Chapter 13: Birthday

Ron gave Hermione a confused look as she sat down at the Gryffindor table. He could have sworn that he had heard the adults talking about Harry's birthday earlier.

"So," Hermione asked Harry. "What do you want for lunch?"

"Well, some chicken sounds good." Harry said.

"And mashed potatoes." Ron said.

"And we can't forget the rolls." Harry added.

The teenage boys started listing foods for lunch

The food appeared (courtesy of the house-elves).

"Leave it to Dobby." Harry said as he observed the food that was abundant enough for all of Gryffindor.

When the three teens were done with dinner, the food disappeared. Suddenly, a large cake appeared. It had white and red frosting on it. In red letters, it read:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!

"Well, Dobby didn't forget." Hermione said with a grin.

"Then explain why it's in my Mum's handwriting." Ron said.

"SURPRISE!"

Harry nearly jumped a mile off he seat as the Order of the Phoenix, the ghosts of Hogwarts, Winky, and Dobby appeared through the doors

"You are so paranoid." Hermione laughed at the shocked look on Harry's face.

"CONSTANT VILIGANCE!" Moody yelled causing James and Kingsley to jump.

"Would you PLEASE warn us when you're about to do that?" James asked the auror.

"You guys." Harry said as tears started to develop in his eyes. "I…I don't know what to say."

"How about cut the cake?" Wood asked.

0000

A few minutes later,

"I was beginning to think my birthday was forgotten." Harry admitted to his dad and godfather.

"Forgotten?" James asked. "Are you nuts? Fifteen years ago today was the best day of my life."

"I remember it clear as day." Remus said joining them. "Dumbledore was over at my place when I got the call…"

Flashback

July 30, 1980. 10:00 P.M

"Have you talked with the other werewolves?" Dumbledore asked Remus.

"Yes. They still believe Voldemort has the cure. I can't believe how STUPID they are."

"Moony!"

"Sirius?" Remus asked going to the fireplace and seeing Sirius' head in the fire. "What's wrong?"

"Good question. I got a call from James on my mirror. He wasn't making a lick of sense. You could usually translate him."

"What did he say?"

"Lily…hospital…now…coming…is…the…in…the….baby." Sirius relayed.

"Lily is in the hospital now. The baby is coming." Remus translated.

"Oh. That makes more sense." Sirius said.

Pause

"THE BABY'S COMING!?" the two Marauders realized.

"I'll meet you at the hospital." Remus said. "You call Wormtail."

"Right." Sirius said as he left the fireplace.

"Sorry I'm going to have to cut this meeting short." Remus told the headmaster.

"Not a problem. I believe I'll join you."

0000

"A sick aunt?" Remus asked Sirius at the hospital.

"That's what Wormtail said." Sirius said as he paced in the waiting room.

"Do James and Lily know what the baby is?" Dumbledore asked.

"No. Lily wanted to be surprised." Remus explained.

"Hey guys." A tired Frank Longbottom came into the waiting room. "What brings you here?"

"Lily is having the baby." Remus explained. "You?"

"Alice JUST had the baby." Frank said. "It's a boy."

"Congratulations." Sirius said clapping Frank on his back.

"His name's Neville." Frank added.

"Neville?" Sirius asked. "Okay. He's your kid."

He pulled out a baby name book.

"Ah. Neville. French for New town." Sirius read.

"What are you doing with a baby name book?" Remus asked.

"I was curious." Sirius said. "Too bad it doesn't have my name in it. Remus. Your name means speedy, quick. According to mythology, Remus and his twin brother, Romulus, founded Rome."

"I knew that Padfoot." Remus said.

"Frank." Sirius said. "Your name is short for Franklin which means free landowner."

"I know that Sirius." Frank said while rolling his eyes.

"I don't see Albus in here." Sirius said going through the book.

"That is alright." Dumbledore said.

"Peter means small rock." Sirius continued looking up names of his friends. "Lily means, well, lily. James means supplanter, substitute."

"He's enjoying this too much." Frank whispered to Albus.

"Well, I heard that if it's a boy, the Potters will name the boy Harry." Remus told the dog animagus

"Harry?" Sirius asked as he looked up the name. "Short for Harold or Henry. Harold means army ruler. Henry means ruler of the household. That could work."

The doors opened and a tired James stepped out.

"Well?" the other men asked.

"Wake me when she has the baby." James said plopping in a chair and closed his eyes.

"What name did you pick if it's a girl?" Sirius asked.

