#remusoneshot

You loved busy atmospheres—the feeling of dipping into other people’s lives by overhearing conversations.

You left the bustling train station with the wind whipping your face. You shuddered, gripping the handle of your book bag tighter. Grumbling cars held their shaking engines as you crossed the street to the brick building. The corner bookstore was in your view, glistening with warm lights and the swaying of chimes.

A few people lingered outside, smoking crinkly cigarettes or folding receipts into their bags. The windows shone with the fading sun. You reached into your book bag and retrieved your cassette player. You quickly slid in your Beatles cassette tape and secured your earbuds on your ears.

Opening the door with a small ding, the strong smell of old books, vanilla, and cinnamon filled your senses. The aisles of shelves were lined with books from head to toe, from hefty dictionaries to short romance novels. 

The corners of your lips tilted upwards as you walked into the aisle, a sign dangling with “Animals and History” plastered on it. You searched through the dusty wooden shelves, occasionally slipping a book out to read its cover. 

A thick book caught your eye, with a velvet cover and gold engraving. Taking it out, you flipped through its coffee-colored pages.

You heard voices from the next aisle, breaking through your music. You took an earbud out, looking through the empty spaces of the shelf. 

Three tall boys–one with short black hair and glasses, another black-haired boy with longer locs, and a boy with brown hair. 

“I promise you, James, it’s very important. You and Sirius aren’t taking it very literally.” The brown-haired boy muttered in a frustrated manner.

The names made you raise your eyebrows. You could’ve recognized them at any second.

Those damn troublemakers. 

Your family was fairly close with the Potters and the Lupins. At every event your parents hosted, James and Remus would attend with their parents–and they would always somehow sneak Sirius Black in.

You and the three boys had been friends for years, but for your sake, you respectfully decided to stay in your own lane and not get caught up in their shenanigans. You cared for them greatly–but Remus was a different story.

Ever since third year, you’ve always cherished the loyalty and affection he’s shown to you. He plucked flowers and gave them to you to match your scrapbook, brought snacks to your dorm when you felt down, and even jinxed the girl who bullied you. 

He adored you–a lot.

It was painful, pushing them away discreetly and creating a strong distance, but you thought it was for the best. 

“Piss off, Remus, we don’t even go back until a few weeks-” You heard Sirius Black grunt. 

Remus cut him off with a huff of annoyance, walking away from the two grinning boys. Your eyes flickered down and back at the book. Being nosy wasn’t on your agenda today. 

You slid the book back in its place and shuffled to the next row of books. You flipped through a leather book of dragons, filled with splotchy ink illustrations of fire-breathing reptiles and carefully drawn-out assumptions on what ancient water dragons looked like. 

You hummed along to the song that was playing in your ear, but a clearing of a throat disrupted it. In front of you stood a cheeky James Potter and a teary-eyed Sirius Black.

“Sorry, excuse us- Sirius, stop laughing, you're making me laugh!”

“I can’t-heh-HAHAH!-”

James forcefully smacked his arm as the long-haired boy doubled in a fit of silent laughter. Your lips parted in half shock, half amusement.

“Sorry, y/n, we spotted you and remembered-cut it out!-we remembered something,” James explained, brushing his shirt down. 

Sirius leaned triumphantly against one of the bookshelves with a deep breath.

“How have your summer holidays been?”

“It’s been alright.” You responded shortly. “Busy with books and studying.”

“So it’s not just little Remus who has been stressing over school rubbish, huh?” James pondered, earning a snort from Sirius.

“I mean, he is correct, though; September is coming fairly quickly.” You mumbled with a shy smile. 

“I told you guys,” A voice grumbled behind you. You spun, facing a familiar scarred face. His arms carried a pile of books, and he wore a subtle grin. His brunette hair was messed up, falling over his forehead.

“Hi, Remus,” You piped, waving with your free hand. “How’re you?”

“I’m doing great. It’s been a while since we, y’know, spoke.” Remus shrugged, shifting his position.

Sirius snickered lowly, earning another smack from James. Remus blushed, looking down.

