Till Forever Falls Apart

Chapter Thirty-One: Val's Thirteenth Birthday

November 1, 1992

Val would not have been surprised if anyone forgot her birthday the next day.

Not a mere twenty-four hours had passed between the petrification of Mrs. Norris and the blood on the wall, and every student in the school chatted about it the following morning.

It was all any of the girls in her dorm talked about the morning after as they got dressed. One of the girls in her dorm, Anne, tightened her tie as she gave her theories.

"Who knows who it could be? Or what it could be?"

"Maybe it's a prank done by one of the seventh-years as a joke," Amara interrupted as she put on her socks. "I would like to know who is behind it though. I didn't sleep much last night, thinking about what could be roaming the halls."

"I'd hate to be Harry Potter right now," Anne shook her head. "I bet half of the school will think he's somehow responsible."

At the mention of her friend, all eyes in the dorm turned to Val who was making her bed quietly in the corner, hoping her wand was somewhere under the covers. Pretending she hadn't heard them, she went about her business, feeling her robe pocket from the day before and snatching her wand.

"Val..." Anne caught her by the wrist. She gasped sharply, but did not struggle against the honey-colored-haired girl's grasp.

"I don't think Harry had anything to do with it," Anne said softly.

"Good," Val said as she pried the girl's hands away from her body.

"Because he's innocent."

Val shut the door to the dorm behind her with a bang.

Val huffed as she hurried down the stairs. The events of the previous evening were still fresh in her mind, which was evident from the circles beneath her eyes and the frazzled curls she had not bothered to style that morning.

Val checked to see if she had put her tie on. Good. At least one thing was working in her favor that day.

"Happy Birthday to you..." Anthony sang from the bottom of the staircase, holding his hands behind his back as he swung back and forth.

The annoyance brewing in Val's stomach vanished, and a gush of happiness replaced the earlier feeling. "You don't have to-"

"Happy Birthday dear Val," Anthony belted, until those who were chatting in the common room turned to watch.

"Happy Birthday to you!"

"That was unnecessary," Val smiled, leaning into Anthony as he hugged her.

"Figured those spirits of yours needed to be lifted," Anthony said as he walked alongside her towards the exit. "That's what you get for forgetting my birthday."

"I promise it won't happen again!" Val put a hand to her heart as if she was making an oath.

"I know, I know," Anthony held open the door for her.

"I'm just not letting you forget anytime soon."

The two dove into a discussion about their hopes for their lessons that day, thoroughly going through their Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts notes as they approached the Hall for breakfast.

Turning towards the Ravenclaw table, three kids in red and gold were seated in Anthony and Val's usual seats.

"Happy Birthday!" The three Gryffindors said in unison, waving their arms in the air.

Val blushed deeply. "You don't have to sit here, you know."

"Oh, we know," Ron said through a mouthful of bacon. "A few sixth-years are giving us odd looks."