Reminder: the terms "mabi fi" and "cariad" are both Welsh terms of endearment meaning "sweetheart" or "love" or "darling"

"Remus, wake up, mabi fi…"

Six-year-old Remus frowned in his sleep and pulled the blankets tighter around him, whining softly in protest against his mother's melodic and cheerful voice.

"Reeeeemus…" Hope sang, trying again and giggling as she curled her fingers around the boy's blanket slowly, ready to yank it off of him if he continued to refuse. "Wake up, my love! It's Christmas!"

Bright amber eyes – still ringed with yellow from the recent full moon – snapped open and in a flash, the boy was scrambling to stand up, nearly tripping on his slightly too-long pajama bottoms.

"It's Christmas!" His voice high and childish rang throughout the room.

Hope laughed, catching her son around the middle just as he was about to stumble right off the bed and scooping him up into her arms. "Ah, there he is!" She kissed his cheek, careful to avoid the new scar that hadn't yet healed. "I was afraid perhaps you were going to sleep all through Christmas morning and I would have to give all your presents away!"

Remus' eyes doubled in size and he gasped, squirming in his mother's arms to get away so that he could run to the living room and see what had been left under the tree for him. "Mum! Let goooo!"

"Never!" Hope declared, still laughing as she covered his face with kisses. "I'll never let you go, my baby!"

"Muuuum!" Remus whined. "I'm not a baby! Come on, come on! I want to get my presents!"

"Oh nonsense. You'll always be my baby, Remus." She gave him one last kiss on the tip of his nose and sighed dramatically. "Alright, then. Run along." She set him down and as soon as his feet hit the floor he darted from the room.

"Don't you run down those stairs, young man!" Hope called after him just as she heard his footsteps reach the end of the hall and they slowed down immediately.

Once he was in the living room, Remus paused for a moment to take in the sight of the giant green tree with all of the pretty flickering lights and the colorful ornaments, surrounded by brightly wrapped boxes and he dropped to his knees in front of it. His eyes scanned over them greedily, too overwhelmed to know where to start.

"Wait for your father to come down, cariad." Hope reminded him gently as she made herself comfortable on the sofa with a cup of tea.

Remus let out a frustrated huff, sitting cross-legged on the floor, his hair still sticking up at all angles from a night of sleep. "DAD!" He shouted. "COME OOOON!" The corners of his lips pulled down and he rubbed at his tired eyes. "Where is he, mum?"

Hope shook her head and sighed. "He was in his study. He said he'd be down in a minute. I hope he didn't fall asleep up there again. He was up late."

Remus had hardly heard his mother's response and was on his feet again, marching hurriedly to his father's study despite his mother's protests.

Remus didn't know what the problem was. His father used to let him into his study all the time to look through all the fascinating old books on defense against the dark arts and magical creature encyclopedias. One day he just wasn't allowed in anymore. However, today was Christmas and the rules didn't apply the same as they did on any other day.

He stopped in front of the door to the study, hesitating for a moment before he rapped his knuckles gently on the wood. "Dad?"

There was no answer so he tried again, knocking a little louder this time. "Dad? Come on, it's Christmas!"

Still no response.

Taking a deep breath, Remus closed his fingers around the doorknob and turned it slowly, letting the breath out once the door pushed open just enough for him to slide past it into the room.

There was his dad, just as his mother had predicted, asleep in the big leather reclining chair with a book open over his lap. Remus crept across the floor on tiptoe. The room looked different than it had when he used to be allowed inside. It was far less tidy. Not that his father had ever been one to keep his study tidy, but it had been more like an organized chaos. This was a little less organized and a little more chaotic. There were piles of books on his desk, some were open and many had several papers stuffed inside to mark important pages. The titles of a few of them caught Remus' eye:

Lycanthropy Lore and Lies.

Witchdoctors and Werewolves.

Lunar Curses and How to Break Them.

