Chapter Text
There is nothing more refreshing than the smell of espresso shots in the air. At least, that’s what Lily thinks. Every morning, she wakes up early to open up the coffee shop, and every late afternoon, she closes it.
“Hey, Evans,” James says as he walks in, late, as usual. He kisses Lily on the cheek, a friendly peck. Nothing personal. “Have you calibrated the shots, then?” he asks, tying on the black apron, rolling up the sleeves of his college sweatshirt.
Lily smiles. “Do you really think I would open without weighing them?” she asks in a teasing tone.
James mans the register, fixing his glasses. He’s good at mental math, better than Lily is. Plus, she hates counting coins. “Hey! What can I get started for you?” he asks a customer right away. He’s better with the customers too.
She prefers working behind the bar; pulling the espresso shots, adding the syrups, steaming milk and mixing it all together. Lily had tried latte art in the past, but it didn’t matter. Customers always put lids on their cups anyway.
They work like this for an hour, maybe two. Two cogs in a well oiled machine. Coworkers. Lily likes working with James, but she can’t imagine spending time with him outside of work. Of course, she knows where he goes to school, his major, and what music he likes to listen to (when he can wrangle the aux cord from her). His friends have visited the shop in the past to embarrass him.
“I have to take a pee,” James says suddenly. “Can you handle everything? I’ll be back soon.”
“Wash your hands, Potter,” Lily says evenly, pulling her hair back in a claw clip after refilling the ice water in the lobby.
James grimaces. “I always do! You know that!” he says, offended.
“I know.” Lily grins, wrinkling her nose.
He steps out. Lily approaches the register. “Hi, what can I get for you?” she asks in a sweet voice. Please use a credit card. Don’t make me count the change, she thinks in her head.
“I’m here for training,” the girl says. As Lily looks at her, she realizes just how beautiful she is. She has wispy, pale blonde hair to her shoulders. She wears ceramic earrings of some sort of shape and muted colors on her sweater. She’s very pretty.
Lily nods, momentarily at a loss for words. “Ah. Come on back,” she says.
“I hope this isn’t too awful. I have a little barista experience. I used to turn the coffee machine on at home.” The girl giggles. “My name is Pandora.”
“Pandora, grab an apron. Things get messy,” Lily says coolly. She doesn’t know why the bosses hired anyone new.
Twenty years ago, Déjà Brew was opened by a man named Albus and his husband, Gellert. They ran it together, a little Mom and Pops small business (or would it be a Pop and Pops? Lily isn’t sure what to call it). As the infrastructure of the city grew, so did the price of the lease. As popular and iconic as it is, Déjà Brew is dying. They aren’t old enough to become a historic landmark and not new enough to be trendy.
“What are you good at?” Lily asks suddenly. Where is James?
“Uh, I don’t know,” Pandora says nervously.
James comes back in, pausing. “New girl,” he says. Really? Thanks, Captain Obvious.
“I’m Pandora,” Pandora says, voice soft and tentative.
“James. James Potter,” James says, giving her a charming smile. I hope he doesn’t try to sleep with her, Lily thinks suddenly, but then retracts it. James is flirty, that’s just his personality. He flirts with everyone, even Lily. He can be with whoever he wants. I don’t care.
Pandora smiles shyly. “I’m here to, uh, to train,” she says, gesturing to Lily.
“Well, can you count and smile?” James asks.
“Last time I checked,” Pandora replies, twisting her fingers together nervously.
“Perfect. I’ll teach you how to use the register,” he cheers, clapping his hands together. James takes Pandora by the shoulders and steers her in the right direction. Lily wipes down the steam wands impatiently.
She wants to listen in to hear him ask Pandora if she has a boyfriend. If he’s flirting with her, isn’t that only polite? Instead, he’s going through the iPad register, tapping and pressing and showing her.
“Usually, it’s two to a shift. It’ll be nice to have more people around. The only people who work are me and Lily,” James says. “Sometimes, when I’m in class, the old boss man has to come around and Lily has to do the register. Albus doesn’t know the difference between an iPad and a laptop.”
