Gazing

~~~

It didn't take very long to unpack Sirius's things and put them back in their place; more than half the trunk didn't even need to be unpacked. Sirius smiled the entire time, but what really took Remus by surprise was when Sirius started singing carols in an offhand tenor voice. When they were done it was supper time and they were pleasantly surprised that there were only two Slytherins staying over the holidays, a pair of first years. The rest of the evening flew by in the Gryffindor common room with a few rounds of exploding snap and one game of wizard chess, on which Remus insisted.

Sirius apparently didn't want to go to sleep. After the chess game, they were back to exploding snap, but Remus was too tired, so he just lounged on one of the couches as Sirius won his tenth round of the game against a first year. Remus was nearly falling asleep on the couch and decided he'd had enough.

"I'm going to bed," he announced.

Sirius looked up from the game. "Good idea," he nipped, and he rose from the floor, leaving the game half finished.

Remus went up the stairs with Sirius behind him, humming the carols as they went up. Remus stopped suddenly, and Sirius almost crashed with him.

"Something wrong?"

"My room is this way." Remus pointed to a door to his left.

"Oh, you need to go get your stuff?"

Remus frowned. "Stuff?"

"We're staying together, of course. You can sleep on James's bed. He won't mind."

Remus closed his eyes and massaged his forehead, feigning a headache. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

Sirius stepped closer, suddenly looking very gloomy. "If you don't sleep in my room, I'll sleep in yours."

Remus held his breath for a moment. "I'll go get my things."

~~~

"Remus, wake up! It's morning!"

Remus groaned and pulled the bed covers over his head. "GoawaySiriusIwannasleep." He heard footsteps coming closer, and suddenly the bedcovers were unceremoniously pulled back, and Remus made a small 'oomph' when Sirius got on the bed and started jumping on it. Remus scrambled to hold onto the bedpost in order not to fall. The headache was going to start any second, Remus thought, but Sirius was laughing, and Remus concluded that this had been the happiest he'd seen Sirius, even happier than when they had shown him his first prank.

With another 'oomph', Sirius collapsed knees first on the bed and graciously started tickling Remus. Much to Sirius's delight, he discovered that Remus was very ticklish.

"Hahahahastopit!" Remus got particularly squeamish when tickled in the belly. "HeheheheIsaidstopit!"

Sirius stopped.

During the struggle, Remus's night shirt had lifted up. "Cool scar, Remus, how you get that?"

Remus quickly pushed his nightshirt down, and there was a brief moment of fear on his eyes. Sirius tilted his head slightly and blinked once. Remus blinked back. "I got bit by a dog, but I don't remember. I was too little."

"Wow, must have been a big dog," Sirius said, amused.

Remus smiled a bit, "Yeah, my mom told me it was."

~~~

"Remind to send Dumbledore a thank-you owl. I don't know what he said to my parents, but whatever it was; it must have been pretty damn good. I've been asking for a racing broom since first year, and look at it! Isn't it beautiful?"

"Looks expensive," Remus said as he sat by the end of James's bed, on which he'd been sleeping, opening one of his own gifts.

"It's a Nimbus! It's the best broom!"

"It looks very nice."

"Nice? Nice doesn't even cut it! Wait till I let you ride it, then you'll see."

Remus paused his present unwrapping. "You'd really let me ride your new broom?"

"Of course I would! As long as you don't crash, of course."

"Then you better keep it. I'm not very good at riding."

Sirius grinned at him. "Wait till I teach you."

Remus finished opening his parents' gift to find a picture of them at the resort where they were staying, one of the best thank-you notes he'd ever read, and something he'd been wanting probably since he was five: a golden pocket watch. Of course, it wasn't real gold, but that didn't matter. Remus didn't remember the reason behind wanting one, but only the desire to own one, his own pocket watch. One that bore the words 'Remus J. Lupin' encrusted on the back.

"Thank you," he whispered, clutching it tight.

A shadow passed over him and Remus looked up to see Sirius standing over him. "Look," he said, smiling, "it even has my name on it."

"Brilliant!" Sirius countered.

Remus placed the pocket watch back in its box and set it down beside him. Remus stared at Sirius briefly, and before he could ask the reason for their sudden closeness, Sirius thrust his hands forward as he presented Remus with a small red box with a white bow. "Happy Christmas, Remus."

Remus opened his mouth then closed it. He stared at the little box as if it where something marvellous. He opened his mouth again. "You got me a gift," he uttered, almost whispering.

"Open it."

Remus did.

Sirius's stomach fell when Remus did nothing when he saw the gift. "Don't you like it?" Sirius reached out and took the small orb from the box. "It's a lunarscope. It even tells you when the moon is new or full." Remus was unresponsive, and his frame shook slightly. "I sometimes see you looking at it, the moon, I mean. I thought you might like that." Remus met his eyes. "Sorry, I really though you would like it." Sirius started to put the lunarscope back in the box, and Remus stopped him, opened his palm and took the lunarscope back.

"Thank you. You just surprised me. I have never gotten a gift that wasn't from my family. Thank you, Sirius, really." Remus smiled genuinely.

Sirius had to gulp down a lump in his throat before he could reply, "You're welcome."

They went back to opening their remaining gifts. Remus got a new coat from an uncle, and Sirius got a letter and a new quill set from his cousin Andromeda. Remus was done with his small pile when Sirius started opening what seemed to be his last present.

"It's from my uncle Alphard. He's awesome. You should meet him someday."

Remus released a morning yawn. "Is it a nice gift?"

"It's a necklace," Sirius said. "My uncle is bloody brilliant!"

Remus was standing and accommodating his presents in his trunk when Sirius came over and showed him the necklace.

"Look. It has the Gryffindor crest encrusted on it."

Remus leaned forward to have a closer look at the necklace and suddenly felt bile run up his throat, and he almost fell over.

Sirius caught Remus in mid-fall, the necklace dropping to the ground.

"Remus, are you all right? Can you stand?"

Remus blinked. "I think so. It was just a dizzy spell." Just then his stomach grumbled. Sirius grinned and was about to say something when his own stomach made the similar growl. Remus grinned back. "I think we've delayed breakfast for too long."

"Right."

Remus went to his trunk and gathered his clothes. Sirius retrieved his necklace from the floor and read his uncle's Christmas card.

"Mind if I go ahead and change?" Remus asked.

Sirius ignored the question and handed Remus the card. "Check it out. Neat, no?"

Remus read the card.

Dear nephew,

I heard about your little escapade this holiday season. Hope you're having a delightful Christmas at Hogwarts.

I hope you like your gift. I am very proud that you made it into Gryffindor, and after three long years of calls and requests, I finally got this necklace made. It is very expensive and quite unique, made of rare silver that serves a very special purpose.

Happy Christmas.

Uncle Alphard