Fashion. What a concept.

At this precise moment, Remus knows for a fact that he owns three t-shirts, two trousers, two and a half pairs of socks, three pairs of boxers, one pair of shoes, and a moth bitten jacket.

Remus sits with his hands in his lap, nervously pinching his wrist. He didn't mind meeting new people - his job was quite literally interviewing strangers. Though silent, Remus observes Lily carefully. She's poised, well mannered, yet relaxed and comfortable. Her head is always held high asserting power.

"So Remus," Lily says turning to him. "What do you like to do for fun?"

Remus thinks a moment. "Erm...read?" he replies with uncertainty. This is usually the point at which most people stop trying to get to know him.

Lily's eyes light up with excitement, and she changes her body language to fully face him. "Really? Me too! There's a bookstore not too far from the office I love to visit. It's magical, I swear. You'll have to check it out sometime."

"Brilliant!"

"Now I have an idea of what type of clothes we should get today, but do you have any preference?"

Remus shakes his head. "I'm hopeless when it comes to clothes. Maybe just nothing orange? It washes me out."

Lily chuckles. "As a fellow fair skinned human with red hair, I completely understand."

They step out into the streets lined with stores and consumers strolling about. Remus follows Lily's lead as she drifts into the stores. Without even having to shift through every hanger, she picks pieces one by one, occasionally glancing at Remus for reference. His frame is tall, standing at 6'3, and from the side he was as thin as paper. Most of his life his mother, Hope, made his clothes. Everything was fitted made with scraps of fabrics or hand me down clothes from thrift shops. Remus hardly ever received new clothes unless it was his birthday. Though he never minded. His mother's clothes were more than enough to satisfy him.

"Remus try these on," Lily says ushering him towards the fitting rooms. "If you need another size let me know."

Remus nods, taking the hangers into the first stall. He holds up the trousers, inspecting them with wide eyes. Jeans were his usual go to and sometimes he would spice it up with his brown corduroy slacks. These, however, were wide legged and fell to the floor. And...plaid. Never the less, he folds his clothes neatly on the small chair and slips on the new ones. A white button down underneath a beige pullover. His fingers run over the material of the sweater - it was like touching a cloud. Everything was a bit oversized, like his own clothes, but this time they don't look ragged.

Once fully dressed, Remus pokes his head out the door, spotting Lily across the way looking at the belts. "Erm, Lily," he calls apprehensively.

Lily snaps her head up, rushing over to him. Awkwardly, he steps out. His face is a bright pink once again, bracing the insults at how ridiculous he looks.

"You look fantastic Remus!" she compliments with an infectious smile. "Let me just..." She reaches out, adjusting the collar that was poking over top the sweater. "And these." Bending down, she cuffs the pants to his ankles. "I'd say you look smashing! Take a look."

Remus turns around to face the mirror. To his surprise, he did look better. "I like it," he mumbles to himself.

For the first time in a while, Remus felt good about himself.

"Good!" Lily says with an accomplished look. "I was going for a comfortable style that says 'I like art and literature' but also looks like you'd be ready to go on a picnic at the beach at a moments notice. You like a good book and enjoy movies, but you're not a snob about the fine details. You're a sweet guy who will help you if you need it, but there's mystery to you - things people will only know after you decide to trust them. And you're a dog person."

Remus laughs, stuffing his hands in the pockets. "You can tell all of that from an outfit?"

"Well, the first part yes. The rest is just what I've figured you out as."

He purses his lips, examining himself in the mirror once more. "I do enjoy a good movie."

Lily rolls her eyes playfully. "Come on, we've got plenty more to do today. Get changed quickly."

After a while, Remus began to enjoy his time out with Lily. They had much in common from their love of books to how they like their coffee. Most of the outfits Lily picked had the same style of long pants, sweaters, and collars. And much to Remus' liking, no orange.

"So what do you do at Black Inc.?" Remus asks as they walk through the aisles of shoes.

"I manage press and marketing," Lily answers. She stares at a pair of blue trainers and holds them up to Remus who scrunches his nose. "Potter's my boss - title wise. Between us, I'm really in control."

"So James is the big guy in charge?"

"Sort of. There are plenty of people high up running the company, but the CEO and founder is Sirius Black."

"Sirius Black..." Remus repeats under his breath. "So Sirius Black and James are friends then?"

Lily snorts. "They're inseparable - brothers more like it. But don't be fooled, Black is ruthless when it comes to business. He knows what he wants and gets it. Both admirable and a bit terrifying."

"I know I'm asking a lot of questions here, but is there any advice you could offer that would help me get some sort of job? Even scrubbing the floors with my toothbrush would be enough."

"You have to be confident in yourself." She grabs a pair of simple white high top trainers and hands them to Remus. "Try these on."

It's four o'clock by the time they return to Black Inc., only this time around it wasn't nearly as busy. The doormen tip their hats to Lily as she glides through the doors, bags on each arm. Remus has a new stride in his step; he's walking taller and feeling less out of place. He wears the first outfit he ever tried on and black shoes. This time, however, he has socks - tall white socks that disappear into the plaid pants.

Lily knocks on James' office door and a moment later he shouts approval to enter.

James sits up straighter when they walk in, his grin ear to ear. "Is that Remus, my Remus?" he says with astonishment. "Blimey you look fantastic!"

Lily sets the bags down by Remus' old things and nods with approval. "He's dashing, isn't he?"

"Really thank you James," Remus says. "And Lily. You two have done so much for me and I can't ever repay you -"

"You'll be working here in no time," James cuts him off. "Do you have a resume by chance? If not I'll have Barry draft one up."

"I do in my bag."

"Are you going to bring him today?" Lily asks. Remus doesn't ask anything, although he knows she means him.

James shakes his head. "Tomorrow morning."

"But tomorrow is -"

James turns to Remus with a raised eyebrow. "Can you be here by nine?"

Remus eagerly nods his head. "Of course. I'll get a nearby hotel tonight and be here first thing."

"Why not today?" Lily suggests. "Surely Black is still in his office. Tomorrow is risky."

Remus licks his lips uneasily. His eyes dart between Lily and James' banter, unsure if he should intervene.

"Remus, meet me here at nine sharp," James states, ending the conversation. "And wear your best outfit. You'll be meeting Sirius."