Savannah woke up to the girls singing, "Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Savannah, Happy Birthday to you!"

She laughed groggily. "How'd you know?" She didn't like the attention, even if it was from her friends. She wasn't used to anyone even remembering her birthday, besides Dalton of course. They were twins, so they shared the same birthday, which meant that every year they tried to be up before the other so they could be the first to wish them a happy birthday. This year, it seemed that neither one would win.

At the same time in the boys' dorm, Dalton was getting pummeled by the other four boys. All of them were jumping on Dalton's bed, yelling, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAWS!"

Dalton laughed and bolted up. "Thanks, guys!"

Back in the girls' dorm, Savannah had actually managed to get herself out of bed, only to be wrapped in a group hug by all the girls.

Lily, Marlene, and Alice laughed as they pulled away, happy to be celebrating their friend's seventeenth birthday with her. "Open our presents!"

Savannah smiled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You guys didn't have to get me anything!"

"Yes, we did! You would've for us, wouldn't you have?" Alice pointed out, putting both her hands on Savannah's upper arms.

Savannah bit her lip as she contemplated her answer. "You're right. I would have."

"Just open the presents and say thank you, Sava," Marlene joked as she thrust a small box with a bow to Savannah.

Savannah smiled, sitting down on the edge of her bed. As she took her time to open Marlene's gift, she couldn't help but think about what wonderful friends she had. She also couldn't help but think about how she had lived with these girls for years, yet she never realized how truly wonderful they were. I was too busy feeling sorry for myself, always wrapped up in my own world of depression and anxiety. Merlin, for someone who's so observant, I really am dense.

Savannah shook those thoughts from her head as she opened the box. She laughed when she seen the matching set of black, lacy underwear, as well as a red set. "Wow, Marls, thanks," she laughed awkwardly.

Marlene wiggled her brows. "I've noticed how hot and bothered you seem to be with Sirius, so I thought I'd take it upon myself to nudge you along," she stated proudly, subconsciously sitting up straighter with a smirk.

Savannah choked on air. "Nothing is happening between me and Sirius," she attempted to assure the girls. She added on a silent unfortunately in her mind.

"Uh huh, sure," Marlene laughed.

"Alright, mine next!" Lily insisted, shifting closer to Savannah as she handed her her present.

Savannah smiled and took the gift from Lily, waiting a moment before she started to open it carefully.

Inside the box was a book titled Peter Pan, as well as a bright, blood red quill, and a Gryffindor wax seal set. At the very bottom was a scarlet sweater with gold detailing. Savannah held all of it up, grinning from ear to ear. "Thank you so much, Lils! I love it all!" She exclaimed, setting it down to reach over and hug Lily.

Lily smiled as she hugged her friend back. "You're welcome, Sava. I knew I had to go all out for your seventeenth! You're officially of age!"

"Alright, mine next!" Alice piped up, handing Savannah a delicately wrapped present.

She unwrapped it to see some Sugar Quills, a beautiful set of parchment with her name engraved on the top in fancy writing, as well as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Gryffindor below her name, and lastly a thigh-high pair of boots. Savannah gasped. "Alice! You didn't have to!"

Alice smiled softly. "I wanted to, Sava. I seen how much you liked Marlene's, and I figured you would appreciate the parchment. And of course, I had to get you Sugar Quills!"

Savannah hugged Alice tightly. "Thank you, Alice."

When she pulled away, she looked around at her smiling friends and felt tears brimming. "Thank you guys. I don't know what I ever did to deserve friends like you. I love you all like my sisters," she admitted, reaching up to wipe away a tear that had fell.

They all enveloped her in another hug. "We're so glad we have you too, Sava," Lily said.

"We love you like a sister too," Marlene added, as they pulled away.
——
Sirius told the boys that he would meet them down in the Great Hall in a few. After they had left he went to the end of his bed and opened his trunk. He shuffled through the clothes and records until he found what he was looking for at the very bottom, tucked away under a shirt.

He sighed as he grabbed it, turning the package over in his hands as he contemplated whether or not he should still give it to Savannah, even though she still wasn't talking to him.

It was pointless to even try to find a reason not to give it to her. Of course he would. It was her  birthday and he was still in love with her, whether he or she liked it or not. Sighing, he tucked it into his pocket before closing his trunk and hurrying to the Great Hall.

He grinned when he seen Dalton with his arm slung around Savannah's shoulders, both of them smiling and laughing happily as Lily, Alice, Marlene, James, Remus, Peter, and Frank (Alice's boyfriend) ate and bickered. He was happy that Savannah was talking to Dalton again. As much as it hurt that she still wouldn't talk to him, he was glad she was happy.