"Holly."

"It's a type of plant." Remus said to Sirius before he could open the book.

"I know that." Sirius said

"James." The healer said sticking her head out. "Lily's asking for you."

"Fine." James groaned and got up.

0000

Around one o'clock,

Frank had gone back to his wife and child. Sirius and Remus were napping. Dumbledore was eating a lemon drop while reading the Prophet.

Suddenly, the doors burst open causing Dumbledore to look up. Sirius and Remus remained asleep.

"It's a boy." James told the headmaster. "Harry."

"Congratulations." Dumbledore said with a smile as Lily was wheeled out in a wheelchair carrying a small bundle.

When she caught sight of the infant's godfather and surrogated uncle, she smiled.

"They are worn out, aren't they?" she said quietly.

"Very much so." Dumbledore said. "Would you like me to wake them up?"

"No. Let them sleep." Lily said looking down at her son. "James. He's awake."

"You're going to be a night person, aren't you?" James asked the bundle of blankets before turning to the leader of the Order. "He was actually born an hour ago. We were just too enthralled in his existence, we lost track of time."

"That is understandable." Dumbledore said putting down the Prophet and getting up.

He walked over to the parents and the child and gazed on the infant.

The baby was pink with a mass of black hair on his tiny head. Green eyes gazed up at the older man.

"He likes you." Lily said to Dumbledore as Harry reached up.

"Can you blame the kid?" James said. "He cried when he woke up to the nurses thirty minutes ago. And by cried, I mean screamed his head off."

"There you are, Albus." Minerva came in. "The Minister…"

She stopped talking as her eyes landed on the bundle of blue blankets. Her eyes darted from the bundle to Lily, to James, then to Albus.

James took his son from his wife.

"Professor." James said. "I'd like you to meet Harry. He is going to give you quite the time at Hogwarts."

He then handed the baby to the Professor. Stunned, she took the baby. Harry squirmed a little, then calmed down.

"Hopefully he has more of Lily's personality." McGonagall said.

Everyone started laughing.

"It was Moony's idea." Sirius said in his sleep.

McGonagall handed Harry back to James.

The doors opened again and Peter Pettigrew came running in.

"Sorry I'm so late." He apologized. "I came as soon as I got the message."

"Here Wormtail." James said handing the baby to Peter. "This is Harry."

Peter reluctantly took the baby. Suddenly, Harry's face scrunched up.

"WHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Peter quickly gave the baby back to James. However, not without results.

At the sound of the LOUD cry, Remus and Sirius both jumped and fell out of the chairs.

"Where's the fire?" Sirius asked thinking it was an alarm. "I hear the alarm."

"No alarm, Padfoot." James said handing the crying infant to Lily. "Just your godson."

"Oh." Sirius said climbing back in the chair and closing his eyes again to go back to sleep.

"Shh." Lily told the baby. "It's okay. It's only Peter. He won't hurt you."

"He likes Albus and Minnie." James whispered to Remus.

McGonagall glared daggers at her once star pupil due to the unwanted nickname.

Harry slowly calmed down.

"Oh my…" Remus swore as he gazed on the infant. "He looks just like James."

"My WHAT?!" Sirius yelled as he woke up again.

He jumped out of the chair and went over to Lily and the baby. He knelt down to where he was level with the whimpering baby.

Harry stopped whimpering and gazed at all the new people surrounding him.

"His name is Harry." Lily informed the other Marauders.

"You agreed on it?" Remus asked Lily

She nodded.

"Hi Harry." Sirius whispered. "I'm Sirius. But you can call me Padfoot."

"He won't be talking for a while." Remus said.

"and this is your Uncle Moony."

"Excuse me?" Remus asked the animagus due to the newest title before turning to the infant. "You just ignore this idiot. The only reason Lily allowed him to be your godfather is because I can't be it legally."

Harry suddenly yawned.

"Look Guys." Sirius said to James and Peter. "He thinks Moony is boring like we do."

End Flashback

Everyone was laughing at the end of the story. Remus had started telling it, but then James took over.

"Of course," Remus added. "I'm sure Harry was only tired. He had only been in the world for a little over an hour and he was meeting a bunch of new people."

"I should have realized something was up the way you cried as soon as Peter held you." Lily said to her son.

"It's okay Mum." Harry said.

"So?" Wood asked. "Who wants to play Quidditch?"

"I do!" Sirius, James, Harry, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, Kingsley, Tonks, Charles, and Arthur said.

TBC