Casualty of Love: Turning Tables

It's My Birthday, I Can Cry If I Want To

"So, do I look any different?" I asked Elijah as I came up to the Gryffindor table for breakfast. I already had a handle full of presents in my arms that I'd gotten on the way down from Ginny and Emmy. 

"Yeah, you look like an old lady... What're you now, fifty?" Elijah joked, smiling his half-smile. 

"Just about. I am now a legal adult. I can officially do magic outside of Hogwarts!" I squealed in excitement. 

"I wonder how good that's gonna do you when you're stuck in here for the next few months." 

"Not the point. I'm free now! I can do what I want!" I smiled big, imagining all the possibilities. "The apparition test is in a few weeks and I've already done it twice so, I'm sure I'll pass that. Then, I'll be able to go where ever I want, when I want. It'll be great!" 

"I can tell you what'll be great...your birthday present from me!" Elijah said, his eyes wide as he reached inside of his robe pocket to pull out a small jewelry box. 

"More jewelry? You shouldn't have," I said, taking the box and feeling surprised that he would give me so much. 

"Just open it," he said, his voice mirroring the anticipation in his eyes. 

I opened it slowly, vaguely noticing the velvety texture of the ebony box, and revealed underneath the lid was a shiny, green, metal snake, curved in some places. "What is it?" I asked, confused on how this was jewelry. 

"Here," Elijah said, getting up and taking the snake out of it's velvet cage.  

Strangely enough, he went for my ear. I felt a little bit of tugging and I shivered as the cool metal touched several parts of my ear. When he was done, he held up a butter knife and showed me the reflection. 

The earring wrapped around my ear like an actual miniature snake would have done. "Wow, this is amazing. I've never seen anything like it...," I gasped, surprised at how beautiful it actually was. 

"Well, I thought about how you have a clear preference for Slytherin," he commented, winking at me. 

"Unfortunately, you're right. There seems to be a theme here," I admitted. It wasn't just by chance that my boyfriend (or ex) was a Slytherin, as well as one of my best friends. "Thanks, Elijah. I never thought you could be so thoughtful." 

"I never thought that either," he mumbled, more to himself.  

Just as always, the owls piled in the windows dropping off mail to various students. I didn't expect mail, though occasionally I received a letter from Nehemiah and since he, and my parents, had sent my present a day early, I figured that I wouldn't get a visit from Ringo today.  

Surprisingly enough, Ringo dropped down with a small parcel tied to his tiny foot. I untied it carefully and gave him a little bit of my breakfast before he flew off again. "Hmm, I wasn't expecting anything else," I said, unwrapping the package quickly.  

There was a very small note on top that read: "I know we aren't speaking but I couldn't let your birthday go by unnoticed xx." 

I opened the box, which had a very similar texture to it, if not richer, and I was astonished by the contents. "What are the odds?" I mumbled to myself.  

Inside the box were another pair of earrings, but not just any earrings. They looked to be diamonds, but not even diamonds were this amazing. They seemed to radiate light, not just reflect it. "Wow." 

I took one out of the box and put it on the ear that didn't have Elijah's gift in it. "Well, look at me. I'm all dolled up," I said, laughing, though my eyes went directly to the Slytherin table where they met a pair of sad gray eyes, if only for a second.