Happy Christmas (secret Santa For Dusty15)

[LeapYearKisses]

Hope you like it. ^^' I wrote most of it in the middle of the night and the ending seems a little weak... Arrg. But despite those shortcomings, I hope you do enjoy it! I had fun writing it.

 

Happy Christmas

 

The snow crunched loudly under Sirius's boots as he made his way across the square to the small London bookshop that he had come to know quite well. It was nestled almost out of sight behind the neighboring candy shop's large Christmas display, but that didn't bother him. It was nearly second nature to wind his way around the bristling tinsel and into the shallow doorway. Though the sign hanging crookedly on the front window said "Sorry, We're Closed", Sirius grabbed the handle and, after a quick scan for muggles, opened the lock with a tap of his wand and a muttered alohamora. He wondered when the store's proprietor would get around to giving him a key…

 

Inside the small entryway there was a small closet and a perilously steep staircase leading up to the second floor. To the left lay the bookstore proper, full of obscure books and used classics. Lovecraft, Socrates, and a bunch of ratty Harlequins battled it out for space on the desk that served as a check-out counter. Must have been a new donation. After another quick, wondering glance into the musty space, Sirius turned and mounted the narrow steps to the flat above.

 

There was a small antechamber at the top, just large enough for Sirius to put his boots in the corner among the other, variously worn footwear and still have room to get by. Past the claustrophobic landing however, the room opened up nicely, forming a combination kitchen/living area. To one side lay the bedroom and the bathroom.

 

Sirius shifted the bag he was carrying to the other shoulder and brushed his bangs out of his face. Though there was evidence of habitation – a patched grey jacket haphazardly tossed over the sofa, a half-full coffee mug on the side table – he had yet to see the flat's owner. Sirius quirked an eyebrow.

 

"Remus, mate, are you in?" he called, unwinding his scarf. In a moment he thought better of it. "It's bloody cold in here. Rem?"

 

There was a muffled, peevish noise from the direction of the bedroom, followed by Remus Lupin's head peering around the door. His hair was getting rather too long and frizzed a little at the ends, giving him the look of a disgruntled owl. "Sod off, Sirius; I'm in no mood for company." He brought a hand to his mouth and didn't so much as cough as wheeze a little, glaring at his friend.

 

"Don't be like that, Moony," cajoled Sirius, coming over in a few quick strides. "I came bearing gifts. How are you? …Can I turn up the heat?"

 

"Put on a jumper, you don't have to pay for it." But Remus seemed to be grudgingly coming out of his mood, opening the bedroom door further and taking a step out to lean on the frame. He sniffed once, rubbed his nose. "What've you brought?"

 

"Aspirin, Tylenol, tea, and some gingersnaps. Freshly made gingersnaps, from James's mum." Sirius took Remus's arm and tugged it lightly. "C'mon, come sit on the couch. I'll put tea on."

 

---

 

It was when they were both sitting with teacups in hand that Sirius came to the real point of his journey. After a spot of awkward hesitation, he said "I'm sorry I couldn't be here for the full moon. I meant to be, but-"

 

"Don't let it bother you," said Remus, taking an appreciative sip of tea. "It wasn't as bad this time, hell if I know why. And it's not as if I need a babysitter."

 

"I know that!" Sirius frowned.

 

"Well good." Remus gave another wheezy cough, then he smiled a little over his cup. "Really, don't worry Padfoot. I'm all right."

 

"You don't sound all right," said Sirius through a mouth of gingersnap. "You sound bloody sick. You catch another cold? I told you that living in this frigid little loft wasn't going to do you any good."

 

"So you did," replied the werewolf. He set his teacup aside and half-raised his hand to his face. Blinking, he stood. "I'll be right back. I th-think I'm going to sneeze…" He made it to the bathroom door before the first one took him, bending him a little at the waist. "Ah-hessh! Ih…Ah-kessh!" He had caught them with his wrist and now dried it surreptitiously on his jeans. He sighed. "Sorry, Padfoot. They tend to come suddenly."

 

"Don't apologize, Rem. It's not like I've never seen you sneeze before."

 

"Right," replied Remus, giving in to another cough that quickly went from breathy to congested. "Arrgh."

 

"Hey, I have an idea," said Sirius, ignoring Remus's muttered "Yeah, right." "Why don't you come with me to Lily and James's place? I was planning on stopping by after I called, but since you're feeling peaky and I want to look after you you should come along. It's been a while since you've seen everyone…"

 

"I don't know…" Remus crossed his arms and scuffed at a mark on the floor. "I don't want to get the baby sick."

 

"You can hang out in the bedroom."

 

"I have a bed here."

 

"They have actual heat," Sirius sing-songed.

 

"Sirius…"

 

The man in question caught up the gray coat from the sofa and tossed it to Remus, who, to his credit, didn't fumble his unexpected load.

 

"You're coming."

 

---

 

It seemed not even a war could dampen the Christmas spirit; Godric's Hollow was splendid at this time of year, the whole town giving off a cheery yellow glow from Christmas lights and windows alike. It was only early evening when Sirius and Remus arrived, so the streets were still a-bustle with people: people carrying wrapped parcels, shopping bags, wreaths, sheet music, ice skates, cookies, children, you name it, all decked out in winter garb of colorful hats and scarves. But Remus did not have time to feel out of place in his gray wardrobe before the Potters answered their doorbell, smiling.

 

"Padfoot, Moony!" cried James, throwing an arm around his best mates' shoulders. "Come in, it's cold out there." Lily offered her own bright "Happy Christmas!" as the two stepped into the entryway, baby Harry balanced on her hip.

 

"It's good to see you, James," growled Sirius, smacking his friend good-naturedly and brushing his lips against Lily's cheek. "Just thought I'd drop in, met Moony along the way. Hope we're not intruding."

