James walked in the Great Hall excitedly. He was really looking forward to what was coming. Sirius, who was walking next to him, was grinning widely.
They sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Remus and Peter.
James didn't say much while eating. And for one of the first times Sirius didn't speak with his mouth full of grub. He was just like James looking at the high windows of the Great Hall.
And then finally, halfway breakfast, they came in. Loads of owls delivering letters to their owners.
A bunch of these birds flew down to the Gryffindor table. At least ten owls gathered around James, who dropped his fork immediately.
James untied the note from the first owl's leg and read it. "It's from my parents," he said. "Congratulations to our wonderful son for his sixteenth birthday! Love, mum and dad." Tied up to the note was a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.
Sirius searched through the owls impatiently. "Here's mine, here's mine!" he said as he triumphantly pointed at a brown owl. James took the card from the owl's paw and looked at it. It was a post card, showing the image of a black dog before a forest. Like every wizard postcard, the dog was moving, pacing up and down the little piece of forest on the image, then looking with big puppy eyes at James, and then barking soundless. "Made it myself," Sirius bragged. James grinned at the sight of the image. "Brilliant, Padfoot," he complimented his friend.
Then he took his next present. It was a large birthday cake, tied up to the legs of three owls. James didn't need to read the note to know it came from Hagrid, the way the words were scribbled on the paper told him enough.
It went on like that for a while. Loads of owls flew away through the windows, released from their burden. Until at least just one single owl was still sitting on the table.
It was a grey, very tiny owl. Because it was so tiny, it hadn't been noticed before by James. But now, with all the bigger owls gone, it was. James curiously untied the package it was carrying.
"Who would this be from?" he asked Sirius. But Sirius wasn't paying attention to James anymore now his fabulous self-made postcard had been delivered. Right now, Sirius was taking advantage of the loads of Honeydukes Sweet laying on the table.
James opened the package. It contained a small note and a Chocolate Frog.
A loopy writing told him Happy Birthday, James. There was no signature. James stared at the note, and then looked up to ask Remus for advice. But while looking up, he noticed someone's face going as red as her hair.
"Well, thanks Lily," he mumbled, blushing a bit.
Her face turned even redder as she smiled nervously at him. Then she quickly turned away to take some more bread.