By the time Remus' birthday rolls around, nothing has changed except for my disposition. I've grown to accept the fact that, well, our friendship won't be returning to its original state. We have settled into this mediocre state, the devil-may-care in-between of strangers and best mates.

The only part that has improved is the fact that we spend more time together now. But to be honest, I don't know if that's a good thing. Is he warming up to me or is he realising that he doesn't care enough anymore to distant himself from me? Either way, I take it, not complaining about our daily tutoring sessions that alternate between Potions and Muggle Studies.

However, the state of our relationship doesn't stop me from joining James and Peter when they jump on his bed first thing in the morning as they sing – no, that's not the right term – yell out a chorus of Happy Birthday. I even transfigure the curtains of his four-poster into streamers.

When he finishes throwing every curse word at us for waking him up at five-thirty in the morning and saying that double potions is no longer the worse thing to happen on his seventeenth birthday thanks to us, he calms down enough to let us present him with endless boxes filled with Honeyduke's finest.

After he opens his parents' traditional pocket watch present and finishes his third bar of dark chocolate, we manage to get him to open his other gifts. James got him a book on Ancient Runes ("I'm not even taking the subject, you arse." "Oh, damn, that's right…" "…Just tell me if you need help with homework, James." "I need help with homework." "Git." "Happy Birthday, my hero.") Lily got him tapes of a bunch of muggle films that Remus doesn't bother explaining to us because he knows we'll just end up even more confused. Peter got him a Sneakoscope, which earns a laugh from Remus when James protests("Wormtail! Do you realise how hard it's going to be to achieve pranks without him knowing now?!") I hand him the usual bunch of Zonko's products and he rolls his eyes at me, although not quite able to hide his amused smile. However, I shove my real gift underneath his pillow when no one is looking.

When we get down to the Great Hall, he is greeted by the balloons that we charmed to follow him around all breakfast and he receives seventeen howlers – all of them from the three of us, screaming out Happy Birthday in varying tones and voices.

"You guys promised," he moans as he loads his plate with eggs and bacon, glaring at the balloons that are still hovering over his head in circles.

"We promised that we wouldn't throw you a party tonight so you can study, we never said anything about a few tiny surprises," James corrects as he steals a strip of bacon from Remus' plate and stuffs it into his mouth.

The rest of the day is pretty normal. We go to classes, do homework, the usual. One exception, however, is that I decide to walk Remus to Arithmancy, earning me a blush from him – something I haven't seenfor quite a while – and another late for Care Of Magical Creatures. I feel awkward as Maggie spots me from her desk dropping Remus off, though. She blows me a kiss and winks at me before greeting Remus with a Happy Birthday. Remus notices and is obviously annoyed by her, but this time, he hides it well.

But now, knackered from a whole day of being jolted because James charmed most of his school things to sing him Happy Birthday at random intervals during classes, Remus is just cross-legged on the floor, hunching over the table across from Ashwood (who also seems to be on the brink of a Potions-induced break down), reading the chapter on Veritaserum. I'm sitting next to him, relishing in the warmth of the fire place, doing his Hiccoughing Solution assignment for him, chuckling as he curses the book under his breath. "Fucking Potions…good for nothing…Veritaserum is too fucking advanced…"

I chuckle. "Oh, shut up and read," I tease, feeling a bit at peace. These are the rare times when being around him feels at ease.

"Reading about it won't help," he whines. "Can we make the real thing?"

I roll my eyes as I stir the solution in the cauldron in front of me. "If you read enough, you'd know that it would take around 28 days to completely brew."

Remus groans. "Great, now you're better at the written information too."

Before I retort, Ashwood pipes up, looking up from his own Potions book. "I have a sample, if you want. It's from Lily. She's trying to get me to memorise every bloody potion she knows of," he mutters, gesturing to the tray next to him of small glasses, all containing different coloured liquids. "I've got every one she's been reviewing me with lately because she insists that it might be helpful as an extra credit during my O.W.L.S. practical. Girding Potion, Draught of Peace, Invigoration Draught, Veritaserum, and about twenty others that I'm fairly sure are sixth-year lessons and she's probably off somewhere with James again."

Remus laughs. "Merlin, Anthony, and I thought my tutor was bad."

I fake an offended scoff and they both chuckle before returning to their worst subject, leaving me to wonder when he and Ashwood had gotten onto a first name basis. I am reminded once again that I don't hang around Remus enough to notice whether he makes new friends and that he and Lily just keep getting closer, making him and Ashwood good friends by default. I try to shake off my thoughts as I catch myself wishing that Remus and I had something that could make us best friends again by default. As if it was that easy.

As the night wears on, I am finalising the Hiccoughing Solution for Remus and he and Ashwood are still stinging their eyes with what seems to be foreign information, when the Common Room starts to empty out. By the time there is barely anyone there, the portrait hole bursts open to reveal James carrying muggle balloons, Peter dragging a bag probably filled with food from the ever-obliging house elves down inthe kitchens, Lily maneuvering a floating chocolate cake, topped with candles, with her wand, Alice carrying a load of bottles and Frank holding up a huge crimson and gold banner that reads HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NERD that he hangs with a flourish of his wand over the fireplace.

