"I have a dilemma!" Dorcas said, running into the great hall taking a seat opposite Aries.
"If it's about outfits for your dates with Marlene, please take this up with James, I am busy." Aries said she was concentrating on a game of Wizards chess she was playing with Peter, it was their fourth game that day and she was determined to win at least once in her life.
"You're not doing anything- anyway no I need help because I can't decide weather to go to Cancun or Rome for the holidays with Marls."
"Again, this is James' forte, Knight to E5."
"Aries!" Dorcas whined.
"Ooh, bad luck." Peter said as his knight took out another pawn.
"Dorcas! I don't know what you want me to do, Italy has nice architecture."
Dorcas tutted. "You would say that, you've probably drawn all the buildings there."
Aries gasped insulted. "I've only been there once- I've drawn buildings in France a lot. Also you're the one asking me for help."
"Fine, Pete, Rome or Cancun?"
"They are very far away from each other."
"I'm not asking how far away they are, I'm asking which one?"
"I've never been to either-"
"Oh my gosh, Pettigrew just answer the question."
"Fine Cancun."
"Why did you both choose different answers! I still don't know."
"Why don't you just ask Marlene?" Aries asked. "Pawn to C4."
"Because then she'll know what I'm planning."
"Knight to C4."
"Considering the fact you don't know what country to go to, I don't think you're doing much planning right now."
"Air, your words are going through one ear and out the other."
"Again, you asked me for help."
"Marlene!" Peter shouted over to the Gryffindor table. "Rome or Cancun?"
Marlene looked towards them. "Umm... Rome."
Peter turned back and smiled at Dorcas. "Sorted, you're going to Rome."
"Wow. That was really easy." she said, standing up and nodding. "I will come to you when I have more dilemmas, no one else is good at it. Thanks Pete."
"Anytime."
"You should become more decisive." Aries said, watching as Dorcas left them.
"I'm deciding not to talk to you, goodbye!"
"And that is how you win, checkmate." Peter said, leaning back on his seat.
Aries looked down at her board, and watched as the king dropped its sword. "What? No! How did you- I hate you so much."
"I just got lucky." he shrugged with a smile.
She dropped her shoulders, and frowned at the board. "I hate this game."
"Awwh, you just need a bit more practice, Star." he consoled.
Aries furrowed her brows as she asked. "Star?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know Aries is a constellation-"
"No, I like it." she smiled. "Like you said before, star sign."
"Speaking of star signs, I am actually an Aries."
"You are? Wait- that means your birthday is soon?"
"Yup, seventeenth April."
"Seventeenth? That's in two days, you weren't going to tell me?"
Peter shrugged. "I don't really celebrate my birthday."
"How can you not celebrate it?"
"I dunno? I used to when I was a kid but now I'm older-"
Aries rolled her eyes. "Are you more mature?"
"Yes. Plus I am still hungover from James' party to have another one right now." Peter said, he then looked at Aries gleeful face. "Don't start planning a party, I know your brother and I know what you're like-"
"Not even a little one?"
"Not even a little one." he shook his head.
☽☆☾
April seventeenth arrived just like a normal day, Aries, Benjy and Dorcas sat on the Gryffindor table during breakfast before lessons started.
Remus let out a loud yawn.
"Tired Moons?" James smirked.
"Just a bit, someone had me up all night snoring." he glared towards Sirius who was eating his cereal innocently.
"Yes... snoring." Peter smirked.
"That's what that sound was, I thought it was foxes from outside." Lily muttered.
"Foxes?" Remus asked, "What the hell."
"I'm just telling you what I heard." she said, piling up her homework. "Shit, I need the charms book for lessons."
"You can borrow mine." Peter said, getting up from his seat. "I'll go grab it from the dorm now."
Aries watched as he left the great hall then turned back to everyone else, slightly irritated. "You know it's his birthday today."
James nodded casually pouring himself a glass of pumpkin juice. "Yeah, we know."
"You're not going to do anything?" she asked.
"He doesn't like celebrating it." Remus said.
"But-"
"Aries, he doesn't celebrate his birthday." Sirius shook his head.
"And you guys are okay with that?"
"Absolutely not, I would throw him the most amazing, spectacular birthday ever- in fact I did in first year." James said. "And then he didn't speak to me for three weeks."
"He doesn't like the attention on him." Marlene said, sneaking toast off Dorcas' plate. "James was pissed when he didn't like the party."
"But we could have a small-"
"Nope." Sirius stopped her. "To all of us it is a normal monday, nothing special,"
Aries sighed, defeated. "Fine." she muttered.
☽☆☾
Aries spent the majority of Potions trying to think of a way of having a small celebration without it seeming like it was for Peter's birthday.
"Okay class, pack up your work." Professor Slughorn said, as everyone put away their stuff.
"You still thinking about a surprise party?" Benjy asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
She shook her head. "No, I don't want him to get pissed,"
"What kind of person doesn't celebrate their birthdays? Air, that's a red flag, no normal person doesn't celebrate their birthday." Dorcas said, as the three walked down the corridor to their next class. "We should still have a party, I want to get drunk!"
"You were drunk on the weekend." Benjy laughed, rolling his eyes. "Which was yesterday."
"Okay? You say that like it's a problem."
"Yeah, you always eat my food when you're drunk. You stole my cake,"
Cake.
"I have an idea." Aries said, "Please cover for me during lesson, tell McGonagall I'm in the hospital wing." she ran back down the corridor.
"With what? I'm gonna tell her you've got dragon pox!" Benjy shouted.
Aries made her way down to the basement, she stopped in front of the fruit bowl portrait and tickled the pear. As she entered only one houself was there, she looked up at Aries with her bright blue eyes gleaming.
