"He did it because he was jealous?" Sirius inquired in confusion.

When Val had returned to the boys room as promised, Sirius and Remus were there as well. She supposed they had returned to make sure everything was alright and James caught them up to speed.

Val huffed, "Apparently."

James had closed himself off into his area and Val hadn't the slightest clue as to what to do. Sirius had told her to go in and talk to him but she thought it would be a bad idea.

"He took it down," Remus announced as he re-entered the room. "I don't know where he is now though."

"When we find him, I'm going to kill him myself," Sirius informed the two and Val rolled her eyes. She had learned that the boys were prone to make death threats when angry. Although, when she thought about it, she'd come to realize she was the same way.

"Let's stop talking about him," Val suggested before gesturing to Sirius. "Let's talk about your birthday."

"How do you know when my birthday is?"

"Because James told me," she said pointedly. "It is tomorrow isn't it?" He eyed her curiously but nodded nevertheless. "Do you have any plans or are you just going to hide away in here all day?"

"Well, for one, he'll be in class," Remus pointed out. "We still have to go to those you know."

"Why should he have to go to class on his birthday?" Val asked in confusion.

"You went to class on your birthday," he reminded the girl and he was right. It may have only been two days ago but so much had happened it felt like a lifetime ago.

"See, that was different," she countered. "I don't like my birthday. He does." Remus didn't seem keen on the idea of skipping classes. "Oh, come on!" she exclaimed. "He's turning seventeen! We should make a day of it! We could sneak out and go to Hogsmeade or something."

"I'm in," Sirius agreed as he fell back onto his bed. "Anything to get out of classes."

Val turned to Remus with an expectant look. He groaned, leaning his head back, "You won't leave me alone until I say yes, will you?" She nodded and he huffed, "Fine, but only if you get James to come out."

Her face dropped at this. She hadn't the slightest clue as to how to do that. "How do you propose I do that?"

"Maybe go in and talk to him?" Sirius suggested as he had multiple times before. She sucked in a breath, "He won't listen to me but he will listen to you. Think of it as my birthday present."

She huffed, "Fine, alright." She glanced at the door for a moment, "But you two need to leave. And make sure Peter doesn't come in here. At least not until I'm done talking to him."

Val waited a moment after the pair left before entering James's area. She closed the curtain behind her before taking a deep breath, "James?"

"I don't want to talk," he muttered but she barely heard him. His face was stuffed in the pillow, muffling his voice.

"It's kind of hard to understand you when you're basically eating your pillow," she informed him. He reached his arm out and pushed her away from him. She rolled her eyes as she laid down next to him, her face only an inch or so from him. "James."

"No."

"Get up."

"No."

"Don't make me hex you."

"I'll just hex you back."

She rolled her eyes, "Come on, you being all grouchy isn't going to make the situation better." She raised her hand in between them, her thumb and forefinger an inch apart, "And I'm this close to corrupting Remus."

He perked up a little at this and she could finally get a good look at his face. His cheeks were blotchy and his eyes were bloodshot, no doubt from crying. She frowned before dropping her hand, "I don't know what I'm supposed to say."

"There's nothing to say," he pointed out, his face dropping into his pillow but he didn't bury himself as he had before. "Nothing can make this better."

"I'm sorry," she apologized and she meant it. Had she not been a part of his life, none of this would have happened. Peter would still be the innocent adorable Peter and all would be well.

"I'm the one who should be sorry," he pointed out, his voice quiet.

She raised an eyebrow, "For what?"

"You told me," he reminded her and she grew confused. "You told me about the feeling you had and I-"

"Stop," she shook her head and raised her hand to the side of his face. His eyes pierced into hers and for a moment she forgot how to breathe. "You trusted him. I'm in my opinion, remaining loyal to him was the most honorable thing you could have done."

They remained like that for a moment, neither of them looking away from the other. Val was the first to snap out of it. She hopped out of the bed, "So come on, get up." She clapped her hands together, "Up and attem Potter."

He merely stared at her blankly. She shook her head slightly, raising her palm to her forehead, "I am so going to regret this." Dropping her hands to her sides with a huff, she addressed the boy, "I will make you a deal. If you get out of bed, I will read you Alice in Wonderland as many times as you want but you also have to go to Hogsmeade with us for Sirius's birthday tomorrow."

He sat up, "As many times as I want?"

She faltered, "Yes?"

Don't get her wrong. She loved Alice and Wonderland as much as the next person and had no problem reading it over and over again. The issue was that it got to the point that James was quoting the book in every other sentence he said.

