You make the Rocking World go round
From when they had arrived at Hogwarts to the time for the third task, it was early March and Sirius just found out it was Remus’s 18th birthday in three days.
“You couldn’t have told me weeks ago! I only have three days to plan your party!” Sirius explained to Remus who looked tired and was reading a book in the Gryffindor Common Room.
“Please stop Sirius, I don’t need a party. I need to focus on the next task and so far I have nothing.”
Sirius sighed and sat next to his boyfriend.
Since their declarations, they had been very open. The boys held hands in the halls and played with each others clothes. They kissed all the time and have gotten used to their friends yelling at them to find a room. It was marvellous and Sirius wouldn’t change it for the world. Although the smirks and winks the Durmstrang students give Remus was an annoying reminder that no one knew this was real.
At least Regulus was happy for him, he and Remus had been speaking Welsh together. It filled Sirius’s heart with warmth to see his brother being so open with his partner. Merlin knows what they talk about but they smile and laugh a lot so it must be good.
Suffragette City started playing on a record player belonging to a fifth year. Sirius nodded along to the words and shimmied his shoulders towards Remus.
Remus laughed and put his book down to smile at him as Sirius got up to dance.
Oh don't lean on me man, 'cause you can't afford the ticket
I'm back on Suffragette City
Oh don't lean on me man
'Cause you ain't got time to check it
You know my Suffragette City
Is outta sight she's all right
Sirius sung along, his pale blue blazer was open and he was in long pants today. He held his hands out for Remus and he took them. The fifth years that were studying saw them dancing and whooped at them, some getting up to dance.
Don't lean on me man "cause you ain't got time to check it
You know my Suffragette City
Is outta sight she's all right
Sirius spun Remus was around and the tall boy had to duck to get under his arm. They laughed and some more students came to join in the dancing. The boys held hands and Remus copied Sirius’s feet as he moved them on the ground.
I'm back on Suffragette City, I'm back on Suffragette City
Ooo, Sufraggete city, ooo, Suffragette City
Oooh-how, Sufragette City, oooh-how, Sufragette City
Ohhh, wham bam thank you ma'am
“You’re so stupid!” Remus laughed as Sirius wormed his arms.
“It’s called dancing, Moony. You should try it.”
“I can put my foot on the top of your head if I wanted.”
“Gotta see to believe.” Sirius sing-songed, he felt a weight on his crown and realised Remus had actually put his foot on his head.
“I fucking love your legs.” He said over the music, rubbing Remus’s ankle that was on his forehead.
“So weird.” Remus joked as he put his foot down and pulled Sirius closer. David Bowie changing to a different artist.
Oh you gonna take me home tonight
Oh down beside that red fire light
Oh you gonna let it all hang out
Fat-bottomed girls you make the rocking world go round
“I hate this song.” Sirius stated as they started swaying to this song.
“It’s new isn’t it? A Queen one.”
Sirius nodded, “Some gits at my school played it whenever Lil’s entered a room. I taught them a lesson or two about human decency.”
“Did you break their noses?” Remus chuckled, stroking Sirius’s brow.
“More like put termites in their bed sheets and replaced conditioner with Veet.” He shrugged with a smug grin.
“So creative, yet so effective.”
“You sound surprised.”
“They’re such childish things to do but they get the job done.”
“Is that, dare I say, pride?” Sirius gasped in feigned shock.
Remus sighed. “Don’t tell Marlene, she’d freak out.”
“Too late, this is something we must celebrate.”
“Nooo. I just told you I didn’t want a birthday party.”
“But we have too. We celebrated mine!” Sirius tried to keep the pleading from his voice.
“That’s you, I don’t like loud noises and being reminded I’m one year closer to death.” Remus deadpanned.
“Well with that mindset anyone would.”
“I quite like my mindset. People with my furry problem don’t get a long and free life like you’d get. I’m going to die young you know? If not from the pain of transformations then from the ministry.”
“It’s painful?” Sirius asked in a small voice.
“It’s fine, Padfoot. I’ve lived with it for so long I can barely feel it.”
Sirius knew that was a lie. He saw the transformation and that agonising scream that haunts his dreams is enough to make anyone feel Remus’s pain.
