The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part Two

Graphite

"You're being an absolute idiot," Remus Lupin told himself.

It had been a bit better than a week since Regulus Black had died, and things were beginning to slowly return to normal.

It was the first day that Sirius had gone back to working at Gomer's Degnoming, going in to do a special Saturday morning shift with Bilius for a standing contract at a persnickity old woman's estate, and she'd offered Gomer twice the pay if he'd send his workers out immediately, as she was having a garden party next day and awakened to a sudden infestation of gnomes who had taken over rather suddenly. Bilius had flooed up and was positively raving - begging Sirius to please take the job - "We got first pick for the team to go up and if we take it we make double salary on it and it's an all day thing, Sirius, I really need this money, please!"

Remus was glad to see Sirius get dressed and go in to work - it gave him hope that maybe things were just settling down still and they'd get better and Sirius wouldn't fall into the depths of depression that Remus was so worried might overtake his husband.

Thing was, it was a Saturday, so Remus didn't have anything much to do. Peter was working, too, and James and Lily were on their way to Hogsmeade for the weekend to see Oliver Kent's match, so Remus was left to his own devices and he couldn't really recall the last time he'd had a day completely his own to do whatever he wanted with.

He took the city bus because he rather liked sitting and looking out the window and seeing the city pass by, all the colors and shapes and people. Plus his knees were aching quite terribly - the full moon was only a couple days away and he was feeling terribly sore all over. He was determined not to let it stop him having a good day, though, and so he sat on the bus, pressed to the window. A muggle woman with a baby sat next to him at one point and he'd turned to smile at the baby and he talked a bit with the woman while the baby giggled as Remus played peek-a-boo.

He rode with no particular destination and finally he got off and wandered about the streets, ducking down Cecil Court and popping into a couple bookshops before finding himself a cafe that had outdoor seats that were available but empty since the weather was rather dreary and cool, and he ordered himself a cup of hot chocolate and sat looking about.

Remus sipped his chocolate, feeling rather happy actually for the first time in quite some time.

It was from his table at this little cafe that he spotted the small arts supplies shop across the road.

It was there, outside the arts supplies shop, that Remus Lupin had stood and called himself an idiot. Why? Because he had just come out of the shop having spent far too much money on a brand new pad of tan-tone drawing parchment, a package of five graphite pencils of varying point size, a ball of kneaded rubber, a smudge stick, and a pencil sharpener.

He stared into the paper bag the shop assistant had given him in exchange for what amount to nearly an entire galleon, which was more than he and Sirius ought to have been spending at the moment for frivolous items like that, especially since the money was really all Sirius's since Remus had been going to uni rather than working... He walked back to the bus stop feeling guilty.

By the time he'd gotten back to the flat and settled himself into a seat at the table in the kitchen, he'd worked himself into a right state. What if Sirius got upset? He couldn't really imagine Sirius being upset, but then again Sirius got upset at weird things sometimes that Remus wouldn't expect - for example they'd once had a terrific row over the direction the paper tube was turned in the holder in the loo ("the sheets ought to come from over the top not under the roll, we're not animals!"). Remus pulled the contraband out of the bag and spread it out on the table, looking it over. He lifted the plastic case that held the pencils, opened the lid and took a deep breath, smelling the painted wood and graphite inside.