Trace

Birthday Surprises

A/N: Hello and welcome to this completely wonderfully jumbled up world of different fandoms that I'm all in (oh yeah, I'm also a marvel fan but I couldn't include them. Not in this one). This one for the engenes, armys, onces, blinks, demigods, potterheads, (and more) and my friends who make cameos :D.

But more for the engenes. Enjoy in any way.

The morning mist left fresh droplets on the dewy, freshly mowed green grass of 7, Soop Street. Spring left her footprints with traces of sakura petals blown across the lawn by the whispering of the wind. Summer dominated the garden and front lawn. Birds chirped and tweeted sweetly as sunflowers nodded their heads, worshipping the sun.

I lay back in my bed, curtains thrown wide open.

Literally.

Open. Close. Open. Close. I lazily willed the curtains to move. Ope-

'Uh-uh. No magic without the supervision of an adult', said my dad mock-disapprovingly as he entered my room. I groaned as I began to get up, but instead, he picked me out of my bed like a sack of potatoes and kissed my cheek.

'Daaad. I haven't brushed my teeth yet.' He chuckled loudly, effortlessly swinging me onto his shoulders like I was 5 again. I nestled my face into his hair.

'Don't you dare wipe your nose in my hair.'

'Why not?', I say as I wipe my nose in his hair.

'Aaghhhh! I washed it yesterday, you annoying spud!' he yells as he runs the rest of the way down the three flights of stairs.

'Relax. I promise I had nothing there.', I said, giggling.

He finally reached his destination: the kitchen. It was his living room and he always was snacking on cheez-its like it was his life force.

'HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY ICKLE FICKLE MUNCHKIN!', he bellowed as he enthusiastically threw the kitchen door open.

'Thanks, Dad. Was beginning to think you forgot.', I teased as I floated down from his shoulders before he had a chance to catch me or scream.

'God, you almost gave me a heart attack.', he gasped, dramatically clutching his right chest. 'Remember, no magic without-'

'-adult supervision. And you're here. How many times have we gone through this, Dad? You'll live.' I reach up to peck his cheek as I catch sight of the countless presents - badly wrapped with christmas paper - Dad always got it wrong.

'I can't believe you're already 11', he gushed.

'And I can't believe you don't know which side of your body your heart is.' I reply as he looks at his chest in confusion.

'Open them, open them', he urged. He acted like a 7 year old with presents. It was a miracle he hadn't told me what was inside them yet. He usually did. I glanced at him and opened the nearest present. It looked like a lump of wrapping paper.

'WHAT IS THIS DAD. DO I LOOK LIKE A WITCH TO YOU?', I yell as I unwrap a set of robes. 'I CAN'T EVEN WEAR THIS FOR HALLOWEEN. IT'S WORSE THAN WHAT NOZZY WEARS!' I cried in despair. Nozzy was my best friend from school. She had terrible, TERRIBLE fashion sense, thinking it was appropriate to dress up almost like minnie mouse on a school trip to Kew Gardens. I wanted to bash my head onto a wall then but that would have hurt, so I slapped her instead.

'Hey, get used to it. You're gonna wear that for a while. You know, half the presents here are from your mother.'

'Mum?'

'Yeah. Uhm, also um, I should give you this. I really, really don't want to, but it's the only way.'

'Only way to what?'

'That's not for me to say.'

'Oh-kay?' He had never been this vague or mysterious before. My heart was beating faster with expectation.

'Close your eyes.' I did. I was expecting something great, something, something like...

'Open them now.'

A letter.

'Is that it?'

'Yep. Now read it.' I turned the envelope around to see four animals, a green snake, red lion, a blue raven and yellow badger in a shield. I slit my nail through the wax seal and opened the letter.

'Dear Ms Ryder,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than in a week's time.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall (Head/Deputy Head of HSWW)'

'Is this a joke?' I asked my dad, who had tears in his eyes.

'No. It's just as real as it was 20 years ago when your mum opened hers in front of me. Except the headteacher's changed.'

'It says she's both.'

'Strange. Hogwarts must have changed. And, damn, that signature is sexy as fuck.'

'Dad. No swearing.'

'Yeah, that's right. You won't be saying that by the time you come back from your first year. You'll be going to a mixed boarding school.'

'Wait.. why didn't you want me to read it? Because I'd be away from you? Your last living relative and only child?' I didn't want to say it but it would be the only way to get the truth out of him.

'Ye-.' I looked at him sharply. He knew that I could tell when anybody was lying. 'No.', he admitted, sighing, flopping into the sofa, casually removing a half-eaten box of cheez-its out of the way before he squashed it for the third time with the weight of a 31 year old man. 'Well, to understand, first open all of your presents. Then we'll talk.' I sensed he was telling the truth. A smiling Rudolph was torn apart as I ripped the paper. I realised the wrapping had teeth marks in it. Our dogs, Tucker and Gigi, were a golden retriever and collie and they loved to chew things. Half my pairs of socks had experienced a most excruciatingly painful murder at the jaws of death from their cute litttle muzzles. I wondered where they were, when I saw my dad being wrestled to the floor by two great tanks of fluff. I smiled and opened the lid of a thin, black box.

'Dad, what's this?', I said, not believing my eyes. It couldn't be a-

'Wand? Yep, that was your mum's. She had another one too. She passed the ownership over to you.' I gingerly took it out, when gold and purple sparks flew out of the wand. I immediately dropped it, my heart hammering in shock.

'That's a good sign', said my dad. 'It's chosen you.' I looked at him curiously but decided he could explain everything at once. Next I picked a box the size of a ring and opened the box, to find a small, smooth stone. It was cool in my palm and I put it in my pocket. Finally, I opened a soft package. In it was a dark, shimmering cloth, a subtle, black colour. It was lightweight and could be compressed into a small ball, though it was large. I put it around my arms and to my shock, it disappeared.

'Ah, the cloak of invisibility. Your mother collected all of these three, you know.'

'And what are they called?'

'The Deathly Hallows.'