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Chapter 15

Friend or Foe?

Lisa woke up from the sound of a snowstorm wailing against the window early on Christmas Day. It was warm in Remus' arms though, and she only nuzzled her face into his shoulder, making a humming noise into his pajamas.

His body shook from a light chuckle, and his hand caressed her head. "You'll have to wait a bit; owls will have a hard time flying out in this weather. Go back to sleep."

"Is that why you're awake? Waiting for presents?" Lisa mumbled without even opening her eyes.

"What would I need presents for? I already have everything I could ever ask," he said, kissing the top of her head lightly.

Now it was her turn to chuckle. "Aw, what a waste. And here I was, thinking my present would make you happy."

"You didn't have to get me anything," he said softly.

"I didn't have to. I wanted to." Lisa reluctantly pulled herself away from his embrace and sat up. "Do you want to open it?"

"Just a second." Remus threw the covers off and went into the den, returning shortly with a small package in his hand. "I... I know it's not much," he said, sitting back on the bed. "And it's not... what you're used to. I... I didn't know what you would prefer it to say, so... I can change it if you'd like, it's a simple spell..."

Lisa looked at him in bewilderment. He was tripping over his words and avoiding her eyes, his face rapidly becoming pink. Was he... blushing? She hadn't seen him like this since before they started dating.

Unwrapping the plain brown tissue paper, Lisa found a small, long cardboard box. She opened it and stared at the gift – a thin silver chain, probably barely long enough to reach under her collarbone – momentarily petrified. Taking it out, she watched it dangle from her hand as the charm attached to it glistened in the muted white light coming from the window in the middle of her palm. It was a thin piece of metal, intricately bended to spell out a name. His name.

"I wasn't sure if you'd want it to... I realize this is presumptuous, bordering on arrogance, and if you feel like it's too possessive or—" he babbled, but Lisa more or less ignored him.

A warm smile bloomed on her face as she looked at the charm in her hand, and she raised her palm up to her lips, kissing it gently. "This is the best thing you could have given me," she said honestly, still staring at it fondly. Then she turned her back to him, pulling her hair aside and holding it up. "Help me put it on?"

Remus snapped out of his stupor and obliged, lingering to kiss her exposed shoulder.

Lisa turned to look at him again, hand curled around the charm and eyes sparkling. "The only way I'm ever taking this off is if someone pries it from my cold, dead fingers."

"Good thing it's made of silver then; you would've caught a skin infection."

"Ah, trying to poison me, are you? The Death Eaters finally figured out that if they offered you a life-time supply of chocolate you'd sell me out without a second though, didn't they?"

Remus laughed, and she threw her arms around his neck again, tackling him to the bed with a giggle and kissing him senseless.

"I love it," she said softly when they separated for breath, caressing his head. "Now I can always carry you with me. It truly is the best thing anyone has ever given me."

He smiled warmly at her. "I'm glad you like it." His hands traced a caress up her thighs, but she got off him.

"Not so fast. You haven't opened your present yet." She bent down from the edge, the view not exactly helping to keep his mind on gifts, and pulled out a large square box from under the bed. Remus raised an eyebrow, but she shoved it in his hands before he could ask. "Just open it."

He threw her a look but lifted the lid. His hand froze.

Lisa let him take it all in before tapping her finger in the corner of the brown leather briefcase where the words 'Professor R. J. Lupin' were stamped in shiny, gold letters. "I know you don't think you'll ever get to teach," she said. "But I think that's rubbish. You will be a professor one day, and when you are, you're going to need one of these."

"I... how..." he muttered, his eyes sweeping the case in veneration.

"It doesn't matter how. All you need to know is that I didn't have to do anything illegal."

His eyes rose to meet hers. "Lisa... I don't know what—"

She cut him off with her lips. "You don't have to say anything. You can thank me by taking those qualification tests in January." Then she slipped off the bed and wrapped herself in her red dressing gown. "I'll make some tea. Want any?"

He made an affirmative humming sound, eyes still glued to the briefcase in his hands. Lisa chuckled to herself and went to the kitchen to make some chamomile tea, leaving him to admire it in peace.

oOo

Later that day, Lisa stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, holding the hair tie in one hand. She hated it when hair got on her food, and both the Marauders and Lily had seen her scars before. The only thing she worried about was Remus and his sad looks. Would leaving the scars exposed ruin his mood? After a few more minutes of consideration, she decided that he had seen her face enough to know very well what it looks like by now, and that he was probably used to them by this point. After tying her honey-blonde hair in a high ponytail, she finally exited the bathroom and found her boyfriend waiting for her by the door so they can finally leave for the Christmas lunch at the Potter Cottage, his sweater rolled up to his elbows, one hand holding up a book as he read, the other in his pocket.

She gave him an appraising look. "You can't go in that," Lisa said, reaching for her coat. "Go change."

Remus looked down at his beige slacks and sky-blue jumper. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Just change the sweater. The rest is fine."

