Chapter 11 – Rachel's Birthday
Liz woke up on Christmas morning with a thrill of dread. David had probably gotten her letter already. If only she had called Luna back. If only she hadn't written the letter. If only she didn't have these stupid powers. If only she wasn't Harry Potter's daughter. But all these "if only's" weren't helping any. She clambered out of bed reluctantly, dreading Christmas for the first time in her life.
"Liz, you have an owl," said Alberta from across the dorm. She sort of looked like a horse: She had the teeth and the long face. Alberta produced Liz's mother's owl from a cage. "It nearly attacked me when I let it in this morning," Alberta added. "I had to cage it. Here's your letter."
"You didn't read it, did you?" Liz asked, maybe a little too quickly.
"No."
"Good. I mean, uh, thanks." Liz took the letter, sent the owl on its way, and buried herself in the privacy between her bed hangings. She read:
Dear Elizabeth,
Merry Christmas! How are you doing?" I miss you a lot. This will probably be the quickest letter ever. I've got to run. Goodbye!
Luna
Taped underneath the short body of the letter was a small pin with the Hogwarts crest on it. Liz untapped it and pinned it to the front of her robes. Maybe, just maybe, it could be her good luck charm. She'd definitely need it today if she saw David.
Liz headed downstairs, not much in the mood to wait for Alberta, who was the only other Gryffindor third-year girl who had stayed behind for the holidays. The common room was completely empty. Liz made for the Great Hall with mixed feelings. David was probably there, since he never went home for the holidays either. She entered and chose a seat as far from the Hufflepuff table as possible.
Alberta came soon, and she sat with Liz since there was no one else but John Peterson, who kept glancing over at Liz. Alberta told Liz about her family, how both her parents were Muggles, and how her older brother had already graduated from Hogwarts a long time ago. She was telling Liz about her owl, Clogs, until a shadow fell over them. Liz looked up to see David Hannigan.
"Thanks for the Christmas card, Liz. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas," Liz managed to say. He grinned, seemingly embarrassed, and walked away. Liz hardly noticed Alberta raise her eyebrows questioningly. He had talked to her. He didn't hate her. He didn't think she was weird! This was definitely the best Christmas ever.
"Liz! Over here!" a voice called. It was Chris, up at the High Table. Liz said goodbye to Alberta and hurried over to him as if in a dream, a wonderful dream about David Hannigan. The dream ended, however, when she saw that Chris was holding a present and she wasn't. "I'll be right back," she promised, and ran off.
When she returned, they exchanged gifts. The one he gave her was something labeled CHEERING CHARMS IN A SPHERE. "It's for when you get frustrated at lessons," Chris told her, making sure Hagrid wasn't listening.
"Then maybe I should get you some," Liz commented wryly. "Go ahead, open yours."
He obliged. It was a Remembrall. "The smoke inside turns scarlet if you've forgotten something," Liz told him.
"That'll be useful," Chris said. "Well, Merry Christmas, Liz."
"Merry Christmas," Liz answered.
Rachel, Michael, and everyone else returned shortly after New Year's. Michael told both of them how his mother had given Jessica a long talk about how she was a Gryffindor prefect now and her O.W.L.s were coming up, and she should really start to buckle down. Michael quoted Professor Weasley with a snicker: "In my fifth year, I began studying for O.W.L.s in October. I'm astonished you haven't started yet."
"But I'm sure she was exaggerating," said Rachel. "I mean, what kind of crazy person starts studying in October?"
Liz twisted up her mouth but said nothing.
"Knowing Mum, I wouldn't be surprised," Michael said. "Pretty soon she'll be telling me to study for my O.W.L.s."
"She's not that unreasonable," said Liz. "You haven't even learned all the material yet."
The twins raced by, lugging Rachel's bag with all of her books inside. "No, stop! Come...come back..." Rachel tried, vainly chasing after them. This gave Liz a chance to tell Michael what she was thinking of.
