"SIRI!!!" called... what's her name... as she sprinted toward Sirius at breakfast

"Fuck" mumbled Remus and Sirius in unision, Peter and James sniggered, enjoying Sirius's pain immensley

"Good morning Siri!"

"Good morning..."

"Marianne" she cheerfully added for him "How is my Siri Wiri today?" she said brightly as she planted a kiss on his cheek, which Sirius promoptly wiped off

"I am not yours! And don't call me Siri Wiri!" he snapped

"You're so funny"

"I'm not joking!"

"Whatever you say Siri, you funny boy" she planted another kiss on his cheek, which Sirius angrily wiped away again "You should take me to Hogsmeade when we get back after christmas, we could go to Madam Puddifoot's and have tea and then we could go to Honeydukes and get lot's of lovely sweets and-"

"She's insane Sirius" whispered Remus as she continued on about Hogsmeade actvities

"Do you think if we all just got up, she'd notice?" replied Sirius

"Probably not" whispered James, slowly and carefully they left the table, Marianne stood and continued to witter on, oblivious to their escape.

"That was weird" said Peter, as they strolled casually out of the hall

"Do you think she'll ever leave you alone?" asked Remus

"I hope so... d'you think if someone else sleeps with her, she'll stalk them instead" said Sirius, wondering why he hadn't thought of that before "That shouldn't take too long, should it?"

"No, Lily reffered to her as the Hufflepuff bike the other day" said Remus, smirking

*

They were in the dormitory later that morning, one week before the Christmas holidays, when letters from everyone's parents arrived outlining their plans for their children over the christmas period.

Remus, me and your dad want you home for christmas this year. You haven't been home for christmas since first year and we miss having you here

Love Mum x

Sirius, You are coming home for Christmas this year, we're expecting the family on the 28th – Regards, Mother & Father

James, Mum wants to do the New Years Eve party again this year, invite your friends! See you next week, love Dad

Dear Peter, I can't wait to see you next week! I'm making your favourite dinner for the night you come home! Love Mummy xxxxxxx

"Shit" said Sirius as he crumpled up his letter and slumped down onto his bed next to Remus "Mother and Father just told me I'm coming home for christmas"

"Don't you get any say in the matter" asked James

"Hell no" he snorted "Not when they're demanding my presence like this and it sounds like everyone's coming round" he groaned "I won't have Andy to keep me company this year

"My parents are doing their party again this year" said James

"The famous Potter New Yars Eve party is making a comeback, eh?" said Sirius

"Yep" he beamed "You're all invited by the way"

"That'll be something to look forward to, Mum and Dad want me back as well. Well, Mum does" sighed Remus

"What do you mean?" asked Sirius "I thought you got on with your parents"

"I do with my Mum" Remus cleared his throat, the memory still hurt "in the summer, my Dad found the letter that you sent for apologising for kissing me that day" Remus chose to ignore Peter's twisted face and shiver "you said something like "it's not on kissing your friends, even if they are gay" and he flew completly off the handle" he recounted miserably

"Seriously?" said James, Peter and Sirius in harmony

"Yep, he was like "first you're a werewolf now you're bent" and then "Don't call me dad", I spoke to him a bit in the hospital, but it wasn't exactly a warm exchange. I haven't spoken to him since. He deliberately worked overtime at the postoffice for the whole summer just to avoid me"

"That's... that's... shit" said James sadly

"Yeah mate, that's just awful" said Sirius placing his arm round Remus's shoulder, hugging him a little

"It's alright, I don't really care, I suppose" said Remus, hoping he didn't look like he was enjoying the hug as much as he was. James swiftly changed the subject

"I can't find my charms book, has anyone seen it?" they all murmered no "Bollocks, I'll have a look for it"

"I'll help!" piped Peter, who instantly began digging around in a pile of clothes, which Remus was sure he'd tidied away the previous night. While Peter and James were busy, Sirius nuzzled at Remus's ear lobe, sending a satisfying shiver down his spine. He gave him a quick kiss, before standing up

"Why do you need your charms book now?" asked Sirius

"Because we've got it first lesson" said James scrambling round for his book

"Have we? I thought it was potions" said Remus lazily "In fact, it is potions" he said, now brandishing his time table

