Remus was already wide awake when Madam Pomfrey entered her office the next morning to check on him. The clock on the wall read seven am, but Remus was more awake than he'd ever been and more than ready to see his friends. "Madam Pomfrey!" he said as quickly as possible, because perhaps saying it faster would convince her to say yes to his proposition without a second thought. "I'm feeling great! May I please... please... please... please ride the train?"

She sighed. "Yes, very well," she said; Remus opened his mouth, but before he could cheer, she added, "But I'm sending you home with another phial of Pain-Relieving Potion—and I want you to actually take it, preferably either when you get off of the train or before bed. Please do not save it for some nonexistent emergency. I want you to eat something from the trolley—I don't care what, and don't argue; here's some money—and I want you to avoid overexerting yourself. I'm sure your friends will understand if you'd like to take a nap. I've owled your mother, and she's going to bring bandages so that you can change the dressings on your arm on the way home. I want you asleep by eight-thirty tonight—no excuses. Don't forget to eat dinner. Tell your friends if you need them to talk more quietly or give you some space. There's another phial of Pain-Relieving Potion to your left that I want you to have over holidays just in case. The other one is a Blood-Replenishing Potion, which I expect you to take tonight before you go to sleep. And don't hesitate to owl me if anything goes wrong, even if it's Christmas Day. Understood?"

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," said Remus with a little salute. "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. Wow. Thank you!"

"You're practically jumping out of your skin with excitement," said Madam Pomfrey, smiling slightly. "I don't think I've ever seen you this happy so soon after a full moon. Now, if you're sure you're feeling all right... you're free to go."

Remus jumped out of bed and grabbed his bag, making sure that Bufo was positioned firmly on his shoulder. "Bye, Madam Pomfrey! Thank you! Happy Christmas!"

"I do hope this goes well," Remus heard Madam Pomfrey murmur to herself as he dashed out of the Hospital Wing to meet his friends, and Remus wholeheartedly agreed.

He was excited to have his friends over for holidays, yes, but he was also extremely apprehensive. Remus had never, ever, ever had people his age over to his house before. What did they expect? Would he be a terrible host? How would his parents act? Every time Remus considered the prospect of his friends at his house, two broadly different concepts that had previously existed in very separate spheres of Remus' life, he felt a tiny jolt of fear.

But fear, Remus found, was a very similar emotion to excitement. His heart was nearly beating out of his chest, his breath was coming short, and his hands were trembling slightly, and Remus could not tell whether it was fear or excitement causing his symptoms. In a rare moment of optimism, Remus chose to believe that it was the latter, and he skipped down the corridor practically happy as a lark.

Peter saw Remus coming first. "Remus! It's you! Are you riding the train with us?"

"Yeah! Madam Pomfrey said that I was well enough. But I'm supposed to stay on the couch for the rest of the day when I get home, so I'm afraid I won't be much fun."

"Blimey, you look awful," James remarked. "You're all pale and sickly."

"I'm fine. What did I miss in classes?"

"Oh, I took notes for you!" Peter grinned and pulled out a large roll of parchment containing sloppy notes scrawled in minuscule handwriting.

"Thank you so much," said Remus, and he meant it vehemently. He tucked the notes in his bag and started to pack his things. "I'm afraid my mum's car is rather small, so you should shrink your things here. Then they'll be easier to carry, and Dad'll grow them again once we get to my house. It's... it's not a very big house, but it's on a hill and we have the whole thing to ourselves—well, ourselves and Professor Questus. There's a small forest to the left. There's a pond with a Grindylow in it. The house is a little drafty in the winters, unfortunately. The spare room is being used as storage right now, but Dad said that he would clear it out before you get there—and opening the cupboard with Garrison in it is strictly forbidden. Not Forbidden-Forest-forbidden—actually forbidden. Dad'll kill me if you let him escape."

