Pas de Deux

Who knows how long I've loved you?

You know I love you still

Will I wait a lonely lifetime?

If you want me to, I will

March 3rd 2025.

James brought Regulus his special muffins one again, handing him a nice little box right after he arrived for class. Regulus was in a bit of a rush to teach him a few new things, so they got started with barre right away.

“There’s a few bits I might need to correct, just do your thing. I will probably not say anything for a while. I need to observe your technique for a moment.” Regulus took a few steps back, playing the music for James “I might need to explain some of the more advanced things, your placement seems alright for now.” he furrowed his brow slightly, paying close attention to every move James made. 

“You’re stressing me out” James exhaled after finishing the first exercise, sweating already “Has it gotten warmer? It’s so hot in here compared to last week!”

“I’m trying to stress you, also it’s good for your muscles to be warm, you can take off your shirt if you want” Regulus was already starting the music for battements “Try to straighten your knees past their usual maximum, and don’t lean in that much.” Regulus stood up to explain what James needed to do, before hastily taking a seat again.

James wasn't tired from barre this time. He felt like his stamina was increasing slightly, the exercises seemed easier, he didn’t use quite as much energy as usual. 

“Quicker! You have to really hit during frappes!” Regulus clapped his hands together on the beat, telling James to move his legs faster than he would “Now, come on, I know you’re tired, push through” he shouted while using his hands to gesticulate how fast Prongs needed to move his feet. 

While Regulus was explaining the door to the studio opened, James kept doing the exercise until Regulus stopped the music, standing up to greet the person that joined them.

“Hello Minnie! It’s unusual to see you here at this hour, do you need anything?” he said, walking close to Minerva to greet her properly.

“Hello dear, and you James. Sorry for interrupting like this, I would like to see your contemporary routine, the one you showed Poppy the other day. I can’t recall watching you dance it before.”  She nodded quickly to James before telling Regulus what to do. 

“Oh yes sure! Let me find the music!” He looked at his phone, scrolling for a few moments before walking towards James to hand him his phone “Play it for me will you?” he smiled.

Minerva walked around the room as Regulus got to his starting spot. She stood in the middle, studying him carefully. Prongs played the music to hear a song that he absolutely loved. It started out with instrumentals that gave off a feeling of doom, if James had to imagine what dread sounded like, he would probably point out these instrumentals. The lyrics were simple: It feels so good, it feels so good. And right outside the door, nobody knows.They're right outside the door and they don't know. How it feels so good, it feels so good. James did not know the artist that sung it, however he really enjoyed the song. After a short instrumental buildup, there was a sigh along with a violin playing another melody that made you feel ashamed, almost as if you’ve done something wrong. 

James also paid close attention to Regulus’ dancing. He started out with a run, extending his hand out then going in a deep plie in second position. He did a develope with his right leg, tilting to show off his flexibility. Afterwards he fell down, doing a sort of a roll, moving his hands in a captivating way. He hit every beat, every little sound that played while also keeping the choreography very easy to understand. Once a screeching sort of sound began playing he got up with a walkover, jumping to the other side to fall again. Overall the whole choreography was just mesmerizing. The unsettling vibe of the song paired very well with his dancing, his moves were flowy with occasional tricks that blended smoothly with the rest of the routine. His flexibility and movement quality were working together, interpreting the devastating feeling that the music gave off in a perfect way. 

Once the buildup finished, Regulus balanced perfectly in an arabesque, and when the sigh played he fell to the floor, moving even after the fall. Once the instrumentals started descending his moves were rougher, almost as if he was mad, or perhaps fighting off something. Once the artist began singing again, his movement was shaky, every muscle from the tips of his fingers to his toes was trembling, pairing perfectly with the music.

The end was calm and collected, And I don't need anything other than you, was the last line of the song, before he lowered himself to the floor slowly, lifting his hands over his head and laying flat on his back, as if he was going to sleep. Overall James considered the choreography nothing short of perfect. The moves combined with the great choice of music and the message that wasn’t too difficult to understand really demonstrated how much thought he put into this short dance. 