"Aww, bugger" said James, peering at the time table "We don't even have it today"

*

Gabriel Fisher, Annabell Roth and Katrina Lestat sat round a desk in the empty transifiguration classroom

"I decided that, because you're all in fifth year and getting help with DADA, we should start having group lessons" explained Remus brightly "I thought this way, I'd get to see you all a lot more, I've got it all sorted with McGongall, so I see you Monday to Wednesday every other week until it hits exam season. But I thought because it was christmas and you've all finnally mastered the sheild charm. Stupefy!" he called suddenly, to his delight all three of his students pulled their wands and called

"Protego!" Causing the jet of red light to bounce back and hit the blackboard at the front of the classroom. All three of them looked very pleased with themselves

"Brilliant, and because you've all managed the stunning spell, no need to demonstrate that thank you" he said as Annabell and Katrina both reached for their wands, the both laughed nervously. Fisher giggled at them both "any way, I thought we'd try something different, a little advanced... really advanced, The Patronus Charm! Think of the extra marks you'd get in your exam if you managed to pull this off" grinned Remus flipping through his DADA text book for the right page

"There's n-no way I'll m-m-manage this" said Katrina softly. Out of all his students, Katrina lacked the most confidence, she had always been bullied and spoke with a bad stammer. She was in Gryffindor and until third year, she had been very short rather on the plump side but had suddenly become very tall and extremely skinny and as a result, obscenely clumsy. She had lank strawberry blonde hair and a spattering of acne. She was as awkward in conversation as she was in movement. She rarely made eye contact and had a lot of trouble being alone with Remus at first. Despite her being, Remus thought, even inspite of her poor hair and skin, quite strikingly beautiful, she had never been treated well by boys and was uncomfortable with them in a group, let alone being by herself with one.

"C'mon, Katrina, it doesn't matter if you do it or not, just give it a go" said Remus "Besides, McGonagall hasn't told me what she wants you doing now. This is just a filler lesson" he said reassuringly

"alright... I sup-p-p-pose, if it d-d-doesn't really mat-tter..." she smiled and gave a fleeting moment of eye contact, before flicking her eyes back to her knee's, where they had been

"There you go" he said smiling "Neither of you have any objections, do you?" he asked Fisher and Annabell

"I'm fine, this shit sounds interesting" said Fisher, reclining in his chair

"I have one" said Annabell with a quick raise of her eye brows "Well, it's not so much an objection, just a question"

"Yes Annabell?"

"Why have you bothered dragging us down here tonight if you haven't got anything proper planned?" she said curiously. Remus liked Annabell, she was always very enthusiastic with their work, in fact, if she was half as competent as she was enthusiastic, she'd be getting an O. She always tried her best and never seemed to be disheartened when her best wasn't good enough, though this had caused her and Remus some injury due to a few botched stunning spells. She was, overall, a very nice person to be around, if on occasion annoyingly positive. She had a mop of fluffy short black hair, which was eerily remeniscant of James Potter's, Remus had even asked if they were related, they weren't. She was of average height and weight and was nothing special, beauty wise, to look at but she had a nice round face with soft brown eyes and a cheerful, welcoming sort of look about her.

"You can leave if you want" said Remus with a shrug

"No! I REALLY don't want to, I was just asking" she said flailing her arms around madly in protest, most of her movements and looks were very overly exagerated

"Hmm... I suppose my over achieving brain and I thought you might think this was like a treat or something... now I've thought about it, it's not really, is it"

"You are talking to couple of Ravenclaws here, we love this kind of shit" Laughed Fisher

"Good point" said Remus "We'll get on then, shall we?" he smiled and began to explain the charm "Basically, you have to think happy thoughts while you say "Expecto Patronum" focus on any powerful happy thought, the book reccomends you use a happy memory, but not just any happy memory, a very happy memory, got it?"

"Easy! All I think are happy thoughts" grinned Annabell

"Ha, why doesn't that surprise me? Okay... er I suppose I should demonstrate" Remus raised his wand and searched his mind for happy memory's

The day I found out I would be going to Hogwarts

"Expecto Patronum!" all he produced was a silvery white vapour "Bugger"

I always thought that was my happiest memory... Sirius and James working out I was a Werewolf and still wnating to be my friend?

