Full Moon Christmas

Chapter 1: Full Moon Eve

Christmas had fallen on the full moon that year, and it was to the miserable Remus J Lupin possibly the worst Christmas ever. The conversation he and his three best friends overheard on the way back from the kitchens (where they were not supposed to be) made it ten times worse:

"Peter careful, that was my foot." James Potter hissed at the small blond boy, not that he could see the small blond boy. After all unless one was Albus Dumbledore one usually doesn't see people when they were under invisibility cloaks.

"I'm sorry." Peter Pettigrew practically whimpered, "Sirius bumped me."

"Its not my fault, Remie spilled pumpkin juice on me," Sirius Black hissed glaring at his rather pale friend.

"Shut up all of you." Remus hissed at all of them "I hear teachers." Remus had an uncanny good sense of hearing and it was something his friends had early one learned to trust even if they couldn't hear when he said teachers where coming. So the four boys flattened themselves against the wall and what they heard made the color drain from there faces, most of all Remus Lupin's because he alone new who the potions master was complaining about to there transfiguration teacher, professor Minerva McGonagall .

"Yes but Minerva he's dangerous and I don't care what Albus says there's no way he can keep up with the workload."

"What would you care about the dangers of a werewolf child, as long as his grades stay up and he's taken away on the full moon he's not even in your house Lawrence."

"Minerva its dangerous, a werewolf really what was the head master thinking." And with that said he had wondered away mumbling about the danger to his students.

"He's right." the women called Minerva muttered to her self "it is hard with the school work and all but I have confidence in-" but they never knew who she had confidents in because at that moment the poltergeist Peeves swept out and startled the teacher leaving all but one of there small party wondering. 'Which if there classmates was a Werewolf?'

--------------------Later in the Gryffindor second year boys dormitory-----------------

"Who do you recon it is?" a very puzzled James Potter said pulling the invisibility clock of him and his friends. It was only than that he noticed how white Remus was. Mind you the boy was usually pale but now he looked almost... scared? "There's nothing to worry about Rem I'm sure who ever it is Dumbledore taken precautions so that every ones safe on the full moon."

"We should try and figure out who it is." said a very exited Sirius.

"NO." Remus practically shouted the others gave him funny looks. "I mean it's a rather privet thing we wouldn't what to snoop in other peoples business."

"Well if your sure Remie. We'll save that mystery for another night. Lets do something else all this talk of werewolves is starting to creep me out a bit. Do you really think there's one at Hogworts" the rather pudgy Peter said. And so with out further a due they set out there feast and moved on to happier topics.

--------------------------Christmas Eve the Gryffindor common room---------------------------

It was lucky really that the four boys where the only ones who had staid for Christmas, and they all knew that James, Peter and Remus had staid to keep Sirius company (it was well known through out the school that his parents had disowned him when he'd been placed in Gryffindor and only kept him during the summer because he was not yet legally old enough to kick out of the house), though James was not sure Remus was being entirely truthful when he said that his parents had gone skiing (well he new that wasn't true but he thought that Remus might have had other reasons for staying in school for the holidays not to keep Sirius company).

At the moment Sirius and James where involved in a VERY loud game of exploding snap and Peter who had still not mastered the rules of exploding snap or indeed even regular snap was watching them and trying to catch on. Remus who was very glad no one had brought up the werewolf incident sense a few nights ago when they'd heard there teachers talking about it was reading his defense book and really enjoying it that is until.

"You reading up on are resident werewolf Rem?"

"No James." Remus said rather exasperated, so much for no one bringing it up. It was made all that worse by the fact that his head was beginning to pound he looked at his watch it was almost 6:30 he had to be at the hospital wing in five minuets to meet madam Yates the head nurse. "you guys." he said making James, Sirius and Peter to look up at him (they where on the floor and he was curled up in an armchair)/ "my heads hurting I think I'll head over to the hospital wing if you don't mind."

"Of course we don't mind well see you later Rem." Sirius said turning back to the game just in time to have him eyebrows blown of by a stray card and so Remus headed up to the hospital wing for what promised to be a painful evening.

--------------------Later that evening------------------

"Do you think Remus knows who the Hogwarts werewolf is and that's why he gets all jumpy when ever I bring it up." James said sitting up after loosing his fifth game in a row to Sirius.

"He may, who ever it is I pity them. Imagine spending Christmas Eve as a wolf." Sirius said pointing out the window to the full moon.

"I hope Remus' headache clears up in time for presents tomorrow." Peter said suppressing a yawn.

"That's it." you could practically see the light bulb going of over James' head "Remus dose know who the werewolf is and he doesn't want to tell us. He must think we'll abandon him." at this point Sirius face lit up and he looked at James.

"You really think..." he just kind of let it hang but James nodded and it seemed to confirm Sirius' idea.

"What?" Peter was feeling as if he'd missed something very important.

"Remus... is Hogwort's Werewolf." James and Sirius said to gather.

"It all fits." James said sometime later as he passed in front of the fire "he's always sick at lest ones a month and he cant touch silver remember last week when Sirius gave him a sickle for his thoughts the second you handed it to him Sirius he dropped it and said he'd stubbed his toe but we weren't walking in fact I think we where sitting on the windowsill."

"So what do we do." said a very over run Sirius, he had planed on going to bed hours ago but with all this new information so late at night there was no way he'd get any sleep to night.

"Well I suppose we ask him and if he is make sure he knows we still want to be his friends. What you think Pete?" but Peter apparently was better at falling asleep than Sirius was as his only response was to snore rather loudly and mutter something about pickled frogs feet dancing with pink peanuts. "well Sirius will you help me than?" James said turning to his other best friend. But maybe we where wrong to say Peter fell asleep easer than Sirius because he to was fast asleep his head almost falling of the couch. James sighed and sat down it the only remaining arm chair if his theory was correct and Remus was a werewolf than they had plenty of time to talk about it, for Rem wouldn't be back for several hours. With that in mind James Potter drifted of to sleep hoping that despite every thing Remus might have a geed Christmas eve and with the promise that he would make this Christmas the very best for Remus even if it did happen to fall on the full moon.