"Finally", Ginny said, throwing her arms up as Hermione entered their room, "Get ready. We're going out."

"What? Where?" the curly-haired witch questioned, "I have to work on my potions assignment."

"I'm going to act like I never heard that," she said, taking the textbooks in her hand and levitating them onto her desk, "It's your birthday, and we're going out. Harry and Ron are already waiting in the courtyard. Now get ready."

Hermione knew she could never get out of this. Ginny was more stubborn than she was. She sighed, going to her closet, "Can you at least specify what 'going out means? Should I wear something formal or casual? You're not going to drag me to another muggle underground club, are you?" She hated clubs. Everyone sticking to each other and older men groping and trying to dance with her made her feel super uncomfortable. But Ginny was the opposite; she thrived in the euphoria of such an environment.

"Casual will do, and as much as I would want to, I won't force you to go somewhere you hate on your birthday," Ginny responded, checking her perfectly manicured nails to see if there were any dents.

Casual. She glanced over her shoulder to see what her roommate was wearing—a black mini skirt with a cropped brown long-sleeve shirt.

Wearing skirts made her feel uncomfortable, so she went with the safest option—Black high-waisted jeans paired with a black crop top shirt and some black boots.

"Going to a funeral?" the red-haired witch commented, and Hermione turned around, rolling her eyes, "Funny."

Ginny reached for her wand from her bedside table and walked towards her, "What type of hairstyle do you want?"

"I think it's okay like this," Hermione pointed out, and Ginny went behind her and placed her hands over her shoulders to turn her around so she could see her reflection in the mirror.

"See," Ginny started, "Your hair looks like it hosted a whole bird tribe's eggs," she remarked, grinding her teeth. Hermione, who hadn't looked at her reflection the whole day, agreed with her statement. Was she really walking around like this? "Fine," she signed, "Just do whatever you see fit."

Ginny sat her at the edge of her bed and started untangling all the knots that had formed in her hair, "Merlin, Hermi! Left your brush back home?" she questioned, applying all sorts of remedies to straighten her hair. She tried using her wand, but even magic was useless.

She actually didn't know if she even had her brush with her. There was a high chance she might have forgotten it with all the post-war brain fog. After what seemed like an hour, Ginny had managed to straighten her hair and style it with her wand. The final look she went for was straight to light waves at the bottom. Ginny charmed her hair, so it stayed like that the whole day. Sort of like a magical hairspray, she thought to herself.

Hermione couldn't even recognize herself in the mirror. The last time she had properly done her hair was for Bill and Fleur's wedding.

She felt different.

Pretty?

Yes, pretty.

Well, sort of.

She thanked Ginny by hugging her. Whilst Hermione was doing her last outfit check, Ginny Accioed a small box from her desk, "The final touch," she said, handing the neatly wrapped gift to her. She tore up the wrapping paper and opened the box to find a silver necklace with a rose gold guiding star, "I've noticed that you feel the most at peace under the stars, so if you tap the star three times, it creates the same false environment wherever you are, but only you can see it."

Hermione, who wasn't used to getting such personal gifts, felt her eyes welling," Wow, Ginny. I—mean this is—Wow—"

"I know. I'm amazing, and you couldn't wish for a better sister than me. I know," a laugh bubbled out of Hermione, and she hugged her again. She grabbed her hair to lift it so that Ginny could attach the necklace to her neck. Once on, she tapped on it three times, and the room went dark. It felt like she was floating in space; stars surrounded her everywhere, and she couldn't help but smile like a madman. She couldn't even make out Ginny's silhouette; every item in the room had vanished, "Ginny?" she called out.

"Yes?"

"Do you see me?"

"Yes," she responded, "You're literally smiling at the wall like a psychopath," she laughed.

"What? No. No," She twirled around the room. She truly felt lost in space, like an astronaut who lost their spaceship, "I'm looking at the stars."

"No, you're literally smiling at your table," she pointed out, amused, "Cool isn't it?"

"So cool!" Hermione was grinning goofily, "How do I stop it?"

"Same way you start it," she responded and watched as Hermione brought her index finger to her neck and tapped consecutively on the guiding star.

"Ginny, I think this tops Theo's gift," she admits, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Nott bought you a gift?" Her brows pulled together, "Didn't even know you were friends."

"Ah yes, we got pretty close whilst working on the potions project," she said, smiling.