“He couldn’t help but bring you up in every conversation-”

“Sirius!” James yelped, clamping a hand over Sirius’ mouth. The long-haired boy bent over in laughter. Remus’ eyes widened in fear as he turned redder, his mouth agape, attempting to speak.

The grip on your book loosened as your heart skipped a beat. “Oh- really?” 

“Yes!” Sirius yelled through James’ hand.

“No!” Remus shouted at the same time.

The bookstore fell silent as passersby glared at them. James mouthed a “sorry” to an elderly couple who had scoffed rudely.

You stared blankly at Remus, eyebrows furrowed slightly. “...No?”

“No! No- not like that- yes, I did want to see you, but I wouldn’t talk about you all the time,” Remus assured, his biceps flexing as he adjusted his arms under the heavy weight of the books.

James dropped his hand from Sirius’ face, giving him a dangerous look. 

Sirius didn’t care.

“He likes you-!” 

“We should go!” James basically screamed over Sirius’ voice. He shoved the long-haired boy further down the aisle, leaving you and Remus alone in the dimly lit area. The brunette boy pinched his lips into a line, looking everywhere but your face. 

“It was nice seeing you.” You spoke gently, breaking the awkward silence. He glanced at you again with a small smile.

“Yeah. I’ll-uh-see you around, then.” He walked past you, balancing his books, and met up with the giggling James and Sirius. 

You sighed contentedly, finding a table for two in a far, quiet corner. The dim light made the golden wall decorations shimmer behind the chair. Sitting down, you placed your earbuds in and opened to the front page. As you attempted to read the first words, they were jumbled. 

Sirius must’ve been joking. 

Right?

—

“Back again?” a bright worker at the register chimed. You nodded with a faint smile. 

“Needed to get another book to preserve my sanity.”

The worker chuckled, continuing to sort through papers. You made your way to the same aisle you went in last time, skimming through the bottom shelves. You tapped your finger on your chin, indecisive on what to read about next.

Yesterday, you nearly finished your book about dragons. In the morning, you completed the last section and wanted more–something longer to last at least a few days. 

A few books were sprawled on the ground. A purple leather book with ‘UNICORNS’ in bold gold letters stood out to you. 

My patronus! You thought excitedly, picking it up and skimming through it. 

It was filled with basic guides for taming a unicorn and where to find them. Looking at the author, you recognized it as a famous Hufflepuff author. You smiled as you traced a finger over its cover illustrations.

After placing the book down, you returned to the shelves; you slipped a book out of its place, its engraved title marked, “Black Bats and their Omens.”

With a tilt of your head, you picked it up, flipping through its thick black pages–there were about a thousand.

Looks interesting enough to last me a year, you thought.

You made your way to the table in the corner. Turning around a shelf, you saw the exact place–but this time someone sat there.

Remus.

With a smile, you built the confidence to walk over, clutching the book to your chest. Remus’ face was contorted in focus and seriousness as his nose barely touched the pages of the book he was searching. An earbud was placed in one ear, the other hanging feebly on his chest.

You cleared your throat, amused by the situation.

He didn’t look up. Too focused. 

You pulled out the chair across from him, then sat on the velvet cushion.

It was like you were a ghost.

With a thump, you placed your book on the wooden table.

Remus finally looked up with knitted brows. Once you two locked eyes, his mouth hung open. 

“No James or Sirius today?” You inquired, a teasing smile toying on your lips.

“Hello.” Remus looked like he was having trouble breathing. “Um- yes, no idiots with me today.”

You snickered, then nodded towards the large pile of books next to his arm. “How many have you gone through?” 

“Only two.” 

“In the state I just saw you in, I’d expect you would’ve gone through many more…” You joked, tapping the hard cover. 

“Did you finish that dragon book already?” Remus questioned, flipping a page. 

Tilting your head, you chuckled, “How did you know about that?”

His ears reddened. “I was- I just read that book before. Recognized the cover.”

You rolled your eyes, beginning to read the first page.

Again, the words were simply jumbled. Why couldn’t you focus? 

…And why was your heart fluttering?

The same familiar feeling from when you were younger. Every time you looked at him across the table, or when he would rant to you about his favorite extinct animals.

