"Remus, get up! The presents, look at the presents!" Sirius had just tackled Remus, and James opened the curtains to reveal a bright Christmas morning.

The first package Remus opened was a knitted scarf from his mom. James and Sirius gave him a box of chocolate frogs, though it looked like Sirius just crammed his name on the tag because his name was also on Remus' present to James. Peter got him a Quidditch poster and Nancy gave him a self-correcting quill.

"So," said James, "what do you want to do today?"

"Well, I know what I'm doing tonight when the moon comes up," said Remus, almost shuddering at the thought of another transformation. One on Christmas for that matter.

These thoughts were immediately pushed from his mind when he saw Nancy already sitting at the table, surrounded by three girls. As it was every time he got near her, one of her friends nudged her and looked at Remus.

"Hi Remus!" said Nancy.

"Oh, h-hello, Nancy," said Remus as he was sitting down and grabbing some oatmeal. Being around Nancy now made it hard for Remus to think clearly. "So, thanks, you know, for the quill. That'll come in handy for a test or something…"

"Oh, no problem," said Nancy with a smile.

After breakfast, the four marauders went outside and sat under the cool shade of the beech tree.

When Sirius set down his school bag, Remus said, "There's no books in there, is there?"

"How did you guess," said Sirius, pulling out the bottle of Firewhiskey that James got him for Christmas (Merlin only knows how he got it). Sirius uncorked the bottle and took a great swig. James and Peter watched him as though expecting some great miracle to happen. All that did happen was coughing and spluttering from Sirius as he said, "Water! Water!"

Remus pointed his wand into Sirius' cupped hands and said, "Aguamenti."

"Thanks, Moony," said Sirius.

"I really wished you wouldn't call me that." Sirius and James had been calling Remus 'Moony' lately, because of the moon cycle. He didn't like it much because it reminded him of his horrible affliction.

When the four went inside, Remus decided to go take a nap so he could have some sleep for the next 24 hours. He parted with the others at the portrait hole, climbed up to the boys' dormitories, and got into his bed.

No sooner had he closed his eyes than he saw the same vivid horrifying images he's seen in his dreams so many times: the slashing of claws, snapping fangs, a searing pain that coursed through his whole body, warm, sticky blood dripping down his arm…

Remus bolted upright with a start. He had been asleep for a little under an hour. He looked around to see no one else in the dormitory. He then spotted Marauders' Map carelessly left on James' bedside table. Remus picked it up, thankful that one of them had at least wiped it clean.

"I solemnly swear I'm up to no good," muttered Remus. He scanned the map for his friends and finally found them leaving the Room of Requirement, slowly making their way to the common room.

Remus left and met the three half way there.

"What were you doing? Why were you in the Room of Requirements? You know you left the Map? Anyone could've found-Peter, is that a rat tail?"

James and Sirius chuckled. Peter said, "Uh-bathroom!" and ran off in the direction of the bathroom. He returned a few minutes later, tail-free.

"I'm not going to find out what that was about, am I?" asked Remus.

Sirius threw an arm around Remus and said, "All in good time, my good Moony!" "Didn't I tell you not call me that?"

"Yup!"

"But, you're not going to stop, are you?"

"Nope!"

"Oh, look we missed lunch!" said James, clearly changing the subject. "Let's go see what we can find in the kitchens, shall we?"

The four marched down the corridors, Remus a bit reluctantly, until they came across a large painting of a bowl of fruit. "May I do the honors," Sirius asked. He reached an arm up to an apple, but James shoved him away.

"It's the pear, you idiot!" James reached up and tickled the pear. It gave a giggle and the door opened. All the house elves were so intently gathered around something, bowing, that they did not hear the four come in.

"More tart, ma'am?" one was asking.

"No fanks," said voice from the center of the elves, clearly through a mouth full of food. As the elves began to notice them, they bowed and offered them some treacle tart. They each took a piece and the voice said, "Oh!" It was Nancy, a small pink creeping up her neck. "Hello, R-Remus. James, Sirius, Paul, was it?"

"It's Peter," muttered Remus. "Anyway, we…missed lunch."

"Oh, me too. Well, let's tuck in!"