Chapter Four

A day off. She didn't need to worry about being late or cleaning tables or making coffee for a whole day. She could enjoy the warmer weather and the world outside of her flat and outside of the small coffee shop on the corner.

Right now, she was enjoying it in bed. Her eyes closed, her heart steady and the ghost of a smile over her lips. It was as though even in her sleep she knew she had all the time in the world. She didn't have to get up early even though she knew she would, but that wasn't the point. She didn't need to.

The soft golden glow of the morning sun shined through the peak of her blinds, situated perfectly to shine in her eyes but she didn't care. It was like her own personal alarm from the sun to awaken her and her smile tugged wider just before she let out a yawn. She could feel goosebumps on her arm because of the chill in her room and she reluctantly pulled herself out of bed to open her blinds.

Only a small part of her room had gotten the bright sunlight and she changed that when she drew back the curtains allowing her entire room to be engulfed in the warm summers glow. She pulled the blanket off of her bed, sitting at her window on the seat she had made from an old bench she had found and leaned against the wall. The distant sounds of horns and loud voices filled her ears and she seemed calm just listening to it.

The sun had barely risen but it was her favourite time of day. She hated the thought of waking up, preferring to get as much sleep as possible but she really did love mornings. She loved the thought of a world unaware, a city barely busy much like it was. It was peaceful and almost beautiful and if she had any artistic abilities she'd draw the skyline and the sun behind it.

She decided after ten minutes of just sitting there to finally get up. She didn't need to follow her routine today, and she knew that she wasn't going to. She could go out and get breakfast and explore the city more than she already had. Her day off was a treat day for her, a day for her to spend money that she earned and get something new. To go to a nice little café, not the one she worked at but one near the waterfront, or Oxford Street, or Carnaby Street.

She could go anywhere.

She couldn't help but let her mind wander as she picked out her outfit for the day ahead. She decided that being comfortable was her main goal considering she'd be walking a lot throughout the day. Her denim shorts seemed like the best option paired with a tight top she had managed to find at the back of her wardrobe.

She remembered buying it, but she hardly wore it.

Her morning started off great, and she seemed truly happy for the first time in a long time. She hardly took days off, even though she was entitled to them and she had to have them, she would always find some excuse to go back to the café and work in order to keep her mind off of things.

She knew she needed a break, though, and as she got dressed for the day ahead she knew today would be the best break she'd have in a long time. Her music played in the living room, and she danced along.

Her mind had wandered a few times, wondering if Remus had shown up at the café - if he thought she'd be there...if he even thought about returning to the café at all. The fact that Remus even knew who she was at all was surprising in the first place, it meant he recognised her even in school and that shocked her more.

She felt like a teenager again, thinking of something so silly that could possibly make her happy. She knew her teenage self would be ecstatic to know that Remus Lupin knew who she was, but now it just surprised her. She wasn't ecstatic, or excited - he was just a man she knew, or rather, knew of.

She didn't know a thing about Remus except some of the nightmare he had been through, and he didn't know a thing about her. They were strangers above anything, but that didn't stop him from being nice. It was almost refreshing to see him, and as much as she forced herself to stick to her routine - to not use magic and to just live her life day to day...she knew that she wouldn't last very long doing that.

She didn't need to think about that now, though. This was her day to herself, to be happy and finally have her one summers day to herself. She was already enjoying it and when she was finally dressed and ready to go she grabbed her bag from the hook on her front door and put everything she needed in it.

The shelf near her door stacked with cassettes caught her eye and she grabbed her Walkman that her parents got for her one Christmas. She tucked her hair behind her hair, placing the foam-covered headphones over her ear and grabbing a tape to listen to as she left her apartment.

Her Walkman was one of the main parts of muggle culture that she loved. When she was in school she immersed herself in wizarding culture until she got home, and as much as she loved it - she loved spending time with her parents and embracing her muggle side just as much as her witch side.

She loved that she had the best of both worlds. Now, it seemed as though she had switched between them and she was completely a muggle. She hadn't touched her wand since before the war had ended and after that, she couldn't bear it.

She was listening to her favourite song that had only recently come out at the start of the month. It was by a muggle band and as she walked down the street she had to stop herself from dancing along and looking like a complete nutter.

She moved the left ear of her headphones to behind her ear, humming the song to herself as she walked down the street. She lived just a short walk away from a market that she adored, but she didn't go a lot.

