Serendipity (S. Black)

TWELVE

"surround yourself with people whose eyes light up when they see you coming"

*

Sirius woke quickly, trying to shake a nightmare from his head. His fingers gripped the sheets as he tried to reassure himself that the dream hadn't been real, but in some ways, it was. He could still hear his parents' voices echoing in his head: blood traitor, disgrace, worthless son. Sunlight streamed through the windows, a constant reminder that it was indeed just a dream, even though the conversations did actually happen. Sirius couldn't escape the things he feared the most.

He yawned and considered going back to sleep before noticing the small pile of presents at the foot of his bed. November 3, his birthday. As excited as that made him, he realized he only had a little over a month left until Christmas, when he would be expected to return home for the holidays. Just thinking of the house on Grimmauld Place darkened his mood, like ink spilled over parchment.

"You're up early," Remus commented. He sat perched on the window, reading as always, a cup of tea clutched in his dry hands. In the morning light, his scars looked faded, less pronounced, and while the full moon was about a week away, happiness actually crossed his face. "Happy birthday, Sirius."

His coffee-brown eyes flicked out the window as he stared at the castle grounds. In the distance, Hagrid worked out in his garden, prepping for a Care of Magical Creatures class. Winter approached on the horizon, sweeping over the castle with dead leaves and occasional flurries, but Remus loved the winter. Everything all frozen and white, snowy trips to Hogsmeade, and the Christmas holidays... what wasn't to like about that? The metaphor of snow fascinated Remus. Each individual snowflake bonded together to create a beautiful, muffling blanket of white. It was easier to think in the quiet of winter. 

"You should bow down. I'm an adult now  Officially the superior Marauder in status, age, looks, and talent." He winked and Remus pretended to swoon, fanning himself dramatically with his book. Sirius noticed James' vacant bed. "Where did he get off to?"

Remus rolled his eyes, grinning as he did so. No one ever expected James Potter to be a morning person, but if the sun rose, so did James. "He's been trying to break into the girls' dormitory since before dawn to steal Eva's ABBA cassette tape so he can play Dancing Queen for you on your seventeenth birthday. I told him it wouldn't work, but you know how he is. He's wasting his time. Dumbledore enchanted those stairs. It hasn't worked for years, I don't know why he expects to be allowed in now."

"Well, he isn't here, and Wormtail's still snoring away, so I'm going to open these."

"Go right ahead. Spoiler alert: since you know about your party, we're all giving you our gifts later. We didn't forget or anything. We're not bad friends."

"Ah, got it." Sirius sat up and pulled a present towards him. Severely wrapped and corners crisp. The fanciest and most over-the-top package he'd ever held. Definitely from his parents. He unwrapped it slowly, as if it might bite him.

"A book? Don't they know me at all?" For a moment, Remus worried that he was upset, but Sirius' voice held a note of amusement. He held up the book to show off. "And look at the title! Pureblood Wizarding Families of Britain. Fantastic! Exactly what I wanted for free reading!" He tossed the book haphazardly onto the floor, pointed his wand at it, and muttered an incantation. It exploded. "There. Much better."

"Good move."

"Thanks, Moony." Sirius opened the next package, this one smaller than the last and poorly wrapped. His brow furrowed as he pulled out a pair of fingerless leather gloves. A note fluttered out of the case, and Sirius retrieved it from the floor.