Sirius grinned back at his best friend, waving as he exited the Great Hall. After ignoring Professor McGonagall’s glare at his half buttoned shirt, and maroon and gold tie thrown around his neck. He picked up his pace, excitedly racing to the hospital wing, his Doc Martins thudding on the stone floors, echoing through the near empty hallways.
A smile spread across his face as he entered the hospital wing, catching the eye of Remus Lupin, who was sat up against the pillows on the bed. His lips turned upwards in a grin, his hair a beautiful sandy mess.
Sirius walked over to where his boyfriend lay, and took a seat on the bed with him, as the chair was taken by Lily Evans, who stopped her somewhat of a rant about the muggle book that lay in her lap.
“Evans,” Sirius nodded, grinning.
“Black,” Lily responded, glancing at Remus, then back at Sirius. “Eyeliner looks good- you must finally show me how you do it.”
Sirius saluted her. “Later. I promise!” He called as she nodded, walking towards the door with a quick wave, her auburn hair swishing behind her.
Sirius turned to his boyfriend, feeling his stomach flutter as it always did with Remus- even after like a year of them dating.
Remus smiled, sighing contentedly as Sirius brushed his sandy hair out of his eyes, his fingers tracing gently over the white bandage above his left eye. It was a full moon two nights ago.
“Feeling any better, Moons?”
Remus hummed, nodding as Sirius shuffled up in the bed, nestling into Remus’ arm.
“Did Pomfrey say when you’ll be allowed out?”
“Eh- probably should be out before dinner, so that’s good.”
Sirius nodded in agreement. “Padfoot and the wolf had fun last night, huh?”
Remus ran his fingers through Sirius’ silky black hair. “Yeah, last night wasn’t as bad as usual, actually. You sure you’re still good to come out every moon?”
“‘Course,” because of course he didn’t mind. He’d do anything for his Moony.
Remus squeezed him in a tight hug. “Not too scary for you, am I, Pads?”
Sirius scoffed. “As if.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Regulus Black stopped as he heard his name be called as he was walking over towards the Slytherin table for dinner. He turned, not surprised to see Dorcas Meadowes, one of his best friends sitting at the Gryffindor table, beside her girlfriend, Marlene McKinnon, and opposite his best friend, Pandora Rosier, another Slytherin.
It wasn’t unusual to find his group of Slytherins sit with this table anymore. With him and Sirius being as close as ever, Dorcas and Marlene in their relationship, Lily and Pandora- which despite everything said, is definitely more than platonic… and not to mention Regulus’ growing… friendship with James.
So, Regulus took a seat next to Pandora and Peter.
“You free tonight, Reg?” Dorcas asked as Marlene grinned beside her. Regulus glanced at her, then back at Dorcas.
“Uhh, depends.”
Mary MacDonald, another one of Sirius’ Gryffindor friends leaned into the conversation. “We wanna do something fun.” Regulus found he quite like Mary, he appreciated the stylish girl’s quick wit and determination, as well as her brilliant ability to humble Sirius, though they were great friends, it was hilarious banter.
“What- like a party?” Regulus asked.
Peter cut off his conversation with Remus. “Pfft- I wish. They want to make a “hear me out cake”” he said, rolling his eyes, but his lips were turned upwards slightly.
“I’m sorry- a what?” Regulus asked.
“Reggie Black, have you never heard of a ‘hear me out cake’?!” A familiar voice cried from behind him. He turned to see James standing, his lips parted in shock, looking clean with his freshly washed hair after quidditch, and Sirius beside him.
“No, no I can’t say I have.”
James’ mouth dropped open a little more, before taking a seat in between Peter and Regulus, locking his ankle around Regulus’ under the table. Regulus felt his stomach flip as the easiness of it all, how easy it came to James to make him feel important.
“It’s where you bake a cake, a get little pictures of all your ‘hear me outs’, put them on a little stick, and into the cake.” Dorcas explained.
But- what? What’s a ‘hear me out’?” Regulus asked, eyebrows furrowed.
“Questionable things you’d fuck, I suppose,” Pandora replied, smiling.
Regulus’s eyes widened. “Like what?”
Sirius was grinning at his cluelessness.
“Look,” Lily said, showing him her phone. Leave it to Lily Evans to be the one person to actually explain things properly, with clear examples.
“So- so she’s saying she’d fuck Perry the Platypus given the chance?” Regulus deadpanned.
Sirius and Marlene cackled.
“Technically, yes. But like- it doesn’t have to be questionable… maybe like unpredictable, unexpected, you know?” Lily slipped her phone back into her satchel as Regulus nodded, still utterly nodded.
“So!” Mary clapped her hands. “We want to make a hear me out cake! Are you in, Baby Black?”
Regulus shrugged. “Sure.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Regulus, Pandora, Evan, Barty, Dorcas, Sirius, James, Remus, Peter, Lily, Mary, and Marlene were all gathered in the Hogwarts kitchens, in some type of pyjamas, be it plaid green or red, like Regulus, James, Barty and Evan, or like Sirius and Mary’s hello kitty pants, they were all scattered about the kitchens.
