Chapter Two

He looked different...tired, sad - it could be either or it could be both and Romy was sure in his case it was definitely both. She knew what had happened in his tight-knit group of friends. Of the Potters, of Sirius Black whose name sent a shiver down her spine and their friend Peter Pettigrew.

All of them were nice. She studied with Lily Evans a lot in their later years at school and she was always talking about James and the boys. Romy could remember the tears in her eyes when Lily would tell stories of their antics and the things they would get up to, she would get jealous sometimes of the friendship she shared and the love between Lily and James, but she was never close with Remus.

It'd be a surprise for him to even recognise her and he hadn't yet, she wondered if that was because he was too engrossed in the world outside rather than the café he was sitting in. He looked so different from the last time she saw him, at the funeral for James and Lily that was held shortly after the events at their home. It was everywhere, even muggles had reported something odd, but they weren't sure what - the funeral wasn't big though.

Only those who knew the couple together or separately were able to attend but at that, a lot of students and professors turned up for the service. She remembered Remus from that day, how he didn't have that smile he used to always have around his friends, but rather a frown able to break someone's heart.

It mimicked almost perfectly the one on his lips.

And Romy wondered if it had ever left.

His hair had grown longer, not too long but longer than it had been and longer than she had ever remembered seeing it. Stubble grew on his chin and around his face which aged him a few years more than what he should look like - he could pass for late twenties with the bags under his eyes and pale skin that seemed to have not seen the sun in years.

But those scars that always trailed over his skin were there, even more prominent than what Romy remembered but she wasn't quite sure she could decipher his appearance. He was a memorable person to Romy, always sweet and charming and funny when she had the pleasure of talking to him, but she was very easily a forgetful face...it broke her heart to see him like this.

"Romy?" Penny's voice seemed distant, and Romy could hardly concentrate as memories upon memories poured into her mind from her school days. She missed it, she missed Hogwarts and the sort of naïve bubble she and her peers had been in to keep themselves safe.

She missed magic, her wand and even just going to her classes.

She wondered if she'd feel like this if any of her previous classmates walked through the door, or if the sudden shock of Remus Lupin of all people had her remembering the nice Gryffindor's she couldn't help but envy slightly.

The friendship four people could have, and then five - it seemed almost impossible, and from an outsider's point of view like Romy had been...it was.

"Romy!" Penny finally exclaimed, grabbing the girl's arm and pulling her back to reality, "Are you alright? You seem a little...distant."

"Uh yeah," Romy hummed, forcing a smile onto her lips whilst ignoring the thoughts running through her mind and the prickling feeling in her gut that someone was watching her, "we need more coffee."

Her eyes spared one more glance at the suspect of her gut feeling, tucked into the very corner of the coffee shop next to the window with his eyes taking her in. She couldn't help but look away, eyes focused on the coffee pot in her hand and making sure she didn't spill anything.

She remembered the times the boys - Remus, and his friends - would play pranks. Sometimes, they were harmless and other times she knew they had gone too far but they knew that too. Romy was sure she could remember catching Remus apologising to a victim of their particularly harmful pranks, even offering to do their homework to make up for it.

It made her smile.

Then came fifth year, and they had a name for themselves. The Marauders. It made her laugh, it seemed like they were self-aware, and she knew she wasn't the only one who could remember the boy's antics. They were popular, very popular actually and Romy was one of many who longed to know them more than acquaintances.

She was ordinary in school too. She had her friends, some, and she had Lily as a study partner in her later years, but she wasn't anything to stand out - she liked it like that, especially when the war kicked in and she could think of those ordinary times when she didn't have to fight to survive. It was a blissful memory of her school days with fun and laughter and happiness and classes.

The memories of parties in dorm rooms when teams would win quidditch and sleepovers with her friends in other dorm rooms. She could remember her first date to Hogsmeade which was more awkward than she cared to admit and her first kiss, and sometimes she'd smile about it.

But she hadn't thought of it in so long. Even during the war her time at Hogwarts seemed like a long-forgotten memory, but now, to see someone she used to know, it was as though the memories didn't give her a choice before flooding into her mind as though in a queue waiting to be played whilst she tried her hardest to block it out.

"Excuse me," she turned. Penny had disappeared through the back and she was alone to deal with customers. Or rather, a specific customer who had finally left the very back corner and now stood in front of her, still tired looking - still sad.

"Yes, hi!" she brightly smiled, putting on her customer's voice and forcing down the memories, "How can I help you?"

