A Lupine Christmas
Alice did not return to school until after the Christmas break, just as Peter had predicted. The morning following her departure the students were, once again, frantically scouring the pages of the Daily Prophet for any hint as to whom Mr. Gordon’s murderer may have been. Speculations arose, but only the teachers knew the identity of the killer and refused to share this information with the students. The Gryffindor students, in particular, were anxious to discover the identity of the attacker, yet their efforts bore no results and they were just as lost as the other houses. Lily kept up a constant correspondence with Alice over her absence, as did Frank, and reported to the remaining Gryffindor second years how Alice was doing. Each report, unfortunately, was the same “ she was getting on well enough.
The Halloween Feast did not hold the same cheer it usually did, though Professor Dumbledore and the rest of the staff tried his best to make it pleasurable. He had lined up a ghoul to sing. Peeves put on an unannounced (and unexpected) spectacle involving eight students having pumpkins smashed over their heads, and Nearly Headless Nick played an instrument that sounded like nails scraping against a chalkboard. The food was delicious as always, but many of the students, mostly Gryffindors, were not interested in eating it. The professors saw the students’ lack of interest in the feast and called an early ending, which turned out well enough as Peeves was about to bring down a few suits of armor. The students trudged to their common rooms, talking mundanely about whatever they happened to be thinking.
Shortly after Halloween, Remus began his tutoring sessions with Lily. She was more than happy to help him and had an incredible amount of patience, which only benefited her charge. It took Remus an enormous amount of time to grasp the simplest concept, no matter how easily Lily explained it. Professor Slughorn allowed them access to the classroom and the storeroom so Remus could practise concocting the potions Lily was teaching him about. Lily proved to be an exceedingly gifted teacher. She had managed within the first week to teach Remus how to create a successful Swelling Solution. It was the first potion he had ever brewed that did not explode or fall into uselessness.
The first Quidditch match of the season took place in the middle of November and it was between the age old rivals - Gryffindor verses Slytherin. The tensions between the two teams were high; there were daily duels in the hallways, most of them resulting in one or two students ending up in the Hospital Wing with something sprouting out of their noses or ears. James, being one of the new and more skilled teammates, was the target of many of these attacks. He had been forced to hex a number of students in return, much to the infuriation of his professors. Professor McGonagall promised that after the match he would be receiving a painfully difficult detention. James didn’t care, though. His hexing was purely self-defence, and if he happened to get a Slytherin good, that was all for the better.
The day of the match dawned bright, sunny and windless “ the perfect Quidditch conditions. James headed to the changing rooms after being wished good luck by his friends. The whole team was assembled in the room, already wearing their scarlet robes, and listening to Cory Hamilton’s pre-game pep talk. James listened intently as he pulled on his scarlet robes. Hamilton knew everything that could be known about how the Slytherin team played. He knew the name and execution of every one of their moves, the faults and triumphs of each member. He seemed so caught up in his speech that he had not noticed it was time to play. His voice caught in his throat and he could do no more except jerk his head towards the door.
The match proved to be a short one, a shock to many. Usually the matches between Gryffindor and Slytherin were so competitive the game would last an hour at the least, this one lasted only a little over a half an hour. But Gryffindor knew their opponents better than Slytherin did and, with Hamilton as their Seeker, the Golden Snitch was caught extremely quickly. To add to the massacre, the three Chasers had already scored a hundred points. The Slytherins left the pitch angrily, speaking mutinously about the next time they would face the Gryffindors. The Gryffindor team laughed at this, shouting that they looked forward to beating them a second time. As a result of the match, James was immediately hailed as one of the best Chasers Hogwarts had seen in years, a title he willingly took to.
December brought a fresh batch of snow and the prospect of Christmas holiday. A few days before Professor McGonagall would take down the names of those remaining at the castle, Remus raised a proposition to his friends. They were sitting at the Gryffindor table, having dinner, when he brought it up.
“You know, my parents wrote to me and said I could invite you three over for Christmas this year… if your folks don’t mind, I mean.”
Sirius’s face split into a grin. “My parents will be glad to see me gone.”
“I’ll take that as a yes?”
“Definitely.”
“What about you two?” Remus looked at James and Peter.
“Sorry, mate,” James said, shaking his head. “But my parents have already decided that we’re going out of town for Christmas, and they want me there.”
