Those Ocean Eyes

Chapter 40

"Psst. Re re."

"Re re?" Remus grumbled, sitting up in bed. "That's worse than Moony."

"Shut it. Happy Birthday!" Sirius whispered and closed the curtains to Remus's bed. "Lumos."

"What time is it?" Remus said, peeking out the window at the dark night around them.

Sirius shrugged. "You're the one with the pocket watch. Oh yeah, it glowed again during the full moon last month. Do you think there was another wolf nearby again?"

"It did?" Remus said blankly. "Why?"

"Search me. Last time it glowed you broke out, right?"

"Yeah."

"So what if it glows every time there's another wolf near by?" Sirius said excitedly.

"I guess so. That'd be cool. Why did you wake me up?" Remus said flatly.

"Well, to say Happy Birthday, of course." Sirius looked away.

"...Couldn't you wait until morning?" Remus mumbled, rubbing his bleary eyes.

"Maybe. But I wanted to give you it now."

"A present? Now?" Remus was starting to get annoyed.

"Sort of."

Sirius leaned in. His lit wand reflected in his eyes, making them look deep and starry. His eyes looked like the very pools of Mercury, the starry night sky, and the ocean itself all in one. God, those ocean eyes.

Sirius reached out and pulled Remus's scarred face closer.

"Are you okay with this, Remus?" He whispered, their lips brushing slightly as his mouth moved.

Remus didn't answer. He rammed their lips together, unable to take the suspense. Sirius drew back a little, surprised, but he went back in, closing his eyes and slipping his tounge into Remus's mouth.

It wasn't as long as their other kisses. But it was just as magical. They broke apart, both red in the face, when they heard James getting up to use the bathroom.

Sirius smiled softly, climbing off the bed.

"Happy Birthday, Moony. You can give it back to me any time." He winked, and pulled the curtains shut before James came back.

~~~

Remus was in shock. He had stared up at the ceiling of the dormitory all night long, or at least until his friends ripped the curtains open and sang to him.

Was Sirius just 'practicing' on him, like Remus had said? Or was it something more?

Remus shook his head, letting his brownish blonde hair fall into his eyes. Sirius was practicing. Obviously. They were just friends. Close friends. Close friends could do that sort of thing, right?

Remus realized with a jolt that Sirius could be snogging James, too, for all he knew. Not that James would go along with it, he would be too obsessed with Lily. Although Remus had noticed that whenever Regulus was around James, they would both become slightly flustered.

No, Sirius was only snogging him. Remus hoped. But it was practice, Remus had to remind himself constantly. There was sure to be a girl that was very lucky to have a well practiced Sirius Black.

Remus sighed. Why couldn't he just be normal for once? Orphan, werewolf, queer. What was next, becoming a bloody prefect?

Remus chuckled aloud, receiving strange looks from the others in the library. He could never become a prefect, he knew. Not with his group of friends.

He knew James wanted to be one, but that was probably just because Lily was hoping to be prefect, then Head Girl.

His friends came up to him quickly, startling him from his thoughts.

"Party tonight?" James said hopefully, adjusting his circular glasses.

Remus gave them all a playful glare.

"Please, Moony?" Sirius said, using his puppy eyes.

"Fine. But there better be cake, or I swear to Godric I'll-"

His friends rushed out of the room, no doubt planning a party that definitely didn't have any cake. Remus rolled his eyes and continued his book.

At least he could sneak down to the kitchens and grab some apple pie if necessary. And he had his cigarettes, of course. They had become a regular thing with him, and although James hated it, Sirius thought it was insanely cool.

Remus just liked how the smoke cleared his thoughts, and how it was calming to be in a little cloud with no worries for a while.

He got them from Gilderoy Lockhart, whose brother shipped them in from America. Lockhart was always annoying about how it could kill Remus, and the smell of the smoke, but he always showed up whenever Remus needed a fag.

Remus made sure not to be alone with him for a while at a time, however, because Lily had told him she saw him preform a Memory Wiping spell on a tiny Hufflepuff first year.

He was excited for the party, at least, because he had finally decided to try firewhiskey on the last trip to Hogsmeade, and he loved it.

~~~

The party was surprisingly fun. Remus's favorite part included when Lily had gotten tipsy, and started talking to Sirius about women's rights, and Sirius had stood on a table to make an announcement all of a sudden.

"Black, get down from the table!" Lily had yelled, swishing butterbeer on the floor.

"I'll get down *hic* when you an' Mary an' Marlene have *hic* the same rights as *hic* us!" He said angrily, throwing his hands up in the air.

People in the room started clapping and yelling too, and all of a sudden Remus's birthday had turned into a women's rights movement.

"And on top of all that fun, there was chocolate cake with fudge." Remus thought to himself happily as he drifted off to sleep, holding a cigarette peacefully between his lips.