"Expecto Patronum!" the vapour this time was even flimsier "Damn... just a second"

Why didn't you think of this one before, idiot. The morning I woke up in the shreking shack with Sirius... his warm chest... his heartbeat... that kiss

"Expecto Patronum!" Remus jumped back, Fisher, Annabell and Katrina ducked and awed. From Remus's wand had erupted with a huge silver white animal, it leapt from the tip of the wand and shot to the back of the classroom, it landed on a desk, on four paws. It was clearly a dog. A big shaggy dog. A big shaggy dog, identical to Sirius's animagus form. Remus had no idea he was this predictable.

By the end of their study session, despite their efforts, Annabell and Fisher could just produce a thick vapour and Katrina could not produce anything stronger than a few whispy clouds, claiming she didn't have a memory happy enough to manage one.

*

Michael Weller, Jane Parker, Martin Green and Layla Leon, Remus's transfiguration group, sat at the same desk his DADA group had been. Jane, Martin and Layla were smiling warmly at him, Michael was slouched in his chair and scowling. Remus explained that, like is DADA group, they would now be tutored as a class Monday to Wednesday everyother week, everyone apart from Narcissa was there, as she had requested that Michael didn't find out she was being tutored by Remus, for fear he would tell his quidditch team mate Malfoy. She would be tutored seperately on Thursady nights every week. He would have loved teaching transfiguration as much as he did DADA were it not for Michael, who would sit giving surly looks and grunts whenever Remus asked him to do something. Everyone of his students had come into his classes with Trolls in the subject and everyone of his students had improved accept Michael, even Layla, who really was lovely, but thick as two short planks of wood was getting Acceptables. McGonagall understood that it was Michael's own fault he was not improving, but Remus couldn't help but feel it might jepordise him becoming a teacher in the future. He just prayed that he might improve in a class environment.

*

Sirius, James and Peter had spent all of Friday evening packing, their stuff had been strewn all over their dorm and it had taken hours to find what they needed. Remus, however, had only been half an hour packing because he'd kept his things tidy. By the time they had finished packing, the sun was well set and the moon (no where near full, thank God thought Remus) was out among the bright stars. James gave a satisfied sigh and held up a tiny, well wrapped package.

"Who's that for?" asked Peter hopefully

"Evans, I got her a pair of earings. They're fake emeralds but they look real" he sighed again, dreamily "They match her eyes" he beamed at his present

"I'm not sure she'll accept those" said Sirius darkly

"What? Why not?" James asked heatedly

"Calm down Prongs! I just reckon she won't because of that thing we did to Snivellous"

"What did you do to him now?" enquired Remus exhaustedly, he was getting so sick of this

"Nothing really bad. We just tryed to clean his hair... we were only doing him a favour" said Sirius casually

"Yeah, it wasn't our fault that the Brillo Pad we bewitched didn't stop till it reached his scalp" nodded James

"Merlin knows we didn't expect him to draw blood, but-" began Sirius

"He blead!" gasped Remus

"Not that much"
"Only a little bit"

"And they grew his hair back really quickly"

"It was still greasy though" James and Sirius both sniggered and Peter tried to join in. Remus rolled his eye and gloweed at them

*

It was an hour after they went to bed that Remus heard the sound of feet creeping across to his bed, he heard a silencing charm cast and the sound of his curtains being pulled back, feeling a new weight in the right hand side of is large bed, as it lay down Remus snuggled up toward it.

"Hey" said Sirius burying his nose into Remus's hair and inhaling deeply

"Hullo" Remus kissed his neck

"Sorry about the Snape thing... I know you don't like it, but I swear to merlin he was asking for it this time"

"It's fine, I believe you" Remus wondered if there were Slytherin's that could lie as convincingly as he could

"Great, that's brilliant" Sirius huffed "I'm going to miss you so much Moony" he said sadly

"You'll see me at New Year"

"I know... I get used to seeing you everyday and mother won't let me have photo's of you three anymore. I feel like I need to have you around" Sirius sounded unnaturally sad

"Cheer up Sirius" he smiled "Ooh! I have something to show you" said Remus excitedly

"You do eh?" he replied amorously

"Not like that" laughed Remus "Sick mind" the two of them sat up and Remus stuck his hand trough his hangings and reached for his wand "Did I tell you I can produce a corporeal patronus"

"A what patronus?"

