Remus was tired but happy when he got up early the next morning for work, his worries temporarily brushed aside as he Apparated to outside the Davies' home for his morning lessons with Roger. He was so relieved that he and Sirius were speaking again that he had completely forgotten about the awkward lesson he'd had with Roger the previous day.

He strode up the stone steps towards the front door, keen to get inside and out of the cold as soon as possible. The snow remained but a drop in temperature had made the ground slick with ice and perilous to walk on. He chapped loudly and waited, rubbing his hands together in an effort to stave off the cold. A few seconds passed and the door creaked open. Remus smiled and opened his mouth to greet Mrs Davies but faltered when he saw the stony expression on her face.

"Mr Lupin," she greeted him stiffly, only holding the door half-open. She didn't usher him in out of the cold like she normally would. "I'm surprised to see you."

Remus frowned, "I'm sorry, I thought that we had arranged for me to tutor Roger today. Am I mistaken?"

"I take that you haven't received my owl?"

"No, sorry…" Remus felt uneasy at the accusatory look she was drawing him. "Has something happened?"

"You could say that," she sneered. "After you left yesterday I spoke to Roger about his lesson. You can imagine my reaction when he told me what you had said about werewolves, Mr Lupin, some cock and bull story that they are not so unlike you and me. Your unconventional and, frankly, dangerous opinions on this matter gave my husband and I cause for concern. So, I took it upon myself to ask around about you. My findings were rather disturbing."

Remus' heart sank. Shit , he realised in a panic. She knows...

"My credentials are sound," he argued, struggling to quell the fear and anger rising inside of him. Mrs Davies huffed out a derisive laugh.

"Oh yes, I quite agree," she replied briskly. "You came highly recommended by several people, that's why we hired you in the first place. But it is rather unusual, the high number of employers you've had in such a short period of time. And there's the matter of your irregular sick days."

"Mrs Davies—"

"Funny how they always seem to coincide with the full moon, isn't it?" she finished, glaring at Remus as though challenging him to refute her claim. His mind raced as he struggled to figure out how to respond and the painful silence that followed felt as though it stretched out across eternity, although it couldn't have lasted more than a couple of seconds. He swallowed hard, his mouth as dry as sandpaper.

"With regards to my condition, I think it's important to remember that Roger is completely safe in my company," he began carefully, ignoring the harsh laugh from Mrs Davies. "More importantly, it has absolutely no bearing upon my ability to teach. Up until yesterday, I was under the impression that you were happy with the quality of my tutelage."

"Your teaching style is proficient," she relented. "That isn't the issue, Mr Lupin. The problem is that you lied to us about your condition and that I cannot abide. I'm afraid that you're going to have to find work elsewhere."

"I didn't lie," he argued, his voice shaking with anger now. Mrs Davies' face twisted into an ugly scowl.

"We invited you into our home, trusting you with our son. You could have had the good grace to tell us that you were sick."

"And I suppose that if I had told you that you still would have hired me?" he challenged.

"That's beside the point…"

"That's exactly the point!" he retorted. "Mrs Davies, my disease is under control. Roger was never in any danger in my company. Do you really think I'd teach children if I thought there was any danger of me hurting them?"

"Don't try and justify your deception to me!" she hissed. "You should have told us. He is our son, we have the right to make an informed decision about who he comes into contact with."

"It wasn't your business to know!" Remus snapped, finally losing his temper. Mrs Davies began closing the door in his face and a stab of panic struck his heart then. He thrust his hand out to stop her from closing the door in his face. "No! Wait, please…"

Fear streaked across her eyes then at how close he was to her and he quickly withdrew his hand, ashamed at her reaction to him, like he was contagious. But as much as he wanted to tell her to stick her job and run away, he swallowed his pride and tried to reason with her. He took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Look, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about my illness, there's no excuse," he began, trying to sound calm despite feeling anything but in that moment. "But will you please reconsider dismissing me? I...I really need this job…"

"You should have considered that before you lied to us," she retorted. "And even if your disease wasn't cause for concern, I've been made aware of certain... lifestyle choices that you engage in that I don't want my son exposed to."

Remus blinked, momentarily confused at what she meant by the barbed comment, then it dawned on him what she was referring to and another swell of hot anger rose inside of him. He clenched his fists so tightly in his hands that his fingernails dug into the soft flesh of his palms. It was one thing to insult him, quite another to drag Sirius into this.

"I assure you that being a werewolf and a homosexual is not a choice, Madam, and contrary to what you might think, neither is something to be ashamed of. What is shameful is that your son needs to rely on tutors to learn that much."

"I think it's time for you to leave," she replied coolly. Remus glared at her.

"Fine," he muttered. "Fine, just…" he rummaged through his satchel and pulled out a worn book. "Could you at least give this to Roger? I promised him that I would bring him a copy."