“Pretty good.” Minerva said as Regulus got up to look at her, breathing heavily “Poppy did tell me you did something different than usual, I like the concept.” She had a sort of judging but also  caring look on her face. “I can tell you experimented with new moves this time, there’s a few things I don’t really like.” 

Regulus visibly stiffened as he heard that, getting ready to change whatever part Minerva didn’t like.

“So, just before the arabesque, that jump that you did.” Minerva pointed to where he should go as Regulus did the jump once more.

 It definitely scared James, the he threw himself up really high in the air, not even using his hands as he landed. He just rolled perfectly on the ground, going back up, lifting his leg up in the arabesque quickly.

“I’d rather you do a slow develope , then when the sigh comes just relax everything, then fall.” She lifted her hands just at eye level, sighing, and relaxing them afterwards. 

Regulus backed up a few steps and he did the jump again, landing violently on the floor and getting up the next second. He did just as Minerva asked, and it did look way nicer than before. It was such a small detail and James wouldn’t have noticed it.

“Alright, I’ll talk to Poppy again, just to see how she feels about changing a few other things.” Minerva took a few steps closer to Regulus, who was out of breath, panting. 

“Sorry I’m not warmed up properly.” he said after taking a few deep breaths. Minerva looked at him for a moment before speaking again.

“You’ve lost a little weight, it’s good to know you paid attention to what I said.” she lifted his hand up, taking a better look. “It is visible now, how much do you weigh?” She grabbed his wrist, measuring it with her hand. “Does the costume fit alright? I’m assuming you rehearsed in it once already.”

“Yeah, it’s a bit large at the legs but Albus said he can get it fixed.” Regulus put his hands on his hips, looking a bit stressed now. “Last time I checked it was something around 52 kilograms! Sorry, I’ve been binging a bit lately.” he had a guilty look on his face, staring at his feet.

“No worries, I know you’re disciplined enough to sort things out.” she looked at him knowingly, before smiling again. “Okay then, keep up the good work! Sorry for barging in like this!” Minerva squeezed his shoulder slightly before turning around to leave.

“No worries Minnie, see you!” Regulus smiled as she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. 

He took a few deep breaths, grabbing his water bottle and sitting back down. 

“Shit, sorry I didn’t expect to be dancing this much out of nowhere.” Regulus laid flat on the floor, sweating “I’m going to get all bruised again.” he rubbed a spot on the top of his shoulder, wincing a tad. “Let’s move on! Where were we?” 

“Just finished frappes…” James didn’t know what else he should respond with. He stood in his place, waiting for Regulus to start the music. 

Until his next break Regulus didn’t really say anything, he gave a few corrections but overall they remained in silence until James had the opportunity to strike up a conversation.  

“Come sit!” Regulus invited Prongs to stay next to him while he took a breather before they moved on to center “So you probably figured out I talked to Minnie…” he smiled.

James grabbed his bottle and he sat next to Regulus, leaning on the cold wall. 

“Yes, I really didn’t expect her to remember me, also she said hi so casually? I thought she didn’t know we’re doing this.” James actually wanted to know what Minerva thought of him.

“Well, she doesn’t, technically. But I did tell her how I know you and everything a while ago so I think she sort of anticipated this happening.” Regulus enunciated. “Anyway, she likes you a lot. I’m not sure if it’s because of what I told her about you or because she actually created an opinion of her own but either way, I think we’re on the right track!” 

“What did you tell her about me?” James grinned, feeling sort of glad to hear what Regulus said.

“I’m not telling!” Regulus stood up “C’mon let’s continue.” he changed the subject, standing up again.

James obeyed, walking next to Regulus who was already getting ready to show him something new. 

“So, I did promise I’ll teach you fouette turns.” he explained “Now, there are more types, but generally in ballet, men do the a la seconde version.” Regulus took a few steps to the side, before quickly demonstrating a few. “What’s fun about them is that you get a lot of creative freedom when it comes to the arms, or when to switch to regular turns. However there’s an even longer list for what is not fun about them.” 