"A proper one"

"No! You can?!"

"Yeah! You'll love the form it takes" he chuckled as he rembered that moring in the shrieking shack "expecto patronum!" the large shaggy dog appeared from his wand and sat on the edge of his bed, Remus waved his wand and it dissolved into vapour before disapearing completely

"My animagus form" he said proudly "That's so... wow" he grinned "I wonder what form mine would take"

"Give it a go"

"How do I?"

"You focus on the happiest memory you have and say expecto patronum"

"Okay, pass you wand" Remus couldn't see Sirius properly, but he imagined he had his eyes rolled up in his head with though "right... expecto patronum!" all Sirius produced was a puff of silvery vapour, he looked very dispointed "Aww, I thought there was no way that memory wasn't going to prduce a patronus!"

"It would probably work if you used your wand. What did you think about?" asked Remus

"What do you think" Remus shrugged, Sirius didn't say anything

"I just shrugged by the way"

"Oh right, can't see you. I thought about the first time we went out with you during the full moon... we woke up and you had your arms round me and you kissed me" Sirius said shyly, Remus laughed "I know it's silly but-"

"That's the exact same thing I thought about" Remus smiled and Sirius leaned into him, their lips connecting.

*

Remus gave Sirius, James and Peter a sad wave as he caught sight of his mother on Platform nine and three quarters. He trudged over to her, dragging his trunk in a manner that would suggest it was heavier than it acctually was.

"Did you have a nice trip Sweet heart?" she said so quietly she was almost impossible to hear over the crowd

"Yep"

"Lovely. How's your tutoring going?"

"Wonderfully, everyone's improved so much. It's quite overwhelming really"

"That wondeful Remus. You must have quite a knack for teaching" she smiled wider than usual "Take my arm, I'll apparate us home" He took her arm and with a whoosh, a crack and that awful sickly feeling side along apparation always gave Remus they were stood at the bottom of their garden. His mother walked daintily up to the front door and delicately opened the door, ushering Remus in, she put the kettle on and they sat at the kitchen table, at opposite ends.

"The Potters have invited me to their New Years Eve party" said Remus quickly, failing to re-adjust to the near silence of home

"I know, they've intvited your father and I as well" she pursed her lips

"How is dad"

"He's sorry" she averted Remus's gaze "He hasn't acctually said he is... but he always look so guily when I mention you"

"As he should"

"I know. What he said was awful, I'm sure he'll apologise, it is christmas afterall"

"He'll probably work over time to avoid me"

"That won't happen Remus. He's booked the entire two weeks off"

"Wow... he might acctually want to speak to me then"

"Acctually sweetheart... he doesn't exactly know you're staying here over christmas"

"You're kidding" said Remus angrily, she jumped back a little, surpressing a tiny impish grin

"It's the only way I could see him see him going in the same room as you"

"By tricking him" Remus sighed irately and shook his head "I hope you know how infintile you are"

"I know" she chewed her lip, trying not to laugh "When you were liltte, you used to hide and jump out to scare us. You'd run away and hide for hours and we'de never find you. When he drank a cup of salty tea your father said to me, I wonder where our boy gets his naughty streak, we were both prefects. I didn't have the heart to tell him it was me that swapped the sugar with the salt"

*

Regulus trotted after Sirius on the paltform

"Where are we going? Where's mother?" asked Regulus, sounding frightened, Sirius tutted at him

"She sent me a letter on the train, she's too busy punishing Kreacher for not cleaning quickly enough, we're to go to the Leaky Cauldron and go by floo powder"

"oh... alright" he sighed as they made their way out of the sation and began to walk through London

"What's wrong with you Reg?"

