dinner parties | scorbus

CH14: happy birthday

CH14: happy birthday (9,151 WORDS)

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The warm August air flooded in through the open windows. Albus' curtains hadn't been pulled closed the night before, purely because he enjoyed waking up to the sunlight on his face. However, on his seventeenth birthday, he awoke to a tickle on his face instead. His green eyes flickered open; revealing that a beautiful blue butterfly had landed upon his nose. It danced around his sparkling bedroom, almost seeming to glitter. A grin blossomed on his face as he sat up, studying the teal and grey bug that had claimed Albus' bedroom as home. Its flapping wings cast shadows onto the marble floor as it explored, and Albus watched it for a good length of time before he threw his legs out of bed.

The boy immediately made his way to gather nice clothes for his shower. Due to the heat that had already spread over the grounds, Albus chose not to pull a jumper over his head. He allowed the hot water to slide over his tired, sweaty muscles and rinsed the twigs from his hair, wary that small crustings of mud had dried on the palms of his hands from the night before. Albus dressed himself and pulled on shoes before ruffling his hair in the mirror.

He couldn't keep a smile from shifting onto his face; pure delight from his revelation the night before, as well as for the day ahead. The knowledge made him nervous — but he loved it. He had finally figured himself out, and he couldn't quite put into words how much adoration he had for himself as a result. Albus' shoes clicked on the tiles during his journey down to the dining hall, and he continued grinning to himself. He blushed at his birthday wishes from castle staff and thanked them as he walked.

Each year, Albus pretended to hate his birthday, yet each year he went to bed with a smile on his face. Albus could admit that he rather liked the praise... but, really, who didn't? Considering that Albus' siblings consistently overshadowed him, he had always liked the day in which he got to have a majority of the attention.

Ginny called to Albus when he entered the dining hall. She beamed at him, extending her hands. "Oh, honey! I was just about to bring you up some breakfast. Happiest of birthdays. Come."

Albus walked the length of the large table to reach his mother and bent over so she could press her lips to his cheek. He admired the way that the sun cast rainbow reflections over the large limestone tiles. The yellow curtains always managed to supply the room with a humble brightness, and today could hardly be labelled an exception.

"Happy birthday, son," Harry said. He extended his arm out, and Albus stepped into his grip and squeezed his father in return.

A chorus of 'happy birthday' echoed from where Lily and James had seated themselves; which was opposite him on the table. Albus slipped into a seat beside his mother and accepted the large crisp waffles that she offered to drop upon his plate. He doused the sweet in maple syrup and began to cut it with his knife and fork, his bright eyes watching the world pass by outside.

"We'll open your gifts after breakfast, alright?" Harry stated, now flicking through pages of a newspaper that he had been given.

"Sounds brilliant." Albus continued to eat his breakfast, careful not to allow the syrup to drip onto his lap. He sipped on orange juice, listening to his mother and father's humorous conversation.

However, he remained partly distracted. No matter how many distractions Albus spoonfed himself in order to to veer away from the constant path of his mind, it always flickered back to one thing. Albus could excuse his mind drawing hearts around the image of Scorpius' face, but he wished it would offer him some grace. He knew it wouldn't go unnoticed for long that his face alternated between shades of tan and pink due to his persistent blushing. Though, thankfully, he could play it off as joy for his birthday.