You caught a slight muffled melody playing from his earbuds. Raising an eyebrow, you glanced back up at him.

“Is that The Beatles?”

Remus froze. “You noticed?”

“Of course I did. I love The Beatles.” The corners of your lips turned upwards as a warm silence lingered between both of you.

“Yeah, I- Well, I saw you were listening to them yesterday, and I knew James had their cassette…” Remus rubbed the nape of his neck, cheeks burning a fiery red. 

“You were really paying attention to me yesterday, huh?”

“No- well, sure, you could say that, but not in a creepy way.” Remus swallowed hard. 

You laughed softly. “What’s your favorite song?”

“Blackbird is really good,” he responded. “Yours?”

Your eyes widened. “Me too! It’s my dad’s favorite as well–he always plays it for me on his guitar.” You played with the hem of your sweater. “He’s been trying to get me to play guitar.”

 “I actually play the guitar as well.” Remus beamed proudly. “Maybe I could teach you.”

“Seriously?”

“I promise.”

“What songs can you play?”

“A lot, actually.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Come over to my place. We could rock out.”

“Really?”

He smiled. “Really. How does tomorrow sound?”

You thought for a second. 

It wouldn’t hurt to spend some time outside of books and studying—not to mention, Remus was a great friend. 

Your best friend.

“That’d be perfect.”

—

Rain pattered against the bookstore windows. The honey-toned lighting illuminated the “We’re open!” sign, contrasting with the creeping darkness from the gloomy clouds. You tightened the grip on your satchel as you twisted the knob. 

Ding.

“Welcome in!” A worker sweetly called out. You waved at them, then headed to your favorite aisle. This time, you searched the top shelf for a light book.

You were excited to visit Remus at his house today. For the next two hours, you decided to get some reading time in before you took the train.

Selecting a book about hippogriffs, you hugged it to your chest and made your way to your favorite table. 

And there he was, engraving something into the table. 

“Oh, hello, Remus.” You smiled, setting your book down on the hard table.

Looking up, he grinned. “Hey, y/n.”

“Here again?”

“Not by coincidence.”

You tilted your head. “So you’re…what, a stalker now?”

He laughed, scratching the back of his neck. “You come here at this time all the time…so I just took my chances.”

Your heart fluttered, chest squeezing with anticipation.

“That’s really nice of you to think about me,” You said softly, sitting down in the chair. “What’re you carving in?”

Remus shrugged, an embarrassed expression on his face. He played with the pocket knife in his hand, looking down at the table. “Our names.”

Your stomach dropped; you felt your face growing redder by the second. “Our…names?”

He nodded, mumbling, “So people know this is our table.”

“So not only do you watch me, but you’re carving our names into furniture?” You teased.

“Merlin, when you put it like that, I sound insane.”

“Maybe just…a little.”

An awkward silence filled the gap between them.

“I can just…scratch it out if it’s too weird-”

“No, it’s okay-”

“I just thought we sat here a lot-” He stammered, speaking quickly.

“Remus.” You unconsciously placed a hand on his with a small smile, squeezing it gently. 

He trailed off, observing your face. Both of your breaths were slow, deliberate, and nervous. 

“I think it’s cute. Keep it.” You assured, sliding your hand away. Nodding towards a small bag next to his arm, you asked, “What’s that?”

He cleared his throat. “Oh-this?” He slid it towards you. “It’s for you.”

“For me?”

He nodded. “Mhm. You can open it now, if you want.”

Hesitantly, you picked it up and peeled the tape from the brown wrapping paper. Opening it, a Beatles cassette tape laid in your palms, its metallic pieces shining at you.

“No way! You’re giving this to me?” You exclaimed, tightly holding onto the cassette, turning it around to admire it.

“I thought you’d like it. Stopped by the music store yesterday and saw it in one of the racks.” Remus smiled. 

You were lost for words; you didn’t know how to express your gratitude. He’s given you things before, like his jacket, but this was an actual gift. A gift he took time looking for and spent with his own money. 