James listened carefully, to try to remember any observation Regulus made now so he could correct himself later.

“First of all, they’re considered one of the hardest steps in ballet, some might disagree but I don’t! Learning them is extremely humbling, at first you might feel the need to sort of swim with your arms, at least that’s what it’s called. The hardest part is understanding the hand placement and starting the turn. If you tilt even slightly during your preparation the whole combination is lost and you’re just going to fall.” Regulus’ tone changed completely, it sounded as if he and fouette turns were enemies. 

“Okay enough complaining, how do I do them?” James took matters into his own hands.

“Start in fourth, then instead of lifting your leg up in passe just hold it to the side at ninety degrees.” Regulus was holding his leg up perfectly, keeping his hips even “After one full turn you go down from demi pointe and you open your arms. That’s it! Easy in theory but hard in practice!” 

“I’m actually convinced you’re just dramatic!” James positioned his feet correctly, giving them a go. His hands did feel a bit awkward but not as much as he expected, the turns themselves were fine. He did a few before he started to tilt to the right slightly, that was his sign to stop.

“Not too bad I suppose.” Regulus rolled his eyes, running a hand through his hair. “You’re lucky you’re talented!” he joked. “A few things to pay special attention to. Don’t lower your leg as you open your arms up, it’s supposed to stay at the same height. A lot of people do this and get used to it, I’d rather you do less correct turns instead of a ton of wrong ones! Lift your leg up!” Regulus watched as James quickly did as he was asked. “See how your bottom foot is turned in? That also happens when you go down from the turn! Focus on turning the bottom foot out, the leg that you’re holding up doesn’t have to be perfectly extended to the side!” he kneeled down to adjust James’ heel. 

“They’re really not as hard as you make them seem.” James felt the need to say that.

“How do you know I’m just giving you the most important corrections instead of every single one? Maybe I’m just being nice and you’re actually just crap at ballet!” Regulus suddenly became really serious “Never. Never ever, say something is easy in ballet. Nothing is easy. If Minerva would have heard me say that she might have fired me on the spot. You can’t be full of yourself!” he put an emphasis on every single word, as if it was a life or death situation.

“You’re creeping me out!” James still smiled, not being able to control himself.

“Oh so you find this funny!” Regulus also smiled, switching to a more sarcastic tone. “I hate when Minerva says that she can be so obnoxious sometimes!” he sighed. “Back to turns! Do a few until you exhaust yourself out!” Regulus took a seat to watch James better.

Prongs did the preparation in fourth position, which felt good. He didn’t tilt weirdly when he got up into the turn so he kept going for quite some time. 

“Nice! Really nice!” Regulus was doing some sort of stretching on the floor and he looked hilarious “Now try them on the right!” 

“No please no! At least not today, it’s my first time learning after all! Spare me!” James acted overly dramatic, laying on the floor next to Regulus.

“Fine, there’s not that much time left anyway, we can just talk or something.” Regulus checked his phone, watching James’ expression as he cheered slightly for not having to turn on the right. 

“Don’t you have any variation to rehearse or something? I like watching you dance!” James turned to him, sitting up a bit better.

“I could but Romeo and Juliet has a lot of Pas de Deux or just short dancing fragments, I rehearsed them enough I suppose. I’m just really tired lately.” Regulus said.

James noticed he was rubbing the same spot from earlier, still reacting slightly every time he put a little bit of pressure on his wound. 

“What’s bothering you that much? You won’t stop rubbing  your shoulder!” he addressed the problem.

“That’s just how contemporary is, I’m always bruised and shit. Some hurt more than others, every once in a while I just feel a little bit of pain, fades away pretty quickly though” Regulus shared. 

