Chapter Forty-Eight: The Snitch
James' birthday was on the 27th, a Monday. The plan was on the 26th, a Sunday, and James had no idea. It was a good thing Remus returned when he did because they all had their roles to play. Sirius had asked Remus after the other's had fallen asleep if he was ok with a big celebration. He could tell Remus wanted to say no but he really was a good friend and he nodded and said he'd come through tomorrow morning without fail.
So when Sirius woke the next morning to find both Remus and Peter gone he knew the plan was officially in motion. Their plan truly was brilliant, the party that would follow would be downright legendary, thanks a great deal to Remus' influence with older students like Patricia, and Sirius' personal pull with the Quidditch team who knew both him and James would be star players next year.
Step one was simply making sure James slept in which wasn't at all difficult. In fact, it took Sirius blasting his Beatles music at top volume to wake up the berk.
"Ugh come off it Black it's the day before my birthday I need my beauty sleep." James groaned trying to pull the blanket back over his head. Sirius could not let that happen, he wasn't sure how long the whole of the Gryffindor house would wait for them. So he did the only reasonable thing he could think of.
"OUCH…..ouch Sirius get off me! Blimey, you're heavy!"
"Yeah well, you're going to need a lot more than a few more hours of beauty sleep to be beautiful." The lump underneath him that was James moved in protest but didn't laugh or make another snarky comment. Sirius was beginning to feel worried if James was sick all the intensive planning would go to waste!
"Come on mate what's up?" He asked sliding off his friend and giving him a gentle shake. He was surprised when James poked his head out from under the blankets, his hair so messy he normally would have laughed at him, if it wasn't for the tears in his friends' eyes.
"What's wrong?" He asked concerned. James regarded Sirius, his hazel eyes looking angry for an instant.
"You're gonna laugh. You aren't going to get it at all and you're going to laugh." He huffed sounding more like whiny Peter than himself. Sirius' concern grew though he also felt a little irritated James was ruining his plans.
"I won't laugh. I solemnly swear I won't laugh!" James regarded him once more then sighed and pulled the blanket over his unruly black hair, looking like he had on some sort of granny shawl, but once more Sirius did not laugh.
"Fine. Well ...it's just...my first birthday without my family here…" He muttered his cheeks going slightly pink. Sirius didn't laugh but he didn't get it, not in the slightest. His best birthday was this year, precisely because of the absence of his family, and his mates actually being around. But James really seemed upset about it and Sirius remembered how homesick he seemed at first mentioning his parents every day, just about, with a sort of longing in his eyes. However he also knew James' loved it at Hogwarts and loved his mates, and he highly suspected the best way to cheer him up was simply to remind him of that fact.
"Don't sulk about that. Listen I know something that will cheer you up. Come on!" James seemed a little put-out, though Sirius couldn't understand why. But by the time he realized Sirius was pulling him away from the Great Hall where breakfast was just wrapping up James seemed to recover some, his curiosity getting the best of him.
"Where are you taking me, Black?" He asked torn between irritation and intrigue. Sirius stopped at the door leading outside and straightened his friend's cloak attempting to smooth his hair which made James laugh and duck away.
"Look mate I don't need you acting all motherly to cheer me up. It's not that big of a deal."
"Oh shut up you moron and just follow me." He chastised fondly, grabbing James' elbow and tugging him along. There was a long silence, James' patience wearing thinner and thinner.
"Sirius if this is just some sort of…" James stopped his complaint as Sirius shoved him into the Quidditch field over half of the Gryffindor house yelling "Happy Birthday!"
Sirius was the best friend ever, well Remus and Peter too, but mostly Sirius as the whole having a party on the Quidditch pitch was his bloody brilliant idea. An idea James loved wholeheartedly. They had cake and he opened his presents, Sirius having helped Remus pick something out besides a bloody book and paying for it for him. Peter whisked away from the presents James received that weren't altogether allowed too much laughter and a few dirty looks from Kingsley and Lily who looked like they wanted to quickly collect the joke products. Hence Peter hiding them so that James wouldn't have his presents nicked by people who were stuck up.
Then they played, all sorts of flying games and dares. The Quidditch team held scrimmages and let James and a few other first years, Sirius included, participate who could actually keep up. It was a wonderful time and James' smile widened as he earned another goal for the gold team to the mock boos from the maroon team.
"Blimey, I reckon we stand a chance next year with him!" Someone from the crowd shouted and James' chest puffed proudly. By the time lunch came around they were all starving and the group of sweaty Gryffindors all ate six to seven sandwiches courtesy of the house-elves. Even Remus who had also been flying around and seemed to be having a surprisingly good time ate some.
It made Sirius wish that they had actually thrown a party for him but Peter assured him that next year they would. He also made some comments about, how unfair it was his birthday was over the summer, but Sirius ignored him, instead, rushing over to the man of the hour and giving James a big hug.
"Am I the best friend ever or what?"
"Hahaha, the best the best! You really are, now get off me, you old oaf." He laughed, all homesickness blown far away from James' mind.
"How did you manage such a thing anyway? I can't imagine Professor McGonnagal is happy."
