Song:
Lay All Your Love on Me (ABBA)
"Don't go wasting your emotion. Lay all your love on me."
DECEMBER 1978
The world was ending, but there was nothing they could do about it.
So, they pretended it was never an issue.
A small tree was set up in the middle of the living room, barely reaching up to Remus' waist. They had decorated it with different ornaments Lily and Marlene had decided they wouldn't want to put on their tree, and a plastic star dyed with golden paint. Callisto had bought a bunch of candles, setting them up around the house and a magical snow globe that she had placed right next to their nightstand.
Lily and James would be hosting the Christmas feast, in similar fashion to the balls that James' parents always held in the mansion, but without the unnecessary guests and the musicians. It would be just family and friends, an event for all of them to feel normal again.
Between the Christmas spirit and helping Lily organize her wedding, Callisto felt truly happy.
She was awakened by music coming from the living room, and the bitter scent of coffee. The bed was empty next to her, but she still felt warm, the thick material of Remus' sweater covering her body.
She got out of bed and walked to the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe as she saw him cooking in the kitchen. Well, he seemed to be greatly confused by the pancake mix and he spent more time dancing around than surveilling the pan, but a smile still reached her lips.
"Can I get a lap dance after you're done with that performance?" She asked, making him turn around. His cheeks immediately flushed red and he smiled sheepishly, the image of a flustered Remus Lupin caught dancing in her kitchen bringing her more joy than she could have ever imagined.
"A lap dance?"
"Yes, pretty boy." She confirmed. "Go on then. Keep on shaking your hips for me."
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"Immensely."
"You're a dick."
"Well, as the people say," She sighed, smirking. "You are what you-"
"Do not even finish that sentence."
"-Eat."
Remus tried to keep a straight face, but he burst into laughter, rubbing his eyes tiredly. It was like that every morning. Callisto would wake up just a bit later than him, she would stroll to the kitchen or the living room, she'd flirt with him like she was a truck driver, and then she'd slip on her cute boots that could kill someone and hurry off to work with a smile on her face.
He didn't want it any other way.
Remus hadn't realized he was staring at her, until the scent of smoke filled his nostrils and he looked at the pan. The two pancakes were now coal black, smoke rising from the pan.
"Shit." He murmured, looking at the burning food, completely lost. Callisto hurried over to him and took the pan off the stove, transfering the pancakes on a plate, before she placed the pan in the sink.
"Listo."
"Yes."
"Merry Christmas." He smiled, resting his head on her shoulder. He kissed her cheek, as he wrapped his arms around her. He could still smell the remnants of her perfume; it was as if it was blending in with her skin now, exuding just the faintest scent of amber. "I love you."
"Always." She promised, letting her rest fall on his. "You still burned the fucking pancakes though."
"In my defense, I had something better to focus on." Remus stated. "I can make new ones..."
"They're not that bad, I'm sure." She casually said, peering at the burned pancakes. "They are probably just burned on the outside."
"You think?" She looked up at him, his brown eyes lighting up. She couldn't really tell him now that they could eat straight up coal and it would probably be less dry, so she just nodded and took the plate in her hands, along with two mugs.
"Wanna go eat on the roof?"
Remus didn't need to be asked again. He grabbed the kettle full of coffee and followed her up the staircase leading to the roof, not caring about the chilly wind around them. Snow had fallen thick through the night, covering every building in sight with a white veil. He didn't feel as cold as he should, wearing only his thickly knitted sweater.
Callisto sat down on the ledge, bringing her knees closer to herself as she watched the snow fall around them, pulling the sleeves of her own sweater to cover her hands. She never felt all that cold, but her hands were constantly freezing. She hated it more than anything; it felt as if she couldn't function when her hands were cold. She always kept a spare pair of gloves in her bag just for this reason, her fingers sticking out through the holes giving her all the mobility she needed.
"It's so quiet..."
"It's actually because of the snow." He stated. "It works as an insulator."
"Or, the entire neighborhood is dead, and there's only us two left." Callisto hummed, drinking some of her coffee. "Did you think of that possibility, smarty pants?"
"I'll stick with my theory." Remus snickered, looking over at her. Snow was starting to decorate her hair, the white snowflakes contrasting the dark color. Her nose and cheeks were flushed red from the cold and she had let her head rest on her knees as she looked at the buildings.
"What did you get James?"
"A sleigh." She deadpanned. "Might as well put his animagus in good use."
"Oh, he's gonna kill you with the star..." Remus laughed. "You two are the same, you know."
Callisto raised an eyebrow.