“Doesn’t that, like, clash with the principles of ballet? Don’t you have to take care of yourself as best as possible?” James really didn’t understand why Regulus was okay with hurting himself this much for a stupid choreography

“Depends, but ballet on its own is already demanding. Some people just get hurt easier than others, I’m pretty skinny so I just bruise easily that’s all!” Regulus cracked his fingers slowly while talking “It’s really not that big of a deal” 

“Do you atleast get checkups often or something?” James was way more worried than he should have been. “Those jumps you did were pretty scary, high risk of paralysis” 

“Well now you’re just being dramatic.” Regulus kicked his leg playfully “I’m fine I’ve been doing this for my whole life. There’s nothing to worry about.” he assured James.

“So, when are you free to come over again? I just can’t wait to have you watch Fantastic Mr. Fox!” James was already opening up his calendar app, just to find a date that worked for the both of them.

“Well, after the performance on the 14th I’m free for a few days, maybe sometime around then?” Regulus stretched his legs out in front of him, taking his time to think about his schedule “I’m free from as soon as I finish performing” 

James had an idea, he wasn’t sure if it was the best but it seemed fun enough for him.

“How about after the show? If you haven’t already made any sort of plans yet…” Prongs suggested.

“Yeah I like that actually! Works well with me!” Regulus turned to James, smiling brightly. 

“It’s settled then, can’t wait.” James sat up a bit better, unaware of how he was fidgeting with his shirt. The following week will most definitely be exhausting for him, but also fun!

Regulus reached for his water bottle to take a sip, before taking a confused look at it.

“Shit I ran out of water.” he turned the bottle upside down, shaking it just to be sure “Damn it.” 

“Here, you can have some of mine.” James grabbed his water quickly, placing it in front of Regulus “I don’t drink that much anyway.” 

Regulus stared at him for a moment, before silently grabbing it and taking a few sips. They sat in silence before Regulus spoke again: 

“We should probably go, time for the actual class.” Regulus stood up to arrange his clothes a tad before gathering all of his things to switch rooms. 

James nodded and waited for Regulus to finish packing up, since he had a lot more stuff laying around then Prongs did. They left together, walking slowly to the other practice room.

“So, what’s your all time favourite food!” Prongs wanted to have some sort of conversation on their way there, even though it was just a short walk down the corridor.

“Haven’t you asked me this before? I’m not sure actually” Regulus stopped walking to think “I really don’t eat lots of things, I’m really picky.” he squinted, staring at the wall next to James “Yeah no I have no idea.” he furrowed his brow, still pondering on the question. 

“Okay then fine, favourite dessert.” James sighed, switching up the question.

“Those muffins you make are spectacular, I’m not even exaggerating. I literally didn’t even like sweets until I tried them, I still can’t figure out what changed” he turned to James.

“They can’t be that good, surely there’s something you like better.” James was flattered but he also couldn’t really believe it.

“No not really, I’ve also been refusing to try a lot of things so maybe that’s why, dunno” Regulus started walking again, holding the door to the studio open as James walked in. 

“Okay what about your favourite ice cream flavour?” James asked, “Mine’s mint chocolate chip!” Prongs firmly believed that telling someone you enjoy this flavour was risky. The world is split into two categories, mint ice cream enjoyers and mint ice cream haters. 

“Solid choice, I really like pistachio. I refuse to eat any other, it’s just so perfectly balanced. Not too sweet but not too bland either, the flavour is still there while it’s not overwhelming you, plus it’s not too rare so you can still find it fairly easy and it doesn’t have as many calories as chocolate or strawberry ice cream!” he nodded to other people waiting as they walked inside the practice room, placing his things down next to the mirror, signaling for James to do the same. 

“What about a flavour you absolutely despise in literally anything. If it’s flavoured that way then you hate it.” James continued on.

“Grape. I like grapes, only the green ones though, but anything with the artificial flavour tastes so bad, it feels like I'm eating chemicals. I hate it.” Regulus stuck his tongue out. “You?” 

“Cherry. Definitely. All things cherry flavoured are so pungent, in a bad way of course. If I had to imagine what the contagious care unit in hospitals would taste like I’d say cherry. That’s just how my brain connects those two.” 

“That’s…unusual.” Regulus side-eyed him sarcastically, laughing and furrowing his brows. “I hate grapefruit. I feel like pomegranates and grapefruits should switch names, no further explanation.” 

