Four To The End (prev Shifting Lines) Book Three (Marauders Era)

Chapter Seventy-Seven - Christmas

Author's note: Sorry it took so long to get this out, internet's been out ALL DAY! Also sorry if there's any mistakes, I want to get it out quickly before the internet goes out again so not gonna proof-read it a final time like I usually do... sorry!

CW gore in reference to the leg thing

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Remus decorated the little tree his friends had left him. There were loads of decorations under James's bed, including a small box marked 'tree topper'. He opened it to find a round picture frame with a photo of the four of them inside. He attached it to the top of the tree, grinning at their laughing faces, already missing his friends.

After a long nap, he took all his homework assignments down to the library to work on them, marveling at the utter silence. It was like when a Quidditch game was going on. Except this was going to last two weeks.

There were a few other students at the castle. Mostly older ones. Fifth years and seventh years especially, studying carefully for their O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts. But there were so few there that the four house tables had been removed from the Great Hall when he went in for supper; there was only the High Table and then one long table where students were already taking seats. He hesitated before taking his own seat by himself. It was silly to prepare four full tables when there weren't even enough students to fill one table, but it still seemed strange to him.

Other than a couple of first and second years, he was the youngest one remaining. Not a single fellow third year was staying back. He didn't know a soul in the castle...

Well, that wasn't entirely true. He knew souls: the ghosts. He'd have people to talk to, at least.

He went back to his dorm where he put one of James's records on, since his friend had left the player with explicit instructions to use it when he wanted to. He sat down on the floor and opened up Miss Fawley's parcel. He had only glimpsed through when it first arrived the previous morning and hadn't really seen much. But as he pulled the gifts out he knew Fawley had spent more money on them than he had given her. His stomach dropped a little, and he frowned. He'd write to her about this.

He sang along to the music as he wrapped the presents up, doing his best to write their names neatly on the little labels. Once that was done he stood up, not sure what to do now. He looked around the dorm, feeling so lost. At home he'd be in the cellar by this point... probably staring at Arthur's perch and feeling unhappy. Or his mother would be crying onto him.

He had gotten another letter from her a couple of days ago, a heart-wrenching missive with dark spots everywhere, indicating she had cried as she wrote to him yet again. The letter beseeched him one last time to come home for the holidays, stating she'd be happier with him than going on holiday. If his father hadn't been so demanding, Remus would have definitely given in. He replied he understood, but he really wanted her to have a special holiday, and he still wanted time 'to think'. He hoped she would have fun, or at least try to. If she cried about him the entire holiday, his father was going to be upset. But he was doing what his father wanted.

Sighing and pushing aside thoughts about his parents, he flopped into bed and began knitting his present for Miss Fawley. Originally it was going to be a shawl but... he needed something bigger now, to thank her. A shawl and perhaps a throw? A pillowcase?

He thought about using the night sky yarn James had given him forever ago, however while it looked very pretty it only felt like regular yarn, and he wanted to give her something that felt soft, that had a really pleasant texture to it. He had some soft yarn though not enough to make an entire shawl out of... so instead he used that to make a little round case for a small pillow. He'd have to figure something else out for the shawl.