He tugged at the the hem. "You think it's too worn?"

"I think that if I have to look at you in it all day I might drag you in James and Lily's spare bedroom and shag your brains out," Lisa said casually, stooping down to put on her boots.

Remus gave her an amused look, closing the book and leaving it on the battered coffee table. "And we don't want that?"

Lisa laughed. "Keep talking like that and we'll never make it out the door." She went back inside the bedroom, returning shorty with a brown jumper. "Here, put this on. I don't want to be undressing you in my head at the table."

Remus took it and lifted it up, stroking his chin in pretend-thoughtfulness. "Hm, but will you be able to contain yourself if I take it off out here?"

"Cut the cheek," she said, trying her best to hold back giggles.

"I think I'll keep the blue one. I rather like the idea of you drooling over me at dinner."

"Remus, I'm not kidding!" she insisted, but the wide grin contradicted her words. "You look too good in that jumper, it does things to me. Leave it at home!"

He laughed, wrapped his free hand around her waist and pulled her close for a kiss. Her arms coiled around his neck of their own accord and pulled him even closer.

After a few solid minutes that only felt like seconds, Lisa forced herself to pull away. "Fine, you can keep the bloody thing! We're already late; Sirius will whine that the food got cold while they waited for us."

Remus smirked and rolled his eyes. "After all the times he and James made us late in Hogwarts, they really have no right to complain."

"Let me guess," Lisa said. "They stay for hours in the bathroom to get their hair looking just right?"

"James did try to tame his for Lily a few times. I needn't say he failed dismally." Remus laughed. "But no, I actually meant that the two of them always dragged Peter and I through the longest possible route. After we discovered so many of the hidden passages, just walking to class became 'too simple', and using shortcuts was apparently 'boring and predictable'. At one point we started taking a different route to the classrooms each day, and once crawled through some narrow tunnel and somehow found ourselves in one of the drawers of Binns' desk. The third years were thoroughly confused to see us crawl into the room. Sirius' excuse of 'we got lost' didn't fly with him, or with McGonagall. My arms hurt for a week after the detention we got, but the cauldrons down in the dungeons have never been shinier."

"Is that right? They deserve to be kept waiting then," Lisa said, smiling seductively, and slipped her hands under the blue sweater.

oOo

"About time! I was just about to pass out from starvation!" Sirius complained as soon as Remus and Lisa walked into the kitchen in the Potter's Cottage.

Lisa shot her boyfriend a knowing look, but he only smiled and sat down next to Peter while Lily piled potato salad in the plate in front of him.

"Since you're still alive, we must not be that late," Remus said, making James snort.

Sirius gasped in mock-offense. "After eight years of friendship, this is the treatment I get? And here I was, getting you such a thoughtful Christmas present..." He whipped out his wand, and a large, square package flew in from the kitchen, landing in front of him. "Now I think I'll keep it myself."

Everyone laughed, and James punched him in the arm. "Don't be a git, Padfoot."

Sirius sighed dramatically. "If I must." He then slid the package towards Remus. "Open it," he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Remus looked at Lisa. "I wouldn't," she said immediately. The werewolf's eyes moved down to the present again.

"Now I'm curious. Open it!" James chimed in.

"You know you want to," Sirius added with a smirk.

"I wanna see!" Peter said excitedly.

"I guess... as long as it's not anything dangerous..." Remus said hesitantly and reached for the package. He unwrapped the paper, and his eyes widened. He then quickly wrapped it up again, his whole face going pink.

Sirius erupted in laughter. "No need to thank me."

"What is it?" James asked and reached forward, but Remus swiftly pulled it out of his reach.

"It's a gag gift."

Sirius gasped in indignation. "A gag gift?! Do you have any idea how much that cost me? It's the finest of—"

James took advantage of the distraction and grabbed the package, sinking back in his chair and discarding the paper to the floor. His jaw dropped. "Submit to Me Beginners Bondage Kit?"

Remus' face went from pink to red, Peter let out a high-pitched giggle, Lisa just stared at it, completely dumbstruck, and even Lily was failing at suppressing her smirk.

James exploded in laughter, shortly joined by Sirius. "Mate, why didn't you say you were planning to buy them that; I would've paid for half of it!"

"I know, right? Those two must be the most vanilla couple in the world! This ought to spice things up a bit," Sirius managed to say in-between guffaws.

"And Lily and I got them silverware!" James could hardly breathe, tears of laughter streaming down his cheeks.

"You two are pigs," Lisa said matter-of-factly, then waved her wand with a short, precise motion. Sirius and James' mouths turned into pig snouts. They took one look at each other and started laughing again, but this time all they could emit were loud squeals.

Remus summoned the package and shrunk it down to size, putting it away in his pocket. Then he turned to Lisa and gave her a fond look. "That was great. Excellent wand movement."

