THE CHRISTMAS GIFT.

After Lupin was sure that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had gone to bed and were fast asleep, he threw a blanket over me and sat beside me on the couch. I rested my head against his leg, half asleep. Through my half open eyes, I stared into the burning fire and he stroked my hair slowly, making me drowsier. It was well past midnight, close to one o'clock in the morning. I could hear Harry, Hermione, and Ron talking quietly in the kitchen and stifling laughter.

I closed my eyes as I heard Ron's footsteps leap up the stairs, followed by Hermione's light steps. Harry entered the sitting room, sitting in one of the two armchairs. I pretended to be sleeping.

"What are you going to do when we get back to Hogwarts?" Harry asked quietly and I felt Lupin shrug. "About this? Surely you aren't going to be sharing a dorm."

Lupin chuckled. "No, I don't think that'd be allowed," he replied softly. "Is she sleeping?"

Harry said yes. Lupin didn't stop running his fingers through my hair. I felt my skin get goosebumps.

"Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do," he sighed. "That's why we're trying to spend time together here, away from school. It's still difficult, obviously seeing as I'm still awake at one o'clock. I would much rather be able to touch her during normal hours around everyone and not have to wait until everyone's gone to bed. But I would rather wait than do absolutely nothing with her."

There was a long, somewhat awkward silence and I breathed deeply. I didn't think that either of them enjoyed the awkward conversation.

"I really do like her, Harry. I'm sorry if it's weird for you, I really am. And I don't just like her because she looks like Lily or reminds me of James. There's just something about her…" he whispered. "Darcy told me about what Hermione thinks of it. But she's right. I am a little old for her, hm?"

"Well, maybe just a little," Harry stuttered and I felt Lupin shrug again.

"I've tried to tell her multiple times that I'm too old and poor and –" He cut off his sentence before he could say 'dangerous'. "But she just won't listen. She's stubborn, your sister, but that's alright. I don't think I could leave her if I tried, honestly. What I mean to say, Harry… Is this alright? Harry, she's your sister and your family – your only family… Is this okay with you?"

Harry was hesitant at first and I felt my heart sink low. "Yeah, I guess, if you make her happy," he answered finally and almost silently. "Yeah. I just – my sister is beautiful and guys have often tried to take advantage of her. I don't want you to do that to her. Believe me, I'll bloody kill you."

Lupin laughed. "I don't want to do that, Harry," he told my brother. "That's the last thing I want to do – take advantage of her. She's brilliant, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know."

"That's good," Lupin breathed. "She's very understanding. She's kind too."

"Yeah, I know," Harry said again. "She's got a temper, though. Her and Voldemort… they, well – I don't know how to explain it. At least she doesn't have a scar that everyone can recognize her by."

"She told me," Lupin replied. "Well, I guess we should all go to bed. Even me. Come on, Darcy, wake up." He shook my shoulder gently and I opened my eyes very slowly, as if I was really just waking up. I arched my back, stretching. He took my hands and pulled me up, wrapping his arm around my waist and following Harry out the door. We walked up the stairs slowly and he led me down the hall to my bedroom. Hermione was still awake, tiredly flipping through her Ancient Runes book. Lupin and I passed her bed and stopped at mine. He laid me down and kissed my forehead quickly, and then my lips.

"Can't you stay here?" I breathed. Hermione put her book away and got in underneath the blankets. I grabbed Lupin's hand. "I want you to stay here. We won't be able to sleep together – in the same bed – for a long time…"

Lupin glanced at Hermione, who looked awkwardly away. "No, not tonight, I'm sorry," he whispered and sensing that Hermione felt uncomfortable, he left without kissing me again.

Hermione woke me up the next morning. She had shaken me awake and she was talking the whole time. "… Hurry up and pack your things, Darcy! We're going to be using the Floo Network and you're the only one who hasn't even started packing –" She looked at me and saw that I had put my pillow over my head. "Darcy, get up!" She ripped the blankets off me and I kicked and flailed my legs like a child.

