Chapter 13 - Birthday cake

                                    

                                          
November 3, Sirius's birthday. Of course we made it known by singing happy Birthday extremely loud at breakfast and lunch, we planned on doing the same for dinner. Tradition of course.
Sirius was thrilled at receiving a Queen record at breakfast. He assumed it was from his cousin Andromeda, she ran off and married a muggle so would often give Sirius gifts like records which he adored. "look y/n! You have to listen to it with me!" He smiled like a small child on Christmas and I realized it was the exact same album I had shown Regulus just perfectly new. 
"Of course, I love that one." I smiled. Sirius and I got on so well because we were good at matching each other's energies. Sometimes it was bad for us both, I never reeled in his idiotic but funny ideas but it had more good than bad. 
He pulled out the record to have a look and a scrappy bit of parchment fell out. 
Happy birthday
- R.A.B
Sirius exchanged a confused glance with me before shoving the note in his pocket. He looked over at the Slytherin table and gave his brother a brief smile. It made me realize this entire war hadn't just ensured I would never get to be with Regulus, it tore apart families. They were brothers and they didn't talk. I couldn't imagine life without James. 
It wasn't like I could suggest Regulus did what Sirius did. All that showed is that he really did want to try to be brothers even if fate forbade it. 
There was no point in wondering what I could have. That was a way to make myself sad, I should be greatful for what I have. My thoughts were intruppted by Marlene nudging me 
"Y/n!"
"What?" I asked her waking up from my day dream. 
"Gilderoy Lockheart is looking over at you. Dorcas told Mary and Mary told me that he fancies you." She whispered. Lockheart was a confident boy, even more arrogant than James. He was clever sure and handsome with blonde hair and ocean blue eyes but he was so arrogant. Perhaps I needed a distraction from Regulus anyway, why not? 
"Oh really? Interesting." I smirked and Marlene gigged. 
"Oh not Lockheart! He's a tosspot!" Sirius said with a mouth full. 
"He's got such an un-moanable name." Mary added while sipping her fruit tea. I burst out laughing but she was right. Gilderoy. 
"I bet he moans his own name." Marlene giggled. They all had valid points though, he couldn't love anyone because all his love was taken up on himself. 
"Shush! I'm sure he isn't that bad. Besides you're talking so loud!" I looked over at Lockheart and gave him a smile. His name gave me the ick but maybe he could be a good distraction from Reg. I'm sure he wasn't looking for love either, just a bit of fun. 
What could go wrong?
.・✫・゜・。..・✫・゜・。.
Charms class, I just so happened to sit next to Gilderoy. He was brilliant at charms, he got them all right first time and was showered in praise by FlitWick. 
I understood everything pretty well, very well in fact, but I knew exactly how to get a guy like that to talk. "Gilderoy I don't get this at all." I sighed hopelessly and rested my chin on my hand. 
"Oh it's simple really I can show you." He offered with a dashing smile, we were studying invisibility charms and the counter charms. We all had a text book in front of us, given out randomly, and we had to make it invisible and turn it visible again. "You need to move your wand in a sort of D shape towards the object and say the incantation." He explained patiently, I think he enjoyed being able to show his knowledge. 
I moved my wand as he said and said the incantation "occultatum" My book vanished from sight, it worked. Well of course it did, I already knew how. "Wow you're such a great teacher." I smiled. 
"I know, thank you." Gilderoy smiled and I made my book visible again. James looked over at me, his eye brows raised. Giving me a non verbal What the hell??? 
"Well done Miss Potter, 10 points to Gryffindor!" Flitwich beamed and I gave Gilderoy a sweet smile. I didn't enjoy his company half as much as I did Regulus but I needed to forget him. 
We walked out of class and I turned around because Gilderoy called my name. "Y/n! Hey, I was just wondering if you'd like to go to hogsmede on Saturday?" He asked with a charming smile. I saw Sirius behind him who elbowed James looking amused, James frantically shook his head making direct eye contact with me. 
"Sure." I smiled "I'll see you then." I realized Regulus walked past and heard that entire thing. He was clearly trying not to look bothered but he shot Gilderoy a glare and I've never seen him walk quicker in his life as he walked away.  
Gilderoy kissed my cheek before walking off and it took all my strength not to physically recoil, wondering what the hell I was doing. Sirius walked up to me and threw his arm around my shoulders in a friendly way. "Y/n my darling sister, you have horrible taste in men." He grinned. 
Well you'll like it better than if I went for your brother... 
.・✫・゜・。..・✫・゜・。.
Just before dinner, I went into the kitchens to get Sirius's birthday cake. It was a 3 layer chocolate cake which I had made with Mary. I went through the portrait to fetch it and to my surprise, in the kitchens, snacking on a red apple, was Reg. "Wow y/n, I can't get rid of you." He smirked. 
He was right, and I couldn't get rid of him as much as I wanted to. "As if you'd ever want that." I grinned "I'm only getting Sirius's birthday cake. I won't bother you long." 
"I don't mind." He shrugged, the house elves were rushing round hurriedly as it was dinner so I stayed by the fridge where we had put his cake to let the icing set. 
"He loves that record you bought him, he's been playing it all day." I said casually as I set the cake down on the kitchen table. 
Reg smiled a little, happy to have given his brother something. "Well I'm not the best brother in the world but I can at least try to be half decent." He shrugged. 
"You're not bad Reg, I just don't think you're allowed to be good." I said quietly and looked up at him. 
"I'm not allowed a lot of things I want." He chuckled regretfully and put his arms around me. I figured he needed the hug so I hugged him back as he put his head on my shoulder and I played with his hair a little. We just stayed there a while and it was nice, I liked being close to him it was so comforting I just wished I was actually allowed. "You've got um the cake you should probably... He'll be wondering where you were." He said when we eventually pulled away and put his hands in the pockets of his trousers. 
I nodded trying to shake thoughts of him out of my head. "Yeah you're right." I nodded and just as I turned on my heel to call out he spoke up again. 
"You look good by the way." He told me with a small smirk, leaning against the kitchen counter cockily. 
I looked down at my red tie, I was only in school uniform nothing special. "I thought red wasn't your thing?" 
"Yeah well it's growing on me."