"You in that dress, my thoughts I confess..." she sang to herself, rather unintentionally along to the song. She was too busy examining flowers in the small stall just a few streets from her flat and couldn't help but stop to admire the beauty of them. She greeted the merchant behind the stall, pointing at the sunflowers wrapped with a yellow bow and he grabbed them for her.

"How much?" she asked.

"Two pounds." She handed him the money, taking the sunflowers and placing them in her bag. She soon bid goodbye to the man, waving in her travels and hurrying across the road. The sunflowers peaked through the top of her canvas bag that she used, it was perfect for the market because of the large amount of room she had if she wished to buy anything.

The market was busier than she had ever remembered it, but London had a lot of tourists especially in the summer. She could hardly move through the large number of people and it surprised her, she knew it'd be busier than usual, but it was still rather early in the morning - earlier than she had planned to leave her home, and still she could barely move as soon as she reached the main part of the market.

Vendors sold trinkets and jewellery and clothing, too. A stall lined with more records than Romy could count caught her eye and just next to it stacked a large shelf of just cassettes and she made a mental note to check that stall out later. She didn't have a record player, she had her tape player in her living room which never stopped playing her many tapes, but she could very vividly remember the record player in the family room of her old home.

She remembered playing Christmas records all throughout December when she would visit home, smiling so widely as her parents danced together and she danced around them. The memories of her parents always struck a chord inside her, something so painful. She had suppressed the pain she felt for years and she hadn't truly gotten over what had happened - it was too hard. To get over something she had to think about it, and she couldn't bring herself to do such a thing.

She had spent twenty minutes deciding whether to buy a denim jacket. She had one at home but not in the same colour, it was just a little bit darker than the light washed denim shorts she had on and she loved it. The price was a little bit much for her to spend on herself, but she couldn't get over how much she loved it.

She had tried it on and was looking in a small mirror just beside the stall selling it. They had said it belonged to some famous singer, but she hardly believed it...she knew they were just trying to sell it, but she loved it regardless of who the previous owner was.

"I'll take it," she finally said, reluctantly handing over the money and stuffing it into her bag at the opposite side of the sunflowers.

She made her way over to the music stall when the people began to clear, passing music that her dad had introduced her to that she adored and seeing music that had come out very recently. The prices were decent for good music and she knew that if she spent more than five minutes at the stall then she'd leave with half of the items.

It was a good thing for her, but it wasn't good for her purse.

"Looking for anything in particular?" the women behind the stall asked. She sat on her stool, taking long drags from the cigarette between her fingers and Romy couldn't help but adore the woman's style. She seemed exactly like the type of person Romy would think to run a music stall, and even just the outfit she wore inspired Romy.

It was the people too, the muggles which had Romy loving the market.

"I'm not really sure," said Romy, pulling on the strap of the bag, "I really don't need any more music."

The woman laughed, "I can relate to that. These are all my own."

"You're getting rid of them?!" Romy gasped, eyes wider than before, "why?!"

"I have no room for them," the woman sighed. She couldn't have been much older than Romy, maybe even the same age, "I tried to fit them into storage but a girl alone living in London? I can't have all of this stuff."

Romy nodded, she understood. Her flat was perfect for her but only her. She had enough storage for what she needed but only barely. She could buy a few Knick knacks here and there, but she couldn't really buy anything other than that.

"Do you like Queen?" asked the woman, rummaging through the boxes underneath and Romy laughed.

"Who doesn't?!"

"My thoughts exactly," she grinned, "the greatest hits. Out last year, '81. I'll give you it half price?"

"Really?!" Romy's grin matched the woman's and she nodded, "I'll take it!"

She gave her the money, putting the cassette with her things in her bag, "I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It's a good one. Got all the good ones on it."

"Is there any bad ones?" Romy laughed.

"You got me there," the woman said, "I'm Valerie."

"Romy!" they shook hands and Valerie smiled, "thanks for this, Valerie."

"No problem, I like you, Romy. Music brings people together," she laughed, and Romy couldn't help but nod.

"Do you know that café on the corner near the cinema just a few streets away?" Romy asked, watching Valerie nod after a few moments of thinking, "that's where I work, if you're ever near there you should pop in, first drink on the house for such a great deal!"

"I'll keep that in mind," Valerie beamed, "I'll see you soon, then, Romy."

Romy bid the girl goodbye. She wondered if it was always that easy to talk to people. She also wondered what Charles would say if he knew she was giving out free coffees, well she hadn't yet, but she would.

Oh well, she thought, it wasn't like she cared all that much what Charles thought.