A/N: Hello all! I know it's been like forever since I posted something, but that's because I've been working away on other things. This story was written for Draco's Den's Draco's Birthday Bash event that was hosted in place of the monthly Roll A Drabble for the month of May!

This event was similar to the Let the New Year Slither In event as well as the monthly rolls. I was assigned Fred Weasley for Draco to celebrate his birthday with.

Yes, I am aware that Draco may seem a bit OOC in this story, but that is in part to the idea that I wanted to give Fred a paternal nature where all he wanted to do was make Draco's birthday a memorable event when some of his childhood memories were not so memorable.

Obviously this is an AU where Fred lives and Draco's parents are still neglectful to a point of what their child actually needs.

Let me know what you think!

Love always,
~starr

It had been a long day at the joke shop, and all Fred wanted to do when he got home from work was lounge out in the den in front of the television and watch some Muggle cartoons. However, there were other plans laid out that he was looking forward to even more.

Draco Malfoy had reappeared in the Weasley family lives a few months ago when Ron and Harry forced him to come home with them for Christmas dinner so the poor lad wouldn't have to spend the holiday alone. Everyone around the table knew that Draco's story about why he would have been spending the holidays alone was a lie, but they pretended to believe him at the time. They knew that joining the Weasleys for Christmas wasn't Draco's ideal way to spend the holiday, but anything was better than being alone.

Fred remembered watching Draco's face light up when a present was passed his way to open during the celebration. It reminded him of the feeling he had when the joke shop opened, and they made their first sale. It was that sense of feeling like what they were doing mattered. That was the moment Fred knew that something needed to be done to give Draco that feeling for more than just a short celebration.

Now here they were at the beginning of June approaching Draco's birthday, and Fred had come up with a great way to celebrate. After a drunken conversation about missing their mates from high school, the plans started to be made for the ultimate birthday celebration.

Ron, Hary, Hermione, and George were already at the Leaky Cauldron getting everything ready. Fred's only job was to go back to the flat and pick up Draco, convincing him to head out for a drink to celebrate. Once they arrived, the party could get started.

"Draco?" Fred called, walking into their flat and glancing around, looking for his roommate. Usually, when Fred would get home from work, Draco was set up at the kitchen table, finishing up some files that he hadn't gotten a chance to complete in the office. However, he wasn't there today.

As he rounded the corner into the den, Fred noticed something set up in the middle of the floor. It would appear that either George or Draco built a fort out of pillows, taking over the entire den area. Rolling his eyes, Fred walked into the room and pulled open a corner of the fort.

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" Fred asked, shaking his head as he noticed the intricate detailing that had gone on inside of the fort.

"I built a fort," Draco replied, crossing his arms over his chest. He was well aware just how childish that statement sounded, but it was his birthday, and he could do whatever he damn well pleased. He noticed the smirk pulling at the corner of Fred's mouth and smiled broadly. Draco uncrossed his arms and patted the pillow beside him. "Come join me."

Fred glanced up at the clock on the wall and then back down at Draco, shaking his head. "We don't have time to play in your fort."

"Why not?" Draco asked, furrowing his brow. "It's my birthday, and I should be allowed to do whatever I want."

"We've got dinner plans," Fred insisted, glancing at the clock again. "If we don't get out the door, then we'll be late."

"You made reservations for dinner?" Draco questioned. "I thought it was just a few people."

Fred opened his mouth to say something but closed it again almost immediately. He didn't want to give anything away because all he wanted to do was something nice for his roommate, especially since the more he learned about Draco's childhood, the more he wanted to give him some normal experiences. "Can you just come out of there and get ready for dinner?"

"No," Draco replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't want to go to whatever party it is that you have planned at the Leaky Cauldron."

Fred's jaw dropped to the floor at his comment. "How did you know?"

"You and George suck at keeping secrets," Draco teased, tossing his head back with a laugh briefly. "All I want for my birthday is for you to climb into this fort with me and watch Hocus Pocus."

"Isn't that a Muggle Halloween movie 'Mione introduced us to last year?" Fred asked, kneeling in front of the fort and looking around at the space inside.

"It's my favorite movie, and it's how I want to celebrate," Draco replied, scooting off to the side to make more room for Fred to climb inside the fort.

Fred sighed and started to crawl into the tent. Taking a seat beside Draco, he leaned back and rested his head against the pillow. He closed his eyes for a few moments. "Can we invite the others over to watch the movie with us?"

Draco laughed and nodded his head. "I thought you'd never ask! But you have to help me make the fort bigger so that everyone will fit."

"I suppose I can do that," Fred laughed, pushing himself away from the pillows and started looking for the sides of the fort. He glanced back over his shoulder and smiled when he saw Draco reaching for the other side. "Malfoy?"

"Yeah, Weasley?" Draco replied, looking back over his shoulder momentarily.

"Happy birthday," Fred said, smiling broadly. "I hope you've had a good day."

"The day isn't over yet," Draco replied with a wink, turning back around to focus on expanding the fort. There were about to be a lot more people in here, and they needed plenty of room.

Sometimes all it takes for the perfect birthday is to be joined in a fort with some friends, no party necessary.