CHRISTMAS.

"Wake up, Darcy!" Ron ran into my room and I groaned. "Mum said to wake everyone up! C'mon, Darcy!" He sped over to the side of my bed and took my pillow from my hands and hit me with it repeatedly.

"Ron, I swear to God!" I sat up and pointed my wand at him, but he was beaming as he threw my pillow back on my bed. I rubbed my eyes and ran my fingers through my tangled hair as he grew impatient and pulled me up onto my feet by seizing my wrists. "Ron, would you stop? I'm coming, okay?"

"She's already got breakfast ready," Ron said, raising his eyebrows, waiting for me to move. "It's on the table – if you want, I'll tell mum to save yours for after we open gifts."

"RON, DAMMIT, I'LL BE DOWN IN A SECOND!"

"Okay, okay, well, can you make it a bit faster?" Ron moaned. "She won't let us open our presents until everyone is down there and you're the only one not downstairs!"

I stood up in my short shorts and tank top, my hair a mess and my body slouched and I grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around me. I followed Ron out the door and we walked down the stairs – him a bit too eagerly. As I got to the kitchen, I went to grab a French Toast stick from the plate on the table, but I never got to eat it because Ron knocked it out of my hands and dragged me into the sitting room, where all the Weasley's, Hermione, Harry, and Lupin were seated. They all looked comfortable, warm, and wide awake. I sat down on the couch, in a spot beside Lupin that was oddly enough not occupied.

"You look pleasant," Lupin noted and I lowered my eyebrows at him. He grinned.

"Ron, you could have let her sleep a bit longer," Mr. Weasley laughed at my awful, tired looking appearance. "Darcy, you look exhausted. What time did you go to bed last night?"

"Eleven. Same time as you all did," I mumbled. "I just don't like getting up early."

I wrapped the blanket around me tighter and had a sudden urge to rest my head on Lupin's shoulder, which was almost touching mine, but I resisted and kept my head up as Mrs. Weasley passed out gifts to everyone. "Here, Professor Lupin," Mrs. Weasley handed him one and his eyes widened in surprise. "Even one for you." She smiled sweetly at him and handed one to me.

"It's probably a sweater," I whispered in his ear and he chuckled. "I got mine for my birthday."

He leaned closer to my ear. "How come I've never seen you wear it?"

I smiled. "It's not something you'd wear in public, really. Look, I think Harry's getting his." We watched Harry open his present, obviously expecting the sweater. It was maroon, with a giant 'H' stitched on it. It was the same every year, except for the size. "Isn't it something?"

Lupin opened his gift and it was, in fact, a sweater, but not one like I had gotten from Mrs. Weasley. It was nice and brand new, blue and he held it up with a broad grin on his face. "Thanks, Molly," he said and she nodded, beaming.

"Darcy, did you open your present yet?" she asked me and I looked down at my lap. I had been too busy watching everyone else receive their sweaters and gifts, that I never opened mine yet. It was from Mrs. Weasley and I wondered what it could be since I had already gotten my sweater. I opened it carefully and they all watched me. It was a box of fudge and I smiled. "Do you like it?"

"Love it," I replied. "Thank you."

"Here," Lupin took the fudge from my hands and folded up his sweater, placing them both on an empty spot on the floor. He lowered his voice and smirked. "That'll come in handy against the dementors, won't it?"

"Oh shut up," I muttered. "You can be a real ass, you know that?"

"Ooh," he teased. "Careful, I could give you detention for that."

I looked at him with a warning glare and he shrugged and gave me another gift that was from Mr. Weasley. It was a book on dark wizards ("It'll be great when you become an Auror!"). Lupin put it with his sweater and my fudge. Hermione got me a homework planner because she seemed to think I never did my homework well (Lupin laughed and Harry and Ron received the same thing), Ginny, Fred and George gave me more fireworks and some more test products that they were sure worked well, and Harry got me some more quills because I had been complaining for a while that I only had one. Ron got me more chocolate and Lupin cracked another smile.

As we all stood up, I announced, "I'll be heading back to bed," I yawned, shivering with the blanket around my shoulders. I bent down and grabbed my gifts from the floor before Lupin could take them. "I'll be down again for lunch, I suppose."

Everyone filed out and I walked towards the stairs. I heard someone clear their throat and I whipped around, face to face with Lupin. "Upstairs, Darcy," he said, pushing me gently up the staircase. "Is your last gift."

"My last -?" I looked at him and stopped at the top of the stairs, right before his bedroom. "But you didn't have to get me anything… oh, Professor, I didn't get you anything – I didn't want people to think –"

"That's why I'm giving it to you up here in private," he took my hands and pulled me into his room. He pointed his wand at the closed door and muttered, "Muffliato." I looked at him and he sat me down on the bed. As he went over to his traveling bag, he said to me, "From now on, out of class, I don't want to hear you call me 'Professor' ever again. It makes me feel gross."

"Gross, sir?"

"And no more 'sir'," he said again, pulling out a small, wrapped box. "Just Remus."

I nodded and my heart fluttered. Monarch butterflies went crazy in my stomach. "Just Remus," I repeated and he sat down beside me and took my gifts from my hands, putting them on the bedside table, and then giving me the box he had just pulled from his bag. I looked at him. "I'm sorry I didn't get you anything –"

"It's fine, Darcy. Just open it," he smiled weakly and I undid the bow that was tied around the box. I put it to the side and then opened it. Inside was a bracelet – a shiny, silver bracelet that was beyond beautiful. "Oh, oh my – how did you – where did you – how did you – you didn't have to – spend – what?"

