Chapter 81: Birthday Boy
"Tell me what happened!!" Stefanie jumped up excitedly the moment Lily stepped into the girls' dormitory that evening.
"Yeah, thank you so much for locking me up with James for the entire day." Lily replied sarcastically.
"So what happened??" Stefanie begged again.
"Nothing."
"Nothing??"
"Ya, nothing."
"Oh c'mon, something must have happened."
"Yeah, I see the mirror. That's something."
"So what did you see in the mirror??"
"You tell me what did you see in the mirror first."
"I saw myself and Remus together forever." Stefanie said in a low voice.
"Oh."
"I know that will never happen. But nevertheless it was nice just to take a glimpse of it."
"I saw myself and James – and Harry."
"I knew that's what you would see."
"Yaya, you're going to claim that you know me so well."
"Don't I??"
"Oh well."
"So what did you and James and Harry do in the image??"
"Nothing exactly. A lot of walking together. And definitely look very happy and Voldemort free." Lily sat on her bed and tried to reminisce the whole image into her mind. "I believe I would have a dream tonight. Seen a lot of impossibilities today. It's like watching a movie."
"Then what did James see??"
"Same characters as I did."
"And??"
"And we just talked for the rest of the day. For hours we just sat in front of the mirror and watch."
"Don't get addicted to what you see."
"I know, at least I get to see it once."
"So what did James say or something??"
"He seemed like he was at loss of words after watching whatever he saw."
"It must be amazing. Even one of the most eloquent guys on earth can lose his gift of speech."
"It felt wonderful to watch. But sad to say I believe whatever that is shown inside would never happen. For one, I'm sure we won't be able to see Harry growing up."
"Maternal instincts huh."
"No, just a passing remark."
"So besides watching and talking, what else did the two of you do inside?? I mean you two were in there for about six hours, I don't think there's nothing you two did inside."
"One more thing we did."
"What??"
"We tried to open the door."
"Fine, you aren't telling the juicy parts."
"There are no juicy parts to start with."
"You two didn't do anything?!?" Sirius exclaimed. James had returned to their dormitory not too long ago and Sirius had bugged him first thing on what happened when they were locked up together.
"How many times must I tell you all we did were watching the mirror and chatting and forcing the door open??"
"Countless times." Remus pointed out.
"And you call yourself a man?? Locked up with such a gorgeous girl in such a secluded and private area and all you did was that??"
"By the way, I'm actually more gentlemanly than you. If you're inside with Bell, or any other girl, I just wonder what might happen."
"At least I wouldn't leave unless I get a good kiss or something."
"No point in doing so. I don't really want to lose her as a friend."
"Don't you want her to be your girlfriend??"
"I want and that's why I'm not rushing into things."
"Since when does our Prongsie know how to think??"
"Since I'm born with a proper brain unlike our Padfoot here."
"I'm born with an intelligent brain and that's why I could come up with the ingenious plan of locking you two up together in the room with a mirror."
"For one, the mirror had a name which is called Mirror of Erised. For two, I don't think it was an ingenious plan, it felt more like the victim of a prank."
"So Lily taught you something while you two were locked in."
"To some extent, yes. And there's the name engraved on it as well. Erised is the opposite of desire in case you hasn't noticed."
"Prongsie know me the best. I didn't notice that."
"Yeah, just to correct you, the mirror has a name."
"Thank you so much for teaching me something new today." Sirius said in a dramatically grateful sounding tune.
"Thank you so much!!" James said politely to a group of second-year Ravenclaws who had come forward to give him a big bouquet of lilies.
"You're welcome!!" They said quickly and left the Marauders blushing very furiously.
"Prongsie, this is only the first hour of your birthday you spent out of the dormitory and your presents already piled up higher than us." Remus commented. The four of them were having their breakfast in the Great Hall and today was James' seventeenth birthday.
"Moony, don't you deny if the same girls didn't do that for you."
"Well, we shall see, since your birthday is coming up next month."
"I believe I'll be of no fight with James."
"Not necessary."
"So I think we would need to bring these stuffs up to our dorm before we head for our first lesson."
"What do you mean by 'we'?? Sirius asked.
"Don't expect me to carry all these by myself."
"I had expected you to do that."
"Who helped you to carry the life-size statue of you up to the dormitory when one of your admirers gave that to you during breakfast last year??"
"You all did."
"Then??"
"I was thinking you might ask Lily to help you."
"Too humiliating to be caught carrying flowers right??"
"I've my fair share of flowers, so why would I??"
"Then??"
"The main thing is we want to let you have some quality time with Lily."
"Thanks but no thanks. Let nature takes it course."
"Prongs, I'm with you for this." Remus took up some of James' present which ranged from ornamental snitches to bouquets of flowers. "We can bring all these up first."
"You can use magic, you know??" Peter suggested.