Remus licked his lips anxiously. Since he had been bitten almost two years ago, his father had dragged him all across Europe in hopes of finding a cure for what he had become. Remus knew the healers his dad was bringing him to weren't like the ones at St. Mungos or even the ones at the Muggle hospital. They lived in tiny, hidden villages and spoke strange languages. They didn't use the kind of magic he saw his dad use or the medicine his mum gave him. They didn't use potions or spells like anything Remus had ever been given when he was sick. Some of them chanted strange words, others made Remus eat disgusting things – when he asked, his father refused to tell him exactly what it had been – and some actually hurt him. They liked blood for their strange kinds of magic or they poked at his skin with hot needles claiming that it would force the wolf out of him. One of them had even pierced Remus with a long metal rod that looked like a knitting needle right at the nape of his neck. That one, Remus remembered, was by far the most painful. From the moment the metal touched his skin, he felt as if his body was on fire. He had screamed and begged his father to make the man stop but his father only held him more tightly, telling him it would be over soon and that he was sure this was the one that would work. Remus fainted from pain when the rod finally broke through his flesh. Apparently, it had been made of pure silver – which Remus could no longer touch after being bitten. He found that out not long after the bite when he went to pick up a spoon. It was believed that piercing through the skin with silver would poison the wolf inside of him and kill it. It hadn't worked. Just like everything else his father had tried, and his mother forbade his father from forcing him into these experimental methods ever again. He still had a terrible scar on his neck just below his hairline from that damned metal rod.

Tearing his eyes away from the books piled on the desk, Remus slowly approached his father's chair. He tried not to look at the book that was lying across Lyall's lap, but curiosity got the best of him. Reaching towards it, he ran his fingers over the title engraved on the leather binding:

Black Magic for Beastly Banishments.

Remus shivered. His dad had promised he wouldn't force him to do anything scary or painful anymore. He felt his bottom lip quiver and he bit down on it to stop himself from giving in to the desire to start crying. He glared at the book. He hated whoever wrote it. He wished it would disappear and his dad would stop reading all the ones just like it. He wished that it would disappear. He wished…

The book suddenly shot across the room, crashing into one of his father's bookshelves and sending several books tumbling to the floor.

His father woke with a start, looking wildly around the study. "What was-? Who-? REMUS!"

Remus flinched as his father rounded on him. "I didn't- I just wanted-"

"Remus John Lupin, you know you aren't allowed in here!" Lyall's face was more red and angry than Remus could remember seeing it. "What in Merlin's name are you doing?"

Remus' lip was quivering again, but this time he couldn't stop himself and he felt tears sting at his eyes. "I'm sorry! I know I'm not allowed in here, b-but it's…" It was no use, sobs wrecked through him and he sat down on the floor, hiding his face in his hands. "It's Christmas…" he managed in a tiny voice between the sniffles and tears.

There was a large, warm hand on his shoulder. "Remus…" his father's voice had softened again. Remus opened his eyes and saw that his father was kneeling on the floor beside him. "Remus, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout at you. You just startled me, that's all." The hand on his shoulder moved to smooth down his son's unruly hair. "Come on, kiddo. Don't be upset. I'm not angry, I promise."

Remus rubbed his nose with his pajama sleeves and looked up at his father tearfully. "You're not?"

Lyall shook his head. "Of course not. It's Christmas. If I had been down with you and mum you wouldn't have had to come and fetch me and this wouldn't have happened at all, right?"

Remus nodded slowly and Lyall smiled at him. "Good. Come on, then. Let's go see what's under that tree for you." He stood, scooping Remus up in his arms and carrying him back to the living room.

Remus had to admit, he had gotten quite a good haul that year. There were the usual sweaters and mittens, but also a stocking full of his favorite chocolates, new gobstones, a whole new set of the hardcover copies of The Lord of the Rings series, and – the most exciting – his very first broom.

"Dad! Dad, look! A broom! Will you teach me to fly it, Dad? Please?"

Lyall gave him a strained smile and he nodded. "Yes, of course. Once the weather warms up a bit."

Remus, grinning from ear to ear, climbed up into his father's lap and threw his arms around his neck. "This is the best Christmas EVER!"

Except that it wasn't.

Remus remembered lying awake long past his bedtime, hiding under his blanket with a flashlight to read his new edition of The Hobbit, when he heard his parents arguing from across the hall.

"I thought we had decided against it."

"Why? Why shouldn't he have what every other little boy like him has?!"

"It's not like he can go out flying with his friends, Hope! He hasn't any friends because in case you've forgotten, there are no other little boys like him!"

"For god's sake, Lyall! He'd have half a normal life if you'd treat him like you would any other child! Take your son outside and teach him to fly the bloody broomstick! Or are you too busy locking yourself away in that study of yours, elbows deep in anything from folklore to occult rituals to find a way to "cure" him?!"

