Chapter 4

Warnings: Detailed pizza tasting...a lot of pizza eating. Be warned of likely wanting pizza after reading this :P

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For a long moment everyone stared at him before they all burst into laughter at the same time.

"I guess Remus was right," Harry laughed.

"About what?" Moody asked.

"That you would run for Sirius' cooking," Fred answered.

"Have you tasted Sirius' food before?" Moody asked.

"Not yet. Why?"

"You would run, too," Moody simply settled himself more comfortable. "How long will it be before dinner is done?"

"A little more than ten minutes. If I calculated correctly then your dad should be coming home in five minutes so you can let him taste your creations, too," Sirius answered bemused while the twins accepted the plates Remus passed them.

"Don't we need cutlery?" Ginny asked as she eyed the set table.

"No, one of the best things about pizza is that you can eat it with your hands. We cut it using a special pizza knife and then you can just take a slice."

"So that is what you meant with it not being a problem to taste the other's creations!" Ginny exclaimed with suddenly understanding, making Sirius wink at her before he turned to the group again.

"Now, in a bit these will be done. Do you know how to tell if they are truly ready?"

"If they are brown?" Ron asked.

"If the cheese is melted!" Fred and George exclaimed.

"All three of you are right. The crust turns a nice golden brown colour and the cheese indeed melts on the top. Though the mozzarella won't melt very much, so you can't always take the cheese as an indication of readiness," Remus answered them.

"Pizza...it's been a long time since I ate that," Moody admitted with longing in his voice.

"You ate pizza before?" Ron asked surprised.

"I think the last time I had pizza was on his birthday," Moody said with a nod to Sirius.

"My birthday? That must have been years ago."

"Yes, Potter was not even a year old, I believe," Moody agreed.

"What kind of pizza do you like?" Harry looked at Moody curiously.

"Any kind your godfather makes himself," Moody looked at Harry with both of his eyes as he answered him to show him he wasn't joking.

Harry's mouth twitched as he tried not to laugh.

"You must have a preference," Ron frowned.

"No, I eat any kind he makes. Though the ones you made look interesting to taste."

"I'm never getting used to that eye of yours," Sirius laughed as he noticed Moody's magical eye was staring into the oven again.

"Didn't he have that when you were both in the Order the first time around?" Ron asked.

"No. Though you look more like how you used to with those clothes," Moody commented.

Sirius glanced down at his clothing with a smile. "The children choose it."

"They have good taste. Though I liked the phoenix shirt you and James used to wear, this suits you better, especially with the fine haircut again."

"Phoenix shirt?" Several voices asked curiously as Sirius looked down embarrassed at Moody's words.

"Oh, I completely forgot about that!" Remus laughed. "He and James used to wear this shirt with a huge golden phoenix on it. It was their way of pissing off Voldemort after he had tried to get them to join him and they refused."

"You-Know-Who wanted you to join him?" Ginny asked surprised.

"He tried, we refused. He claimed he didn't want to spill too much precious pure blood and we were both Pure-Bloods. But enough about that, your mum is coming downstairs," Sirius straightened and moved to the other side of the table.

Moments later he was proven right as the kitchen door opened and both Molly and Hermione walked in. They stopped dead in their tracks as they noticed the weirdly dressed group.

"What on earth are you all wearing?" Hermione asked disgusted.

"Party clothes," Ginny swirled around. "Aren't they cool?"

"You look ridiculous," Molly snapped. "I want you all to change into proper clothing right away."

"Sorry Mum but we can't," Fred said cheerfully.

"What? Why not?"

"Because Sirius and Remus transfigured our clothes for this party. The rules are to be dressed up for as long as the party lasts," George continued.

"This is ridiculous, what party!"

"Harry's birthday party," Sirius answered calmly.

"They don't have to dress completely inappropriate for that," Molly protested angrily.

"Actually they do. It are Harry's rules and if Moody can participate then so can you," Remus contradicted her.

"Moody?"

"Don't be such a nag, Weasley. We're at a party," Moody grumbled from his spot.

"When did you arrive? You haven't been on duty have you been?" Molly asked, suddenly sounding a lot friendlier.

"I came to pass on a message to Sirius. I stayed for dinner. "

"I will whip you up something very quickly then," Molly said as she moved to the cupboards.

"I'm only staying because the lads made pizza with Sirius."

"You want to eat pizza?" Hermione asked disgusted.

"Lass, I'd eat tomato soup if Sirius made it and I cannot begin to describe how much I hate tomato soup."

"He can't be that good," Hermione argued.

"I don't care what you think little Missy, as long as I get my share of the pizza."

"Have you decided yet what you want to taste?" George asked.

"Hm…" Moody looked at the oven with his magical eye once more. "I admit I am curious to all of your results under his guidance so I might just try to steal a slice from you all."

