December 24th 1977

11:56 pm

Remus Lupin felt like shite. The full moon was the next day and as he lay in bed, his stomach rolling, head pounding he thought James might not have been so off base a couple months ago when he had jokingly asked Remus about his 'time of the month', much to the amusement and bemusement of several of their history of magic classmates. Alice had actually snorted, earning her a reproving look from the ravenclaw prefect who sat studiously in the front row, but the whole altercation had -unsurprisingly -gone unnoticed by professor Binns who continued to prattle dully on about Welsh involvement in the creation of the statute of secrecy. In any case, he currently felt much as Lily had looked later that week when he found her curled up in an armchair by the common room fire.

"Lily? "He had said cautiously .Her emerald green eyes were glassy and unfocused as she stared blankly at the rain falling past the window.

Approaching her perch he reached out and covered her small hand gently with his.

"Remus" she breathed, startled, but a familiar tired smile appeared on her lips as she stretched her neck, turning her gaze upwards to look at the gangly werewolf who had braced himself on the back of her overstuffed wingchair.

"Hey". He leant down and wrapped his arms round her slim shoulders giving them a gentle squeeze. She nuzzled his hand like a small ginger kitten and Remus felt a warmth fill him that had nothing to do with the roaring common room fire and everything to do with a renewed appreciation of his friends, friends who showed him genuine affection, despite his condition and sometimes even because of it. Remus still sometimes struggled to believe that he had friends. These people loved him. And these people were real.

"Worse than normal?" he queried playfully. Lily groaned and slumped forward dramatically, head coming to rest on the open arithmancy book in her lap. He chuckled softly.

"Don't you laugh at me Remus Lupin!"

"You" he declared "need less derivatives and more dessert! Give me five minutes" and with that he was gone.

True to his word, four minutes and fifty nine seconds later, Remus burst triumphantly through the portrait hole clutching a steaming- and rather large- picnic basket.

Easing herself out of her chair Lily crossed the common room, drawn by the tantalizing smells emerging from the basket, and reaching Remus, kissed him sweetly on the cheek.

"Remus Lupin you are a saint!" she declared. His pale green eyes danced with amusement. "How did you manage that?"

"Oh we found the kitchens ages ago" he replied brushing off her praise. "Just tickle the pear in that big portrait of a fruit bowl down by the puff's common room and you're in"

"And the elves?" she inquired curiously.

"They've come to like us well enough; you know Sirius, forever a flirt." Lily snorted. "They positively dote on him and James. 'The young masters need more feeding they do! 'he imitated in a squeaky falsetto "'They is being much too thin they is!' hence the obscene amount of biscuits" he finished, attempting to brandish the basket but unable to properly lift it above his waist due to its weighty load.

Three hours later found Remus, Lily, James, Sirius, Marlene and Mary cloistered in the girls dormitory –the marauders had figured out how to disable the staircase back in third year-chatting cheerily and munching on a barely depleted supply of biscuits. Lily was curled up under three duvets, smiling blissfully as James stroked her hair soothingly. The two were not officially 'together' but Remus was certain it wouldn't be long now despite Lily's fervent insistence that she 'only allowed Potter here because he's the reason the elves gave us so many sweets'. Sirius and Marlene were taking turns charming James' perpetually messy hair a variety of increasingly vibrant colours but the gryffindor chaser had yet to notice, too focused on the object of his affections to register their stifled sniggers. Remus and Mary had initially attempted to complete at that week's arithmancy problems, comparing solutions and promising Lily their help when she was feeling up to it, but eventually Mary's sketched sine waves had morphed into oscillating vines that blossomed with fractal flowers and she ended up doodling contentedly, laying on her stomach on Marlene's four poster. Remus too had abandoned his textbook and, long legs starched out in front of him, leant against the wall serenely surveying his friends and feeling safe, happy, loved. It had been the best feeling in the world.

He groaned, drawn back to the present as a beam of silvery moonlight-constant reminder of why he was currently tightly curled up and cocooned under three blankets-forced his eyes open. Remus desperately tried to cling to the happy memory. Warmth. Biscuits. Friends. His cocoon of blankets was startlingly warm and he had devoured three quarters of a tin of double chocolate biscuits Lily had owled him just hours earlier but there was no denying that tonight he was alone. He braced himself to roll over in order to escape the brightness but immediately regretted it as a renewed pain stabbed through his already aching muscles. He heard a soft whimper escape his lips, painful reminder of the wolf already lingering close to the surface of his psyche. He blinked away unbidden tears.

Just then a light much brighter than moonlight with a distinctive blueish tinge filled the room. Startled, Remus sat up only to be greeted with the sight of two shinning patronuses; one a majestic stag, the other a monstrous shaggy dog. The latter opened its muzzle and grandiosely and comically declared in an achingly familiar voice "Moony our dear friend we bring to you early Christmas tidings of great joy"

Inclining its head slightly as though it were glaring at the dog the stag spoke next "Honestly though Remus, we really wish we could be there for you tomorrow and we figured this was the next best thing. Better than a cheering charm these are!"

A watery smile graced Remus' lips and his heart warmed. For a moment he was able to forget the aches and pains and cast aside any thoughts of the next night. Sirius's words had reminded him of one of the Christmas carols his mum played on their old record player nonstop around the holidays.

'Oh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, Oh tidings of comfort and joy'

Comfort in the form of blankets and homemade biscuits

The literal embodiment of joy in his best mates' partronuses

Comfort and joy indeed. In that moment Remus Lupin felt truly loved.