Sirius arrived home, tucking his motorbike into his jacket pocket and stood hesitating at the door.

"Well, see Evans," he practiced, "Its like this. James didn't get a tux yet, he ran off. No I haven't the foggiest where he went. Yes, I lost your fiancé. No, please don't jinx me aaaarrggggh!" He mimed shielding off a curse. When he'd finished his dramatics, he got up and nodded, "Right then. Well. At least I know what I'm in for."

Sirius pushed in the door.

Lily wasn't back from her classes yet, the flat appeared empty. He went to look in the bedroom he shared with Remus Lupin, peeking 'round the door at his sleeping form, and he smiled to himself with idea that Remus was sound asleep, comfortable, and back in the flat. He stood and watched the rise and fall of Remus's breathing for a few minutes before he ducked back out of the door, not wanting to wake Remus up. The poor lad needed a lie in, Sirius reckoned. 

 He sighed, wandering into the kitchen, where he pulled a box of left over Chinese from the fridge, glancing at the countdown on the fridge. "Ninety four sleeps until Freddie," he muttered, took up the chopsticks from the drawer where they kept the extras, and wandered back into the living room, chucking himself down on the couch and spearing a piece of General Tso with one of the chopsticks before shoving it into his mouth.

There was a soft thump and Roger the kneazle was sitting on the coffee table, watching him.

"I'd offer you some chicken but it's too good to share," Sirius said, snickering.

He started humming, bored with the silence in the room, and it wasn't long before he'd drifted off to sleep, dropping the Chinese carton from his hand so that the remaining chicken rolled out and Roger happily helped himself.

Merlin knows how long Sirius was asleep for before he woke to he sensation of being nudged.  

"Hey," Remus said, "You hungry?"

Sirius yawned, stretching. "I ate the left over Chinese."

Remus looked at the floor, where the remains of the empty box lay and Roger sat licking his feet. "I think Roger might've had most of that, actually."

Sirius looked. "You bastard."

Roger looked up at Sirius primly, then turned and walked away, flicking his tail up high into the air behind him as though to tell Sirius "kiss this". 

Remus chuckled.

"Bloody cat, dunno why we got a cat... we're dog people 'round here."

Remus muttered, "Some of us more than others."

Sirius grinned. "Wolves are dogs, too."

"I am rather over my wolfishness for the time being," Remus said. He bent down and picked up the empty Chinese container. "I'm craving a bit of steak. Want to go out?" He waved his wand, banishing off the package to the bin. "You know how ravenous I get after a full moon."

Sirius grinned, "Don't I."

Remus flushed. Then. "Hang on - weren't you supposed to be going tuxedo shopping with Prongs today?"

Sirius's grin fell off his face. "Alright, sooooooo... I thought I'd be having this talk with Lily, but guess I'll have it with you first."

Remus's eyebrow raised. "Yes?"

Sirius recounted his short walk with James and how James's countenance had gone from quietly reserved to frantic, how he'd disapparated off, and left Sirius behind.

Remus's expression went from quietly concerned to astonished shock. "So he's gone off to Fallengunder by himself, then?"

"Ohhhhhh, why didn't I think of that? Yes, of course that's where he'd be off to. Blimey, I'm nearly as thick as he is!" Sirius said, smacking his forehead. "Well that makes me feel better."

Remus sighed, "Well. Well, I suppose he's right in a sense, it is his job and he does need to be getting on with it. Did he say what brought on this new-found panic?"

Sirius shrugged. "Dunno."

"Hmm," Remus mused. "I reckon somebody probably said something to him about it at the office." He sighed, "I hope they weren't too hard on him, he really is trying to figure it out."

Sirius nodded.

Remus considered for a moment. "I suppose I really should let him be at it on his own then, if it's just Fallengunder he's gone off to, then he'll be alright... I really don't feel up to talking about Ned right now. Especially not with Elva... I know I ought to be better about it by now - it's been months - but..."

"I understand, Moony," Sirius said. "He meant a great deal to you."

Remus nodded.

Sirius hesitated, then, "Reckon you're still wanting that steak?"

"Yes," Remus said, refocusing on Sirius. "Yes, I think that's precisely what I want. Let's go to a pub." He smiled, "It's been a good deal of time since we've had a proper date. What do you think? Shall we do it up right?"

Sirius smiled, "I do have a couple galleons, just got paid and all."