"Rachel's birthday is coming up. We should throw her a surprise birthday party. A huge one. Invite all the Gryffindors and everything. She's turning the big one-four, you know? What do you say?"
"I like the idea," said Michael. "The night of her birthday, of course, and have a huge cake and everything. I'll have my uncles order one from the bakeshop in Hogsmeade. Don't worry; I'll get the word out about it. Invite Chris, too."
"I will. Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" Liz exclaimed. "And we really ought to get her a Wizarding Wireless. That way all three of us will have one."
"Sounds good to me," Michael agreed. "It was a good thing that the twins picked now to be mischievous, don't you think? It's like it was planned."
Liz smiled. "It was." She winked at the nearest twin, who deposited the bag on the floor and ran off with her sister up the stairs, Rachel close on her heels.
Liz spent the good part of the month of January balancing schoolwork and all the plans for Rachel's party. She hardly ever got to discuss it with Michael because Rachel was always there. He did manage to tell Liz that he had invited all the Gryffindors and the cake was ordered while the Muggle Studies teacher, Professor Rosenberg, talked to Rachel about a missing assignment.
Liz also invited Chris, who said he'd come. But the day before the party, the result of all their hard work, a letter came from him. While Rachel was engaged in a conversation with Michael about broomsticks, Liz read it.
Dear Liz,
I know I promised to come to Rachel's surprise party tomorrow, but I'm sorry to say that I can't make it. Hagrid really isn't feeling well and I need to look after him. I'm sure you'll understand. Once again, I'm really sorry. I hope it's a success.
Chris
Liz rolled her eyes. Chris really did look up to Hagrid so much as to care for him when he was sick instead of spend an evening with his friends, though Liz wished he had chosen the latter. It was okay, though. They could still have fun.
The next morning, Liz got up as early as humanly possible to start the day- of preparations. There was so much to do. Michael had gotten up early, too, and the two of them used the Reducing Charm to shrink the cake and hide it in a drawer. All the presents had been collected, too, and those had to be hidden as well, near the decorations. Liz had planned an elaborate scheme for those. It would be like play-acting. After all this was done, it was time for breakfast.
The day went fairly well. Liz glanced at Rachel and each teacher's clock at least a dozen times. She could hardly pay attention in class all day, not even in Defense Against the Dark Arts when a bird hit the window and Professor Pumjy fell backward over his desk, nor when Snape told them they would all have to redo the last exam.
At last it was dinnertime, the time of the big scheme. Rachel seemed downcast, as Liz had instructed Michael to tell everybody not to mention her birthday until the party. Liz winked at Michael, and he winked back. Suddenly, Liz gave a moan and fell out of her seat, clutching her stomach.
"What's wrong?" Michael said.
Liz screwed up her face even tighter. "Ow, it hurts, the pain..." She peeked one eye open to look up at the teacher's table. Professor Weasley was barely able to conceal a grin. Michael had asked her to please inform all the teachers of their plan so none of them would be worried. Professor Pumjy looked scared out of his wits, even though Liz had told him herself.
"Help me, let's get her to the hospital wing," said Michael. "John, Robert, help."
The two Gryffindor boys took Liz by the legs and Michael took her under the arms. "Don't come, Rachel," Michael called over his shoulder. "We'll be back."
They carried Liz out amidst tittering from the crowd. Liz's face was flushed with embarrassment. Maybe they shouldn't have gone this far.
Once out of the Great Hall, Liz hissed, "Put me down." John and Robert dropped her legs, and Michael pushed her upright. "Let's go," she said to them. The Gryffindors hurried to the Gryffindor common room, where they decorated the common room so no one would recognize it. The cake was placed on a table in the middle, and they created a sort of pyramid with all the gifts. Liz and Michael's, the Wizarding Wireless, was placed on top. When it was done, Liz stood back to admire the effect. Everything was going to be perfect.
A few minutes later, the entire Gryffindor house, save Rachel, came flooding in. "She didn't see you all, did she?" Liz asked Jessica Weasley.
