Let Me Be Your Downfall
Chapter Ten: Let It Snow
When we finally say good night
How I'll hate going out in the storm
But if you really hold me tight
All the way home I'll be warm
"Hence forth, the prodigal daughter returns! Merry Christmas, love!"
"Merry Christmas, Mum," Jamie smiled, leading Remus into her parent's house, a bag of presents in one hand and Remus's own hand in her other.
"And, Remus," Mrs. Williams greeted, taking the bag from her daughter.
"Merry Christmas, Mrs. - "
"Oh, absolutely not, we're all family here!" Mrs. Williams interrupted Remus with a twinkle in her eye. "Please, call me Claire."
Remus smiled shyly, nodding to her. Jamie gave him an encouraging smile and nodded for him to kick off his shoes at the front door as she did the same.
"Please, take off your cloaks," Claire instructed. "It took your father nearly all year to put them up, but we have those nice hooks there in the breezeway."
The two did as told and Jamie led Remus into the living room, where her father was already sitting with some other family members. Seated in various chairs throughout the living room were six of Jamie's relatives, including her father. From the entrance, Remus stopped Jamie.
"You didn't say other people were going to be here," Remus accused nervously.
"Love, it's Christmas," Jamie replied. "I thought it was implied. Besides, it's the Williams side of the family - Not exactly a force to be reckoned with."
"Alright," Remus said, swallowing hard.
"My favorite niece!" came a cry, forcing Jamie into the living room. Getting to her feet was Janine Potter, otherwise known as James's mother. She was a short woman, with long, curly black hair and bright blue eyes. She was wearing half-moon glasses and bright green robes that were trimmed with a just as bright shade of red. In her hair was a single strand of holly.
"Merry Christmas, Aunt Janine," Jamie wrapped her arms around her aunt. "You're only saying that because I'm your only niece."
"That's true," Janine grinned. "I'm glad that you could follow up with tradition and make it this year, unlike that son of mine and the other one that eats my food. Why aren't you at Sirius's?"
"Because I'm the good one," Jamie shrugged, then smiling. "We're leaving tomorrow."
"Well, a Merry Christmas Eve to you, love," Janine nodded. She then turned to Remus. "And Remus! Can I thank you one more time for keeping my son from being expelled? I think you deserve some kind of reward for that."
"Twenty Galleons or so should suffice," Remus joked as Janine clapped him hard on the back. "It surely was a thankless, not too easy job."
"Well, I had him for eleven years," Janine shrugged. "I had to push him of to someone."
"Merlin's sake, could you share the girl, Janine?" Jamie's Uncle Richard asked, scooping Jamie up into his arms and lifting her up. When he set her back down he said, "And who might this young man be?"
"Actually, I don't think any of you have really met Remus," Jamie realized, sneaking a glance at Remus who looked petrified. "Remus, this is my dad's brother, my Uncle Richard," she motioned to the tall wizard that had just hugged Jamie seconds before, "my Aunt Janine and Uncle Harry, who you know as James's parents, my Granddad, John," she pointed to an older wizard with a beard that rivaled Dumbledore's, "my Grandmum, Dorothy," she indicated to the witch next to her Granddad, her knitting in one hand, "and you know my dad, Joel," she ended, nodding to a stern looking wizard who was staring at Remus appraisingly. "Everyone, this is Remus, my fiancé." She put emphasis on the last word.
Before anyone could say anything, Claire burst into the room and announced, "Dinner is ready! Get it while it's hot!"
"Mum, I'm going to show Remus up to where he'll be staying tonight before we come down to dinner," Jamie said as her family members got to their feet.
"Don't take to long," Claire nodded.
Jamie and Remus hurried back into the breezeway to fetch their trunk - they had packed their things together to conserve space - and Remus followed Jamie to the second floor of the house and down to the guest bedroom. The house was fairly large as Jamie's family was slightly well off, much like the rest of her family.
"This is it," Jamie announced, spreading her arms wide. The room had a queen size bed in the middle with its own walk in closet and bathroom.
"Wow," Remus replied, putting the trunk at the end of the bed. "All this isn't necessary."
"Well, you're not sleeping on the couch," Jamie smiled, glancing around the room fondly. "This is where my uncle would stay when he lived here."
