Sirius leapt up onto his knees from his sitting position on his bed. "Spin the bottle!" He exclaimed with a grin, winking mischievously at Lily.

James blinked. "We can't play that-why don't you just call it 'everybody kiss Lily'?"

Sirius shrugged. "Okay, your choice-fine by me-c'mere, you!" He puckered and reached out his hand toward Lily, who jumped backwards and fell over the other side of James's four-poster.

"Ahh!"

"Sirius!" James said loudly, being dragged behind his bed by Lily, who still held onto his arm.

"Just kidding!"

Lily exploded in laughter as she and James tried to climb back onto the bed that Sirius was now kneeling on and peering down at them. Lily knew Sirius never actually liked her, but he loved to pretend he did-just to annoy James. And because of that, she endured it-loving to watch James's indignant expression.

Remus, nearly bent over with laughter, pulled Sirius away from the bed by his collar. Sirius choked. Whirling around at Remus, he dove onto the floor, pulled his wand out from beneath his bed, and in an instant turned into an enormous, jet-black dog.

Remus yelled as Sirius leapt on him and caused him to fall backwards onto the floor. Peter, having been awoken from the noise, blinked and moved quickly backwards on his bed. Remus, half laughing, half yelling, had to yell, "Enough! Enough!"

In an instant, Sirius changed back. Remus sat up slowly, rubbing his chest as though his ribs were likely broken. Sirius grinned at him, backing away slowly, as Remus whipped a pillow off his bed and made for him. In a second he had Sirius on the floor, smothering him with his pillow. Lily laughed hysterically at this, Peter looked frightened, and James rolled his eyes as though he was all too used to this.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Peter pleaded, taking cover under his own pillow. Remus, looking satisfied, lifted the pillow off of Sirius's face, and Sirius sat up, gasping for air.

"When you two start acting your age…" James said with a hint of irritation and amusement in his voice.

"Aw, Jimbo, lighten up," Sirius said, chucking a pillow hard at his face. James ducked and the pillow hit the wall behind him. Picking up the pillow, and looking as though he would like nothing more than to smother Sirius with a pillow as well, he glanced at Lily, as though asking for her approval. She laughed.

"Get him good, James." James bit his lip and threw his pillow as hard as he could at Sirius's face. Within seconds, he had Sirius in a headlock and was suffocating him with the pillow.

"You toucha my girl, I breaka your face!" He said in an odd Mafia-style voice. It was a mark of how strong their friendship was that Sirius snorted into the pillow and James's knees buckled with laughter. Remus's eyes were full of tears again, but this time an entirely new kind that all five of them shared. Suddenly, Sirius whispered something to Remus and James, and Peter leaned forward to try to hear.

Without warning, the three of them each took two pillows in their hands and hurled them across the room at Peter, who fell backwards over his bed in surprise. Lily, though still in hysterics, helped Peter back up.

"Wh-why do you-always-pick on Peter?" She said, chuckling to herself.

The same thought seemed to have occurred to Peter. "Yeah!" He said in agreement, but laughed just the same as anyone else.

Sirius actually had to help pull Remus back onto his bed-his legs didn't want to support his weight and he could not stop laughing. However, within a few minutes, the room had quieted down.