"What do you mean by close? Are you messing around with a snake? I mean, I wouldn't blame you. He's pretty charming–"

She cut her off, "No. No. It's nothing like that. I just really enjoy his company. Besides, I only see him as a friend."

"Oof. Poor guy got friend-zoned, huh?" she cringed her teeth, "But I would be a bit careful with him. He seems to hang around Malfoy a lot."

"Yeah, I know. But you have nothing to worry about; he's literally the complete opposite of him. I don't even know how they are so close, actually. Bubbly and intense."

"I don't know Nott personally, but I trust your better judgment," she said.

"Speaking of Nott, is it okay if I invite him as well?" she asked, "Harry seems to like him too."

"Harry?" she questioned, looking at her with knitted brows. She could see her face fall at the mention of his name. Hermione planned on talking with Ginny to see how she felt about the situation, but she didn't feel like today was the right time. She planned on having a talk about it in the upcoming days.

"Yeah, when you were at the Burrow last weekend, Theo kind of tagged along with us to Hogsmeade. Although Ron was displeased with his presence, Harry seemed to get along quite well with him," she explained, pulling her pants higher. They always fell, and it was a struggle to find pants that fit her physique. They were either too large on her bum, too tight on her legs, or not tight enough on her waist. Some sort of a problem accompanied every pair of jeans.

"Oh," she reacted, "Okay. It is your birthday, after all, so sure he can come."

Ginny went to join Harry and Ron, and Hermione made her way to the Slytherin dorms. It was her first time stepping foot there; no student required a password anymore to access the dorms, to reinforce inter-house unity after the war. Although most students are still stuck with people from their houses, she would occasionally see students who belonged in different houses hang out together. Hermione had always thought that the housing system was bollocks anyway; she felt like it limited students from figuring out their true potential.

Yes, a Gryffindor was 'courageous', but most students also fought during the war, so weren't they brave too? It was just a system to control people and put them in categories. But Hermione didn't believe in such a thing. She believed herself to be equally brave, as she was cunning, loyal, and intelligent. Although she didn't feel as hungry for knowledge and was at the top of her intellect at the moment, she hoped that she could get back to her biggest passion in life soon, learning.

She still read and did her schoolwork, but now she felt average. She felt like she only did the required amount of work and stopped going overboard, which was so unlike herself. Sometimes she told herself to take a break and stop feeling less accomplished when she didn't use her time efficiently by immersing herself in learning. But she couldn't stop. She constantly felt bad and felt this pull towards her old self, but that person wasn't there anymore.

She wasn't the same.

She asked one of the students passing by where Theo's room was, and he told her it was five floors up, the second room to her left. Hermione felt a bit weird knocking on his door.

Was her behavior appropriate?

Would he think it's weird of her to invite him?

Were they close enough for that?

Ahh. Hermione. Stop. Just knock.

Her firm knuckles knocked on his door twice, "Who is it?" she heard him calling.

"Your favorite celebrity," she bit back, cringing at herself. It was his words, but it still felt obnoxious calling herself a 'celebrity'; she hardly was one.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, opening the door, "What do I owe this visit? Come in," he gestured to her with open arms to step into the room. Upon entering his room, she saw Malfoy sitting in his classic black suit on an emerald green armchair, with a book lazily clasped in his hand. She didn't know they were rooming together, but it made sense.

He even dressed formally in his own room. She found that to be so bizarre. How was he comfortable wearing a suit the whole day? She wouldn't be surprised if he slept with one as well.

The room was fairly simple, with no decorations. Two double beds across from each other, with a dresser and a desk next to each bed. She supposed that Malfoy's side was on the left since he was sitting at the far left of the room, next to the window. He lowered his book, his silver eyes studying her every move. His glare made her feel uneasy, but she ignored it.

His bed was neatly made, with two large square-shaped emerald green pillows and two silver rectangular pillows in front, accompanied by an emerald green duvet. Theo's bed, to her surprise, was a mixture of navy blue sheets accompanied by white pillows, and what was even more shocking was that he had a massive poster of Elvis Presley in his twenties right on top of his bed frame.

"You're kidding, right?" she asked, looking at Theo with her jaw practically on the floor, "So you don't know what the Bible is, but you know Geometry, James Bond, and Elvis Presley?"

