Chasing Dreams (A Harry Potter Marauder fanfiction)

April the 22nd

The sunlight streams in my window, slashing across my face through the chink in the curtains. Kayn hoots softly beside me as I sigh, flinging my hand over the side of the bed. My eyes snap open as I remember what day it is. "It's my birthday!" I scream. "Shut it, birthday girl." Marlene laughs, and I mock frown at her, turning over in a sulk. Unfortunately, I come face to face with Lily, who has placed her head on my pillow and his grinning at me, showing her straight white teeth. "Merlin's Beard Lily!" "Happy Birthday!" She laughs loudly, turning away. "Yeah, happy birthday Skye!" Marlene calls from across the room. "Happy Birthday!" Alice and Mary call at the same time. "Thanks guys." I smile, snuggling under the duvet. "Oh no you don't! Just because it's your birthday does not mean you can lounge about in bed all day." Lily cries. "Em.. Yes. Yes it does. That's the only reason I celebrate my birthday." I respond sleepily. Lily smiles knowingly. "If you don't get up, you won't get your present." She tells me teasingly. "What?" I sit bolt upright. "Meet me in the common room in five minutes for your present. Come on, you three." She calls, walking away with Marlene, Alice and Mary. I roll my eyes but jump out of my cosy bed. I loved sleeping, but I loved my birthday more. I had always been a birthday person, ever since I copped on that the day was all about me and I got presents, love and attention. Lily was alway the best at present, although it wasn't for the others lack of trying. James and Sirius always tried, with the help of Remus and Peter. Their Christmas present to me was amazing- I wore the bracelet every day, the four silver charms dangling. Smiling down at it, I run a brush through my hair, throw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, relishing in the warmth of April. "Skye!" A voice yells from the bottom of the stairs as I click the door shut behind me and walk downstairs. "Hey!" I call back to Sirius and Peter, who stand side by side. "Hurry up!" He tells me as I put a foot on the steps. I frown. "Make me." I laugh back to him. Sirius smirks, taking two steps up the stairs. My eyes widen and my legs slip, immediately falling down the slide, made when a boy tries to go upstairs. Sirius gracefully steps back off the slide as I fall down, jumping up at the end. His arms wrap around my waist, a playful smirk on his handsome face. "Happy Birthday." He tells me before gently kissing my lips. My heart piratically skips a beat and my eyes flutter clothes for all of about three seconds, before the kiss ends and Sirius takes his arms from around me and skips, yes, skips, over to James. "H-happy Birthday Skye." Peter tells m shyly. "Thanks Peter." I tell him as we walk over to James, Remus and Sirius, who are whispering feverishly to Lily. "Happy Birthday!" James and Remus tell me happily, tackling me in a hug. "Thank you guys!" I smile at them, wrapping my arms as best I can around their shoulders as Sirius and Peter join the hug. "Evans! Come on!" James calls, as Lily glares at him. "Join the hug!" "Yeah, come on Lily! It won't kill you." I tell her, smiling. Reluctantly, Lily puts her arms around me, although James does scoot closer to her and put an arm around her waist. I can just see the look on her face. "Birthday hug! Can I join?" Sam asks, running up. "Why not? James laughs. Sam throws his arms around Sirius and me, tangling himself in the now six people. "Jared!" He calls, as Jared walks over. "We're giving Skye a group hug for her birthday! Join in." He tells his brother. Jared smiles at him and puts his arms around me and Sam at the same time. "Aw, group hug? Yes!" Marlene exclaims, wrapping her arms around Remus, who looks slightly embarrassed. Alice and Mary join us too, making the group hug into a small crowd of eleven people, with me, laughing in the middle. By this stage, other people have walked into the common room and been greeted with the sight of Lily and James practically hugging, me and Sirius hugging, Jared hugging Sirius and Marlene hugging Remus. "Can I join you?" One of Jared's friends asks, and soon twelve more people have joined the hug. More and people join, and only hugging their friends, barely seeing me in the middle, tears of laughter streaming down my face. Two minutes later, another group of first years join, and then Sam's two friends, Jack and Sebastian. Mutters and murmurs of "what's going on" and "why is this happening" go up around the vast group of people, to which the response is "I dunno." Three quarters of Gryffindor house are hugging each other by the end of it, crawling over couches and sitting on chairs to hug the person in front of them. And that's when the song comes up. "Happy Birthday to you." Sirius sings, smiling broadly. "Happy Birthday to you." Remus signs, as people join in. "Happy Birthday dear Skye." People are unsure if who's birthday it is, but soon find out it's mine. "Happy Birthday to you." Everyone screams the last line, laughing as the last quarter of the Gryffindor house emerges from their dormitories and James starts up the call of. "For she's a jolly good fellow, for she's a jolly good fellow.." And it continues for an unnecessarily long amount of