"You aren't going to test them before eating?" Molly asked sceptical.

"In the old days I would. Constant Vigilance and all. But I know Sirius would sooner cut off every single of his limbs before letting anything happen to those two. And since at least Remus is bound to taste every single one out of curiosity and politeness I know they will be safe."

Molly gaped at him in shock and she wasn't the only one.

"You are really not going to check the food?" Sirius asked surprised.

"I trust you, lad. You have never tried to poison me before, so it is about time I start showing I trust you," Moody grumbled with a firm nod.

Sirius stared at him in shock for several long moments.

"As honoured as I am by that statement, you do realise that I cannot guarantee that all the pizzas will be ones you will like, right?"

"I might be paranoid but I am not an idiot. It is the lads and lass's first cooking class so my expectations are not overwhelmingly high. If I don't like it then I do not like it. But it is worth a try."

"We won't fail you!" the twins exclaimed eagerly as Molly grumbled.

"Fail who?" A new voice entered the conversation as they all turned to see Arthur Weasley standing in the doorway.

"Welcome home, Dad!" all Weasley children chorused.

"Good afternoon to you all, too. What is that lovely smell my nose is detecting?" He asked as he sniffed the air.

"Sirius and Remus are teaching us how to make pizza, Dad," Ginny said as she ran to her father to give him a hug.

"Pizza?" Arthur answered her hug.

"Its Muggle food made out of dough and vegetables and stuff," she continued.

"Dough, vegetables and stuff? How did it taste? Was it good?" Arthur asked eagerly.

"You can decide for yourself. They are almost done. We've timed it so that you would be home in time to have a taste of their creations," Remus smiled.

"I look forward to it! Real Muggle food. Is that why you are all dressed so funnily? To be more like Muggles?"

"No, we dressed up for Harry's birthday party," Fred said with a laugh.

"Ah of course, congratulations Harry. And a dress code. Well, I can't stay behind then, can I?" Arthur said cheerfully as he pulled his wand and looked at the clothes the children were wearing before pointing his wand on himself.

Moments later he was wearing a copy of Ginny's though in different colours. A pair of baggy purple pants with a pink shirt under a yellow jacket. On his head he wore a blue fez.

The children all whistled approvingly at him while Molly looked at him scandalised. "Arthur!"

"What? It is the dress code, why are you not dressed up?" he sat down on the table beside Moody, pulling Ginny into the seat beside him where she leaned against her father.

"Alastor?" he asked surprised as he spotted his friend beside him. "Good gracious, I almost didn't recognise you."

"You look rather dashing yourself, Arthur," Moody shot back at him good-naturedly.

Arthur glanced down at himself before he let out a laugh. "I rather do. But look at those kids, they look amazing and those grinning and happy faces are something I find worth looking silly for. Whose idea was it to give Harry a birthday party?"

"Sirius," Fred and George said in unison, turning to the mentioned man.

"I should have known you were at fault. You always bring weird ideas into my children's heads," Molly complained angrily.

"Oh let them be, Molly. It is not often they get the chance to have fun any more. I think it is a splendid idea Siri...oh my," Arthur trailed off as he finally spotted Sirius sitting next to Remus.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Ginny pulled at her father's sleeve, worried as he stared at Sirius with an unreadable expression but he blinked when his daughter called him.

"Sorry, for a moment I felt like I had stepped into the past. Seeing the two of you like that brings back memories," he explained with a smile.

"It's been a long time since we saw him wear that, hasn't it been," Moody agreed and Arthur nodded.

"It is, though didn't you wear a handmade bracelet as well?" Arthur frowned. "I thought Kingsley returned all of your possessions?"

"He did and I keep it upstairs. I can't wear it any more," Sirius' soft admittance made both men nod in understanding and although everyone was curious as to why not, they sensed they should not ask.

"You know, now that I know about your Animagus form, it is suddenly a whole lot more clear to me why you specifically wore that and not just a necklace if you wanted to wear a display of bonds," Moody stirred the conversation back to safer topics.

"You guys knew about that collar?" Ron asked surprised and Arthur and Moody both nodded.

"He wasn't seen without it since his teenage years," Moody actually smiled as Molly and Hermione glance at it, not having seen it yet and although Molly huffed, she apparently couldn't think of anything insulting to say about it while Moody was present so she turned away while Hermione simply looked disapprovingly.

"What's made you upset?" Arthur asked, surprised by her cold reaction.

"She's upset because Remus and Moody claim Sirius is a better cook," Ron said.

"And that Sirius saved Ginny's life," Fred continued.

"And taught us some defensive magic and how to make pizza," George concluded.

"What?" Arthur looked at his children one by one confused before turning to his wife.

"Molly? What are they talking about?"

"They are exaggerating; he didn't save Ginny's life. He endangered her."

