What if they all lived?

Chapter 26

First year- Twelve and a room

Remus Lupin

"Happy Birthday, Lupin!" They shouted, leaping onto his bed. Remus woke with a start, sitting up quickly. He smiled at them, yawning as he said,

"Cheers, lads."

He then noticed a cat curling around his arm and smiled weakly its way.

"Did she sleep here?"

"Oh, no she woke us all up for this!" James started with a mischief look on his face.

They gave him the full treatment at breakfast, marching in front of him and shooing other students away, blustering,

"Out of the way, please!"

"Birthday boy coming through!"

"Move along, nothing to see here!"

He rolled his eyes as James bowed before him, Peter basically fed him, Sirius was kissing the ground he walked on and Athena pushed students away from him.

Remus' twelfth birthday fell on a Friday that year. Usually on Fridays after lessons James would force them all to go and watch the Gryffindor quidditch practice, and Remus would read quietly to himself.

 Sirius, however, had managed to convince James that he could miss just one practice – especially as he wasn't even on the team yet – and that Remus might actually want to do something different on his birthday.

Some of the older students rolled their eyes, but most seemed to find their antics entertaining. It was almost the weekend, and everyone was in a good mood.

At the table, they slapped Remus's hands away when he reached for the food, insisting on serving him. Peter poured his tea, James loaded up his plate, and Sirius buttered his toast, Athena said she still had dignity to conserve and Sirius said she wouldn't know dignity even if it slapped her across the face, so she slapped him across the face.

 Remus wanted to crawl under the table.

"Do you have to?" He groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"Absolutely," James said.

"Definitely," Peter nodded.

"Unquestionably," continued Sirius.

"Irrefutably" finished Thena

Remus shook his head, blushing hard. But he was smiling as he looked down at his food.

As soon as they'd finished eating, Sirius nodded to the rest. The four of them stood in unison, grinning at their anxious friend.

"What?!" He asked, eyes darting about nervously. He tried to stand, but Athena and James each put a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down into his seat.

 Sirius pulled a pitch pipe from his robes with a flourish, smiling wickedly as he blew a long note. Remus shut his eyes, bracing himself..."Haaaaaaaaaahhh-ppy birthday to you!" They bellowed as loud as they could, "Haaah-ppy birthday to youuuu! Haaaa-happy birthday dear Reeeeeeeeeee-mus!"

At their eager serenade, the rest of the hall began to join in. Remus covered his head with his hands.

"Haaaaaah-ppy birthdaaaaaaaay tooooooooooo youuuuu!"

James leapt onto his chair. "Hip hip!"

"Hooray!" The Gryffindors cheered.

They still had to sit through Potions as their last lesson of the week – Remus had found that even when he did all of his homework and understood all of the texts he still had no natural talent for potion making.