"Your uncle that's downstairs?" Remus asked, looking at himself in the mirror that was above the large chest of drawers.
"The very same," Jamie nodded, crossing her arms across her chest. "He stayed for, oh, I don't know, two or three years? He moved out when I was thirteen."
"Why did he move in here?" Remus asked, then shot her an apologetic look in case he'd asked too much.
"He'd lost his job and couldn't pay rent for his flat, so my dad agreed to take him in," Jamie explained. "Knowing him he'd still live here if it wasn't for his being a werewolf."
"What?" Remus asked, spinning around to face her and quite shocked. "Why didn't you tell me you had a werewolf family member?"
"I didn't?" Jamie asked, thinking. "Oh, I guess not. Hey, Remus, guess what - my uncle is a werewolf. Love, it doesn't really come up in conversation."
"You'd think it would if your fiancé was one," Remus mused. "Oh, hey, guess what - your fiancé is a werewolf."
"Oh, don't be upset," Jamie said, walking up to him and putting her hands on his waist. "He's my Uncle Richard, not my Uncle Richard-That's-A-Werewolf. Just like you're Remus, not Remus-The-Werewolf."
Remus sighed and smiled in spite of himself, making Jamie go up on her tiptoes and kiss him lightly on the lips. "You'd think your dad would be more keen on me if his own brother is a werewolf."
"Love, no offense, but it really just makes it worse," Jamie replied, her face falling. "He sees my uncle, who is unable to keep a job, but I suspect it'd be that way if he wasn't a werewolf, lives off of his parents, and basically is a professional bum and he can't help but think that maybe that will happen to us."
Remus opened his mouth to protest, but Jamie put her hand over it before he could say anything. "I know that you're not like him and I know we're going to be fine. It's just that I'm his only child and he worries. But, don't worry - he'll come around."
"Intruding Aunt coming in the room," Janine announced, bursting into the guest bedroom, which, in itself, made Jamie and Remus jump apart. "I honestly think I saw smoke coming out of Joel's ears down there, so I suggest you two hurry."
"We were just about to come down," Jamie answered, sticking her tongue out at her aunt.
"So, your mum says that the two of you were looking at houses earlier today?" Janine asked, obviously not terribly concerned about getting the couple downstairs as she sat down in an armchair.
"Yes, in London," Remus nodded.
"Oh Christmas Eve?"
"It was the only time we'd be in this part of London all break, so the realtor gave us a break," Jamie explained.
"Find anything you liked?" Janine asked.
"There was a nice one," Jamie replied, but her face wasn't very hopeful. "The only problem was that we had to have our first and last month's rent and all this other security money, but we just don't have the money for that right now."
"I see, I see," Janine answered. "Well, let's get you two downstairs. Wouldn't want your dad's head to actually burst into flames."
"Dad?"
It was much later that night, nearly Christmas morning, truth be told. Jamie was in her pajamas, her bathrobe covering herself up. She tiptoed into her father's den, where he was sitting in front of a roaring fireplace in a large armchair. He jumped at her voice.
"You startled me, sweet pea," her father replied, using the nickname that she hadn't heard in years. "Is anything the matter?"
"No - well, yes," Jamie said frankly, sitting down on the rug in front of him. "We need to talk about Remus."
"I trust you know full well how I feel on the subject," Joel said quite simply, his gaze not moving from the flames in the fireplace.
"Please, Daddy, hear me out," Jamie pleaded, bringing her knees up to her chest. "I can't happily marry him without knowing that you approve. Whether you like it or not, I will be walking down the aisle with that man - "
"Boy, Jamie, he's not even eighteen-years-old yet," Joel interrupted.
"But I am," Jamie put a hand to her chest. "That's an adult - even by Muggle standards."
"I know, it's just - it's that he's - "
"I know, Dad," Jamie sighed, leaning back. "You have to trust me, though. Remus is a good man. He has a huge heart and at some point, he decided to let me take up a large portion of it. He genuinely loves me and I don't think I'll ever find someone that cares about me as much as he does. He only has my best interests in mind, Daddy. I wouldn't do something as huge as get married with someone I didn't think is the right person."
Joel looked down at his daughter and, for the first time for as long as Jamie could remember, he smiled at her. "I know that, Jamie."
"I love him, Daddy," Jamie finished simply, still pleading with him with her eyes. "He loves me even more."
