Kings & Birthdays
November 3rd, 1971
Ever since he was rejected from the quidditch team, James had been fuming. It was either moping at the sight of the big field through the window or whining whenever he read the quidditch pamphlets. But that day, he seemed to forget about the game. He was happy again; back to laughing and grinning. Maybe he was even happier than usual.
But when Sirius found the olive-skinned boy sitting and grinning over a few books and parchment, grinning over charms homework of all things, he knew something was wrong. And then he laughed. About charms homework. That was the last straw.
“Oi!” he called out. “Why are you so giddy?”
“I was just thinking,” he said, the mischievous smile already breaking onto his face and all thoughts of homework forgotten. “How would you like to see Snape in a mohawk?”
He laughed out loud at that. He could picture Snape’s greasy hair glued up into a bunch of spikes across his head. He grinned. “And how would we do that?”
“Spike his shampoo, of course.”
“I think you're forgetting how shit you are at potions, mate,” he said with a laugh, thinking back to when James accidentally added an ingredient that wasn’t even on the list and then proceeded to stir the cauldron clockwise instead of counterclockwise, turning the potion from the purple it was supposed to be to a sickening yellow colour. It was safe to say there were many explosions that day.
But James wasn’t fazed by the jab. “I think you're forgetting that Lily Evans is my soon-to-be girlfriend.”
He laughed even harder. “Evans is never going to help you. You’re pranking her best-friend.”
He winked at Sirius. “Not if I convince her.”
“You mean you’re going to trick her into unknowingly brewing a potion for our prank?”
He grinned. “You know me too well.”
They fell into step with Evans. She scoffed once she found that the boys were on either side of her. “What do you want?”
After their last two classes—which seemed to drag on forever—the two boys came
“Well-” James began, but his smirk was already shining through and he was a terrible actor.
“Listen, Ev- Lily, I’m really sorry for the whole Snape thing,” he put on his best remorseful look. That one had almost worked on his mother. “I really didn’t mean anything more than a practical joke. But I guess it escalated and- anyways, I really need a favour.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Like hell I’ll give you a favour.”
He averted his eyes and attempted his very best disappointed look. “I just- I’m really struggling in potions and I’m trying to catch up with the rest. I’m trying to be better.”
Evans seemed to soften at that. “Fine. But no more pranks,” she said. And with a small smile she added, “and you owe me.”
He grinned at her. “You betcha.”
Sirius shuddered. The potions classroom looked scarily like his house at Grimmauld in the dark. With the black brick walls and darkness enveloping them, monsters at every shadowed corner. He was sure James’s hand on his was the only thing keeping him there, lest he’ll drift away to some dark corner of his mind and never return again.
“Alright, Black?” she asked as the lights flickered on.
He gave her what he hoped was a hesitating smile. “Just nervous about my first attempt, is all.”
“Don’t worry,” she said. And before he knew it, a cauldron was put before him. “It’s quite simple once you get the hang of it.”
The room looked a lot less like his house with the lights on. It looked more like the small potions room from school, with the green lights and spare cauldrons where Slughorn would talk their ears off about noblemen he knew and the functions he attended. He seemed to make it a goal to attend as many functions with as many noble people as he could. Sirius couldn’t imagine why. They were all awfully boorish.
“What potion are you trying to make?” she asked.
James’s eyes widened at this. It seemed he didn’t have a brilliant plan to get out of this one. He sighed. “I’m trying to make a hair-changing shampoo,” he told her. And when she gave him a suspicious look, he quickly added, “Pete’s hair is thinning around the middle parts. Nasty condition, inherited from his grandfather. Makes it so there’s this kind of thick, weirdly mohawk shaped gap. He’s really upset.”
Her brow raised. “And why wouldn’t he come to me himself?”
The truth was that Peter didn’t want to take part in tricking Evans, a girl he considered a friend, into pranking her own best friend. But he wouldn’t say that. “It’s.. It’s a sensitive subject for him.”
“Yeah,” James added. “Best not to mention it.”
He hoped his blonde-haired friend would forgive them for throwing him under the bus. In their defence, Evans accepted their answer with a nod. “Alright. Fine. For Peter. First, we need to add three chopped frogs legs.”
Sirius scrunched his nose in disgust. “Why do we need frog legs to change shampoo?”
“Because it creates the chemical reaction needed to change his hair, obviously.” She said the words with such poise, as if he was supposed to know all of that. He fought the urge to scoff, but refrained. She was just a muggle-born, after all. Not to mention a girl. Besides, they needed her for the prank. Once he was finished, he’d never have to speak to the nerdy girl at all.
Reluctantly, he popped the chopped legs into the cauldron, along with a few powders that for the life of him Sirius couldn’t recognize.
“You honestly don’t know what this is?” she asked incredulously.
He shook his head. “No idea.”