“And Gideon- this fucking prick! He tells me- ‘oops! Pete, mind your shoelace is undone, don’t wanna trip now, do we?’” Peter raised his voice to mimic him. “Uh- don’t you “Pete” me, I’m not your homie, man! Then this man tells me my shoes are dirty? Okay like not as dirty as his fucking-“
“Gideon again, Pete?” James asked, walked over, leaning against the counter where Regulus was sat.
“Ugh- who else?”
James grinned in agreement with Peter, he leaned back his head to smirk at Regulus. “Got your ‘hear me out’ ready?” James asked him, moving to stand between Regulus’s legs as he sat on the countertop.
“Uh huh,” Regulus nodded.
“Hotter than me?” James asked, smirking, a mischievous look in his eyes.
Regulus scrunched his nose and tilted his head. “Meh- maybe, you’ll have to wait and see.”
James furrowed his eyebrows, causing his gold rimmed glasses to slip on his nose. Regulus gently pushed them back up his nose, pretending not to notice James’ warm gaze glued to him, and pressed a kiss to his forehead.
“Oi! Potter! Give us a hand over here!” Mary called. James grinned, pressing on his tiptoed, both hands on the countertop on either side of Regulus and pressed a quick kiss to his lips, before leaving to help the girls with the cake batter.
Regulus felt somebody brush against him, he turned to see Sirius sit beside him.
“You two are so gross,” Sirius said, his nose scrunched, but it was obvious he was holding back a smile.
Regulus raised his eyebrow before taking Sirius’ hand and flipping it over, palm side facing upwards, and pointed to the moon phases tattoo Sirius had Regulus do for him with his tattoo gun. “Sure…” Regulus said.
“Oi!” Sirius laughed, pulling his hand back to ruffle Regulus’ hair. “You’re such a git.”
Regulus shrugged, grinning.
“Cakes ready!” They heard James call. They grabbed their wands before finding their friends at the other end on the kitchen.
Regulus laughed at the sight of the cake, a round mess of red and green icing- and a brown mess where they mixed. It was clear from the icing smudged across Barty and James’ face and clothes that the gel fought over whose house deserved the colour. He caught Evan’s eye, who was stood beside a red and green mess of an icing Barty, and he mouthed “don’t even ask”.
Sirius, Regulus, Pandora, Evan, Barty, Remus, Peter, Dorcas, Lily, Marlene and Mary stood before the cake. Pandora gasped “wait! Oh my gods, I need to record this on my digital camera.” She set up the camera and stood back.
They all took turns magicking their own picture or photo.
Lily stepped forward first, grinning back before she turned to the camera. “Right, my names Lily Evans, and- uh- hear me out. Muggle maths, but specifically the quadratic formula,” she showed the camera the formula before sticking it into the cake.
Mary laughed at the sight and Marlene muttered, “bloody hell.”
Lily stood back, making room for Marlene to take her turn.
“Okay, McKinnon- Marlene McKinnon, and my ‘hear me out’ is- well was- dearest Effie-“
James groaned, “No, Marlene, we talked about this!” And a cackle from Barty and Sirius- Marlene continued.
“-but that’s not questionable nor unexpected because she’s hot as fuck- sorry Dorcas baby, you know you’re always my number one,” she winked, “so instead, here’s dearest Minnie at seventeen, quidditch captain many many years ago.”
Sirius and James grabbed the photo to see the woman know as their professor dressed in her quidditch gear and proudly holding a broomstick and a quaffed, before handing it back to Marlene and allowing her to put it on the cake.
There were cackles and laughs as cartoon characters and barbed wire and types of shoes ending up on the cake, and of course, Lightning McQueen, thanks to James, and Nick from Zootopia, because, according to Dorcas, “if you’re drunk and squint, spitting image of McKinnon here.”
“Alright Sirius,” Mary smirked, “you’re turn, we’ve all been waiting to see what fucked up thing you’ve come up with.”
Sirius grinned proudly as he brandished a slightly blurry picture from his pocket and slipped it into the cake.
Peter and James burst out laughing, as Remus spluttered. “Is- is that me?!” He squawked, and Peter and James were doubling over cackling.
“When the moon is full, baby,” Sirius winked.
After a few moments of pure stomach aching laughter, James cleared his throat. “I believe Reggie here is the only one left to show us his.”
Everyone turned to Regulus.
“Get ready to be jealous, Potter,” Barty smirked, elbowing James, ribs.
Silently, Regulus walked up to the camera. “Okay, last one,” he said, pressing the photo into the cake as everybody crowded around to see what he chose.
There was a beat of silence before Peter, Sirius and Remus choked on a laugh before James cried. “Hey! Oi- hey! That’s- that’s my dad!” He pointed at Regulus accusingly.
Regulus smirked. “Oh he’s a daddy alright.”
James’ jaw dropped. “Ew! Ew! Ew! No way you guys are going after my mum and my dad. Ew!”
Barty and Evan were laughing so hard in the corner. Marlene cackled. “Oh Baby Black,” she slung her arm over the shorter boy’s shoulders. “We could totally perform like a reverse- parent trap.”
Regulus laughed and nodded.
James’ jaw dropped even further.
Regulus patted his arm. “It’s alright, Jamie. It’s very comforting to know you’ll be hot in your sixties.”