Remus nodded, decided. "Alright then. Let's go get dressed."

They went to their room and got changed, Remus helping Sirius to knot his bowtie properly, and Remus put on a nice pressed shirt while Sirius combed his hair and shrugged on his leather jacket. They took Sirius's motorbike, though Sirius drove it slower and kept it on the ground for once, which Remus appreciated. After crossing over the Thames to the North, they found the narrow alley way that led back to the pub.

They lingered outside while waiting for a table inside and Sirius bummed a cigarette from a rather appalled looking, well-to-do muggle man, who muttered something to his companion about pubs "letting just about anyone in these days". Sirius flipped a subtle bird to the man's back as he walked away, and Remus caught his hand and covered the raised finger with a look of warning. Sirius sighed as he leaned back against the brick wall with one boot up against the wall as he took his drags off the cigarette. "You'd think I didn't even have a bow tie on, the way he stared at me," Sirius said, blowing smoke.

Remus looked around, hands in his pockets. "Some folks just don't understand the punk rock aesthetic that is you, I guess, Padfoot."

"Well, the times they are a'changin'," Sirius sang under his breath.

Remus closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, "Blimey the smells of this place, though, huh?"

Sirius sniffed the air, "Hm, yeah. Good call for the steak, Moony."

"Shame they'll cook it," Remus mused. He opened his eyes and looked around, worried someone might've over heard him saying so.

Sirius snickered. "Should we have gone to a farm instead of a pub?" 

Remus gave him a side-long look.

"Perhaps the zoo?"

"The zoo?" Remus laughed.

"Yeah, you could eat a hippopotamus."

"Too fatty," Remus shook his head, smirking.

"Rhinoceros?"

"Too tough."

"Zebra."

"Too stripey."

"Stripey?"

"Yeah."

"You can't taste the stripes."

"How do you know?" Remus asked.

Sirius didn't know. He took a drag off the cigarette.

When his cigarette was spent, Sirius chucked his butt into the ashtray on one of the large whiskey barrel smoking tables spread about in the little courtyard and followed Remus inside the crowded pub.

As good as it smelled out doors, inside smelled even better, with a warm fireplace heating the tightly packed room. The ceiling had thick wood beams that they'd decorated by hanging all sorts of beer and coffee mugs from, with paneled walls and iron legged tables. There were framed certificates and maps all over the walls and the scent of high-end alcohols filled the air. As soon as they'd crammed into seats in a corner near to the taps and adjacent to the fireplace. Remus basked in the heat from the floo and Sirius quickly ordered a couple pints, which was brought over in record time.

Their meal was very good, though Remus did wish the meat had been a bit more underdone, despite he'd ordered it extremely rare.

They finished up and went for a walk, wandering down the road toward Hatton Gardens. "You know," Remus said, "This is where one of the James Bond films took place." He pointed toward one of the many jewelry shops. "Diamonds are Forever."

Sirius glanced where Remus was pointing. "Yeah Evans made me watch one or two of those - it's more her and Prongs thing... You know, everyone talks about how sexy and grand James Bond was, but he wasn't even an auror - I mean, really, where's the films about a brilliant auror on the trail of some Death Eater or something? There's a few aurors at the Ministry I'd rather enjoy watching in the bath more than Sean Connery."

Remus nodded.

They disapparated 'round the next corner and were still talking about their preferences for who might make a sexier Bond from the list of aurors they'd met at the ministry as they climbed the stairs to the flat. "Oi, perhaps James would be a good replacement?" Sirius grinned. "Could certainly handle seeing him in that bath." He winked. "And his name is James already."

"It's Wednesday, love."

"I know," Sirius said. "I'd save it for viewing on Bank Holidays, don't you worry."

Remus said, "Besides that, James isn't an officially licensed auror yet, he's just in training." 

Sirius said, "Yeah I s'pose that's true. Reckon one of the Prewetts would play at being Bond in a bath?"

"One of the Prewetts, really? I'd rather see Edgar Bones."

"Ooooh - good one, Moony," Sirius said as he pushed opened the door, "Another that would be interesting is Kinglsey Shacklebo-OOHhhhlt!" Sirius cried as he fell forward into the flat.

"What've you done?" Remus asked, stepping through the door after Sirius.