"I don't understand, Ginny were you hurt?" Arthur turned to his daughter to clarify things but when Ginny opened her mouth to answer she was interrupted by the oven bell going off.

"I'm fine. I'll tell you all about it after dinner, Dad," she promised, jumping up so she could get a good look at the pizzas, too, as the other teenagers moved forward as one.

"Talking about excited," Sirius chuckled as they all gathered around him. "I do need some room to take the pizzas out you know?"

In response they all took a few small steps back, which made Sirius laugh even harder before he opened the oven door.

They all peeked inside and gasped as they saw their pizzas were now indeed brownish and the cheese had melted.

"What do you guys think? Are they ready?" Sirius asked as he looked at them.

A chorus of confirmations was given and Sirius accepted the oven gloves Remus handed him from the other side of the door.

"Do you guys want to take them out of the oven yourself or do you want me to do it for you?"

They all looked at each other before they agreed it would be wiser if Sirius took them out which he quickly did. Holding the hot baking sheets above the plates they helped him slide the pizzas off until they were all displayed onto the table while Remus took a few more pictures before joining them.

"So...who made what or do you want us to guess?" Arthur asked as he examined all of the pizzas interested.

"We'll just let you all taste one piece at a time and you have to say. We're all out of course since we made them, as are Sirius and Remus because they already saw them but the two of you could guess," Ginny said after sharing a look with her brothers and Harry.

"That sounds fair enough," Moody agreed, slowly getting pulled into their enthusiasm.

"We could make it a contest. We all have to taste a piece of every pizza and give it a score," Arthur suggested to which the children agreed as they all took a seat.

"Harry, as the birthday boy it should be your job to cut them and hand them out," Fred said as he turned to Harry who nodded with a chuckle.

"Sure," he agreed as he moved to the pizzas while Sirius handed out pieces of parchment and quills.

"Do you want to reveal who made what or keep it a secret and see if they can discover who made what pizza?" he asked.

"The last!" they all readily agreed while getting comfortable on their chairs and accepting their quills and parchment.

When Sirius passed Arthur and Moody to hand them their parchment, Arthur grabbed his sleeve and pulled him down a bit so he could whisper in his ear.

"Thank you."

"What for?" Sirius whispered back confused as he looked at him.

"For letting them truly be children for a while. I haven't seen them this carefree for far too long and I can't thank you enough for that," Arthur squeezed his arm in gratitude.

"It isn't hard for children to be just that if you just stop ordering them around and include them in the simple things that you are doing," Sirius replied.

"You managed to make even Potter relax and have fun without worrying for a while. I'd not call that simple," Moody added just as quietly.

Sirius shrugged. "It is if you listen to them."

With that he straightened again to continue into the stream of chattering teenagers.

"Okay...Harry? Your turn," Remus took over as Sirius sat down beside him.

"This is absolutely ridiculous. Why do you need to make a game out of everything?" Molly asked annoyed. "Dinner is not a joke and should be taken seriously."

"If you don't like it then the door is behind you," Moody grumbled, accepting his first slice of pizza from Harry with a nod.

Molly spluttered as she turned to her husband for support but Arthur didn't pay her the least bit of attention as he laughed at something Ginny said.

With a huff she turned and left the kitchen angrily. Hermione glanced between them and her before quietly sitting down beside Ginny and accepting a piece too, not wanting to be left out once more.

Once everyone had a piece the adults showed them how they were supposed to hold it before taking a bite, the teenagers and Arthur following their example.

"By Merlin's beard! This is amazing!" he exclaimed in wonder as he chewed thoughtfully before swallowing.

The teenagers all nodded in agreement as they enjoyed their piece, even Hermione despite her previous objections.

"Well...it is up to you two to guess who made which pizza. Oh, you should know everyone made four," Remus said with a smile.

"I taste mushroom so Ron and Ginny are out since they aren't very fond of it," Arthur took another bite.

"As are Sirius and Remus. There is salami on this one and I know Sirius doesn't like it and Remus doesn't use mushrooms on his either," Moody added as he too took another bite.

"You know their tastes pretty well," Harry said surprised as he finished his piece.

"It is what happens when you crash at their dinner table often enough," Moody agreed.

"So either Fred or George are left. I'd say…Fred," Arthur decided.

Moody took another bite and then looked at the twins. "I agree."

Fred laughed. "You guessed correctly."

"All right, bring on the next one. This was rather tasty lad. A bit lumpy at places but very nice," Moody complimented him, making Fred's smile widen.

"Next one!" Harry called out as he gave everyone a piece of the second pizza. It were only small slices since the pizzas weren't very big but no one minded as they all got to taste different kinds.

"Oh…don't give that one to Remus," Sirius warned as Harry passed him a piece.

"Why not?" Harry asked confused as he looked at the piece and gave it to Fred instead.

