probably gone home. Give her a call, I'll put the stuff in the dishwasher, and we'll head home, okay?"

Except Lily didn't answer her phone, and wasn't at home. At about four in the morning, the door opened. Sirius and I were sitting on the sofa, as I tried to figure out what to do.
"Lily!" I yelled, running to her. "Where were you."
"Out." she said, blanking me, not even looking at me, walking straight past.
"Why didn't you text me to let me know where you were?" I asked her back as she walked away.
"I was busy with Rodolphus." she said over her shoulder slamming the door to her bedroom behind her.

"Rodolphus?" Sirius asked me.
"Her date."
"Rodolphus Lestrange?" Sirius asked again, now showing some sign of concern.
"I don't know. Tall, dark haired, sexy voice yet somewhat creepy?"
Sirius nodded. He rested his head in his hands.
"We have a problem." he said into his palms.

I apologise for this being so late an update. It's exam season for me (so I started writing pretty much a year ago now.) so updates are definatley down in frequency. However I'll try to get the next one of this out by the end of the week.

I hope you enjoyed. Please Fav, Follow and Review. The more I see, the more compelled I am to write.