"Sirius had been staying for a few weeks every year with James since second year, but he moved in permanently there after fifth year. It was Christmas, and we were all gathered around the fireplace. I-I had fallen asleep, but Peter and James were awake." He said, his finger running over the rim of his cup. "They heard someone knocking on the door. Naturally, they got scared."
"Was it Sirius?"
Remus nodded, "All bloodied up. He was shivering, Callisto. He had walked the entire way like that, bleeding and trembling. James didn't allow him to go back to Grimmauld place again after that."
"They're both good men."
"Would it be wrong for me to assume you found Nicholas knocking on your door in the middle of the night one too many times, trembling even though the weather wasn't cold?" Remus asked, turning to look at her. "And would I be wrong if I assumed that the reason Regulus spent so many nights in your dorm, was because something happened during the Easter break and you never told anyone?"
Callisto stayed silent.
"You two are the exact same." Remus stated. "You bicker with James, but you love him very much, and he does the same. So does Sirius, and so does Peter, even though he's been having a rough time."
"I bought James a pair of unbreakable glasses." Callisto admitted sheepishly. "He keeps on snapping his old ones..."
"And a mini sleigh?"
"And a mini sleigh." She nodded. "And I got Sirius a tattoo appointment, because he's too lazy and can't understand how phones work. And for Peter, I got a box full of different tea kinds, and a wand holder, because he lost his in a mission."
"And me?"
"Absolutely nothing."
"Like last time?" He teased, raising an eyebrow. "If I remember correctly, that was exactly what you said before you gave me half a library."
"That was so embarrassing..." She groaned. "I wanted to impress you, or whatever... Thinking back to it now, it's making me cringe."
"I thought it was cute." He shrugged. "I don't know how I stopped myself from kissing you."
"You shouldn't have."
~ ~ ~
"Please, stop hanging mistletoe everywhere." Lily begged, chasing James around the house as he hung the small pieces of the plant from everywhere he could. "Sirius and Callisto are allergic."
"Let there be chaos!" Marlene shouted from the other room, a cackle echoing. Lily took down yet another mistletoe piece, before she slumped down on the couch, letting her head fall tiredly on Euphemia's shoulder.
Everyone had gathered, except for Sirius that was still showering and Remus with Callisto. Dorcas was explaining to Peter and Fleamont how cards worked, while Marlene sat with Hope in the kitchen "monitoring" the food. Lyall had been called in for an emergency, while Peter's parents had prefered to stay home.
There was a knock on the door, and James opened it, revealing Remus and Callisto on the doorstep.
"Merry Christm-" A loud sneeze interrupted Remus as Callisto turned to the side, burying her head in her elbow.
"-Christmas." Callisto finished, smiling. "Sorry for being late."
"No problem, Elphie." James greeted, hugging her. "I assume hiding your true form in this mortal skin must be quite time-consuming."
"Aw, I'm glad to see you too." She dryly said, making him chuckle. She broke the hug, letting James completely obliterate Remus as he jumped on him like they hadn't seen each in years.
"Merry Christmas, Callie." Lily wished, hugging the girl. "You look great. I love this dr-"
"Bitch, I hope you brought gifts!" Sirius shouted, jumping down the stairs. He only calmed down when he saw the bags they were holding, a grin on his lips as he sped over to them and engulfed them both in a huge hug.
"Merry Christmas to you too, Pads."
"Your mom's inside the kitchen." Sirius stated, as Hope came out of the spacious kitchen. She quickly sauntered over to Remus, standing on her tiptoes as Remus bent down to kiss her cheek.
Callisto had lost count of all the hugs she had exchanged, finally sitting down on the couch with Sirius next to her. Remus was talking with his mother, occasional glances being thrown her way. She tried to ignore them, focusing on braiding Sirius' hair.
"Last Christmas was much more eventful." Sirius casually commented, making her roll her eyes. "Time works in mysterious ways."
"No, I'm just making better decisions." She responded. "Remus has probably been my best decision so far."
"Gross."
"Extremely." She agreed, her eyes narrowing as Sirius sniffled, bringing his hand up to his eyes. "Are you crying?"
"Yeah."
"Because of me and Remus?"
"No, Blondie, the mistletoe."
"Oh..." She chuckled. "Well, that's the most peaceful Christmas I've had since fifth year."
"Fifth year?" Lily blurted out, a shocked expression on her face. "What about sixth year?"
"I accidentally got locked inside Nick's bathroom with Roi."
"What were you doing in there with Roi?" Remus perked up, frowning. Noticing everyone's looks on him, he cleared his throat. "Not that... I care or anything."
"We were hiding from Milena." Callisto explained, shooting him a pointed look. "We went there because nobody used that bathroom, and got locked inside. Turns out that bathroom wasn't used exactly because the door always gets jammed and locks the person inside."
