Blood Magic ✤ George Weasley ✓

12 - Raise Your Glass

musical mood: human - dodie

Cass planned for the next day to be smooth sailing - she'd go to class and catch up and what she had missed the day she had been locked in Quirrell's closet, she'd give Percy the book for him to translate, along with however many galleons he requested for compensation, and she'd spend the evening with her classmates, who, other than Bethany, she was growing more and more fond of as the year went by. Even the boys - namely Terry and the Nott brothers, weren't half bad once she got to know them, even if Henry was a bit dim, Theodore eccentric and Terry's dull eyes pierced into your soul.

The only problem was, she had forgotten the significance of that day, February 27th, when she sat down for breakfast between Naia and Ana. She was late - having spent the morning using various spells to disguise the cover of the mysterious book, which now read The Complete Collection of William Shakespeare. Of course, all the polaroids, letters and whatnot from inside remained under her bed, which she told herself she would look through soon. How soon soonactually was, she hadn't a clue.

"Happy birthday!!" Padma's smile brightened from where she sat across from her, just as she was about to begin eating.

Cass paused. "It's my birthday?"

Birthdays in the Crouch family meant little to nothing - she'd never had a birthday party like all the other kids in her class, nor ever felt the need to. It was just another day, why did it matter when she was born? Her idea of a birthday celebration was watching The Real Ghostbusters on Connor's telly with a bowl of ice cream. Now, with that tradition out the window, she had no incentive to remember.

Everyone stared at her.

"Erm, yeah." Padma said uncertaintly. "I think so."

How Padma knew her birthday was a mystery to Cass, considering she didn't even remember it herself. But she didn't have time to ask, before Naia spoke, looking at her with wide brown eyes.

"How could you not tell us about your birthday?!" Naia said, sounding appalled by the concept. "I would've got you something!"

Cass was about to tell Naia off for unnecessary gift giving, but Terry jumped in.

"This came in the post for you." He held out a letter, which Cass tentatively took from him, prepared for it to be another forgery. It was her birthday, for Merlin's sake, she wasn't about to stress over yet another emotionally damaging note.

But when she opened it, she sighed in relief at the messy, distinctive handwriting, and poor spelling. She knew exactly who this was from, and couldn't have been happier.

Deer Cass,

Happy birthday! I hope your dick head dad does not take this again. If your reading this Bartymus BartimusBarrymiss Cass's dad, you suck and I hate you.

I hope you have a good 12th birthday and you are having fun at your new scool. I miss you very much and it sucked watching gostbusters with out you.

Love you

Connor

Cass smiled, folding the letter very gently, and tucked it in her pocket.

"Who was that from?" Parvati asked, eyeing her up and down. "A boyfriend?"

"You look smitten, whoever it is." Lavender agreed.