Chapter 15

"Milla, get your arse over here!" James hollered across the common room as soon as I appeared at the bottom of the stairs leading up to my dorm.

I hurried over to him and he enveloped me in a huge hug. "Happy birthday, love," he said into my hair. I squeezed him tightly and looked up at him fondly.

"CAMILLA HOBBES! HAPPY SEVENTEENTH BIRTHDAY, DARLING!" came a voice from the stairs. I tore myself out of James's grasp and turned to see Charlotte beaming at me, a huge grin on her face.

Behind her was Miranda, who was smiling calmly at me. She said cheerfully, "Happy birthday, Milla. Cannot believe you're seventeen!"

"Unfortunately, I can't take my Apparition test till the holidays," I said, wrinkling my nose.

"Too bloody bad," agreed Miranda.

"Oi! Weirdo!" came a loud voice. I turned to see Ian bounding over with a note in his hand. "Happy birthday," he said, giving me a hug. "That's your gift. Oh, and Mum and Dad sent a letter."

"Thanks, squirt," I said, messing up his hair. He scowled at me. "You want to come to Hogsmeade with us tonight?"

He smiled at me but shook his head. "No can do. I have to do a Transfig essay, unfortunately."

"Kay. Well, if you change your mind, we're going," I said.

He smiled. "Thanks, Milla. But I've gotta go – meeting Albus and Scorp. Talk to you later."

"Bye, Ian!" I shouted after him.

I plopped down on a couch and opened the letter my parents sent. I prepared myself for oversappiness and gooiness.

Dearest Milla,

We can't believe you're already seventeen. We remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. We're so proud of the young woman you've become – intelligent, beautiful, a lovely sister (sometimes), wonderful friend, and terrific daughter.

We cannot wait to see you – it's been two months. We miss our children. But we hope you have a lovely time in Hogsmeade – yes, we know you will be sneaking out tonight (James's idea, no doubt?). We've bought you a gift that should be arriving soon and we hope you like it – something special to commemorate your birthday.

We will have a proper celebration when you come home.

We love you, darling, and hope you have a fantastic day.

Love,

Mum and Dad

P.S. Make sure you keep an eye on Ian!

Humph. Typical. I couldn't receive a letter without a postscript telling me to look after Ian. But I smiled a little at their sappiness. Gotta love your parents (sometimes). \

Hmm. I wonder what they bought me? Better be damn good. After all, I was seventeen now.

Merlin. An adult!

Soon I would be out of Hogwarts, graduated. I would be getting a job – well, for a Quidditch team, hopefully. And one day, I wanted to get married. Eventually, I wanted to be a mum.

And of course, at the same time as Charlotte (and Miranda – well, she didn't know that yet). We'd planned this all.

An image suddenly constructed itself in my mind. James arriving home from the pitch and kissing me hello while our children had dinner in our home. It was a really domestic scene. Oh my God.

Our children. OUR CHILDREN?

Fuck. I really needed to stop fantasizing about this type of stuff. Or I was going to get hurt.

I snapped out of my reverie and smiled at the group. James was giving me an odd stare, as if to say, that's it – she's finally gone nutty.

Lovely.

I was officially a loon. James would end up with some lovely, gorgeous girl and I'd … I'd find someone. This was just a passing fancy, right?

It'd better damn well be.

I spent the rest of my day playing three-a-side Quidditch with Luke, Ben, James, Char, and Miranda. It was quite funny to watch Miranda play – she wasn't on the team and was hapless at Quidditch. But on my birthday, it was MY rules, so she'd play. It was hysterical watching her grapple for the ball and wobble on her broomstick. She was really horrendous, but that made the game all the more fun.

Charlotte checked her watch as she balanced on her Thunder 4000.

"Oh my God!" she shrieked, startling me. "It's six-thirty. We need to get ready for tonight. Come along, Miranda, Milla. You lot," she added to the boys, "be ready in an hour. We're going to Hogsmeade."

She zoomed down to the ground and picked up her jumper from the ground. She blew Ben a kiss over her shoulder, and he smiled as he ran a hand through his golden hair.

I threw James a look but complied. I ran after Charlotte. "Hold up there!" I yelled after her so she would slow down to let me catch up.

"Sorry," she said.

Once we were back in our dorm, Char reached into her trunk and pulled out a small wrapped box and tossed it to me.

"Here, Milla, this came from your mum but you were downstairs so I took it for you," Char said.

"Oi, you're a tosser! You should've brought it down to me. You KNOW I love opening gifts immediately!" I said, tearing off the wrapping paper and opening the box to find a lovely strand of diamonds from my parents.