"Its baked fish," Sirius explained, making Remus wrinkle his nose and the rest laugh.

"I will keep quiet as I know exactly who made this one," Arthur said as he happily bit into it.

Moody glanced at him in suspicion before taking a bite himself and chewing thoroughly.

"Tuna, obviously Sirius and Remus are out. Someone's been fairly lavish with their layering," he took another bite.

"Why is Sirius out?" Ginny asked.

"Because he would never make fish ones if Remus is around," Moody answered.

"I wouldn't?"

"No and James didn't like fish so unless Lily or I specifically asked for it you didn't make it since you didn't care about it either way," he paused before nodding. "Which is why I vote for Harry, Not because I can taste it but because Lily loved fish."

"It's not mine. I thought about it but I had a feeling we would probably be tasting each other's and since Remus told us he finds cooked fish disgusting I didn't make it. I really like it though."

"Should have known you would think like that. Then Ginny as neither Fred nor George seem to particularly like fish."

"Yeah it's mine. I don't really like the result though," Ginny admitted as she wrinkled her nose to everyone's amusement.

"You know that if you don't like the result you don't have to eat it right?" Sirius teased as she reluctantly looked at her half eaten piece.

"Oh..." relieved she placed the piece down on her plate.

"Maybe next time you can add a bit less tuna. Maybe you will like it better then," Sirius suggested.

"There will be a next time?" Ginny asked hopefully.

"Sure, if you'd like. Ah thanks," he accepted the new piece Harry was distributing before looking at it alarmed.

"I completely forgot. Does anyone of you have any food allergies?"

"No...why?" Arthur asked confused.

"Because I suddenly remember that Fabian was allergic to nuts and this one has walnuts," Sirius spoke urgently.

They all glanced at each other before they looked at Arthur.

"None of mine are allergic as far as I know."

"Neither are you," Sirius reassured Harry as he bit his lip in thought.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, you always asked pieces of me whenever Remus had a bowl of nuts on our table and it never gave you a reaction. Moody?" he directed the last bit to the ex-Auror.

"I'm good. But smart of you to ask."

"A bit late actually," Sirius admitted.

"If someone was affected you would have healed them in moments. I can't even remember the amount of times you or James had to save Peter from his throat swelling because he was stupid enough to eat anything within reach without checking it first," Remus said, tensing slightly as he spoke the traitors name but Sirius gave no reaction other than to nod.

"Not bad," Fred suddenly spoke, having taken a bite from his piece already and the others quickly followed his example.

"This is actually quite good," Arthur agreed. "I hadn't expected walnuts to be nice like this but they are."

"No doubt about this one as Sirius gave it away already," Moody grumbled approvingly.

"I did?" Sirius asked surprised.

"Yeah, you said Remus always had a bowl of nuts on your table," Ron laughed.

"So this one's Remus'?" Arthur asked.

"I think so," Remus looked at Sirius who nodded.

"Yeah it is."

"You didn't make it yourself?" surprised Arthur turned to Remus.

"No, Sirius made them for me while I took pictures."

"You made pictures of the bunch making these?" Arthur sounded excited.

"I'll give you copies once I've developed them," Remus promised and Arthur smiled gratefully.

"Ready for the next piece?" Harry asked as he accepted the next pizza Sirius had sliced for him and handed out the pieces. Originally he had been cutting them himself but between tasting and talking Sirius had taken over so that he could keep going.

"Pineapple... that's odd," Arthur said as soon as he swallowed his first piece.

"Not bad...not bad at all. I like the combination with ham and cheese," Moody approved.

"I noticed a lot of pineapple being used so I am curious if you can figure out who made this one," Sirius laughed.

"It's a difficult one. Besides Ron all three of mine like pineapple and I know Harry does too," Arthur said as he looked at his slice.

"I go for...George."

"Harry," Moody decided.

"I made one with that combination, but I know mine is still standing with the rest because I put the pineapple below the cheese and here it is the other way," Harry frowned confused but Sirius laughed.

"I made one of those for Remus too so I think that one's his," he revealed as he picked up Harry's and sliced it so that Harry could hand the pieces over.

"It is bound to happen that people choose the same toppings," smiling Remus took a bit from the pizza and nodded approvingly at the taste.

"But Moody was sort of right. So it's three for Moody and two for dad," Ginny said as she glanced at her paper.

"Are you keeping the score?" Fred asked as he realised none of them had written anything on his or her paper.

Ginny nodded. "Yeah seemed smart since we forgot to score the slices ourselves."

"Good job little sis," George pulled her into an one armed hug to show his appreciation. Ginny laughed at his action before swatting him away.

"There are three pizzas with the same toppings," Sirius noted.

"Let's give them at the same time so they have to say three names," Harry opted.

"Unless they think they have been made by the same person," Fred commented.

"Pineapple again. What is that red meat?" Moody asked.