She couldn't believe it. Her mother was an avid fan of Elvis ever since she was young and had the opportunity to go to a couple of his shows before and after he rose to fame since she lived in Memphis for five years due to her father's military job. He had died two years before she was born, and her mother mourned his passing for over a year. Every year on his passing day, the 16th of August 1977, they stood for a minute of silence and would make an Elvis-themed confection to honor his legacy.

Ever since Hermione could remember, Elvis's songs were constantly playing in the house. Her mother especially loved listening to and humming his songs while cooking. They also would do an Elvis movie marathon every year during Christmas. It was one of her favorite family traditions. Even though she had memorized most of the lines in all of his movies, watching them annually brought a sense of comfort and peace to her. She had practically grown up and learned English through his songs, and seeing that poster created a whole rush of nostalgia coursing through her body.

"Why does it feel like you ask me this question on a daily basis? But yeah, he's actually my favorite artist. Why do you like him too?" he asked, grabbing a towel from his dresser to dry his wet hair off.

"Yes!" she blurted immediately, "He's my favorite too, ever since I was born"

"Great. Another Elvis fan," the blonde wizard grunted, casting his eyes back on his book.

"Is that supposed to be sarcastic?" she turned to face him, arms crossed over her chest. He could disrespect her as much as he wanted, but she wasn't about to take shit from him about Elvis. He couldn't ruin that for her too.

"You're the supposed 'Brightest Witch of Her Age. I think you can figure it out," he said in a flat voice.

"Yeah, he's not super fond of him," Theo chimed in, "I think he's an idiot for not liking him. He thinks his dance movements are exaggerated and his voice ordinary," he explained.

"Exaggerated? Ordinary?" she repeated. Elvis was the opposite of ordinary for her, "His movements are what's so special about him. The way he feels and projects the music in him towards an audience is so exhilarating to watch, and the way his voice, words, and humour make you feel is unmatched. There will never be anyone like him."

"The King of Rock," Theo said, pointing his index finger to the ceiling.

"An essay full of crap," he remarked, "His movements are stupid. He looks like he's having a seizure while performing, and his voice is nothing other than normal. Nothing he does is worth creaming over. Just stop lying to yourself and admit that you just fancy him for his looks in his twenties."

"A seizure? Have you even bothered to actually watch one of his performances? And for the record, me liking him has nothing to do with his looks!" she snapped, with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Oh yeah, forgot you were into sloppy gingers," his eyes flashing in amusement at her frustration.

Sloppy Gingers. As if he were any fucking better.

"That's not—You know what. I don't care to explain myself to you!"

"Good, 'cause I couldn't care less of your explanation," he remarked, placing his book down and exiting the room. Once the door was shut, Theo turned over to face her, "Is this some kind of twisted version of foreplay? Cause I'm all for it," he grinned at her wickedly.

She nudged his arm playfully, "Not even in your wildest dreams," she affirmed, exhaling deeply to calm herself, "Anyways, I actually came here to invite you to my birthday gathering if you're free right now. I don't know what we're doing, but dress casual."

"Ah. I'd love to come. Anything for the birthday girl," he winked.

Theo got dressed quickly, and they joined the others. She could tell from Ron's face that he wasn't thrilled about Theo joining, but thankfully he didn't comment on it.

"So, where are we headed?" Theo questioned.

"It's a surprise," Ginny said, "Okay, so Harry, Ron and I know where we're going to apparate. So I'll just go with Harry–" Ginny stopped because she knew Ron would start complaining about Theo having to hold his arm to apparate, "Hermione, come with Ron and me, and Harry, take Nott with you."

Hermione nodded and walked over to her and held her arm to apparate. Once they were gone, Harry awkwardly fidgeted towards Theo and held his arm closer to him, Theo grabbed it, and they landed in the middle of a theme park. "What is this?" he asked the scarhead, "It's called a Theme Park. You get onto those mini car-looking things," he pointed at one of the rides on their left, "and it goes super fast."

"Very eloquent, Potter," Theo grinned. He had never seen anything like it. He looked around with amazement flashing in his eyes, and Harry watched him as he took everything in. It was fun to watch. He looked like a five-year-old that had just discovered Disneyland. Then, taking his gaze off of him, he looked around to search where the rest were, but he couldn't spot any of their faces with the overcrowdedness of the place.