James took a bit of time to think about Regulus’ statement before deciding that he agrees. 

“Everyone’s here, go to your spot. I think we should start.” Regulus whispered before taking a quick look at his phone. 

Prongs got ready to do the barre for the second time that day, and though he didn’t mind it he would be lying if he said he didn’t find class a bit boring now. He much preferred his time alone with Regulus, mostly because it felt a bit more challenging. Everyone else in this class didn’t care quite as much as he did, so the level was just incredibly low. He obviously didn’t consider himself better than anyone or something, but James Potter always preferred to be around those who are much better than him at something. His favourite slogan was “being around smart people is a privilege, use it to your advantage” , he heard it in a show once and ever since then he has been saying it obsessively. Why would he want to be the best in the class when he can be the worst and learn from those around him? 

“Today I will be teaching a new step. It's a jump called assemblé!” Regulus did a small demonstration that James didn’t quite understand “Split into the two groups that Minerva placed you in last time, same spots. I will be teaching them separately. Group one!” he shouted, studying James slightly as he took his spot in the center.

Everyone waited in silence for Regulus to show the new element. James noticed that Regulus seemed a bit scarier in class, maybe more intimidating. When they were alone he was just playful and sarcastic, here he had a completely different energy.

“So, the movement itself isn’t too hard to understand, I expect you to learn this quickly. Let’s start in fifth position with your left leg in the front.” Regulus turned around to make sure everyone did as he asked “I said left leg front, not right.” he conveyed to one of the girls in the group. “With the right leg in this case, generally the one in the back, you do a sort of jete, stopping it mid air. While doing that the standing leg plies slightly.” Regulus showed the movement slowly, his leg muscles showing off as he supported his weight perfectly “once your leg is in the air you jump, closing fifth position with this leg in the front. I want you to focus on turning out and squeezing your legs together tightly!” He showed them the jump once more, this time a bit faster. “Let’s give it a go, take a few steps back so you can have space.” 

The two lines moved backwards as Regulus stood his ground to look at them. James was pretty anxious to learn a new jump, he didn’t want to mess it up. 

“Keep your arms in bras bas for now.” Regulus waited for a moment for everyone to get in positions “And, one.” he clapped his hands together as the first group did the first jump. “Good, keep going.” 

James discovered that assemblé was actually a very fun jump. He had enough strength to really push himself of of the floor so he had enough time to squeeze his legs together as Regulus asked. 

“Close your legs quicker, don’t wait for the one doing the jete to lower until you bring the other one next to it.” Regulus looked at James as he passed by, doing a little movement with his hands to help him understand the correction.

After a few more jumps, until they eventually got really close to the mirror, Regulus let them take a break while he moved on to the second group. Just like Minerva, Regulus spent a lot more time teaching the second group, nearly snapping at them a few times. James had a fun time watching him scold them, he liked this other version of Regulus, maybe because he didn’t get to see it often. 

“No no absolutely not! Are we not all adults here? What do you find so hard to understand about this jump? Even the little kids in baby ballet can figure this out faster than you do!” he shouted, pacing around the room running a hand through his hair “I can’t even explain it more than this, you literally just jump!” he rolled his eyes, sighing. “One more time c’mon, we’re moving on to turns after.” 

James rested while Regulus finished his attempt at making the second group understand the new jump, trying to not be too excited about turns being the next part of class. 

“Group one, time for turns! Same exercise that you did with Minerva last time, I’ll play music, please try to not fall behind!” He suddenly became nicer again, James noticed Regulus looking at him as he got ready to do the exercise, he felt just as nervous as he did when he had class with Minerva. 

James listened to the music carefully, taking his time to understand when each movement should be done. After figuring it out he focused only on the quality of his turns, landing a very disappointing double on the right. He felt rather ashamed so he avoided Regulus’ eyes as he did the preparation for the en dedans turn. He already knew it would be good, the way his feet turned out perfectly and his arms and hips were even, he knew he would be able to land a nice one. 