 

"Yes, please tell us if it's a bother," said Remus, but he was grinning with the rest of them. He clasped hands with Lily briefly before covering a short cough.

 

"It's not," said Lily, tilting her head slightly. "You know you're welcome any time. Why don't you come into the sitting room, though? We shouldn't keep you standing out here. It's drafty in the hall."

 

"I did try to do something about that," murmured James, shrugging. The group proceeded down the hallway and into the homey living room, where they arranged themselves Potters on the couch, Remus and Sirius in the armchairs by the fire. Lily set Harry on her lap, where the six-month-old proceeded to chew on his sleeve happily.

 

"So how have you been?" asked Remus curiously. He hadn't seen the two for some months, occasional Floo chat notwithstanding, and was interested in what they'd been up to. He didn't hear much in his poor little bookshop.

 

"Not bad, all things considering," James replied, easily reclining slightly in his seat. It seemed there wasn't a terrible lot of news concerning the Order recently, not that Remus could have missed it if there had been, and they all considered that a blessing. On the other hand, Lily was enthusiastic in explaining everything new that Harry had been up to since the last time Remus had seen them. Occasionally James would interrupt her and they would get into a mini-argument, bickering good-naturedly over which outfit the boy had been wearing at the time, or at whose house he had done such-and-such a thing.

 

It was with a certain amount of guilt that Remus tuned them out, but he was beginning to tire. His throat was bothering him and he had to keep half-stifling little coughing spells before they could be noticed by present company; good intentions aside, he was uncomfortable being fussed over. Unfortunately, Sirius seemed to be watching him out of the corner of his eye, so Remus was even denied the comfort of rubbing his increasing-itchy nose without calling attention to himself. It was exceedingly bothersome.

 

"…and that was that," finished James, laughing. He took a sip of his hot chocolate before continuing. "So, Moony, how is the shop doing? I've heard you can meet interesting characters in little places like that. Stories?"

 

Remus chuckled. "Oh, I could tell you a thing or two. I have a regular who has a bird living in her hair. No joke, a live bird. Some sort of pigeon I think." Remus smiled and rubbed his nose surreptitiously. It had begun to distract him again. "And there's a bloke who comes in every Thursday to alphabetize everything. Normally, I don't bother, seeing as the stock's in by genre, but he in-sih- Insists." Remus rubbed his nose a little harder, but couldn't quite stave off the irritation. "There's also Doris Flanger… She weh- went to school with us, reh-, remeh-" Remus frowned, and whipped a hand up to cover his mouth. "Ek-kissh! Remember. Eh-kitch! Ah." He blinked. "Excuse me."

 

"Bless you!" cried Lily. "I'm sorry, I should have noticed you were poorly before."

 

"It's just a cold…" mumbled Remus, blushing slightly and finding his eyes drawn to the window.

 

"I'll fix you a Pepper-up Potion," she said, handing Harry to her husband. "Sirius, do you mind getting a box of tissues in from the closet?"

 

"Not at all," he said easily, also getting up. The look he shot Remus upon leaving said I knew they'd be good for you.

 

"Really, don't go through all this," he tried to protest. James cut him off.

 

"Rem, relax. We're your friends. If we don't take care of you, who will?"

 

Harry gurgled in emphasis, now pulling cheerfully on the toes of his onesie.

 

A sigh. "You're right. Thank you. All of you," Remus said, as Lily and Sirius returned. He accepted their gifts, drinking the potion and placing the tissues on the side table by his armchair. "I suppose living alone has just… worn on me."

 

"You could always come to Grimmauld Place," Sirius suggested. "'Course, the only improvement over your flat is space. It's colder, draftier, and certainly dustier. Plus you've got to deal with Kreecher and the old lady." He paused. "Better to stay where you are, I think."

 

"Thank you anyway, Padfoot." Remus gave him a grin before blowing his nose softly, then a little harder when it wouldn't shift any of the congestion.

 

"Why don't you two stay over?" suggested James. "We've got enough room upstairs. And it's almost Christmas, so why not?"

 

Remus blinked. "I'll have to get a few things from the- E-kxtt! Ah, from my flat." He paused to see that Sirius was giving him his trademark puppy eyes and laughed. "But then I'll stay, sure.  Why not?"

 

"Excellent," chimed Lilly. "It will nice to have a holiday with all of us together again."

 

---

 

So yeah. I apologize if the setting seems off. It's been a long time since I read Harry Potter.

[MusicaDiabolos]

Hooray! Remus is my favourite as well This is a very cute story!

[Jazz]

D'aww. This was cute. (: I love a sniffly Remus.

Excellent job, though. You did very well with the fandom, despite it being a long time since you've read Harry Potter. Awesome. (:

[Sitruuna]

This is lovely, I don't remeber anymore when would I have last time read any HP fiction... It's not that longs but before I came to this forum that was what I read the most... Anyway, I have to say this is one of the best HP fics I've read (that are in English), and I love how this begins, I love the little shop and the flat and how the characters act. This is just great and... And I ran out of words... I have no words to tell how much I enjoyd Remus in here... Sick Remus always saves the day.

[TheCakeIsAlive]

Awww, poor Remus.

Awesome fic.

[ooo]

Wow, you're a great writer! This fic had such charm to it, really sweet and I loved the Christmas atmosphere. And baby Harry!

[LeapYearKisses]

Awww, thank you guys so much. I'm glad the characters aren't wonky. XD

[Dusty15]

*tackles you with hugs* Thank you! This is just lovely <3

[LeapYearKisses]

*tackles you with hugs* Thank you! This is just lovely <3

You are so welcome! <3

[musiclover90]

I loved this too!