Joel nodded at her. "I know that as well. Your aunt hasn't stopped making me feel guilty for my behavior since the two of you started dating. While I don't completely approve of him, I love you too much to see you miserable. If this boy makes you happy, sweet pea, then I will see past the things that make me worry for you. I only want to see you happy."
Jamie grinned and got to her knees, wrapping her arms around her father. "Oh, Daddy, thank you so much."
"Now, that doesn't mean I'm going to start being nice to him," Joel said, patting his daughter on the back. "I'm his father-in-law - that's my God-given right."
Jamie rolled her eyes at him and smiled. "Whatever you say, Dad."
"I think it's about time for me to turn in, though," he got to his feet, reaching out to pull his daughter to her feet. "I'll see you in the morning bright and early for some present action."
"You bet. Good night, Daddy." She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.
When Jamie reached the upper level of the house, she could hear the shower running in Remus's room, so she went into her own. Her parents always left it exactly as how she left it before leaving for school, which meant that it was a complete disaster. Jamie flopped into her bed, nearly melting in the familiarity of it, when she saw a small wrapped box on top of her dresser.
Jamie got to her feet and walked over, picking up the box. She opened the envelope that was resting next to the box and quickly read the note.
"Jamie,
"Use this money to get that dream house you were telling me about earlier. You deserve to be happy, too, love. Please let me know if you need any more. Oh, don't tell your Uncle Harry this is from me - you know how he can get when I spoil you too much.
"Love, Auntie Janine"
Jamie reached for the box and ripped open the wrapping. She took the top off the box and took out a small purse that was filled with Galleons. A gasp escaped from Jamie's throat. The amount of money would more than cover the amount they needed to pay for not just the security deposits, but also their first few months of rent on top of it
Jamie returned the lid to the box, knowing that Remus would object to the money, feeling as though it was charity. She began to formulate some sort of story as to what she would say to him when she heard the shower turn off in the room next to hers. Smiling, she quietly walked down to Remus's room and silently shut and locked the door, not wanting her parents to know, even though the master bedroom was on the first floor.
"Aw, I was hoping for just a towel," Jamie greeted, her legs dangling over the edge of the guest bed when Remus walked out of the bathroom in only a pair of green pajama pants.
"Would you like me to change for you?" Remus asked, his eyes twinkling.
"No, I can work with that," Jamie shot back, beckoning him closer. Remus walked forward, leaning towards her from between her legs. She put her hands on his hips and said, "I talked to my dad."
"What'd he have to say?" Remus asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice due to the topic of discussion.
"I think he's resigned to the idea of me not really caring what he thinks anymore and just wants to see me happy," Jamie shrugged, pulling him closer to her and wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning her head into his chest.
"No kidding?" Remus asked incredulously, running his fingers through Jamie's hair.
"Yeah," Jamie sighed, holding him tight, staring at the reflection of the two of them in the mirror.
"Well, that's a relief, isn't it?" Remus wondered.
"Mh hm," Jamie replied simply. "Look at them, Remus. Just look at them."
"Who?" Remus asked, then gazed in the direction she was looking to see the mirror. His hair was still wet and he looked particularly scrawny without a shirt on and with his too big pajamas riding low on his waist. There was a deep purple bruise visible on his hipbone, just under Jamie's arm. Meanwhile, one of Jamie's slender legs had snuck out from under her robe and her hair was wavy from letting it air dry out of the shower. "What about us?"
"We're so perfect," Jamie said, meeting his eyes in the mirror.
Remus only smiled and she straightened up to look him in the eye. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Remus insisted half-heartedly.
"Okay," Jamie said, obviously unconvinced but not wanting to push him into an uncomfortable situation. Instead, she opted for a different uncomfortable situation. "By the way, Aunt Janine gave me a large amount of money for Christmas. I figure we could use it for that house we saw."
"What?" Remus asked. "On top of all the robes and that necklace she gave you?"
"Yes," Jamie swallowed. "She had left it in my bedroom as a surprise."
"Jamie, that's your Christmas money," Remus dictated. "Are you sure you want to use it for a house?"
"Not just any house, Remus - our house," Jamie insisted.
"You're sure of that one?" Remus asked.