"'Course," said James, and Remus had to wonder whether or not he'd actually listened to Remus' instructions. Probably not, but (knowing James), he had them memorized word-for-word anyway. "Merlin's beard, I'm so excited. Peter got permission, so he's coming, too."

"Brilliant," said Remus, smiling widely. "I didn't think I would be this excited. I've never had friends over to my house before. I've never been to friends' houses, either."

Sirius shook his head sagely. "They grow up so fast."

"Indeed," added James. "And your growth will finally be complete, Remus, when we wreak Marauder-y havoc at the Lupins'!"

They talked all the way to the train and then all the way back to London. Remus even joined in on a game of Exploding Snap, even though the explosion noises scared him (he jumped every time, and his friends made fun of him every time he did). Sirius' brother was going home to his mum, and Sirius tactlessly avoided him, even when Regulus knocked on the door to their compartment and tried to say goodbye. Peter started chattering about Christmas, and then James left to say goodbye to his Quidditch team. Remus ate something off the trolley, as promised, and he didn't even take a nap.

Overall, Remus was growing more thankful that Madam Pomfrey had let him ride the train every second. It was a wonderful day, it was a wonderful train ride, Remus had wonderful friends, and he was feeling more wonderful and less apprehensive as time went on. These were Remus' friends, after all. There was no reason to be afraid of them!

They arrived back at King's Cross, cheeks still rosy from laughter. "Where's your mum?" said Sirius. "I don't see her."

"Waiting outside. It's crowded in here, and Mum doesn't like crossing the platform. Magic like that still gives her the willies, she says."

They stepped through the brick wall, one by one, and saw Remus' mum standing by the car. Remus waved, and then immediately stopped because the motion hurt his arm. "HELLO, MRS. LUPIN," shouted James, running up to her and giving her a huge hug.

Remus' mum patted James' head awkwardly a few times. "Hello, James."

"You remember our names!"

"Pretty hard to forget you three," remarked Remus, before being smothered by his mum's arms. "Mum. Let go."

She drew back as if she'd been struck. "I'm sorry, am I hurting you?" she asked, and Remus didn't know how to respond to that. No, she wasn't hurting him, but he didn't really want to be hugged in front of his friends (though he wasn't sure why, exactly). While he was still trying to figure out how to vocalize all this, his mother rattled off several more questions. "How are you doing? Madam Pomfrey sent me a letter. You look remarkably well for so soon after the... the event. She said that you hurt your arm. Which arm? How badly? Scale of one to ten?"

Remus sighed. "I'm doing all right, Mum. I hurt my right arm, but it doesn't hardly hurt anymore. I'm fine." Remus could hear Sirius snickering softly, and he shot him a look. "Does anyone want the front seat?" he asked, half-hoping one of his friends would want it so that he could sit with the others in the back.

"Absolutely not," said Remus' mum before any of his friends could answer. "I'm sorry to be the ungracious host, but Remus needs the front seat—he's injured and he needs space. The back will be a little crowded, I'm afraid, but you should all fit. I recommend James takes the middle—he's fairly thin, so he shouldn't have a problem."

"Hear that, mate?" Sirius whispered. "She called you scrawny."

"Did not!"

"Did too."

Remus' mother was watching them fondly. "Settle down, boys. Remus, are you sure you're feeling all right?"

"Yes, Mum!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"Absolutely positive?"

"Yes!"

"Very well. Did you all use magic to... make your things small?"

"Yes."

"Good. They can go in the trunk." Remus' mum kissed Remus on the forehead. "I never thought I'd be embarrassing you in front of your friends, sweetie. I'm having so much fun."

Remus' mouth tipped upwards entirely on its own. He tried for a dramatic eyeroll, but it didn't quite work. "Thanks a lot, Mum."

"My pleasure. I assume you boys had a good term?"

"It was kind of weird, to be honest," said Sirius, piling into the car with James and Peter. "Sort of unexpected. Lots of surprises. But I learned a lot about werewolves, and that was fun."

