The atmosphere in the Potter house was strained the rest of the summer. After the Black escapade James and Sirius became closer than ever. They spent nearly every waking hour together, plotting and having fun, trying to forget the fiasco that had Sirius permanently becoming a part of the Potter household. Remus couldn't say he didn't slightly resent it, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything either. It wasn't his place.

All too soon September came, the two boys being shipped off for another year at Hogwarts. The day they left was a flurry of shouts and clatters, not unlike the time they went to Diagon Alley. Only this time there was magic and heavy trunks involved.

They were late setting off, Mrs Potter's voice the most heard thing as she yelled again and again for her family to hurry up. Mr Potter didn't seem that bothered about the whole thing, too proud of his muggle contraption, his car, that he was allowed to use to transport the two boys to King Cross.

When the trunks were stowed in the boot he was engulfed in his last James Potter hug for a good few months. Spending the time taking one last feel, smell, look at the boy who meant so much to him. They untangled themselves when Mrs Potter yelled for a seventh time they were going to be late, James sparing a 'I'll miss you,' before he was hurried into the car.

Sirius was the only one dawdling after that, Mrs Potter starting in on Mr Potters map since he didn't have the route planned out even though they take the same one every year. He was fiddling with his hands, his eyes skittish, skimming over Remus' face and away. He didn't blame him for the lack of eye contact, what he did wonder about was why he was still standing there. At least until one slim hand thrust out between them.

'I think we're coming back for Christmas,' Sirius mumbled.

Remus took the hand, fighting his canine instinct not to, and said goodbye as quick as he could. The hand was gone as soon as it appeared, Sirius disappearing into the car and leaving Remus to take another summer nap before staring dinner.

It was always the same when James left, life seeming duller. While this last summer had been kind of unexpected and invasive, James just had a way of filling the house that, now it was gone, left Remus to fall back on his routine for something to do.

That wasn't to say they didn't hear from James at all. They got owls from him every month, Mrs Potter sending howlers back when more owls came from his professors about what he had really been up to besides classes.

Thankfully nothing life threatening had happened in the months leading up to December. James had sneaked into Hogsmeade and bought a load of exploding snap cards. Ones he matched up and left at unexpected places around Hogwarts halls for people to stumble on and get a fright.

At the Potter house Christmas was coming up, which meant decorations and preparations for James and Sirius to come home. There would be other Potters coming too, Mr Potter's brother along with Mrs Potter's, his wife and their three children. It was a lot of moving around and arguing, on the Potters behalf at least.

Things only got worse when Mrs Potter announced she would be coming with her two children too. Meaning that the Potter house would be more than full on Christmas.

'They can stay in Remus' room,' Mrs Potter said, her voice carrying up to Remus' room. 'He's moved around too much, I don't want him kicked out. James is just going to have to suffer through it if he has any complaints.'

'It's not James I'm worried about. You've seen what Remus is like with Sirius.' The conversation dipped as their voices lowered before, 'Then again, maybe close proximity might help them. Sirius is a nice boy, Remus too. It's probably just some misunderstanding.'

'Well, in any situation I'm not having Remus go into James' room. You know what my sister's like, even if we did give her Remus' room she'd turn her nose up.'

'We're going to have to transfigure some things in the living room...'

By the time James and Sirius arrived home everything was sorted. The beds had been moved, the furniture transfigured and blow up beds blown up. Twenty hugs later and they were allowed upstairs to unload their trunks in Remus' room.

James was quite happy with the move, saying, 'It smells so much nicer in here,' before dumping all of his stuff out to find this one book he wanted. Remus mourned his floor later. 'So what's the deal with the move?'

'Your aunt's coming.'

James paled, the last time his aunt came replaying behind his eyes. Mrs Potters sister was family, James' family, but like Sirius could hate his family James could hate his too. Mrs Potters sister was snobbish at best. She was a pure blood elitist who had moved to France when she met her husband. They only ever saw her for family occasions, funerals, weddings that kind of thing. For her to come to a common Christmas was rare, which meant that she had something important to tell them.

The last time she had seen them was for her father's funeral, James being ten at the time. Not only had she degraded Remus in front of the whole family, but she had done the same to Mr Potter and James too, saying they were muggle lovers who would find their magic being tainted by the amount of dirt they let in their lives.

Needless to say James didn't like her, and told Sirius he would hate her too.

James had decided that, although his cousins and aunt were getting his room, he wasn't letting them have his quilt which had sadly been left behind. He staged a robbery. Sirius and him giggling to themselves as they sneaked past Mr and Mrs Potters room.

'So what are your uncles like?' Sirius asked the next day, hours before they were to arrive.

'Okay. They don't really mind the whole werewolf thing, which is good for Remus. And last time they were here they taught me how to play poker so, they're pretty cool.'