"Love, it's near perfect," Jamie nodded. In all reality, the house was less than luxurious. It was a two story, but it only had two bedrooms, one of which was hardly anything more than a closet and the master wasn't much bigger. It had one-and-a-half bathrooms, one of which was connected to the master bedroom, but the toilet was missing. The living room, kitchen, and dining room was primarily one room and the entire first floor, although there was a half wall dividing the floor in half.
"You don't want to look at others?" Remus pressed.
"We looked at nearly every house in London," Jamie exaggerated. "If you don't like it - "
"No, I agree with you," Remus nodded fervently. "It's just a lot different from what you're used to, you know?" He looked around the room and shrugged.
"I don't want what I'm used to, Remus," Jamie pulled him down to sit next to her on the bed. "I want something new. I'm going to be Mrs. Jamie Lupin, not just Jamie Williams. I want us to work together to get the things that we want, not live off of other people, including my mum and dad."
Remus looked at her as though he was still unsure, but then he leaned forward and kissed her quickly. "Then I think we'll have to make a pit stop in the city sometime to talk to that realtor."
Jamie squealed and threw her arms around Remus excitedly, pushing him back onto the bed. "Oh, Remus, this is working out so perfectly I can hardly stand it." She kissed him hard on the lips, causing him to sputter, "Jamie, you do know we're at your parent's house, right?"
"They're in bed," Jamie excused quickly, kneeling over him and untying her bathrobe from around her waist and shrugging it off, revealing her pajamas - a pair of small dark blue shorts and a red tank top. She bent forward, leaning on her elbows so her face was nearly touching his, her eyes gleaming with passion. "Besides, my mum has told me numerous times she wants lots of grandkids."
"Are you sure this is it?" Jamie asked, pulling her scarf closer around her neck to fight against the sudden turn in weather making everyone certain that it was, indeed, December in England. She looked over the edge of the railing, raising an eyebrow. "I wonder why there is that big hole in the snow bank down there."
"Positive," Remus nodded, glancing at the front door of the second floor flat. He pressed down on the doorbell and stepped back by Jamie.
"Shhh!" Jamie and Remus exchanged a look of concern.
"It's them - hurry up!"
"James, shut your bloody mouth!"
"This is stupid. Lily, let's go into the kitchen."
"Sounds alright by me."
"You two are such gits."
"Like you should talk, Black."
"Carter, don't make me throw you over the railing into the snow bank again."
"I'd like to see it."
Suddenly, there was a scream from behind the door and many shouted protests. The door burst open, revealing Sirius, who gave a welcoming nod to Remus and Jamie, who had Jaclyn thrown over his shoulder, who was kicking her legs and pounding on his back.
"Sirius Black, if you throw me over again, by Merlin, I will - "
Jaclyn screamed as she fell down the story, but landed in a soft "plumph!" when she landed in the snow. The three, now joined with James and Lily, ran to gaze over the railing to see that Jaclyn was okay. She was on her feet, grumbling loudly as she stepped in her previously made footprints and made her way up to Sirius's flat.
"How's it going down there, Carter?" Sirius called down to her.
Jaclyn shot him the mother of all death glares, causing Sirius to run back into the flat, not before pausing to say, "Hi, Remus and Jamie. Welcome to my humble abode."
"Wow," Jamie said simply as Jaclyn tore past them into the flat.
"It's been like this since we got here," Lily sighed, shaking her head in mock disapproval. She then spread her arms wide, welcoming Jamie in for a hug. "Merry Christmas."
"You, too," Jamie said, then jumped onto her cousin, her legs on his hips, causing him to stumble backwards a bit, but staying on his feet and miraculously not spilling the two mugs of hot chocolate he was holding. "Jamesie-poo! I am on strict orders to make you feel wretched for missing the annual Williams-Potter family Christmas."
"Excuse me while I go sob for a while in complete solitude," James smiled, dropping Jamie and handing her one of the mugs. "Did I miss anything?"
"Well, your mum managed to bring the turkey back to life," Jamie shrugged.
"Nah, she did that at Easter two years ago with the ham, remember?" James reminded Jamie, causing the two of them to start laughing.
"And I'm marrying into this family?" Remus raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, you'll fit right in, love," Jamie joked, kissing him quickly. "Anyways, can we actually go into the flat or do we have to sit out here and freeze all holiday?"
