A/N: Takes place during chapter 11 of James Potter and the Immortal Icon.

December 1971
Homecoming

Remus had some reservations about telling his friends and classmates that his mother was ill in St. Mungo's. He hated having to make up stories about how she was doing and what the doctors had said and whether he thought she would be okay. He hated the way everyone looked at him with pity and went out of their way to be nice to him.

They wouldn't act like this if they knew the truth.

When Professor McGonagall had informed him of the ruse in November, Remus had been sure everyone would see through it straight away and had begged his Head of House to come up with something else. Or maybe he just didn't want to miss class.

But Madam Pomfrey had been insistent. She seemed to be able to tell how tired he was, and that he wasn't letting himself recover as much as usual after his transformations. At home, the full moon usually knocked him out of commission for the better part of two days, but at Hogwarts in the past two months, Remus had cut it down to hardly eighteen hours.

So when the November full moon had rolled around, she'd taken matters into her own hands, come up with a story that would explain why Remus wouldn't be at school all weekend, and all but tied him to the bed in the Hospital Wing. It had meant missing Potions on Friday morning, when the transformation wasn't until that evening – something that drove Remus crazy. To make matters worse, Potions was his worst class, the one he absolutely couldn't afford to fall behind in, werewolf or no.

Once he'd gotten over his frustration, however, he had to admit it was nice to actually rest. He was able to pass Friday in peace, finishing most of his homework before the lycanthropy made it too hard to focus.

He slept almost all day Saturday, to Madam Pomfrey's delight.

So when it came time for December's full moon, the matron was quick to employ the same sick-mother excuse, this time with a caveat that he return home as soon as he was well enough for Floo travel.

"But that means I'll miss a whole week of classes!" Remus cried when Professor McGonagall told him. They were in her office, the door closed, on Thursday afternoon.

"The last week before holidays," the professor agreed. "I assure you, Mr. Lupin, you won't be missing much. Professors Flitwick and Juniper assure me they won't be covering any new material until after the holidays, Professors Sprout and Slughorn have excused you from any assignments they may set, Madam Hooch will conduct your flying test when you return, and Professor Ruche said you can easily complete your Astronomy lesson from home. He'll be by later to discuss it with you."

Remus mentally went over his timetable. "But that still leaves History of Magic and Transfigur—!" He stopped, blushing, as Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrow.

She smiled patiently. "I understand the transformation will be Saturday evening?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then I will come see you in the Hospital Wing that morning to cover Professor Binns' and my own lesson."

Remus gasped. "R-really?"

"Of course." Professor McGonagall gave him an odd look, one filled with kindness, which still had the power to surprise Remus. Until a few short months ago, his mother had been the only one to know the truth and still treat him kindly. Now Remus had seen the same look on several professors' faces – Dumbledore, McGonagall, Sprout – and of course Madam Pomfrey. Even knowing what he was, seeing the aftermath of his transformations, they still treated him like any other student. Perhaps even more warmly than they treated the other students.

Remus couldn't quite wrap his head around it.

"You are a very gifted student, Mr. Lupin," Professor McGonagall went on. "It is not your fault that you have to miss classes. Therefore I plan to do everything in my power to help you stay up on both your physical and academic well-being, without risking exposing your secret. Alright?"

All Remus could do was nod.

-.-.-

The house outside Hogsmeade where Remus spent the night of the full moon was cold that month; Remus could feel the chill of the snowstorm that raged outside as he waited for the change to take him. He didn't mind, much. The cellar back home was colder than this by far, and even that had never killed him.

Nevertheless, the next morning, Madam Pomfrey came earlier than usual, and with thick wool blankets that Remus happily snuggled into while the nurse treated the worst of his injuries – a gaping wound on his foot that screamed at Madam Pomfrey's gentle touch. He suspected he'd chewed off one of his toes last night, but he tried not to dwell too long on this, as the thought made him queasy.

Sunday passed in a groggy and pain-filled stupor until, as evening approached, a familiar voice woke him.

"How is he?"

"Resting," Madam Pomfrey answered. There was a long pause, and Remus suspected something unspoken passed between the two women.

"Can I see him?"

Remus opened his eyes as footsteps approached, and he smiled up at his mother. She returned it tearily and perched on the edge of his bed, smoothing back his hair as she studied his face, which was no doubt a ghostly white.

"Hi, baby," she murmured.

Suddenly Remus was glad Professor McGonagall had convinced him to go home a week early. Without a word, he sat up and flung himself into his mother's arms, not even trying to hold back the sobs that rose in his throat. His mother enveloped him in a hug that eased his pain as much as any of Madam Pomfrey's potions. He distantly heard a door click shut and guessed that Madam Pomfrey had stepped into her office to give them some privacy.

"I missed you," he hiccoughed into his mother's shoulder, sniffling pitifully.

"Shh." She rubbed little circles on his back, the way she always did, and Remus relaxed against her, listening to her heartbeat and breathing. "I missed you, too."

Remus swallowed thickly, aching to tell her how much he hated spending the full moon away from her, hated feeling sick and sore and tired and not having her there to make him feel better. He wanted to ask her to come and see him every month so that maybe the transformations would be a little less miserable.

But he held his tongue, for he knew that he would only make her feel guilty. He knew she couldn't be seen visiting the Hospital Wing every month, especially when he was supposed to be visiting her in St. Mungo's. It could only arouse suspicion and risk exposing his secret to the entire school, so he said nothing, only breathed in the scent of grass and pine needles and fresh-baked bread that hung on her robes and resolved to make the most of his extra week of holidays.

-.-.-

"Madam Pomfrey's great," Remus said through a yawn two hours later. He and his mother had flooed home, where Remus had happily devoured a dinner of chicken soup and his mother's bread. He now lay in bed, telling his mother everything that had happened to him at Hogwarts.

"Is she?" his mother asked softly. "That's good." She resumed humming a lullaby that she had sung to Remus when he was very little.

Remus nodded. "She's not as good as you, but she's really kind to me, and she helps me out before and after the transformation – I go to this house," he added, realizing that she probably didn't know about the eerie structure outside of Hogsmeade, which Dumbledore had prepared for him. "It's really big, and there's no way I can get in or out, and I don't have to—" He stopped before he could finish the thought. I don't have to be chained up like I do here. His mother didn't need to hear that. "—er, don't have to go to classes when I'm feeling ill."

"That's wonderful, darling. And have you made any friends?"

Biting his lip, Remus hesitated. He got on with his Housemates well enough, he supposed, but could he really call them his friends? His kind didn't have friends. Not really. "A few," he lied. "Lily Evans is in my year – she's a Gryffindor, too. She's really bright, and really nice. We study together all the time, and she lets me sit next to her in all our classes. She even took notes for me when I had to miss Potions last month."

He didn't have to force the smile that tugged at his lips as he spoke. Lily really was a nice girl, and if not for the fact that he was a monster, Remus thought they might have been good friends. Although he felt guilty about lying to her, he knew he preferred having her friendship (ill-gotten though it may have been) to losing it because of the truth.

"She sounds like a sweet girl," said his mother, joy shining in her eyes. "I'm so proud of you, Remus. I really am."

"Thanks, mum."

She leaned down to kiss his cheek and squeezed his hand. "Now get some sleep. We'll have plenty of time to talk tomorrow."

"Okay. Goodnight, mum. I love you."

"I love you, too, Remus. Goodnight."