No Control // Wolfstar

Twenty Eight

"Say Frosty!" Hope exclaims, her eye pressed to the small hole in the polaroid.

"Frosty!" the four Marauders utter while keeping a smile.

Hope collects the fourth picture of the boys and positions to take another.

"Mum," Remus says reaching out for the camera. "We've done enough."

"One more. Please?"

James grabs Remus' candy cane striped suspenders and pulls him back forcefully before letting go. The suspenders snap against his back and Remus jumps in annoyance, flicking James' reindeer antlers. They stood in a line with Peter who has an elf hat on, and Sirius, who was wearing his Santa hat. The Christmas tree behind them was decked in many homemade ornaments and twinkled with sparkling white lights.

The final flash goes off and the boys break apart, their faces sore from smiling.

"One for everybody," Hope says distributing out the pictures.

Remus takes back his camera, slipping the strap over his head. "Thanks mum."

"Thanks Hope," the three boys repeat in synch.

Much of the day is spent lounging around the house with Hope's favorite muggle Christmas songs playing from the radio. Her voice carried through the house joyously with perfect pitch. She was a jack of all trades, really; Hope loved art and painting, singing, dancing, writing, and baking. Peter had gotten himself roped into helping Hope bake gingerbread cookies, and James willingly joined to watch her bake. She was no Lily Evans, nobody could compare to her in his mind, but she was a sight for sore eyes. And James was more than happy to frost the cookies.

Remus went to change out of the ridiculous outfit his mum made him wear for pictures, but distracted himself with a little light reading. Well, light meaning being completely wrapped up in the book. He bobs his slippers, jingling the tiny bell at the toes, while skimming through the first chapter of The Outsiders.

"Remus?" Sirius' voice calls, knocking on the door twice.

"In here," Remus answers.

"Reading?"

"Surprised?"

"Not in the slightest." Sirius shuts the door behind him, sitting on the edge of the bed. His Santa hat has been removed, leaving his hair slightly disheveled. "I'm glad you like the book."

Remus' expression changes for a mere second, but is quickly replaced with a smile. "I do."

"But...it's not the same as your old copy."

Remus shamefully looks down, picking at his blanket. "No. That one holds a lot of memories for me. But this means a lot," he holds the book up briefly, "I'm so grateful you got me another one."

"So what's so special about it?"

"It's a long story."

Sirius lays on the bed, resting on his side while propped onto his elbow. "I've got time."

Remus rolls his eyes, placing the book face down to hold its place. "You're impossible, you know?"

"It's my middle name. Sirius Impossible Black." He nudges Remus' foot with his, playfully. "Come on, the story?"

"Okay fine." Remus traces the edges of the new book reminiscing over the first time he'd ever received the story. "It was the night before my first year at Hogwarts. I...had nobody. Just my parents. My mum has always been the same, accepting and loving no matter what I seemed to do. Even when I accidentally knocked over her paintings as a kid she would just find ways to make the spills better. But my dad. Ever since I was bitten he's been ashamed of me. Kids in the neighborhood always saw me as that weird bloke who was always ill with some rare disease. They never played with me or wanted to be my friend. When I look at my dad, all I can see is the shame I put on the family. I know he loves me. In other ways. But it's hard to tell sometimes...