There was a mumbled response from Lyall that Remus couldn't hear.

"I don't have to be magic to know that what you're reading about won't only not cure him, but it could very well kill him in the process! Is that what you want, Lyall? Would you rather our son be dead than be what he is?!"

"Of course not! I love Remus, Hope! You know that! I wouldn't try at all if I didn't–"

"Then stop this! Stop it now, Lyall! You promised you wouldn't put him through this anymore! He's suffered enough! Stop trying to change him because you feel guilty and love him the way he deserves to be loved! Spend some quality time with him that doesn't involve experimental or illegal healing magic! Treat him like your son and not a werewolf! Teach the poor boy how to fly like any father should want to."

More mumbling from both of his parents and Remus strained his ears to try to hear.

"How'd you manage to even get a broomstick, Hope?"

"I sent away for it. Magic or Muggle, it's pretty simple to order from a catalog, you know."

"Right… I'm sorry. You're right. I'll take him out this weekend – don't worry! I'll put a warming charm on him, he won't freeze."

The door to his parents' bedroom had opened and closed with a soft click and Remus had quickly set his book aside to roll over and pretend to be asleep.

His door had opened and he heard quiet footsteps approach his bed. Gentle fingers stroked through his hair and the bed dipped under the weight of his mother.

"Goodnight, cariad." She bent down and kissed his cheek. "Happy Christmas, darling boy."

—-

"Remus… Moony… wake up!"

Seventeen-year-old Remus Lupin growled threateningly at the intrusion of his peaceful slumber and pulled the blankets tighter around himself.

"Moony!" Sirius' voice sang close to his ear and he growled again, fighting the urge to jump up and pin the other boy down and rip and tear and… Merlin, he just wanted to sleep before the moon came up. Sirius wasn't taking the hint though, and he found himself straddled under the warm, comfortable weight of his boyfriend with soft lips making their way up his neck to his ear. "I know, I know. You're tired and you probably want to claw my throat out for not letting you sleep before the full, but it's Christmas!"

Remus' eyes snapped open and before Sirius knew what was happening, Remus flipped their positions, snarling at him. The color drained from Sirius' face and he averted his eyes, tilting his head back and baring his throat in surrender.

"Sorry, Moony," he apologized quickly. "I just thought –ah!"

Remus bent down and kissed up the column of Sirius' throat, stopping to nuzzle behind his ear. "You're lucky I love you."

Sirius' entire body relaxed beneath him and he let out a shaky laugh. "Fuck, Moons. You scared the piss out of me."

Remus hummed, still nipping and kissing the pale skin on Sirius' neck. If he wasn't going to be able to get any rest, he may as well be satiated in other ways.

Sirius whined under him, his arms circling Remus' shoulders and his hips arching. "Moony… It's Christmas…" his protest was only half-hearted as Remus pushed down against him. "Fuck, Remus… James and Pete are already downstairs waiting for us so we can unwrap presents…"

Remus' hand teased the hem of Sirius' sweatpants. "Don't you want to be my present? I could unwrap you…"

Sirius hummed. "James and Pete can wait…"

Twenty minutes later they joined James and Peter in the common room where there was a pile of presents waiting for them in front of the fire. Peter had convinced the house elves to bring up plates of all their favorite breakfast foods so they wouldn't have to go to the Great Hall. Remus helped himself to some chocolate chip pancakes before settling down in the comfy, overstuffed chair while James and Sirius practically dove headfirst into the presents, divvying them up and passing them out.

"Here, Moony," Peter said, tossing a poorly wrapped parcel to him. "This one's from me."

Remus smiled at him. "Thanks, Pete. That one there is yours." He pointed to a small blue box and Sirius grabbed it, handing it to Peter for him.

The gift from Peter turned out to be a collection of Muggle comic books and it took far too long to explain to Sirius and James that Spiderman and Batman weren't animagi and the difference between superpowers and magic.

James gave him a book on dog training as a joke that went along with the basket of squeaky toys he gave to Sirius, and also a new set of quills that correct spelling and grammar errors as you wrote. Lily sent him the newest Beatles record, which Sirius demanded they play immediately and snatched it out of his hands to put it on while they continued to open presents. Sirius had gotten him the biggest bar of chocolate Honeyduke's sold, an updated copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with detailed illustrations, and a modified page about Werewolves that was just a picture of Remus and the promise of another gift that he couldn't give to him in the common room due to the promise he made to James and Peter about no snogging him senseless in front of them.

