Bad Blood | Draco Malfoy

n i n e t e e n

          On August 15, the day of my fourteenth birthday, I am told there are visitors waiting for me.  I'm walking downstairs in a white crop top and pastel pink skirt when I see my two people standing at the bottom of the staircase, bearing gifts.  "Happy birthday Mira!"  They shout at me.  It's then I realise that it's Blaise and Tracey, both smiling up at me.  I run down the rest of the stairs and pull them into a tight hug.

          "Thank you so much!"  I take the gifts from the pair and lead them into the kitchen where I hand them a plate of cookies for us to share.  "Who told you two where I live?"

          "Tia wrote to us," Tracey tells me, biting into the cookie.  "It was her idea for us to surprise you."  Speaking of Tia, she walks into the kitchen wearing a baby blue dress and her hair tied into a French braid.  She pulls me into a warm hug and hands me a gift.

          "Happy birthday," she says.

          "Thanks, Ti," I reply.

           Once everyone's downstairs, I open my presents from everyone.  Blaise got me a box of Pink Coconut Ice and a bracelet with my name engraved inside the white gold band encrusted with diamonds.  Tracey bought me a choker with my birthstone, a peridot, hanging from the thin necklace.  Tia put together a photo album with pictures and captions to help me remember people within the moving photographs.  Elliot gave me a Golden Snitch necklace because he knows how much I love Quidditch.  Mum and Dave both bought me magic fairy lights that change colour depending on my mood and a few tubes of henna which I have been dying for.

          For lunch, Mum makes us pizza and fries and cookie dough for desert.  "Mira," Blaise says to me.  "You're mum is an amazing cook."

          "Thank you, Blaise," she says from across the kitchen.

          "And your house is really pretty," Tracey looks around with delight.

          "Thanks," I say.  "By the way, are you guys going to the Quidditch World Cup?"

          "No," they both say together, looking quite glum.

          "Phew, because we've got two spare tickets that we were hoping you'd both take," I tell them.  Blaise and Tracey look to each other in shock before thanking me profusely.

          "It's in ten days," Dave tells us, "so how about the pair of you stay over the day before?"

          "Yeah, my mum won't mind," Blaise nods.

           "Same for me," Tracey says.  "I can't wait."

           I nod vigorously, feeling the corners of my lips upturn.  "Me too."

***

          Tracey and Blaise come to my house again on the twenty-fourth of August.  That day we spent chatting excitedly with Tia and Elliot about the Irish and Bulgarian International Quidditch teams.  The five of us all slept in the guest room that day since we completely lost track of time and were too indulged in the idea of Quidditch.

          Dave wakes us all up and we get ready to leave and find the Portkey which will transport us to the campsite.  I change into a pair of blue shorts and a white shoulder less top.  I quickly tie my hair in a ponytail before we all meet outside the house where Mum and Dave lead us into the forest in front of our house.