DOORWAYS || MARAUDERS ERA

ϟ84: HOGSMEADE AND MOONY'S B'DAYϟ

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR—"

"DEER MOONY!"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!"

Remus smiled in an abashed sort of way as the Marauders, Lily, Marlene, Mary, Rhea, Luna, Dorcas, Amy and Timothy sang loudly in Hog's Head, not bothering to keep their voices down. Aberforth was scowling darkly at them, but had given up on asking them to leave. There weren't many other people in the pub, seeing as they preferred Three Broomsticks to Hog's Head.

Rhea couldn't blame them—Hog's Head was small, dirty, and smelled of goats.

But for Remus's birthday, upon Rhea's and Luna's requests, Aberforth grudgingly cleaned the pub to a certain extent. It looked livable, at least.

"Thank you." Remus smiled at all of them, raising his bottle of butterbeer. Thankfully, the bottles were spick and span too. "To being eighteen, the most fraudulent age ever."

"Why fraudulent?" Amy enquired, sipping her butterbeer.

James rolled his eyes. "Well, we haven't miraculously gained life's knowledge, have we? I still feel fifteen."

"You still feel like a prick, then?" Peter asked innocently, but James glared at him.

Lily laughed quietly and pecked James on the lips, amused.

"Aberforth says we can't drink Gurdyroot juice here." Luna said huffily, obviously miffed about this rule.

"It's bad for business, girl!" Aberforth barked at her from behind the counter, cleaning a glass with a filthy rag. "You better be grateful I haven't kicked you lot outta here, nasty rogues..."

"As pleasant as ever, Ab." Rhea drawled, taking swig of her butterbeer. "Go easy on us—school's draining the life out of us."

"You must suffer from insanity if you think Gurdyroot juice is superior." Mary shook her head at Luna. "No offense."

At this, Luna beamed. "I enjoy every second of my insanity, Mary MacDonald."

Everyone roared with laughter, making Aberforth huff for the millionth time that day.

"Hey, Ab!" Sirius called, looking excited. "Wouldn't mind selling a bottle of firewhiskey, would you?"

"Hear, hear." Marlene cheered, eager to have some firewhiskey too.

He glowered at them. "Like hell I would." He snapped, aiming a filthy rag at Sirius's head ("That's my hair, you old man!"). "What would other customers say if I serve drinks to measly teenagers, eh?"

"We're of age." Timothy said moodily, having turned seventeen a month ago. Dorcas rolled her eyes at all of them and snatched Amy's bottle, carelessly drowning it in one gulp.

"And anyway," Luna said in a dignified voice, "why drink firewhiskey when you've got this?" She lifted her flask of Gurdyroot juice to her lips, making sure Aberforth saw her.

He threw her a nasty look, but refrained from scolding her. He kind of had a soft spot for her, which was amusing, since he still liked to snap at her sometimes.

"The things I do for my fool of a brother." He grumbled, turning away from all of them to continue his important job of cleaning the glasses.

"Where is Reg?" Remus mused after a while, looking around them. "We did choose to come here so that his Slytherin mates won't notice..."

Sirius pressed his lips to a flat line. "He told me he'd join us later, and that we shouldn't wait for him."

Lily looked worried too. James took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Sev said the same thing."