Although Remus' parents were poor, having spent most of their fortunes on finding a nonexistent cure for his lycanthropy, they could have afforded the round-trip ticket to have him home for the holidays; however, since the full moon fell on New Year's Eve that year, and classes resumed on the third, Remus had persuaded them that the safest and most convenient place for him was at Hogwarts, especially since most of the student population would be gone. Thus he was able to spend a blissful week in Severus' constant company, occasionally working on homework, but mostly amusing themselves by exploring the castle.
The Dust Bunny Slippers were just the thing, he claimed to a seemingly unconvinced Severus, for walking about the cold stone floors of the castle -- especially when he ventured down into the dungeons to Severus' room. Although Severus thought they were ridiculously cute, and resented them for the simple reason that they were a gift from Sirius, he did keep some carrots from dinner to feed them a few times.
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Eventually there will be more chapters here, describing in detail how the two boys spent their holidays together, but it would not be appropriate for this rating...]
On New Year's Eve, Remus looked haggard as he always did when he felt the pull of the waxing moon. He was shaken as well by the realization that, as the werewolf blood in him grew stronger, he felt a dangerous urge to lick the rabbits' fur, which he knew was a precursor to biting and eating them. He was frightened for their safety, as well as terrified of the wild beast within himself.
"Severus," he began, as they sat side by side and hand in hand in the Gryffindor common room, languidly watching the fire after lunch. "I haven't been feeling too well, the last few days..."
"I know," Severus quietly replied. "You've been looking more tired every day. Do you think there's an episode coming on?"
Remus nodded. He had convinced Severus that his illness was related to epileptic seizures, but felt badly about having to deceive his friend and lover. Yet he knew with dreadful clarity that Severus would cease to be his friend at all if he discovered the true nature of his bouts of ill health.
"Would you do me a favor?" Remus asked, timidly. Severus squeezed his hand.
"Anything," was his unequivocal answer.
"Would you take care of my bunnies for me? I don't know how long Madam Pomfrey will keep me this time."
"Don't worry, Remus, I'll take good care of them. They're no trouble at all."
Remus sighed with relief. "Thanks, Sev." He pulled Severus' hand to his lips for a grateful kiss, then took off his rabbit slippers. He thought, for a moment, that they seemed to have grown bigger, but dismissed it as his imagination -- after all, they were beginning to look more and more like tasty treats. He shook his head as he handed them to Severus.
"I'd better go see Madam Pomfrey now."
"I'll walk you there," Severus offered, and waited as Remus ran to his room for his shoes. They walked in silence towards the hospital ward, parting with a quick hug.
"I'll see you in a day or two," Remus promised. Severus nodded and headed for the stairs going down to the dungeons, a pink rabbit tucked firmly under each arm.
Although Severus would never have admitted it, he had actually grown quite fond of the rabbits during his week of living with Remus. Their color was atrocious, of course, more befitting a girl's nursery than a boy's dormitory -- he was incensed that Sirius treated Remus like some kind of sissy, and vowed to always treat his lover with more respect than that -- but apart from their pink color, he had to admit that they were the perfect gift for Remus, who loved all things living and did suffer from cold feet during the winter. He wished that he had thought of it first, and wished even harder that he had the gold to have bought them for him. In fact, if he had the gold, he would still be tempted to buy a pair for Lily, his favorite Gryffindor -- although it would be useless to do so now, as she would know immediately that he was copying Sirius' idea.
When he entered his room, he let the rabbits down to browse for dust, and sat at his desk to do some homework. He gave it up after a while, too distracted from wondering about Remus and how bad his seizures might be this time. He silently acknowledged that the room seemed much emptier now, since Remus was not with him. Their week of uninterrupted companionship had made him grow accustomed to his presence, and he felt his absence keenly. He thought it curious that despite the Gryffindor's mild manner and easy acquiescence (which made him unobtrusive enough to be tolerable, even for a critical Slytherin like himself), the lack of his quiet shadow made him feel so incomplete and wanting. He sighed and sat down on the throw rug Lucius had given him for Christmas.
"Here, bunnies!" he called, putting his hand under the bed as Remus did. He soon felt a warm, whiskery nose nuzzling against his palm, and pulled out a pink ball of fur.
"Which one are you, Hoppy or Fuzzmuffin?" he asked, holding it up to his face. He did not expect an answer, which was just as well, for Remus had changed their names so often that the rabbits themselves weren't sure what to answer to, other than "bunnies." That was the sound they associated with their master, and the only call they responded to.
Severus pressed the warm body against his cheek, feeling the twitching nose move across his face, sniffing the last remaining traces of Remus' scent on him.
"I know," he sighed. "I miss him, too."