The Werewolf's Child

Fourth Moon With Christmas Tree

The next few weeks were relatively peaceful. Remus cooked. He cleaned. He spent a lot of time in the library. He tried to draw Draco out, to no avail. He was obviously miserable, but not miserable enough to overcome his distrust of Remus. Sev came when he felt he could get away, and he and Remus spent hours sequestered in the library, comparing notes. Sev spent time talking to Draco, and brought him textbooks and set him to studying. "He may as well prep for NEWTs," Sev said to Remus. "He's bright enough to do well, if he ever gets a chance to prove himself."

One snowy afternoon Remus put a glamour on Draco and sent him out for ingredients to make fruitcake. He cut an evergreen bush from the weedy overgrowth in the back yard. It only came to his waist but he set it up on a side table in the sitting room. He rummaged in the attic until he found a dusty box marked "Xmas" in faded black marker. In it were regular Muggle Christmas lights, tinsel and glass balls.

Remus was just starting to decorate the tree when Draco got in from shopping. Remus heard him putting away the food in the kitchen, then he came and stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the sitting room and leaned against the frame. He stood with his arms folded watching Remus as he strung the lights around the tree.

"Pathetic," he drawled after watching for a few minutes.

Remus touched the tree with his wand and the electric lights blinked on, their colors giving the tree a homey glow. He started hanging the glass balls.

"Well, it is small," he said thoughtfully. "But cheery, I think. Anyway, not bad for wartime and being in hiding. I hope Sev will be pleased. Do you think he will?" he asked. He hung another glass ball and started to drape the tree with tinsel.

"I've no idea," said Draco. He leaned, if it were possible, more aggressively against the door frame.

"Neither do I, honestly," said Remus. "I don't even really know if he likes Christmas. Will you help me start the fruitcakes?"

"No," said Draco, and detached himself from the door frame and ghosted back up to his room.

Remus watched him go and sighed.

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The full moon was due the Saturday before Christmas and Sev had a lot on his mind. He made an appearance in the Great Hall at breakfast - he was trying to show his face at as many meals as possible to cover up for being away so much, although, in fact, he much preferred to eat in his room. The Great Hall was loud with the pent up energy of students preparing to leave for the holidays. A Yule Ball was planned for the evening, and most of the students were leaving for home the following day.

He went back to his rooms, where the Wolfsbane potion bubbled on a tripod set over a blue flame. He had to add the wolfsbane flowers, and stir clockwise seventeen times. He watched with satisfaction as the potion turned from a murky brown to a deep violet blue. He had three hours before adding the final ingredient and another stirring.

He went to a locked cupboard against the wall and took out another flask containing a muddy grey potion and a vial with a single human hair inside. He tucked these deep into his cloak. He checked his wand and his money bag. Locking the door behind him, he left the castle and headed for the apparition point outside the grounds.

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Severus apparated to an underground station near Diagon Alley. In the smelly public loo, he used the polyjuice potion to change into his elderly Aunt Pepper. She rarely left home nowadays, and he knew that he would not run into her here. He transfigured his robes into a more feminine version in bottle green, and put on a floppy hat he had pinched from Aunt Pepper's sister, Aunt Spider, years ago.