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Brenna's POV
As the day of the full moon dragged on and dusk loomed overhead, I followed a very ragged Remus down to the Whomping Willow. Since there was hardly anyone on the grounds, we took the above route instead of the tunnel so we could watch the sunset. I could never truly understand how unnerving that sunset was for Remus, but he smiled none the less.
"Are you ready?" He frowned as he took up a long stick. He prodded the knot and a passage revealed itself.
"I'm fine," I smiled. "Are you ready?"
"As much as I can be," He sighed. His eyes held a note of sadness in them and it nearly brought me to tears. I took his hand as he led me down into the small room. I ran my fingers over the claw marked walls and Remus squeezed my hand before releasing it to stand in the center of the room.
Remus yanked his sweater over his head and threw it in a corner. My eyes swept over his scarred chest and I reached out to touch them. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into a hug, tightly wrapping his arms around me.
"Promise me something," He whispered.
"What?"
"Promise me you won't look until it's over. No matter what you hear, you cannot open your eyes," He pleaded, threading his fingers through my hair. "Promise you won't watch."
"Remus, I-"
"Promise."
"I promise."
Remus released me and I staggered backwards, catching myself on a small table. Night had covered the sky, the full moon rose high above the stars and Remus twitched.
"Close your eyes."
I did as I was told and took on the form of a fox, padding the ground nervously. Ten minutes felt like ten hours as I listened helplessly to Remus scream and moan. After what felt like ages, everything was silent except for the faint sound of breathing, and then- a howl.
I opened my eyes slowing, my tail twitching back and forth. In front of me rose a tall wolfish man with light brown fur. His face had elongated into a snout and his black nose sniffed the air. Black eyes fell on me and I held my ground as he lowered onto four legs.
He sniffed me curiously, snarling and growling, though he never tried to bite me. I strolled in circles around him, whipping his nose with my tail. He batted a large paw at me, but I lept out of the way and up into the passage. He followed me out and into the cold winter air. Snow had begun to fall as we ran off into the Forbidden Forest, howling and barking.
Remus' POV
I gritted my teeth as I rolled over onto my side, my aching muscles working against me. Brenna lay asleep beside me, wearing my sweater (which dwarfed her) and snoring softly into my bare chest. I brushed some hair from her face and smiled as she yawned. Her eyelids fluttered open and she nuzzled closer to me with a sigh.
"Hey Brenna?" I whispered, pressing my lips to her forehead.
"Yeah?" She smiled.
"Merry Christmas."
***
"So are you guys going to tell me where you were last night?" Sydney sighed over her scrambled eggs. Brenna and I exchanged a look and replied in unison.
"Nope."
"I hate the both of you," She sighed.
"You won't say that after you open my present," Brenna smirked.
"If it's that cloak we saw at Hogsmeade, I'll consider changing my mind," She laughed.
"How convenient," Brenna grinned and pulled a lacey package from under the table.
"You didn't," Sydney gasped and tore it open.
"Oh, but I did," Brenna laughed as Sydney jumped up to slip on the pale pink cloak with off-white lacey trim. She gave it a twirl and leaned over the table to hug Brenna, who laughed and grinned at her best friend.
"My turn," Sydney smirked and revealed two nearly identical brown parcels, one with blue ribbon and the other with gold. She handed the blue one to Brenna and the other to me and we opened them excitedly.
"A copy of A Tale of Two Cities!" Brenna squealed.
"Hey, that's my favorite book!" I laughed and finished tearing the paper from my gift. Underneath the brown paper was a copy of Magical Creatures and Where to Find Them.
"And that's mine!" Brenna grinned.
"A person's favorite book says a lot about them, so I thought you two could learn a little about each other this way. I want you guys to switch books for one day and write notes for the other to read," Sydney mused.
"That's so sweet Syd, thanks," Brenna smiled and hugged Sydney. I nodded in agreement and hugged her as well, then pulled a small box from my pocket.
"This is for you," I smiled and handed the box to Sydney. She opened it slowly and her hand flew to her mouth, tears welling in her eyes.
"Oh, thank you Remus!" She grinned and hugged me again, tighter than last time.
"What is it?" Brenna laughed and Sydney passed her the box. A small locket lie inside. Brenna clicked it open to reveal a moving photograph of James, Peter, Sirius, Brenna, Sydney, and myself smiling and laughing. Inscribed on the left hand side were the words To the better half of us. Thank you, from the Marauders.
"It wasn't just me," I shrugged, rubbing the back of my neck. "All of us pitched in."
"I have to go send a letter to the boys!" Sydney beamed as she clasped it around her neck and darted from the table.
"That was beautiful," Brenna smiled and kissed my cheek.
"She deserves it."
"Do you want my present now?" She asked slyly.
"Why not? I need something good before I open James and Sirius' present. They bought a joint gift for me and I'm very afraid," I shivered.
"Well, here you go," She laughed and handed me a long box. I lifted the lid off and smiled. A pale grey quill and a small jar of ink rest inside.
"Thank you," I smiled and kissed Brenna's forehead.
"Oh come on," she scoffed, pushing me away. "What kind of girlfriend gets her boyfriend a quill for Christmas?"
"You do?" I offered.
"Write with it, you git!" She laughed. She pulled a small piece of parchment out if her pocket and slid it to me as I dipped the quill into the ink. As soon as the tip hit the page, it began to write on its own.
I have been through a lot it's my life, it scribbled in Brenna's handwriting, but no adventure will be as great as the one I will have with you.
"Well, now my gift looks like rubbish," I laughed. I wrapped my arms around Brenna and squeezed her tightly.
"I'll be the judge of that," She grinned. I reluctantly pulled another small box from my pocket and handed it to her. I watched nervously as she opened and picked it up, running her fingers over its smooth surface. It was a milky white stone with a waxing moon reflected in its face.
"It changes with the moon phases," I smiled shyly. She turned it over to read the inscription on the back:
You take my fears away.