"I am the Jibby!"
"Hello... Jibby. I'm Aries."
"Miss Aries! What can the Jibby do for you?"
Aries looked around the vacant kitchen, wondering where she should start. "Umm, I want to make a cake."
"Cake! The Jibby loves cake. Would you like the berries of the straw cake or hard cocoa out of the bean?"
"You mean strawberry or chocolate?"
"The Jibby is correct."
Aries nodded unconvinced. "Yes." she looked around, remembering what Peter did the last time they were here. She walked down to the cupboards picking out flour, eggs, and cocoa powder.
"Miss is making hard cocoa out of the bean cake?" Jibby asked. "The Jibby can help!
"Okay, Jibby. Where do we start?" Aries asked, looking at the house elf who stared back.
"The Jibby has never made cake Miss Aries, the Jibby only washes dishes, Miss Aries. All the other elves have gone away today, Miss Aries."
Aries nodded and sighed, "Okay, let's try and figure this out together."
☽☆☾
Aries realised quickly that she shouldn't have started- well more like attempted to make a cake. She was head to toe covered in flour, eggs and other stuff she didn't even think went into a cake but Jibby kept handing her ingredients.
As she mixed the lumpy mixture she knew that it was never going to work.
"I think this might be a mistake, Jibby." Aries said, as she watched the elf pour in a bag of sugar.
"The Jibby watched Zolsy the House elf make cakes like this." she replied, mixing it in then pouring into a baking tray. "I am the Jibby is good at making cakes.
"I thought you said you've never made one?"
"Jibby hasn't."
"Right well neither has Aries," Aries said, she then shook her head for speaking in third person, she opened the oven and placed the baking tray inside.
"Jibby wash the dishes now."
Aries nodded, she picked up all the bowls and whisks that they had used and moved them closer to the sink.
A half hour later a bell rang, signalling that the cake was ready. As Aries opened the door she saw the cake had dipped in the middle.
"What?" she said, taking it out with an oven mitten, "Why has it dipped?"
"Jibby doesn't know Miss Aries."
Aries placed the cake on the side, watching as the middle sank deeper and deeper.
The portrait door opened and Peter walked in. "Aries?"
"Don't come in!" she said, walking in front of the counter trying to hide the cake.
"Air? What are you doing?" Peter asked, looking at the mess, he saw the flour covering her robes and her hair had been tied up in a bun as she attempted to bake.
"I know you didn't want to celebrate your birthday, and this isn't it, I just wanted you to feel special so I tried to make you a cake, but turns out I can not make a cake and neither can our friend Jibby over here." Aries said, looking down at the failed cake, her voice was filled with disappointment. "And now it's deflated in the middle and I don't know why-"
Peter looked at her with a smile, one that she hadn't seen before her stomach filled with butterflies before she asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
He kept smiling as he let out a light laugh and walked towards her, he took his hand and wiped flour from her forehead. "I love you."
Aries paused thinking this was a joke. "You what?"
"Aries Black, I love you." he repeated.
"I-" Aries stuttered, she loved Peter, she did, but she couldn't say it.
He shook his head. "Don't say it if you're not ready. I just want you to know this is the moment I fell in love with you."
Aries stifled a laugh. "I'm covered in flour and eggs-"
"I don't care." Peter said, kissing her.
"I am the Jibby!" Jibby said brightly, causing the two to pull apart. "The Jibby helped with the cake, but Jibby prefers the apple of the pine cake."
"The Jibby?" Peter said, looking back at Aries.
"She helped with the cake- the one that has dipped,"
Peter looked at the desert. "Did you use self raising flour?"
"There's different types of flour?" .
He tried a small piece, he nodded, chewing the cake. "It's nice." he said, covering up a cough.
"It's terrible isn't it?" Aries winced.
"No, no- just how much sugar did you put into it?"
Aries looked down at Jibby. "Jibby put the whole bag in." she said, holding up the empty bag of sugar. Peter looked back at Aries.
"Okay, let's do this together."
☽☆☾
An hour later Peter and Aries sat at the counter eating a brand new and way better cake, which hadn't dipped in the middle.
"Yup this is much better." Aries said, taking a bite.
Peter smiled as he took his own slice.
"This has been my favourite birthday."
"Why don't you celebrate your birthday?" Aries asked.
Peter took a deep breath. "You know how my Nan taught me all this, the baking and the cooking." he said. "She always made sure I knew how to do everything, and on my tenth birthday I stayed around hers, the next day we were going to make the best cake ever for my birthday... but she never stuck around." he paused, setting down his fork.
"She died on your birthday?" Aries asked.
Peter nodded slowly. "I don't like to celebrate my birthday because it's the same day she died and celebrating makes me feel guilty, because she's not here and I just- I dunno."
Aries took a hold of his hand. "You know she probably would have wanted you to enjoy your birthday."
"I don't know- although she was the life of the party, I remember her singing Jailhouse rock on christmas, she was very drunk." Peter said, smiling at the memory.
"She sounds like fun." Aries said.
"Yeah." he nodded.
Aries took another bite of the cake.
"Thanks." Peter said.
"I barely did anything."
"No, you did a lot. Not everyone would make me a cake, and I may be open- just a little bit- to have a party tonight."
"Really!"
"Just a small one, us and the others."
Aries smiled and nodded. "Just a small one."
________________________
Chapter 13!!!
I won't lie to you's I was actually a wee bit drunk when I wrote the second half of this chapter and I refuse to rewrite it so that's what we've got
Also, I pictured Pete's nan as Doris from Gavin and Stacy, just pure vibes. Love her.
Please vote and comment 🌟
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