The Twelve Fucks of Christmas: A Wolfstar Story

Turn to Page Three Hundred and Ninety-Four

Remus was tired but happy when he got up early the next morning for work, his worries temporarily brushed aside as he Apparated to outside the Davies' home for his morning lessons with Roger. He was so relieved that he and Sirius were speaking again that he had completely forgotten about the awkward lesson he'd had with Roger the previous day.

He strode up the stone steps towards the front door, keen to get inside and out of the cold as soon as possible. The snow remained but a drop in temperature had made the ground slick with ice and perilous to walk on. He chapped loudly and waited, rubbing his hands together in an effort to stave off the cold. A few seconds passed and the door creaked open. Remus smiled and opened his mouth to greet Mrs Davies but faltered when he saw the stony expression on her face.

"Mr Lupin," she greeted him stiffly, only holding the door half-open. She didn't usher him in out of the cold like she normally would. "I'm surprised to see you."

Remus frowned, "I'm sorry, I thought that we had arranged for me to tutor Roger today. Am I mistaken?"

"I take that you haven't received my owl?"

"No, sorry..." Remus felt uneasy at the accusatory look she was drawing him. "Has something happened?"

"You could say that," she sneered. "After you left yesterday I spoke to Roger about his lesson. You can imagine my reaction when he told me what you had said about werewolves, Mr Lupin, some cock and bull story that they are not so unlike you and me. Your unconventional and, frankly, dangerous opinions on this matter gave my husband and I cause for concern. So, I took it upon myself to ask around about you. My findings were rather disturbing."

Remus' heart sank. Shit , he realised in a panic. She knows...

"My credentials are sound," he argued, struggling to quell the fear and anger rising inside of him. Mrs Davies huffed out a derisive laugh.

"Oh yes, I quite agree," she replied briskly. "You came highly recommended by several people, that's why we hired you in the first place. But it is rather unusual, the high number of employers you've had in such a short period of time. And there's the matter of your irregular sick days."

"Mrs Davies—"

"Funny how they always seem to coincide with the full moon, isn't it?" she finished, glaring at Remus as though challenging him to refute her claim. His mind raced as he struggled to figure out how to respond and the painful silence that followed felt as though it stretched out across eternity, although it couldn't have lasted more than a couple of seconds. He swallowed hard, his mouth as dry as sandpaper.

"With regards to my condition, I think it's important to remember that Roger is completely safe in my company," he began carefully, ignoring the harsh laugh from Mrs Davies. "More importantly, it has absolutely no bearing upon my ability to teach. Up until yesterday, I was under the impression that you were happy with the quality of my tutelage."

"Your teaching style is proficient," she relented. "That isn't the issue, Mr Lupin. The problem is that you lied to us about your condition and that I cannot abide. I'm afraid that you're going to have to find work elsewhere."

"I didn't lie," he argued, his voice shaking with anger now. Mrs Davies' face twisted into an ugly scowl.

"We invited you into our home, trusting you with our son. You could have had the good grace to tell us that you were sick."

"And I suppose that if I had told you that you still would have hired me?" he challenged.

"That's beside the point..."

"That's exactly the point!" he retorted. "Mrs Davies, my disease is under control. Roger was never in any danger in my company. Do you really think I'd teach children if I thought there was any danger of me hurting them?"