time. I stand in the middle and take it in. How many people are here, how we all seem to be united, by what, I don't know. How many people are singing and screaming and laughing, happiness filling the room as Sirius squeezed my hand hard, kissing my cheek. Butterflies erupt in my stomach as the last cheer of "hip hip, hooray!" Goes up. Tears well up in my eyes, because I feel so loved, and I'm surrounded by the people I love, and honesty, it's quite a rare feeling. A loud bang causes us all to jump, followed by a quick clicking noise. The entire Gryffindor house turns to see Professor McGonagal, the head of house, staring at them in confusion. An amused smile plays at the edges of her thin lips, and her eyes are shining. She may be a strict woman, but Professor McGonagal loved her house, and almost each and every student in it. "Good morning students." She says, slightly flustered. "Good morning, Professor." Some people respond. "What was that clicking noise?" James whispers to me. "I've no idea.." I trail off in confusion. "I just came to inform you of the next quidditch match and Hogsmeade trip." She says as people detach, walking in separate directions with smiles on their faces, chatting. McGonagal pins up the notice on the board and turns to leave through the portrait hole, before turning to me at the last minute. "Oh, and Miss. Turner?" She calls. "Mh?" I ask, facing her. "Happy Birthday."
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"Presents are the best part about a birthday though, aren't they?" James asks as we lounge by the fire that night. "Yes." I say quickly. Remus chuckles. "We're afraid we all chipped in and got you another one thing this year, like your Christmas present." He informs me shyly. "So?" I ask, my mouth full of sweets. "You didn't have to get me anything, guys. But thank you." I smile warmly at them. "Here." Remus hands Sirius a brightly but badly wrapped box, with a bow on top. "Happy Birthday, Skye." He smiles at me. "Thank you. All of you." I tell them, tearing my eyes away from Sirius, who had locked eyes with me. "Your welcome." They smile back. "Wait! Wait!" Lily calls, running over with Mary, Alice and Marlene and handing me a present. "What is it, Lils?" I laugh at her. "Here." She hands me a thin, perfectly wrapped present with a blue bow on top. "We coordinated." Lily tells me shortly, with a quick glance towards James, Remus, Sirius and Peter. "Open Lily's first." Remus tells me urgently. I nod at him, shaking the presents. "Open it open it open it open it!" James tells me, bouncing up and down on the couch. I glance at Lily. "Yeah, go ahead." She smiles. I gently tear the paper, sliding y and underneath it. It falls away to reveal a smooth, leather bound book, soft red and thick. I gasp quietly, running my hands over its cover. "Lily it's amazing! I.. I don't even know what to say.." I tell her, my eyes fixed on the book. "Look inside!" Peter tells me excitedly. Flipping open the parchment my eyes widen at the picture on the front page. It's a photo from last year, of me and Lily. My hair is blowing in the breeze and our arms are wrapped around each other, smiling at the camera. The lake shines behind us in the sun, glistening like a thousand diamonds. It's beautiful. There's a blank space for a photo above it too, probably for another picture of my choice. "It's beautiful, Lily. I love it." I smile, hugging her tightly. "Open our one!" Sirius whines. I roll my eyes at him. "Okay, okay!" I pull open the wrapper to reveal a brown box, blue tissue palaver sticking out the side of it. Drowning in though, I open the box. A white muggle object sits inside, buttons on the top and a lens at the side. "Who's idea was this? Camera's are a muggle thing!" I exclaim, looking around at them. James smiles smugly. "Well, you see Skye, I had an idea-" "It was Lily." Remus informs me. Interrupting James, who glares at him. "And Black, I have to say." Lily adds reluctantly. "This was partly your idea?" "Yep." Sirius informs me proudly, flipping his dark hair from his face. "My parents hate muggle things. I don't." He shrugs. "Well, it's amazing." "Like I said, we coordinated with Evans." James tells me. "Wait wait wait, I have an idea!" I stand up, pulling the Polaroid from its box. "Here." I position Lily an. James next to each other, Lily glaring at me but begrudgingly standing next to him. Remus I put next to Peter and discreetly manage to position myself next to Sirius. "Cheese!" I call, making everyone face the new camera. Sirius quickly puts his arm around me and James somehow manages to kiss Lily's cheek. "Potter!" She yells angrily at him as I crack up laughing, looking at what could have been the perfect picture if it was not some things. "This birthday has been absolutely amazing." I sigh, flopping down on the couch. Lily smiles down at me, her eyes shining. "Good, I'm glad. You deserve it." "Yeah, Skye. Happy Birthday."

A/N: Hello! This chapter was so fun to write, I hope you guys enjoyed it :) By the way, the clicking noise when McGonagal came in does get explained, so feel free to guess! I bet none of you can, it's not very obvious ;) Anyways please vote and comment, and let me know what you think of Skye's present! I'll update sooner if someone comments.. Bye! x