“I appreciate you doing quads but if you don't speed them up a bit you’re going to fall behind on the music.” Regulus walked past him, leaning in to whisper before quickly moving on. He didn’t even give James a chance to respond. 

Once it was time to turn to the left again, James really thought about Regulus’ words, trying to gain more momentum. He knew Regulus was watching him, he was at the front of the room, studying everyone’s movements. James could feel his eyes on him. He closed his arms a bit quicker this time, gaining great balance on his standing leg. He spotted for each turn, standing up with his back perfectly straight and holding his passe high. In the small count that he had, James managed to count six entire pirouettes. He decided he wanted to be cool and mysterious, so instead of looking at Regulus to see what he thought, Prongs continued the exercise in silence, acting like nothing had happened. 

Regulus spent the last minutes of class struggling with the second group, shouting at them again. He told everyone they can leave afterwards, doing a little bow just like Minerva did last time. Once the room emptied a bit he called James over with a knowing look. 

Prongs took his time, waiting for the last few people to leave until he actually approached Regulus. 

“You might just be a genius, did you know that?” Regulus leaned on the barre, grinning slightly. 

“Yeah I think I do, you told me to turn quicker so I just did as you asked.” James shrugged, purposely acting like it isn’t that big of a deal.

“Are you trying to get me to praise you?” Regulus smiled, immediately understating what James was doing “Seven whole pirouettes, that really was impressive. I can’t recall the last time I did that many myself.” Regulus took a step closer, staring at James. 

“Wait really? Seven? I counted six!” James suddenly smiled so widely that all of his teeth were visible, maybe for the average person one pirouette didn’t make that much of a difference, but for dancers it’s a whole other story. “I really am brilliant!” 

“Yeah, you are.” Regulus smiled softly, turning to pack up his things. 

“So, back to our very intelligent conversation that we had before class! What’s your favourite composer?” James liked asking small fun questions. 

“Do you really like small talk this much? It’s probably Camille Saint-Saëns, I’ve choreographed to some of his pieces, truly a genius!” Regulus looked up at James, who already finished packing up. “Yours?”

“Liszt! He has the most fun pieces, I love playing Dante Sonata, probably one of the only piano songs I still remember how to play! I also like Chopin, especially his Waltz in C sharp minor, it’s such a romantic piece! I want to play it for someone I truly like one day” James hadn't played the piano in a while, since he hadn’t had the chance to buy one for his apartment yet, nevertheless he occasionally visited his parents to practice. 

“You play the piano? Shut up, I had no idea!” Regulus looked at him all surprised. 

“Yeah, I started in high school and I practiced obsessively! I’m trying to convince my parents to let me move the one at their place in my apartment, I have plenty of space for it! They say the neighbours won’t stand it but I really couldn’t care less!” he never actually thought about his neighbours when it came to doing anything, all he cared about was his comfort and his comfort only. His parents own the most beautiful Steinway, the Mona Lisa of pianos, he just needed to have it. “Now it’s your turn to ask me something fun!” 

“Oh well I don't know what other secret talents do you possess that I don’t know about?” Regulus just finished packing everything up, standing up and taking a moment to think as James listened carefully. 

“I’m really good at folding clothes! Like really good, I was pissed during college since they always ended up all wrinkled so I mastered how to fold them properly and now I can do it with no problem!” James thought this was a pretty fun talent to bring up “Oh and also I’m great at cooking but I’m always too lazy to actually buy groceries so most of the time I just eat out.”

“I can’t fold clothes for the life of me, I just lay them on a chair and pray they don’t end up looking too bad!” Regulus opened the door, taking out the keys to close it behind him “I’m in charge of locking up today!” He jingled the keys as James waited for him to close the door. 

They walked out quickly, James held the door open for Regulus like the true old fashioned gentleman that he is. 

“I’m so glad spring is back, I love spring.” Regulus looked around, admiring the little trees around them that started to grow some leaves again.

They said their goodbyes, walking in opposite directions again. 

