Chapter 10 – Birthday at Midnight
Liz's birthday had been marked on her calendar for weeks. The night before, she set her clock to seven in the morning, as early as she could afford to get up. Her mother would probably send her another letter, and she wanted to be awake to receive it.
In the middle of the night, she woke up. Turning her head, she glanced at the clock, which was flashing 11:59. She was almost thirteen.
It clicked to 12:00.
Her body stiffened. She couldn't move. It was as if she was paralyzed. All sorts of thoughts flashed in her mind, in rhythm with the flashing of the clock, including, "I'm dying," very briefly. A series of shocks and jolts of heat coursed through her body as she lay there, panicking. What was happening? Why couldn't she move? Was this what death felt like? If it was, she wanted to just die and end it...aches and pain wracked her tortured body, but a sense of power was coming to her, the kind of power that is invincible, that has a mind of its own...
The clock clicked to 12:01.
And as suddenly as it had come, it stopped. The pain and panic were gone, and she could move. The only thing that lingered was the overwhelming sense of power. Liz flexed her fingers and wriggled her toes to make sure she hadn't died. There was no logical explanation for what had just happened.
With a yawn, she rolled over in bed and went back to sleep.
In the morning, her alarm clock woke her up. Sitting on her bedpost was the snowy owl. Careful not to wake the other Gryffindor girls, Liz tiptoed to the owl. "You do come early, don't you?" she whispered, detaching the letter from the owl's leg. She opened it and read:
Dear Elizabeth,
Happy birthday! I love you. You are officially a teenager now. Being a teenager can be so much fun. I'll write again soon. Goodbye.
Luna
Liz opened the tiny package taped to the letter. Inside was a miniscule book light. Liz flicked on the switch, and the room was flooded with light. She heard Rachel mutter, "Too bright," in her sleep. Liz immediately turned it off. Very useful.
As it was too early to go down to breakfast alone, Liz took out her mother's Christmas present, the paper-thin book entitled The Mind Revealed, and re-read it twice. The same message came to mind: Don't read Secrets of the Mind. It was very strange.
"Is it morning already?" Rachel asked sleepily, getting out of her bed. "Oh, yeah, it's your birthday."
Liz nodded, putting her book away.
"Here. Happy birthday!" Rachel handed Liz a gift. It was a book of poetry.
"Wow, thanks, Rachel," Liz said. "It's great."
"Glad you like it. It's so hard getting gifts, you know?"
The two girls changed and headed down to the common room, where they met Michael. He had a present, too. "Open it."
Liz did. It was a bag of candy. "The perfect gift," Rachel remarked.
"The only thing I could afford," Michael said.
Liz sat thinking. Where was her mother now? What was the owl's name? And why had that happened this morning?
It was mid-April. Spring was in full swing. Liz really couldn't enjoy the outdoors because she wanted another letter from her mother. She wanted to tell someone. She needed someone to know. It was agony, harboring a secret that no one could understand.
Chris. Chris would understand. And it was his birthday today, so she would have an excuse to visit. With all the letters tucked inside various pockets in her robes, Liz set off for Hagrid's cabin, a gift in hand.
"Liz! Nice ter see yeh, nice ter see yeh. Where's Rachel an' Michael?" Hagrid said, looking around.
"Up at the castle," Liz said evasively. "Where's Chris?"
"Inside. I'll get him for yeh." He stepped inside and came back out with Chris.
"Hello," Liz smiled, holding out the present. "Happy birthday."
"You remembered!" he said delightedly. "Thanks."
Liz beamed as he tore into it. It was a wand. He looked up, confused. Hagrid tried to look over his shoulder, but Liz motioned for Chris to follow her so Hagrid wouldn't see. "What's this?" he asked as soon as Hagrid shut the door. "I thought the wand had to choose the wizard. That's what Hagrid said, anyway."
"It changes to fit the wizard's or witch's need," Liz said. "I thought it would be helpful, since my wand obviously isn't doing well for you. Do you like it?"
"It's great. I can't believe you remembered my birthday. Where're Rachel and Michael?"
"They had a lot of homework, but they send birthday wishes." Even though they had done nothing of the sort.
"Ah." Chris seemed to understand, somehow.
Liz thought about how to bring up the subject she wanted, no, needed to talk about, and decided there was no easy way. "Chris, I need to tell you something."
"What is it?"
"Look at this." She unfurled a letter, the first letter, from her mother and handed it to Chris. He scanned it quickly, and then he read it slower. Blinking, he looked up at Liz.
"Luna. Your mother? When did you get this?"