I sat up and grabbed my wand off the table. "Hermione, unlike you, I'm able to use magic outside of school," I scoffed and I waved my wand. The clothes I had scattered on the ground immediately folded by themselves and flew into my suitcase, packing them perfectly. Hermione shook her head and locked her suitcase shut. "I'm coming – I've got to run a fucking comb through my hair."

I realized that I had packed my brush already and I groaned, running my fingers through my hair, licking my fingers and flattening my hair, trying to make it look somewhat presentable. I grabbed my two bags and was downstairs before Hermione. Harry, Ron, the twins, Ginny, and Lupin were all ready with their bags in front of the green fire. Mrs. Weasley was waiting alone; Mr. Weasley was at work.

Hermione came down shortly after.

"Who wants to go first?" Mrs. Weasley asked and George stepped up, going to the Gryffindor common room. Fred went second and then Ginny. Harry went after Ginny. Ron went after Harry and Hermione went after Ron. Suddenly, an owl screeched and Mrs. Weasley groaned. "Alright you two, I've got take care of this. Good luck with your schooling, Darcy – good luck with your teaching, Remus." She hugged both of us tightly and kissed my cheek, and then she ran into the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Lupin asked me.

"The Gryffindor common room." I stepped into the fire and said it loudly and clearly and suddenly, I was thrown into the room at Hogwarts. I laid for a second and then heard something crack and Lupin was thrown on top of me. Both our faces were dirty and he quickly stood up and brushed himself off.

"Sorry about that," he whispered and I noticed that both Fred and George were watching us from a distance. "Well, I should be on my way back to my office."

"Right," I smiled. I held out my hand and he shook it slowly. "I'll see you in class, Professor Lupin."

He exited the Gryffindor common room and Fred and George walked down the stairs and I sat on the couch, standing up my suitcases. "Saw that," Fred sang as he sat down beside me. George took a seat on my lap.

"Disgusting the way he looks at you," George grinned. "All lovey dovey. Just plain disgusting. You see him, Fred?"

"I saw him," Fred nodded. "He better watch himself. Or else he'll have to face the fury of the Weasley twins."

"Enough," I replied quietly, pushing George off my lap. "I've got say 'hello' to Emily. I think she's back by now."

I stood up and walked by myself down to the platform, where the Hogwarts Express would be dropping off the students any minute. I waited, along with a few other people, including Hagrid. I began talking to him.

"Hello, Darcy!" he said in his big, booming voice. "Enjoying your last year?"

"Very much," I replied with a wide grin. "It's better than I expected it to be."

"How so?"

"I'm just doing really well in my studies is all," I said quickly. "Hagrid, Harry told me what happened with Buckbeak. How – how is he?"

"Who? Malfoy?"

"No!" I raised my eyebrows. "How's Buckbeak?"

"Well," Hagrid breathed in deeply and I felt guilty. I think I hit a soft spot. "Lucius Malfoy is furious about it. But it wasn't Buckbeak's fault – Malfoy provoked him and I warned the brat about insulting hippogriffs! But anyway, he went to the Ministry about it and I'm just waiting to hear back…"

"Oh, Hagrid," I touched his arm. "Everything will be alright, okay? I'll look up hippogriffs in court and stuff. Hermione will help me. Ron and Harry will probably help too!"

"Bless you, Darcy," Hagrid was teary eyed as the Hogwarts Express pulled up. He dried his eyes with a huge handkerchief. "So much like your mother, you are."

As the scarlet train rolled to a stop, Emily was dragging her bags off first and when she saw me, she grinned and ran up to me, leaping up and wrapping her arms and legs around me. Being the skinny girl she was, she wasn't heavy at all. "I missed you!" she exclaimed and few of my other friends patted me on the shoulders as they walked by. "How was your Christmas break? What'd you get?"

She let me go and picked up her suitcase. I grabbed her small, travel bag and thought. "Chocolates and a – fudge."

"Sounds great…" she seemed uninterested. "I got clothes – lots of clothes! And I got a new set of robes too."

"Fantastic," I replied. We walked up to the castle and I adjusted her heavy bag and the sleeve to my shirt sleeve fell up. Emily looked at me.

