when i saw her standing there -- louis weasley

chapter nine

A couple of weeks had passed since Halloween, and the ten Hufflepuffs were swamped with work. It was Saturday and Ava, Saylor, and Torryn were in the library writing their essays for Potions while the others were all in the common room. They were supposed to be studying and that's what Ava thought they were doing, but they were actually planning something. 

"Alright, she's turning seventeen, so what can we do for her party?" Naya asked, rubbing her hands together. 

"First, whatever we decide to do, there's a Hogsmeade trip tomorrow that we can get everything on," Caspian added. 

"Right, well since she's going to be legal next week, I think we should get something that she wasn't able to do before turning seventeen, like get firewhiskey or something."

Emory shook her head at Finley's suggestion. "None of us would be able to get it, Fin. Torryn's the only one who's already seventeen and you have to be eighteen to buy anything like that in Hogsmeade."

"We could have my sister get some and send it to us?" Louis offered. 

"That's kind of illegal and also it would be confiscated by Filch through the mail."

They all pondered, slumped over their respective chairs and couches. 

"Okay, so firewhiskey is off the table then."

"What about having a big party in the dorm on Tuesday night?" Hadley spoke up for the first time. "We could get some people from other Houses in here, too."

A wide grin enveloped Naya's face, "That's a great idea, Hads."

And so the seven of them got to work, planning the decorations, food, and how to get everything for it. Once Ava, Torryn, and Saylor returned from the library, they sent Emory and Ava up to the dormitory while they explained their plan to Torryn and Saylor. 

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The next day, they were all bundled up for their trip to Hogsmeade, Ava included. They were all ready to dart off into the town, but waited for Alice to join them, as she was in on the plan and would be distracting Ava for the day while her friends prepared for her surprise party. 

Soon, Ava and Alice were walking side by side into the Three Broomsticks, where they ordered butterbeer and some fruitcake to share. 

"Hey Ava, your birthday is coming up, isn't it?"

She took a gulp of the warm butterbeer before answering, "It's on Tuesday. To be honest, I'm not really looking forward to it that much." 

Alice's heart rate quickened in panic, "But it'll be your seventeenth! You can do magic outside of school!"

"That's exactly it! Being seventeen means that I have a year of school left before I go back to the U.S. I don't know what I want to do after Hogwarts, if I want to go to a university or what. And I miss my parents. This is the first birthday that I won't be there for and it feels wrong to spend my seventeenth birthday away from them," Ava explained, pausing to take a sip of her drink and a bite of the cake. "And Hogwarts doesn't feel like home yet. Ilvermorny never felt like home, either."

"Well, I'll tell you what I know. I know that your parents love you, they love you so much that they sent you to a different country, a different continent even so that you could have another chance with school. And I know that your friends love you. I know that Louis and Naya and everyone are so glad that you are here, brightening up their days. I also know that whatever you decide to do after Hogwarts, you're going to kick ass doing it." Ava sniffled and smiled at her friend. "So let's finish our drinks and go have some fun! C'mon, last Hogsmeade trip being sixteen!"

Alice drained her mug and pulled Ava to her feet and out the door. An elderly Madam Rosmerta watched them leave with a small smile on her face.

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Ava and Alice went to all the shops in Hogsmeade, even stopping in at the post office to say hello to the owls. They even ventured down to the Shrieking Shack, the rumors and ghost stories long forgotten, where they went up to the highest floor and opened the windows, letting the frigid air blow their hair back. 

Ava's teeth chattered from the cold as she pointed, "Look, there's Louis and Torryn!" Sure enough, the two boys were leaving Honeydukes, arms laden with bags. "Why do they have so many bags?"

"Oh, they're probably just stocking up for Christmas," Alice said quickly. "D'you wanna go to Scrivenshaft's? I need some more quills." They descended the stairs and left the house, heading to the store. 

The two perused the store, until the owner kicked them out and they had to go back to the castle. 

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Meanwhile, all of Ava's friends had arrived at the castle an hour early, as planned. They decided to hide all of the items they bought for her party in the boys dorm, since Ava didn't go in there. Underneath all five beds were boxes, full of treats and candies, decorations, and gifts. Her newfound friends were dedicated to making her seventeenth birthday one to remember. 

When Ava returned, they were all lounging in the common room nonchalantly. She gave them a smile before going to her dormitory and collapsing into her bed. Naya waited until she heard the door close before talking. 

"Now, no matter what, do not tell Ava about this. This has to remain an absolute surprise."

"I'll find Alice tomorrow and see how today went," Louis volunteered. 

"Perfect."

"Also, if we are going to have a party on Tuesday night, we should make sure we have all of our work done."

"Not a problem, I've already got it done," Torryn bragged. 

"So do I," Naya shot back. "Em, will you make sure Ava gets hers done? Em?" She waited for a response from the chair by the fire, but there was none. They all climbed over the couch to see her passed out in the chair, her head in her arms and her shoes tossed onto the rug.