“That’s alright. Where are you going?”
“Probably France again, they’re not sure yet.”
“Cool. What about you, Peter?”
“Can’t. We’re going to visit some cousins in Belgium.”
“Sounds fun.”
“Wait,” Sirius said, looking up from his stew, “is Christmas a good… time… for you?”
Ever since they had found out Remus’s secret they were never sure how to refer to it in public. Often James referred to it as a bad time of the month for Remus, who quickly became annoyed with it, saying that it made him sound like a girl. Now they just lowered their voices and asked if it was a good time.
“No… it’s a few days before.” He stabbed a roast potato with his fork. “It won’t be a problem.”
“It’s not very big, probably a lot smaller than your house, but-”
“It’s wicked, Remus.”
They had just arrived at the Lupin house and Sirius and Remus were standing in the middle of the living room, leaning on their trunks. Other than the Potter mansion, Sirius had rarely seen a house so welcoming. The fire Mrs. Lupin had lit was crackling pleasantly in the grate and there was the smell of fish coming from the kitchen where she was cooking. The house was not yet decorated for the holidays, but it held a Christmas air about it, the snow outside adding immensely to the effect. Sirius didn’t understand why Remus was trying to make an excuse about the size of his house; anything was nicer than his own house. This house looked as though actual people owned it, not certified psychopaths.
“Well, I guess I’ll show you where you’re sleeping.”
The boys picked up their trunks and Sirius followed Remus up the stairs to his bedroom. Remus’s bedroom hung over the downstairs, which was visible through the railings at the head of his room. The walls were, like the downstairs, wooden paneled, as was the floor, and were covered with photos Remus had taken and a red and gold scarf Remus had nailed above the window over his bed. There was a bookshelf to the left of Remus’s bed and it was filled with a number of different coloured covers and different sized spines. There was a desk perpendicular to the shelf and perched on top of the desk, in the midst of a clutter of balled up parchment, was a contraption Sirius had never seen before. It was a large square box with a sort of curved tube coming out of the top.
“What the bloody hell is that?” Sirius asked, pointing at it as though it might jump up and eat him.
“It’s a phonograph,” Remus replied, sitting down at his desk and picking up what looked like a needle.
“A phono-what?”
“A phonograph. It plays music.”
“How?”
Remus stood up and went over to his bed. He stooped down to his knees and pulled out a thin, square box. He turned it over on its side and a round disc fell into his hands. He placed it on the top of the phonograph and placed the needle on it. After a moment or so, he began to hear music coming from the large tube.
“Wow,” Sirius said in awe.
“My mum got it for me for my eleventh birthday.”
“After you got your letter?”
“Yeah, she was so proud she wanted me to have something I’d really like.”
Sirius grinned. Remus’s parents must have been thrilled when their son received his Hogwarts letter. They had probably convinced themselves long ago that Remus would never have to opportunity to gain an education because of what he was. He could see why Mrs. Lupin would want to get him something special.
“What’s the name of these people?” Sirius asked, sitting down on his cot, which was set up at the end of Remus’s bed.
“The Rolling Stones.”
“Never heard of them.”
“Well, you wouldn’t. They’re Muggles.”
After the song faded away, Remus removed the needle from the disc and replaced it back under his bed. They returned downstairs and Sirius sat down at the piano bench. He had somehow not noticed the large instrument when he first came in. The piano stood against the wall across from the couch and looked as though it had just been cleaned. Sirius pushed the cover over the keys back and ran his fingers down the board.
“Very good, Sirius,” Remus laughed as he sat down on the couch.
“And you can do better?”
“Actually… yes.”
Sirius slid over to make room for his friend and gestured for him to show off. Remus hesitated before taking a seat beside Sirius. He raised his fingers over the keys but did not begin to play until Sirius pressed his hands onto the piano, resulting in a loud, obnoxious jumble of noise. Sirius grinned playfully at Remus and nudged him in the shoulder. Knowing that Sirius was not going to give up, Remus forced himself to play a song that often reduced his mother to tears, as he mentioned to Sirius. He chanced looking up at his friend as his fingers raced across the keys. Sirius’s mouth was slightly open and he looked like he had never heard anything quite like the song before.
“Merlin,” Sirius said when the last notes faded away as Remus released the peddle. “That was good.”