*

*

*

March 8th 2025

James arrived extra early for Remus’ birthday party to make sure every little detail was correct. Him and Sirius would arrive somewhere around 5PM, Padfoot said that he’d tell Moony that Lily asked them to bring over some tupperware she had given them some time ago that she desperately needed, which wasn’t really a lie so Remus would be able to believe it. 

James discussed  everything with Mary and Lily, making sure that it was all perfect. His big gift of the 20 part Oxford Dictionary was laid out among the others, looking like a huge tower. He wrapped the books nicely, in a way that would take Remus a bit of time to figure out what his gift was. After everyone arrived they all got in positions to wait for the last two, Padfoot and Moony.

“I think he’ll enjoy the party more than the presents.” Marlene said, already smoking something.

“Actually, I think he’ll enjoy my present plenty!” James felt rather offended at her affirmation, he put a lot of thought and money in his gift.

“Well, yes, but you spent like one grand on it! Of course he’ll enjoy it!” Peter, who was playing a chess match with Lily, remarked. 

“I got him a bunch of cigarettes and a really fancy wine! I think I know him best!” Lily bragged, fluttering her eyelashes sarcastically. 

“Anyway, Peter, how’s you and that guy… I forgot his name?” Dorcas asked while rubbing her hands together. She has been talking a lot recently about how dry her hands have become since she’s started going to med school.

“Gilderoy, he’s great. We’ve gotten a bit more serious, since some time has passed.” He said shyly, without making eye contact with anyone. 

“When will we get to meet him?” Marlene turned her head as she heard that “I want to find out if he really is a snob or not!” 

“He definitely is!” Dorcas laughed.

“Shit shut up you guys!” Lily quieted them down “They’re here!” she whispered. 

Just after a moment the doorbell rang, Sirius’ and Remus’ voices could be heard outside. Lily shushed them once more, telling them to stay in the living room as she rushed to let Sirius and Remus in. 

“Hello Lily! We’ve brought you these back, there’s quite a few, think we can leave them somewhere?” Sirius’ voice could be heard slightly. 

“Oh yes, the living room is fine! Come on in!” she invited them in, her footsteps could be heard as she walked back in the room. 

Lily came back with a grin on her face, Sirius following suit. Remus was left a bit behind, since he’s been walking a bit slower lately. 

“Happy birthday Remus!” they all shouted as he walked in, visible shock shown on his face. 

“Oh shut the fuck up! This was the last thing I expected!” He froze in the doorway for a moment, before walking closer to where all of his friends were waiting for him. “You lot are great at surprises.” he hugged each one of them, not knowing what else to say.

James liked parties like these, where everyone was happy, with a reason to celebrate. 

“I thought you said we’ll celebrate exactly on my birthday!” he looked at Padfoot, who was smiling uncontrollably.

“Well of course, I’m taking you somewhere! I’ve already discussed with your professors and everything!” he proudly said. 

“Come on Moony sit down, you’ve got presents to open!” Marlene’s warm tone invited him on the couch, where lots of presents were previously laid out by James. 

“How many times do I have to tell you guys I don’t need anything!” he looked at every single one, picking a few up to shake “I feel so bad getting all of these things!”

“Well it’s not like we get you actual useful stuff, if you were to only receive things you needed, presents wouldn't be fun at all!” Lily sat up to hand him the present she bought “Here, start with this one! It’s fun I swear!”

Remus accepted the brown paper bag she handed him, closing his eyes as he reached inside. After a bit of rummaging, he furrowed his brows looking confused.

“What the hell is in here-” he looked inside “Cigarettes! Oh dear, how many did you even buy!” his face lit up, happiness radiating off of him “And wine! Two bottles! Lily dear I believe you’ve won this year, I can’t picture a gift better than this!” He hugged her tightly, smiling brightly as he put the bag down, moving on to the next.

“What’s this huge tower of wrapping paper? Who got me this one?” he pointed to James’ gift.

“I did! Leave it last please!” Prongs responded, reminding Remus of all the other gifts he should open before his. 

