I spent the morning finishing the essay, Severus watching me quietly and stealing kisses when I wasn't concentrating. The rest of the day passed so quickly in comparison and soon, Angelina and I were stood in the girls shower rooms, getting ready to go out. We'd skipped dinner and the boys had brought us up large slabs of birthday cake from the house elves downstairs before we'd showered, and we'd ate them hungrily. Although I was the only one who was actually 18 and so could drink legally, the others had decided the freedom of being out of the castle might do us some good, and I was looking forward to seeing Hogsmeade, knowing Dad had spent so much time there.

I ran my wand through my hair, using a drying spell to send my wet ringlets tumbling down my back in loose curls, and ran Mrs Witherby's rich moisturiser over my cheeks and face before applying a generous amount of eye make-up so that my eyes were rimmed with a smoky edge, causing them to shine and glow. Angelina looked over at me as she tumbled out the shower and sighed, "You look gorgeous Lena," I smiled at her and took to the task of drying Angelina's curls, smoothing them out so they fell down her back prettily. "Fred's going to take one look at you and burst into a big pool of drool," she snorted, "not with you looking like that Lena, I have no chance." Her face looked back at me in the mirror and I smiled, kissing her forehead, "It's a shame he's got no chance then isn't it, I have bigger fish to fry." I winked over at her and she laughed, crushing dazzle powder over her cheeks. She was incredibly beautiful when she wasn't caked in mud from the quidditch pitch, and even then she was beyond any average girl. I just wished Fred could see what he was missing, but I couldn't help but notice that recently, George had started to look at Angelina a little differently, and sometimes I even caught him looking at her in ways I knew Severus looked at me. Maybe it wasn't Fred that needed the wakeup call; maybe Angelina was just as guilty of being ignorant.

I slipped the dress Dad had given me on and it hugged my curves tightly, its neck cutting deeply. It really was tight and I was glad that I'd chosen to wear my black underwear for later, or I feared that I would no longer look pretty and instead would have looked rather overdone. Angelina was wearing a tight red dress that clung to her own curves and looking in the mirror over the sinks, I no longer saw two Hogwarts students looking back, instead watching as two young women clambered into heels that were much too high to be safe and applying the last layer of lipstick.

Deciding my wand would not be necessary as Severus would be unlocking the room when I got there, I placed it safely in my bedside cupboard and slid my purse over my arm. As Angelina made our way into the common room, we were greeted my wolf whistles and jeers from the younger years, while many of our older peers stood around, looking rather gormless. Angelina and I shared a look that knowing we'd done it and as we walked over towards where the Weasleys and Harry sat, many of the girls around us turned as whispered to one another. Standing over Fred and George, Harry and Ron laughed, watching as the twins had to pick their jaws up off the floor. "Will we do?" I giggled and both Angelina and I turned, the boys emitting a low whistle as we did so.

"George, mate, we are so bloody lucky." Fred turned to his brother, and both looked pretty damn good stood there in dark shirts, George's a dark emerald colour and Fred's a black paisley print, and tight skinny jeans. I pulled Harry into a hug and hearing shouts of 'behave' and 'watch yourself' I took George's arm, leading him out the portrait hole, staring pointedly at Angelina who looked rather relieved as Fred took her arm. We laughed and joked as we climbed down the stairs into the entrance hall, and as we entered the lower corridor, we slowed as we met up with a small group of the teachers. McGonagall looked up at me and Angelina who had severely dwarfed, the usually tall, witch and told us to be back my midnight or she'd come looking for us herself. She then took us aside and warned us quietly, a laugh playing on her lips, "keep your eyes on the boys girls, it's not you I'm worried about straying." And looking over to where the boys were pulling feathers from the back of Flitwicks cloak, I couldn't help but feel Angelina and I had rather unprepared ourselves the trouble the boys could get themselves into it. Walking back over to the boys, I caught my breath as Severus ascended the staircase from the dungeons and catching sight of me, he stopped, staring over at me. Everyone noticed and looked between us, wonder on their faces. He caught himself however and came to stand beside McGonagall. "Severus, we we're just wishing the students all the best on their night out, off into Hogsmeade for Miss Blacks birthday." He nodded slowly, never taking his eyes off me and I looked away from him, attempting to get him to realise he was staring a bit too hard. He coughed heavily, "Yes, Happy Birthday Miss Black." I nodded, "Thank you sir." And McGonagall, looking between us, nodded quietly to herself, realisation sinking in and my stomach clenched tightly. Cripes. "Well, you had better get going had you not, remember midnight." And as we turned from McGonagall, my arm safely wrapped through Georges, I watched as McGonagall took Severus's arms and smiled up at him gently, leading him off down into the dungeons.