"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, I'M EIGHTEEN, GAY, AND JUST SO FUCKING SEXYYYY... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEE!" 

James pulled the pillow closer 'round his face. "Shut uuup, Sirius, the sun's barely risen." He was reminded of the rooster that Sirius had chucked out the window in Costa Rica, and he imagined chucking Sirius out the same way...

Sirius laughed and there was a squeal from Peter, a creak of bed springs, and before James was prepared for it, Sirius landed a top him in a great big belly flop, so that the bed groaned and James felt himself sink into the mattress so deep that he was cure the thing had irrevocably shaped itself to his frame. "IT'S THE BEST HOLIDAY OF THE ENTIRE YEAR! IT'S TIME TO CELEBRATE ME, POTTER!"

James groaned. Clearly they were getting no more sleep.

Sirius magicked himself a paper crown and a t-shirt that read "BIRTHDAY BITCH" across the front of it, and shouted greetings of good morning all down the stairs of the castle to everyone that he passed, reminding them it was his birthday so that they would reply back with the obligatory Happy Birthday Sirius over and over again. James laughed as Sirius entered the Great Hall, waving and kissing the air as though he were the queen and there was a host of subjects awaiting his arrival within as he waltzed to Gryffindor's table and sat down in their usual places.

Ali glanced at him from her seat, "Hmmm, let me guess. It's your birthday?"

Sirius gasped dramatically, "HOW DID YOU KNOW?"

Ali shrugged, "Dunno, lucky guess I s'pose."

Lily came down soon after and joined them at the table, laughing at Sirius's shirt. "Well, happy birthday, you arsehole," she said, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you Lillipad," Sirius answered and he gave her a big sloppy kiss on her cheek, which had James raising his eyebrow from his seat across from Sirius. "Oh relax, Prongs, I'm snogging her."

Lily laughed and messed up James's hair as she sat down beside him.

"Oi," he ducked away from her messing it up.

"What? It's already messy," she laughed.

Sirius grinned, "It's strategically messy, Evans. You should know that by now." Remus yawned, and was nearly falling asleep in his plate of bacon and toast until Sirius clapped him on the back, nearly knocking his coffee over. "Buck up, Moonshine, I've got Birthday Plans for you later." Remus flushed.

Peter sat staring at his plate of food, not talking, even as Sirius was boisterously yelling things that would have the whole table - and a couple of the Ravenclaws across the aisle - laughing loudly. He forced a smile and a laugh now and then, but he wasn't truly listening. Everything in the Great Hall had become sort of a blur to him, as though he were removed by several miles, or looking on through a crystal ball.

There was a great party that afternoon in Gryffindor common room. Remus and Sirius had disappeared for some time and James and Lily utilized their absence to organize the party, hanging paper streamers about and levitating Sirius's music player downstairs. They talked Peter into going to the kitchens, and he did, though he was gone much longer than it would normally have taken, and when he returned he carried much less than he might normally have gotten from the elves in the kitchens. Once he'd delivered the food to the table, too, Peter returned to the boys' dormitory.

"I'm worried about him," Lily admitted.

James nodded, watching Peter's retreating back on the stairs, and he sighed, "Me, too."

But there was too much to be done to think too long on Peter's condition, so James pushed it out of his mind, making note to himself that he needed to call together a meeting of the Order to decide how best to break the spell of the Unbreakable Vow so that they could get the usual roly-poly, happy Peter back. 

It never occurred to James that Peter had never fully been happy honestly.

When Sirius and Remus returned - their faces both glowing and flushed - he was excited as all the Gryffindors shouted and sang and blew paper horns, tossing confetti laced with glitter, and dancing to his favorite songs. Sirius danced along, too, his arms flailing wildly, enjoying every moment as sweat sheened his forehead and the worries of the last few months melted away for at least a couple hours as he enjoyed his birthday. He grabbed hold of James's hands and made him bounce about the common room carpets.

Lily found Remus sitting on the stairs, tired from all the dancing and the afternoon's activities. She sat down beside him and put her arm around him, hugging him to her side. Remus rested his cheek on her shoulder and sighed happily. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," Lily answered and she kissed Remus's forehead. "You look tired."

"I am tired."

Lily smiled, "Did you have fun with Sirius when you were absent?" 