"Last year, and I've been getting them ever since. You see what this means? Do you understand? She's sending me mail!"
"Liz, your mother can't be sending you mail. She's dead."
Liz blinked back the tears that threatened to flood her bright face. How could he not believe her? Here was proof. A dead woman did not send mail!
He would think she had gone insane. She wished it hadn't happened. She wished she could erase his memory of it or something. Wait, she could! A Memory Charm! It was horribly complex, though...but she would just have to try.
"I'm really sorry," she whispered. "Obliviate!"
The force of the spell hit him head-on. He blinked stupidly for a moment, and then stared up at a tree. "Green," he said thickly.
"Disorientation," Liz murmured. "A side effect. How could I forget?" To Chris, she said, "Chris?"
He shook his head again and looked at her, back to normal. "What?"
"Um...what were you saying about my mother?"
"Your mother? Nothing, I didn't...wait, I don't remember. I think I have a headache. I'm going to go inside. I'll owl you."
"Happy birthday," she said.
"Thanks. Thanks for the present. Bye!"
He walked to the cabin, stumbling every few steps from the spell. Liz shook her head. She felt horrible for doing that to him, but it was the only way.
"A Quidditch match? TODAY?" Liz bellowed. "But I've got to study! Exams are in a month and a half! Do you realize that I'm so behind schedule it's not even funny?" Rachel snickered. "It's not funny!"
"See, I've come up with s solution for the problem we have every time there's a match," said Michael. They were upstairs in the common room, not twenty minutes before the start of the game. "Bring your books."
Liz scowled up at him. "Fine."
And so, twenty minutes later, Liz sat in the stands with a book in her lap, trying to concentrate on the match and her studies at the same time.
"No, dive, dive!" Rachel yelled at the Ravenclaw Chaser, waving her arms.
"No, see, then the Slytherin Keeper will block a low shot. A high shot is better," Michael told her. "A Quaffle doesn't fly, so gravity will take it."
"In 1596 the Department for Control of Magical Creatures instituted a new course for the curriculum of Hogwarts called Care of Magical Creatures...Oh, this is no use," she yelled, getting to her feet irritably. "I can't study when I can't hear myself THINK!"
"Quiet down," Michael said. "I'm trying to watch the game."
Liz was grouchy, but she booed with the rest as the Slytherin Seeker swooped down and caught the Snitch.
Liz's birthday had been marked on her calendar for weeks. The night before, she set her clock to seven in the morning, as early as she could afford to get up. Her mother would probably send her another letter, and she wanted to be awake to receive it.
In the middle of the night, she woke up. Turning her head, she glanced at the clock, which was flashing 11:59. She was almost thirteen.
It clicked to 12:00.
Her body stiffened. She couldn't move. It was as if she was paralyzed. All sorts of thoughts flashed in her mind, in rhythm with the flashing of the clock, including, "I'm dying," very briefly. A series of shocks and jolts of heat coursed through her body as she lay there, panicking. What was happening? Why couldn't she move? Was this what death felt like? If it was, she wanted to just die and end it...aches and pain wracked her tortured body, but a sense of power was coming to her, the kind of power that is invincible, that has a mind of its own...
The clock clicked to 12:01.
And as suddenly as it had come, it stopped. The pain and panic were gone, and she could move. The only thing that lingered was the overwhelming sense of power. Liz flexed her fingers and wriggled her toes to make sure she hadn't died. There was no logical explanation for what had just happened.
With a yawn, she rolled over in bed and went back to sleep.
In the morning, her alarm clock woke her up. Sitting on her bedpost was the snowy owl. Careful not to wake the other Gryffindor girls, Liz tiptoed to the owl. "You do come early, don't you?" she whispered, detaching the letter from the owl's leg. She opened it and read:
Dear Elizabeth,
Happy birthday! I love you. You are officially a teenager now. Being a teenager can be so much fun. I'll write again soon. Goodbye.
Luna
Liz opened the tiny package taped to the letter. Inside was a miniscule book light. Liz flicked on the switch, and the room was flooded with light. She heard Rachel mutter, "Too bright," in her sleep. Liz immediately turned it off. Very useful.
As it was too early to go down to breakfast alone, Liz took out her mother's Christmas present, the paper-thin book entitled The Mind Revealed, and re-read it twice. The same message came to mind: Don't read Secrets of the Mind. It was very strange.
"Is it morning already?" Rachel asked sleepily, getting out of her bed. "Oh, yeah, it's your birthday."
Liz nodded, putting her book away.
"Here. Happy birthday!" Rachel handed Liz a gift. It was a book of poetry.
