The Marauders: Year Six #Wattys2017

A Full Blown Event

A Full Blown Event

"Oi. Dancing Queen. Where do you reckon you're going?" James caught Sirius's elbow in the corridor outside of Gryffindor Tower that evening as everyone was leaving for dinner.

"Down to the bloody Great Hall, where else?" Sirius demanded.

"Please!" James said, rolling his eyes, "That's where the common folk take dinner. But not us. Not tonight. Nay. Tonight -- tonight, Sirius, there's a special dinner for ya, mate." He threw his arm about Sirius's shoulders in a very-Sirius-like move and Sirius grinned as James waved his palm out - imitating something Sirius had actually done on many, many occasions. "You see, tonight, Messer Padfoot, you are being celebrated, you are being honoured. Tonight, my darling harem, you're attending a rather private dinner party. Come along."

Sirius smirked, "You've got the gestures all wrong."

Actually, James had them perfect.

He led Sirius down the corridor to the stairs and they travelled their way until they'd gotten to the painting of the troll ballerinas and James grinned and winked at Sirius and cleared his throat. "We're here for Sirius Black's special dinner... we're here for Sirius Black's special dinner... We're here for Sirius Black's special dinner!" he told the wall and the gold threads of the edges of the door blossomed over the wood, cut through the wall paper, and gleamed, glowing, shining until the door handle popped out of the wall and James reached for it, smirking, and pulled it open.

Sirius stepped inside to find that all of their friends who had agreed to be in the Order of the Phoenix were there - or at least most of them. It was Frank and Ali and Lily and Marlene McKinnon and Emmaline Vance and Andy Woodhouse and Tobias Clement and Jackson Maw. McKenna Alliston and Harry Warbeck, and Alabaster Jackson. Notable exceptions were Marty Brown and Jessica Abbott, both of whom had graduated the year before, and Jasper Odair, who, of course, wasn't there.

But what was there was a lovely, steaming plate full of Mrs. P's roast and potatoes and carrots and James grinned as Sirius let out a hoot of glee. "YES!" he yelled and he danced about to the head of the table, with James guiding him along, and he grabbed a hold of Remus Lupin's tie as he danced into his place, "Did you know of this all day and didn't tell me, Moonshine?" Sirius demanded.

"What?" Remus said, "And spoil your birthday present?"

Sirius ate loads of Mrs. P's roast with vigor.

Mrs. P's roast wasn't the only gift Sirius received for his birthday. He also got three lovely vests - one in black, one in brown, and one in Gryffindor red - and all three of them had the watch pocket that he'd wanted sewn in and he grinned and shrugged off his leather jacket to tug one on over his t-shirt (he was wearing one he'd made - a bright red with white letters that he had magicked on that read Birthday Boy over his torso) and left the buttons undone but slid the watch into the little pocket and strung the chain over the fabric like is traditional to do and he grinned, "I'm rather distinguished now!" he announced. He also got fresh Gryffindor stationary and several boxes of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, as well as several new cartridges for the stereo.

His favorite, of course, was still the watch that Mrs. P had given to him because it was a family heirloom that tied his old family to his new one and it was the first time in all of his life that Sirius had not felt ashamed to be a Black. He polished the watch with his sleeve and looked at it before tucking it back into it's pocket home and smiling about as everyone enjoyed the birthday dinner and talked and laughed.

Remus reached over and laid a palm over Sirius's hand and when Sirius looked at him, Remus smiled and said, "Happy Birthday, love," he said. "Are you having a good time?"