"So do we have a deal?" she asked hopefully.

He huffed, "Fine. But if I see Peter-"

"You won't look at him or talk to him," she informed. "You will pretend he doesn't even exist."

He ran a hand through his hair, his face was still a little pink but unless you were really close to him, you couldn't tell he was crying.

She grabbed his hand and he reluctantly stood up. She guided him out of the dorm and down to the common room where Remus and Sirius sat waiting on the couch.

"There he is," Sirius announced, drumming rather dramatically on the arms of the couch he sat on. "Come on, let's go eat," he suggested as he hopped out of the seat, "I'm starving."

The group travelled to the door and Sirius eagerly opened the portrait but froze upon seeing what - or who - was on the other side. Of course they were to run into him.

Peter looked around at the four, a scowl forming on his face as his sight landed on Val. Sirius and Remus glanced over at James warily but the boy appeared unfazed.

With Val's hand in his, he walked out the portrait, not sparing his old friend a glance. Val laced her free hand around his arm and he pulled her closer to him. She rested her head against his shoulder, "You're shaking."

He gritted his jaw, "That's because I was trying not to rip his head off."

"That certainly would have been a sight to see," Sirius announced from behind them. "Almost wish he had done it." Remus and Val both shot him a look and he put his hands up in surrender, "Right, sorry."

They all sat down at the Gryffindor table a moment later and Sirius was the first to break the silence. And of course, in the normal Black fashion, it was the absolute wrong conversation starter.

"So what's this we heard about you attacking Peter in the library?" Sirius inquired, taking a bite of his chicken leg as he did so.

James's head snapped in Val's direction and she rolled her eyes. "I did not attack him. He pulled his wand out and I disarmed him."

"You sent him flying into a table."

"I'm a talented witch," she replied simply. She glanced over at James whose site was set on the empty plate in front of him. His grip had tightened on her thigh and she knew he was upset. "Anyway. Tomorrow. Hogsmeade."

Sirius grinned, "Can't wait."

And that he couldn't.

"Wake up," he demanded and the girl's eyes shot open. She sat up in confusion until she realized Sirius stood at the foot of her bed. "Good, you're a light sleeper. I was afraid I was going to have to jump on you as I would with James."

"What are you doing here?" she asked. And the better question, how did he know where to find her?

"We have to leave early if we don't want to get caught," he explained simply, laying down next to her on the bed. "I told them I would come retrieve you so that they didn't go into your dorm and find your bed vacant."

"Boys can't get into the girl dorms."

He glanced over at her, "We have our ways."

"How did you know I was here?"

"It didn't take a genius to figure it out," he informed her.

"James hadn't figured out."

"That's because James is about as observant as a paper plate."

"Fair enough," she huffed before hoping out of bed. "How does it feel to be officially seventeen?"

He closed his eyes, his arms rested behind his head as he grew more comfortable on her bed. "Same as yesterday, I suppose. Now hurry up and get ready so we can go meet the boys."

She rolled her eyes but did as requested nevertheless. The pair were about to leave when Val seemed to remember something, "Oh!"

Sirius raised an eyebrow at the girl as she crossed the room. She grabbed something off the nightstand and brought it over to him, "Happy Birthday."

"You didn't have to get me anything," he pointed out yet proceeded to open it anyway.

"Please, you would have never shut up if I hadn't."

He tilted his head to the side, "That is true. But I wouldn't have really meant what I said." He pulled what appeared to be a vinyl out of the remaining wrapper and allowed the trash to fall to the floor.

Sirius turned it over and stared at it for a moment before looking at the girl, "You didn't."

"But I did," she replied. "Think of it as me passing the crown over to you."

In his hand was his very own copy of ABBA's Arrival. Taped on top was a piece of parchment paper in which Val had scrawled, 'You're the dancing queen now.'

He rolled his eyes but a smile broke out across his face. Before she could protest, he pulled her into a bone crushing hug. "Can't-" she managed to get out, "Breathe."

Sirius pulled away, "Always so dramatic."

He opened the door and looked down either side of the hall. "All clear," he announced before stepping out, pulling her with him. She yelped as she stumbled out of the room and the door closed behind her.

"Merlin, Sirius," she huffed as he released her hand. "If it wasn't your birthday, I would hit you."

"Is that really stopping you?" he inquired as they made their way through the school.

"Are you asking me to hit you?"

"Would you two stop bickering so we can get out of here?" Remus requested and Val looked up to find him standing with a still upset James.