The last gift was from his parents and it was still sitting by the fire. He knew it was from them by the way it was wrapped, but he couldn't bring himself to get it or even just summon it. He just stared at it.

Sirius, who had been distracted by the pocket knife the Potters sent him, noticed the lone parcel still left over and frowned at him, head tilting to the side curiously.

Remus sighed and held his hand out for Sirius to give it to him. He unwrapped the paper and opened the box. The first thing he pulled out was an object he recognized from his father's study. It was a Sneakoscope. His grandfather's Sneakoscope to be exact. Remus had always tried to see if he could lie around it without it going off, but he had never been successful. Before he started school, his father had sat with him for hours a day rehearsing the stories they had come up with in case anyone asked him about where he disappeared to once a month, but it would catch his lie every time until one day, he blurted out that his mother was sick and he had to go home to visit her. It hadn't gone off when he had said it and he had been foolish enough to think it was because he finally told a believable lie.

The other gift – the one from his mother – was a blue, hand-knitted jumper. His chest tightened as he held it in his hands, stroking his thumbs over the carefully stitched wool.

"Moony," Sirius' voice broke him from his thoughts and he looked up, blinking away the wetness in his eyes. Sirius, James, and Peter were standing in front of him, watching quietly.

"We've got one last present for you, mate," James said, and Remus noticed that Sirius had something behind his back.

Remus' brow furrowed and he looked between his three friends. "But you've already…"

Sirius shook his head. "This present is a little different." He took a step forward closer to Remus and held out the last thing Remus expected.

"Your two-way mirror?" Remus frowned in confusion as he took it. He looked back up at the others and shook his head. "I don't understand-"

"That one's mine, actually," James explained. "Sirius'... well, someone else has it temporarily."

"Who?" Remus asked.

James, Sirius, and Peter all exchanged looks and shrugged.

Sirius nodded encouragingly at him. "Say hello and see for yourself."

Remus blinked up at them for a moment, feeling his heart start to speed up for reasons he couldn't quite place. Looking back down at the mirror in his hand, he felt unsure of what he was doing and awkward not knowing who was on the other end. "Er… H-hello?"

His reflection in the glass began to warm, appearing almost liquified as the connection to the mirror on the other end was made. Before the picture cleared, a voice came through.

"Remus?"

Remus' heart skipped a beat and he forgot how to speak properly as the image in the glass came into focus. "Mum?!"

Hope's face broke into a smile. "Ah, there's my boy. Happy Christmas, mabi fi!"

"Happy Christmas, Mum…" Remus managed to choke out. "I… How are you?"

"I'm just fine, cariad. Just finishing up with breakfast." Hope went on about how useless Lyall was in the kitchen and about how much extra time she had for her knitting but Remus was hardly listening. He was focused on her face. How tired and dull her eyes seemed, and how prominent her cheekbones suddenly were. " –Well, you know how gets about his reading, he – oh, cariad, are you alright?"

Remus shook himself slightly and nodded. "Y-yeah. I'm fine." His voice was thick and he cleared his throat, purposely avoiding looking up at his friends. "I just… I miss you, that's all."

Hope smiled sadly, touching her fingers to the glass for a moment. "I miss you too, baby. It's just not Christmas without you here. You're alright though, yes? Sirius sent a letter. Your friends stayed behind with you?"

Remus nodded again. "Yeah, Sirius, James, and Peter are all here with me."

"That's wonderful. I'm so happy you have such good friends. Makes me worry less about my baby."

Remus' face went hot and he heard his friends try to hide their laughter. "Mum, I'm not a baby. You don't have to worry…"

"Remus John Lupin, you will always be my baby," Hope scolded him lightly, then she chuckled. "Hello, boys."

"Hi, Mrs. Lupin," Sirius, James, and Peter chorused, sounding overly sweet and making Remus roll his eyes.

"I should let you go and be with your friends, love."

Remus swallowed past the lump in his throat. He didn't want her to go. It was too soon. He wanted to keep her on this blasted mirror all day until the moon came up. "Mum…"

"Go and get some rest, sweetheart," Hope said firmly. "Sirius, dear, you make sure he's taking care of himself, won't you?"

