Christmas vacation passed and was soon over. January was gone as well, it was back to February. Valentine's Day, that stupid holiday, was over and done with it. And it was the twenty sixth of February. My birthday was in two days, and I just knew that Remus was planning something. After Christmas break, we were hanging out with Hendrix a lot more, so I figured he was in on it too. Ash's birthday was the fifth of March, and I assumed that it was for the both of it. Antoinette was involved, Calgary and Austin as well. They were with Remus and Hendrix constantly, leaving me and Ash alone by ourselves.

I busied myself by wondering what my malicious three cousins were up to. I hadn't heard many crude rumors about Antoinette and I since before Christmas, and I just knew they had to be stirring up trouble soon. I voiced my paranoia to Ash, and she had to agree.

"It's too quiet, today. I saw those girls at your house over Christmas; they've got to be coming up with some new idea on how to make our lives miserable." She folded her legs up underneath her and curled up into the chair in front of the fire, holding her book close to her chest.

"Evil girls." I crossed my legs and flipped the page in my own book.

"Indeed, quite evil…" Ash looked out the window across the room. "I seriously can't wait for this year to be over. Maybe next year…"

"Maybe next year we can break Calgary's rule and start dating?"

"Basically."

"Yeah, I hope so."

"Hendrix asked me to go to Hogsmeade, you know."

"You can't go to Hogsmeade until third year. And neither can he!"

"When he's in fourth and I'm in third, Nymphadora." She added a little 'duh!' to make me feel even stupider. Like I needed any help.

I shrugged. "I suppose he's thinking ahead. Like, two years ahead."

"He's a second year, he kind of has to."

"With his 'true love' being a first year…"

"You know, just shut up, Nymphadora."


"Nymphadora Hermione Weasley, please wake up at this exact instant!" Exact instant. Someone was trying to talk like Remus. Precocious little pains in the arse...

I kicked. Hard. "Who's there?" I mumbled somewhat incoherently. "Hey, lemme go to sleep!" I looked sleepily at the clock, my eyes only held open just a crack to see the hands on the face of the plastic figure. "Hey! It's my birthday?"

"That's right, Princess. Come on, we gotta go down to the common room. The boys can't come in." Antoinette yanked on my arm.

I sat up and glanced at the floor for my Converse high-tops. Calgary had probably kicked them away in the middle of the night when she was sleepwalking. I found them underneath the corner of Nettie's bed, slipped them on my feet, and looked up at Antoinette. "Do I have permission to find clothes? I don't feel entirely comfortable going downstairs in my pajamas, especially if I have to see Remus!" Antoinette nodded and I groggily made my way over to my dresser.

Ugh. Jeans, tee shirt, pull-over jumper, headband-- wait, my headbands were gone. I turned around and glared at Antoinette. "Where're my headbands?" I snapped.

"You don't wear a headband today, Princess Nymphadora!" This whole Princess thing was starting to get old. "Birthdays mean tiaras!" She whipped out a gold plastic crown with a big plastic burgundy heart on the front and shoved it at me.

"I hate you."

"Happy to hear it," Antoinette grinned then skipped off downstairs to find the boys.

Ash groaned irritably as Calgary pulled the same routine on her as Antoinette had just gone through with me. "Wake up, Princess Ash! It's your birthday!" As soon as her head lifted from the pillow, Calgary dropped the tiara on her head and pulled Ash from her cozy bed and propelled her towards her armoire.

Ash and I stood side by side in our matching tiaras and Saturday morning clothes, glaring at ourselves in the mirror. Calgary was, thank Merlin, downstairs already with the boys and Antoinette, leaving Ash and I to have some thoughts about our revenge.

"When are their birthdays?" Ash asked bitterly, glaring at the tiara on her head. She tried to yank it off, but of course, Antoinette and Calgary were smarter than that. Sometimes I hate my Mum for teaching Nettie that permanent sticking charm. "Hopefully soon."

"I don't know when Callie's is… Nettie's is sometime this summer. Ugh, I hate them!" I shook my head furiously, praying that the plastic piece would fall off my head. I stubbornly stomped my foot and then took off for the door, storming down the staircase to find the guilty party.

