Chapter 1
James
‘Padfoot! We're going to be late!’
‘Don't rush me Prongs! Perfection takes time!’
Sighing, James leaned against the doorframe. Was it too much to ask to be on time for once in your life? And today it was important to make a good impression.
A week ago, James and Sirius had lost their jobs. They had recently started living together and therefore had to cover the costs. James' parents had offered to help them out, but they didn't want to be a burden.
So they found themselves working at Winged Fries. This was a fast food chain that sold chicken wings and fries. James had been confident. It may not have been the best-paying job, but he could work with his best friend.
However, their employment only lasted a month. Because when James and Sirius accidentally dropped the new batch of ice cream into the fryer, their boss wasn't so lenient after all. So their career at Winged Fries had come to an end.
They spent the next week desperately looking for a new job. Sirius researched on the internet while James went jogging past shops. They had almost given up hope when their saviour presented himself in the form of Sirius' younger brother.
Regulus Black had been working in a shop in the city centre for some time. He had informed Sirius that they were looking for new employees. James hadn't seen Regulus for years.
Sirius had a difficult family situation. Or in other words, his parents were satan reincarnated. Sirius and his brother had a complicated relationship for a long time, but from what James could tell, they were closer again.
Sirius was able to arrange an interview for this morning. This could be the chance to get a new job. If they ever left the house.
At that moment, Sirius came racing down the stairs. He was wearing baggy jeans with holes in them and a white button-up tucked into his trousers. He was wearing his leather jacket, which he never left the house without. James surmised that he was only wearing the button-up to look more business-like, as they were going to a job interview after all. Sirius stood in front of James and struck a pose. James rolled his eyes.
‘If you're waiting for a compliment, you can forget it. We're late.’
Sirius glared at James and began to put on his own shoes. James wished it wouldn't take so long to tie the Doc Martens. He himself was wearing Convers, which he thought were vastly superior.
Once Sirius was finished, they finally started walking towards the town centre. Halfway there they started jogging, as they were expected in three minutes.
In the end, they were only slightly late when they stood in front of the building. There was a green sign on the roof that read ‘SaveWay+’. James was informed by Sirius that this was the name of the shop. When they stepped through the door, a girl was already waiting for them.
She had a blonde wolf-cut and eyeliner that even Sirius would have been jealous of. Over her black crop top, she wore a light green waistcoat with ‘SaveWay+’ printed on it. She had pinned on a name tag that read ‘Marlene’. She grinned and held out a hand to James.
‘Hi, I'm Marlene. I assume you're here for the interview?’
James smiled back and shook her hand.
‘Nice to meet you Marlene. My name is James and this is Sirius. Are you going to do the interview?’
Marlene shook her head with a laugh.
‘No, absolutely not. Regulus would never leave me with so much responsibility. He just wants me to show you the way.’
James exchanged a puzzled look with Srius.
‘Is Regulus your boss?’
Marlene laughed as she led them both into the shop.
‘Pretty much. He's the assistant manager.’
Sirius looked at James in surprise. Regulus had kept that little detail quiet.
Marlene led them to a table at the back of the shop. There were two chairs on one side, and James and Sirius sat down in them.
Across from them sat a guy with sand-coloured hair and amber eyes. He had a large scar on his face that ran from his cheekbone across his nose to the inner corner of his eye. He also wore a light green waistcoat. His name tag read ‘Marc’. He grinned at James.
‘Welcome to SaveWay+’
James smiled and shook his hand too.
‘We're grateful to be here! Nice to meet you, Marc.’
The guy looked at him confused, before his eyes widened and he started to laugh.
‘My name is Remus.’
Now James was confused.
‘Why does your name tag say Marc?’
Remus smiled slightly.
‘I don't like it when customers call me by my name. So you're here for the interview, right? What are your names?’
James smiled kindly.
‘My name is James Potter.’
Remus nodded slightly before turning to Sirius. But he seemed to be in shock. He stared at Remus, mouth slightly agape. James kicked him lightly under the table, snapping him out of his thoughts. Sirius flinched slightly and gave James a glare before turning to Remus with a grin.
‘I'm Sirius. Sirius Black.’
Remus smirked.
‘So you're Reg's brother, then. I've heard a lot about you. You're quite the celebrity around here.’
Sirius blushed slightly as James chuckled. He should have known Sirius wouldn't last ten minutes before he developed another crush. Remus took a clipboard in his hands and looked at the two of them promptly.
‘Do you have any work experience?’
James decided to answer as Sirius had already started to stare again.
‘We worked at Winged Fries for a month before we got fired.’
Remus nodded slowly as he took notes.
‘And why were you fired?’
‘We dropped the ice cream in the fryer!’ Sirius blurts.
Remus' eyes widened before he started laughing and shook his head. James gave Sirius a pointed look. They should advertise themselves here if they want the job. Remus was still laughing as he put his clipboard back down.
‘I think you'll fit in well with the group. You're just what we need here to make everyday life a bit interesting again.’
James exchanged an excited glance with Sirius.
‘We got the job?’
Remus nodded with a smile. He started packing up his stuff.
‘Reg is going to kill me. He's put all his faith in me.’
Sirius smiled at him.
‘Are you friends with my brother?’
Remus laughed softly.
‘You could say that. But don't tell him I said that.’
James gave Sirius a fistbump before grinning at Remus.
‘When should we start?’