"I had an excellent teacher," she replied, beaming at him. His fingers curled over hers under the table.

"Lilyyyy, they're doing the thing with the looks again," Peter whined, but the redhead was too busy laughing at her fiancé.

Amid the squealing, Sirius pointed his wand at Remus, giving him a long, yellow beak.

"That was a low blow, Padfoot," Lisa said with a snicker, bestowing a pair of antlers to the the dark-haired wizard.

James gasped indignantly at this, though all that came out of his snout were more squeals. His wand was out as well, and Lisa gained a pair of fluffy dog ears. Remus got in on it, giving Lily a head full of colourful feathers. Peter almost wet himself from laughter, at which point a mischievous glint shone in Lily's eyes, and she turned his hands into hooves.

This continued for quite a while, and the kitchen soon looked like a zoo. The game stopped when James turned Lisa into a bear, causing the chair to break under her.

"Are you okay?" Remus asked, helping her up, having untransfigured himself.

Lisa laughed and took his hand, once again in her human form. She repaired the chair and sat down again, but something caught her eye. Under the light of the street lamp outside, a shadowy silhouette lingered close to the gate of the cottage. Lisa's brows furrowed. She was almost certain it was him, but how did he find her?

"I need to go to the loo," she said casually and gave Remus a kiss on the cheek while stealthily stealing one of Lily's chocolate cupcakes, which had miraculously remained on the table, arranged in a neat circle.

Once she was in the hallway, Lisa tiptoed to the front door, threw on her coat and quietly snuck outside. She slowly approached the gate, casting an occasional glance at the window to make sure no one noticed her. The hooded man silently watched her approach, not moving a muscle. The young witch stopped a few meters away and levitated the cupcake towards him.

"Merry Christmas," she said.

He stared at the dessert in front of him for a few seconds but ultimately lifted a bare hand and took a hold of it.

"Enjoying the show?" she quipped, inclining her head back to the house.

His gaze wandered in that direction. "I thought you six were supposed to be grown wizards, not idiot second years," he said, his tone slightly sarcastic.

"Hey! Human transfiguration is a very impressive feat for a second year!" she exclaimed in mock-offense, but quickly dissolved into a chuckle.

The man's eyes lingered on the window. "Are they always like this?"

Lisa huffed a laugh. "You must not know the Marauders very well."

"No," he said, his voice becoming distant. "No, I don't think I do."

Lisa studied him for a minute. He sounded sad. But who was he? The light shining fro above only allowed her to see the bottom half of his face, but the jawline alone wasn't enough for her to get a clear idea of his features. He must be someone who knew her, obviously, if he was aware she wouldn't be with her own family but here with the Marauders. Did that mean he knew about her fallout with the Fawleys? He seemed to know an awful lot about the Death Eaters, but also about the Order. Was he friend or foe?

"Would you like to come in? There's still some turkey left," she offered lightly.

"I don't think your friends would let me have it." His mouth curved into a bitter smirk, and it sparked something in the back of her mind. She'd seen this smirk before. But where? On who?

Lisa tried to remember if she'd heard his voice before, but the deep baritone didn't really match the lean frame of the speaker. He had probably deepened his voice with magic.

"How did you know I would be here?" was her next question.

His smirk grew a little more arrogant. "Where else would you be? Your family doesn't exactly welcome werewolves on the dinner table, do they?"

"What about you? Don't you have a family of your own to be with?"

He looked at the cupcake in his hand. "I don't really want to be around them right now."

There was that melancholy in his voice again. He knew enough about her to be aware of her family drama, to know Remus' werewolf status, yet didn't know the Marauders? Lisa doubted he would give her a straight answer if she just asked how he knew these things, but maybe there was something else he could explain.

"Where have you been?" the witch asked softly. "I haven't seen you in a while."

He looked at her, sadness still lingering in his voice. "And why do you care? You don't even know me."

"But you know me," she shot back. "Who are you?"

"I told you before. It doesn't matter who I am."

"It does to me."

"... What would knowing my name change?"

She stared at him, not sure how to answer. "I would be able to help you."

"Help me?" he scoffed. "You can't."

"And you're sure of that, are you?"

"If you approached me when I'm not wearing this hood, you will die," he said seriously. "And I won't be able to do a thing about it."

"I could still contact you," she insisted. "Send you a message to warn you of Death Eaters, like you do with me. Being in the Order of the Phoenix has its advantages."

"If anyone caught wind of this message, I will die."

"So why are you here, then?!" Lisa snapped. "What do you want from me?"

He stared at her in silence, then said quietly, "Who says I'm here for you?"

Lisa's head whipped around to glance at the window, where James was levitating the bowl of cranberry sauce over Peter's head while his fiancée's back was turned, but Lily still saw it and hit him upside the head before he could overturn it, catching the bowl in her other hand. When Lisa turned back to look at the hooded figure again, he was gone, and she was standing in the Potter's garden, completely alone.