Forever... Always

Summer - 12th Birthday

I can't believe it, I'm finally 12! This morning I woke up in Georgie's bed with him nowhere in sight. He'd been letting me sleep with him since I got that awful letter from Sage and speaking of letters, I had a handful of letters handed to me by Cedric when I got downstairs.
    "What's this?" I asked him curiously.
    "How would I know? They're for you and happy birthday Rayne." He responded with a grin.
    I had gotten a letter from each of my friends, Starling, Draguar, Ash, Danica, Chloe, Bryony and even Bryony's older brother Chester, whom I haven't even met.
    "Oh wow! This is amazing and thank you." I said, shocked so many people even remembered my birthday and bothered to send me a letter.
    "HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAYNE!" Fred and George yelled from behind me, startling me and making me toss my letters.
    "Thank you guys." I said gathering my letters. "I'm curious though, you think you could have done that any other way?"
    "Not at all." Fred joked.
    "What are these?" Georgie asked while handing me a letter that fell on the ground.
    "They're birthday letters from my friends."
    "That's sweet of them." Fred said.
    "Good morning darlings, happy birthday Rayne, your parents should be on their way already." Aunt Molly said as she appeared in the stairwell.
    "Good morning Aunt Molly, thank you and I guess that means we should start getting everyone up and ready."
    "Yes, boys would you mind? I'd like to talk to Rayne."
    Cedric and the twins disappeared up the stairs and I followed Aunt Molly to the kitchen and sat at the table while she grabbed a coffee.
    "What would you like to talk about?" I asked as she sat across from me.
    "I just wanted to ask why you've been sleeping in Georgie's bed, there's nothing wrong with it and I'm not cross, I'd just like to know what happened."
    "Well, a girl at school sent me a horrible letter saying very mean things and I accidentally woke Georgie up while I was crying and he's been letting me sleep in his bed to feel less alone and hurt."
    "I'm so sorry dear, I don't understand how someone could be mean to you, you're so sweet and caring."
    "That's what she doesn't like about me, apparently I make her brother 'soft' and less of a Slytherin."
    "Of course it's a Slytherin, just know I'm always here for you and it seems you have plenty of friends to defend you, judging by that pile of letters." she said, getting up to prepare breakfast.
    "Thank you Aunt Molly, I appreciate it very much. Do you need any help?"
    "No dear, why don't you spend some time now answering those letters?"
    "Good idea."
    I sat there at the table while she made breakfast writing letters back to my friends. I thanked them all for wishing me a happy birthday and that I hoped they'd have a great summer if we didn't exchange any more letters before the school year. Draguar caught wind from his sister that she sent me a letter and he said he expected anything but kindness in the content and apologized for her rude behaviour.
    'Dear Draguar,
    Thank you for the birthday wishes and I hope you're having a wonderful summer. Sage did in fact send me a letter and it was quite hurtful, but I appreciate that you don't seem to be much like her. I appreciate your kindness and hope to see you when we get back to Hogwarts in the fall for our second year.
                                    Warmest Regards, Rayne'
    I finished writing my letters and gave them to Daisy to deliver. She flew out the window quickly and as I was getting up from the table, all the Weasleys were coming down the stairs and my parents were coming through the front door. I ran up to my parents and pulled them into a hug.
    "Happy birthday Rayne." My parents said, returning my hug.
    "Thank you for letting me spend so much of my summer away from home with my friends."
    "As long as our sunshine is happy, we are too."
    "I'm sorry to break up this lovely moment but I'm starving. Come join us at the table Dutchmans." Uncle Arthur said.
    "We're coming." I said, reassuring Uncle Arthur he wouldn't starve.
    After breakfast I asked Aunt Molly if she needed any help cleaning up and my mom insisted I go on a walk outside for a bit. Fred, George and Cedric all said they had things they needed to finish up so they couldn't come with me on my walk. Bill wasn't here this time and both Charlie and Percy were busy as well. That left Ron and Ginny, I decided to ask Ginny instead of Ron because I saw through the open crack in his door that he was doing something with Cedric. Ginny agreed to come with me and said she had something she wanted to show me.
    "Follow me, this way." She called out, running towards the big field. She stopped suddenly and told me to sit and close my eyes. After a minute or two she told me I could open my eyes. "I made you this." She handed me a flower crown made of some daisies we'd stopped in front of.
    "It's beautiful, thank you. Who taught you to make these?" I asked while putting the crown on my head.
    "Bill and Aunt Natalie."
    "Why am I not surprised?" I laughed, of course Bill and my mom taught her, Bill wears jewelry the majority of the time and my mom makes homemade jewelry.
    We decided we should head back and Ginny made it a race. I would have won if the wind hadn't tried to take my daisies. Once inside, I realized everyone was in the living room and I could smell the wonderful scent of pumpkin pastries in the air.
    "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" They all shouted as they saw me.
    "Is this why you guys wanted me to go on a walk?" I asked, looking around at all the decorations that were everywhere.
    "Of course and the daisies look wonderful on you, well done Ginny." My mom added.
    I opened presents and we ate pumpkin pastry. My mom helped me put on my new necklace from my muggle grandparents to replace the one they had gotten me the year before. This necklace has a much smaller golden yellow pendant and will make a lovely accessory to my Hufflepuff uniform. It's wonderful and I don't think I'll ever take it off, similarly to the gift Cedric and the twins made me. The reason Georgie wasn't there when I woke up was because he had gone to Fred's room to make friendship bracelets with Fred and Cedric for me. Each one of them made two bracelets, one for me and one for them to match. Fred had made blue and red bracelets, Cedric made green and yellow ones and Georgie made purple and white ones. I asked Georgie to tie them onto my left wrist and once he was done, I tied the boys' bracelets onto them. I thanked everyone for yet again, an amazing birthday and soon after dinner my parents and grandparents left. The four of us were tuckered out from the excitement throughout the day and decided it was time for bed. I gave Cedric and Fred each a hug while saying goodnight and headed into Georgie's room after him.
    "What are you doing?" He asked me as I started to lie down where I'd been supposed to be sleeping.
    "Getting into bed?" I answered. "Why?"
    "You aren't going to sleep with me tonight?"
    "Do you want me to?"
    "Why wouldn't I?" He stated while lifting the blanket for me to crawl in.
    "Sorry, I didn't realize you had wanted me to." I said after getting into his bed, our voices turning to whispers.
    "Well, can you sleep with me till we go to Cedric's in a few days?"
    "Of course I can, I'd love to."
    I cuddled up close to Georgie and just like that, I fell asleep with his arms around me. To say the least, best birthday ever.