"Churros!" the curly-haired wizard exclaimed, grabbing Harry's arm and running to the churro stand. Harry watched him as he eyed all the sauce and topping selections, "Do you want any?" he tilted his head towards him, and Harry simply nodded, "Sure," he had never had churros before. It was actually his first time in a theme park as well. He remembered begging the Dursleys to go to one that was near their house, but they had never brought him. They would take Dudley, though, and leave him behind to clean up the house when they were gone. He would envy seeing Dudley coming home with an extravagant smile plastered on his face and bragging about all the cool rides he went on, where Harry could only listen. If he talked back or showed an inch of frustration, he would get locked in his room, which was hardly one–a cupboard underneath the stairs–for two days, without food or water.

" Earth to Harry?" he waved his hand, trying to snap him out of his daze, "Are you still here?" he asked, and Harry shook his head, "Yeah. Sorry. I zoned out for a second."

"Oh, okay. Since you didn't respond, I got a whole family-sized bucket for us and topped it with milk and pistachio chocolate, sprinkles, cotton candy bits, toasted marshmallows, and M&M's." He said, pressing the gigantic bucket to Harry's chest, grabbing some sickles from his pocket, and tossing them over the counter.

Harry, who looked overwhelmed by the sheer amount of toppings, asked, "Um–Where are the churros?" Theo didn't even acknowledge his comment, too busy arguing with the man on the other side of the counter.

"Is this a joke?" the man asked.

"What do you mean, a joke? I am trying to pay you. Don't you want the money?" he said with eyebrows pulled together and threw a questioning glance and the seller.

"Wrong currency, my boy," he shook his head. Harry, on the sidelines, watched as the chaos unfolded, trying to see if Nott would understand that wizard money didn't work in the muggle world. When he saw the tension rising from both parties, he stepped in, pulling Nott down his height and whispering in his ear, "You realize you need muggle money, right?" Theo raised his eyebrows at their sudden proximity, and Harry, noticing this, took a step back, flustered. He reached into the inside pocket of his coat, retrieved some cash, and placed it on the counter, "This is the right currency, my boy!" exclaimed the seller looking at Nott, putting the money in the register.

They slowly walked away from the counter, only for Harry to take notice again of the unholy amount of sugar in the bucket, "What now?" Harry looked up at Theo.

"Now we feast, my boy!" he says, imitating the seller's voice.

"Or go into a sugar coma," the scarhead mumbled, waiting for Nott to commence with the feast. Nott transfigured the napkin that came with the bucket into two incredibly chic silver forks and handed one to Harry, who scoffed at his pureblood tendencies. A paper bucket full of sugar and a high-end silver fork an oxymoron.

As they ate, he noticed that Nott preferred eating the toppings first and then the churros. It also seemed like he was more fond of the churros covered in pistachio sauce, and if he didn't say something soon, he was sure that he would finish them, "Would you leave me some? Or do we need another family-sized bucket?" Harry pointed out, turning the bucket so that side with the pistachio-covered ones faced him.

"I mean—I'm up for it. I can destroy at least two more of these bad boys!'" Nott exclaimed, turning the pistachio side over to himself again, which made Harry roll his eyes.

"We've literally looked everywhere," Ginny sighed, throwing her arms up in the air.

"Yeah, I know. We can just start waiting in line for a ride, and we'll reunite eventually," suggested Ron, getting behind a couple in line, and they followed. Hermione looked at the type of ride they were waiting in line for to see what she was getting herself into. It was sort of an escalator that went up, and when it reached its peak, it dropped at an unexpected moment. "Fun," she mumbled sarcastically, eyeing Ginny.

"Oh, come on, Hermi!" Ginny exclaimed, earning another eye roll from her, "You've literally broken out of Gringotts riding a Ukrainian Ironbelly! Are you really expecting me to believe that you're scared of a fucking muggle escalator ride," she placed her hands on her hips, making a face.

What Ginny didn't know was that she wasn't the same brave Hermione she once was or had to be. And yes, it was a fucking muggle escalator after all, but it still frightened her, "You know that I hate heights, Gin, and I didn't ride that poor dragon out of choice," she explained calmly, wondering what had happened to it. She hoped that it was free and not back in human hands.

"It'll be fun, Mione," Ron reassured her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked at their pleading eyes, "Fine," she sighed, defeated. They both smiled excitedly.

Whilst they waited in line, the birthday girl looked around, hoping to spot the stray ones, but instead of lingering her eyes to find them, something else caught her attention. A cotton candy stand, Ron's favorite. She nudged his arm, pointing at it, "Look," she said, "Diabetes is calling for you!"

