A/N: Okay, it's Monday (morning)! Lol, so I got impatient. This one isn't as short as the prologue but still shorter than the other chapters. They get longer after this. ;3
"Happy Birthday, Amber! Happy Birthday, James!" I cried out joyfully as my bickering twin blonde siblings joined me at the breakfast table.
"You'd think we'd be allowed to skip school on our birthday of all days." James grumbled, yawning hugely.
Amber rolled her eyes and shoved him away from her a little. "Your breath is atrocious, James." She said, wrinkling her nose in distaste. I giggled softly behind my hand and Amber smirked. "And thank you, Sofia. I, for one, am looking forward to going to school today. Our friends are sure to bring us a few presents to open. Seventeen is a nice milestone and certainly worth celebrating."
James perked up at the mention of presents and seemed to dig into breakfast with a little more gusto than usual. "Yeah. Too bad our Birthday Ball isn't being held until next week." He added, mouth full. Amber looked away, wide-eyed and trying not to gag, hating when he did that.
"James, manners!" Our father, King Roland called from the head of the table.
Amber and I shared a slight horrified shudder as James apologized with his mouth still full. He's a great brother, but his dining manners were nothing short of awful. I pitied his future bride a little.
Cedric appeared in a puff of smoke, hummed thoughtfully, wrote something down on parchment with a quill he'd had tucked behind his ear, begrudgingly wished James and Amber a merry birthday, and then disappeared with a wave of his wand and more smoke. I wondered what he was working on. Maybe another apparition spell… I thought curiously. I rather enjoyed my magic classes and was becoming quite adept with wand work. Maybe he's attempting to teleport further distances. That would be a nice advancement for all magic wielders. Instead of having to travel by horse or flying, that could drastically shorten and ease tiresome journeys. I wonder where Cedric would go? Maybe somewhere he would have to wear more appropriate clothing and not those billowing robes all the time? I wonder what he'd look like in a simple tunic and breeches…
"Sofia!" I jerked out of my inappropriate thoughts, blushing brightly, as I looked at Amber. Her eyes, the color for which she was named, were narrowed suspiciously at me before they suddenly widened and her mouth popped open in a small 'o.'
There's no WAY she could know what I was thinking! I thought in a panic as I realized I had been staring intently at the spot Cedric had disappeared.
"Amber? What's wrong, darling?" Mother asked worriedly.
"I just had an epiphany. Don't mind me!" Amber said, her voice high and breathy. "Well, we'd better finish eating and catch the carriage to school!" She said cheerfully and smirked at me.
Uh-oh…
A/N: I'm so TOTALLY blown away by having gotten readers already! Thank you so much for reading/following/reviewing! It means a lot to me. You guys and gals are the reason I bother posting at all. Otherwise this stuff would just sit on my computer gathering cyber-dust cause I usually just write for me.
Remember! This fic is DONE. The chapters are already written. I will be posting every Monday/Wednesday/Friday. LOVE YA!