The Brothers Black

Chapter 37

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" I yelled, jumping on Sirius and tackling him in a hug. 

"Thanks, Addy," he laughed.

Regulus punched his brother's arm. "Seventeen," he sighed. "Maybe it's the year you can beat me in Wizard's Chess."

"I did beat you! Third year!" Sirius cried, wrapping his arm around a Ravenclaw girl I'd been seeing him with lately. Bella Blackmore, or something like that.

It was Hogsmeade weekend, and James had assembled a makeshift birthday party for Sirius. It was a strange group, and definitely the most non-Slytherins (or people in general) that Regulus had been around, so his discomfort was tangible. Even though he and Sirius seemed better than ever, he still didn't know how to interact with these people. He shifted nervously, playing with his navy jumper that matched his corduroy pants a little too well, like some kind of country club dropout. I could only say that because he told me my baggy jeans and white sweater looked like I was going to the pumpkin patch.

Remus and Peter were part of James's assembled party, of course, as well as their usual girl friends: Marlene, Mary, Lily, and Alice, who brought Frank. In James's case, girlfriend was the right term, because, after years of pleas, he and Lily were now, officially, together. But of course, it wasn't "a big deal," even though Sirius claimed he has heard James crying himself to sleep with happiness every night since.

George Sandifer joined too, seemingly on better terms with Remus, and Peter introduced me to his date, Dorcas Meadows, a pretty Slytherin girl. The dozen of us started down the hill to the Three Broomsticks.

With Firewhiskey for the of-age birthday boy and Butterbeer for the rest of us, we shared a delicious feast provided by a sack of coins Regulus brought in his bag. He and Sirius shared a smile, and I knew it was probably the first time in years that Sirius had indulged himself with his family's money, but the permission from Regulus seemed to excite him. He bought a round of drinks for the whole pub, and Madame Rosmerta seemed to stop caring about who was overage.

"'Hey, George," I said, waving him over to my table when Remus got up to use the loo. He didn't know anyone else very well, and he'd always been nice to me, even if he was friends with Bertram. 

"Hey, Addy," he smiled, sitting down, grateful for a friend.

"How is everything?" I asked, looking toward where Remus left.

He took a sip of his drink. "Great. Remus is... awesome. You're lucky to be friends with him."

I grinned. "I know. He's the best."

He shifted in his seat. "Look, I'm really sorry about all that Bertram stuff. If it makes you feel any better, I haven't talked to him in, like, a year. I rarely even see him around anymore."

"Thanks. It wasn't great, but luckily, he's out of my life now."

"Things seem to be going better for you," George noted, nodding to Regulus thrashing his head around to the music in the center of the pub. 

"Yeah," I smiled, watching him attempt to air guitar to Rocket Man. "They are."

Remus approached the table, rejoining us. "Thanks for babysitting George, Addy."

"We're actually friends," I beamed at Remus. "This is, what, our second time at Hogsmeade together?"

"This one's a lot more enjoyable," George agreed. 

"Well," Remus said, throwing an arm over George, "You owe him your freedom from last year's hellscape. You may have never uncovered what a big prick Bertram was without George."