Dorcas and Marlene got him a typewriter, not those modern day ones, those actual old and beautiful looking typewriters. Remus was thrilled, admiring every little detail on it. 

“It’s got the old mechanisms too! Where did you even find this? Í’ve been wanting one since forever!” He turned it around in his hands a few times, noticing the little keycaps that no keyboard has.

Peter bought him a trench coat, one that Remus has been admiring for a lot of time now. He figured that since spring was around the corner a trench would be very fit. Remus appreciated every single gift enormously. Mary said her gift hadn't arrived yet, however she handed Moony a sticky note with something written on it, letting only him read it. Remus whistled as he read the note, hugging Mary and whispering something in her ear. 

“Time for the big one! What could you have possibly got me?” Remus tried to lay down the huge tower of wrapping paper, to unbox it easier. It was about ⅔ of his height, just enough to make it really challenging to open. 

Once Remus managed to tear through the three strategically placed layers of wrapping paper, he saw the books. But he didn’t figure out what they were yet since James had protected each one individually. Remus grabbed the first one, tearing away at the scotch with his teeth so he could open it faster. He read the title quickly before shouting something and jumping in James’ arms, hugging him tightly.

“The OED! There’s no way this thing is like one grand!” He looked at the cover with a proud look on his face “My professors are going to be so jealous! Oh they’re so beautiful! I’m going to cherish these forever! This might just be my favourite birthday yet!” Remus almost cried as he looked around the room at every single gift that he just opened. “I love you lot so much, I hope you know that!” he blinked hastily to not let actual tears form “I have no idea what I did to deserve this much!”

“Well you’re our Moony!” Peter said, smiling widely at him. 

“I’ll bring out the food! Let’s actually get the party started now!” James walked towards the kitchen with Lily to bring out all of the trays of takeout that they prepared. James ordered every single meal that Remus showed even slight interest in these past few years. 

*

“Let’s play truth or drink!” Marlene shouted, lighting up a joint. 

“We totally should!” Remus sat down next to her, still having cake on his nose from when they ate his usual four flavour birthday cake. “Everyone gather round you have to do as I say its my birthday party!” he clapped as everyone sat down in a circle. Lily brought a few bottles of alcohol and everyone had their own shot glass. 

“I’ll start!” Sirius announced “Let’s spin a bottle or something to decide who we get to question!” He got up to look around for a bottle that wasn’t glass.

“Here I have one!” Peter handed him an empty water bottle. 

“Okay let’s see!” Sirius spun the bottle around a few times, and coincidentally the cap landed right in front of James. “Perfect! Let me think!” Sirius seemed puzzled by what question he should ask until his eyes suddenly widened, “James Fleamont Potter, is it true you enjoy spending time with Regulus outside of ballet class?” he smirked knowingly, waiting for James to answer.

Prongs had always liked being honest. He rolled his eyes before uttering a quick.

“Fine, you got me. Yeah, I do enjoy spending time with him!” He said, as Marlene and Mary looked at each other doing a very exaggerated gasp. “Oh please it’s not that big of a deal!” he laughed. 

“Ok who’s next?” Dorcas picked up the bottle to give to Lily “Here!” 

Lily spun the bottle, giving it very poor momentum. It landed on Peter.

“Wormtail, my friend! Is it true that all you and Gilderoy did at first was shag?” Lily asked, still keeping her usual innocent expression. 

Peter looked her dead in the eye as he filled his shot glass, downing it so quickly he almost choked. 

“It’s definitely true given how he reacted” Remus winked.

*

After a lot more drinking they all settled for watching a movie, and after careful consideration they landed on Call Me by Your Name, a movie they have seen about two times before and that the entire group really liked. James has read the book too, and from his perspective the movie was a bit weird. The way it was portrayed through Elio’s eyes made it seem like a wonderful love story, when in reality the older guy was just a pedofile. He didn’t fully grasp the love his friends had for the movie but he nevertheless really enjoyed watching it. 

Eventually everyone fell asleep, James being one of the last, since he waited till the movie fully ended.