What If? Year 2

Chapter 14

It takes me a full week to convince Mum to let us have a party. Invitation were sent out as soon as she agreed. Heather, Rachel, Luna, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and the twins all received one. Remus and I got decorations and gifts. Mum promises to make the cake and Evie wants us to keep it a secret from Ara. I did not think it was possible, but said we would try.
On the morning of her birthday, I get up early. I haul every present from the attic to the living room. Mum and Remus work on decorating, while Evie keeps Ara occupied with questions and doing each others hair.
"Hey, Goldie!" Heather says, as her and Rachel tumble onto the floor of the living room.
"Hello, Heather... Rachel. We're almost ready. Once the Weasleys get here with Luna and Hermione I'll go get her." They both nod, and set their presents down. The Weasleys arrive and everyone tells me to go get Ara. I start my way upstairs, stopping at Harry's to tell him Ron and Hermione are here.
"Good morning, Ara," I say, opening her door, "Breakfast is almost ready." Ara pats Evie's shoulder, silently telling her to leave. She does, and Ara looks at me with tears in her eyes.
"What?" I whisper, pulling her into a hug, "What's wrong?" She clings to me.
"Thank you," she says, her voice wavering, "I never would have thought that I'd have a friend like you. Someone who'd bring me into their family and plan a whole day just for me." I gasp, and wipe her tears.
"Who told you?" I ask, trying to keep myself from crying. Ara smiles and wipes a single tear from my face.
"You think you could send Evie up here to distract me and she wouldn't say anything?" I sigh and shake my head.
"It was her idea." Ara giggles and squeezes my again.
"You're the best."
"No... you deserve this," I tell her, "Happy Birthday, Ara." She smiles and looks at her face in the mirror. Her skin changes a little and she looks back at me.
"Does it look like I was crying?"
"No... I probably do though."
"Only a little pink, Golds." We both giggle and we walk down the stairs. I stop, letting Ara walk down to the bottom without be in that background.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" everyone shouts. I hear cheering before Mum's voice cutting through everything else.
"Oh, Ara... darling!" her own voice wavering and sending me down the stairs to her. Ara's face is back to being red with tears streaming down it. Mum was already hugging her and rubbing her back.
"I'm s-sorry," she cries, "I didn't r-realize that... you guys are so great! My f-family w-would n-never." Mum looks at me, tears in her own eyes.
"We're your family now, Ara," Evie says, trying to help, but only making Ara cry harder. I point to everyone else in the room to go to the kitchen, trying to get Ara some privacy. Evie follows them, after patting Ara's shoulder. I sit down on the stairs beside Mum. Ara is sat on her lap, wiping at her face.
"We probably should have warned you, I guess," I tell her, making her laugh, "I thought Evie told you..." Ara smiles and chuckles.
"She said that we are having a party for you," she whimpers, "I... I didn't realize that you had invited others. I didn't realize that others would want to come."
"Of course they'd want to come," I reply, "We love you, Ara. You're amazing, the best... best friend that anyone could have." Ara smiles and hugs Mum and I.
"Thank you," she says, "I'll try not to cry again."
"It's your day, Ara," Mum says, "cry as much as you want." Ara and I laugh and she links arms with me.
"I love you, Ara, so so much," I whisper to her, "Sorry, if I haven't been telling you that enough." Ara shrugs and wipes a tear from my cheek.
"You don't have to tell me... you've shown me."

"Ara, you should open your gifts!" Mrs. Weasley says, "Then you all will have waited long enough to go swimming."
"You guys got me gifts?" Ara whispers, her voice wavering again. I put by arm around her and pat her shoulder.
"Girls," Ron sneers, earning a smack from both Ginny and Hermione. Ara sits down on the couch, with the rest of us in a circle around her. Mum hands her the gifts that Sirius got her. She unwraps the first one, which is a pair of bright pink and purple Doc Martens. She smiles and hugs them to her chest and whispers something inaudible to the rest of us. The next box is a colorful note book with a butterfly on it and some muggle pens. The last box from Sirius is full of Lip Smackers and slap bracelets, which made both Rachel and Heather laugh.
"Hey, Ara," Heather says, "could you hand me one of those bracelets real quick?" Ara does and we watch as Heather nails Ron's wrist. Ron yelps in pain and looks at the glittery bracelet.
"Great," he mumbles, "now I've got glitter all over my pants!" Ara laughs and slaps one of the glitter bracelets onto Harry, getting glitter all over his pants too. He scoffs, but leaves the bracelet on, unlike Ron.
"These are from James and I," Mum says, handing Ara four boxes. One is a CD player, the second is a variety of CDs, like Whitney Houston, Queen, and the Beatles. Ara sends me a mischievous smirk before turning to the third box. It is a blue and purple lava lamp. The fourth box is what I am the most excited for. She unwraps it and opens the box to see a light purple Beanie Baby. She smiles and takes it out of the box, but then she looks closer. She smiles even wider when she realizes that it's name is Ara. Dad bewitched it to say that.
"Thank you, Mrs. Potter," she says, "This is amazing... I love it." Heather hands her a gift. It is markers that smell like food. Rachel got her a plaid purple and black skirt. Hermione got her a muggle history book. Ron got her sweets and Fred and George got her prank stuff.
I'm never gonna get to sleep peacefully again.
"This is from Evie, and that one's from Harry." Evie's is a disposable camera and Harry's is a big box of Pop Rocks. Ara smiles at the both of them before Mum hands her my gifts. I rub my hands together in nervousness.
"These from you, Golds?" Ara asks. I nod and feel my face turn pink.
She's gonna like them, it's fine.
She opens the big box first, from which she pulls two dresses from. A purple one and a teal one.
"These are so cute," Ara whispers, "thanks." She grabs the second box, which was quite a bit smaller. She opens it and pulls out two things. A black choker, with a small purple charm dangling from it and a silver necklace, like mine, but with Ara written across it.
"These are so pretty, Golds," she says, "thank you so much!" She hugs me tightly and has me help me clasp the both onto her neck. She hugs me again before we go outside to swim.