"No, dinner was over, and she was getting worried about you, so she went to the hospital wing, and we came up here."
"Good. Everybody hide," Liz called.
The students piled behind sofas and under tables. A couple managed to squeeze themselves under a set of drawers. Liz and Michael crammed behind curtains with John and Alberta. Then they waited.
After a few minutes, somebody said, "How long are we—"
"Shh!" several voices shushed him.
It was many more minutes before the portrait hole creaked open. "Hello?" Rachel called. "Anybody in here?"
"SURPRISE!" everyone yelled, jumping out of their hiding places. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
"What?" Rachel said.
"It's a surprise birthday party," said Liz. "You like it?"
"I love it! Wow!" Rachel said, excited. "I thought you lot had forgotten my birthday."
"How could we forget your birthday?" said Michael. "What kind of friends would we be then?"
"So what's first?" someone asked from the crowd.
"Cake!" said someone else.
Rachel turned and saw the gigantic cake. "Oh my gosh, it's huge! Where did you get it?"
"Hogsmeade," said Michael. He stuck a fork in the cake, took out a chunk of it, and stuffed it in his mouth. After a moment of chewing, he and the rest of the house saw a change coming over his skin. It was changing from a pale almost white to a dull blue. The words HAPPY BIRTHDAY flashed across his face in white lettering. Rachel gasped.
"Michael, look at your face," she said, holding up a mirror. He looked at it in horror.
"It was Uncle Fred and Uncle George! I bet they bewitched the cake! How could they?"
"Michael, you'd better get to the hospital wing," Rachel said.
"I'll take him," Jessica offered. "Come on, Michael, and don't worry; Madame Lesille can fix it. Mum'll hear about this, you mark my words."
"Onto presents!" Desiree cried loudly, edging away from the cake, as if afraid it would turn her blue to look at it.
Rachel hurried over to the stack of gifts and removed the top one. "'From Liz and Michael, to Rachel. Happy birthday.'" She tore it open to reveal her own Wizarding Wireless. "Oh, Liz, thank you! Now we all have our own. Tell Michael I said thanks."
"I will. Go on, open the next one."
Rachel opened the entire stack of present one after another, sometimes looking at the tags and sometimes not. On the last one she ignored the tag completely and ripped it open. Out popped a creature that resembled a lobster. It immediately clamped onto her nose.
"Ouch! Ow, ooh, who gave that to me? Ow! No, don't pull it off! Liz, come with me to the hospital wing. Hurry."
Before leaving, Liz grabbed the ripped wrapping paper. On the way to see Madame Lesille, she searched for the tag. She finally found it. It said TO RACHEL FROM WINNIE. HAPPY BIRTHDAY. "It was from Winnie," she told Rachel.
"How did she get a present into the Gryffindor common room?" Rachel wondered aloud, still struggling with the lobster.
"Probably the same levitating-through-the-window trick she pulled when she took Sunny."
They reached the hospital wing and found Michael, his skin now an ashy gray. "I'm going...to kill them," he said weakly. "What's on your nose, Rachel?"
Madame Lesille shooed Liz away, saying there was nothing Liz could do to help. Liz solemnly made her way to the Gryffindor common room, where people had begun to throw the refreshments. It was a mess she would have to clean up, probably all by herself.
The party had been a disaster. Her two best friends in the hospital wing, one of them the birthday girl; a cake that turned anyone who ate it into a walking birthday banner; loud, raucous crowds leveling the common room; Chris wasn't here; and her enemy had managed to sneak into Gryffindor again. She had failed. This was so humiliating. She felt the anger inside of her bubbling to the surface and—
BOOM.
The cake exploded.
Chunks of it flew everywhere, on everybody. Liz could only look on in horror as several people got mouthfuls and turned a multitude of colors. Most of these ran screaming out of the portrait hole. Everyone else was caked in cake.
Liz didn't say a word to anyone. She just ran up the stairs to her dorm and didn't look back.