“Pearl dust!” she exclaimed. “Slughorn told us about it yesterday! One of the key components in amortentia, remember?”
“Not a clue.”
“I can’t believe you.” She facepalmed. “Do you ever listen to Professor Slughorn?”
He tried to keep from groaning in annoyance at the girl. “C’mon Eva- Lily, I’m trying to be better, your chastising really isn’t helping.”
“Fine.”
As much as she was an annoyance, Sirius had to admit she was good at potions. She knew exactly what to put inside and when, timing exactly when and how to stir it. He was horrified when he’d thought the girl had reminded him a bit of his younger brother. Regulus always had a passion for potions. He couldn’t help but think the two would become friends once he was sorted into Gryffindor.
“Now add some fish scales,” she told James.
He grinned at her. “My pleasure, dear.”
“I’ll kill you.”
“That isn’t fair, James wouldn’t be able to hit back!” Sirius protested.
“Right you are.” He put his arms behind his back, his grin unfaltering under her stern glare. “I don’t hit girls.”
“Fine, then.” She threw the scales at him, making him double over in pain. “I guess you’ll just have to take the hits.”
By the time they were finished and the potion was safely stored in the vial, sunset fell onto the grounds and James was covered in bruises. “Here’s your potion. And tell Peter he has nothing to be ashamed of.”
James laughed at that, and then winced as another fish scale came flying at him. “Ouch!” he yelped. “Remind me never to mess with you, Evans.”
“Damn right,” she said. “Now piss off. If I’m going to have to deal with you asking me out for the fifth time tomorrow I’m going to need to get some sleep.”
The olive skinned boy took the vial with a grin. “Of course, Evans. You wouldn’t be a princess without your beauty sleep, would you?”
“I’m not a princess,” she told him.
“Sure you are,” he said, a wide grin playing on his lips. He wasn’t used to speaking to Lily Evans. “You’re pretty, you’re smart, and nothing if not powerful.”
“Princesses don’t do anything. They don’t wield any power. They get married off or sold to rich princes.” The look she sent James was almost stony; devoid of any amusement that might’ve lingered before. “Call me King.”
James and Sirius left that room doubling over with laughter. “King,” Sirius said, trying his hardest—and failing—to muffle his laughter. “Are you really going to call her that?”
“You know I’d do anything for Evans,” he said. “Or, should I say, King Evans.”
He laughed. “But she’s a girl.”
“Who cares?” he asked, and Sirius could already see the dopey grin spreading on his face. “King or queen, she’ll always be my beloved.”
He slapped the olive-skinned boy on the back. “Snap out of it, mate. We still need to get to the dorms and wrap the vial in some fancy shampoo bottle.”
“Wait.” His eyes widened. “What time is it?”
He looked out the window. The sun was painted in orange and blue. “Almost sunset, why?”
He looked a little dazed. “Nothing, I thought I had detention.”
“King Evans must really be doing a number on you,” he said with a grin. “But now we need to head back to the dorms.”
He pulled out a small bundle of what looked like cloth out of his pocket as they rounded the corner. When he splayed it on the floor, it seemed a lot larger; suddenly able to fit the vial and the empty shampoo bottle. “I actually brought the wrapping paper here. Loony helped me cast an extension charm.”
Sirius felt a spark of excitement in his chest. “He’s back?”
Remus hadn’t been in the common room the last few days, and despite their newfound friendship, he still disappeared every now and then, and still persisted to not share a thing.
James shook his head sadly, and disappointment rooted in his chest. “He helped with the wrapping paper two days ago but I haven’t seen him since.”
He spread the wrapping paper across the empty table.
“Why would you bring it here? You know, we could’ve gotten it from the dorms?”
He shrugged. “Peter wanted to study so he kicked me out. Besides, I figured it would be easier since the Great Hall is closer. So we could place the gift here.”
“That’s actually smart,” he said, feigning surprise. “I didn’t think you were capable.”
“Oh shove off.”
They wrapped the shampoo bottle in the green wrapper, now containing a vile of hair-changing essence. They placed it on the place that Snape usually sat, both laughing.
He didn’t know why he was laughing.
Maybe it was at the thought of Snape with a mohawk or if it was just an olive-skinned boy’s contagious laugh claiming another victim.
When they were certain no one noticed their act, they walked up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room, their laughter bubbling off the walls and matching smiles on both of their faces.
☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆
When Sirius Black entered the common room, the last thing he expected to see was the entirety of the first year Gryffindors greeting him. Lily and Mary and Marlene and people he didn’t even recognize flooded the room.
“Surprise!”
He whipped around to the olive-skinned boy, who’s grin only grew wider. “Happy birthday, mate!”
Finally, he felt his lips growing into a smile too. A warm feeling spread inside him as he looked at all of his best friends; a growing excitement rising inside him. He felt it in his whole body, from the pounding of his heart and the grin that he was sure would stay on his face forever.
