At the end of the year, Eliot found that he was correct about Harry's connection to the year's strange events. Harry, Ron, and (surprisingly) Hermione snuck into the forbidden third-floor corridor and managed to save the world from the return of Voldemort. They nearly died in their attempt, and Professor Quirrell actually died, as Defense Against the Dark Arts professors tended to do. Harry ended up unconscious in the hospital wing for several days. Eliot, having no money to buy Harry a gift like everyone else was, made him a crude get-well-soon card. When Harry woke up, he thanked everyone profusely for their gifts — even Eli.
Gryffindor won the Quidditch cup thanks to the the efforts of Harry and his friends. Eliot wasn't all that disappointed that Hufflepuff lost, especially because it was partially his fault for losing the match against Gryffindor. He was happy to see his friends win, though he hoped the Great Hall would be decorated in black and gold for the final feast for at least one of his years at Hogwarts.
The train back to London was uneventful as usual. Eliot sat in a compartment with Fred and George as they planned next year's mischief. At the train station, as Eliot said his goodbyes to his friends, he became flustered and did everything wrong. He shook Cedric's hand in a strangely formal farewell and hugged Fred for perhaps a bit too long. Eliot noticed that Harry's family seemed awfully upset to have him back, so he bounded up to him and said one more goodbye in front of them before they dragged him off. Eliot wanted to make sure those awful people knew Harry was very loved and wanted at Hogwarts.
Though Eliot was sad to part with his friends once more, his pain was quickly eased when he found Remus on the platform. He loved Hogwarts, but not nearly as much as he loved Remus. It was good to be home. Plus, a couple months away from Cedric might do some good for his schoolboy crush. Hopefully things would be normal next year.
Despite the rule against using magic outside of school, Remus paid no mind to this and allowed Eliot to use magic. The year prior he had been a bit more strict, but due to Hogwarts being a disaster of a school, he figured home might be a better place to actually learn. He wanted the boy to be able to practice his magic, and he also wanted to teach him. Without a consistent teacher, he worried that Eliot might fall behind in his Defense studies. Remus's near-constant worry that Eliot might become a dark wizard was eased once he began working with him. Eliot expressed absolutely no interest in the Dark Arts, which was a positive sign. Even better, he quickly took to the new things Remus taught him. He was able to perform charms and defensive spells above the abilities of the average thirteen-year-old wizard, which would surely help him out in the year ahead.
Though Eliot was mostly glad to be home, things weren't perfect. The worst part about being home for the summer was Remus's transformations. It didn't bother Eliot that Remus was a werewolf, of course it didn't. It didn't bother him that he had to do the bulk of the housework and cooking for a few days a month. He was happy to help in any way he could, and that was all the easy stuff, anyway. The most difficult part was the process itself. It was heart-wrenching to watch Remus lock himself in the basement knowing what was to come. Eliot lay in bed, knots in his stomach and his heart in his throat. He stayed awake and listened to the snarls and growls of the lonely wolf, the howls that sounded like sobs, the horrible sounds as Remus couldn't help but rip himself apart. How was Eliot meant to sleep when the closest thing to a father he ever had was destroying himself in the other room?
In the morning, Eliot rolled out of bed without a wink of sleep and got to work making breakfast. He knew that Remus wouldn't be able to stomach it but felt odd not offering him anything. He placed onto the table two plates of eggs, toast, sausage, and a cup of tea for Remus. He sat down in the chair that faced the basement and started eating while reading a book. He liked to be up and ready before Remus got up, anyway, just in case there was anything he could do.
Not long after Eliot sat down, the basement door creaked open and Remus limped up the stairs, looking comfortable in his dressing gown despite being quite scratched up underneath.
"Good morning, Eli." Remus groaned.
"Morning, Moony." Eliot smiled.
Remus let out another groan as he grabbed his walking stick from next to the basement door. He limped over to the table and sat down across from Eliot. He smiled. "Thank you for making breakfast, Eli. I appreciate it."
"Yeah, of course." Eliot nodded. "You okay?"
Remus nodded as he took a bite of toast. "I've been worse."
"I guess that's good," Eliot muttered.
They ate in silence. Well, Eliot ate while Remus nibbled on his toast. Eliot never knew what he was supposed to say; Remus didn't feel like talking. When they were finished, Eliot waved his wand and did the dishes, making them clean enough (though not spotless) and only breaking one in the process, which he quickly repaired. This would have delighted Remus if he had the energy to be delighted. Remus went to his room to get some rest, and Eliot did the same. Eliot locked his door and lied in bed as he cried quietly. He'd dealt with Remus's transformations for nearly his entire life, but that didn't make it any easier. He would've liked to leave during it, perhaps visit the Weasleys, but he didn't want Remus to be alone when he woke up. Remus had to be alone for most of the year. The least Eli could do was keep him company on the bad mornings whenever he could. Remus was unaware how hard the transformations were on Eliot. If he had known, he would have happily sent him off to the Weasleys' house for the night.
The summer went by much like this. On the good days, they spent as much time together as possible. Remus fortunately had a job this summer. Though this sadly limited their time together, they still managed to have quite a bit of fun. They played games of Exploding Snap and Wizard Chess, went to libraries, and simply enjoyed existing in one another's presence. Remus taught Eliot magic here and there. On the bad days, Eliot took care of Remus not because he needed him to, but because he wanted to.
The days went by far too fast, as all the best ones do. Eliot was disappointed that he hadn't met his main goal of the summer, as his heart still skipped a beat when he received a letter from Cedric in late August. Eliot always ever so slightly dreaded going back to Hogwarts, as it meant leaving Remus alone for several months, but they would both be alright. They had to be.