Pandora looks at Lily with a smile. Lily glares at James. “My friend’s brother says he likes to come in here. He orders something everyday before work,” she explains excitedly. “He says the drinks made here are always perfect. He’d leave more five star Yelp reviews if he could.”
“Of course they’re perfect. We’re perfect,” James says, flashing Pandora a smile. He’s laying it on thick. “Do you know how to make a latte? I could teach you. We have every flavor syrup imaginable. Even lavender. I don’t think anyone’s ordered one yet.”
“I’ll take a lavender latte.” Pandora shrugs. She steals a look at Lily, but quickly averts her eyes.
While they’re in the back talking about different types of alternative milks, Lily gets to serve one of her favorite customers. “Minerva,” she says, coming up to the register. Déjà Brew has a few regulars—but not many worth noting.
“Lily! How are you, my dear?” Minerva smiles. Okay, one reason she’s Lily’s favorite is because she always uses her card, but she empties the coins from her wallet in the tip jar. Another is because Minerva always brings her wife, Poppy, to the shop every morning.
“Just fine. Chai tea latte?” Lily asks.
Minerva laughs. She’s definitely more outgoing than her wife. “I hope I’m not becoming too predictable,” she says, digging into her leather purse. The old lesbian couple is the most predictable out of any of the customers—coming in promptly at 11:30 every morning and ordering the same drinks every time. Lily likes their consistency.
“Could I just get an Americano? Room for cream, please,” Poppy asks. Lily types it all into the iPad. Minerva hands her the credit card. See? Consistent. Efficient.
“Oh, hey Doc!” James says, holding a carton of oat milk. Pandora is busy grinding coffee beans. “When’d you get here?” James Potter is unobservant.
Minerva smiles. “The same time I always do.”
“Are you giving her the drinks on the house?” James asks Lily.
“Oh, please. I’m more than happy to pay,” Minerva shushes James, waving her hand dismissively. “I’m putting you through college, James. Tell me, have you finished the paper on adolescent psychopathology?”
Dr. Minerva McGonagall is a professor at James’ college, naturally. So, she’s a genius. Lily isn’t sure what Poppy does. She doesn’t talk much.
James chuckles sheepishly. “I’m working on the outline…”
“It’s due in a week, Mr. Potter. Twenty pages,” Minerva says, prim. Lily hands her card back to her. Poppy is busy filling the tip jar with stray quarters, dimes, and nickels from her purse. “Thank you, my dear,” whispers Minerva as they leave.
In the lobby, Minerva and Poppy settle down at one of the small circle tables, laughing and smiling at each other. Lily likes them because someday, she hopes to be them. Someday, she’ll be old, and hopefully she’ll have an equally old wife to color coordinate cashmere sweaters with and laugh about students and overdue work.
A child squeals with delight and Lily watches as they spill a cup of coffee all over the floor. The father sighs loudly and scolds them. “James, clean up out there?” Lily asks, using Pandora’s coffee grounds for Poppy’s Americano.
“But… I’m trying—”
“James,” Lily says, a little more sternly.
He frowns, beginning to step out, accidentally crashing into Pandora. The carton of oat milk explodes all over their aprons, soaking them. “Fuck!” James says under his breath, but everyone behind the bar can hear it.
“I’m so sorry, James. I wasn’t looking where I was going— I’m not usually this clumsy—” Pandora begins to hurriedly apologize.
Lily pulls the mop out for James, handing it to him. “Go,” she says. James groans, stepping out.
She grabs a few rags, handing them to Pandora. Lily begins to scrub the front of the apron roughly, pausing. Maybe it’s weird to clean her like this, but Pandora doesn’t protest. Lily stops, realizing what she’s doing, shoving the rags into Pandora’s hands. Pandora begins to clean herself.
Lily mops the floor, bending close to Pandora. “Have you ever worked retail before?” she asks quietly.
“No, why?” Pandora asks.
“There’s really only one rule,” Lily says, standing upright, collecting all the dirty rags. “Don’t eat where you shit,” she says sharply, tossing them under the sink. No doubt, she’ll be the one to take all the soiled things to wash in her apartment.
Pandora blinks, confusion etched into her features. “Really?”