Liz woke up on Christmas morning with a thrill of dread. David had probably gotten her letter already. If only she had called Luna back. If only she hadn't written the letter. If only she didn't have these stupid powers. If only she wasn't Harry Potter's daughter. But all these "if only's" weren't helping any. She clambered out of bed reluctantly, dreading Christmas for the first time in her life.
"Liz, you have an owl," said Alberta from across the dorm. She sort of looked like a horse: She had the teeth and the long face. Alberta produced Liz's mother's owl from a cage. "It nearly attacked me when I let it in this morning," Alberta added. "I had to cage it. Here's your letter."
"You didn't read it, did you?" Liz asked, maybe a little too quickly.
"No."
"Good. I mean, uh, thanks." Liz took the letter, sent the owl on its way, and buried herself in the privacy between her bed hangings. She read:
Dear Elizabeth,
Merry Christmas! How are you doing?" I miss you a lot. This will probably be the quickest letter ever. I've got to run. Goodbye!
Luna
Taped underneath the short body of the letter was a small pin with the Hogwarts crest on it. Liz untapped it and pinned it to the front of her robes. Maybe, just maybe, it could be her good luck charm. She'd definitely need it today if she saw David.
Liz headed downstairs, not much in the mood to wait for Alberta, who was the only other Gryffindor third-year girl who had stayed behind for the holidays. The common room was completely empty. Liz made for the Great Hall with mixed feelings. David was probably there, since he never went home for the holidays either. She entered and chose a seat as far from the Hufflepuff table as possible.
Alberta came soon, and she sat with Liz since there was no one else but John Peterson, who kept glancing over at Liz. Alberta told Liz about her family, how both her parents were Muggles, and how her older brother had already graduated from Hogwarts a long time ago. She was telling Liz about her owl, Clogs, until a shadow fell over them. Liz looked up to see David Hannigan.
"Thanks for the Christmas card, Liz. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas," Liz managed to say. He grinned, seemingly embarrassed, and walked away. Liz hardly noticed Alberta raise her eyebrows questioningly. He had talked to her. He didn't hate her. He didn't think she was weird! This was definitely the best Christmas ever.
"Liz! Over here!" a voice called. It was Chris, up at the High Table. Liz said goodbye to Alberta and hurried over to him as if in a dream, a wonderful dream about David Hannigan. The dream ended, however, when she saw that Chris was holding a present and she wasn't. "I'll be right back," she promised, and ran off.
When she returned, they exchanged gifts. The one he gave her was something labeled CHEERING CHARMS IN A SPHERE. "It's for when you get frustrated at lessons," Chris told her, making sure Hagrid wasn't listening.
"Then maybe I should get you some," Liz commented wryly. "Go ahead, open yours."
He obliged. It was a Remembrall. "The smoke inside turns scarlet if you've forgotten something," Liz told him.
"That'll be useful," Chris said. "Well, Merry Christmas, Liz."
"Merry Christmas," Liz answered.
Rachel, Michael, and everyone else returned shortly after New Year's. Michael told both of them how his mother had given Jessica a long talk about how she was a Gryffindor prefect now and her O.W.L.s were coming up, and she should really start to buckle down. Michael quoted Professor Weasley with a snicker: "In my fifth year, I began studying for O.W.L.s in October. I'm astonished you haven't started yet."
"But I'm sure she was exaggerating," said Rachel. "I mean, what kind of crazy person starts studying in October?"
Liz twisted up her mouth but said nothing.
"Knowing Mum, I wouldn't be surprised," Michael said. "Pretty soon she'll be telling me to study for my O.W.L.s."
"She's not that unreasonable," said Liz. "You haven't even learned all the material yet."
The twins raced by, lugging Rachel's bag with all of her books inside. "No, stop! Come...come back..." Rachel tried, vainly chasing after them. This gave Liz a chance to tell Michael what she was thinking of.