Everyone finished eating and everyone else had left the Great Hall to go enjoy their Saturday, so Sirius figured now was his chance to corner Savannah.

"'Vannah? Can I talk to you?" He asked, rubbing his hands together to keep them from shaking and praying she couldn't hear how fast his heart was beating.

From the look in Sirius's eyes, everyone else knew to leave the two alone.

Savannah bit her lip before nodding and gesturing for Sirius to sit down across from her.

Sirius did so, taking the gift out from his pocket as he did. He toyed with it for a moment before finally speaking. "Look, 'Vannah, I know you probably don't want to talk to me, but I had already gotten this for you and it shouldn't go to waste. I still want you... to have it," he told her, grey eyes boring into hers as he handed it to her.

She smiled softly, looking down at the gift as she ran her thumb across the top, "You didn't have to, Sirius..." she trailed off as she looked up into Sirius's eyes.

He didn't say anything as she opened it. A small piece of parchment fell out onto the table, so Savannah stopped to look at it.

You are my moon and my stars, it read. Savannah took a moment to study Sirius's messy scrawl, the way the ink was dark like he pressed down hardly as he wrote, the way his letters were crooked as he wrote quickly.

She looked up at him questioningly.

He waited a moment before saying, "That's the translation of the runes you tattooed on me."

She felt the heat rise up to her cheeks. "Oh, Sirius..." she trailed off once more, at a loss of what else to say. She knew it was self-centered to think it was about her, but why else would he give it to her on her birthday?

"I know what you're thinking. Yes, it is about you, 'Vannah. Before you, I didn't truly know what love was. I didn't know what it meant to want someone for more than just sex. I didn't know what loving someone besides your family felt like. I didn't know how it was possible to be this crazy about someone. And then I seen you. I slowly fell for you, 'Vannah. I fell for you quicker than I fall asleep. I know you don't want to hear this, but I just had to tell you," he told her, grasping her small hands in his as he stared into her eyes. The emotions she seen there told her that what he was saying was true. He meant every word of it.

"Sirius..." she trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

"I know, I know, you don't feel the same. But-" Sirius tried to continue before Savannah interrupted, putting her hand over his without even really thinking about it.

"That's the thing, Sirius. I-I-I do feel the same," she said quietly, looking down at the piece of parchment on the table in front of her.

"Then why do you keep pushing me away, 'Vannah?" He asked, his eyes pleading as he turned his hand over so he could lace his fingers with hers.

"Because I'm bad for you. I'm too depressed and filled with anxiety to be good for you. A relationship with me right now... I just don't want to hurt you more than I have to," she whispered, not looking up into his eyes. She knew that if she did she would break.

"'Vannah, let me help. Please. Let me in," he begged, rubbing the palm of her hand with his thumb.

She shook her head. "Ever since that... night, I've been trying to fix myself. I'm trying to get myself to a place that won't be destructive for you. I want you more than I've ever wanted anything Sirius. That's why I'm trying to clean myself up. Just... Just give me time, okay?"

Sirius didn't know how to feel. She just admitted that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. But she also asked for time. Well, if that's what she wanted, then of course he would give it to her. He would wait for her for however long it took. A couple weeks, a few months, twelve years, however long it took.

"Okay, 'Vannah."

She looked down at the table, studying the grooves in the wood, not knowing what to say.

All of a sudden she just started giggling and laughing softly as she realized that he was still rubbing her hand with his thumb. Sirius raised a brow. "What's up?" He asked, looking at the way she bit her lip, the freckles that one could barely see on her nose, the way her hair fell across her shoulders, cascading down her back. She was simply gorgeous, especially with the way sunlight pouring in over her, casting a tan, warm glow over her.

She shook her head, still smiling a bit at the absurdity of it all. She refused to look at him, so instead she looked at the details of the Great Hall, yet not really paying any attention to anything at all. "C'mon, tell me," he laughed a bit.

She shook her head again, pausing a second before finally answering, "If someone would have told me at the beginning of the year that I would be sitting here with you, wanting nothing more than to be yours and for you to be mine and for you to never let go of my hand, I would have laughed in their face. And yet here I am," she trailed off, finally looking into his stormy-grey eyes that had darkened a shade or two.

His chest swelled. He felt a whirlwind of emotions, pure affection towards her being the primary emotion swimming in his eyes. "If I could have it my way I'd never let you out of my sights."