"AHH! LOOK AT THIS!" I shouted, waving the necklace in the air.

Char rushed over and squealed in delight. Miranda smiled tolerantly but her eyes were sparkling (she was a softie at heart for this stuff).

"It's gorgeous!" exclaimed Charlotte, fingering each diamond.

Diamonds really were a girl's best friend.

We fawned over it for another moment, but Miranda finally interrupted us. "If you don't get ready, you won't be able to look nice for your birthday."

True. But at the moment, if I had my way, I'd be content sitting here all night staring at my gift. For once, I loved my parents and all their incessant flirting and embarrassing me was forgivable.

"Okay, Milla. You need to look gorgeous for James. You need to make his jaw drop. Then maybe he'll stop seeing you as his friend only." Char clasped her hands together. "Oh! It's so romantic! The best friends, falling for each other!"

I rolled my eyes, but secretly agreed with her. But I feared for my life if I openly agreed with Charlotte – Miranda would have my head on a platter.

I pulled on a gray dress that showed off my collarbone (and my new necklace!) and some flats.

"Heels!" barked Charlotte, eyeing my flats with distaste.

"No!" I said. "It's my birthday, and I can't bloody walk in heels. Especially around Hogsmeade."

"Fine," she conceded with a grimace.

"Just shut up, Charlotte," commented Miranda dryly, applying some makeup. Char glared at her.

After grabbing my bag and my jacket, I dragged my two friends down the stairs where the boys were sitting, looking vaguely bored. They'd cleaned up nicely. Ben was in a collared shirt, his hair tousled rather sexily (lucky Charlotte). Luke was wearing a pullover (Char had sent him a note threatening death if he didn't change). And James … Christ. I wanted to kiss him right then and there. He looked so.. dishy. He was wearing jeans and a collared shirt, his hair in its usual disarray (still windswept from Quidditch). His dark eyes landed on me and widened slightly as he took me in. His gaze lingered a little too long on my legs (HAH! Score.) but he smiled at me in a completely friend-like, platonic manner, not flirting with me at all. Damn.

Well, what could I expect? Nothing I did would change how he saw me. I would need to accept that (eventually, but not tonight. Tonight was my birthday and I was allowed to dream).

"Milla," James said, his eyes smoldering, "You look lovely."

I blushed a little and smiled.

"Shall we?" said Ben, his arm around Charlotte. She was gazing up at him adoringly.

"Let's," I said, tucking my arm into James's.

I took a deep sip of my margarita and felt a warmth spread in me. This was so much fun. Being out with the people closest to me, eating, drinking, laughing.

"I can't believe it was ten years ago today that you threw up all over me from the allergic reaction to your birthday cake," James said, eyes dancing. His face was lightly freckled (courtesy of one Ginny Weasley Potter), and he shuddered. "I will NEVER get over that."

I threw a roll at him. "Thanks for bringing that up every year, you tosser!" I said, trying and failing to contain my laugher.

"It's tradition," he explained.

"It's also tradition," added Ben with a big smile, "to sing happy birthday."

As he spoke, a waiter brought a cake with seventeen candles on it and set it down in front of me. I felt a huge grin spread across my face as they sang to me (and soon the entire restaurant joined in – how mortifying). I took a big breath and blew out the candles.

The waiter took the cake away to be sliced and Charlotte said excitedly, "Present time, darling!"

I felt my smile grow wider. I LOVED presents. The best part of any birthday, yes?

"Here," she said, handing me a wrapped gift and hugging me. "This is from me and Luke, since if I left the choice up to him, he'd give you a wrapped pair of socks with some dog shit smeared on it."

I laughed and opened the gift, to find a pretty pair of amethyst earrings and a box of chocolates. "Aw. Thanks, Char and Luke, this is lovely," I gushed.

"My turn," announced Miranda, holding up one finger to signal for us to wait. She gave me a gift bag with tufts of colored tissue paper sticking out. I peeked in and spotted a thick embossed envelope.

Weatherby Spa

Exclusive Luxuries in the heart of London

"MIRANDA!" I shouted, hugging her. "This is amazing! We can go New Year's Day!"

She smiled at exuberance and said, "I knew you'd love it. If you look, you'll see I got all-day passes for the three of us." She indicated Char who was beaming at us.

"Don't know how I'm going to top that," announced Ben with a wry grin. I smacked him lightly on the arm as I accepted his gift. I tore open the wrapping paper and saw a new complete set of Quidditch gear.

"Ben!" I breathed. "You shouldn't have! This is fantastic."

Ben wrapped an arm around me and smiled. "But I did, once you see James's gift."

I swiveled to stare at James with a raised brow. "What the hell did you get me, James?" I asked.

