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first year,
loud-day, birthday
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The red sparks that soared through the boy's bedroom of Gryffindor house woke everyone inside. Which was James Potter intention. Today was Sirius' birthday, and James was making a big deal of it, while he quickly hurried to clean up the mess he made. Sirius sat up watching him fumble around in his trunk he creased his brows wondering what he was up to.

"What are you doing?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Happy Birthday!" James said presenting him with some cakes he had snuck up from the kitchen

"You didn't need to do that," he said, shuffling forward.

"Why not? It's what friends do," James said, handing him a cake, "Anyone else want one?" Remus and Peter hurried over, each taking one to eat, Frank stood not saying a word,

"What's the matter Longbottom, Kneazle got your tongue," James said, to which Frank shook his head, he walked down to the common room.

Remus greatly disapproved of James behaviour towards Frank, even if he meant no harm. He knew that Frank was a shy boy and James' teasing probably didn't help him build up confidence and open up a little.

"What's the matter, Frank?" Alice asked, she spotted him walking through the common room, he always became flustered around her, she was always so sweet and kind to him that he often didn't know what to say to her.

"Nothing, James is being loud, I think it's Sirius' birthday," he told her, he noticed something on her hand, "What's that?"

"Oh, Marlene, she drew on my hand yesterday in class, it hasn't come off yet," she explained

"Alice, are you coming?" Lily asked, as she, Marlene and Mary walked down from the girl's dorm room.

"Yes, I'm coming, I'll see you late," she told him, he nodded, she left with the girls looking back at Frank smiling at him. "Are we meeting Aimee again?"

"If she wants to sit with us then yes," Lily replied

"What do you think of her, I think she's nice," she asked,

"She's got a way of making Black do things for her, she must have a hidden talent that I need to exploit immediately," Marlene said, holding her finger in the air, "and she seems pretty cool,"

"I think she's kind and a little funny at times," Lily said, causing Marlene to stop dead in her tracks.

"What is it, Marls," Mary asked

"You don't think I'm funny," Marlene dramatically placed her hand on her chest.

"That's not what I said-

"Don't try and save yourself now," she threw her hand up against her head.

"Your such a drama queen," Mary said

"I know," she said, happily skipping with Alice and Mary linked in her arms.

Aimee patiently waited for Lily, Marlene, Alice and Mary outside of the great hall, to not be sat alone at the Gryffindor table by herself. She could hear, Marlene as usual, you heard her before you saw her, she was rambling on about something again, she really was a loud person.

Lily ran over to her wrapping her arms around her, she hesitantly put her arms around her too. Marlene also greeted her with a hug, she wasn't sure what this was in aid of. She didn't mind they must have considered her a friend worthy of a friendly hug.

"How was your morning?" she asked

"Loud," Marlene said,

"And for once it wasn't Marlene, being loud," Alice said,

"Excuse me, I am not always loud," Marlene protested

"Yes, you are," Mary said, smiling at her "but today it was the boys, I think it's someone's birthday,"

"It's Sirius', Frank told me," Alice said, this piqued her interest, 'it was his birthday,' she wondered if his parents had gifted him anything for his birthday.

She spotted Sirius walking into the great hall, he smiled at her while he sat with James, Remus and Peter, further down the table. While they agreed to be friends, they still spent their time apart. Aimee with the Gryffindor girls, and Sirius with his boys, James, Remus and Peter.

She walked with Lily, Marlene, Mary and Alice to class. While she was friends with the girls, she still sat alone in class, sometimes she would be sat with Evan and other times, Sirius would sit with her. Today, however, she sat with Marlene, as Lily sat with Severus instead. Sirius sat at the desk in front of them with Remus, she leaned forward across her desk.

"Happy birthday," she whispered, in his ear, she could see the corner of his lips, curl up into a smirk. She leaned back into her chair.

After class had concluded she hoped to go for a walk by the lake, with the autumn leaves falling. She hoped to get some good scenic pictures for her photo album, she didn't expect her name to be shouted through the hall, Sirius ran towards her.

"Hi, what are you doing?" he asked

"Nothing much, I was just going to go for a walk," she told him, he nodded, handing her the book he borrowed. "Thanks, did you enjoy it?" she asked

"Yes, it certainly was adventurous like you said," she smiled knowing he hadn't read the story. "Anyway, we're going to go and watch the Quidditch tryouts do you want to come," he asked, she looked behind him at James waiting for him.

"Erm, no I'll be fine, besides it's Gryffindor tryouts right? Don't think they'd want a Slytherin spying on them," she told him

"Okay, well, I'll catch you later then," Sirius walked out towards the field.

"Why didn't you go with him?" Lily asked

"Oh god, you scared the crap out of me," she said, her hand flew to her chest, she didn't realise that Lily was nearby.

"Sorry, so why didn't you go with him," Lily asked again.

"James was going," Aimee said, sighing to herself, "I don't think he likes me,"

"Why'd you think that?"

"I don't know, he just gives off that vibe," she admitted to Lily,

She didn't expect Sirius' friends to like her, the same way she didn't expect Lily, Marlene, Mary and Alice to understand her and Sirius' friendship. Many of their friends often forgot that Sirius and Aimee were friends, only when they shared their little moments of conversation with small smiles on their faces did they remember.

Aimee sat in the far end of the library, until closing time, she didn't even realise that the time until Madam Pince began hurrying her out of the library. She walked back to her dormitory she halted her steps when she spotted Remus, he acted a little shifty, looking all around him, he didn't want to be followed.

Her curiosity caught the best for her, she followed behind him, hoping he wouldn't see her, Aimee followed him to the hospital wing she was just about to enter the hospital wing to see if he was alright. The sound of some walking down the hall distracted her, she hurried away, believing that a teacher or prefect would be doing their nightly patrols.

"Miss Burke, out of bed after hours, I don't like docking points from my own house," Narcissa told her

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise the time," she tried to explain herself, Narcissa didn't seem convinced,

"I won't give you detention, but I will escort you back to our dormitory," she told her, walking ahead of Aimee, she followed behind Narcissa keeping her head down, walking back to their common room Narcissa walked inside with her, rather than continuing her prefect duties.

"What's wrong, you seem quiet," shee asked, noticing her being a little more distant than usual,

"It's nothing worth bothering over,"

"You can talk to me," Aimee told her, "Sirius and I are getting along better," she told her hoping to help her open up to her a little.

"Really how so?"

"We're talking more, having a little banter here and there, it was his birthday, if I had known a few days earlier I would have bought him something," she explained to her.

"I told you, you should give him a chance and look you're practically friends now," Narcissa said, proudly.

"Yeah, I guess I should thank you," Narcissa hummed "so what's bothering you," she sighed

"It's Malfoy, I think he's lost interest," she said, quickly adding to her statement "not that I'm concerned, but one minute he was besotted with me, next it's as though I don't exist," Narcissa explained,

"I thought you weren't interested in him," she questioned

"I'm not, it's just he's been like this since second year, and for three years, he's been all about me, and I guess I kind of liked that," she admitted

"Maybe he got tired of waiting around," Aimee told her,

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe you need to make the move now, let him know that you're interested in him before you lose him," she smiled at her, hoping she had helped a little.

Aimee left for her room, she felt a tad guilty. She never intended to hurt Narcissa, and she seemed really hurt by Lucius lack of interest in her. She just hoped she hadn't gone too far with it and ruined Lucius' chance with Narcissa, she would have to find Lucius and find out how he believed things were between him and Narcissa