"That's so sad." Sirius snorted, trying to stifle his laughter. "You've never had a normal day in your life."
"No, I really haven't."
"Well, the food is ready." Marlene mused, stepping out of the kitchen. "And unless you want to eat leftovers, I suggest you move to the kitchen."
To say that Lily had taken care of the decor would be an understatement. She was living her childhood fantasy of adorning every single corner with miniature angel statues and snowglobes, the red decorations making the kitchen look like Gryffindor had puked all over it.
Callisto took her seat next to Remus and Sirius, her eyes lighting up as she saw all the food on the table.
Merlin, she had really needed a normal Christmas.
"Why are you looking at the wine like that?" Remus asked, noticing Callisto look at the bottle with a longing look.
"Because I can't drink any." Callisto complained. "I took my medication just before we came. I'm not supposed to drink anything alcoholic up until three hours after."
"Callisto." James said in a sing-song voice, bringing the glass full of red wine to his lips mockingly. "Mhm! This tastes... divine! It's a shame you can't drink any."
"You really do go out of your way just to spite me."
"It's my life goal." James shrugged, passing his drink to Lily. "I don't even like wine."
"We should have a table just for James and Callie." Marlene smirked. "The grownups that drink wine, and the kids."
"Drink, Marls, drink." Callisto said maliciously. "I will definitely not be hogging the bathroom when you've had one too many glasses of wine and need to do your business..."
"She'll go to the garden, don't worry about it..." Dorcas sighed, shaking her head,
James poured more wine in her glass with a sinister smile, "And I will be making river sounds right next to you."
"You guys are so evil." Fleamont mused, nodding his head teasingly. "Are you sure you can't get away with half a glass?"
"No, last time I did it I fell on a door."
"That wasn't a door." Remus subtly said. "It was me. You fell on me."
"No, I'm pretty sure it was a door." Callisto insisted. "It opened, so..."
"I just stepped aside and you fell on the bed." Remus laughed. "You fell like a sack of potatoes."
"I don't seem to recall that..." Callisto trailed off, her cheeks heating up. "You know what? I think you mistook me for someone else."
"In your own house?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Remus John Lupin!" Callisto gasped, letting her fork down. "Are you cheating on me?"
"You thought I was a door." Remus scoffed. "If anyone should be offended, it's me."
"Erase your mouth from your face, cheater."
"God, you're so annoying." Remus said, trying to stifle his laughter at her ouraged expression. "Go back to your potatoes now."
"Okay, but please get me the chicken first." Callisto smiled, her mood changing in a heart beat as she dropped the act. Remus handed her the plate, before he poured her a little less than half a glass of wine and diluted it with water.
"I'll make sure you don't actually fall on a door." He murmured and she immediately drank some, taking a bite from her food.
They both focused more on their food than the actual discussion, Callisto occasionally bumping his leg under the table like they had done in the first Slug Club dinner they had been to in seventh year.
"Love, your hands are shaking." Remus murmured, watching as Callisto struggled to cut her chicken. He had been observing for some time now how her hands trembled ever so slightly, to the point where she had given up on trying to eat at everyone else's pace.
"Oh, I-"
"Are you okay?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.
"Yeah, don't worry about it." Callisto stated sternly. The tone in her voice made it clear that she didn't want to talk about it any further. She just hoped he wouldn't try to help her in front of everyone, her gaze pleading him to turn back to his own dinner.
"Do you want more water?"
"No, I'm fine." She let out a breath of relief as he turned back to his plate, not mentioning anything more.
It felt like hours when they moved back to the living room, Remus holding Callisto's arm as she walked over to the couch. It seemed as if that half glass of wine had really done the trick, because she could barely keep a conversation, but insisted they stayed. She just sat in silence, trying to keep up with their discussion as much as her foggy mind allowed her to.
Callisto hadn't really noticed Remus looking sadly at her as she occasionally rubbed her eyes, or Lily covering her shoulders with a blanket to stop her slight shivering from time to time. Hope and Euphemia with Fleamont had left first, Marlene following shortly after with Dorcas. Callisto had completely missed the way Hope hugged her son, her eyes heavy with sadness.
"Are you sure you don't want me to take her home with me?" She had asked. "The poor girl is ready to collapse."
"No, I'll take her home soon."
"Love, do you want to go home and rest?"
"No." She slurred after a few seconds, shaking her head. "S'fine... You need to have fun."
"Callisto-"
"If we leave..." She murmured, trying to form a cohesive sentence. "I'll be very mad at you tomorrow."
"It's fine, mate." James said, as Callisto's head slumped on Remus' shoulder. "You two can sleep here tonight. I'll show you to the guest room."