He was holding something behind his back, and I couldn't see even though I kept darting my gaze around trying to see around him. Damn him and his height! He raised a brow knowingly at me.

"Stop messing with me!" I exclaimed in frustration, smacking his arm. His face creased into a smile and he ran a hand through his tousled hair.

I hit him again. "Fine! Fine! No need to be abusive," he said laughing. He pulled a long, thin package from behind his arm and handed it to me.

No! It couldn't … could it?

I gave him an incredulous look and he was gazing at me expectantly. I looked back at the gift and hurriedly undid the wrapping job. I saw the words Thunder 8000 etched on the side of the finely shaped wood and I ran my fingers over the engraving beneath it.

Happy Birthday Milla! I love you. ~James

My breath hitched in my throat and I pushed my blonde hair out of my eyes. I looked up at James with shining eyes. He was staring at me with a strangely intense expression, and I felt my breath leave me. Everyone else around us in the busy restaurant faded into obsolescence. Nothing and no one else mattered.

I dropped the broom on my chair and walked over to James. I threaded my arms around him and squeezed tightly, looking up at him adoringly. He was gazing at me with … a tenderness in his eyes.

I don't know what made me do it. Maybe it was my headiness from too much drink. Or maybe it was the way he was looking at me, as if no one else mattered. Maybe it was the outline of his strong jaw from my view or the feel of his strong arms around me as I embraced him.

But I reached my face up to his and pecked him on the lips. I felt perfection in that one moment, but immediately registered that I had just kissed my best mate on the lips.

My best mate who didn't know that I fancied him.

I pulled away quickly, flushing, and avoiding his gaze. I hugged him to cover my confusion and then pulled away, out of his embrace. I felt oddly bereft.

I chanced a look at Charlotte who was looking at me with shining eyes, a smile gracing her lips. Ben looked flabbergasted and Luke was grinning hugely. Miranda had a hand covering her mouth, her eyes wide. I hesitantly wrenched my gaze back to James, whose face was unreadable. He was staring at me in bemusement, his dark brown eyes fixed on mine. He ran a hand through his dark hair and his pose was tense.

Shit. I hope I hadn't royally fucked up.

Miranda – Merlin bless her – came to the rescue. She clapped her hands and said loudly, "Okay, you lot, let's eat cake! It's finally here."

James snapped to and shook his head like a wet dog. I sat down and ate my cake, oddly quiet. Charlotte kept staring at me expectantly and I kept signaling her looks to get her to calm the fuck down. Gah! The last thing I needed now was pressure to tell James how I felt.

James still looked rather shocked, and he was rightly so. He kept darting furtive glances at me when he thought I wasn't looking, but I felt like his eyes were burning holes in me. I was hypersensitive and hyperaware when it came to him. I knew him better than he knew himself, and I knew he was really confused and out of his element right now.

Hell, I was too. I mean, it was still relatively new to me that I fancied my best mate.

"So," Charlotte said brightly. "James, that was a lovely gift you gave Milla." She nudged me and I sent her a death glare."

"Shut up," I hissed. "Just shut up."

She looked at me affronted. "No," she whispered back. "You need to talk to him."

I elbowed her and unfortunately I noticed James looking at us weirdly. Fuck.

"Shall we head back?" asked Ben, salvaging the situation. Did I tell you how much I loved him?

"Yes," I said gratefully. "It's getting rather late."

The trip back to the castle was fairly normal, except James was still sending me these furtive looks. I gripped my broom tightly and the other gifts in my other arm.

"Bollocks," I muttered as I dropped a bag.

"Here, let me," said James with a small smile. He scooped up my stuff easily and put it under one arm, slinging the other around my back and pulling me to him.

"How do you that?" I demanded indignantly. "You can carry all that so easily and I struggle with it with both arms."

He laughed, glancing down at me fondly. "You're a girl."

"That I am," I smiled.

We arrived at the Gryffindor common room.

"Okay," I yawned. "Time for bed. Shall I come up with you, James?"

His face had an unreadable expression. "Er, no. I think I'll sleep alone tonight."

I gave him a questioning look. He just shrugged and gave me a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow. Happy birthday, love," he said with a smile before climbing the stairs to his dorm. Ben and Luke followed him with waves to me and 'good nights'.

I looked at Char and Miranda in shock. "What…?" I asked.

"He noticed," said Charlotte smugly. "He's finally noticed you're a girl."

"And you got that conclusion how?" Miranda demanded.

"He wouldn't have cared if she slept with him normally. But it's finally struck him that she's a girl. And not his sister," Char said with a huge smile.

I felt my anger dissipate.

Now, this. This was an excellent birthday.