Chapter 73:
Entering, Harry felt more than saw something happening, so he quickly dodged the prank coming his way.
"I told you he wouldn't fall for it," Remus said, laughing. He had noticed Harry's ability to dodge and how he was usually always aware of his surroundings.
Harry smiled and looked behind him to see if the spell had done anything to the wall, which was now bright pink but looked to be turning yellow. Sirius laughed and pulled Harry into a hug. "It was a Marauder's tradition when we were in Hogwarts. Birthday boys got pranked in the morning."
Harry smiled. "You'll have to do better than that then, I suppose," he said.
Sirius smiled and Remus groaned. "Don't give him such free reign," the wolf said.
Kreacher appeared then. The elf seemed to have perked up in the time he had been bonded to both Sirius and Harry. Although he was still old, he was much cleaner and seemed to have more energy. Having a stable bond with Harry and, arguably, Sirius was really beginning to show. "Little Master, Kreacher has made all your favourites for your birthday, yes he has, not every day the Little Master turns twelve," the elf said.
Harry smiled and pulled the elf into a half hug, startling him. "Thank you, Kreacher," he said.
The old elf looked stunned and nodded before popping away quickly.
Sirius laughed. "I think you just broke him completely," he said. Sirius had stopped tormenting the elf and now mainly ignored him. He had seen how much the elf seemed to adore Harry and just left him to it. He was no longer doing any harm and did maintain the house for them and cooked without complaint. Harry shrugged. He had never hugged the elf before but, as he was still rather small, it felt almost natural to do so.
"Let's go eat," Remus said, pulling Harry over to the table.
Looking at the breakfast prepared, Harry felt his mouth water. There was a pile of golden pancakes and every possible topping: from fruits, to yogurts, and even melted chocolate.