"What's diabetes?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"Another time," she declared, flailing her hand at him. He walked over to the stand by himself while they waited in line.

Ginny cast a quick charm to enhance their hearing, planning to eavesdrop on Ron's interaction with the cotton candy seller, "I'll bet you five that he'll fumble on his words," the redhead witch offered, "He's not going to Ginny," Hermione rolled her eyes again.

"Yeah, so let's bet on it," she insisted, and Hermione sighed, "Okay, fine. Deal."

"There you are, ladies!" They heard Theo exclaim from behind them, who held two buckets to his chest, with Harry next to him, holding one as well.

"Where have you two been!" Ginny interrogated, with her hands on her hips. Hermione was hit with a wave of nostalgia; she swore that she had seen Molly say that in the same way as Ginny had just now, "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"My bad," Theo stated, "When we couldn't find you, I dragged Potter into participating in a timed churro eating competition with fifty contestants."

"Hence why we have all these buckets and no money left," Harry chimed in, nitpicking a chocolate-covered M&M, flicking it into his mouth.

"Shit is expensive!" Theo commented, and a smile curled up on Hermione's lips at their shenanigans. She enjoyed this somewhat of a friendship between them.

"Did you win at least then?" Ginny inquired, nearing Harry to see what had been left in his bucket and picked up one of the last remaining churros.

"I didn't. Nott came in first, winning us a VIP pass, so we don't have to wait in line for any of the rides."

Nott reached for the fast pass from his trouser pockets, showcasing his prize, "Undefeated, per usual," he grinned cockily. Hermione watched as Harry chuckled.

"How many churros did you need to eat, and in how much time?" Hermione inquired, not sure if she wanted to know his answer.

"About eighty in ten minutes," he answered, and Hermione glanced over his stomach, which was completely flat. Men and their metabolisms. If she even attempted to eat ten of them, she would be bloated for the next two days minimum.

"Do we need to put you into a coma or something?" Hermione asked, worried about what all that sugar would do to his health.

"What's a coma?" Ginny and Theo asked, looking confused.

"Another time," Harry responded, flailing his hand with a sigh.

"Oh wait, the bet!" Ginny exclaimed, directing her attention to the cotton candy stand and was met with a very unexpected sight. The cotton candy woman had her claws on her brother and kissed him deeply over the counter whilst he stood there like a statue kissing her back. She quickly countered the charm to avoid listening to her brother being kissed by a woman twice his age. Even the sight of it made her want to bleach her eyes out.

"I never thought I would say this, but, the Weasel got game," Theo joked, which earned him a slight smack on the shoulder from Ginny. The old Hermione would've felt crushed from what she saw, but she didn't even feel a jab of pain.

When the woman finally released her claws, she processed to give him a cotton candy bigger than his torso, "What is it with family size portions today," Harry mocked and heard Theo let out a snicker.

"What was that?" Ginny questioned when Ron neared them. His lips were smudged with the woman's red lipstick, "Oh, shut up, Gin! I got this whole thing for free, so I'm not complaining," he said, grinning like a kid.

"Man whore," Ginny said, rolling her eyes and secretly mumbling Evanesco, making the lipstick disappear.

"Look who's talking," Ron retorted matter-of-factly.

"You good?" Theo asked Harry when he started coughing all of a sudden.

"Yeah–" he coughed again, "I'm good. Thanks," he gave him a quick smile.

"Okay, shall we," Theo said, displaying the VIP pass.

…

"That last ride was–"

Harry was cut off by Theo, "The best thing ever."

"I am never sitting in front ever again!" Hermione exclaimed whilst they made their way back to the Gryffindor common room.

"Are you kidding? It's the best part of it," Ron retorted, making a face.

"I can still feel the adrenaline," Theo remarked, and Harry nodded, "Same."

"Yeah, It still feels like my heart is going to pound out of my chest," Ginny said, her hair all messed up from the whiplash of wind of their last ride.

"You think," Hermione sneered, and they all laughed at her. Hermione had fainted during the ride and couldn't stop shaking for ten minutes.

They all sat in the Gryffindor common room, and there were a couple of odd stares cast at Theo, but he didn't acknowledge any. Ginny made all of them a cup of hot chocolate with toasted marshmallows.