Mr Potter's brother came first, the younger of the two he was a delight of a man who was happy in his bachelorhood. As soon as he was through the door he laundered James with sweets and asked Remus if he had seen any nice women on the Potters street. Tales of wooing girls and dating advice followed.

By the time Mrs Potter's side of the family came they were all in good spirits. Strangely, they arrived together, all huddled together on the front porch. As soon as the door was open Mrs Potter was strutting past him, handing him her coat and snapping at him to get a drink. Her children were no better, their English perfect but putting on the French ignorance to snigger and point behind their hands.

She started on James as soon as introductions had to be made. Starting with his hair and, somehow, going on to his school results. How she knew about them was a mystery, one Remus didn't have the patience to think about as Mrs Potter's kids started stating, loudly, what they wanted when Mr and Mrs Potter kicked it.

Sirius had been hiding in the kitchen, forced out as Mrs Potter tried to get her son out of the firing zone. He looked afraid, and probably should have been since Mrs Potter's sister mumbled, 'It's true,' before completely changing her attitude. The snobbish air was gone, replaced with a kind woman who shook Sirius' hand and asked him how he was.

James looked as shocked as Remus. The two of them watched the spectacle for a while, listening as she inquired after Sirius' parents, and when that failed his life in general. It reached a point where they had to rescue him. If only because James couldn't stand listening to his cousins call his hair a rats nest again and needed to escape. They made some excuse about checking the dinner and retreated to the kitchen where the male Potters were talking about an evening poker game.

The entertainment of seeing each other after so long wore off as tiredness set in. Mrs Potter's sister sure enough got James' room. Something she seemed pleased with until she realised it was for her and her family. The kids were unhappy too, groaning about the unfairness of sleeping on an airbed while Remus got a bed in the next room.

'It's not like he needs it.' One of them sneered. 'A dog bed would do.'

Remus stopped the growl burning in the back of his throat. He hated that the full moon was so near Christmas this year. 'For your information I'm a wolf, not a dog. And from experience we like the feel of beds. They help us sleep at night.'

He heard a choking sound behind him, James and Sirius biting their lips and looking three seconds from laughing. Mrs Potter's sister on the other hand was appalled that Remus had opened his mouth. She looked about to strike him, which wouldn't be the first time such a thing happened, when James pushed in front of him stating, 'It's not like it's a five star luxury bed. We gave his to Sirius, he sleeps on the one we used to keep in the cellar.'

She was even more appalled at that it turned out. 'Infected materials' being let around the open air instead of contained below where they belonged. They left her calling Mrs Potter up, James dragging Remus into his room and closing the door with a defeated sigh.

All three boys deflated, dealing with Mrs Potter's sister never an easy feat.

The next day was worse, in Remus' opinion than the introduction. Sirius was swept away almost as soon as he woke to talks of politics and magic from Mrs Potter's sister. The children seemed in awe of him, one of them even asking if they could grow their hair out like Sirius'.

'They know he's disowned right?' Remus asked around noon. Mr and Mrs Potter's brothers had decided it was a fun day to take their rightful siblings out for a drink, well, walk they said, but Remus knew from previous experience that walk meant drink. They wouldn't be back until late, and since James was too young to go with them, he had resigned himself to a day of trailing Remus around the house. Something that irritated the life out of him.

He loved having James all to himself, it was a dream come true compared to the summer he had. But he really didn't want the boy hanging around when he was trying to clean, especially when cleaning almost always erupted into some kind of wrestling match or water fight. He just couldn't have that while Mrs Potters sister was here. He ended up doing the least messy things he could when he found out he couldn't pawn James off with a book or puzzle, he was a people person after all, he needed company to survive.

By noon he had James helping out make dinner, the two of them hissing like old woman as Mrs Potter's sister started in on another pureblood rant. Sirius was looking bored stiff, casting longing gazes to where James and Remus were pretending not to be listening in.

'Doesn't matter,' James said, 'He's a Black. He grew up in that house and has blood as pure as gold. He could probably murder one of her spoilt children and she'd still regard him as the best thing to walk the earth.'

'Poor guy.' It was probably one of the few times he felt sympathy for Sirius. Real sympathy and not just something he said to himself to try and make him feel better about being a possessive animal.

'Yeah.' James flung another peeled potato into the basket, Mrs Potter's sister asking for Sirius' opinion on muggleborns drifting over to them. 'So, your parents, did they have any siblings?'

Remus thought he misheard, but James was waiting for an answer, not looking the least bit sorry he'd asked so he must have heard right. Still, his parents had never been a topic of conversation before. Save a few times when he was younger James had pretty much left the whole thing alone. 'I can't remember. Why?'

James shrugged, turning back to the scene in front of them, 'Dunno, it's just you never talk about them. I thought, you know that thing you said to Sirius about them? I thought you might want to talk about them now.'

Remus shook his head, 'Even if I wanted to I can't remember them. It's just that night that I do.'

A lanky knee knocked his, the two of them smiling at the sappy move. 'If you do remember something...'

