The misty fog clears up after the 11:30 train departs, revealing the bustling station. Remus grips his train ticket in one hand and his beaten suitcase in the other. The handful of clothes he owns are stuffed inside alongside his toothbrush and three of his favorite books. On his back rests his loyal backpack - the only thing he trusted to carry his laptop, journal, and articles. His only pair of shoes rest on his feet, still soggy from the day before. It didn't take much to convince his roommates to let him go. In fact, he really just waved goodbye and walked out the door.

Time taunts Remus as he waits patiently on the bench. He pinches his wrist a few times, a nervous tick of his, while watching the second hand on the clock torturously spin around. A small flutter in Remus' stomach puts him on edge - more so than he already is. His eyes dart towards the exit and a part of him begins to stand up.

"No Remus," he mutters to himself. "You're going to London."

But...what if this is a big mistake? he contemplates. Surely Shana will give him his job back if he begged.

The 12 o'clock train pulls up just on time and people begin to file in. Remus swallows the lump in his throat, forcing himself to stand up. His head is airy, and everything before him begins to blur. One small step in front of the other carries him from the overcrowded bench to the train. He grabs the steel metal of the doorway, taking a deep breath. This was it. There was no going back. Well, he could always buy another ticket back -

"Oi!" the burly man behind him grunts. "Get a move on mate!"

"Blimey!" another woman screeches. "What's with yeh?

Remus stumbles over his feet as he walks onto the train. Most of the seats begin filling up quickly leaving Remus to grab the first seat available. He slides in, securing his belongings against the window. A young man sits across from him with his face buried in the daily newspaper. The tips of his raven black hair are only visible behind the massive headline reading, BIG BUSINESS BEHIND MONEY SCANDAL, published by the Harper Post. Shana. Remus groans, slumping into his seat. It doesn't take long for the train to start moving, chugging along until the station is long gone.

Ambient chatter fills the train becoming a distant buzz in Remus' ears. The sun peaks in the cloudless sky, shining brightly over the countryside. His eyes are trained on the hills outside whirling by when a small gurgle erupts from his stomach.

"First time on a train?"

The voice startles Remus at first. He glances around a moment before realizing it was the guy reading the paper. He licks his lips nervously before answering, "Um no. Just a big move."

"To London?"

"As long as I didn't board the wrong train."

"What's in London?" The page of the newspaper flips with a soft crinkle that was music to Remus' ears.

"A new life."

"Ah, I see. Bad break up?"

Remus blushes, shaking his head despite the fact the other can't see him. "No not that. Just a shitty life. What about you?"

"I'm coming back from visiting an old friend. Interesting bloke."

A silence falls amongst them. Remus wipes his hands against his trousers, debating whether or not to speak again. He opens his mouth, shutting it moments after without a word. Come on Lupin, he urges himself. Make one friend. That's already one more than you had back at home.

"So what's your name?" Remus blurts rather loudly.

A few heads turn in his direction but nobody says anything.

The newspaper drops and the young man before him is finally visible. Handsome would be an understatement to describe him. His features are distinct - a strong jawline with high cheekbones - but the softness of his hazel eyes and long dark lashes balance him out. Rounded glasses rest on the bridge of his nose only enhancing the light in his eyes. His raven hair, though unruly, suits him well. He smiles at Remus, revealing two tiny dimples and perfectly straight teeth. He wears a creme colored turtle neck with a polished beige trench coat. His legs are crossed, extending to the side where Remus can see his pressed black trousers and impressively white shoes.

"James Fleamont Potter," he greets with an extended hand. Remus shakes it with a firm grip, suddenly embarrassed of his own appearance; he glances at the holes in his sleeve. Either James doesn't notice or is too polite to comment. "And you are?"

"Remus John Lupin."

"So you're running away?"

Remus shrugs unsurely. "Not so much as running away from anything but more like running towards something."

"Chasing a dream in the big city."

"Exactly."

"My best mate did the same thing you know. Now he's living large. Occasionally buys me dinner." James scoffs. "You'd think the git would worship my feet for letting him live with me but no. I suppose the lobster dinners will suffice..." Remus listens though is unsure how to respond. James cracks a smile as he folds up his newspaper. "I'm only joking mate."

It's only then when Remus spots the bouquet of flowers beside James. Hand picked tulips, lilies, and baby's breath wrapped neatly in brown parchment. "Lovely gift," Remus says motioning to the flowers. "For anyone special?"

"Only the love of my life," James answers nonchalantly. "I could talk about myself for ages Remus. I'm more interested in you. So what's the plan?"

"The plan was move to London. And I'm on the train there now."

"Where are you going to live?"

Remus pales. He hadn't thought that far ahead. "A hotel room possibly? I've got some money saved."

"What about work? Did you have a job before?"

"Well..." Remus scratches the back of his neck. "I'm a journalist. I had a job at the Harper Post, the paper you were reading." James raises an eyebrow expectantly. "I got fired yesterday."

"Ding ding ding!" James leans forward on his forearms, counting on his fingers as he speaks. "So you're homeless, jobless, and sock-less."

Remus glances at his feet. His trousers were too short, revealing his ankles and dirty shoes. He in fact was not wearing socks. Redness blossoms on his cheeks. "When you put it like that -" Remus mutters.

James laughs, throwing his head back. "Remus Lupin you are either incredibly brave or stupid. It's a fine line that one." He grabs his newspaper, splaying it out on the table. "I actually wasn't reading the paper. I was doing to games on the back." He points to the half tic-tac-toe section in the bottom hand corner. "Care for a game?"

Remus furrows his eyebrows at the young man across from him. He was odd for sure, but he had an undeniable charm to him. His voice was deep but had a confident quality. Every time he spoke it was like he knew people were listening.

Through their four games of tic-tac-toe, Remus learned a few things about James Fleamont Potter. For one, James absolutely despises pickles. Everything down to the taste, the texture, and the smell. He will have none of it.

"Miss I can't eat this," James tells the woman. "I'm terribly allergic to pickles." He hands the sandwich back and turns to Remus when she leaves. "I'm not actually allergic. I just hate them and saying I'm allergic is better than saying I don't like when the juice touches the bread because then everything tastes like pickles, even when you take them off."

Remus also learned that James is a business man.

"What's Black Inc.?" Remus asks, placing his O in the upper left corner.

"It's the biggest fashion company in London of course!" James answers. "Men, women, children, dogs, cats. You look at the label on anyone with a sense of style in London and Black Inc. will be stitched into back."

"What do you do there?"

"I work in marketing. I'm in charge of making sure everybody knows that they need to buy our clothes."

Lastly, Remus learned that James was not only a stranger on the train, but a new friend.

The train screeches to a halt and in seconds everybody is standing. Remus grabs his suitcase and follows along. James stands beside him, the newspaper tucked safely under his arm and the bouquet of flowers in hand. They're of equal height and both skinny. It almost amused Remus; most of everybody he knew growing up made fun of him for his height and lankiness.

The doors open and a wave of fresh air causes Remus' palms to sweat. This is it. He may be jobless, homeless and, as James put it, sock-less, but he wasn't completely hopeless. A new life awaits.

Remus walks out, taking in the new environment. Now what?

"Oi Remus!" James calls. Remus darts his head to the side, spotting James standing off to the side towards the stairs.

Remus half jogs over with a confused look. "Did you leave something on the train?" he asks worriedly.

"No, just follow me." James begins to walk away leaving Remus no choice but to follow along. "You're coming with me."

"Where are we going?"

"To Black Inc. of course."