"Wow, thanks, Rachel," Liz said. "It's great."
"Glad you like it. It's so hard getting gifts, you know?"
The two girls changed and headed down to the common room, where they met Michael. He had a present, too. "Open it."
Liz did. It was a bag of candy. "The perfect gift," Rachel remarked.
"The only thing I could afford," Michael said.
Liz sat thinking. Where was her mother now? What was the owl's name? And why had that happened this morning?
It was mid-April. Spring was in full swing. Liz really couldn't enjoy the outdoors because she wanted another letter from her mother. She wanted to tell someone. She needed someone to know. It was agony, harboring a secret that no one could understand.
Chris. Chris would understand. And it was his birthday today, so she would have an excuse to visit. With all the letters tucked inside various pockets in her robes, Liz set off for Hagrid's cabin, a gift in hand.
"Liz! Nice ter see yeh, nice ter see yeh. Where's Rachel an' Michael?" Hagrid said, looking around.
"Up at the castle," Liz said evasively. "Where's Chris?"
"Inside. I'll get him for yeh." He stepped inside and came back out with Chris.
"Hello," Liz smiled, holding out the present. "Happy birthday."
"You remembered!" he said delightedly. "Thanks."
Liz beamed as he tore into it. It was a wand. He looked up, confused. Hagrid tried to look over his shoulder, but Liz motioned for Chris to follow her so Hagrid wouldn't see. "What's this?" he asked as soon as Hagrid shut the door. "I thought the wand had to choose the wizard. That's what Hagrid said, anyway."
"It changes to fit the wizard's or witch's need," Liz said. "I thought it would be helpful, since my wand obviously isn't doing well for you. Do you like it?"
"It's great. I can't believe you remembered my birthday. Where're Rachel and Michael?"
"They had a lot of homework, but they send birthday wishes." Even though they had done nothing of the sort.
"Ah." Chris seemed to understand, somehow.
Liz thought about how to bring up the subject she wanted, no, needed to talk about, and decided there was no easy way. "Chris, I need to tell you something."
"What is it?"
"Look at this." She unfurled a letter, the first letter, from her mother and handed it to Chris. He scanned it quickly, and then he read it slower. Blinking, he looked up at Liz.
"Luna. Your mother? When did you get this?"
"Last year, and I've been getting them ever since. You see what this means? Do you understand? She's sending me mail!"
"Liz, your mother can't be sending you mail. She's dead."
Liz blinked back the tears that threatened to flood her bright face. How could he not believe her? Here was proof. A dead woman did not send mail!
He would think she had gone insane. She wished it hadn't happened. She wished she could erase his memory of it or something. Wait, she could! A Memory Charm! It was horribly complex, though...but she would just have to try.
"I'm really sorry," she whispered. "Obliviate!"
The force of the spell hit him head-on. He blinked stupidly for a moment, and then stared up at a tree. "Green," he said thickly.
"Disorientation," Liz murmured. "A side effect. How could I forget?" To Chris, she said, "Chris?"
He shook his head again and looked at her, back to normal. "What?"
"Um...what were you saying about my mother?"
"Your mother? Nothing, I didn't...wait, I don't remember. I think I have a headache. I'm going to go inside. I'll owl you."
"Happy birthday," she said.
"Thanks. Thanks for the present. Bye!"
He walked to the cabin, stumbling every few steps from the spell. Liz shook her head. She felt horrible for doing that to him, but it was the only way.
"A Quidditch match? TODAY?" Liz bellowed. "But I've got to study! Exams are in a month and a half! Do you realize that I'm so behind schedule it's not even funny?" Rachel snickered. "It's not funny!"
"See, I've come up with s solution for the problem we have every time there's a match," said Michael. They were upstairs in the common room, not twenty minutes before the start of the game. "Bring your books."
Liz scowled up at him. "Fine."
And so, twenty minutes later, Liz sat in the stands with a book in her lap, trying to concentrate on the match and her studies at the same time.
"No, dive, dive!" Rachel yelled at the Ravenclaw Chaser, waving her arms.
"No, see, then the Slytherin Keeper will block a low shot. A high shot is better," Michael told her. "A Quaffle doesn't fly, so gravity will take it."
"In 1596 the Department for Control of Magical Creatures instituted a new course for the curriculum of Hogwarts called Care of Magical Creatures...Oh, this is no use," she yelled, getting to her feet irritably. "I can't study when I can't hear myself THINK!"
"Quiet down," Michael said. "I'm trying to watch the game."
Liz was grouchy, but she booed with the rest as the Slytherin Seeker swooped down and caught the Snitch.