The party went swimmingly. Several people showed up early to make preparations and, as should have been assumed, everyone fell as in love with Philippa as they already were with Dorcas. As they should have, as was the natural order. They were extensions of one another and what they admired in one was magnified in the other. When Philippa was cornered to discuss one topic they found that Dorcas could expand on it. When one could be found singing a song in one room, the other would catch the same song at a different point in another, completely separated from each other. That Dorcas had worried about Philippa not having her own friends there was of no importance to anyone including Philippa herself. It was she who had initiated their friendship so long ago noticing the relationship between their names and, with Dorcas' friends too, she made it so that everyone felt that they had been friends all along which they had been through this same person that she loved.

The walls were sound proofed unbeknownst to Dorcas at the time which she realized after stepping out to get some air and greet the next visitors. She walked through her own fire gate and didn't understand the implications of that but it did not affect anything she didn't think. With the door closed behind her the evening was as still as it was without a party of drunk wizard adults weren't hosting a birthday party during a war. When the door swung open again and sound flooded out and it seemed even louder than it was for the contrast. Trays of food floated throughout the house and there were several types of different lubricating beverages bobbing in the air being passed from one guest to the next. Someone burped out a small ball of fire, Philippa made a note to stay away from anything that wasn't water from the tap unsure if she witnessed what happened accurately or was starting to hallucinate because of whatever she herself had drank earlier.

Dorcas was now on the couch covered in a blanket with Philippa at the other end, their legs tangled together keeping each other warm. The Pruitts were sitting on the floor playing cards with Basil. In the corner, Remus danced with a bottle of something clutched in one hand to his chest, singing. The festivities were winding down, people discussed at the kitchen table. One or several or more people passed out in grandpa's old room, several more walking downstairs to say good evening. Remus looked like he would start crying as he sang louder and louder, singing now almost to howling. Philippa heard a chair in the kitchen scrape the floor and watched as Sirius bound into the room.

"Steady old boy" she thought he said to Remus. Sirius pat his friend on the shoulder and pulled Remus in until it looked like they were slow-dancing. Remus head tucked into Sirius neck. Sirius right hand on the back of Remus' neck. Philippa watched silently as the party swirled quietly around them all. No one having noticed anything. It looked like Sirius was whispering something in Remus' ear. Remus shook his head and, as close as they still were, they looked at each other Sirius still speaking him his hand still warming the back of Remus neck, he shook his head again and handed Sirius the bottle and sat on the single, well-worn seat sinking. His hand covering part of his face. Sirius had gone back into the kitchen and came back with a glass of water after reaching out. Remus took the glass and drank, set it on the small table next to the seat and Sirius made himself comfortable sitting on the floor which would have made Emmeline laugh out loud. As posh as he was? Sitting on the floor?! But she had left in a flurry much earlier and Remus, who was leaned back with his eyes closed would just have to explain later as he said he would. In the meantime, Dorcas would know, surely. A peel of laughter errupted from the kitchen and Sirius looked up smiling in their direction but stayed where he was. He leaned against the seat where Remus was now sleeping and surveyed the party, lost in his own thought.

"Dodie", Philippa whispered louder than she thought since she was still tipsy. She motioned from the couch towards Sirius. Dorcas turned to look at a scene that was so plain, so benign that she wasn't sure she was even looking at the right place.

"Is that because he's a-", Dorcas eyes widened and her hands flew to her face in a gesture that was supposed to mean "shh" but came out as a flailing because Dorcas was also tipsy.

Fabian, looked up from his card game and glanced in the direction of Sirius and Remus having only caught a glimpse of whatever it was that was going on in the corner in the room, far more invested in the card game before him.

"Homosexual?" he answered. He went back to his card game. "Likely, I think."

Dorcas shoulders dropped in relief. No one else looked up from the card game and Philippa who thought she was being very quiet before and wasn't thought she was being very loud now laughing behind her hands and making no sound at all watching the range of emotion play out on Dorcas' face.

It hadn't crossed her mind. She turned to Dorcas and she mouthed.

"I thought you said he might…"

Dorcas shook her head wide-eyed again but smiling. Philippa shrugged still smiling. He was really close to Sirius' neck. It seemed dangerous especially if no one else knew which apparently they didn't. She should probably tell someone who cared, the man with the speech. What was his name again? He'd brought a gift! How thoughtful! She would tell him when he came back. Your neck, be careful! Her thoughts crashed over each other funny and serious at the same time. Mostly funny. She thought about all of this moving Dorcas legs' out of the way to snuggle under the blanket more. She's being dramatic, she could have moved her legs over. Dorcas was smiling, being a troublemaker. She had always said Philippa was a finicky sleeper and blanket thief. Philippa shook her head and pulled the blanket up by her own neck leaning into the cushion behind her. I will tell him when he gets back I don't care what she says. Both of them smiling at each other and trying not to burst into fits of laughter.

"Happy birthday, Petal." Dorcas mouthed.

Philippa shook her head she would tell him alright. She snuggled into the couch forgetting about the gift first, then the what it was she should be telling anyone and then who she should be telling it to.

"Happy birthday, Tulip."

The last thing she could think about was the weight and warmth of her friends legs over hers and that this had been a wonderful birthday, probably the best one yet and she closed her eyes thinking that it would be awful to clean it up in the morning and that she would ask Dorcas to use magic to do it. That would be her birthday gift to her but what would she give her? M watched her friend nod off lifting her head at irregular intervals when she thought of something else. She had always been like this, she fought sleep so hard. Even as she was the better sleeper. Philippa yawned watching the men play at the table and looked over in time to catch Remus and Sirius talking to one another Remus eyes still closed but making Sirius laugh all the same. Another burst of laughter broke from the kitchen and they all turned instinctively. A glass of something spilled and no one seemed to notice except Philippa who yawned again and told herself she would clean it up in the morning. She watched the drip, drip of the wine off the corner of the table until she fell asleep.

Dorcas thought that, yes, this one. This one was our best birthday yet. What was I even worried about? And she too was lulled to sleep by the sound of ambient joy surrounding her and because of how they were sleeping on the couch, she did not notice the spill at all otherwise she would have been kept awake wondering if she should wake her friend to clean up the mess.