You didn’t expect to see him, not here, not in a secondhand bookstore of all places. It was a quiet Wednesday afternoon, the kind of day that invited you to get lost in the pages of a book, away from the real world for a while. The bell above the door rang softly as you walked in, the smell of old paper and dust filling the air.

You were mindlessly flipping through a shelf of well-worn novels when you heard a familiar, quiet voice from a few feet away.

“Didn’t think I’d ever see you in a place like this.”

You froze, your heart skipping. You recognized that voice immediately, even after all these years. You turned around slowly, half-expecting to see someone else, but no—there he was. Remus, standing just a few feet away, his pale face a little thinner than you remembered, dark circles under his eyes. He wore a faded coat that looked like it had seen better days. The years had passed, and time had taken its toll, but the familiar warmth in his eyes made your breath catch in your throat.

“Remus?” you said, your voice softer than you intended.

His lips quirked into a tired smile. “I think I owe you an apology, don’t I?”

You blinked, unsure of how to respond. It had been years, after all—years since Hogwarts, since everything that had happened. You had parted ways, not because of anything particular, but because life had just… carried you away.

“I didn’t think I’d run into you either,” you admitted, your hands clutching the book in front of you for something to hold onto.

His smile softened. “I didn’t forget your favorite book, you know.”

Remus smiled, and for a moment, it felt like no time had passed at all. He reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a worn copy of the book you used to read together late at night in the library. Your favorite book. He held it out to you with a soft chuckle.

“Found it at a secondhand shop a while ago. Thought you might want it back.”