"nothing really. Just, all the other mother's are here to pick their children up"

"well our Mother's not all the other Mother's is she"

"I s'pose"

"She's a demented bint, who's too busy torturing a house elf to come and see her own sons"

"poor Kreacher" said Regulus sadly. Sirius turned back to scowl at his brother, when he suddenly notcied how ill the boy looked. His cheeks no longer had the chizzled hollow that was expected of a Black, he was simply gaunt, he was much paler than usual and his once dark brown hair looked quite lank and mousy, he had huge bags under his eyes

"You alright?"

"What?"

"You look like death-" Regulus cut Sirius off just before he finished the word death

"Like death what?" he snapped

"Just like death"

"I don't look like death anything" he said warningly

"Right! Fucking hell! I was only saying, you look sick, that's all"

"So" he looked shiftily back and forth

"Well, I'm concerned for your well being aren't I" Sirius tutted again "Idiot. How long did you sleep last night, you're all jittery"

"I didn't sleep" he said sadly

"Don't tell Mother, she'll acctually kill you" he put on his mother's voice "We can't have a Black looking so pale and ill. Crucio!" Sirius joked

"That wasn't funny" said Regulus, shifting his eyes to the floor

"I was only taking the piss! I know her punishments are harsh but it's not like she's acctually going to use the cruciatus curse, is she?" Regulus said nothing "Is she Reg." Still no reply "...Reg?"

*

"Rhea! I'm home!" Called Remus's dad, both Remus and his mother jumped. He heard him hang his coat up and stumble as he walked through the living room "What's up with the trunk?" he asked he walked into the kitchen "Present for... Remus. Your mum didn't tell me you were coming home" he said. All warmth dropping from his voice

"Well, I'm here John" he spat

"You are. Rhea, bedroom, now please" he said through a false grin. Uneven yellowed teeth bolted together. His mother smiled tinily and walked lighly to the door, followoing her husband up the stairs. Remus could here only muffled shouting from his father and the occasional squeek from his mother. The all he heard was his father's muffled shouts. Suddenly he heard an ear splitting shreik and a conherant sentence

"NO JOHN! YOU LISTEN TO ME! HE IS YOUR SON AND I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE TOO EMBARRASSED TO SPEAK TO HIM, BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN MUTTERING IN YOUR SLEEP FOR MONTHS ABOUT HOW SORRY YOU ARE. FOR MERLIN'S SAKE YOU WERE CRYING THE OTHER NIGHT!" Remus heard a low shy murmur "TOO FUCKING RIGHT I SAW YOU! YOU'VE SAID SOME AWFUL THINGS. AND IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW SORRY YOU FEEL, BECAUSE POOR REMUS ISN'T A FUCKING MIND READER. NOW GET YOU ARSE DOWNSTAIRS AND TELL HIM EXACTLY HOW YOU FEEL" Remus was finding it extremely hard to believe that that was his mum. HIS mum! Who, on the rare occasion she did speak, was barely audible. Remus began to wonder if pigs had begun flying. He heard the heavy thud of his father's footsteps, followed by the light tap of his mother as she landed on the bottom step of their staircase. His dad ducked a little as he entered the kitchen and Remus had his eyebrows as far up on his head as they could go, and his mouth as open as he could get it.

"Remus"

"Yes John?"

"I have an apology for you"

"Really, what a surprise" his Dad blushed

"I said some ridiculous, horrible things during the summer. And I want you to know I've never regretted anything more in my entire life. I love you and" he was choking up "I am so proud of you. Even if you never will be a big important-"

"I'm going to be a teacher"

"Right, even if you aren't going to be big and important" Remus rolled his eyes "and even if you are" he cleared his throat and hesitated for too long

"Gay?"

"Yeah... even if you are that"

"Gay"

"mmhmm, I don't care. Because I love you the way you are. Werewolf or gay or not. I'm so sorry... I don't what I'd do if I lost you Remus"

"Apology accepted. I appriciate how hard that must have been for you"

"Thank you. So much. So we're friends again?" he smiled hopefully

"No... an apology doesn't make up for everything you said"

"What... well what do you want from me?"

"Nothing"

"How do I make it better?"

"You can't"

"But..."

"Time heals all wounds, Dad" Remus smiled at his mother, who was smiling as well, looking quite pleased that her son and her husband were atleast on speaking terms again.

A/N: can I get a woot for Remus's mum :P And some reviews and favorites etc. My ego needs them to live :P