Author's Note: December 3, 2004-

This is the new edition of Home For the Holidays. The first went into a lot more action and detail, and I decided all the drama and violence was not necessary for this story.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Home For the Holidays

"Remus now listen to me," his uncle said in a fatherly tone, "don't leave the house for anything until the full moon at seven Monday," Remus groaned, he had almost forgotten about that, "run straight into the forest, and stay there until either I or your mother come and get you tomorrow morning. Got that?"

"Yeah John," Remus sighed, picking at his potatoes.

"Come on, eat," his mother scolded at Remus, who had barely eaten all day.

Remus threw a sarcastic glare at his mother and forcefully ate a spoonful of potatoes. Remus' mum looked helplessly at his uncle, who shrugged.

"I don't know what's gotten in to him lately," Remus' mother said, ignoring that fact that Remus was sitting right by her, "and these owls from Dumbledore-"

"What has Dumbledore said?" Remus said in horror. Remus' mother threw John another look that said told ya so.

"Mostly he thinks you're a great Prefect," his mother answered, "but sometimes he thinks you're stepping a little out of line, and that you're hiding something."

"I'm not hiding anything!" Remus blurted, glancing at his uncle who just shrugged again, not wanting to get in the middle of things.

"Well we better be off, Chris," John said to his sister-in-law.

"I suppose you're right," Christine Lupin, standing up.

She put the dirty dishes in the sink, and bewitched them to wash themselves. She leaned over and kissed Remus on the head and hugged him.

"Mum!" Remus whined. "I'm not ten anymore!"

"See?" Christine said to John.

John rolled his eyes and clamped a hand on Remus' shoulder.

"Stay out of trouble," his uncle repeated.

"Sure thing," Remus muttered with a trace of guilt. Knowing Sirius and James, they were probably on there way over right now.

"Are you sure you'll be fine all weekend?" His mom asked, running her hand through his hair.

"Yes!" Remus said, swatting at the hand.

"Okay then, I love you", she said as she left. Remus just rolled his eyes and turned to his uncle.

"Bye to you too," Remus said.

"Stay out of trouble," John repeated.

He left out the door, only to lean back in the doorway and add, "No girls."

Both of them finally left, leaving Remus alone in the cabin sized house. Remus put his dishes in the sink along with his mum's, and went into the den and laid on the couch, staring at the ceiling. Rolling over, Remus picked up a Defense book off the floor and began to read. ...

"And you're sure this is the right place?" Sirius asked for the tenth time.

"Yes!" James sighed.

"Good," Sirius said as he shuffled through the snow, "at least we're in the right town this time."

"That was your fault!" James said, defending himself.

"How was I supposed to know there was a country-sized difference between Greensburrow and Greensborrows?" Sirius argued.

"You read the map!" Cried James. "You should be proud to know that you're the first person who's ever gotten the Nightbus lost!"

"Well we're here now," said Sirius, glancing towards the cabin in the near distance. He shook his head and huffed. "Greensburrows. How ironic. Who picked a name like Greensburrows for a place like this?"

"You can ask Remus that when we get there," James said, annoyed, "I'm trying to concentrate on keeping my toes from freezing!"

"You do that."

A half an hour later they finally arrived at the front door of a cabin. The place looked rather ordinary, with no furniture on the porch or anything marking it as the home of the Lupins.

"You think he's home?" Sirius asked, staring peeking through the dark windows of the Lupin cabin.

"Where else would he be?" James exclaimed. "I think the cold's getting into you."

"Remus!" Sirius bellowed, banging on the door. "I swear, if you don't open that door, I'll blow it to-"

The door flew open, and the lights switched on. Remus, annoyed and bedheaded, stood before them.

"Do you not realize I won't be able to sleep for two days?" He asked, glaring. He turned to Sirius. "I think the neighbors heard you by they way. Funny thing is, they live five miles away!"

"Quit complaining and let us in!" Sirius said, shivering. "It's cold as hell out here!"

Remus led them through the dim cabin, reaching the living room. Remus' Defense book was laying open and upside down on the floor beside the couch.