"Holy shit!" she screamed and she grabbed my wrist. I was wearing the bracelet. "Who got you this? It's bloody fucking beautiful! Look how shiny it is!"

I yanked my hand back. "It's nothing."

"Seriously," we began to move again. "Who got you this because it's beautiful?" We rounded the corner and Emily ran into someone. Lupin raised his eyebrows and I chuckled, helping my friend to her feet. "Oh, Professor Lupin! Hello! Have you seen this bracelet someone got for Darcy? I was just telling her how beautiful it is!"

Emily held up my wrist and Lupin took my wrist from her, examining the bracelet with a smile on his face. "Yes, it's very nice," Lupin said quietly. "Didn't Harry get you that?"

"Harry –" I repeated and he let go of my wrist, still smiling at me. "Harry. Yes. Yes, he did."

"Harry got you that?" Emily asked in disbelief. "Well, I wish I had Harry as a brother!"

Lupin nodded to us both and then walked away, his hands behind his back, humming a song I didn't know. Emily was skipping down the hallway. "Yeah, Harry's a nice brother…" I said again, smiling to myself.

"You know," Emily looked over her shoulder at Lupin. "He's rather good looking, don't you think?"

"Me? I, um, he's – yeah, he's alright."

"You think he'd ever go for a student?" she asked seriously. I almost choked and suddenly, I was angry, but I didn't want to show it.

"Him? Nah," I shrugged it off. "He's too old, don't you think? I think he'd go more for someone his age. Besides, he could get fired if someone found out he was having a relationship with a student."

"Well," Emily said. "I was going to talk to him before break, you know, try to see if he's interested, but I don't really want to anymore. In fact, I think he's interested in you, Darcy. Did you see the way he looked at you just a few seconds ago? And the way he touched you? God, it was almost… like he liked you."

"Oh no," I shook my head and forced a laugh. "That's not possible."

"I don't know. He seemed pretty happy when he walked away. Did you see him?" Emily raised her eyebrows and smirked at me. "You're lucky, you know."

"Lucky?"

Emily nodded and I smiled to myself. "You're very lucky. He's attractive and bloody brilliant. He's the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had! Although, he does look a little homeless sometimes… but he cleans up nice!"

"I've talked to him a few times. He knew my parents. He was my dad's best friend," I told her as we humped her bags up the flight of stairs.

"Oh, that's why he looks at you like that!" Emily nodded and sighed, reaching the top of the staircase. We began to walk up the second flight. "You look exactly like your mum! He must have been in love with her or something so when he sees you, he just thinks of Lily! And so he thinks he must be in love with you or something!"

"You – you think?" I stuttered.

"That must be it." She seemed sure of herself. "Perhaps I should try – just to see if he's interested?"

The anger flared inside me and I licked my lips, looking forward as we walked up the last flight of stairs. "I don't think Professor Lupin would be interested in a student," I said quietly. "I'm sorry, but I think it's a bad idea. You and him could get into a lot of trouble."

"I suppose you're right. I'll find the right time though," she smirked and we approached the door to the Gryffindor commons. I muttered the password, still furious, and the Fat Lady opened the door.

I was immediately bombarded by Ron, Hermione, and Harry. "Darcy, Darcy, look at this!" Harry stuffed a broomstick into my arms and I dropped Emily's bag on the ground. She groaned and picked it up, setting it neatly on her suitcase. "I found it underneath the tree!"

"What is it? It's a broomstick – I know," I said and I turned it over.

"It's a Firebolt!" Ron exclaimed. "It's the best broomstick out right now! The fastest! There's no way Malfoy will be able to beat you on his cruddy broomstick!"

"Where'd you get this?" I asked, handing it back to Harry. Hermione stood there, her arms crossed and her eyebrows raised to her hairline. I raised a single eyebrow and Harry shrugged. "Who sent it to you? Wasn't there a tag or something?"

"No," Hermione interrupted and Ron rolled his eyes. "But I think I know who sent it."

"Who, then?" I nodded.

"Sirius Black!"