Remus' mum froze and glanced at Remus, her hands on the steering wheel. Remus inwardly groaned. He'd forgotten to tell his friends about how uncomfortable the topic made his mother. "James' Quidditch team won against Slytherin," said Remus quickly, desperate to change the subject. "I wore Dad's scarf to the game."

"That ugly old thing," said Remus' mum, visibly relaxing. "How charitable of you. Everyone buckled in?"

"Yes," chorused Remus' friends. Remus glanced back at them. They were not buckled in.

"Er, Mum, I don't think they've ever ridden in a car before." James' seatbelt was wrapped around his neck. Sirius hadn't even bothered with his. Peter's was... Remus wasn't sure how Peter had managed it, but it was hanging out the open window. "Here, I'll help..."

"No, you stay put. And close your eyes if you feel dizzy, dear." Remus' mum stepped out of the car and helped Remus' friends with their seatbelts, laughing and explaining their uses the whole way through. Sirius in particular was fascinated by the car—Remus figured he'd never even seen one up close before.

"So we just get in the big machine and it moves?"

"Like the Knight Bus," supplied Remus.

"I've never ridden the Knight Bus. Blacks don't do public transportation. Wow. It's so tiny. How does it work?"

"Well," said Remus' mother, "I put my foot on the accelerator, which... well, the wheels move forward... and then the wheel turns the car. The brake stops it."

James was clearly impressed. "Who said Muggles can't do magic?" he said, grinning.

It was a full fifteen minutes before Remus' friends figured out how to work their seatbelts. When Remus' mum shifted gears and the car started driving, the three backseat Marauders collectively gasped. Peter's knuckles were white. James' eyes were bright and excited. Sirius was mashing his face to the window. Remus was laughing his head off.

"Remus, dear, don't laugh at your friends. They've never been in a car before."

"Can't help it. Seriously, lads, it's not that different from the train."

Sirius had taken out his camera, and was taking pictures of the other Marauders and the window. "It just moves," he said appreciatively. "Cool."

"How do you not crash into things, Mrs. Lupin?" said Peter.

"Just like James doesn't crash into things on his broomstick," replied Remus.

Peter's eyes were still wide. "But... James crashed into the ground that one time and split his arm open."

"How dangerous are those broomsticks?" asked Remus' now-worried mother.

"Not very," Remus reassured, "but James was showing off."

"Oi."

"You were."

"I wasn't... ooh! That was a big bump."

"We're going so fast now!"

"How do you see where you're going, Mrs. Lupin?!"

"This thing cranks down the window, right?" Suddenly, the window in the back was open and the car felt like a wind tunnel.

"Close the window, James!"

"Not a chance! This is brilliant!"

"What did he say, Remus?"

"He said he wouldn't!"

"Of course he did!"

"WOOHOOOOOOOOO!"

Hope Lupin didn't know how to feel.

It only took Remus' friends about fifteen miles to calm down (after the windows rolled back up, that was)—their attention spans were somewhat lacking. Hope engaged them in quiet conversation, taking care to hush them when they were being too loud, and Remus was asleep in no time at all. Hope knew that he would be: the passing road always made him fall asleep, and he was clearly exhausted.

"Is Remus asleep?" asked Sirius far too loudly.

"Shhh. Yes. He's had a rough couple of days."

There was silence. Hope knew that Remus wouldn't want her discussing his health, but she felt that it was important that his friends were fully informed. "How much has he told you? About his condition?"

"Plenty," said James, surprising Hope immensely. "He answers questions all the time."

"Really?"

"Yep. We're trying to understand, but it's a lot to take in."

James seemed to be very mature about the whole situation, Hope decided. And clearly, Remus' friends were good for him if he was actually willing to talk about it... he usually avoided the subject and looked uncomfortable when it was brought up. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm very thankful," she said. "He's never had friends before, and he was certain that he never would. You're doing more than you could ever know..."