Lily Evans arrived home to find the flat in East London empty, a note on the table from the dogs saying they'd gone for dinner. "Suppose it's just us, then, Rodger," she said as the cat rubbed against her legs. She made herself a cup of tea and took some biscuits and went into the living room, intent on doing a bit of homework, but finding her mind wandering at regular intervals as she drank her tea and Rodger sat sleeping on her lap, purring. She wondered where James was, if Sirius and James hadn't gone tuxedo shopping like he and Sirius had planned to do...?

There was a knock at the door and she stirred, setting aside the books and apologizing the Rodger, who let out a squonk of disapproval as she stood to go to the door. She peered out the curtained window, then opened up. 

"Well hullo," she said, peering down at the young girl that stood on the landing. She knew precisely who it was simply by the descriptions she'd been given and a few chance meetings - it would be quite hard to mistake the bright pink hair for any other.

The little girl held out her hand and shook Lily's firmly. "Hullo, I'm Tonks," the girl said, "And I'd like to see Mr. Remus." 

"Alright," Lily smirked and opened the door wider, inviting the girl in, "He's not home at the moment, but I'm sure he will be shortly. You're welcome to wait."

"Thanks a lot," Tonks said, and she came in, carrying a small red train case like the one Lily kept her cosmetics in.

Lily closed the door behind the child and watched as she put down her train case and looked around. Lily bit her lips. The girl was not bashful, that was for sure, and she had to suppress her laughter for how grown up the little sprite was acting. Couldn't have been more than five or six, Lily estimated.

"Would you care for a cup of tea while you wait?" Lily offered. She'd never spent a lot of time with any children and it made her a bit nervous, as though she wasn't sure what to do.

"Yes please," Tonks said. "What's your name by the way?"

"Lily Evans," Lily answered. She waved her wand and a cup and saucer appeared on the table, and with another flick the kettle from the kitchen came soaring out and poured out the cuppa for the girl.

"Thanks," Tonks said. 

Lily sat back down and, thinking of Professor McGonagall, she held up a tin, "Would you like a biscuit with your tea, Tonks?"

Tonks took three. 

Lily watched the girl dip her biscuit in the tea and eat the sopping end of it off.

"Does your mum know you're here, honey?" Lily asked.

Tonks shook her head, "No." Then, resolutely, with her chin level, "I've run away."

"Oh, I see," Lily murmured. "Why?"

"Because," Tonks said, a heavy, world-laden sigh came from her, "My mum's a meanie."

"I'm sorry," Lily answered. She couldn't believe the sigh coming from this child. As though she had really been put through the ringer.

Tonks nodded, eating the rest of her biscuit and sipping her tea.

"You must've walked a long way with your train case," Lily said.

"Not so far," Tonks replied. "I took the Knight Bus."

"Right," Lily nodded. She felt like she was having a conversation with someone much older. "Still such a long way for a little one to go."

Tonks shrugged.

"I reckon your mum's quite worried about you," Lily added.

The door opened then, and in came Sirius and Remus, and before Lily could say anything, Sirius had dead tripped over the train case and landed on the carpet.

"What've you done?" Remus's voice came from behind Sirius as he stepped in the door to see what had happened.

"Ow," came Sirius's reply from the floor.

"Remus!" Tonks yelled the moment she laid eyes on him.

"Tonks?" Remus said in surprise. "What are you --?"

"She's run away," Lily announced.

Remus turned to Sirius and held his hand, pulling him up from the carpet, "You okay, love?" he asked, and when Sirius nodded, he turned back to Lily and Tonks. "Run away?" he asked, concerned.

Tonks ran over and was hugging Remus about the knees.

"Her poor mother," Lily said, "Probably has every auror in London looking for her already!"

Sirius perked up, and he squinted as his brain worked at processing a thought.

"What made you run away?" Remus asked, bending over to talk to Tonks on her own level.

"Mum's a meanie," Tonks replied.

"Oh?" Remus asked.

"Haaaaang on," Sirius said suddenly, his head cocked to one side. Then he started laughing. "Oh bloody hell, why didn't any of us think of it before...?"

Remus glanced at Sirius.  "What?"

"Oh it's brilliant, of course," Sirius said. "I've got to go and see Longbottom!" And he ducked out the door before Remus or Lily could get a word in edgewise.

Remus sighed. "He's mad - completely mad."

"I wouldn't say completely mad," Lily said, paused, and added, "I think he's missing some parts."