“How about a small party, with just the Marauders and the girls. If you want any of your friends to come then we’ll invite them too.” Sirius suggested.
“No one else okay?” Remus raised his eyebrows.
“I promise.”
———
It must have spread somehow because on the 10th of March, Remus walked into the Great Hall with his Durmstrang mates to find a banner above the tables saying HAPPY BIRTHDAY REMUS in red glittery letters.
“What the fuck is this?” Remus muttered. Marlene, Igor and August laughed and clapped Remus on the back. Students at the tables turned and screamed Happy Birthday in the loudest voices they could muster. Remus was literally going to faint.
Marlene led the boys to the Slytherin table who welcomed him with a quiet Happy Birthday and some of the second year Slytherins even came up to him with a present.
“For you Mr Champion.” They said in unison. One of the girls put a heart shaped card on the table with a blush before they giggled off to the front.
“Ooo, looks like you have a fan club.” August teased, grabbing the heart card and opening it.
He cleared his throat and read the card allowed in a high pitch voice.
“Dearest Remus Lupin, Have a happy birthday and I wish you all the best in the final challenge. May your day be filled with love and happiness.
Love from Ariana Montague Xx.” He finished with a breathy sigh and bowed as the people around him clapped.
“Don’t you love fan mail Remmy?”
“My favourite delight.” He monotoned as the owls started coming in.
He knew he’d get mail today but not that much. About 20 owls dropped packages and cards onto is lap, landing on his omelette and spilling his orange juice.
“Good god, Remus! That’s more than you get in a year.” Igor exclaimed in shock. He grabbed a package and shook it.
Remus snatched it off him and put it on the pile he was making. “This is definitely excessive.”
“Open one, open one!” Marlene chanted.
He rolled his eyes and opened the box he snatched from Igor. There wasn’t a card and it was wrapped in brown paper topped with a green bow. Inside was the most beautiful sweater he had ever seen.
“No fucking way.” He gasped. It was the same texture of his other ones, it was brown and woollen with little green trees knitted around the arms.
“Another grandpa sweater, not like you don’t have enough already.” August teased.
“I love it! Did you see it come with a card?” He hugged it to his chest and looked around for a card.
“It was from me!” A voice sung. Sirius came skipping over and hugged Remus from behind, kissing his cheek.
“I see you like it.” Remus heard a grin in his voice as he looked over the sweater.
“I love the pattern, and the texture and everything! Thank you, Pads.” He smiled widely and kissed Sirius on the lips.
“Anything for my Moony.” Sirius sighed into his lips.
A cough reminded the boys that they weren’t alone and they pulled apart. Igor looked at them with curiosity and August was smirking.
“You can have your Moony tonight, but he’s ours for the day. Birthdays are a school friend event.” A Durmstrang boy called Mulciber who was a year younger said.
“I think it’s up to Remus to decide.” Sirius sassed. Arms crossing on his chest.
Sirius did look great today, he was in a light blue vest and a flowy white skirt Remus mentioned he liked once. He himself was in his Durmstrang uniform, Remus felt awfully underdressed.
“I’ll eat lunch with you guys, but I do want to open my presents. Thank you again for the beautiful sweater, I’ll wear it all day.” Remus told Sirius who looked slightly betrayed. Remus brought him closer with his chin and pecked his lips.
“Maybe for another present you can ask the kitchen staff to make chocolate waffles for lunch.” Sirius rolled his eyes but chuckled, kissing Remus on the temple.
“See you at lunch then.” Sirius winked and walked over to the Gryffindor table.
“He’s going to find out this is all fake and you’ll have to ask the kitchen elves yourself.” Igor said, August laughed loudly and banged the table.
“No more pretty sweaters for Moony moo.”
Remus tried not to growl, “Shut up or I’ll open the presents in my room, alone.”
“Fine, fine. But that kiss did look awfully passionate, care to elaborate?” Igor rasied his messy eyebrows.
Remus tensed and as if sensing is discomfort, Sirius looked over and smiled reassuringly. “It-it’s nothing, he’s a good kisser.”
