Morning came and Jenni found herself, not in her own room, but in the Potter's guest room, which she figured was now her room. Surrounding her is all her stuff packed away and piled in boxes built like buildings. The boxes were position so that she had a narrow pathway from her bed to the door. She looked at her bedside table and saw it was only 9 in the morning, and as she glided her eyes to her right she saw the date, August 19. Today is her eleventh birthday and one day after her parents' murder. She tried to get that depressing fact out of her mind as best she could before she got out of her bed. She grumbled and groaned, not wanting to leave her warm bed. As she struggled out of bed, she tripped over a box containing her coats and jackets.
"Great," she mumbled sarcastically to herself, "just the way to start off a wonderful day." But little did she know what was awaiting her outside her door.
"Happy Birthday Jenni! Welcome to the eleven club. Joining… James Potter!" James exclaimed as soon as the door opened. He gave her a giant hug. Well, as big of a hug as a 5'2" boy could give a girl only two inches shorter than himself.
"Oh!" Jenni cried out looking peeved, "James! Geez, you definitely win the 'Loudest Birthday Welcome Ever' award."
"Hey, hey, hey. No need to get you birthday knickers in a twist," James joked with a grin.
"Ha, ha," Jenni replied dryly, "so what's for breakfast?"
"Well, you'll just have to come on down to find out yourself, now wont you?" James retorted with his signature smirk. Jenni pouted playfully. And, the two walked down the stairs in their pajamas, entering the kitchen only to smell aromas Jenni considered was something heavenly.
Foods like eggs, chocolate chip pancakes, muffins, sausages, French toast, and her favorite, bacon. Jenni was amazed with the feast in front of her, and said with a huge smile, "Ginny, Harry, I can't believe you made all this for me. It all smells fantastic!"
"Well it is your birthday!" Ginny said laughing. By this time Albus and Lily came downstairs and said their "happy birthdays" to Jenni. The Potter's and Jenni sat down and ate their breakfast and about halfway through the chatter, a loud "hoot" came outside the kitchen window's ledge. Harry got up to retrieve the mail from the family owl, Herbert (named by Lily). As Harry was skimming through the mail, James gave Jenni an excited, knowing smile across the table.
"So…Dad. What sort of mail do you have there?" James asked while wiggling his eyebrows towards his father.
"Oh, not much James," Harry replied casually, "the usual: bills, advertisement's, Daily prophet…"
"Harry!" Jenni said exaggerating his name, "we know my Hogwarts letter is in that stack of bills and ads!"
Harry looked up with a confused face saying, "What letter? Are you talking about…this?" As he answered he showed the eleven year old a letter written in emerald green ink addressed to 'Miss Jennifer Charlotte Palmer'.
Jenni jumped up and ran to Harry and dramatically cried out, "Oh Harry please give it here! If I wait any longer I might just die of impatience." Harry starts laughing at her and hands her the letter and sits down next to his wife.
"You are cruel Harry James Potter," Ginny says leaning towards her husband. Harry smirks at her.
"Open it!" yelled Lily.
"Yeah, man I can't wait 'til I get mine next year," said Albus.
"Hurry up Palmer! Go on!" James shouted anxiously.
"Alright, alright. I'm opening it. Sheesh," Jenni said annoyed. She tore the sealed envelope apart and took out the letter gingerly. She read the letter to herself with a smile growing bigger and bigger as she continued reading.
Finally, as she finished reading she looked at everyone and shouted, "I'm going to Hogwarts!" Everyone looked at her with beaming smiles, saying 'congratulations'.
Ginny began to tear up and said as soon s they started noticing, "I'm sorry. It's just that you and James are growing up so fast. I remember the days where you two were still in diapers and first learning to crawl." James and Jenni gave her a hug seeing how much she needed one.
Once breakfast was finished and cleaned Jenni walked back upstairs to her room with her letter. When she got inside and looked around at her box buildings, she figured she better get started at unpacking, but didn't know where to begin. Looking around she found a box of books and started there deciding to put the on her bookshelf and organize their order. She had finished pulling out her book collection and was halfway through sorting when she heard a knock on the door. She turns around and sees James standing in the doorway looking unsure about entering.
"You can come in James. I'm not going to hurt you or anything. However, my box buildings may do otherwise, considering they now want to look like the Tower of Pisa," she joked standing up. James noticed a sparkle in her eyes.
"Nah, I'm not worried about collapsing under boxes and boxes of… Great Expectations by Charles…Dickens?" He said raising his eyebrows as he picked up a book from inside a box.
"Oh that," Jenni said, "forgot about that," she said more to herself than to James.
"I don't blame you. That cover makes me want to sleep just looking at it," he said. He continues to look around different boxes.
"James," Jenni said, James turns around and looks at her, "any specific reason why you're here or do you just want to look through my stuff?"
James raises his hands acting like he's surrendered, "Not snooping, just…well," he looks at her uncertainly, "what happened? With your parents, I mean."
Jenni looks at him, surprised he was asking, and then was overcome with sadness.
"Oh, well…they were…um," she started to say uncomfortable and began staring at the ground. "Killed," she finishes saying and starts to preoccupy herself with her books.
"I'm sorry," James says softly. Jenni nods.
"Jenni," James says, "don't fell like you have to be sad today because it's the day after it happened. It's your birthday, and I don't think your parents would want their daughter sad on her birthday." Jenni looks at her friend and can't help but think 'where did these words just come from? Not James? Not joker, eleven year old James?'
She smiles and walks over to him and wraps her arms around him and says quietly, "This is why you're my best friend. Thank you."
"Sure thing. Besides look on the bright side," He says excitedly, "we're going to Hogwarts together!"
Jenni laughs and says, "Of course! I bet the school just can't wait to see what James Potter and fellow partner in crime, Fred Weasley, have in store for the year."
"Oh, you have no idea what Fred and I came up with for the first official day of school," He replied mischievously.
And so, Jenni's birthday didn't go as badly as she had thought. Teddy Lupin arrived around 4 in the afternoon and shortly after, George, Angelina, Fred, and Roxanne Weasley came. And all throughout dinner she heard nothing else from the duo but pranks they plan to pull on the first week of school. The night came to an end with dinner, cake, gifts, and good-byes. Once she was finished saying her good-byes to the Weasley's she headed up to her room for a good night's rest when a knock came to her door. And in came Harry and Ginny with two presents in their hands.
"Oh, you didn't have to get me anything more. Really! All you both did for me these last two days was enough, honestly!" Jenni proclaimed.
The adults laughed and Ginny said, "Well these gifts aren't from us if that makes you feel any better. We don't know what they are, and we assumed you'd rather open them in private."
Jenni gave them a look of confusion. If they aren't from Harry of Ginny that who are from?
"They're from your parents," Harry stated with a smile. They handed Jenni her presents from her parents, said good night, and left for Jenni to open them privately. Jenni didn't know what to do but stare at for a good five minutes. She felt her emotions get the better of her as she began to gently tear apart the tape holding the wrapping paper together. The first gift revealed a beautiful necklace with a star. It was simple, Jenni thought, but was definitely her style.
The next present happened to be something of more sentimental value than cost. It was her mothers gray corduroy jacket that both she, and her mother, loved dearly. And, was at many times, asked by Jenni if she could have it. And so, Jenni put her mothers jacket on, and fell asleep wearing it. It was the best nights sleep she ever had.