“What’s this music?” he asked excitedly, noticing the pleasant buzz of music in the background. It was nothing like all the classical music he’d heard at home. It was buzzing; happy and alive and probably his new favourite song.
“Some bloke called Bowie,” Peter called with a wide smile on his face. “He’s brilliant. Lupin might be a Loony, but he has a great taste in music.”
He found himself grinning at the thought of his chestnut haired friend. “Loony’s back?”
And then he heard that strange accented voice again. “Wouldn’t miss your birthday.”
Remus was standing near a machine propped on one of the bedside tables from the common room. On it was a round, thin black disk, spinning like a slow-dancer. Maybe it was just the bright lighting illuminating him, but his face seemed pale. Remus smiled at him. “D’you like it?”
He grinned. “I love it.”
Two of the studying tables were moved from their places to the back of the room and turned into something of a snack booth. His eyes widened as he saw the large assortment of treats and foods piled onto the table. It was as if they had taken all of the candies from the trolley on the train and a load of desserts from dinner and combined them into a giant table of goods. For once, he was grateful that he missed dinner.
The rest of the evening was spent chatting and dancing to the music. It turned out that the machine that Remus was using was called a ‘record player’, and Mary had brought it from home.
Once stomach was full with sweets and his sides ached with laughter he wandered over to the boy near the record player. The boy hadn’t moved from his position since Sirius got there.
“Why aren’t you dancing?” he asked.
His smile faded a little. “I’m a bit ill.”
“Oh,” he said. “Are you contagious?”
The strange boy winced. “No.”
“Alright then,” he said, his voice turning merry as he spotted James dancing near the snack table. “I’ll be off, now.”
The olive skinned boy stood in front of the big wooden table, chugging energy drinks like they were firewhisky. They were a special mix that Marlene made so Sirius was genuinely beginning to fear for the boy’s sanity.
“Where were you?” James asked excitedly. Only on the first day of school, Sirius discovered that when the olive-skinned boy had a lot of sugar, he had a high of sorts. He began talking animatedly with big expressions and frantic hand movements. It was quite amusing, really. “I’ve been looking for you forever.”
“I was talking with Loony. I think he’s sick.”
James considered this for a moment. “I suppose he did seem a bit off in the morning.”
But it seemed he didn’t give the chestnut-haired boy another thought because James was soon staring happily at something in the distance. When Sirius followed his gaze, he saw that they were glued onto the red-haired girl. He rolled his eyes. The girl was chatting with Remus and Mary and another girl he didn’t recognize in the corner.
“She’s just a girl,” he said. He didn’t know what it was about Lily that appealed to him so much. “What’s so good about a girl, anyway?”
But James didn’t snap out of his girl-crazy haze. “She’s a king.”
He sighed. “Right.”
He took that as a cue to dive back into the crowd. “See you later, James.”
People he didn’t even know wished him a happy birthday and Sirius was kind of enjoying it. When he wasn’t attending a stuffy function with a stuffy suit, he found he enjoyed it when all the eyes were on him. He liked being in the spot-light and dancing on tables and he was finally free. He loved the buzzing noise of genuine laughter and chatter and dancing. He loved the candy he’d never gotten to eat at his parents house and the muggle music he’d never gotten to listen to.
“Who’s ready to party?”
Everyone cheered. Especially Gid and Fab. He spotted the red-haired twins standing amongst the crowd and grinned. “Let’s make some noise!”
If Gryffindor was good at something, it was making noise, and so that’s what they did. The crowd erupted with cheers and incoherent yelling. He basked in it. He loved the yelling and the noise and the laughter. It ignited a fire in him; a spark that flamed inside him. But most importantly, it made him feel alive.
“It’s time for cake!” someone announced. James strode over with a giant platter in his hands. He carried it with Gid and Fab, the twins wearing matching grins.
He’d never had any good cake for his birthday. Only the same old tiramisu. But this cake was big; it was bold and it had words frosted on it.
Happy birthday Sirius.
He grinned so wide he thought his mouth would split open. It was a chocolate cake, his favourite flavour. And it had red and gold frosting, his favourite colours.
“How did you guys pull this off?”
James grinned. “Mary got a record player.. Dunno how she got them.. Bloody brilliant. And it turns out Pete knows a thing or two about food.”
He beamed. The cake was delicious, gooey and fudgy and melted on his tongue. Maybe it was the noise, or the warmth he felt surrounded in a party just for him, but the food tasted better than usual. The sun inside him was brighter than ever, shining on his face.
He melted into the moment; he became one with the noise and the crowd. He was no longer a boy of monsters and cold. He was no longer the boy of the bruises. He was the crowd; he was the warmth; he was everything he wanted to be.