star shopping ✰ d.m.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The next two months went as typically as they could have given the circumstances, with Quidditch practice, Apparition lessons, Slughorn's dinners, and the tons of homework from classes keeping Arabella busy. Not all of this was necessarily a good kind of busy, though.

Apparition was proving to be more difficult than expected and no one had managed to quite do it yet, not even Hermione. This was very off-putting for the two best friends in particular, who were used to being the best at everything and perfecting things far before any of their peers. And now with the test approaching fast, it was proving to be quite stressful indeed.

On top of the stressors of school, there were the social issues as well. Ron and Lavender were still going, snogging just as much as ever despite literally everyone being disgusted by it. Arabella could tell that Ron did not like Lavender nearly as much as he insisted he did; in fact, she knew he was becoming more tired of her with every passing day and was really only remaining in a relationship with her to prove a point to Ginny and to spite Hermione, who still refused to talk to him.

Another relationship in trouble was Dean and Ginny's. The two of them had been arguing here and there for months now, but recently it seemed that their breakup was inevitable and that their relationship was being held together by a single thread. While they would deny it to their friends and everyone else, it was obvious that they, too, were becoming sick of each other, and especially sick of the fighting that seemed nonstop.

While the very physical relationship between her twin brother and her roommate and the withering relationship between her sister and her best friend made things uncomfortable for Arabella, it was more of a constant reminder that she could not be with the person she loved. It seemed unfair to her that these people who didn't even like each other all that much could be together, but not her and Draco. It was this that made it very hard for her to be the happy, upbeat person she used to be.

Despite all of this, Arabella decided that on her 17th birthday, the day she would become an adult in the Wizarding world, she was going to enjoy herself, even though she would no longer be able to visit Hogsmeade that day because the trip was canceled.

After waking up for the day and opening her presents with Hermione, Arabella went down to the common room, found Ron (at which point Hermione swiftly left her), and practically tackled him from behind, nearly knocking him over.

"We're 17!" she exclaimed as Harry laughed at Ron's startled expression.

"Yes, I know, please get off of me," Ron said, his voice strained as he struggled to remain upright and breathing as his sister had climbed onto his back.

"No. This is your birthday present from me."

"Being attacked without warning?"

"Yes."

The two of them soon went down to breakfast with Harry, both of them in high spirits, thanking the people that wished them a happy birthday. However, Lavender did not fail to find Ron and start gushing over him, annoying both Arabella and Harry.

Eventually Arabella found herself looking over at the Slytherin table. She was able to spot Draco immediately and saw with a heavy heart that he looked quite ill. Knowing that it was all but confirmed that he was a Death Eater, she didn't blame him and wished more than ever that she could be there for him.