The four of them went inside and Jamie and Remus put their cloaks in a closet next to the front door. Jamie glanced around the front entrance, which was alongside the living room. "It's cozy."
"Yeah," James nodded. "When he says he was a left a "bit" of money, he fails to mention that he could probably buy himself a small island with it if he wanted."
"Jamie, I'll show you to the room you and Remus will be sharing," Lily said suddenly, grabbing her best friend.
"Well, hold on, Remus, bring the - "
"No need!" Lily waved over her shoulder, dragging Jamie into the guest bedroom on nearly the opposite end of the flat. As soon as they were inside the room, Lily closed the door behind them.
"No need to bring my trunk of clothes in the room I'll be staying in for nearly two weeks?" Jamie inquired, folding her arms over her chest as Lily wheeled around to face her.
"You and Remus shagged."
Jamie snorted into her mug of hot chocolate, her eyes wide as she stared at Lily. "What the - how did - I prefer to call it - where was - "
"I knew it!" Lily clapped her hands together. "I just knew it the second I saw the two of you together. The sexual tension that was just building whenever you were together is gone now."
"Can we talk about something else?" Jamie asked, an uncomfortable look on her face.
"No way!" Lily protested, leading Jamie to the bed in the middle of the guest room and making her sit next to her. "I need details."
Jamie scrunched up her nose. "Lily, I'm not going to give you a graphic description."
Lily rolled her eyes. "That's not what I'm asking. Why did you finally decide to do it? Blimey, you've only been together forever."
Jamie looked like she was going to protest again, but she sighed when she looked at Lily's pleading eyes. "I don't know why you want to know this."
"Because I'm your best friend and best friends need to know these things," Lily waved a hand dismissively.
"Fine," Jamie resigned. "It just felt right, you know? I mean, we could have done," she hesitated, then said, "you know, it - "
"Say it with me, Jamie," Lily joked. "S-E-X. Sex."
"Sod off, Evans," Jamie demanded. "Look, just make sure you don't tell Jaclyn, okay?"
"Don't tell Jaclyn what?" Jaclyn walked into the guest room, her hair still packed with snow and looking thoroughly victimized. She looked from Jamie to Lily suspiciously.
"What I got you for Christmas," Jamie lied without missing a beat. "I swear, Lily, if you tell her…"
"Sorry, Jaclyn, I know I said I would, but I value my life," Lily threw up her hands in protest. She then whispered, "Meet me in the kitchen tonight at midnight. Bring the goods."
Jaclyn rolled her eyes. "You two are far too weird for your own good. But, come on, we've all been dying to sing carols and Remus is finally here to play piano." She jerked her head toward the library, then ducked out of the room.
Jamie began to follow her cousin, but Jamie put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. She looked oddly serious as she met Jamie's eye. "I won't say anything to her - I promise."
Jamie gave her a nod of thanks then said, "Come on - we all know how tone deaf they are. We don't want the neighbors complaining."
Author's Note: This is super long! Yikes - I didn't expect it to be so long. I guess that makes up for the shorter ones? Yup, mh hm. Thank you, dolly, for pointing out the mistake in my song!
Current list of names I use that look far too alike: James, Jamie, Jaclyn, Janine. Sorry, guys..I didn't mean for it to happen like that and I apologize if it's hard to read.
Thanks for reading!
La Mariposa: Well, I'm constantly worried that
I go too far. It's kind of a ongoing fear of mine. Oh, and I hope you
enjoyed the silliness at "your" expense. :D
Nicoley117: I'm kind of basing a lot of Remus/Jamie's relationship on my own with my best friend, to be honest, minus the whole being in a relationship and getting married kind of thing. My best friend and I have an unique relationship..and the leaving to write the book is based on something going on with me and him in real life. I think Jamie might get used to it, but that doesn't mean I will, haha. :) Thanks for reading!
dolly: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. Keep on reading!
RisuMusume: I didn't mean to be innacurate. When I first said his middle name was "Thomas" I had a reason behind it, but then I remembered that I was completely off. JKR didn't really give us any of the other Marauders middle names and it completely slipped my mind that she gave us Remus's. I thought that I had fixed it, because I did in my documents on my computer, but obviously I haven't. Thank you for pointing it out to me.