"It's not like we're trying to do anything good," said Peter. "He's just our friend and we like him. Besides, I'd fail all my classes without him."

"It's not a big deal," said Sirius. "I don't know why everybody is all worked up about it. It's not some massive charity, is it? I was raised to think it was a big deal... Pureblood family, you wouldn't know... but the more time I spend with him the more I realize that he's not any different and everybody's wrong. It's not a big deal at all."

"Exactly. He's not a charity case, as he constantly reminds us," James chuckled.

Hope dabbed at her eyes, suddenly overcome with emotion. But she couldn't cry now. She was driving, and accidentally harming Remus' only friends wasn't exactly something she was keen on doing. "I know," she said softly. "He's lucky to have you, that's all. We all are. I admit I was a little worried about your reactions... I don't know much about wizarding culture, but I do know all too well that the wizarding world isn't kind to werewolves. But you three seem to be perfectly mature, understanding, and empathetic."

"Aw," said Sirius. "I'm blushing. Can we wake up Remus so that we can try to play Exploding Snap? I'll be more fun in such a small place... Ooh! Maybe we can dangle Peter's shoes out the window!"

"I take back the 'mature' part," said Hope.

Remus heard his name being called and blearily opened his eyes. "Did I fall asleep?" he muttered. "M'sorry."

"Don't be, dear," said Remus' mum, unbuckling Remus' seatbelt for him. "We're here."

"Mum, I can do that." Remus was suddenly wide awake. "What did I miss?"

"We tried to dangle Peter's shoes out of the open window, but your mum wouldn't let us," Sirius scowled.

"Because it's a bad idea," said Remus' mum, amused. "Now, Remus—straight to the couch for the rest of the day, you hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good."

"Is that John's house?" said James.

Remus had already told his mother about his friends' insistence on calling the professors by their first names (except Pensley), so she wasn't fazed at all. "Yes, it is."

"Cool. We should prank him."

"Not a good idea," said Remus.

They walked up to the front door amidst laughter, and Remus' father answered almost immediately. "Remus! James. Sirius. Peter. Hope. Is everything okay?"

"Yes," replied Remus' mother, smiling. "They're good boys, Lyall. Will you help me carry their things inside?"

"Yes, of course." Remus' dad hugged Remus swiftly, and Remus made a face. "Welcome back. You boys can go inside and make yourselves comfortable—I made tea. I'll be there in just a second."

Remus led his friends inside and sat on the couch. "There aren't enough chairs for everyone, I'm afraid," he said. "Someone can sit on the couch with me..."

"No!" called Remus' mother from the other room. "You need to lie down, Remus."

Remus rolled his eyes, earning a giggle from Peter. "I guess one of you will have to sit on the floor, then."

"We all will," said James, sitting on the floor with his legs folded. "Then your parents can have the chairs. Oh, your dad really did make tea. Good. I'm parched."

Remus' opened his mouth to tell his him to make sure that it was sugar before drinking it, but he heard his father enter the house with an armful of luggage and call, "DON'T EVEN START, REMUS; IT WAS ONE TIME!" which made Remus start laughing. He told the whole story to his friends through giggles, and soon the four of them were struggling to breathe. It wasn't even that funny—it was just something about being together in a small sitting room, drinking tea with a werewolf on the couch. It seemed as if Remus hadn't stopped laughing all day.

His parents finished bringing their things to the guest bedroom and growing them to normal size, and then they all sat in the sitting room and talked for half an hour. Remus' father was a little awkward at first (he was always shy in social situations), but Remus' friends talked enough for all of them. It wasn't long before everyone was talking like normal people, doing normal things in a normal home under normal circumstances. The normality was beautiful, and Remus couldn't stop smiling. He was so happy that his parents and his friends were getting on. The two different spheres of his life were colliding beautifully, almost as if they were puzzle pieces rather than spheres.