"I don't think that would be appropriate," she replied shortly without even looking at the book. "Goodbye, Mr Lupin."

She slammed the door in his face and he heard the lock click into place. He stared at the door, dumbstruck at what had just happened. He'd lost his job, and, more than likely, once word got out he'd lose his other clients as well, five days shy of Christmas. He wasn't sure how he should feel in that moment—angry, ashamed, upset—but he just felt...blank. Hollow.

In a daze, he turned and shuffled down the steps towards the small gate, pausing out of habit to look up at Roger's window, not really expecting to see him there. He was surprised when he saw Roger standing there, his pudgy face pressed against the glass, looking miserable. Remus couldn't even muster a parting smile for the boy; he feared it might break his resolve to do that much. Instead, he carefully placed his worn copy of The Merchant of Venice on the low wall of the Davies' home. He wasn't sure Roger would ever get it; it would probably get stolen by a passerby or thrown in the bin by his mother, perhaps it would be ignored entirely and left to the elements, getting damp and disintegrating in the wet snow. Still, he left it just in the off chance that it made its way to Roger.

Closing the squeaky gate behind him, he stalked back down the street without looking back, unsure of where his feet would carry him.

It was dark before Remus finally went home. He'd wandered aimlessly around London all afternoon, too embarrassed and angry with himself to go home and tell Sirius what had happened. A spike of shame stabbed the pit of his stomach every time he thought about Mrs Davies and the way she had looked at him, talked about him like he were infectious...he'd heard it all before, of course, but it never got any easier or any less hurtful to hear. He'd sat in St James' Park for a while, relishing the painful cold seeping into his bones, a wonderful distraction from the knots clenching his stomach. When the sun dipped below the horizon and the first stars began to emerge, Sirius the brightest among them, Remus knew that he ought to head home. He sighed and buried his face into his hands, dreading the prospect of telling Sirius what had happened.

Rising slowly to his feet, his limbs felt stiff from the cold. He shuffled forward and thought of home, Apparating moments later in front of the rundown little cottage. Warm yellow light emanated from the living room window telling him that Sirius was already home. Steeling himself, he stepped into the cottage without calling out his usual greeting, hoping to draw as little attention to himself as possible. At the sound of the door closing, Sirius appeared in the hallway, looking relieved.

"There you are, I was beginning to worry!" he pressed a quick kiss to Remus' lips then sucked in his breath. "Merlin's beard, Moony, you're freezing!"

"S'cold outside," he murmured, shrugging out of his cloak and stepping past Sirius, who followed him to the living room. Remus sank into the old armchair by the fire while Sirius rifled through a pile of letters on the coffee table.

"Here, a letter came for you," he said lazily, tossing it onto Remus' lap. His stomach clenched as he recognised Mrs Davies' handwriting—it must have arrived just after he had left for work.

"Dinner's waiting for you in the kitchen. I put a stasis charm on it to keep it warm for you. I hope beans and toast are okay," said Sirius, flopping down onto the nearby couch. "After dinner, I thought that we could use the dress-up voucher if you fancy it? I'll even let you pick my costume, but knowing you, I think Cindy ought to make an appearance this evening. What do you think?

Sirius grinned and wagged his eyebrows suggestively at Remus, expecting him to respond, but he just stared into the flames dancing in the small fireplace, looking miserable.

"I'm not really in the mood tonight, Padfoot," he said quietly. "Maybe tomorrow."

"Giving up already?" Sirius teased. "We're only halfway through the vouchers! Come on, old man, don't give up on me now!"

"I said I'm not in the mood," he replied firmly and Sirius' smile fell.

"Merlin, who put a stick up your arse?" he asked irritably. Remus crossed his arms and said nothing. Sirius' cheerful disposition, which he normally loved, was really getting on his nerves tonight.

"You're doing it again," said Sirius suddenly. Remus looked up at him.

"Doing what?"

"Shutting yourself off from me when something is bothering you. It's the same thing every time: rather than just telling me what it is, I'm going to have to waste half of the evening prying it out of you, then we'll end up pissed off with each other and arguing," he said irritably. "So, how about we just cut the bullshit and you tell me what's wrong?"

Remus glared at the letter in his lap and said nothing.

"Is it something I've done?" asked Sirius curiously.

"No!" said Remus quickly. "No, this...it isn't your fault, it's mine…"

"What is?" Sirius implored. Remus sighed and he tossed the unopened letter at Sirius. Sirius picked it up and turned it over in his hand, a confused expression on his face.

"I got sacked," Remus admitted. Sirius' head snapped up and he gaped at Remus.

"What?" he stammered. "I- why ? What happened?"

Remus nodded to the letter, encouraging Sirius to read it; the lump in his throat made it too difficult for him to speak. Sirius tore open the letter and began to read, his eyes darting across the paper. His expression morphed from confusion to shock, then into one of outrage as the colour rose in his cheeks. When he was finished reading the letter, he scrunched it up in his fist and tossed it across the room.