"What took you so long?" Remus asked, picking the book up. "It's seven-thirty! Moon rise is at eight-fifteen?" He looked around. "And where's Peter?"

Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Couldn't make it," he said, "working."

Working? Remus said. Where would Peter be working at Christmastime?

Sirius shrugged.

"With his brother, I guess."

James glanced at his watch.

"We better go," James said dully.

"Great," Sirius groaned, "back into the English tundra."

"I don't like it any more than you do," Remus said truthfully as he put the fire he had going out.

Two hours later Remus had fully transformed and so had Sirius and James. They were deep into the forest, and the trees were so thick you could see a foot in front of you, and the freezing weather didn't help things. The woods were quiet, and with the thickness of the snow and forest, nothing could be done, and Sirius was getting impatient. In his werewolf form, calm, Remus laid beneath a tree, a deep red eye open. It looked like the night would be nothing but a woodland sleep, until there was a loud bang in the distance. Remus perked up. Another bang. And dashed off, madly. Sirius and James hurried after.

The forest was much larger then they had thought. Remus knew it like the palm of his hand, being there since he was a kid. At what point in time, Sirius and James lost track of Remus. They turned back into their human forms to communicate.

"Did you see which way he went?" Sirius asked, voice thin in the cold air.

"No," James said, shivering like mad.

There was a growl nearby by. James and Sirius exchanged a glance, and turned back into their Animagi forms. The dog and stag dashed towards the growl, following the dim outlines of the path. The trees slowly began to grow thinner. A clearing came into view, and so did Remus.

The clearing was only twenty feet radius, fifty diameter. The wolf was on his guard, growling at nothing ahead. Sirius and James came to a stop next to him. The wolf continued to growl under its foul breath, eyes dashing from left to to right madly. Sirius let out a soft whimper, tilting his head back towards the path, Let's go.' The werewolf growl grew softer, calming down. It finally turned, head down.

The next morning, Remus returned to the cabin around ten. Sirius and James were lounging in the living room, Sirius drinking Butterbeer and James eating some Everlasting Chocolate balls. Exhausted and frozen to the bone, Remus collapsed in an empty chair.

"Finally," Sirius commented.

"Yeah," Remus said, "irritable, no thanks to you."

"Here," James said, conjuring a glass of butterbeer, trying to redeem himself.

"It was freezing!" Sirius said, defending himself. "Where did you run off to last night?"

"I just thought I scented something."

James snorted, probably picturing a dog chasing after food. But what Remus thought he discovered was much worse. He could have sworn he had picked up the scent of his father. But after searching the woods and finally nothing, he had finally decided the cold had driven him mad.

He took a sip at the butterbeer, wincing at the warm taste, but slowly welcoming it. Halfway through, a pecking noise broke the frozen silence. The trio looked up to see a snow covered owl pecking desperately at the window. Remus stood up to open it. As he did, snow flew in along with the bird. He slammed the window shut, pulling his fingers out of the way just in time. The owl flew straight at James, knocking a newly opened chocolate flavored sphere out of his hand.

"I hate owls," James muttered to himself.

His hands searched his pocket for any extra owl pellet, and found none. By then the owl was furiously pecking at his neck. Remus rescued him by throwing the owl two pellets from a side table.

He looked at the letter, which had been hurriedly placed in the envelope.

"Hey," James said to Remus, "it's for you."

Remus took the letter, and opened it, beginning to read.

"Dear Mr. Lupin, we regret to inform you that.."

Remus couldn't read the rest. He got the name: Christine Lupin, and that was as far as he was capable of reading. Tears were swelling in his eyes. He turned opposite his friends, not about to let a tear even drop in front of them, and was about to slam his fist against the wall when another owl repeatedly flew against the window. Remus made no intention of moving, so Sirius opened the window. He took the letter and read:

"Remus, I'm on my way home. Don't go anywhere. Don't do anything stupid."

Sirius looked up, eyebrows raised.

"What happened?"

Still turned, Remus was hardly able to say:

"My mum was murdered."