“Thank you so much, Remus.” Your eyes left the rectangular object and landed on the brunette boy’s bright face. His tan skin was illuminated by the sunlight, his scars and freckles prominent.

 A small tint of blush kissed his cheeks as he nodded. “No problem.” Looking at your book, he poked it. “Which one’s this one?”

“Hippogriffs. It’s a short guide to spot the different kinds.” 

“You love animals, huh?”

“Of course I do. I love all creatures, really.” Opening the thin paper book, you tapped the page. “Even you.”

“What?” Remus shot up in shock. 

“No, not like that! Like…werewolves. When we were younger, I was a bit scared of you. But now…I admire you just as much as I admire-” you frantically looked around the place to gather an idea. The gold decorations that hung on the wall caught your eye. “-nifflers! They're cute and harmless. Werewolves…the stories about them, I thought they were true. Now I know those stories are myths.” Remus relaxed, looking at you with innocent eyes. “Because when I’m with you, I feel really safe. Protected.” 

“You feel safe with me?” He asked quietly.

“Obviously. I’ve always felt that way.” 

He hummed once in response, looking back at the carved names on the corner of the table. After a short moment, he murmured, “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too, Moony.” You replied warmly, reaching over and ruffling his messy hair.

Then, you started to read the first line of the page. In bold letters, it said, ‘Hippogriffs are like humans—able to react to love and to avoidance.’

Damn right, those hippogriffs, you thought, smiling at your paper. 

—

After about two hours, you checked your watch for the third time to see the white letters ‘5:12 PM.’

Your knees were at your chest, your chin resting on them. Remus had sat there the entire time, waiting. He looked out the window and wrote things down in his notebook with his sloppy cursive writing.

You poked his arm. “Ready to go now?”

He nodded, closing his leather notebook and putting his items in his backpack. You both stood up and stretched.

“You’re like a cat when you curl up like that,” Remus joked, nudging you in the arm as you both walked over to the cashier. You rolled your eyes in response, setting the book down next to the register.

“Good afternoon,” the cashier greeted with a smile. “Just this?” You nodded. 

“9.50, please.” 

You pulled out a 10-pound bill from your black wallet. Before you could hand it to the woman, Remus beat you to it.

You looked at him with raised eyebrows as he took the brown paper bag from the cashier. 

“Have a nice day,” the woman chirped. After thanking her, you followed Remus out of the store.

“You didn’t have to do that,” you mumbled. 

“It was a gift. Don't overthink it.” Remus reached into the side pocket of his backpack and pulled out his cassette player with his earbuds dangling from it—a Beatles tape was already inserted.

“Well, thank you. Again. That was very sweet of you.” You prodded. Your shoulders brushed against his as you both walked on the sidewalk. 

“Anytime.” He offered you an earbud, holding it out. “Wanna share?”

Your grin grew, your palms sweating as you looked up at him. “I would never turn down some Beatles.” You giggled, taking the earbud and engulfing yourself in the music. It only took you a second to notice what song was playing.

Blackbirds. 

The light rain drizzled over your body, and the occasional breeze made your body shiver. The sun was gorgeously setting, shining through the thin clouds. 

“Are you cold?” Remus asked after a moment.

“No, I’m okay.” 

Your body betrayed you. 

Another gust of wind blew, and with a shiver, your teeth chattered loud enough to be heard.

Remus stopped walking, and so did you. You crossed your arms to preserve warmth.

“Yeah, you’re totally not cold.” Remus teased as he took his jacket off and hung it over your shoulders. The lingering heat engulfed your body, relaxing your shoulders.

“Thanks.” You mumbled. 

“Mhm,” Remus hummed. As you both continued to walk, he slowly wrapped an arm around your shoulder.

Your heart skipped a beat. You stiffened slightly, then remembered–

Remus was the only one you could ever feel this secure with.

With a small, secret smile, you leaned into his half-embrace and continued to walk in rhythm, the sight of his neighborhood in your vision.

You knew you wanted it to be like this evermore–late afternoon walks from the bookstore, just you and Remus, sharing each other’s warmth.

You’d always yearned for this because…

Ever since you laid eyes on him, you’ve wanted him to be your forever.

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