The Hufflepuff (Draco Malfoy)

23

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Sophie gasped and shot up from her slumber. After catching her breath and rubbing her eyes, she pulled her hands away from her face to see Hannah and Susan on the edge of her bed.

"Oh my goodness," she breathed. "Thank you guys for starting out my fourteenth birthday with a heart attack!" She laughed with her friends.

"Well, of course. How else would you start it? Not with presents, of course!" Hannah grinned while shoving a small stack of presents toward Sophie. "Open mine first!" She handed Sophie a small rectangle wrapped in green. Tearing the paper, Sophie revealed a small, pocket-sized book.

"The Smart Witch's Guide to Looking Flawless," Sophie read aloud.

"I know you're not that into your appearance, but with us getting older, I thought it may come in handy for dates or something," Hannah winked while Sophie rolled her eyes and thumbed through the book.

"Thanks, Han." Sophie smiled.

"Okay! Next is mine," Susan squealed, handing Sophie a bag. Sophie pulled the tissue paper out to reveal a soft, cream sweater. "It's kind of basic, but with winter coming up, it'd be a good staple."

"It's precious! And so soft I could fall asleep on it right now! Thank you, Susan. It really means a lot that both of you went out of your way to get me something."

"Of course we'd get you something, you're our best friend! I think Ernie and Justin have something planned too, but before that," Hannah pushed the rest of the gifts toward Sophie "from your parents," she smiled warmly.

The first gift was relatively large and revealed itself to be a centuries-old potions book. Next was a set of professional quidditch balls, complimentary of her father, of course. And finally, inside a long bag was an icy blue ball gown.

It would have a beautiful design with a strapless neckline, but a sheer material covered where the wearer's chest would be, continuing down the arms and all the way to the wrists to create a perfect balance of modesty and maturity. The bodice of the dress seemed like it would fit tight to the wearer, lined with jewels, and flare out at their hips, the number of gems decreasing as they went down. When the material caught the light just right, it gave off an iridescent glow that made Sophie's jaw drop.

"Woah, Soph," Susan said as Hannah sat beside her with an unhinged jaw.

"I know." Sophie thought for a moment. "But why?" She looked around for a tag, but the only clue she could find was a note inside the dress that read:

A one of a kind, Madam Malkin Original.

"Who knows. Maybe they just want you to have something handy in case a handsome prince decides to visit the castle one day and sweep the girl with the prettiest gown off her feet. Either way, you'd win. That dress is spectacular." Sophie nodded, still in awe of the dress' beauty.

"Okay, let's go get ready," Hannah said, standing up from the bed.

The three girls then changed into their everyday clothes, Sophie in her new sweater, since the teachers gave them the day off of lessons for Halloween. They walked out of their dormitory and were immediately met with their other two friends singing "Happy Birthday" at the top of their lungs in the common room. Once they finished, the boys handed Sophie a bag filled with different candies.

"Thank you, guys," she said, hugging both Ernie and Justin. "But, what are they? I've never seen candies like this before." She rolled one between her thumb and forefinger with narrowed eyes.

"They're a specialty from the Weasley twins. Prank candies. The greens are Ton Tongues and the red is Canary Creams. There are also some mixed in that give you boils and another that makes you vomit on command, but we forgot which colors they were. Either one will get you out of an exam you're not ready for or one of Professor Binns' lectures."