Happy Birthday, Remus Lupin

Happy Birthday, Remus Lupin

*

"Happy birthday, Moony!" Sirius exclaimed, a cheerful grin on his face.

Remus laughed softly, then placed a kiss on the tip of Sirius's nose. "You've said that twenty-seven times today already," he then teased playfully. "Will you ever stop?"

"If you kiss him every time he says it again?" James grinned. "No way in Hell! You're spoiling your puppy, Moony! You should keep him in a tighter leash!"

"Give it a rest, Prongs," Peter laughed. "It's Moony's birthday after all, we're allowed to congratulate!" At this, he turned towards the brunette boy. "So, happy birthday from me also! I don't think I've said it too often!"

"No, only five times," James chuckled, nudging the smaller boy with his elbow. "Butterbeer, anyone?" he asked then, handing out a couple of bottles. Sirius grasped one and Peter took another. Remus only drank pumpkin juice, since alcohol was a disaster in a werewolf system. James himself, however, took a bottle, uncorked it, and took a sip.

"At last you entered the age of adults!" Peter cheered, beaming at Remus. "Sixteen years, mate! Took you long enough!"

They all laughed. Remus, being born in December, was the youngest one of them. They of course remembered this well enough, constantly teasing him and calling him "the baby of the group." The werewolf usually only smiled and shrugged it away, saying that he maybe was youngest in age but definitely oldest in maturity - something which none of them could deny, for it was absolutely true.

At some point of the evening, however, James noticed that Remus was looking a bit distant. The werewolf looked distant, and he kept glancing around himself like expecting someone to attack him. "What's the matter, Moony?" James asked, concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"What?" Remus startled. "No, nothing is wrong. It's just -"

Just then, however, the door of the dormitory opened and Professor McGonagall, their Head of House stepped in. "I'm sorry to stop your celebration," she said with a strict voice, "but I'm afraid that Mr. Lupin has an appointment to keep."

They fell silent for a moment. Remus got slowly on his feet, looking suddenly very pale. He turned towards Sirius, an unvoiced plea evident in his eyes. Fortunately, Sirius understood, and took a quick step forward to give his boyfriend a warm hug. Remus replied the embrace, but his expression was distant and thoughtful.

Then he walked to McGonagall and, after she'd beckoned him with a reassuring nod, followed her out of the room.

"What kind of appointment it is?" James wondered when the door had closed behind Remus and the professor. "D'you know, Sirius?"

"I damn well do," Sirius grumbled, flinging himself to his bed. James and Peter noticed that his expression had darkened. They glanced at each other, then sat on their own beds. It was better to keep away from Sirius when he was at that mood. Also, it was better not to ask questions. Sirius would eventually tell them everything they needed to know.

They didn't have to wait for long, though.

"The Ministry people are being bastards again," the tallest of the boys said darkly. "They don't want any more werewolves around, so every werewolf over sixteen years of age has to go through a little operation."

"What kind of operation?" Peter asked, again exchanging concerned glances with James. The two began to fear the worst. Their former cheerful attitude was completely wiped off.

"Oh, nothing much," Sirius huffed bitterly. "Just a little spell. A little spell to make damn sure that he'll never have bloody kids of his own!"

"Oh, fuck," James muttered, paling immediately. "Poor Remus." Peter expressed his agreement with a firm nod.

Sirius suddenly sat up and hit the wall with his fist. "Why they have to do it?" he shouted. "Moony's the bloody best person I've ever met! He'd be the most wonderful father anyone could have!"

"But if the child would have the curse as well..." Peter began, but Sirius cut him off.

"Well, maybe it wouldn't! It's only damned 50 percent change that the child is lycanthropic, if only one of the parents is a werewolf. Okay, it is a bit more if the person carrying the baby is the one with Lycanthropy, but he couldn't do that anyway - only female werewolves have the natural protection for the baby during transformations. How's that a reason to make sure that every single drop of his semen is infertile?"

"You sound like you know this stuff," James dared to say cautiously. He didn't want to mess with Sirius if the other boy was angry, no matter being best friends and all. The taller teen had quite a temper and hard fists, like he'd noticed several times - not that he hadn't given back just the same, if not even better.

Sirius sighed. "Yeah. When Moony told me about this law last spring, I went to the library and searched for any information of the times before the law was created. Not that it matters anyway. There's no way the spell could be reversed." He banged his fist on the wall again, this time even harder. "It's unfair! Moony would be a damn perfect father. He loves kids. He'd want nothing more than some of his own, and the Ministry bastards are denying him even that!"

"And what about you?" Peter asked quietly. "Do you want children?"'

"Do I want children?" Sirius echoed. "Sure as Hell. I'd give them a childhood nothing like my own. But, as I'd never have children with anybody other than Moony, and he can't become a father, it looks like I'll never have my own kids."

"You could always adopt," James suggested.

"Yeah, we could," Sirius said with a sigh. "At least werewolf kids. There are quite a lot of them who have been abandoned their parents once they've got bitten. Too much of them, if you ask me - Hell, if you ask anyone with common sense! I mean, what kind of parents give away their kids?"