Suddenly, Remus remembered that Madam Pomfrey had asked him to change the dressings on his arm in the car. "Fiddlesticks," he whispered.

"Are you okay, Remus?" asked his father.

"Fine. I need... Mum, Madam Pomfrey said that you'd bring... bandages...? In the car. But I forgot."

"Oh, so did I!" said Remus, mother, wringing her hands. "Here. They're in my pocket. It's not still bleeding, is it?"

"No. Just a precaution." Remus' mum stood up and started rolling up Remus' sleeve, but he pushed her away. "Er, Mum... can I do it? Myself? In the bathroom."

She frowned. "I suppose, but I'd really like to take a look at it myself at some point."

"It's not bad, I promise," said Remus. He stood up and felt a fresh wave of dizziness, but he shook it off.

"Are you sure you can...?"

"Ah, give him a break, Hope," said Remus' father. "His friends are here."

"Yes," said Remus' mother, looking at Sirius, James, and Peter with newfound wonder. "Yes, I suppose they are. Let us know if you need any help, Remus."

"I'll be fine," he called.

This was so embarrassing. Being embarrassed in front of his friends was a brand-new sensation, and, while Remus hated the sensation itself, he was glad that he had the chance to experience it.

Remus' mum brought dinner to the sitting room, where Remus was watching his friends play a round of Gobstones. "I won!" crowed James.

"You did not! I did!"

"No, I have the most. Look."

"You have the least, mate."

"Peter won," offered Remus.

"No, he didn't."

"Is that dinner?" said Sirius suddenly, looking at the plates that Remus father was carrying.

"Yes. Soup. We make it every month."

"Full moon tradition?" said James, and Remus cringed.

His father blinked, a little surprised at James' boldness, but he didn't get guilty and pitying, at least. "Yes, actually. It's Hope's mum's recipe—takes hours to make properly. Hope always makes it on full moon nights to take her mind off of things, and it's easier for Remus to stomach in the morning..."

"Dad."

"Sorry."

"I thought you stopped making it when I was at school."

"Well, yes, but your mother made some on the night of the twentieth when she received your letter. Here." Remus' father handed him a bowl, and Remus sat up and took a bite.

"Too hot?"

"No, it's fine."

"This is really, really good," said Sirius. "Are we really just eating in here? In the sitting room? Are you too poor to have a table? Are you—?"

Remus stared at him, and Sirius shut up.

"We have a table," said Remus' mum. "But I don't want Remus sitting there just yet, even though I know that eating in the sitting room isn't very formal. Unless you have a problem with that?"

Sirius grinned. "Nope. I've just never eaten without a table before... unless it's food we snuck up to our dormitory or the Forbidden Forest."

"What?" exclaimed Remus' father, alarmed.

"It's fine," Remus assured him. "Mum, I can sit at the table. I sat on the train and I was fine. Sitting is easy."

"No!" said Sirius. "I'm enjoying this. I want to eat in here."

Remus took another bite of soup, grinning widely at Sirius' excitement. "Okay, then," he said, nursing the idea that this was perhaps the best supper he'd ever eaten.

After they all finished eating, Remus' father offered to give Remus' friends a tour of the house. "May I come?" said Remus. "Please? I'll be careful."

"Madam Pomfrey told you to rest on the couch for the rest of the day, young man," said Remus' mother.

"He can come," said Remus' father. "I don't see why not. He'll be fine, Hope."

Remus leapt off the couch and followed his father and friends to the kitchen, laughing and talking all the way.

"This is the kitchen," said Remus' father. "There's no dining room, but there's a sunroom to the left."

"So you just eat in the kitchen?" said Sirius, incredulous.

"Yes."

"Woah."

"Those are the stairs," said Remus.

"And what's that door go to?" asked Sirius, pointing to the door to the left of the stairs.

There was a very long silence. Remus looked at his father, who was looking at the ceiling and the walls and anywhere but Remus. Clearly he wasn't going to respond. "Stairs to the cellar," said Remus matter-of-factly. "We're not going down there. Come on, let's go upstairs."