"This is really good," Theo mentioned, holding his cups with both hands.

"I know," Ginny said cockily, taking the last sip of hers, "Okay," she commenced, rising to her feet, "I've got one last thing for you," she tilted her head towards Hermione, "Close your eyes."

"Oh–Really? O–Okay," Hermione clasped her eyes shut, forming a smile on her lips. She heard a couple of footsteps shuffle near her. A couple of moments later, she heard Ginny's voice call out to her, "You can open your eyes now."

She slowly fluttered her eyes open and was met by the sight of a cake in the form of a Nutella jar, with a phoenix and a singular candle lying on top of it. Hermione's jaw sank in shock, "What. Ginny, this is–I love it," she said, wrapping her arms around her best friend. Ginny had gone all out for her birthday, and she couldn't be more grateful. Hermione still couldn't wrap her head around that she was cared for by others. Somehow her subconscious made her believe that no one around her loved her and that they only wanted her for what she could offer them through her knowledge. She thought that she was needed but not loved. This once again proved to her that she was wrong and that all of her thoughts weren't factual and didn't work to help her but rather aid in self-sabotage.

"What's Nut–Ella?" Theo asked, tilting his head to the side to properly read the letters on the jar cake.

"If you only knew," Ginny commented.

"It's this muggle sweetened hazelnut cocoa spread," Hermione explained, "I have a couple jars in my room. I'll give one to you tomorrow if you want," she offered with a quick smile.

"Wow! So you're going to give him a full jar when you don't even let me have a full spoon?!" Ginny grumbled with furrowed brows.

"Special treatment," Theo commented with a wink.

"Ginny, that's so not true. You literally finished half of all my jars," Hermione retorted.

Harry nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I'm afraid she's not lying," which earned him a sharp nudge on his upper arm by Ginny.

"Whatever," she threw her arms up in the air, "Maybe if you gave me a full jar, then I wouldn't have to always nibble on yours," she remarked matter-of-factly.

"The quantities you consumed can hardly be considered a nibble Gin," she laughed, "But, Okay. Don't worry. I'll gift you one too."

"Good," the redhead witch expressed, with her nose in the air, "Make a wish."

Hermione eyed the candle for a second. What was the point in making wishes, and did they really happen? Or was blowing a candle just tradition?

She closed her eyes and pressed her hands flatly together, leaning close to the candle.

What did she want?

Truly, there were so many, and she felt her anxiety escalating the more she stood there, her eyes closed and the rest watching her.

She wanted to return to her old self, but was that really the answer? Or did she just want that, to be in her comfort zone and not have to face new beginnings or accept that she had grown, and that came with change?

She was scared to release herself to this new Hermione. She didn't know how to function this way. But what if she would like her new self? The new self didn't care much about always being first and doing more than others to prove herself worthy.

To prove that Mudbloods were worthy. But why did she care? The war was over, and her being from a muggle-born family didn't matter as much as before.

She had the Golden Girl title. She had become a war heroine, for Christ's sake, so she didn't have to prove herself because people looked up to her. The tabloids and newspapers talked highly of her.

She didn't have to put in as much effort now, but what if people saw that change in her and stopped thinking highly of her, and she returned to square one?

Worthless Mudblood.

Did she want love? To be loved by someone?

She supposed she did, but who would love the true, new Hermione?

She wasn't Golden anymore. She was rather ordinary.

Would ordinary Hermione impress anyone?

Maybe she would, but would she want them?

Would she want to settle for ordinary?

"Today, " called out Ron with a snicker.

She dozed off again, "Yes–Yes. Okay,"She wanted someone or something that would give her the same feeling of comfort, without having to search for it in her old self. Someone that made her feel that change was okay, and that accepted her the way she was, with all of her flaws. Yes. That's it. She blew on the candle, and they all applauded her.

"Finally," Theo remarked, "I could feel my blood pressure drop for not consuming sugar in so long."

Hermione and Harry burst into laughter. "You literally ate eighty churros," she gargled.

"More like a hundred, plus a load of toppings and sauces," Harry corrected her, raising his index finger to his chest.

"Yeah, so?" Theo remarked lazily, shrugging.

They cut into the cake and practically devoured it. Even Hermione finished her whole slice, suppressing her feelings of guilt. She celebrated her eighteenth birthday once, and when she looked back to this day, she only wanted to remember the joy she felt, surrounded by the people she loved.