“You do kiss him a lot.” August nodded. Marlene gave him a look and gestured for him to follow her lead.
“Come Moony, I need to show you my present. It cannot be presented in the presence of such an open place.” She said, standing up and helping Remus carry his mail.
Some of the boys wolf whistled and wiggled their eyebrows.
Why was Remus attracted to such an immature gender?
“Of course Marly.” He said quickly, they grabbed the rest of the packages, he glanced at the Gryffindor table before running out of the Hall with Marlene.
“Thanks for that.” Remus breathed, as they sat on his bed and separated the presents around the quilt.
“You looked kinda stuck, just helping a friend.”
“This is why you’re my best friend.”
Marlene scoffed but looked pleased. “You wouldn’t last a day without me.”
“Ha, you’re totally right.”
“Alright, I want to know what all these fans got you. Open that one, it’s huge!”
——
“Sugar Quill.” Remus whispered to the Fat Lady.
Him and Marlene tip toed up the staircase and knocked on James’s door.
“Shit, he’s here.” They heard someone whisper hysterically.
“Wormy, please just put it down, he’s not going to care.”
“I want him to like it!”
“But Moony isn’t the fucking Queen of England.”
“The way you talk about him, he might as well be!”
“It’s called being in love, you might be unfamiliar with the concept.”
“Merlin you two, get your heads outta your arses and open the door!”
Remus and Marlene exchanged glances before the door open and they were met with Sirius who was smiling brightly.
“Come in, come in. Don’t you look lovely McKinnon.”
“Not so bad yourself Black.” She hugged him before strolling over to Dorcas and Alice.
“I see you’re still wearing the sweater.”
“It’s my new favourite.” Remus blushed at himself and Sirius kissed his cheek.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOONYLOON!” James screeched, launching himself at the tall boy.
“Do you feel older?” He asked.
“Oh yes,” Remus nodded, “I have all the knowledge of the universe.”
“Ooo, tell me my future!” James was like a five year old sometimes.
“In 17 days, you will have the same fate as I.” Remus said in a dreamy voice, his hands whimsical.
“I already knew that, you suck at being a seer.” James poked his tongue out and Remus flicked his nose.
“Must have better things to do with my life.”
“Like giving me a hug?” Mary smiled coming towards him with her arms open. Remus rolled his eyes but gave her a tight embrace.
“I love the shirt Mary.”
“Thanks Rem, I cut the heart out myself, adds character.”
“You haven’t commented on my outfit, Moonflower.” Sirius grumbled, coming behind him while he talked to Mary.
“Funnily enough, not everything is about you.” Mary said.
“It should be.” Sirius sighed.
“Enough chit chat, open our presents!” Lily chanted from James’s lap.
“Crap guys, you didn’t have to.” Remus looked over at the mountain of presents on the middle of the floor.
Peter rolled his eyes and put an arm around him. “ course we did, can’t leave you to those bastards giving you vodka.”
Remus laughed long with everyone else. “Just because half of my friends are Russian doesn’t mean I only get vodka.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me.”
“Open my one Moony!”
“No, mine’s better.”
“At least I wrote a card.”
By the end of the night Remus had gone back to his dorm with three new sweaters, a small fortune of chocolate, muggle magazines and lots of thick socks. Lily even knitted him a lord of the rings fellowship scarf which he promised to wear everyday back at Durmstrang.
“Good birthday then Rem?” Marlene asked with a smile as they put his stuff on his bed. Igor and August were fast asleep and huddled deep in their blankets.
“It was perfect.”
“You now have enough sweaters to last you a lifetime.” She picked one up with a dinosaur pattern.
“Nuh, plenty of room in my wardrobe for more.”
“Such a grandpa.”
Remus hushed her and brought her in for a hug, “Thank you for coming with me.”
“I love our new friends, wouldn’t miss a chance for more sweets.”
Remus gasped, “you only use me for my chocolate? I knew it.”
“Stolen chocolate always tastes better.”
“Ha ha, go to bed Marly we have a big week coming up.”
Marlene sighed and looked at Remus with sad eyes. “You too. Gute nacht schatz.” Good night sweetheart.