"Well, it's seemingly your only way to get some children," James pointed out. "So, no matter how unfair it is, you should be happy about it!"

"Maybe." Sirius sighed for the umpteenth time. "If we even can adopt together. I heard they're now trying to get through a new law that would prevent humans marrying werewolves."

"Shit," said Peter. After that, none of them said anything for quite some time.

James began to feel uneasy in the pressuring silence. So, he tried to light up the depressing atmosphere by saying, "Well, if I ever have kids, I'll name you and Moony their godfathers!"

Sirius snorted. "Me? Maybe, if you ever find a girl who'd accept that. But Moony? No way in Hell. It looks like you aren't aware of the prohibition against werewolves becoming godparents to non-lycanthropic babies?"

For a moment, Peter and James just stared at him. Then Peter said, with a very weak voice, "Is there anything Remus actually is allowed to do?"

"Yes. Marrying, adopting, or godparenting other werewolves the Ministry hasn't forbidden him doing. He's allowed to have a job - if anyone hires a werewolf, which is very unlikely. But he can't adopt humans, be a godfather to one, have his own children, work in a hospital or a primary school, enter the Ministry building or St. Mungo's Hospital without showing his ID tattoo and signing a bunch of papers, witness in a court, work as an Auror or a Ministry official, or be in a jury. Oh, and soon he won't be even allowed to marry a human."

If James and Peter had before been shocked, now they were terrified. "That's incredible!" James exclaimed. "How they have even managed to make that kind of law? Those are just a bunch of prejudicial crap!"

"Tell it to the Ministry," Sirius said darkly. "They have pretty much directed everything Remus can and cannot do."

"And now he can't even get kids," Peter said quietly.

"Yeah. And guys?" Sirius said then, now taking a sharp tone. "If you ever, ever dare to tease poor Moony about his infertility - if you even say a word - my best friends or not, I'll skin you alive. Slowly. Do you understand?"

The both other boys nodded their agreement.

"We wouldn't even dream about teasing him," Peter said, his round face still quite pale. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then asked slowly, "Sirius, mate... Out of pure curiosity, if Moony could be a father, would you carry his baby?"

"Of course," Sirius replied immediately, not batting an eyelid. "You don't seem to understand this, Wormtail. I love Remus. I really do. I'd want nothing more than a baby of both of us, even if it meant I were the one carrying it. But, there's not a way I could do that."

The door banged open, and Remus walked in. They knew he hadn't cried, since there were no marks of tears on his face, but he was white as sheet and his lips were pressed tightly together.

Sirius rose from his bed and walked towards his boyfriend. He closed Remus in a tight hug, one that the young werewolf returned.

For a moment they just stood there in the middle of the dormitory, embracing each other. Then Sirius slowly loosened his arms and started leading Remus towards his bed. The shorted boy followed obediently, looking like he was deep in thought.

The two sat on the bed next to each other, and Remus leaned against Sirius with a resigned sigh. He then noticed James's and Peter's eyes at himself and turned towards Sirius. "You told them?"

"I did," Sirius answered the question, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend's slender waist. "Just like you asked me to do."

"Good," Remus said with another sigh, then turned his head to hide his face to the crook of Sirius's neck. "I don't think I could explain anything myself right now," he mumbled into the other boy's shoulder.

Sirius nodded. Then he wrapped another arm around the brunette boy, drawing him to his lap.

It was late already and Peter and James, figuring that the two lovers might need some time alone now, decided to change to their pyjamas and go to bed. Soon, the curtains were drawn around the two beds, leaving Remus and Sirius the only ones in sight.

Sirius slowly laid down to the bed, pulling Remus down with him. The other boy rolled off him, lying down next to him.

"Did it hurt?" Sirius asked softly after some time of silence.

"No," Remus replied with an expressionless tone. "If anything, I felt... empty. Like I'd been drained of something." His voice was very quiet as he then explained exactly how the spell had been done. Sirius listened, knowing that Remus had to get it out of himself.

At last, Remus fell silent. After a moment of complete silence he moved nearer to Sirius, burying his face again to the other boy's neck. "It's unfair," he mumbled, his tone a bit sleepy. "Why can't I have children as well as anybody other? It just isn't fair!"

"Life isn't fair, Moony," Sirius replied softly. "Sleep now, okay? You sound like you need it."

"You're right," Remus said, and yawned. "I'm really tired. But... Sirius?" he said then, hesitantly.

"Yes?" the tall teen replied immediately.

"Could I just sleep next to you tonight? I just - I just don't feel like being alone at the moment."

"Sure thing, love." Sirius smiled warmly at Remus, who returned the smile cautiously.

They soon changed to their pyjamas as well. Remus then crept under Sirius's covers next to the other boy. Sirius wrapped his arms around Remus, feeling comfortable. It wasn't like it was their first time sleeping in the same bed, anything else, but it was most probably the first time that they didn't do anything else but sleep.

Remus felt comfortable also. Despite the humiliation he'd had to go through, despite his sadness about his limited future, he felt like he could be happy, at least now, this short time, closed in the circle of warm arms and lying next to the person he loved.

Then, Sirius whispered to his ear, "Happy birthday, Moony."