"Loads," Remus laughed. He held her hand - just because he was Remus Lupin and he enjoyed holding hands with people and she was Lily Evans and she knew that it was entirely platonic and he liked that they could cuddle like this without any misunderstandings. He looked up at her and smiled. "You and James were getting quite comfy the other day."

Lily flushed and her eyes cast down to their clasped hands.

Remus asked, "Sirius hasn't shut up about it."

"Oh I know, James was saying that," Lily answered.

Remus said, "I can't believe it's been months already, you two. It seems like it's only just happened. But at the same time it seems like it's been years and years, too, since summer." He stared down at the party as James and Sirius spun about on the floor, laughing with their whole bodies as they danced. Remus looked up at Lily.

Lily nodded. "We didn't actually do anything the other day, you know," she confessed.

"No?" Remus asked.

Lily shook her head. "Sometimes when we're together, me and James, I feel like we just... can't get close enough, and I just want him closer, even though he's right there. I just want to feel his skin on mine." She paused. "Is that weird?"

Remus shook his head.

"Do you get that way with Sirius?" she asked.

"All the time," Remus replied. "We share a bed every night, you know. We have since like third year. And it's not even usually a sexual thing, you know, it's just... knowing someone is there, it's about feeling their weight and their heat and their breath and just knowing you're not alone."

"Exactly," Lily said.

They sat there in silence for several long moments, and Remus looked back down at their hands again, squeezing her fingers with his reassuringly, letting her know that, right now, he was there with her. She squeezed back and he felt a little less alone in the world. He rested his cheek back on her shoulder and Lily rested hers against his head and they sat like that, watching everything below in the common room. 

There was a big cake that arrived via house elf later in the evening, adorned with eighteen big flaming candles that Sirius eagerly blew out before grabbing hold of Remus by the shirt and giving him a kiss, making everyone in the room whoop with cheers. They cut the cake and passed out slices that seemed to never end until every single person in the tower had a big slice. James even carried one up to the dormitory for Peter, who thanked him, but left the plate sitting on the nightstand.

When it was finally getting late and the party was dying down, they all went up to the dormitory, even Lily, and they sat about laughing and talking, telling jokes and stories, forcing Peter to join in with them. Peter did, though reluctantly. Even Sirius gave him a big hug, though, before it was time to go to sleep, and Lily laughed and tucked them all in before she left to go to her own dorm. 

The boys lay in their beds, staring up at their canopies, snug as bugs, and listening to a bit of rain and wind hitting the windows outside, appreciating the warmth and happiness they were surrounded by within the dormitory room. "This has been a brilliant birthday," Sirius announced, grinning to himself as he rubbed his feet on Remus's legs. "Absolutely brilliant. I wish every day were like this one."

"Me, too," Remus answered, kissing Sirius's cheek.

James folded his glasses and laid them on his nightstand. "Third that."

Peter was quiet, hugging his pillow.

There was a long, long pause among them and finally, Peter asked, "Do you lot really think we can fix... fix me?" He withdrew his arm from under his blankets and looked at his arm.

"Of course we can, Pete," James replied. "Just a matter of figuring out how to outsmart Voldemort."

Sirius yawned. "For a Dark Lord, he's pretty fucking stupid sometimes."

They all laughed.

Peter said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was... I was scared you wouldn't believe me or... or that you'd hate me."

"We don't hate you, Wormy," Remus said.

James added, "You're our mate."

Peter said, "I know..." But he noticed that Sirius didn't say anything.

They were silent again, and Peter thought maybe they'd fallen asleep, and he shifted, his mattress creaking and looked at the watch on his wrist and he frowned, then shoved his arm back under his pillow, angry that the watch was there to remind him of what an awful friend he'd been, and how terrible his situation was. He wondered how the others would ever be able to fix what he'd done - been forced to do - and if there really was anyway of reversing it...

"You should've told us when it happened," Sirius's voice came from the next bed.

Peter looked over and saw Sirius's dark eyes staring at him. James and Remus really were asleep, and Peter felt a chill in his spine at the tone of Sirius's voice. "I wanted to but he made me promise..."

Sirius said, "I would've told."

Peter stammered, "I'm sorry."

Sirius rolled over and hugged Remus closer.

There was silence once more, then Peter said, "I'm sorry," again.

"If you ever betray any of us again, Wormtail, you won't have to worry about if Voldemort will kill you or not... I swear on every holy thing there ever was that I will kill you," Sirius replied.

Peter trembled in his bed.