I only own Margaret and her relatives. Harry Potter and his cohorts, however, are of the J.K. Rowling persuasion. That won't change any time soon, no matter how many times I wail on about it.
"Prince," I said aloud. "His name's Prince."
"Prince?" My brother sounded confused.
"It's better than Wrigley," I retorted. He stuck his tongue out at me because we both knew it was all in good fun.
"I don't deny that," said Dad. I looked over my shoulder at him to see him walking in with two teacups in his hand. He strode over to my mother and handed her one, kissing her forehead before giving an eye-crinkling smile to me. "How d'you like him?"
"I love him!" I said excitedly.
"Well that's good," Dad assured.
For a few seconds, we all gazed at my lovely new owl. Then Mum seemed to snap out of our cozy family moment. "Oh!" she said. "I've got to get to the Ministry to settle the address change for good! I completely forgot! I'm so sorry, dear." She kissed my father's cheek swiftly and handed him her cup of tea. "I'll be back soon!" She picked up her purse distractedly and looked around frantically. "Where's my robe?"
"You're wearing it," Tulip piped, not really fazed by Mum's oddness.
"Of course!" she breathed after looking down at herself. She rushed over to the fireplace and took some floo powder in her hand. "Well, goodbye!"
The fireplace erupted in vibrant green flames as they overtook her. We all watched the place from where she disappeared for a few moments before Dad cleared his throat. "Well now," he said, the two teacups still in his grasp. "It seems as though we're going to have to make dinner by ourselves."
With no adult wizard in the home, it was true, and I absolutely hated cooking without magic. Mum always left the carrots chopping and the broth stewing with a flick of her wand before playing a game of Exploding Snap with Jon and me. Dad always left me chopping the carrots while the broth boiled over the pot as he struggled to catch Jon while he ran around the house screaming. At least he always wore Mum's floral apron.
The following morning, I felt a sudden jolt on my bed. When I opened my eyes and shot up straight, I was greeted with Tulip jumping on my bed, a huge smile on her face. "Happy birthday, Maggie!"
Jonathan appeared in my doorway with his hair sticking up in every which-way, his eyes still looking droopy from the sleep he had presumably just awoken from. "Whahappun?" He could barely see us through his squinted eyes.
"Morning, Jon," I greeted with a smile.
"Morning," he mumbled sleepily. He looked from me, to Tulip, back to me, and then to Tulip again, before he realized what day it was. He didn't seem too excited, though. "Happy birthday," he said quietly, rubbing his eyes and walking back out the door. I quickly looked to Tulip, finding her looking back at me, and we both laughed. When she sat down on the bed, she moved next to me and hugged me. I hugged her back, though I was confused as to why she was hugging me.
"I love you, Maggie," she mumbled into my sleeve. I smiled and looked down at her.
"I love you, too, Tule," I replied.
"I don't want to move," she said.
I froze. What was I supposed to say to her? It's not like agreeing with her would make anything better. I sighed. "Me neither," I said. There was nothing else I could say.
At that moment, Dad opened the door and held up a cupcake on a plate with ice cream. "Happy birthday, Magpie," he smiled. He walked in and was followed by Mum, who had a small, golden gift bag in her hand. They all sat on my bed as Dad handed me the cupcake and Mum set down the bag next to me on the night stand. I happily ate my cupcake as they sang me 'Happy Birthday',
"Open the bag," Mum smiled. I looked to it and took it on my lap, curiosity overwhelming me. I basically ripped out the red tissue paper and dug my hand into the bag to find a golden chain necklace, a ridiculously large, red heart dangling from it. My jaw dropped in amazement as the ruby that the heart was made of glimmered in the morning light that shone through my window. "Wow," I breathed.
"We got it for you to wear when you make Gryffindor," Mum beamed. "We know you'll make us proud. Everyone in our family's been in it for centuries… well, exempting your brother, of course… And there's no doubt in my mind that you'll be the brightest yet." Dad wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. I beamed and folded the necklace back in some tissue paper. The rest of the morning was spent packing our belongings in the rental van that Dad had acquired.