How To Annoy A Gryffindor ; harry potter

Step 48: Celebrate

"You can't just speak to them like that!" Draco said, pacing up and down the common room when Ember got back from telling Alecto off.

Ember rolled her eyes, "We can't let them just push us around Draco, they're filthy half-bloods. We have the upper hand here and we're not taking our chances."

"No, Ember, you have the upper hand. The Dark Lord is still punishing my family for my father's actions. I didn't even kill Dumbledore, it was Snape, and so I'm not in the inner circle anymore. It's just you, Bellatrix, Snape, Rookwood and Rosier. I need to be careful around them, you've clearly angered Alecto and that's not going to go well for anyone."

"It's fine, I told them to stay away from me and all the other Slytherins. Everything will be fine, just like always," she assured him.

"Nothing is ever fine." Draco pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest, blocking the gleaming Head Boy badge on his robes. "As soon as Potter's caught we'll all be dead and the Dark Lord will reign."

Ember sighed, "You know that's not true, we'll still be alive. Pure-bloods, Draco. Forever and always."

"Toujours Pur," he said, holding up a fist.

"Always pure," Ember chanted back in English, repeating his hand gesture.

The Spring breeze flooded the castle. The spring washed in like the tide, advancing confidently with warmth and white sunshine one day and retreating the next. On some days the new vibrant hues of the pansies and daffodils were bathed in tepid air that encouraged them gently, on others the wintry wind gusted fiercely — demanding a return to the bitterness of the months before. It was only the beginning of Ember's favourite month, starting with the blooming of the flowers across the grounds and the Giant Squid that the Slytherins so frequently saw floating past the window of their common room. Rays of sunshine beamed over the grounds, melting the snow that had come with the winter.

Despite the Hogwarts grounds being so beautiful, the inside of the castle was as gloomy as ever. Everything was quiet, no one spoke. It had gotten worse as so many people hadn't returned after the Christmas break and then began to slowly disappear with every 'Dumbledore's Army' message that popped up in the halls. They began rescuing those students who were locked up from the Carrows, the ones who had spoken out of turn and were waiting to be tortured. Valentine's Day passed with no celebrations, not even a single card from anyone to anyone — though Ember was almost certain she saw Cullen slip one to Daphne under the desk in potions with Slughorn.

The ninth of March was the next day, Cullen's birthday. Everyone knew that it was his birthday, even those in Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor because he always seemed to want to make a big deal out of it. In their third year, he had insisted that Draco and Blaise carry him everywhere while Georgia fed him, Ember fanned him and Billie told him jokes. He truly believed that he was the king on his birthdays, it was hell for everyone else.

"No one's said anything," Ember heard him whisper to Theodore Nott as the two of them descended their dormitory into the common room.

It was all part of the group's plan. Make it like they had forgotten his birthday, therefore he would be sure to calm down about it and get a big surprise in the common room at the end of the day. Billie was really bad at keeping secrets though, so Blaise had slipped a silencing potion into her drink at breakfast, making sure that she wouldn't say anything. Vaisey wasn't too happy about this though because every time he tried to speak to her, he was ignored.

"It's working," muttered Draco, watching as Theodore just laughed in Cullen's face and told him that no one cares about his birthday. "Nott is such a prat."