"Yeah, but it's not very nice to let other see their birthday presents for me flying back into my room without me around."
"I'm well aware that it's Mr. Potter's birthday today." Professor McGonagall said in her no-nonsense voice during their Transfiguration lesson. "But that's no excuse for not doing your homework or ending lesson early." Some enthusiastic junior students had caught up with the Marauders on their way to Transfiguration lesson and flooded him with heaps of wrapped up boxes and flowers, leaving him with no choice but to bring all of them to the lesson with him.
"M– Professor, you can't blame me. I didn't ask for the presents, and of course not before your lesson. But I just can't help it." James' voice could be heard somewhere behind the pile.
"So would you mind putting them away so that I can see the faces of the four of you and not the heaps of boxes and flowers on the table??"
"It wouldn't be nice to put all these on the floor. I don't really want to dirty them as well." James' voice could be heard beyond the presents and laughter from the other three Marauders were rather distinctive as well.
"Since that's the case, we shall continue with the lesson." Professor McGonagall said with her back facing the class. "Please ensure your desk is clear from obstacles before you start."
"It's so difficult to catch you guys for the whole day." Lily told the four Marauders. It was dinnertime and the Marauders, for the first time today, were alone at the Gryffindor table.
"We can't help being popular." Sirius joked.
"So what's up??" James asked.
"We haven't even given you our present." Stefanie explained, holding a package wrapped in silver wrapper in her hand.
"Thanks." James stood up and accepted the gift.
"Happy birthday!!" Stefanie gave James a hug.
"Thanks."
"Happy seventeenth birthday!!" Lily gave James a quick hug.
"Thanks."
"This is from the five of us." Lily explained. Samantha and Joey gave James a quick birthday bear hug as well.
"What is it??" Finally the eight teens settled down waiting for the dinner to appear.
"Open and you'll know."
"Hmm.." James unwrapped the rectangular box quickly.
"Be more gentle!!" Stefanie commented.
"Ok." His movement slowed down upon the comment. "Er.." He opened the box and caught sight of something that stunned him for a moment. "A boxer??"
"Yes, a pair of personalized boxers." Lily said and burst into laughter along with the rest.
"You're kidding right??" James asked skeptically, holding up a pair of black boxers with a big 'Potter' word in silver letters at the back.
"What do you think??"
"The four of you can't possibly give me this for my birthday."
"Well." Stefanie tried to stop laughing for a moment because James' expression was too funny not to be laughed at. "There's another present inside." And she continued laughing, along with the three other girls.
James took up the paper, which separated the bottom layer from the boxers on top and fished out a dark green colored windbreaker with a white embroidered word 'James'.
"A windbreaker??"
"It's not just a normal windbreaker."
"Then??"
"It can protect you from wind and rain and snow and-" Sirius was listing out the functions of a normal windbreaker.
"The special thing is that this windbreaker matches perfectly well with this new pair of boxers."
"Boxers jokes do get boring after a while." Peter commented.
"I guess the only special thing about this windbreaker that when the weather is hot, it will keep you cool and vice versa." Lily told him.
"Wear it and try." Joey suggested. James put on the windbreaker, which fitted his body really well.
"But in the castle it's ususually the right temperature." Remus said. "He can only wear it when he's outside."
"I believe once he wear it he'll keep wearing it." Stefanie said, smiling.
"Is it supposed to be addictive or glued to your body??" James' gave a little frown.
"Nope, it's too comfortable, that's why." Lily said knowingly.
"We charmed this normal looking windbreaker into something totally unique."
"I must agree that it's really comfortable."
"Does the boxers have the same effect as well??" Sirius asked cheekily.
"Unfortunately no."
"It's just a normal boxers except that there's a word."
"Thanks girls." James pulled the front of the windbreaker together and zipped it up. "It's really comfortable and I love it."
"For goodness sake, you've been wearing it nearly twenty four hours a day for the whole week." Remus commented as James put on his windbreaker again after his bathe.
"Because it's really comfortable to wear."
"Then let us try."
"What if you don't take it off??"
"We will."
"No."
"Just because it's a present from Lily."
"It's from all of them."
"We don't see you giving a second look to the other presents." In the corner of the boys' dormitory where James' bed stood, there was a pile of presents. Though all of them were opened, they were chunked aside. With the exception of the flowers, which had already wilted and discarded, the other presents had never seen the day for the second time.
"I don't like them. And besides I don't know who gave them to me even."
"But you can wear those shirts and use those stationary as well."
"I don't want anything from a dubious background. Who knows they might be charmed or cursed or poisoned?? You know how insane those girls are."
"Don't be so paranoid." Sirius laughed at James. "You're like James the Great, who dare to poison you??"
"It's difficult to say, you know." Remus commented.
"Have you forgot that the girls' had poisoned us more than once??" James reminded.