"Salami," Remus said as he tasted it.

"I can't say I truly like this one," Moody placed the piece down on his plate before picking up the second and tasting that one before taking a bite of the third.

"No...It's not the pizza itself, I don't like the combination," he finally decided.

"You tried all three of them to be sure of that?"amused Ginny looked at him.

"I said I would try every piece once so I will. Even if the flavouring is the same doesn't mean the taste will. If you've done even a single thing differently, then it can change the entire taste of the pizza," Moody explained before he turned to Sirius.

"I have to admit I am not entirely fond of this one myself either," apologised Arthur.

"Don't feel bad dad, you can't like everything," George said.

"But you still have to guess!" cheerfully Ginny grabbed her father's arm.

"That is not so hard. You and George," he pulled her close for a moment.

"I add Fred too. Three pizzas and the combinations are too much of a challenge to make two off, especially if they didn't know how it would end up," Moody logically added to which Arthur agreed.

"I made one," Ginny confirmed.

"We both made one, too," Fred and George spoke in unison.

"So another three points for both," Ginny noted.

"What is that green stuff?" Arthur asked as he accepted a new plate with three identical ones again.

"Pesto," Harry frowned when Sirius accepted the plate from him but immediately passed it on to Remus who accepted it without a word.

"Aren't you going to taste it?"

"I'm sure it will be lovely but I can't. Not if I don't want to spend the rest of the evening and tomorrow in bed with stomach pains and throwing up," Sirius apologised.

"How come?" Ginny asked.

"Because I've learned the hard way that my stomach can't handle spices and herbs anymore," Sirius explained.

"Why can't your stomach handle it any more?" confused Ron looked at him before he noticed almost everyone was looking at him like he had grown two heads. But Harry suddenly looked alarmed as he realised something.

"We brought you chicken last year while you were hiding and I know that was spiced!"

"Yeah, that's when I discovered it. It was the first normal food I ate in years, wasn't pretty. Though it was very nice while first eating it," Sirius added almost as an afterthought, making the others wince in sympathy.

"Can't you slowly get used to eating herbs and spices again?" Ginny asked quietly.

"We are experimenting with it very slowly, but I'm not willing to take the risk, even if it's only pesto and that middle slice especially is much too..."

"Merlin's pants that is spicy!" Arthur interrupted him, quickly accepting the glass of milk Remus handed to him and downing it in one gulp; Remus tapped it with his wand, refilling it and laughing as Arthur downed that one as well.

"Yeah, that one's extra spicy," Sirius grinned.

"Gosh, Fred, definitely Fred," Arthur said as he stuck his tongue into his refilled glass, making everyone laugh before eying their own middle piece suspiciously and carefully taking a small bite.

"Yeah...I slipped with the green stuff, pesto you called it? Sorry," Fred winched as more people quickly reached for their glasses, he himself included. Only Remus and Moody didn't.

"Nice...spicy and tasty," Moody complimented him while Remus cheerfully bit into Sirius' piece.

"Do your tongues not have taste buds?" Ginny gasped around a mouthful of water.

"I like spicy, it is a shame you can't eat it anymore. You always made such lovely spiced chicken," Moody shook his head regretfully. "But your health is more important than that chicken."

"I could always make it for you if you want. Just because I can't eat it doesn't mean I can't make it for others," Sirius shrugged.

"Does that mean we get an invitation for tasting it too?" George asked sneakily.

"There isn't much to it. Just take a chicken, season it properly and toss it into the oven until it is done," Sirius glanced at Harry. "Not literally toss, just...ow."

Harry slapped him on the arm at the reminder of his dough action, the other teenagers snickering before they explained it to their father and Moody, who laughed too.

"Hm...The other two pieces are less spicy, I like the first one. Not too much cheese but also not too much tomato...a little bit of everything. I vote for Harry," Moody said.

"The other has to be George' or Remus' then...but since Sirius made it...George," Arthur said.

"Both right," the makers confirmed, making the score a tie for now of seven for both.

"I have four of the same here...I don't know if you want to taste them one by one or in one go," Sirius asked as he looked at the remaining pizzas.

"Let's taste them at the same time. How come they are still warm and not cooling down?" Harry asked.

"Because we are cheating with magic," Remus answered with a wink.

"Oh...of course, I should have known," fondly Harry shook his head.

"Ron," Arthur said the moment he saw the four pieces.

"How did you know?!" Ron asked surprised.

"Meat, double meat, triple meat and three types of meat," Arthur said as he pointed at each piece in turn. "How could I not know?"

"It is a lot of meat," Moody commented as he bit into the first piece and chewing on it slowly. "A whole lot of meat. Not bad though."

"A bit ...urg sorry, just..." Remus grimaced as he passed his remaining pieces over to Ron.

"Too overcooked?" he asked with a smile as he happily ate them.

