metanoia

Chapter Sixty-seven

Sprinting into the silent dormitory, Alex jumped onto her friend's bed to wake him up, "Happy birthday, Moony!"

Remus lifted his head from his pillow, too tired to laugh at how eagerly she bounced on his bed as she sang to him, "Though I love and appreciate your happiness about my birthday. Is waking me up really necessary?"

"Yes."

Before Remus could continue to grumble about being woken up, his three roommates join Alex in tackling the birthday boy and singing to him. Peter ruffled Remus' hair, tossing the novel Remus had fallen asleep reading onto the nightstand, "Happy birthday."

James pinched the tired werewolf's cheek, pretending to tear up, "Aww, our little Moony is all grown up."

"The little Moony that's taller than all of you and older than you, James," Remus snorted, swatting his hand away from his cheek.

"We got you something," Sirius announced, climbing off the bed and running to their closet.

When he emerged from the closet, he drug out a brand new trunk adorned with a big red and gold bow. Remus climbed out of his bed, untangling his limbs from his friends' to slide on the floor in front of the trunk. He ripped off the bow, placing it on top of his messy bedhead. The trunk was black leather and on the top, in white cursive writing said: Professor R. J. Lupin.

"You've always talked about how your dream was to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts," James grinned, tightly squeezing Remus' shoulder. "So we figured we would get you a trunk for when you do."

"Thank you, it's brilliant."

Letti, Alice, Marlene, Charlie and Lily came bounding into the room, presenting the group of five with the birthday cake they'd gotten up early to bake. Lily carried the cake across the room to Remus, silently lighting the candles ablaze, "Happy birthday Remus. Make a wish."

Remus smiled at each of his friends, seeing the Prewett Brothers, Frank, Kingsley and Eddie standing in the doorway. He closed his eyes and silently made his wish, fanning the flames out.

"What'd you wish for, Rem?" asked Letti, laughing at Remus' sanitary alternative to blowing out his birthday candles.

He looked around the room, taking the red bow out of his sandy brown hair, "For us to make it through this War in one piece."

"I'll drink to that," Alex dryly laughed, knowing full well that they weren't destined to. Many of them were destined to die fighting.

Sirius took her very seriously, conjuring up a bottle of Ogden's Olde Firewhiskey and poured her a shot.

"You wanna know what I hate?" Marlene giggled, draping her arm drunkenly across Sirius' shoulder as he'd opened their third bottle of Firewhiskey.

Alex downed her shot, flipping her glass over to indicate she was done for the moment, "Men?"

"School?" Frank suggested, admiring her tattoo sleeve.

Eddie played with the decorative bows from Remus' birthday gifts, sticking them on his girlfriend's forehead, "The fact your girlfriend doesn't like that you're friends with your ex?"

"The fact that I'm your ex?" Sirius guessed, taking a swig directly from the bottle before passing it to Remus.

Marlene hiccuped into her cup, rolling her eyes at the four valid guesses, "No, I mean yes but that's not what I'm talking about at the moment. I hate that we never hang out like this?"

"What do you mean, we just had a Quidditch party on Sunday after the Match," Remus laughed, leaning back in his chair to offer Alex and Gideon more to drink.