'I'll make sure to tell you.'

They finished peeling around one, Remus, pressing his luck, tried to use the time before dinner to teach James some valuable home skills, like cooking. Something which he actually had quite a talent for.

'Kind of like potion making,' He said when making the gravy, and Remus had to admit that if his potions were anything like his cooking abilities it was no wonder his plans always worked.

He ended up getting James to make a chocolate cake for desert. Well, two, since Remus said they needed a practice cake for James' first time. The both of them came out perfect, Remus having a hard time deciding which one he was going to purposefully destroy so he could eat it alone later in his room. James was rather proud of himself when he finished, popping the rest of his icing in his mouth before Remus could get to it and declaring it a masterpiece.

By six they had the dinner set and the leftovers packed for when the other Potter party came back from their drinking binge. James was strutting around like a proud peacock, loading his plate up first before calling his cousins and aunt through.

Sirius was like a whippet, bypassing Mrs Potter's sister before he was dragged over to sit next to her and sitting between James and Remus with a sigh. Remus thought nothing of the empty seat next to him, or the one opposite, it was only right when sitting at the table with purebloods.

Of course, he should have known this wouldn't be the last thing to happen to him tonight, he really should have just ate by himself in the kitchen. But James had set him off course, his full attention making him forget about the danger in his house until it was too late.

A throat clearing was the first sign of danger, Mrs Potter's sister standing tall above Remus as she looked at James. 'Please tell me this animal isn't dining with us.'

James, with a mouth full of food, grinned over at his aunt, 'Considering he made it I think he has a right.'

The gasp was clear throughout the room, one of James' cousins coughing up the spoon he'd put in his mouth. Mrs Potter's sister looked just as horrified, finally talking to Remus without James as a go between. 'With your hands?'

'I washed them if that's what you're worried about,' Remus said, wishing now that he hadn't, let them eat from his germy food.

James added on, 'Would you have preferred him to use his mouth aunty?'

The rage was clear on her face, from the set of her eyes to the vein in her neck, beating like a humming bird. 'I would have preferred him to use gloves. Spit that out now James while I prepare something suitable for us to eat.'

It was one thing for her to make her children eat something else but a whole other thing to get James to do so. He'd been living with Remus since he was a child. Had suffered through his first attempts at cooking, and swallowed more burnt things made by his hands than anyone else. James didn't need to be told what he could or couldn't eat, and Remus tried to tell her so. 'I spent all day on that. If you want to-'

He felt the sting rather than the blow itself, his gaze trying to refocus on the Potter's dining table and ignore the ringing in his ears. It didn't help when Mrs Potter's sister grabbed him by his collar and actually dragged him out of the dining room.

'My sister may have married a muggle loving idiot, and she may treat you like you're something you're not wolf. But I'm telling you now, you're nothing more than an animal, and if you so much as raise your gaze to me again I'll report you to the ministry. See how you like it when they put you down for being rabid.'

The pressure on his neck was gone as his knees connected with the stairs. His mind was still in shock, still trying to get to grips with what had just happened which was why it took him a while to remember to get off the carpet and to his room.

He had never felt worse than he did then. It was like the last of his humanity had been ripped away and he could feel tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. It was stupid of him, he knew that as soon as James clamoured up the stairs yelling curses down at his aunt, but he just couldn't stay in his room.

James went into more of a rage when he saw Remus grab his things, not understanding that it was instinct that was driving him to find somewhere alone. To not be here where Sirius could see him weak. He wouldn't allow that. All he saw was Remus grabbing his things because he thought his aunt's words had made him.

'Put your things down,' He hissed, trying to grab them out of Remus' arms. 'I mean it Rem, you're not going anywhere. Put them back before I- I.' He was fishing for a good enough threat. Years of swearing to hex him had wore off as soon as Mr Potter told him James couldn't do magic outside of school until he was seventeen. That was three months away, and James wasn't that creative to come up with a none magic response in such short notice. So he looked to Sirius, the boy lingering outside the door and only making Remus' hackles raise even more. He needed to get out. But James was flailing in front of it, finally coming up with something good, 'I'll scent your things. You don't put them down and I'll rub my smell all over your things Rem. See if you can touch them again while it's still strong.'

'What?' Sirius murmured, looking slightly panicked outside the door.

Remus paid him no mind, looking at him would only make things worse. He needed to get out of there. 'Fine,' he said, 'Do it. I don't care.' The tears were almost out, he could feel them threatening to spill as each twist of his cheeks to keep them in brought back the sting of the slap. 'Just let me out.'

James was at a loss, stomping his feet like a child before anger took over once again. 'Alright, go. Get out, I don't care. I don't even want to look at you if you're just going to believe what she's saying.'

That was all he needed, barging past James and Sirius and retreating to the cellar, the heavy door blocking out the rest of the Potter house. His scent was strong down here, years of blood and piss had made sure of that. It was safe, which was why he finally let the tears fall.