“Thanks,” Remus said, lazily playing a scale.
“I didn’t know you could play the piano.”
“My mum taught me when I was younger.” When he had turned six his mother and father had gone out for the day, leaving him with his grandmother. When they returned Remus’s father and a few other men were pushing the large object through the front door. His mother came in behind them and, when she saw her bewildered son, explained that she wanted him to learn to play the piano. She later called it a good way to vent his anger when he needed to.
“Can I learn that, whatever it is?” Sirius asked keenly.
Remus laughed. “It’s called Canon in D and that took me two and a half months to learn. I can’t teach it to you in three weeks.” Sirius frowned and looked at his friend with the most pathetic expression he could muster. “Maybe I have something easier. Get up.” When Sirius was standing, Remus pushed up the top of the bench and rummaged through the scattered sheets of music. He drew up a single sheet and placed it on the piano. “This should be simple enough.”
“What is it?”
“A minuet, it’s one of the first songs I learned.” He studied the notes, trying to recall how it sounded, before playing the piece.
“Remus, I haven’t heard you play in ages.” Mrs. Lupin had come into the room and was watching her son happily.
“Haven’t had time,” Remus mumbled, producing a pencil from the top of the piano and writing on the paper.
“Did you play my favourite song for Sirius?”
“Yes he did, Mrs. Lupin,” Sirius said. He wondered why Remus suddenly looked embarrassed. It wasn’t long before he discovered the answer.
“You should pick a song with lyrics, that way you could sing it.”
“Mum.”
“You sing, mate?”
“Not well.”
“Nonsense, Remus. You have a wonderful voice.”
“Sing for me, Remus,” Sirius jibbed, elbowing his friend in the ribs.
“What is this? Embarrass Remus Day?”
His mother laughed good-naturedly. “Oh, Remus, we’re not laughing at you.”
Sirius coughed in a rather obvious way, earning nothing except a shove in the shoulder from Remus, which almost knocked him off the bench. “So violent,” Sirius said in disbelief.
“Dinner will be ready in an hour, boys.” Mrs. Lupin disappeared into the kitchen, smiling and humming to herself as she left.
“I like your mother,” Sirius said as he watched Remus write numbers under the musical notes.
“That’s good.”
“Especially since she gave me blackmail!”
“Merlin…”
“Why are you so embarrassed that you can sing and play the piano?”
“I’m not embarrassed.”
“Yes, you are. Listen, mate, girls are suckers for guys who can sing.”
Remus grinned in spite of himself. “I’m sure they’ll really go for a singing werewolf then.” He replaced the sheet music on the stand and pointed to the numbers. “Count that for me, will you?”
Sirius looked at him, confused. “Why?”
“Just do it.”
Still bemused, Sirius counted the numbers Remus had written, wondering the entire time why Remus was playing as he counted; it was distracting. An hour later Remus had only accomplished teaching Sirius how to read the notes, both in the bass and treble cleft. Though he had managed that, he could hardly teach Sirius to play a measure. Sirius was enthusiastic, but too much so. Remus didn’t have the patience that Lily had when she was tutoring him. After a while, however, he suspected that Sirius was messing up on purpose just to get a rise out of him.
“Like this, Sirius,” Remus said in a carefully calm voice. He played the measure and made Sirius repeat him. “No…” He played it again and Sirius tried once more. “You’re just doing this to bug me.” Sirius nodded pleasantly and tried to play it again. “Play-the-measure-like-this-you-stupid-git.”
Sirius let out a barking laugh and almost toppled backwards off the bench. “I got you to sing!”
“What?”
“Right there!”
“I didn’t.”
“Yes you did…”
“Merlin!” Remus jumped off his seat and walked around the room very fast, trying to block out Sirius singing “I got Remus to sing” in a horribly loud voice. When Remus was calm enough to sit down, he pushed Sirius down, shoved his hands on the keys and played the song hand over hand.
When they finished, Sirius was looking rather pleased with himself. “Told you I could play it.”
