JULIET {remus lupin}

TWENTY SIX

Remus' Christmas was worse than he could have imagined. He never thought that he would miss his father, but he found himself wishing that Lyall was there with them. Hope, his mother, didn't speak to her son very much, she slept a lot and Remus couldn't help but worry for her health. She had sobbed at the scars on his face and cursed Lyall, saying it was all his fault. The woman had lost a lot of weight and their small house was untidy and coming undone. 

He felt guilty for admitting it, but Remus wished that he was at the Potter's.

Hope didn't get him anything for Christmas, he had given her a framed picture of her and Lyall, which had only made her cry more. She talked about feeling like it was her fault that he died, and Remus said that it was his. She agreed with that. When he had suggested moving into a muggle town she had argued with him, saying that Lyall would never forgive her if she left the house they had lived in together. He reminded her that Lyall was dead and would not know what she did.

The only relief Remus had over the Christmas week was the letters he received from his friends. Sirius and James had sent him Honeydukes chocolate, and a wolf cuddly toy that they said they found in muggle London. Sirius had told him about buying a motorcycle too, saying that he and James were making it magical. Remus wished he was there. Lily wrote to him too, asking about his mother and complaining about her sister and her fiance. Peter was the only one who didn't, it didn't massively bother Remus.

On the 30th December Remus got a letter from James and Sirius, both begging him to leave his mother's.

Moony,

Sorry to hear your Christmas was shit- ours was great.

Prongs wrote that, ignore it. He's brainless. My motorcycle is great, we're working on it constantly and desperately need your brains. Prongs is useless, Evans hasn't written to him once and he won't shut up about the 'progress' that he'd made with her. I need you here to remind him that he doesn't stand a chance with her.

Try and come to the Potter's for New Year's, Fleamont is having some old Hogwarts friends over and it seems like a great opportunity for us to sneak out. I have come up with an incredible prank which may or may not involve my old family. Try and make it, mate. It's only a few days before you leave, anyway. And there's a room ready for you.

Let us know,

Padfoot and Prongs.

PS- have you heard from Lily?

Shut up Prongs.

Remus grinned as he read the letter, he was desperate to see Sirius' new motorbike and although a prank on the Black family sounded like instant death, it certainly sounded a lot better than what he was doing here.

"Mum?" He said quickly, glancing at where she sat at the table, drinking tea and staring into space.

"Mm?"

"I'm leaving a little earlier, on New Year's Eve."

"Okay."

"Is that alright?"

"Of course," she smiled absentmindedly. 

"Er- okay. That's tomorrow."

"I know."

"Right. Well, I'll go and pack."

"You do that."

"Mum?"

"Mm?"

"You'll think about what I said? About moving?"

"Lyall wouldn't like it."