They were all sitting on the couch, waiting for the Birthday Princesses. I gave them my most evil glare. "I loathe you all."

Austin, looking innocent and a little confused, chirped up. "Even me, Nymphadora?"

Aw, he always got me. He was so blonde and guiltless. "Okay, I don't loathe Austin! But all of you other people, just dripping in loathing hate!" Roar. They sucked. They all really, really, really sucked. "TAKE OFF THE STUPID TIARA!" I screamed loudly.

"Nymphadora, it's not that bad," Antoinette chided.

I glared harder. "Not bad? Are you wearing a six-inch tall plastic crown that is really shiny even without light in the room? No, you aren't! You're sitting there with your scalp able to breath actual air, lucky little prats. And the worst thing is that you are going to make me go out in public with this damn thing on my head!"

Calgary chuckled. "The funny thing is, you're more dramatic than Victoire. And she's part Veela and part French."

I threw my arms up in defeat. "Are we going to the Great Hall or what? I'm starving, and I'd like to get this embarrassment over now."

Remus got up from the couch and took my arm in a very gentlemanly way. He linked it through his own and started leading me out of the common room; Hendrix got up and took Ash's arm, leading her behind us. Austin stood between Antoinette and Calgary like the good little boy he was, not wanting Calgary to be lonely, and we all started down for the Great Hall.

Every time we saw someone we knew, Ash and I ducked. Remus' head was larger than mine, so I was almost completely hidden from their sight, except for the tip of the tiara. Ash, however, was not as lucky; Hendrix noticed what she was doing and turned in the opposite direction every time she moved, so she'd be sure to be seen. Prat.

We got to the Great Hall and I'd given up on ducking, having such a non-participant as my escort. I'd have had a lot more fun with it if he'd tried to keep me from being hidden like Hendrix had. Ash had given up on it a lot sooner than I, for she could only deal with Hendrix for so long; he was a hyper soul in the mornings, and he was extremely persistent. I'd been embarrassed before-- let us all remember the picture in the Daily Prophet with a wine stain on my dress-- and I don't see how a plastic tiara could worsen it. Well, actually, I could. But I can deal with it. I think.

I seated myself down at my usual part of the table and felt a lot of eyes on me. Just great. I love my birthday. But really. A tiara? I was back to being not able to deal with it. By the look on Ash's face beside me, she was too.

"How big is it?" I growled.

"How big is what?" Hendrix asked.

"The cumulus-nimbus, hovering above my head." I pointed to the empty space above the tiara, half-expecting a cloud to actually appear in the Hogwarts' ceiling just to spite me and my smart-alecky comments. The sudden downpour of rain on my head proved that I indeed was being spited. "Get rid of the cloud, Victoire. I was joking," I snapped irritably when I saw my blonde cousin with her wand in hand.

"You are such a party pooper." Victoire lazily waved her wand and the cloud disappeared. It hadn't stopped my friends from bursting into hysterical laughter, of course.

"Um, Victoire?" Ash pointed above her own head, where another cloud still sat. "I know you've got that whole cousin-preference thing, but please get rid of it. My hair'll frizz!" I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"You know, I think breakfast has arrived," Teddy said, trying to restore the peace in my group of friends. He pointed at the table, where the largest cake I'd ever seen sat with 'Happy Birthday, Princess Nymphadora and Princess Ash!'

"Oh!" I shrieked loudly, clapping my hands. I turned to Remus and Hendrix-- the two had become partners in crime already, even though they'd known each other since birth-- and threw my arms around their necks as best as I could sitting down.

Ash soon joined in on the gesture, jumping up from the table, and she kissed Hendrix on the cheek, boldly. Too bold of an act for Ash. I was surprised. "Thank you so much, Hendrix. We love it!"

"You'll love your party more, I promise." He smiled and hugged her back, then patted the empty seat beside him for her to take. I noticed that when she sat down next to him that her hand was tightly entwined in his.

'A match made in heaven,' I thought happily. I'm glad that happened. Now, if only we were old enough…