Black Stag

Padfoot & The 16th

James wasn't sure if Remus had fully recovered or was merely putting on a facade for Sirius' birthday, and he wouldn't be surprised if it were the latter. Remus had been scoffing down a supply of sweets he'd gotten from Lily at midnight, and James had assumed it was to fuel his brain ahead of time, so he wasn't as fragile as he usually was after one of his attacks. Remus and Peter had both appeared drowsy, and that was because James had yanked them out of bed at 6:30 a.m. to be ready before Sirius chose to get up, so their slumbers had yet to be lifted, and they remained dazed, blinking golden dust out of their eyes.

James, on the other hand, was a whirlwind of energy.

Since he was a child, his mother had told him several times that James seemed to be locked in an unending state of exhilaration. They'd had to take the table out of the living room since James had had a lot of injuries from dashing into the corners and tumbling. On one occasion, his father turned away for one second to pick a flower that James found exceptionally appealing, and a resounding splash hit the pond next to them. Toddler James felt the pond looked a lot more fun now and wanted to go for a dip, despite not knowing how to swim.

It was a very dreadful moment for his parents, though, who had thought he was on the brink of death; he may have been if his dad hadn't dived after him.

"Are you certain you're okay, Remus?" James whispered whilst Peter assembled a pile of gifts at the foot of Sirius' bed. Despite being instructed to remain as quiet as possible, Peter's clumsiness had caused quite a ruckus, and each time he knocked something, he'd glance up and pout, turn to watch Sirius attentively, and then decide it was safe to continue. His show was providing James with even more enjoyment.

Remus huddled over, supporting himself with his nightstand. "I'm absolutely positive, Doctor," Remus mumbled, a pang of irritation in his voice that was usually present whenever James asked about his well-being. James wasn't saddened by it; he'd find it unpleasant if someone was babbling in his ear whenever he was unwell, but he'd had to double-check that he was okay because he'd looked the complete opposite (though he wasn't going to say that to Remus).

"I have to tell you this; don't get mad at me because I know how much you hate me doting on you." James shuffled up to Remus and continued, "But, as I'm sure you know, we all love you. But I, Sirius, and Pete would go to extraordinary lengths to help you. We'll make it happen if you let us know how to help. I'll keep my word. And even if you don't tell us, we'll make do with our best guesses. "

Remus smiled at that and nodded, "I know you would. Thank you, James. "

"We should totally come up with a group name!" James announced.

Remus stood there for a bit, seemingly scrambling to determine how serious James was actually being, "We don't need a fucking group name. That is the stupidest proposal I've heard from you yet. And I don't think I need to bring up the lily fiasco—"

"Why are you and Sirius bringing this up again and again? Did you strike a deal with yourselves to try to bring up my humiliating past whenever you get the chance?" James sighed at the mention of it again.

"Yeah, we do this from time to time. Sometimes we just need to knock your ego down a few pegs, "Remus shrugged.

"Har. Har," he said, " Anyway, potential names?" James asked, grinning.

"We're not making a group name. And if you three decide to do it, because I'm sure you'll drag the two of them down with you, I do not want any association. You got it?"

"Whatever," James mumbled, his mind already building up a shortlist of potential names.

"Shush!" Peter shrieked, considerably louder than either Remus or James had been. Sirius had then stirred slightly, resulting in deathly silence as the three of them stood, exchanging anxious glances.