It was early in the evening on the twenty first. The sky was a deep purple, almost black, and it was only five. The winter solstice brought the shortest day of the year and also one of the worst recoveries Remus ever had to endure after a full moon. Sirius had listened in shock the previous night as his friend’s scream ripped the still winter air to shreds. He had to admit, he greatly admired Mr. and Mrs. Lupin. They managed to keep themselves together long enough to help their son. The nine years of experience must have hardened them, though not to the point of indifference. Sirius doubted they would ever reach that point; they loved Remus far too much.
Remus had slept most of the day, using his dog as a pillow. The only time he ever woke up was to use the bathroom, and that was only twice. Sirius heard Mr. Lupin saying to his wife that this was the worst they had seen since July when he had the allergic reaction to the potion. Remus had sustained three broken ribs, dangerously deep lacerations, his ankle was swollen to the size of a Bludger, and his eyes were bruised. Sirius couldn’t even think of the remaining injuries that he had not heard. He spent the majority of the day sitting on his bed and leafing through the books on Remus’s shelf. He read bits and pieces, not really taking in the words, but needing something to do with his time.
Remus stirred a little after five. He seemed surprised to find the house so dark, though the lights were lit, giving off a calm glow. “What time is it?” he asked tiredly.
“A little after five,” Sirius replied, setting the book he was reading down. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I listened to you play the piano.”
“That bad, huh?”
Remus began to laugh, only to stop when his sides could not handle the movement. “Can you do me a favour?”
“Sure, Remus.”
“Help me sit up for a minute? I think Dommie wants to get out.” His dog’s side must have been numb from where his head had lain on all day. Sirius lightly gripped Remus’s arm and held him up long enough for Dommie to scurry off the bed and down into the darkened living room. Remus fell back into the position he was originally laying in, which looked rather uncomfortable to Sirius.
“Are you comfortable like that?”
“Not really, but I’m kind of stuck like this.”
“Here, I’ll help you-”
“No, I’m fine like this.”
Sirius retreated back to his seat at Remus’s desk. He picked up his book again and flipped through the pages. Then, deciding that he was in no mood to read, he looked up at Remus. “Listen, I’m sorry about giving you a hard time the other day. If you were embarrassed, I shouldn’t have made fun of you like I did.” He had never properly apologised for making fun of Remus and probably driving him up several tall walls at once.
Remus shifted slightly so he could see Sirius. “It’s okay.”
“But if you were embarrassed about-”
“I wasn’t, it’s just… it’s probably a talent I won’t have much longer.”
“What do you mean?”
“You heard me last night; my transformations aren’t going to get better as I get older. They’ll get worse and my screaming will get louder and I’ll probably have a tough time even talking.”
Sirius said nothing. Despite the fact that they had discovered the story behind Remus’s Lycanthropy, he had never heard Remus speak much about it. It was a topic they successfully tried avoiding. He hated the idea that his friend could have a talent when he was young but then, because of his condition, have it taken away. It didn’t seem fair, though Sirius was quickly learning that many things in life were unfair. Sirius turned away and began fiddling with the needle on the phonograph.
“You can put something on, if you want,” Remus said when he saw what Sirius was doing.
“It won’t bother you?” It looked as though Remus was going to fall asleep at any moment and he didn’t want the music to disturb him.
“I sleep with music on all the time.” He yawned widely. “Helps me fall asleep.”
Sirius shrugged and began searching under Remus’s bed for one of those strange discs. He sifted through the various covers, chuckling to himself at the strange titles. Muggles… He came upon a disc with the strangest title across it. It was by something called The Beatles, but he saw no bugs, just people.
“Beatles?” he said, bemused. “Like bugs?”
“Beatles like Ringo… George… John,” Remus replied sleepily.
Sirius considered the disc for a moment before getting up to play it. The needle scratched the rotating black disc and faintly the music began. Sirius sat down and listened quietly to it. He could understand why Remus liked it; it was a nice song. It wasn’t hard on the ears and he could easily see his friend trying eagerly to learn it on the piano. He wouldn’t have been surprised if Remus had already tried. Let it be… let it be… He stared out the window above Remus’s bed, which revealed a darkened starry sky. The sky looked different here in the country than it did in London, it looked more inviting. Sirius knew this was probably because his family was far away and he was in a place where he was wanted. Mr. and Mrs. Lupin had been so kind to him. They treated him as one of their own sons.