It felt ridiculous because Remus already knew where the room was, but he lifted Callisto in bridal style nonetheless, following him out of the room.
"Goodnight, love." Remus whispered, kissing her forehead. He pulled the covers over her, setting her shoes next to the bed before he turned to James. He was observing him with a sad expression on his face, his lips pressed together tightly.
"Is she alright?"
"No, I don't think so." Remus sighed. "Some days are good, others not so much. And other days, well, they scare the shit out of me."
"She'll feel better tomorrow." James said, putting his hand on his shoulder. "She just needs to rest a bit."
Remus didn't have the heart to tell him that it seemed as of lately, the bad days were far more than the good ones, or that despite all the effort she put in hiding her symptoms, Remus could still see her hands shake and hear her labored breathing.
~ ~ ~
Remus woke up the next morning with Callisto curled right next to him, her leg extended over his waist. He glanced at the clock right next to the bed, cursing under his breath when he saw the time glaring back at him.
12 o' clock.
They really needed to get up.
With half a heart, he shook her gently, murmuring her name. At first she didn't respond, but then let out a groan, burying her head in his chest.
"Listo." He called again, shaking her a bit more roughly. "Wake up, love. It's noon."
"I'm tired..."
"I know." He chuckled, pulling her closer to him. "But, you have to get up. We need to go home."
She didn't complain much more, looking up at him with a lazy smile. Even with her head pounding like crazy, waking up next to him was one of the only things that immediately brought a smile to her lips.
"Why? Are you going to punish me if I don't?" She teased, pressing a short kiss on his lips. "Because, that's kind of hot."
"You're very energetic for someone that could barely stand last night."
"Hm." She smirked. "Is this a foreshadowing for tonight?"
"You will never find out, unless you get up."
Callisto shook her head, but got up nonetheless, straightening out her pants. Her shirt had been replaced by an oversized one that probably belonged to Lily, judging by the slight citrusy scent on it. An intense wave of dizziness hit her the moment she stood up, and she closed her eyes for a brief moment, stabilizing herself on the nightstand.
"Listo-"
"I stood up abruptly." She interjected before he could finish his sentence, sending him a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Rem."
He didn't want to pressure her, so he just nodded, following her out of the room.
"Good morning, love birds." Lily teased, quickly scanning Callisto. She seemed to be rather satisfied by the lack of haziness and confusion in her eyes, handing her a cup of coffee.
"They're all still sleeping." Lily explained. "James and Sirius crashed with Peter in our bed, and I slept on the couch."
"What about me?" Remus complained, frowning. "Where's the love?"
"You take up the entire bed on your own." Callisto teased. "Plus, they all slept together because they get no girls."
Lily snickered.
"I second that."
~ ~ ~
"Open it." Callisto urged him, handing him the box she had pulled from the closet. Remus hadn't registered the gesture, too busy staring at her with only his shirt on, until she shoved the box closer to his face.
"It's lighter than last year." He murmured, with a fake critical look. "You don't need to impress me anymore, huh?"
"Shut up, pretty boy." Callisto huffed. "And open it."
Remus did as she said, opening the big blue box. His eyebrows furrowed for a moment as he saw its contents, pulling out a small card and a brown briefcase. The dark brown leather felt sturdy in his hands, golden details adorning the opening. A single engraving was on the name tag, his name written thinly.
"R.J.Lupin." Callisto said, going over the engraving with her pinky finger. "Remus, I know you can do it. You're brilliant, and it's time you realized that."
"I fucking love it." He smiled, looking back up at her. She grinned widely, obviously satisfied with the outcome. "And I love you... not as much as the briefcase, but it's a close second."
"Then by all means," Callisto sighed, standing up. "I should leave you two alone."
"Hm, I don't think so." He sighed, taking her hand and pulling her back on the bed. She fell straight on his lap, a smirk on his lips at their position.
"Hello there."
"Is there something you want?" She teased, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Just you." He answered, pecking her lips. "And fucking your brains out while you're wearing just my shirt."
"Sure thing..." She smirked, feeling his fingers dig deeper on her thighs as he brought her legs on each side of him. "Professor."
Remus couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips at the new nickname, pushing a strand of hair behind her ears.
"I really do fucking love you, you know."
She just kissed him, making him fall back on the bed, with her on top of him.
Remus didn't dare to think of the day he wouldn't be able to do that anymore.
~ ~ ~
Happy Easter to anyone that celebrates!
I'm preparing another fanfic with Remus that I will probably upload after I finish with this one. It won't be a sequel, but I think it's looking good so far.
Actually, I have two fanfics but idk which one I should upload. Time will tell lmao.