Amelia Merlin

Part Fifty Nine: Birthday

"Oh! My! God!" Lavender squealed as she hugged Amelia tightly.

"Ah! It is so good to have my girls with me!" Laughed Amelia while hugging Lavender and Parvati.

"I'm so glad you invited us!" Parvati beamed. "Padma was driving me mad."

"Okay well come on in! I'll show you your room!" She ushered them over to the house and the girls got their first good look at it as they rounded the corner of the driveway.

"Amelia! You didn't tell us you lived in a castle!" Parvati was shocked.

"What?" Amelia looked at the mansion. She knew her house was big and fancy, and the turrets on the top gave it a castle like impression, but she didn't live in a castle.

"Oh it's gorgeous!" Lavender clapped her hands excitedly and they laughed at how happy she was. "Shut up you two! This is amazing!"

"Alright let's just get inside and I'll show you around." The three girls made their way into Amelia's home. "Right, so we're all sharing a room, because I thought that would be fun. So we took the biggest bedroom and put two extra beds in it, but don't worry, there's lots of space still."

The room itself was gorgeous. The walls were pastel blue with shadows of gold flowers. The beds were all hung with curtains surrounding it, in a dark blue shade. The gold and white blankets and pillows were piled high on all the beds. The tall stained glass windows on the far wall were hung in blue curtains and there was a full length mirror beside a mahogany chest of drawers. There were three squishy blue armchairs that matched the rest of the room.

"Oh my god." Lavenders jaw had dropped along with Parvati's. "I am a goddamn princess living in a goddamn castle."

Parvati laughed in glee and flopped onto the nearest bed. "This is incredible, Amelia!"

"Oh! I'm glad you like it! I thought it might be a bit over the top-"

"It's perfect!" She smiled and Amelia returned the grin.

"Right, should I show you around the rest of the house?" Amelia offered.

"You mean castle?"

"Give it a rest Lavender!" She laughed and playfully shoved her friend.

"Fine! But I want to see all the secret passageways and fancy drawing rooms and parlours and libraries. I bet you have a library! A whole room dedicated to books!" She teased.

"So?" Grumbled Amelia. "I like books."

"You sound like Hermione. I bet she'd wet herself if she saw your library!" Parvati laughed.

"How would you guys know? You haven't even seen it yet! It could be a broom cupboard!" Amelia protested but she had just past the library and Lavender had walked inside.

"Broom cupboard? Are you insane?" She said incredulously. "This is bigger than my whole house!"

"Oh stop it! I was kidding!"

"Miss Amelia Merlin! Oh I can just imagine you sitting here as a child, reading away. How did those Weasley boys ever befriend the rich girl who lives in a castle up the road?" Parvati swooned onto a nearby couch and the two friends looked eagerly at Amelia for answers.

"Well if you must know, I was only allowed in the library for two hours a day." She started.

"Only two! How dreadful." Lavender giggled.

"If you grew up in this house, you would want to escape into books too." Amelia laughed lightly so they wouldn't know how desperately true that was.

"Anyways, after I found all the secret passageways - yes Parvati there are secret passageways - I needed something to do. And I was in the garden one day, - I was about four at the time - and Fred poked his head over the wall saying he's lost a quaffle and did I know where to find it." Amelia laughed at the memory. "So of course I said yes I knew where it was, even though I had no idea. And I went on this huge adventure to look for it just to find out he had it under his robes all along. He's always been a bit of a shit. Anyways from then on he used to always sneak into the garden sometimes he even brought his brother. And we had all these adventures together and I just couldn't get enough of it!"

"Awwww! Amelia's got a soft side!" Lavender giggled and Amelia tossed one of the many embroidered pillows at her.

"Please," Parvati joined in. "Amelia's always had a soft side!"

"Not true!" She denied. "I'm as tough as they get."

Lavender scoffed. "You? No way! You're the girl who tutors Neville Longbottom and who will talk to literally anyone, even if it means social suicide!"

"That doesn't make me soft!"

"Soft's not a bad thing." Parvati pointed out to her.

"Okay true. Fine, I'm a little bit soft."

"You're squishy!" Lavenders curls bounced in excitement.

Amelia jumped over the couch and hit Lavender with a pillow and then Parvati of course joined in. Soon the three girls were in fits of giggles and they didn't even notice Amelia's mother walk in.

"And just who might these people be, Amelia?" The girls immediately ceased their playfulness and stood up straightly. She was in black robes with a plunging neckline that showed off the stunning pendant she was wearing, a ruby the size of a seashell hung there. She had earrings to match and her hair was piled high, held together with ruby pins, the entire effect was slightly intimidating and incredibly elegant.

"These are my friends." Amelia said tightly. "Glapp told you they were coming"

Her mother smiled graciously. "Welcome darlings! So wonderful to meet you, please call me Mrs. Merlin!" She shook their hands and complimented how pretty they both were. "So lovely to see Amelia has such kind and beautiful friends!"

"Thank you!" Lavender gushed making Amelia roll her eyes.

"I shall tell Glapp to make a special meal for you ladies! How does five courses sound? Excellent!" Her mother beamed at them and walked out if the library with such sophistication it had clearly been rehearsed.

"Your mother is incredible!" Lavender was in awe. "She's so fancy!"

"She's a bitch." Amelia snorted.

"Well that's a shame. I wish she was like a really wise and awesome person." Lavender sighed heavily at the loss. "But if she's a bitch to you then I hate her."

"Me too!" Parvati held Amelia's hand and squeezed gently.

"Guys!" She beamed. "You're gonna make me cry!" It was true, small tears were poking the backs of her eyes.

"I love you Amelia!" Lavender hugged her tightly.

"I love you too!" Parvati and Amelia said at the same time. The three friends held each other close and Amelia decided she would never take for granted how special the friendship girls have with each other truly is.