"Yes, sorry."

"No problem, just means more for me. I really like the result."

"No surprise," Fred and George chuckled.

"How many pieces have we tasted now?" Arthur asked.

"Fourteen, Dad," Ginny checked her list.

"So far I liked the pineapple, ham and cheese one the best," Arthur revealed.

"The pesto one from Fred for me," Moody countered, making Fred smile.

"Say, how come you call us by our first names now?" he asked as he looked at Moody.

"It is a party with four young Weasleys. It would be too confusing and impersonal to keep calling you all by your surname when we are having a party together," Moody explained.

"So you'll call us by our given names from now on?" Harry asked hopefully as he disliked being called by his last name all the time.

"If I feel like it, Potter," Moody grumbled cheerfully, evoking a round of laughter at Harry's pout.

"While you are pouting, hand over the next pieces. My eyes have been on those deliciously looking cheesy ones for a while now," Arthur's mouth watered as he looked at the pieces Harry picked up as Sirius had left the table to grab a new can of water and gave everyone refills. After having done that he sat back down besides Remus, letting Harry take over completely again.

"Oh... that's different," Arthur said as he bit into his first piece.

"What is?" Ron asked as he followed his father's example before his eyes widened.

"That's...wow..."

"I like it," Fred and George said at the same time.

"Different kinds of cheeses usually do it pretty good in a crowd," Remus agreed.

"The texture of this one is slightly different from the rest, which makes me think that the first three were made by Sirius and Remus...not sure which one since Sirius officially made them all and he has this way of making pizzas that leaves the crust evenly and without the small lumps the other pizzas have...I say Harry made the fourth one," Moody finally concluded.

"I agree. I was doubting between him and Ginny, but since I expect more fish from my daughter I vote for Harry, too," Arthur agreed with him.

"Correct, Remus had two, I one and I know Harry made one," Sirius said with a glance at his godson, who nodded.

"Yeah, Sirius said he, Remus and dad loved the cheese ones so I wanted to make one, it's quite good actually, my favourite so far," Harry smiled. "You are both very good at guessing who made what."

"A combination of luck and logic," Moody winked at him with his good eye.

"Hmm...The next one is a double once more," Harry said with a nod to Moody before he handed the pieces out to everyone except Sirius, passing his pieces on to Remus.

"You don't have to give all the spicy ones to me you know? If you want you can keep some yourself or spread them around the others," Remus said laughing.

"Yeah, but you are closest by," Harry admitted but Moody reached over and stole a piece from Remus' second plate.

"Watch it Rem, your pieces are disappearing before you know it," Sirius warned him with a snicker.

"Hm...I like the pesto and salami but the mushroom isn't entirely my thing," Arthur smacked his lips a bit before he shivered. "No, sorry guys."

"Don't worry Dad, I don't like it very much either," Fred revealed while George shrugged.

"It's not bad, it's not as good as some of the others but not bad."

"Well...Ron and Remus are both out of the contest since they both had four already, Sirius is out due to the added pesto and you just revealed Ginny doesn't like spicy so that leaves your twins or Harry," Moody frowned. "Going by previous tastes I say the twins."

"Me too, they've made mostly the same pizzas so far."

"Correct. Though we haven't peeked at each other's pizzas while making them," George nodded before he looked at his twin.

"You truly are my other half," they grinned at each other before they gave each other a hug.

"Get a room you two!" Ginny jokingly called at them while Harry spread out the next piece.

"Oh...I ...wow," Arthur licked his lips before taking another bite. "That is good!"

"Hmmm no doubt in my mind who made this one," Moody smiled as he enjoyed his piece.

"I'd never have thought to use chicken and cheese combined but it is indeed really nice," Fred agreed.

"It has to be Sirius," Arthur agreed.

"Yeah it's mine," Sirius confirmed.

"I can understand why Dad and Mum tried to make you cook all the time. You have a good taste for combinations of food," Harry complimented his godfather. Sirius shifted a little bit uncomfortable.

"Thanks."

"Two the same this time," Harry smiled.

"Cut them a bit bigger Harry. I can't eat any more or my stomach will explode," Sirius alerted him.

"You hardly ate anything," Ginny protested, but Sirius smiled at her before he leaned closer so he could whisper into her ear. "I'll cut a tiny piece from yours to taste this one. I did say I wanted to taste it."

Ginny smiled at him with a nod and when Harry gave her a slightly larger than normal piece she picked up his pizza knife to be able to cut a tiny piece from hers and gave it to Sirius.

"Thanks."

"Hm...Not too overcooked," Remus sighed relieved as he had taken a bite from his anchovy-covered piece.

"These are Ginny's," Moody said immediately.

"How did you know?" she asked surprised.