"It doesn't matter," he laughed at my awkwardness and he undid the clasp and put it on my wrist. "It didn't cost me a cent. It was my mother's – actually, my father gave it to her when they were dating. Now, I know we're not dating, but I feel you should have it. I haven't met many girls that'll stick with me for this long. And you know about my problem – I feel I can be completely honest with you."

"You didn't have to –"

"Like I said," he laughed. "It wasn't a problem to get. I've had it for years, actually. And like I said, I can be myself with you and you won't judge me – I can't think of anyone more deserving of this than you."

He reached up and moved the blanket from my shoulders, revealing my scarred shoulder. He ran his fingers over it and then sighed heavily.

"Anyone who gets attacked by a werewolf and stays with them is – is amazing. I don't know a single person who'd do that," he whispered. "Darcy, I want you to keep it, okay? But er – well, could you do something for me?"

"Oh, anything."

"In school… I mean, you could wear it if you want, but if people ask you who got it for you…"

"I won't wear it in my classes, alright?" I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Don't get me wrong, I would love for you to wear it all the time, but I don't think our situation is something to be announcing," he took my left hand and looked at the bracelet that sat perfectly on my wrist, and then kissed my hand. "Do you agree?"

I nodded. "Thank you."

His eyes met mine and I smiled. He leaned in very slowly and kissed my forehead and then my lips. "We should go back downstairs," he whispered against my lips. "Or at least, you should go back to your room. I don't want to risk anything."

I pulled back and looked away for a second. "Is this too difficult for you?" I asked. "Am I getting in the way of things? I don't you to think I'm – I'm in the way, you know? Do you think this 'forbidden' romance is a bad idea?"

"You make it sound like we're together," he said awkwardly. I looked at him and licked my lips and bit the inside of my cheek.

"Are we?" I asked. "We kiss and hug and hold hands. And you gave me this bracelet."

"I think we're good for each other," he replied softly. "Do you think so too?"

"I – I suppose."

"Then why shouldn't we be together?"

"Well, because of –"

"Because of my lycanthropy and my age and –"

I laughed and interrupted him. "I was actually going to say because of the fact that I'm a student and if someone were to find out, you could be fired and I'd never see you again. I wasn't thinking about your stupid reasons at all." I grinned and he sighed contently and kissed my lips. "So we're together, then? If you want to be?"

"Of course," he said and kissed me again, and then pulled me up to my feet, leading me towards the door. He unlocked it and pushed me out and followed me. I went downstairs and we went our separate ways, trying to hide our smiles. I went into the sitting room and he went into the kitchen to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Fred and George were seated in front of the fire in the sitting room.

"'Ello, Darcy," Fred said and I sat down, looking into the fire with a stupid smile on my face. I held my hands in my lap and George moved over next to me on the couch. Fred said on the other side of me and he lifted my hand. "What's this?"

"A bracelet," I replied, ripping my hand away from him. "Thank you very much."

"It's a real nice one, Darcy," George grinned and I raised an eyebrow to the twin on my right. "Who gave it to you?"

"No one," I replied with a shrug.

"But you weren't wearing it when you were opening gifts," Fred nodded.

"How would you know?" I asked. "Were you examining my wrist while I was opening my presents?"

"Well," George continued. "It's such a nice bracelet that we would have noticed that you were wearing it earlier. Very lovely, very lovely."

"I've had it, you know," I told him, but George just laughed.

"Where'd you get it then?" Fred asked.

I looked at the twin on my right. He was wearing his sweater with the 'F' knitted on the front. "Emily got it for me for my birthday," I said calmly and Fred nodded suspiciously.

"Are you sure it wasn't Lupin?" George asked and he smirked. I stood up.

"I'm positive."

"Look, I'll admit this to you, Darcy," Fred chuckled. "You've got to remember we're geniuses, me and Georgey. So we've got these things called Extendable Ears and we put them right under people's doors before they go to sleep – or anytime we want, really – and you know, it's very interesting when you hear – well, how would you describe it, George?"

George made a smacking noise with his lips and my cheeks turned bright red. "You're making that up!" I protested.

"We were just as disturbed as you are!" George laughed. "What was he doing, eating your face off?"

"You're mad!" I said again, but my face was still growing redder and hotter by the second. "That never happened! You're making all this up!"

Fred raised his eyebrows and looked at George with a grin. "Yeah, unfortunately, it did. I don't wanna know what was really going on in there, though."

"Nothing went on! You must be mad," I sighed, standing up, hiding my beet red face. I turned back towards the twins, crossing my arms and frowning. "He's my professor. I would never -"

Fred and George raised their eyebrows. "He's a good looking guy, Darcy," Fred chuckled. "And you're a very pretty girl. We aren't completely stupid like Ron is."

"You're stupider than Ron is," I argued. "Ron knows there's nothing going on between us. I just think he's great to talk to – I can hear all about my parents."

"Oh! What would mum and dad think?" George grinned and I knew they were just teasing, but I couldn't help but to think… "I'm sure they'd be proud."

"Stop it, you two," I said quietly.

"We're just teasing, Darcy," Fred said with a sweet, innocent smile. "Don't take it to heart. But seriously, we know what's going on. And we won't tell anyone."

"It's cute, really," George said quietly, so his parents wouldn't hear us. "You deserve someone in your life – he's treating you well, right? If not, we could give him some puking pastilles or something."

"Or we could just punch him."

"I like that idea!" George cackled.

And then, the smiles had vanished from their faces and I knew they were being serious. I sighed, finally defeated. "Yeah, yeah, thanks guys," I whispered. "He's fine. It's fine. I'm okay. We're okay. Just please don't tell anyone. He could be fired."

George and Fred held up their thumbs, giving me some reassurance. Fred nodded. "We won't say a word."