“It means don’t sleep with your coworkers,” Lily explains, going back to finishing the Chai tea latte. “James flirts with everyone. He wouldn’t make a good boyfriend.” He’d flirted with Lily before—even went so far to ask her on a date to see a movie. Lily declined.
She flushes. “Oh, I’m not—”
“Good,” Lily interrupts her. “Chai tea latte and Americano for Minerva?” It is customary to call out the orders with the customer’s name. Minerva and Poppy are written in Lily’s neat handwriting.
The two ladies come to the bar. Poppy watches James mop, his apron soiled and his expression dark. Minerva smiles at Lily. “Same time tomorrow?” She makes the same joke everyday, but it never gets old.
“See you then,” Lily says.
She’s sad to see them go.
The rest of the afternoon goes swimmingly. James and Pandora settle together away from Lily. James teaches her elementary stuff: Italian sodas (even though only children order them, and only when it’s sunny out), customer service, etcetera. He leaves at 1 for class, and then Lily and Pandora are alone.
“What do you want for lunch?” Lily asks Pandora casually. It usually slows down at this time anyway. The customers behave themselves, but Lily hates leaving the building unattended. Having Pandora here is a blessing.
Pandora shrugs. “What do you usually get?”
“There’s a Subway less than a block from here. When I’m feeling rich, there’s sushi,” Lily says with a smile. They definitely got off on the wrong foot. “I was going to Subway. I’ll pick up your order if you stay here and watch the lobby.”
She brightens. “Just a salad is fine. With croutons, please. Could you bring Italian dressing?” Pandora asks sweetly.
“Sure,” Lily says, taking off her apron. It’s the end of the month and she doesn’t have a lot of money to spare. Pandora picking something cheap? A girl after my own heart! Lily’s wearing some jeans she stole from one of her roommates and a ratty shirt she bought at a concert three years ago. “Laundry day,” she says, taking down her hair. One of Lily’s best qualities is her hair. She knows this.
Pandora stares, then smiles. Lily feels a little self conscious. “Happens to the best of us.” She shrugs, purposefully casual and nonchalant.
Lily disappears, going down the block to the Subway, returning promptly. Fortunately, Pandora has enough sense not to burn the place down. Dependable. “Your salad. They only had dressing in these little packets, so I grabbed a fistful,” she explains.
“Thank you!” Pandora says. It’s nice to see her smile. They pull up chairs in the back of the bar, ready to get up if a customer comes to order. “So, where do you go to school?” she asks casually.
“I don’t.” Lily shrugs. “You?”
“Ilvermorny. Just up the road. I’m a chemistry major,” Pandora says bashfully. “I needed a job to pay for tuition. Scholarships can’t get everything, I suppose.” She stuffs her face with a mouthful of greens.
Lily giggles. “Ilvermorny? That school? Only rich people can afford to go there. It might as well be an Ivy League.”
“They gave me a nice scholarship. I had a 4.0 in high school. If only I did a sport!” Pandora says sourly. “Why not go to school? Do you think you’ll work at a coffee shop forever?” she asks curiously.
“Someday I’ll level up to be a bartender. I probably won’t be able to try what I make, though.” Lily giggles. “Once Déjà Brew is gone, I’ll probably take some sort of class. Or I’ll watch a ton of YouTube videos. Do you think Hank Green has a Crash Course in margaritas?”
Pandora laughs. Lily’s chest warms at this. “You could do standup. You’re funnier than Amy Schumer.”
“That’s not a compliment.” Lily smiles. “Everyone is funnier than Amy Schumer.”
The little bell by the register rings. Lily checks the clock on the wall before explaining another one of her favorite parts of working as a barista—another regular. He’s right on time at 2:30. Lily stands. “Hey, Remus. What can I get for you?”
Remus stands in his rumpled, too-big business suit. “A mocha with almond milk, please,” he says, handing Lily a five dollar bill. “Keep the change. Put it in the tip jar.” He smiles, going to his regular table where he always sits: by the window in the dwindling afternoon sunlight.
Pandora follows Lily with her salad. “Why so chipper? Do you like him?” she asks with a teasing smile. As if!
“No.” Lily smiles, coating a cup with chocolate. She already knows that Remus likes his mocha extra sweet. “That’s Remus Lupin. He works a couple blocks away at that tech startup. Everyday at 2:30, he comes here to work on his laptop. Then, everyday, at 2:45, somebody else comes.”