"Because your brothers aren't too fond of fish. I saw their reaction to the tuna one," he admitted, making her blink before turning to her brothers, who indeed didn't look to be enjoying their pieces overly much. She shot them an apologising look, but they waved it off by sticking their tongues out at her.

"It is a nice combination though. A basic with added anchovies," Sirius complimented her. "Not bad at all."

"Thanks!" Ginny beamed at his compliment.

"This one is rather basic too. It is a nice contrast to what we've tasted so far in its simplicity. This one's Sirius," approvingly Moody swallowed his last bite.

"Tame topping but very tasty. I like the combination of tomato and cheese with a little bit of ham spread around it. Definitely Sirius' work," Arthur agreed once he had finished his piece.

"I guess you don't need a whole load of flavour to make a good piece," Ron realised. "Now I get what you meant with spreading the toppings out over the whole pizza. You didn't dump the bit of ham in the middle but spread it out so that there is a little bit everywhere."

"Indeed mine."

"It is good that you are out, Sirius, because these are all with pesto again," Harry said as he cut three pizzas and handed them out.

"That makes it really easy then," Moody said as he picked up his first piece.

"Why?" Ron asked.

"Three pieces and only 1 pizza left for four people. We know Sirius doesn't use pesto so that leaves the three of you," Arthur answered him before he grimaced. "Oh...the combination of pesto and pineapple isn't a very successful one though."

"No...I like pesto but this is disgusting," Fred agreed as he placed his half eaten piece back onto the plate.

"I don't like it either," George and Ginny agreed.

Only Ron completely ate his piece.

"What about you Hermione? You haven't said anything since the start," Sirius asked her kindly, making the girl startle at suddenly being called out.

"I...some are rather greasy but some were very nice," she admitted softly without looking at him.

"Hmmm, it is mostly mushrooms and large amounts of cheese that make pizzas a bit greasy," he agreed, not bothered that she refused to look at him.

"Last piece. We already know who made this one but I am looking forward to tasting it," Harry noted as he handed the last pizza out and everyone bit into it.

"Another chicken, nice," Fred happily looked at Sirius, who grinned.

"I like chicken," he admitted.

"Doesn't this chicken give you trouble then?" Ginny asked curiously.

"It is plain non-spiced chicken."

"But...it is so tasty, how did you do that?!" Harry exclaimed.

"Sirius made smoked chicken fillets a few weeks ago and we put the leftovers into the freezer. When you guys decided you wanted to make pizza I took part of it out of the freezer because I know he likes it as a topping," Remus explained.

"You smoked the chicken yourself?" Arthur asked surprised.

"Usually. It takes some time to do so, but it's really nice on sandwiches and just when you want a bite to eat," Sirius admitted.

"Well, it is really tasty and my favourite of all. Though I must say that you did a splendid job with these guys. Their results are better than I could have expected," Moody complimented them all. "Of the children I liked the spicy pesto one from Fred the most."

"Hmmm...I loved the chicken with cheese, but I must admit that of the children I loved the cheese one from Harry the most."

"You won by the way, Dad. Although it wasn't entirely fair. If you hadn't called out Fred's pesto immediately it could have been a tie of both twenty," Ginny looked at him in mock sternness.

Arthur looked at her guiltily before he turned to Moody. "Alastor my friend, I am truly sorry."

"You will have to make it up to me by inviting me the next time this lot makes pizza," he ordered him, making Arthur agree. "Although I wouldn't mind if your wife went out for dinner on that occasion."

"Yes, speaking of her. You mentioned something that you would tell me all about after dinner," he turned to Ginny, who sighed.

"We were cleaning this morning when Sirius had to leave to put something safely away. He warned us not to touch anything, but I didn't listen and almost got choked to death by a coat stand," she paused as she bit her lip.

"Mum became really hysterical and wouldn't let us near enough to get her loose," Fred took over as he told their father exactly what had happened that morning.

"She blamed Sirius?" Arthur's voice was full of disbelief as he stared at his children.

"Yeah and then she refused to let us join when Sirius taught Harry, Fred and George the Silencing Charm, "Ginny complained.

"That is ridiculous, learning spells like that might just save your live some day," Moody growled.

"Yeah but mum wouldn't let us, and then she wanted us to continue cleaning after they had left the room!" Ron threw in.

"That is absurd! I will have to speak to your mother about that. How could she even begin to think about continuing after what had just happened. I'm really disappointed in her actions. But I am proud of you guys to have stood up against her wishes and following your instincts. You were right to refuse to continue after Sirius had told you not to. The things in this house are already dangerous enough to deal with when Sirius is present. How could she try to make you guys continue like that," he shook his head disapprovingly before he turned to Sirius.

"How can I ever thank you enough for saving my daughter's life? And I apologise for Molly's behaviour. I really don't know what's gotten into her."

"I'm glad she is all right, though you shouldn't have to apologise for your wife's actions," Sirius said.

