Word Count: 460
"Ow! Oh! Professor Binns!" Sirius cries out suddenly massaging his wrist. "I was taking such thorough notes on this lecture that I seem to have injured my wrist. May I be excused to the hospital wing, as much as it pains my soul to miss such a riveting lecture?"
Remus resists the urge to roll his eyes. Any other teacher would be quick to call Sirius out. Binns, however, barely even looks up.
"Go right ahead, Mr. Blue."
"I need Remus to go with me."
Remus looks up from his notes, brows raising. If James or Peter find any of this out of the ordinary, they don't say anything.
"Very well. Mr. Llewellyn, you are excused as well," Binns says.
Remus doesn't have a chance to say anything. Sirius grabs him by the hand. "Come on. My poor wrist is so terribly injured that I'm not sure if I can even open the door."
Remus knows better than to protest. He doesn't bother to ask questions. Instead, he just shrugs and follows along. Once outside, Sirius grins. "Quite the miracle, Moony," he says. "I seem to be healed."
With that, Sirius pulls out the Marauders Map, opening it and studying it for a minute. Without another word, he leads the way.
"You are absolutely ridiculous," Remus says.
Sirius' grin only grows more playful. "Ridiculous? Me? Now that's just nonsense, Moony."
Remus rolls his eyes, frowning as they come to a stop in front of a statue of a leprechaun. Sirius pulls the stone hate before shaking his head. "Nope. Wrong lever."
He leads Remus further up to a second leprechaun statue. This one gives way when the hat is pulled. Curious, Remus steps into the revealed passageway behind Sirius. The others must have found a new one while Remus was recovering from the full moon.
Once inside, they roam the tunnel until they reach a circular room. James and Peter are already there.
"How?" Sirius demands. "You left after we did!"
James smirks. "Well, maybe if you didn't take the long way…"
"Remus hasn't seen the leprechaun corridor yet," Sirius mutters, pouting playfully.
"You guys orchestrated this?" Remus asks. "I hate all of you."
He's joking, of course. Even so, he still feels a twinge of pain. It seems the three of them always do things when he isn't around.
"We did," Peter confirms. "But only because…" He casts a quick Lumos, revealing a crudely iced cake.
"Happy birthday, Moony," James says.
Sirius grins, playfully ruffling Remus' hair. "Cheers, mate."
Remus finds himself smiling along, his heart melting. He's sixteen now, and he still worries that he doesn't truly belong. But then there are these little moments when he is surrounded by friends, and all is right in the world.
