Opening my eyes on the first of September used to be a happy occasion. Because usually I would be greeted by my family, balloons, little indoors fireworks, a mountain of presents and cake for breakfast. Today? Not so much. I was (very rudely if I might add) woken up by my cousin using my bed as a trampoline and singing off-key along to 'Happy Birthday' blaring from one of those muggle contraptions.
Too caught up in his own dancing and singing he didn't notice me waking up and glaring at the back of his head, secretly trying to get his head to explode. When that didn't work, I grumbled unhappily, sat up and the next time he had jumped up I used his momentum to shove him off of my bed. He went down with a whelp and I started cackling. He resurfaced and pointed an offending finger at me, "You are now part of the no cake-club!"

I gasped and squinted at him, then bolted to my door and slammed it shut behind me. Hunter swore in romanian and I started cackling again. The little pest deserved it, after all I had to put up with him all August because Aunt Cor had to go on one of her bad ass trips to break up an underground dragon fight club.

Skidding to a halt in the kitchen I slammed the door shut behind me as well and quickly turned the key to prevent Hunter from entering. A second later I heard someone rattling the doorknob and a "thump" - Hunter had obviously run into the door and I did a little victory dance. Still mid-dance I turned around only to find my mom sitting at the table and staring at me weirdly.

"What was that about?"

"Uhh... Nothing?", I tried to seem as inconspicuous as possible whilst checking out the kitchen for some cake "Is there any cake for breakfast? And whe..."

Before I could finish my sentence, she had swooped me up into her arms and twirled us once around.

"Happy Birthday, my little Princess!", she squealed into my ear. Yup, a totally... "Oh my! You are getting too big for this. If you keep growing at this rate I won't be able to do this next year anymore",she pouted, a typical Mom-moment.

"Mooooo-ooom! Cake?", still squished to my mom I had to recede to the basics of communications.

She shushed me and started to ramble about her baby-princess-girl growing up – and how could it have been eleven years already?! -, how it was just yesterday when she took her on her first flight on a broom and now, she would be going to Hogwarts already!

I sighed exasperated, managed to detangle myself from her and took my usual seat at the table and started pouting again. I couldn't see any cake for breakfast, no presents to be seen and neither my Dad nor my Aunt Cor where present. Just my Mom who was still lost in one of her rambles about me growing up – one of many that she had over the last week.

Grumbling unhappily because there was no cake but just our usual breakfast dishes, I filled my plate and shoved a fork full of scrambled eggs into my mouth. Resting my elbow on the table and my cheek in my palm I took another fork full of eggs. Today sucked. I didn't wanna spend my birthday on a train ride to Hogwarts. I wanted to spend it at home with my friends and family, eating cake, opening presents and potentially getting a ride on Aunt Cor's Bernice. But nooooo. Aunt Cor was still on her bad-ass mission, Dad was nowhere to be seen, the pest Hunter being here (the only one I could've actually done without) and the worst sin of them all: no cake for breakfast.

My next fork was halfway to my mouth when one of the windows clanked loudly when someone from outside shoved it up with way too much force. My fork fell from my hand and I could only stare with my mouth wide open when Aunt Cor started to climb in through the now open window and grumbling about why anyone would lock the Merlin-damned kitchen door. Even my mom stopped her ramble to stare at her sister and her unusual entrance.

Placing her hands on her hips she grinned at me.

"Excited to start Hogwarts this year, little one?"

Of course that was the moment a fly decided to get into my mouth, trying to choke me death.

Cor started doubling over from laughing and even mom had to snicker (however she at least tried to hide the fact by hiding it behind her hand turning away.)

After regaining my ability to breath, I started pouting and picked up my fork again, unhappily pushing the eggs from side to side. This is the worst birthday. Ever.

"Awww, don't be so upset Flytrap, after all I just took an unauthorized break from work just to see you off on your first day of school."

"Yeah well, to answer your question – I am not excited to go to Hogwarts. It is my birthday and there is no cake for breakfast, then I'll have to spend all day in an old stuffy train compartment, then sit through a long and tedious sorting ceremony which according to you – Aunt Cor - is a lame and boring procedure that is the same every single year and that is going to be my birthday for the next seven years. So no I really don't wanna go and if you only came to see me off for that and not my birthday... well then you can just take your pest of a son and leave again!" I finished with a huff and shoved another fork into my mouth. No, I was really not looking forward to my first day at Hogwarts. When adults always made it sound like it was going to be the most awesome time of my life, Aunt Cor would snort and give me all the unpleasant details everyone else left out. People who didn't know her always felt a bit offended by that, but those who do always appreciate her all the more for her no-bullshit-no-nonsense straightforward attitude. But that didn't change the fact that I really, really, really didn't wanna spend my next six birthdays like that.

I wanted sleepover-parties with my friends, presents and cake, Aunt Cor taking everyone for a ride on Bernice and then after everyone who's not family has left playing muggle games (that Dad loved so much in his childhood (his Dad, my Granddad was a muggle)) all evening and into the night.

Mom took a seat next to me and drew me in closer to her with her arm around my shoulder.

"Don't be so upset, you'll still have one hell of a day. Yes, there is going to be sitting on a long train ride and yes you will have to listen to the same old speech that we had to listen to as well. But guess what? There are also going to be amazing moments. I am sure Kassie will be there and if you girls end up being in the same house, you'll even be able to have a sleepover-party-"

Cor snorted and opened her mouth to say something, but before she could even get the first syllable out, Mom had thrown a piece of toast directly into her mouth. Yeah that was Mom, she used to be a chaser for her house team – Hufflepuff – and was even captain and managed to get the House Cup three (three!) times with her team. She even got a few professional spots offered after graduating and even played for the Ballycastle Bats for a year before she decided she hadn't wanted to do that anymore and instead opened up her own magical florist shop.

"-you'll even have pudding at the feast and since you inherited your father's ability for subtleness, you can always sneak some up to your dorm for a late night snack", Mom finished and Dad walked in, took one look at the still choking Aunt Cor, raised an eyebrow and apparently changed his mind because he turned to me instead and gave me hug, placing a kiss on top of my head.

"Happy Birthday munchkin, may all your dreams come true."

"Well, I dreamed of chocolate cake for breakfast, so that's one dream that didn't come true already."

Dad frowned, "I sent Hunter up to your room with the cake to wake you up, did he not…"

Before he even finished his sentence I jumped up and bolted back up the stairs, throwing my door open I found Hunter, the traitor, lounging on MY bed, eating MY cake with way too much relish in my opinion.

I charged at him with a war cry.