"Could I somehow persuade you into teaching Ron and Ginny what you've taught the twins and Harry?" Arthur asked.

"Already arranged. Just because I didn't go against your wife's wishes doesn't mean I have to honour them. Especially when it is about the safety of the children. Harry received the memory of our lesson so that he can show them later without their mother finding out."

"Sneaky. That is exactly like you to act like that," Moody nodded approvingly.

"Speaking of sneaky. So am I. I entered this party without a proper present for your birthday," Moody apologised.

"That's all right. It is already nice of you to join us," Harry shrugged.

"Next year I will bring something along," Moody promised before he slid from his chair.

"You are already leaving?" Arthur asked.

"I was only supposed to pass a message for Sirius. I need to get going or I will be too late for my shift. But thank you for dinner, it was truly magnificent." Moody nodded to each of them in turn before indicating that Sirius should follow him to the study.

"What do you think that is about?" Fred asked curiously, but he was interrupted when Sirius suddenly burst out in laughter loud enough to be heard through the closed door.

Moments later they both returned, Sirius wiping tears from his eyes as he entered, and Moody quickly said goodbye.

"What were you laughing about?" Harry asked curiously.

"Dung complained to Dumbledore that I threatened him. And Dumbledore contacted Moody to pass a message to me that I should remove those charms from the house."

"Surely you aren't going to!" Fred exclaimed.

"Of course not. Dumbledore has no say in what I do in my own house. If I wish to protect my properties then it is my good right. And I gave him a fair warning."

"Why couldn't he pass you that message himself?" Harry asked annoyed.

"Moody had to be in London anyway but he did ask, to which Dumbledore answered that he was too busy to drop by," Sirius shrugged but Fred, George and Harry grinned.

"He probably had important things to do this close to the new school year," Hermione said softly as she frowned at their reaction.

"Or he is too chickened to face Sirius and Remus this soon again," Fred snickered.

"How so and what is this about charms on the house?" Arthur asked confused, not being able to follow the conversation so they quickly updated him.

"About time you put a stop to that. But why is Dumbledore too afraid to face the two of you?"

"Oh, we disagreed about something and told him how we felt about it. I can't get into detail about it yet," Sirius explained.

"That disagreement left the Headmaster a bloody mess and with a broken wand," Harry happily announced.

Everyone not having known that yet turned to Sirius in shock.

"You beat up the Headmaster?" Hermione whispered disbelievingly.

"He didn't do it alone, I disagreed with Dumbledore, too," Remus defended his friend.

"Yeah, the all powerful Headmaster was sure a sight to behold. It was awesome," both Fred and George laughed.

"Remind me not to get on your bad sides," Arthur said with a smile while Hermione was still gaping at them in shock.

"Now...shall we let this lovely dinner settle in the living room?" Remus suggested. "I put some games ready that I think everyone will like."

They all cheered and quickly rose from their seats, putting the dishes into the sink for later cleaning.

Harry helped Sirius clean up the last bits while waving the others off to the living room already.

"Thank you, Siri," he said softly as he turned to his godfather once everyone was gone.

"For what?" Sirius asked as he looked at Harry.

"For the best birthday ever."

"I had hoped it would pass without incidents. But I suppose that was too much to ask," Sirius sighed.

"I don't care about that. Just this, having fun with you, Remus and the Weasleys...it was the best birthday I've ever had and I really enjoyed making the pizza."

He hugged his godfather close, ignoring the small surprised reaction from the other man before arms encircled him to pull him into a full hug. He rested his head against Sirius' shoulder, still only coming that high with all his fifteen years.

"I'm glad you had fun, and it's not over yet," Sirius reassured him as he held him close.

"I know...I just wanted to spend a moment with you alone," Harry smiled without moving, more feeling than hearing his godfather's quiet chuckle as he was hugged closer.

"Can't complain about that," Sirius said before he released him again. "But we should join the others or they'll start without you."

"Hmmm we can't let that happen," Harry frowned in mock seriousness, making Sirius laugh.

"Come on then, and perhaps if they are really good we might even feed the hyenas some ice cream."

"You have ice cream?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Of course, what birthday is complete without ice cream? And Remus got all kinds of flavours, too, so you can combine."

"Have I ever mentioned how absolutely brilliant the two of you are?" Harry asked and quickly moved to follow Sirius.

"How could we not be, with someone like you around?"

Sirius smiled as he stopped before the door and turned, pulling Harry once more into a tight hug for a long moment.

"Happy birthday pup," he said softly before picking Harry's cap up and placing a kiss into his hair before ruffling it up a bit and pulling the cap over his eyes.

Harry laughed as he readjusted his cap and slipped a hand into his godfather's to squeeze it for a moment. Then he grabbed his arm to pull him along to rejoin the others to continue the first party he had ever had with the people he loved most.