"Cool," said James, bounding up the stairs. Peter and Sirius followed, leaving Remus and his father behind—it was probably bad manners to explore someone's house without them, but Remus' friends didn't care.

"You didn't have to tell them," Remus' father whispered as they slowly climbed the stairs after Remus' friends.

"I don't mind. They're only stairs. It's not as if the cellar is some monster that can be summoned at the mere mention of its name, Dad."

"Yes, but..."

"Is this your room, Remus?" called Sirius. "It's so tiny!"

"It's not tiny," said Remus, affronted.

"Adorable," commented James.

"I think that one of you can sleep here with Remus and two of you can sleep in the extra bedroom," Remus' dad said. "I'm afraid the extra bedroom isn't very large, either, and we don't have any extra beds, but..."

"Someone can use my extra mattress," offered Remus. "The one that Peter got me for my birthday last year."

"And someone can take the couch cushions," said Remus' father. "That just leaves one person..."

"I don't mind sleeping on the floor with a blanket," said Sirius.

"That's going to be very uncomfortable."

"I don't care. I've never slept on the floor before. It'll be fun."

"Fun isn't the right word," said Remus.

James grinned and ran his finger across Remus' wardrobe. "So I'll sleep here with Remus, and then Peter and Sirius can sleep in the guest room."

"Or Peter can be here, and James and I will sleep in the guest room," said Sirius.

"I'll go in the guest room," said Peter.

"I want to sleep in the guest room with James."

"But I want to sleep here with Remus."

"One of you can have my bed..."

"Don't even try," said Remus' father. "You're sleeping in your bed, Remus. You need a good night's sleep."

"I want to share a room with James," said Sirius stubbornly.

"But..." James looked at Remus. "Do I... do you want me to...?"

Remus suddenly realized that James was worried about Remus' nightmares. It was sweet of him to want to be there for Remus, but Remus was frustrated by the presence of pity in James' gaze... he was so tired of special treatment. "Sleep wherever you want to sleep, James; it's my house," he said. "It's not the same as school. I'll be okay."

"Oh, all right," said James. "Then I'll sleep with Sirius in the guest room, and Peter can sleep here. Everyone okay with that?"

Remus' dad looked at Remus quizzically—Remus hadn't told his parents much about his nightmares at all. He'd had nightmares frequently as a child, but they'd faded away... coming to Hogwarts has instigated them all over again. The nightmares that Remus had at home, however, were few and far between. "I'm fine," Remus offered, and everyone else nodded their approval (though Peter looked somewhat disappointed that he would not be sharing with Sirius or James, which hurt Remus' feelings just a bit).

"Time for bed," announced Remus' mum, coming up the stairs. "Don't try to weasel yourself out of this one, Remus: Madam Pomfrey was very clear when she told me 8:30. The rest of you may stay up for a bit if you think that you can be quiet."

"We are fully incapable of being quiet," James admitted. "We'll go to bed now."

"Don't forget your potions, Remus," said Remus' mum.

"Yes, Mum, I know."

"I'll help James and Sirius set up," said Remus' dad, kissing Remus' forehead. "Good night. Sleep well."

Remus helped Peter set up the mattress and blankets and listened to James' and Sirius' excited chatter and his father's amused responses. All in all, Remus was very happy that he'd invited his friends over. He never expected three young boys who had almost nothing in common with him to be this much fun, and he was more than excited to see what the following days would bring. What could go wrong?

AN: Once Stephen Hawking threw a party for time travelers, but he didn't publish invitations until after the fact. No one showed up, insinuating that time travel will never exist. But since so many people are unaware of this fact, I wonder sometimes if he simply didn't publicize it well enough. Still, I'm inclined to believe time travel doesn't exist simply because I've never seen a time traveler, and we live in very historic times. I guess we'll find out one day... or not.