"Bitch!" he snarled, his face contorted with fury. "Who the fuck does she think she is?"

"Someone who is scared and misinformed," said Remus simply. "I tried reasoning with her, but she'd already made up her mind. I'm sorry, Sirius…"

"Sorry?" Sirius snapped, rounding on Remus. "What the hell have you got to be sorry about? You haven't done anything wrong! She's the one who should be sorry."

"She thinks she's doing what's best for her son," Remus explained calmly. "She's just trying to protect him."

"She's a fucking bigot, that's what she is!" he jumped to his feet and stalked out of the living room, Remus' eyes following him wearily. When he reappeared a few moments later he had his boots and travelling cloak on. He snatched the discarded letter from the floor and stuffed it into his cloak pocket before turning on his heel towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" asked Remus cautiously, although he had a good idea what the answer was going to be.

"I'm going to have a little chat with Mrs Davies," he muttered, striding towards the exit. "Just stay here, Remus, I'll sort this out."

"No, you won't," Remus warned, jumping to his feet and hurrying after him. Sirius was already opening the front door when Remus pressed his hand against it and forced it shut again. Sirius let out an exasperated sigh and glared at him.

"Move out of the way, Moony."

"No," he replied forcefully. "I can't let you do this."

"Why not?" Sirius shouted. "She's insulted and humiliated you! You're probably going to lose your other clients because of her! She needs to know the damage that she's causing!"

"She knows," Remus countered stiffly. "She just doesn't care. But there's nothing you can do about it. She's perfectly within her legal rights to sack me: for being a werewolf, for being gay, or whatever other reason she sees fit. It's shitty and it's unfair, but it's the law."

"So, what? You expect me to just sit on my hands and do nothing?" he raged.

"Yes, I expect you to do exactly that!" Remus snapped. "There's no point talking to her, Sirius. You won't change her mind and it won't get me my job back, so just drop it!"

"But—"

"Think sensibly about this for a moment," Remus cut in. "If you turn up at her house ranting and raving at her about sacking me, she'll just contact the Aurors and you'll get into all sorts of trouble. You could lose your job."

"I don't care," he snarled.

"Yes, you do," Remus countered. Sirius clenched his fists and paced back and forth like an attack dog ready to pounce before kicking the front door in frustration.

"This is bullshit!" he shouted.

"I know," Remus sighed, rubbing his tired face. Sirius paused and gave Remus a hard look.

"How are you so calm about this?" he asked accusingly. "Why aren't you angrier?"

"I am angry!" Remus cried, tears stinging the corners of his eyes. "I am pissed off and ashamed and... humiliated ," Remus buried his face into his hands. "Christ, it was so humiliating. I wanted to tell her to stick the job up her arse but still I begged for her to reconsider, even though I knew deep down that she wouldn't."

Sirius' expression changed from anger to pity, which only made Remus feel worse. He'd much rather Sirius be angry than feeling sorry for him, it made him feel even more inadequate. He lowered his gaze, too ashamed to even look him in the eye.

"I just...with Christmas coming up, we're so short of money as it is... I just panicked and begged like a fucking dog for scraps, and then she said no anyway," he continued. "And then I lost my temper and basically told her that she was a terrible parent and I knew then there was no chance of me getting my job back and—"

Remus' rambling was muted by Sirius cupping his cheeks and kissing him hard on the mouth, cutting him off mid-sentence. The maelstrom of emotions inside of Remus stilled for a moment, shocked by the suddenness of the kiss and its tenderness. When Sirius finally broke the kiss, Remus stared at him.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"A distraction," said Sirius quietly, stroking Remus' cheeks with his thumbs. "Did it work?"

"Uh...yeah, I suppose it did," he laughed feebly. He gave Sirius an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, Siri..."

"Shh, you've nothing to be sorry about," Sirius assured him, kissing his cheek. "I'm sorry I lost my head there for a minute."

"Well, you have been known to do that on occasion," Remus joked, smiling weakly. Sirius raised an eyebrow at him.

"Are you suggesting that I'm impulsive? Hot-headed?" he asked with mock annoyance.

"Spontaneous. Passionate," Remus countered, then relented, "And...yes, a little impulsive from time to time."

Sirius shrugged carelessly, "I've been called a lot worse." He sighed and leant against the front door, "This is pure bollocks, Moony. Sacking you the week before Christmas? What a fucking Grinch."

"I know," he mumbled, looking mournfully at Sirius, "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," he replied honestly, pulling Remus into a tight hug. "We'll work something out. We always do. There isn't a lot we can do about it right now, so...for now, I suggest we distract each other. How does that sound?"

Remus let out a shaky sigh and closed his eyes, "That sounds good."

"Okay," he took Remus' hand and tugged him in the direction of the bedroom. "Come on. I know something that'll take your mind off of everything."