She moved towards the counter, standing just in front of him and waiting for him to order. He wasn't looking at her, so she took the time to really look at him. He seemed so...ordinary. Baggy jeans and trainers and a plaid shirt over a white t-shirt didn't seem like the type of outfit for someone like Remus Lupin.

She could remember the cardigans he wore and the shirts and the way he always seemed to make them look trendy regardless of them being old man clothes. He looked good in them, but now it just seemed like he didn't care...actually, he seemed like an ordinary-looking muggle and it was odd, he looked odd.

"I'll have a black coffee, please," said Remus. Romy wondered why it took so long for him to decide on one simple thing, but it wasn't her business. She nodded, taking his money as he handed it to her and hurrying over to the pot she had once been making.

Penny had arrived from the back to ask if he had been served to which he only nodded, it didn't seem anything like him and Romy only knew because of his appearance. But she couldn't blame him, the things he had been through - he had practically lost everyone he knew and loved and had nothing left because the war had ripped it from him.

Romy wished to say something, but it seemed as though he didn't remember her, and even if he did he just didn't want to say.

"Romy, Charles is here with a delivery," said Penny. At the mention of her name, Romy looked at her and nodded, unaware that Remus looked at her too.

"Alright, is that why he took so long getting here?" Penny nodded, sending Romy a thumbs up and a grin before hurrying to the kitchen - presumably to help Charles with the delivery. Romy couldn't help but laugh, pouring the coffee for Remus and soon handing it to him on a small tray with a saucer and his change sitting next to it.

He looked at her for a moment, hesitating to say something before closing his mouth and hurrying back to his seat. She wondered what he was doing now if he had a job or...anything else.

It didn't seem as though he had anything exciting in his life, as rude as it sounded, it was hardly logical to believe that anything brought him any sort of joy. Romy could say the same about herself, of course, her job was something she enjoyed but she knew that if anything were to happen to her - if she were to die...she couldn't say she died happily.

Her mind had wandered more times throughout the day than she wished to count. Customers came and gone, came and sat, came and complained and she could hardly care for any of it as memories from her school years popped back up and she distracted herself from the passing time with the man in the corner seat where he had been all day.

He had ordered more coffees, all of which Romy had poured. Sometimes he hesitated, opened his mouth as though to say anything other than the small thank you he had already said, and stopped himself short.

He'd turn with his tray, stand for a few seconds and walk back to his seat where he would look out the window or read his book whilst Romy would either stare at him or try and ignore he was even there.

It was a large contrast between the two, sometimes if she felt he was looking at her she'd try her best not to find his eyes. She'd caught him a few times, and she wondered if he had remembered her, or if he thought she looked even slightly familiar.

Part of her wondered why she had even cared, and part of her knew that it was the only exciting thing to happen in a year. It wasn't like she missed the war, she was glad more than anything that it was finally over, but the routine was routine - it wasn't exactly enjoyable, and now something new had happened that had maybe broken the routine.

She had never thought of her Hogwarts memories whilst she did her routine, she didn't think of Remus Lupin, or see Remus Lupin. She never ever thought of magic or her wand or the fact that she missed it whilst she stuck to her routine, and part of her wondered if her routine was a good thing.

It was...but only to an extent.

She was practically questioning everything because of one visit of an old familiar face...and a large part of her wished to ask if he was alright. He didn't seem alright, she wished to say sorry - she didn't know why she just knew that everyone said sorry when someone lost people close to them. She had gotten it from many people, and because of that it very much put her off saying sorry to him.

She was sure he'd be sick of hearing it, she knew she was.

"I am...so tired!" Penny exclaimed rather dramatically, falling into Romy who almost stumbled into the counter had she not prepared herself to stay up, "I've been helping Charles with the delivery."

"Bloody took you long enough!" Romy grumbled, leaning into Penny as much as she was leaning into her, "I've been serving customers all day. Someone complained about Shirley's cooking, so I threatened to bring Shirley out to say it to her face. They just turned and left whilst vowing to never come back."

Penny laughed, "I wonder if customers think we care."

"We're supposed to," Romy hummed, pushing Penny off of her to clean some of the empty tables, "so how is Charles?"

"He's fine. There were a ton of issues with the delivery which is why he was late this morning," Penny said, "he was pretty angry."

"Did he give you any shit?" asked Romy, frowning.

"No, no," Penny furiously shook her head, "he was fine with me, just angry at the delivery people."

"Did you calm him down?" Romy asked, wiggling her eyebrows with a smirk.

"You're revolting sometimes."

"You're the one who said it!" Romy laughed loudly, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Uh huh," Penny huffed, "I'm sure you don't."