Val approached the boy and elbowed him playfully in the side. "Lighten up," she suggested and he turned to look at her. She sent him a smile and he took her hand in his own before leading her into the tunnel.

"This feels like the start of a horror movie," she informed the group as she looked around. "You guys aren't going to kill me, are you?"

"To be determined," James announced and Val hit him in the arm. He looked down at her and even though it was dark she could see the faint smile that graced his lips.

"Right up here," Sirius announced and Val looked ahead to see that there was a door. They entered and Val looked around in confusion.

"What is this place?" she inquired. It appeared to be a small shed of sorts. There were scratch marks covering the wall and it seemed to be moving.

"It's the Shrieking Shack," Remus informed her and this surprised her. Why was there a tunnel in Hogwarts that led to the Shrieking Shack? "This way," he said after a moment and James led her through the shack and out a door. When they left, they were Hogsmeade.

"Huh," Val said as she glanced back at the shack they had just walked out of and made their way into town.

James moved his arm so it was around her shoulders and pulled her closer. Val rested her head on his shoulder with a content smile. She was just happy that he was happy.

Val smiled before looking ahead, "Where to first, birthday boy?"

They had ventured throughout Hogsmeade for hours, the boys revealing all the secrets they had discovered over time. By the time they returned, it was dinner time.

Sirius had had a good time and James was distracted. Remus seemed more relaxed than she had ever seen him. In Val's opinion, it was a win-win situation for everyone.

"Where's your boy-toy?" Sirius inquired as they sat at the Gryffindor dining table. She sat across from him, the food on her plate untouched.

"Who knows with him," she replied. A muffled song began to play from outside the Great Hall. Val had to look down at her plate to mask any reaction she was tempted to make.

The fork in Sirius's hand stopped in midair as the muffled music grew louder. He looked over at where Val sat and saw that she was trying not to laugh.

"What did you do?"

You can dance. You can jive.

"Nothing," she shook her head, "This is purely coincidental."

Having the time of your life. Oh, see that girl. Watch that scene. Digging the dancing queen.

He narrowed his eyes, "Where are James and Remus?"

Friday night and the lights are low. Looking out for a place to go. Where they play the right music. Getting in the swing. You come to look for a king. Anybody could be that guy.

She shrugged, "I'm not their keeper."

With a bit of rock music. Everything is fine. You're in the mood for a dance and when you get the chance.

"I swear, Hufflepuff, if you-" but his threat was cut off as the doors to the Great Hall slammed open. In walked James and Remus, the former with a boombox perched up on his shoulder. The pair looked for Sirius and grinned upon finding him.

You are the dancing queen. Young and sweet. Only seventeen. Dancing queen. Feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah.

"I'm going to kill you," Sirius informed the girl, gripping his fork. She looked over at him but she could see through his angry facade.

You can dance. You can jive. Having the time of your life.

"You'd miss me too much," she countered. She stood up and hopped up on the table, ignoring the looks she was getting from those in the room. She reached her hand down to him, "Come on, dancing queen, show us what you got."

Ooh, see that girl. Watch that scene. Digging the dancing queen.

When he didn't reach up, she leaned down and forced him up. She used the minimal strength she had and yanked him out of his seat and onto the table.

Val forced Sirius to twirl around as he had done to her a few days ago. It proved rather difficult given that he was taller than her but she managed.

Remus and James hopped up on the table and Sirius glared at them.

"How much longer?" Val inquired and James glanced down at his pocket watch.

"Around a minute," he answered before closing it. He looked around at the three, "We should probably get out of here."

"What, why?" Sirius inquired but they didn't explain. Remus grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him down from the table. James left the boombox behind as the four swiftly made their way from the room.

They allowed the door to close and James, Val and Remus took off at a sprint, the latter pulling a rather confused Sirius along with him.

"What did you-" he began but before he could finish the question, there was a bang from inside the Great Hall. The doors blew open slightly, sending a burst of glitter out and littering part of the hall. "Oh."

"Potter!" they could hear McGonagall screech and the four took off again.

"Why is it always my fault?" he inquired as he glanced behind them for a brief moment. They came to a stop outside of the portrait.

"Because it's usually your fault," Val reminded him.

"This was your idea!" he exclaimed.

"McGonagall doesn't know that," Val shrugged. "For all she knows, you've corrupted me."

"Oh, you are far past the point of corruption, my love." She rolled her eyes before saying the password and entering the Gryffindor common room. Maybe things would be okay.