The sudden racket almost causes me to spill the hot cauldron and Remus and Ashwood's heads shoot up.

"What. The. Fuck." Remus manages as they finish another chorus of Happy Birthday – which Ashwood and I join midway after the initial shock. He shoots alternating glares at the two of us after saying so. "Were you two in on this?"

Ashwood shakes his head, "Nope."

"Me neither," I say, giving Lily an accusing look.

Lily giggles and just says, "Sorry, we needed you lot to distract him."

Everyone gathers around the fireplace, chuckling, popping open bottles of Butterbeer – I mentally thank James for not bringing alcohol into this – and taking out a bunch of mince pies, turkey sandwiches, eclairs, pumpkin tarts and whatever else Peter managed to take from the kitchens.

Remus is still wide-eyed and in disbelief as James takes hold of the cake from where it was floating in the air, settles next to Ashwood and places it in front of Remus after Peter rids the space of Remus' notes and Potions book. "Make a wish, Moony!" James declares.

Still looking at his book on the floor, he mutters, "If I ask for normal friends who keep their promises, do you think I'll get it?" but I see the corner of his mouth twitch into a smile he's been suppressing.

Peter sits on James' other side and reaches over to clap Remus' back. "You told us your wish, now it'll never come true," he teases. "Besides, this isn't a party, just a small gathering."

Remus rolls his eyes, but succumbs to a grin anyway. He shakes his head muttering, "You bloody idiots," right before blowing the candles out.

We cheer and clap as he makes a show out of yawning.

Just as Remus looks like he's going to excuse himself to go get some rest, James throws a doxy egg at him from Ashwood's pile of ingredients. "No, Moony, don't even think about it! We're here to celebrate your birthday and you're going to enjoy it!"

"I'm sleepy, James" he groans. "And it's a school night," he adds, as if that argument ever mattered to James.

James waves his concern off as he takes another swig of Butterbeer. "Come on, Remus, you just want to spoil our fun!"

"No, this is just an example of what happens when you wake up a person at five thirty in the morning right before double potions," he replies, with his usual Remus Lupin overcompensating tone.

"Yeah, right. I've seen you stay up longer than this to read those paperbacks. Why can't you stay up that long for us?" James challenges.

"I hate to agree with James, Rem, but he's right," Lily, who takes a seat next to Remus – leaving Frank and Alice to snuggle up on the couch – supplies, making James smirk.

"See, Remus?" he says. "Don't be such a prefect and ruin the fun."

Lily's head snaps to his direction. "Excuse me? I'm a prefect too, you know, if you haven't noticed."

"Yeah, but at least you're not acting like the control freak you both turn into when you're on shifts."

"Control freak? Well, excuse me if I disapprove of the immature behaviour you and your cute little club love so much," Lily retorts before sipping at her Butterbeer.

"CUTE LITTLE CLUB? IT'S THE MARAUDERS. WE'RE THE MARAUDERS," James protests.

Lily laughs meanly, "Like I said. How cute."

James scoffs. "Oh shut up, Evans."

"Kind of hypocritical coming from you, Potter."

I chuckle to myself as I pop open a bottle of Butterbeer. Well, at least some things don't change. James and Lily might be friends now, and potentially more than that, but I know the bickering will never cease.

"Merlin," Remus says and his gaze goes back and forth from James to Lily as they continue to fight, "I'm gonna need some of that Invigoration Draught if I'm gonna be forced to stay up through this all night."

I smirk as I take a big gulp of Butterbeer. Ashwood, with his mouth still full of eclair, gestures to the tray and gives Remus an If you must look. Remus gives him an amused, grateful smile as he takes one of the bottles from the tray, and downs the liquid in an instant.

But Ashwood is choking on his eclair and I'm sputtering my drink and he looks at us with a confused face. "What?"

I manage to swallow down the Butterbeer with effort before smacking him in the head.

"What the fuck, Sirius?!"

"Wow," Ashwood says, recovering from choking on his food. "You really are sleepy."

"…Will you guys just tell me what's wrong?"

"Really, really think about whether that was the Invigoration Draught," I say, looking at him pointedly.

"…What?" he demands.

Now, even Lily and James stop to look, cutting off their banter. Their pointless debate about whether The Marauders is a stupid name or not (pointless because it's obviously not stupid at all) being cut off as they notice our commotion.

Lily raises her eyebrows at Ashwood. "Anthony, what's going on?" she asks, almost in a very motherly, reprimanding tone.

"Well…" Ashwood starts, but James cuts in.

"Are you two fighting again?" he groans, his eyes shifting from me to Remus.

"What are you guys going on about this time?" Peter asks, finally looking up from the mince pie he's been attacking.

Remus looks at our friends, shrugging. "I would tell you if I knew, but they're just blabbing on about –"

Giving up, I end up interrupting him with a sigh, just telling him outright, "You drank the Veritaserum."

Preview for the next chapter: "Merlin, Sirius, are you really that oblivious? Do I really have to fucking spell it out for you? Fine, let me tell you what all this is really about, you fucking git..."