"Oh, we let the older students handle them." Sirius laughed and with perfect timing, Patricia came over holding up her glass to cheer with James. He followed suit grinning so much he nearly spilled his drink as he took a sip.
"So the older students got permission?"
"Well, I wouldn't say "permission" per se. But Kingsley looked through the rules and nowhere does it say that nearly the whole of Gryffindor house couldn't book the Quidditch pitch as long as the whole team agreed, and of course, this special 'practice' was mandatory for the team so they all had no choice but to agree." James beamed and hugged her, then ran off to go thank Kingsley.
"Sirius our little friend is fading away again," Patricia muttered trying to pass her job off to him, a job Remus didn't know about. A job that consisted of Lily, Sirius, Dorcas, and Peter to tag team and make sure Remus didn't leave the party. There was no way any of them were about to let that happen. Sirius was terrified he'd sneak off, a very Remus thing to do, and something he had already tried several times despite admitting to having fun.
If he snuck out while the majority of their house was here Sirius was more than a little afraid something bad would happen again, a mindset shared by Remus' other friends as well. Of course, it proved no easy task as their friend kept retreating to the bleachers to simply watch from afar, seemingly content. But in too perfect of a place to slip away if he decided to.
That's where he currently was again, wearing an expression of concern as his eyes looked far off, not seeming to realize there were two people staring at him.
"I'll go talk to him." He sighed grinning as Kingsley turned James around and gave him a shove in the opposite direction so he could go back to talking to the Quidditch' seeker privately. James stumbled a little grinning bashfully as three third years girls giggled at him. Lily Evans who was talking to Marlene said something that made James blush and rush over to Peter who was failing at blowing up some balloons.
Realizing everyone was having fun and hanging out with people besides Remus he went over to his friend sitting down.
"This was your doing," Remus replied curtly sounding a bit cross to Sirius' surprise.
"The party? Yeah, but you know you think it's brilliant."
"No not the party, having me tailed." Sirius should have realized Remus would figure it out but he forced a confused look on his face, feigning innocence until he no longer could. Remus didn't have any proof after all.
"Don't look at me like that you know exactly what I'm talking about." He sighed giving Sirius one of the weary yet begrudgingly amused looks that he was so familiar with receiving.
"Isn't it possible that your friends just want to spend time with you?"
"Not when said friends look panicked every time I start heading towards the exit." He gave Sirius a rather wicked looking grin that Sirius wished he gave more often.
"I tested it out multiple times. I must say Peter rushing after me shouting not to take another step since my shoes were tied together really gave it away." Sirius made a face wishing he hadn't included Peter now, but at least Remus seemed amused.
"You could of just talked to me you know." He suggested softly and it was Sirius' turn to grin wickedly.
"I would mate but that sure doesn't seem to go over too well!" Remus frowned looking away from Sirius and he realized with a pang of guilt, once more, he had gone too far.
"I was only joking."
"But you weren't."
"But I was!"
"Then why didn't you just ask me not to leave?" Now Sirius was starting to get a bit frustrated. It's not like he had done anything wrong in not trusting Remus not to leave, he shouldn't be made to feel bad because of it.
"Would you have?" He asked sharply his anger disappearing immediately as Remus flinched slightly and looked at him his honey-colored eyes serious, and filled with determination.
"Yes. For James, I would have. Especially if you explained it was because you were worried I'd get hurt again."
"You didn't figure all that out on your own did you?"
"Peter explained it to once I confronted him about his lousy excuse."
"I knew I shouldn't have trusted him!" He shouted, more than a little upset Peter had snitched to Remus.
"It's not his fault. I'm glad he was honest with me." Remus scolded crossly. Sirius sighed heavily, realizing begrudgingly Remus was right, he really should have just talked to him. But he still felt frustrated because it's not like he hadn't tried to in the past.
"It's not like you're honest with me." He muttered instead of simply apologizing because of his dumb pride instilled in him as a Black. No, instead of apologizing, he had to make it worse like he always seemed to, at least with Remus. His friend quickly looked away clutching one of the novels Sirius had given to him tighter. A heavy silence stretched between them getting worse and worse and Remus had just opened his mouth, most likely to apologize when a shout came from down the field.
"Quick someone catch it!" Sirius didn't see what "it" was but he had a pretty good idea based on the way everyone was running about and grabbing at something seemingly invisible.
"We should go help," Remus said quietly walking away despite not knowing what it was exactly that needed help. Sirius watched him go and muttered curses under his breath, most aimed at himself.
He never considered himself the type to beat himself up, not counting getting in trouble with his family because that was his fault. But that was just another way Remus had changed him. He rather hated the taste of guilt that he kept getting doses of because of Remus, a small part of him kept wondering why he tried so hard.
But as he walked down towards the crowd of laughing Gryffindor's all trying to get the escaped snitch, a prize now being initiated, he knew he knew exactly why. Because every time he tried not to care so much about Remus, he kept picturing his friend's wide amber eyes filled with delight a sincere smile on his face that seemed to warm Sirius' heart in a way none of his other friends could. Only because it was much rarer than his other friends' smiles he assured himself.