Germane
Sirius slid onto the bench in the Great Hall and laughed as James immediately called for the pumpkin juice and filled Sirius' goblet and Remus and Peter started filling his plate with all his favorites. This one day, his mates did everything to make him feel appreciated, this one day, a day he had dreaded for the first eleven years of his life, had taken a turn when he found himself in the friendship of these three young men.
They knew him well too. They didn't broadcast it to the school, didn't cheer him out at the table the way they did with James, didn't change all the Gryffindor banners to read out his name as they did with Peter, or charm chocolate bars to follow him to every class as they did every year for Remus. No, for Sirius they simply did little things to make sure he knew they remembered, that at least they were pleased he'd made his way to this planet, had survived to this day, that he was wanted here, with them.
"Happy birthday, Black," Marlene sat down next to him and slipped a small package into his hand.
Sirius gawked at her. "You know it's my birthday?"
"Of course I know it's your birthday." She tossed her hair over her shoulder and began filling up her own plate.
"Who told you?" He looked accusingly at James who held up his hands in surrender and shook his head.
"I've known your birthday since first year, Sirius," Marlene poured pumpkin juice in her goblet. "It wasn't hard to figure out, the lads here are pretty good at not making a big deal of it, but I guessed it had to be your birthday with how they behaved and you lot have spent six years proving me right."
Sirius turned back to her, trying to decide how he felt about Marlene not only knowing his birthday but how she made a point of saying it aloud at the breakfast table for all their friends and housemates to hear.
"Aren't you going to open your gift?" She smirked, her blue eyes challenging him.
Sirius held her gaze for a moment before deciding that he'd let his curiosity win out. He'd always told the lads not to get him gifts, that he didn't want anything. It would take him years to realize it was the feeling of family, belonging, that he wanted more than any gift. But Marlene had got him a gift, a gift he hadn't expected.
The twine and simple brown paper fell away quickly, revealing a compass.
"It's for your bike," her voice quavered ever so slightly. "And it's charmed, so you can set destinations and the compass will point you to anywhere you've set."
Sirius turned to her, his mouth suddenly dry and his throat feeling thick and heavy. "Thanks, McKinnon."
Marlene's smile went soft, the way it did when they would read her motorcycle magazines together.
"Course."
Sirius smiled down at the compass and passed it around when Remus asked to see it and Lily and Dorcas fussed that they needed to do something for his birthday and Peter kept trying to keep bacon on Sirius' plate and James joked about doing something ridiculous and overdone. And somewhere in the comfortable noise, Sirius had reached out and discreetly wrapped his fingers around Marlene's hand, feeling like his eighteenth birthday was the best birthday he'd ever had.