Harry Potter Stories

One Little Mistake (M/E)

Summary: 

After being mistaken for a stranger's wife in a coffee shop, Remus is drawn into the most chaotic friend group of all time, and maybe even finds a boyfriend. (Modern setting... no magic)

Ships:

James/Lily

Sirius/Remus

_____

Nearly splitting his face in two, James let out a thunderous yawn, not paying attention to where he was walking. Lily, always one step ahead, swiftly swung the door open to James' favorite coffee shop just in time to prevent him from colliding with it. He weakly raised his hand in a feeble wave of thanks, too tired to do anything else until he had downed his much-needed caffeine fix.

It was too early for him to be awake, let alone function as a normal human being. He couldn't fathom how Lily did it every day. As a surgeon, he kept odd work hours, but never anything as strenuous as Lily's schedule. As a dedicated reporter, Lily tirelessly worked around the clock, gathering information and crafting articles without pause, not slowing down even at night. She often slipped into bed around 5 A.M. or later, contrasting her advice to James about not staying up late playing soccer with their son.

This was exactly what James did the night before, despite Lily's reminder that he promised to walk her to her new job as a reporter for a well-known and reputable newspaper. After working years in the sports industry, Lily was excited to branch out into meaningful topics. James played soccer in high school and college, but Lily had different interests, like climate change and the impact of hostile architecture on marginalized groups.

James couldn't help but give in to Harry's request because of how irresistibly adorable the five-year-old was. Agreeing to the late-night soccer tournament seemed like a brilliant idea initially, but as James now dealt with gritty eyes and a pounding headache accompanying the low music in the background, he was starting to regret the decision.

Fortunately, their college friend Peter was a godsend who helped Lily and James by babysitting Harry during the week, allowing them to avoid the hassle of shuttling Harry back and forth from daycare on days when James would rather be dead than alive.

Lily shot an 'I told you so' look at James once he stumbled into the building, but otherwise let him regret his choices in silence. He audibly groaned at the sight of the lengthy queue of customers that snaked through the building. Why were there so many people in this specific coffee shop so early in the morning? That was part of the reason James and Lily came to this one. It was out of their way slightly, but it had the best coffee and was usually void of other customers at this time.

Upon noticing that James was preoccupied with watching the clock, likely willing time to move faster, Lily pulled his buzzing phone from his back pocket to check his messages. She smiled at a heartwarming picture of Harry snuggled on Peter's lap, embracing a fluffy black dog on their cozy couch. At least someone was having a good morning.

Lily missed the line moving because she was distracted by the phone, so when she looked up, she was met with empty air and the sight of her husband reaching for a strange man's hand. How James lost sight of his red-headed wife who he adored, and mistook a random man for her, even while sleep-deprived, would always be one of life's greatest mysteries.

Lily did nothing to prevent the coming awkward situation as James grabbed the stranger's hand, leaned against him, and said, "This is crazy! Why are there so many people here this morning? There's never been so many people here at this time before."

"I wouldn't know, sir. I don't come here often in the mornings," the man replied, staring at James as if he lost his head, but responding politely.

James was startled by the voice that was not Lily's. He glanced at the hand he held, surprised to find scarred skin and a ringless finger instead of the smooth expanse of Lily's hand and her carefully chosen wedding ring, before glancing at the person he was attached to. A kind smile and more scars met him when he did. "You're not my wife," James said, blushing to the roots of his hair.