Sirius peered at Remus and saw that he seemed to be sleeping once more. He stood up and headed for the stairs. Mr. Lupin had offered him a round of Exploding Snap, saying that they both had a fair chance of winning. Sirius thought it may be fun and he knew that Mr. Lupin also needed something to keep his mind off his recovering son. What better way to do that then with a game? Before descending the stairs he glimpsed over the railing and saw Mr. Lupin sitting on the couch, holding a book in one hand and scratching Dommie behind the ear with his other. The music was still playing, the same song coming slowly to an end. As the last line played, Sirius could have sworn he heard another melodic voice along with it.
“Whisper words of wisdom, let it be…”
Christmas morning dawned very early with Sirius jumping on Remus’s bed and singing “God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs.” Startled, Remus fell sideways off his bed and onto the cold wooden floor. Getting over the initial shock, Remus knew there was nothing else to do except join in. Remus’s parents and grandparents were less than thrilled with the early wakeup call, but got over it quickly. Despite that they had gotten over their abrupt awakening, they did make Remus and Sirius wait an hour before they could open whatever gifts they may have gotten. They passed the time poking at the piano as Sirius made a truly honest attempt to learn the song Remus had begun teaching him.
It was eight in the morning when Remus’s parents and grandparents appeared in the living room, fully dressed. Mrs. Lupin lit the Christmas tree and began passing out the presents to their owners. Presents from James and Peter had managed to brave the snowfall and were resting comfortably under the branches of the trees, waiting for Remus and Sirius to unwrap them. Sirius was surprised to find two gifts from James for him. One was a small cylindrical container that bore no title whatsoever. Curious, Sirius pulled the top off and a bunch of compressed tubes released themselves into his face. Remus stifled a laugh at Sirius’s shocked face and then occupied himself with the copy of Hogwarts: A History James had sent him. James’s second present for Sirius was far more pleasing than the first. It was a personalized copy of Quidditch through the Ages.
“James got carried away with the books, eh Remus?” Sirius said, flipping causally through the pages.
“They’re not bad ones,” Remus said, glancing through the table of contents of his book.
Mrs. Lupin picked up a box decorated with red and gold wrapping paper. She read the label and passed it to Sirius. “‘From Remus to Sirius.’” Sirius took the package and glanced at Remus, who was absorbed in the cover of a record his parents had given him. He didn’t even seem to have heard his mother. The gift was fairly light, the weight staying mainly around the middle. Sirius flipped it over to the side Remus had put together with Spellotape and broke the seal. Sirius crumpled up the paper, placed it in his lap and turned the gift over.
“I’m getting better at thinking up gifts for people,” Remus said, finally looking up from his record.
It was a picture Remus had taken at the end of first year. He, Remus, James and Peter were lying on James’s bed, talking about some nonsense or other and Remus had whipped out his camera. He pressed a button on it and in an instant had his wand out and was levitating it in the air, while they made the most ridiculous faces they could. Sirius grinned at his photo image; he was trying to look as cool and stud-like as possible, though it was impossible because Remus was in the process of giving him a noogie with his free hand. James was ruffling his hair, chuckling happily at the floating camera. Peter, who was sandwiched in between Sirius and Remus, was sticking his tongue out. What was more was that Remus had framed it with a silver frame decorated with a lion, a serpent, a badger and a raven on each corner.
“Remus, this is great,” Sirius said, not removing his gaze from the photo.
“And I used the potion you guys gave me for my birthday last year.” Remus prodded his photographic self, who quickly retaliated by trying to slap his finger away.
“It’s brilliant.” Sirius carefully set it aside and clapped Remus on the shoulder.
“Here’s the last one,” Remus’s grandmother, Gabriella, said. She was holding a small box wrapped in navy blue paper. “‘From Sirius to Remus.’ Here you are, Remus.”
Remus quickly unwrapped it and pulled open the flaps on the box. Inside he could see something round catching the light. He turned the box over and a snow globe fell into his hand. Remus peered inside it and saw it was a forest scene. A crescent moon was suspended in the air while the snow fell as Remus shook the globe lightly. He then saw a wolf running through the miniature trees and pausing to bay at the moon above. Remus glanced up at Sirius, who was suddenly looking apprehensive, as if that wasn’t the best of presents. Remus could also see his parents and grandparents looked them same. They had nothing to worry about, absolutely nothing.
He cracked a smile and laughed. “Brilliant.”