She rolls her eyes. “That’s typical of working a business, you know.”
“Just you wait. It’s the sweetest thing,” Lily says, pulling the shots. “This guy, Sirius, rides and parks his motorcycle in the spot right by Remus in the window. They always smile and wave and Sirius comes in to order a decaf caramel macchiato. Sirius sits on the other side of the lobby and plays on his phone, but he watches Remus the entire hour. Remus is meant to be working, but he’s watching Sirius too.”
Pandora purses her lips. “Or maybe Sirius is watching to make sure no one steals his motorcycle,” she retorts. “And Remus is watching Sirius because he can feel himself being watched.”
“I’ve set a plan in motion. It’s usually slow. I’ve started putting up Wet floor signs on that side of the room so Sirius has no choice but to sit closer to Remus,” Lily says, stirring Remus’ mocha. “It’s my master plan. Well, James’ master plan too. But it was my idea to bring them closer.”
She chuckles, swallowing her salad. “You must be bored.”
“I hate a slow burn,” Lily says, carrying the mocha out to Remus. “Here’s your mocha, Remus. Let me know if you want anything to eat. Gellert came by this morning with all these scones.” She winks at him and leaves. He’s doing some sort of coding on his computer—Lily doesn’t know a ton about technical computer stuff.
She returns to Pandora, who still seems skeptical.
“I’m serious. Just wait. The motorcycle is very flashy,” Lily says. Pandora rolls her eyes and they sit down again.
Sure enough, at 2:45, the rumbling sound of an engine stirs all three of them—Remus included, of course—as Sirius Black parks his motorcycle, removes his helmet, and lets his perfect black hair spill down his shoulders. Lily and Pandora watch, heads just over the bar, as he smiles and waves at Remus through the window. Remus waves back, going back to his typing, smiling to himself.
Sirius walks in, his helmet under his arm. “Hello, Lily,” he says with a delightful grin. Everything about him is handsome, everything about him pulls everyone in. Remus definitely isn’t the only one staring at him.
“Do you want your usual?” Lily asks. Remus is definitely staring. He’s not even trying to hide it. Granted, it’s safe because Sirius’ back is turned and the lobby is empty. It’s still fun to watch.
He pulls out his card—one of those special American Express cards. It’s obvious that Sirius is rich. “Yes, please. Are you training someone new? Who’s this? Or did James change his hair and lose a couple inches?”
“Pandora,” Pandora says. “I am new. Regulus told me about this place. I applied. They’re giving me a shot.”
Lily swipes his card. Remus catches her eye, looking away to do his work more diligently.
“Oh, Regulus’ friend, Pandora. From Ilvermorny,” Sirius says, snapping his fingers in recognition. “I thought I knew you from somewhere. We’re probably friends on Facebook. I swear I hardly check it anymore.” Lily rotates the iPad register towards Sirius, who picks a tip amount (he always picks the largest one) and fingers his signature against the screen before twisting it back.
Pandora smiles as Lily hands him his card back. “I’ll get the decaf caramel macchiato ready for you,” Lily says with a smile, turning to look at Pandora. “Do you want to learn how to make it?” she asks her.
Sirius turns, card in hand, looking at all the restricted tables. He has no choice but to sit on Remus’ side of the lobby. Lily can hear him sigh, setting his helmet down on the table furthest from Remus, pulling out his phone. Old habits die hard. He glances up at Remus every now and then.
“Yes, please,” Pandora says.
Lily quickly walks through the process: pulling the decaf shots, coating the cup in caramel, steaming the milk and mixing it all together, complete with a caramel drizzle and a splash of cinnamon. “Would you like to walk it out to him?”
Pandora accepts the drink. “Yes,” she says eagerly, walking it out. Lily watches as Sirius thanks her for it, continuing a whispered conversation between the pair. Remus watches him again. Lily knows that kindness to service workers is an attractive trait—so is tipping large amounts and being respectful and patient. Does Sirius have any unattractive traits?
She returns. “Now what?” Pandora asks.
“Now we wait,” Lily says with a smile.