"Rachel's birthday is coming up. We should throw her a surprise birthday party. A huge one. Invite all the Gryffindors and everything. She's turning the big one-four, you know? What do you say?"
"I like the idea," said Michael. "The night of her birthday, of course, and have a huge cake and everything. I'll have my uncles order one from the bakeshop in Hogsmeade. Don't worry; I'll get the word out about it. Invite Chris, too."
"I will. Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" Liz exclaimed. "And we really ought to get her a Wizarding Wireless. That way all three of us will have one."
"Sounds good to me," Michael agreed. "It was a good thing that the twins picked now to be mischievous, don't you think? It's like it was planned."
Liz smiled. "It was." She winked at the nearest twin, who deposited the bag on the floor and ran off with her sister up the stairs, Rachel close on her heels.
Liz spent the good part of the month of January balancing schoolwork and all the plans for Rachel's party. She hardly ever got to discuss it with Michael because Rachel was always there. He did manage to tell Liz that he had invited all the Gryffindors and the cake was ordered while the Muggle Studies teacher, Professor Rosenberg, talked to Rachel about a missing assignment.
Liz also invited Chris, who said he'd come. But the day before the party, the result of all their hard work, a letter came from him. While Rachel was engaged in a conversation with Michael about broomsticks, Liz read it.
Dear Liz,
I know I promised to come to Rachel's surprise party tomorrow, but I'm sorry to say that I can't make it. Hagrid really isn't feeling well and I need to look after him. I'm sure you'll understand. Once again, I'm really sorry. I hope it's a success.
Chris
Liz rolled her eyes. Chris really did look up to Hagrid so much as to care for him when he was sick instead of spend an evening with his friends, though Liz wished he had chosen the latter. It was okay, though. They could still have fun.
The next morning, Liz got up as early as humanly possible to start the day- of preparations. There was so much to do. Michael had gotten up early, too, and the two of them used the Reducing Charm to shrink the cake and hide it in a drawer. All the presents had been collected, too, and those had to be hidden as well, near the decorations. Liz had planned an elaborate scheme for those. It would be like play-acting. After all this was done, it was time for breakfast.
The day went fairly well. Liz glanced at Rachel and each teacher's clock at least a dozen times. She could hardly pay attention in class all day, not even in Defense Against the Dark Arts when a bird hit the window and Professor Pumjy fell backward over his desk, nor when Snape told them they would all have to redo the last exam.
At last it was dinnertime, the time of the big scheme. Rachel seemed downcast, as Liz had instructed Michael to tell everybody not to mention her birthday until the party. Liz winked at Michael, and he winked back. Suddenly, Liz gave a moan and fell out of her seat, clutching her stomach.
"What's wrong?" Michael said.
Liz screwed up her face even tighter. "Ow, it hurts, the pain..." She peeked one eye open to look up at the teacher's table. Professor Weasley was barely able to conceal a grin. Michael had asked her to please inform all the teachers of their plan so none of them would be worried. Professor Pumjy looked scared out of his wits, even though Liz had told him herself.
"Help me, let's get her to the hospital wing," said Michael. "John, Robert, help."
The two Gryffindor boys took Liz by the legs and Michael took her under the arms. "Don't come, Rachel," Michael called over his shoulder. "We'll be back."
They carried Liz out amidst tittering from the crowd. Liz's face was flushed with embarrassment. Maybe they shouldn't have gone this far.
Once out of the Great Hall, Liz hissed, "Put me down." John and Robert dropped her legs, and Michael pushed her upright. "Let's go," she said to them. The Gryffindors hurried to the Gryffindor common room, where they decorated the common room so no one would recognize it. The cake was placed on a table in the middle, and they created a sort of pyramid with all the gifts. Liz and Michael's, the Wizarding Wireless, was placed on top. When it was done, Liz stood back to admire the effect. Everything was going to be perfect.
A few minutes later, the entire Gryffindor house, save Rachel, came flooding in. "She didn't see you all, did she?" Liz asked Jessica Weasley.