"Of course, Mrs. Lupin. We're looking out for him." Remus hadn't even noticed that Sirius had come to stand beside him until he felt the other boy's hand gently squeeze his shoulder.

Hope smiled warmly and then winked at Remus. "He's a catch, cariad."

Remus groaned. "Mum, don't inflate his ego."

"I love you so very much, Remus. Happy Christmas, darling boy."

"I love you too, mum."

His mother's face faded until all that was left in the glass was his own reflection looking back at him. There was a long silence between them while the others let Remus collect himself and finally, Remus handed the mirror back to Sirius.

"Thank you."

Sirius said nothing. Just gave him a small smile and placed a kiss on his boyfriend's forehead.

—-

Try as he might, there was just no way Remus could settle back down to rest before moonrise. The usual restlessness was only magnified by the stress and emotional baggage of worrying about his mother and he tossed and turned in his bed, snapping angrily if Sirius, James, or Peter dared to offer any form of comfort or assistance.

He attempted to go for a walk on his own simply to clear his head and get some of the excess energy out, but the festive decorations that adorned the corridors only served to remind him that it was Christmas and that because of what he was, he was not allowed to be with his family.

"Why don't we head to the shack early tonight?" James eventually suggested with great caution, careful not to agitate Remus further.

"It's hardly past three in the afternoon." Remus' response was barely more than a low growl as he sat on the windowsill of the dormitory with his head pressed against the cold glass.

James shrugged. "Better than sitting around here, feeling trapped, isn't it?"

Remus' head snapped around to look at James and his eyes narrowed dangerously. "You think I feel any less trapped there?"

Sirius threw James a warning look and shook his head but James brushed it off, daring to step closer to Remus. Peter scooted further back on his bed nervously.

"Moony."

"James–"

"Shut up, Sirius."

"Abort mission, mate."

"Shut. Up. Sirius."

"Oi, see that look in his eyes? That's the look that says "Hmm, I think I'm suddenly craving venison'–"

James rolled his eyes, whipping his wand out of his pocket and pointing it at Sirius. "Silencio."

Remus' eyes were locked on James, watching with an intense gaze as the other boy slowly put his wand back into his pocket and then held up his hands, showing no visible threat to the werewolf.

"I'm only suggesting that a change of scenery may help you feel better, mate. Even if it's the shack. It's not here, right? Look at yourself, Remus. You're wound up."

Remus was suddenly aware of just how still he had been sitting, how tense his muscles were, and the fact that his fists were balled up so tightly his nails were leaving deep red marks in his palm. He blinked slowly, allowing his shoulders to drop and flexing his fingers. The corner of James' mouth twitched up in what would have been a triumphant smirk if he wasn't holding back.

"There. See? I'm sure the walk to the shack will be good for you well."

"I'm hungry," Remus stated as he stood up, his eyes still not leaving James, whose confidence faltered slightly, no doubt remembering SIrius' comment about venison.

"Alright," James' voice cracked and he nodded to Peter. "Pete?"

Peter was off his bed faster than anyone had ever seen the boy move. "I'm on it." He said, grabbing the backpack they used to bring supplies to the shack every month and hurrying out of the dorm to sneak down to the kitchens to fill the bad with as much food as the house elves were willing to part with.

There was a long pause before James cleared his throat awkwardly. "So, when Pete gets back, we'll…"

Remus gave a short nod. "We'll go down to the shack, yes."

James let out a sigh of relief as Remus walked past him towards his bed, then – upon seeing Sirius wildly gesturing to his mouth – he took out his wand. "Sorry, Pads. I'll just –"

"Don't," Remus ordered, stretching out on his bed and ignoring the pained look on his boyfriend's face. "Leave him quiet for a bit."

James grinned, pocketing his wand once again. "Whatever you say, Moony."

Sirius pouted and flipped his middle finger at James. Remus then patted the bed next to him. "Come, Sirius."

Sirius hopped up onto Remus' bed, curling up next to him with his head on the werewolf's chest.

"Good boy," Remus smirked. He pulled Sirius closer and his eyes started to fall shut as his hands were covered by Sirius'.

YES I KNOW, it's late again. I'M SORRY

Anyway, hope you guys enjoy it when I drop Remus lore... :D