"I can't believe you actually drink that," Sirius raises an eyebrow at Remus' chamomile tea. Remus tugs at the sleeve of his jumper. "Much better than that," he retorts, frowning at Sirius' coffee. Faint wisps of steam rise from the surface of the dark liquid and evanesce into the air.

"I like my coffee black," Sirius tosses his head back, probably to move his hair out of his eyes, which never seem to leave Remus' face. "Like my soul." He adds with a small smirk.

"And your last name," Remus suggests, smiling at him. The rising sun catches in Sirius' hair, making it a little difficult for Remus to look at him directly. There is a halo of gold around Sirius, as if the sun bounces off of him, refusing to touch his skin.

"How do you know that?" Sirius asks. His voice is throaty and his words are slow. Each word is deliberately spoken, carefully scrutinized before being let out.

"I went to Hogwarts... we were in the same year."

"You went to Hogwarts? I didn't know that... what house were you in?"

"Gryffindor."

"Me too. But I don't think I've ever noticed you."

"Yeah, I wasn't as... conspicuous as you," Remus takes a sip of his tea. Sirius nods slowly. "You did seem familiar," he says. "Maybe you could've recognized me if it weren't for all that smoke," Remus rolls his eyes. Sirius turns his head and looks out the window. His eyes seem to move just as slowly as his words. "I'm sorry about that," he says, turning back.

"It's alright," Remus smiles at him. Silence falls over them, and Remus takes a small sip of his tea. He speaks up again before it gets awkward.

"You know," Remus starts, "Apparently some decades ago, the houses were a really big deal at Hogwarts."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asks, tearing his eyes from his coffee to look at Remus.

"Back then, everything at Hogwarts was based on houses. Students of the same house roomed together, took lessons together, and were given their separate table in the Great Hall," Remus tells Sirius.

"That's very useful information that I will surely put to use some day,' Sirius tilts his head. A particularly stubborn curl falls in front of his eye, and he jerks his head to move it away. Remus doesn't know if he should be offended.

"But it seems like a pretty bad idea." Sirius says, and takes a sip of his coffee. His forehead creases just a little bit as he tastes it. Remus wonders if the drink has burnt his tongue.

"Seems pretty strange, yeah," Remus agrees. He rests his chin on his palm. Sirius doesn't seem keen on saying anything, so Remus looks at his hands. Sirius has long fingers which seem to have a mind of their own as they tap a gentle rhythm on to the table. His nails are trimmed and clean, and Remus wonders if he plays some kind of instrument. Or maybe they're a painter's fingers.

The silence is getting a little uncomfortable, so Remus speaks up again. "Is James very ill?"

"James?" Sirius blinks. It's the blink of settling back into the real world, of pulling out from one's thoughts to address reality. "James is... I'm not sure, actually. He texted me and I got the key from Mr. Potter. I didn't see him. If it weren't for you, they would'nt have bothered opening up, and... I'd be happily asleep at home."

Remus rolls his eyes. "You can't sleep and be happy at the same time."

Sirius does this weird thing with his bottom lip, pulling it in between his teeth and pressing down on it before letting it go. It turns white, and then blushes a dark pink as it's released."Interesting, because I find myself the happiest when I'm asleep."

Remus doesn't know what to say to that. He wants to ask Sirius if he needs a hug, because Remus would love to give him one. But Sirius Black seems like he'd rather not have Remus touch him, so Remus does what he's always done to avoid awkward situations. He changes the topic.

"Shouldn't you go back to the shop?" He asks. Sirius nods and finishes the rest of his coffee in one long go. "You coming?" He's already up on his feet, slipping into his jacket. He looks older when he wears it.

There is a large box lying at the door of Potter's Herbs and Misc. Sirius picks it up with both of his arms, frowning at the weight. "I forgot my wand inside... Mind unlocking the door?" He huffs.

"Uhm, the keys...?" Remus shifts the bag on his shoulder. Sirius gives him a look. "Are you not a wizard?"

A blush spreads from Remus' cheeks down to his neck. He fishes in his bag for his wand. "Alohomora!" The door lets out a soft click, and Sirius pushes it open with his foot. The bells ring out across the shop as they enter it.

Sirius kneels down and carefully unboxes the delivery, boxes, jars, more boxes and more jars. "Can you wait until I make sure everything's here?" He asks.

About half an hour later, they're both on the floor, frowning.

"Okay, do we have three boxes of black cat's whiskers?" Sirius asks with a tired sigh. "I'm pretty sure there was one," Remus mumbles, looking at the mess of supplies surrounding them. Sirius groans, and stretches his legs, throwing his list on to the floor.

"Alright, wait," Remus reaches for his bag. He pulls his notebook out, and a pen. "Is that... a pen?" Sirius narrows his eyes at it. Remus nods. "Read out the list for me," he says. Sirius looks at him sideways. "Read it yourself, Lupin."

Remus glares at him.

"Is that supposed to intimidate me in any form? Adorable," Sirius smirks. Remus wonders if a slap across his face would wipe that smirk off. He doesn't bother finding out. Instead, he takes the list and starts copying it down in his notebook.

"Alright, fine," Sirius sighs, as if Remus is the one inconveniencing him. He reads the list out for Remus. "Okay. You go through the items, one by one. I'll take count in my notebook. Then we see if the two lists tally, alright?" Remus asks. Sirius shrugs.

It takes them another half an hour anyway.

"Here's your order," Sirius hands him a tall jar which is labelled A dozen Blind Cat's Eyes. It contains several milky white spheres preserved in a viscous liquid. It looks rather unappealing, if Remus says so himself. He pays quickly, and stuffs the jar inside his bag.

"I think I might go see James..." Remus pulls on a loose thread on his sleeve. It detaches with a soft snap. Sirius looks at him, confused. "If you want to come..."

Sirius looks almost taken aback, as if the possibility of visiting James had never occurred to him. "Um... I don't know if he'll-"

"You're his best friend!" Remus exclaims. "Just come on."

Sirius looks at him for a while, and the grey of his eyes is so intense as they hold on to Remus. And Remus is trapped again. Everything, the warm brown of the wooden interior and the thin gold of the sunlight, every single thing, fades away into a blur and Remus doesn't know how to look away.

Intense is the only way Remus can describe it. But then again, he's too busy staring at Sirius to try compose a poem to describe his eyes.

Sirius finally relents with a sigh. "Just one thing," he says, and there's a smile on his face that Remus definitely doesn't like. "We take my bike."