"No, dinner was over, and she was getting worried about you, so she went to the hospital wing, and we came up here."
"Good. Everybody hide," Liz called.
The students piled behind sofas and under tables. A couple managed to squeeze themselves under a set of drawers. Liz and Michael crammed behind curtains with John and Alberta. Then they waited.
After a few minutes, somebody said, "How long are we—"
"Shh!" several voices shushed him.
It was many more minutes before the portrait hole creaked open. "Hello?" Rachel called. "Anybody in here?"
"SURPRISE!" everyone yelled, jumping out of their hiding places. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
"What?" Rachel said.
"It's a surprise birthday party," said Liz. "You like it?"
"I love it! Wow!" Rachel said, excited. "I thought you lot had forgotten my birthday."
"How could we forget your birthday?" said Michael. "What kind of friends would we be then?"
"So what's first?" someone asked from the crowd.
"Cake!" said someone else.
Rachel turned and saw the gigantic cake. "Oh my gosh, it's huge! Where did you get it?"
"Hogsmeade," said Michael. He stuck a fork in the cake, took out a chunk of it, and stuffed it in his mouth. After a moment of chewing, he and the rest of the house saw a change coming over his skin. It was changing from a pale almost white to a dull blue. The words HAPPY BIRTHDAY flashed across his face in white lettering. Rachel gasped.
"Michael, look at your face," she said, holding up a mirror. He looked at it in horror.
"It was Uncle Fred and Uncle George! I bet they bewitched the cake! How could they?"
"Michael, you'd better get to the hospital wing," Rachel said.
"I'll take him," Jessica offered. "Come on, Michael, and don't worry; Madame Lesille can fix it. Mum'll hear about this, you mark my words."
"Onto presents!" Desiree cried loudly, edging away from the cake, as if afraid it would turn her blue to look at it.
Rachel hurried over to the stack of gifts and removed the top one. "'From Liz and Michael, to Rachel. Happy birthday.'" She tore it open to reveal her own Wizarding Wireless. "Oh, Liz, thank you! Now we all have our own. Tell Michael I said thanks."
"I will. Go on, open the next one."
Rachel opened the entire stack of present one after another, sometimes looking at the tags and sometimes not. On the last one she ignored the tag completely and ripped it open. Out popped a creature that resembled a lobster. It immediately clamped onto her nose.
"Ouch! Ow, ooh, who gave that to me? Ow! No, don't pull it off! Liz, come with me to the hospital wing. Hurry."
Before leaving, Liz grabbed the ripped wrapping paper. On the way to see Madame Lesille, she searched for the tag. She finally found it. It said TO RACHEL FROM WINNIE. HAPPY BIRTHDAY. "It was from Winnie," she told Rachel.
"How did she get a present into the Gryffindor common room?" Rachel wondered aloud, still struggling with the lobster.
"Probably the same levitating-through-the-window trick she pulled when she took Sunny."
They reached the hospital wing and found Michael, his skin now an ashy gray. "I'm going...to kill them," he said weakly. "What's on your nose, Rachel?"
Madame Lesille shooed Liz away, saying there was nothing Liz could do to help. Liz solemnly made her way to the Gryffindor common room, where people had begun to throw the refreshments. It was a mess she would have to clean up, probably all by herself.
The party had been a disaster. Her two best friends in the hospital wing, one of them the birthday girl; a cake that turned anyone who ate it into a walking birthday banner; loud, raucous crowds leveling the common room; Chris wasn't here; and her enemy had managed to sneak into Gryffindor again. She had failed. This was so humiliating. She felt the anger inside of her bubbling to the surface and—
BOOM.
The cake exploded.
Chunks of it flew everywhere, on everybody. Liz could only look on in horror as several people got mouthfuls and turned a multitude of colors. Most of these ran screaming out of the portrait hole. Everyone else was caked in cake.
Liz didn't say a word to anyone. She just ran up the stairs to her dorm and didn't look back.