The Dancer

Chapter 11

"Well, Malfoy was simply glowing this morning," Theo said in way of greeting as he flopped onto the bed beside Cait. Cait groaned and pulled the covers over her head, causing Theo to smirk.

"Come on, Teddy, go away. It's early."

"Early? It's nearly two o'clock."

Cait bolted upright in bed, which she quickly regretted as the room spun around her.

"Here, take this." Theo said, offering her a vile of orange liquid.

Gratefully, Cait accepted the potion and downed it, feeling relief from her hangover almost instantly. "Thanks."

"Now, I want you to tell me everything about last night…"

Cait blushed, "There's nothing to tell."

Theo rolled his eyes at his sister, "Right,"

"There isn't!" Cait insisted, trying to look indignant.

"I saw you kiss him, Caity."

Flustered and embarrassed, Cait clambered from the bed and made her way to the bathroom.

"Happy birthday, by the way!" Theo shouted as he smiled and made his way out of her room.

"Well, it's about time you joined the world of the living,"

"Shove off, Teddy."

"Is that any way to talk to your favorite brother on his birthday, and in front of company no less."

Cait paused mid-stride and glanced towards the couch that Theo was sprawled across and saw that Draco was draped over the matching chair. She could feel her cheeks color when she thought of the kiss they had shared the night before.

"Happy birthday, Cait." He called to her.

"Thank you," she answered in a voice barely above a whisper and quickly continued on her mission to find food.

"Oh!" Theo called before Cait could make it into the kitchen, "Lover boy sent you a letter!"

Cait groaned and collected the letter from the end table that Theo had placed it on. She broke the seal and unfolded it. The parchment was filled with Harry's neat handwriting.

Cait,

Happy birthday! I wish that I could spend this day with you, but I can't so I am hoping that you have a great day anyways. You deserve only the best! We'll celebrate your birthday when you get back to the castle.

I miss you,

Harry

Cait frowned at the letter. She hated that he was so thoughtful. Refolding the letter, she shoved it in her pocket and headed into the kitchen.

"Happy birthday, Caitlyn. Please don't fill up on too much junk food. We will be having dinner this evening."

"Thank you, father," Cait solemnly answered as she pulled a container of yogurt from the refrigerator.

Grabbing a spoon, she made her way into the sunroom. It was one of her favorite rooms in the house since it overlooked the garden. The garden had been like a second home to her mother. She would spend all day out there in the sun, tending to her flowers. Cait always missed her mother the most when it was her birthday. If she closed her eyes she could still hear her mother singing softly to her.

"I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,May you never take one single breath for granted, God forbid love ever leave you empty handed."

A wide-eyed girl in pig tails smiled up at her mother, the sun shone down on the both of them. They were sitting in the greenhouse, her mother tending to her roses.

"I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean.Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens.Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance…"

Her mother cut a small, delicate pink bud from the bush and tucked it behind Cait's right ear.

"I hope you dance."

Mother smiled down at daughter and for one moment everything was perfect and at peace in the world. The worried lines that normally framed her mother's eyes were gone and Cait was relaxed and happy.

"Caity?"

Cait blinked, hastily rubbing the single tear that had slid from her eye, and brought herself back to the here and now.

"Are you okay?" her brother asked softly.

Cait nodded and then gave her brother a hug. "I'll be fine." She smiled.

He gave her a tight squeeze and then pushed her away, holding her at arms length with his hands resting on her shoulders. "I have something for you."

"Teddy, we don't do gifts, remember?" Cait sighed.

"I know, but I found this and I think that it's something that you would want and something that you should have." He told her as he reached in his pocket and pulled out a small grey box.

Cait took the box from him, giving him a puzzled look. Carefully, she removed the lid and gazed inside. Nestled against a sheet of cotton sat a pair of petite drop earrings. The casing was antiqued silver which held a stone of light, clear blue.

"How did you get these?" Cait asked in a whisper.

"I found them in the study. They were tucked away in one of her drawers."

Cait looked back down at her mother's earrings and let the threatening tears finally spill down her cheeks. Theo folded her into his arms and held her tightly.

P.S. Does anyone else have trouble uploading when using Google Chrome?