The siblings had thankfully gone through the day without setting any of the Dursleys off. As usual, they were shoved back into their cupboard in the evening and locked up tight. Instead of their normal routine, however, on this particular night, they were determined to stay up till midnight.
"So, what should we do in the meantime? There's still," Hadrian paused to peer at the clock, "three hours till your birthday."
"Have you finished your writing practices?" Heather asked sternly.
Hadrian nodded eagerly and showed his sister his worksheets. Heather looked them over with a critical eye and nodded approvingly at the conscientious work. Since their beloved Aunt and Uncle had stopped letting them attend school ("What use do freaks have for school?"), Heather had been forced to teach herself and her brother using the various books and homework Dudley regularly 'lost' in their cupboard. Mama had always emphasised the importance of learning.
"Since it's a special occasion, we can skip work for today," Heather paused at her brother's quiet cheer. "Why don't I tell you a few stories about Mama and Papa?" Seeing Hadrian's ecstatic expression, she smiled warmly and began her tale.
"Papa loved to play pranks on people, as I've told you before. You remember the story about how he cheered his friend up using the balloons and whipped cream?" Hadrian laughed at the memory. "He made lots of people happy with his jokes. However, he also sometimes went too far. Mama told me that Papa had hurt many people with his actions too."
"Y'mean like how Dudley does mean things to us that makes his friends laugh?" Hadrian interrupted with a frown.
Heather paused her story and looked worriedly at her brother. She didn't want Rian to dislike their father, but he had to understand the lesson in this story. She phrased her next words carefully.
"Rian, Papa was a bit of a bully, but he eventually grew up to truly regret hurting those people. He knew that what he did when he was younger was wrong." Heather, seeing that her brother now had a thoughtful look on his face, continued her tale.
"When they were students, Papa was really jealous that Mama was spending more time with another friend of hers, Sev. Papa didn't like that and decided to play many pranks on Sev. Many of these pranks humiliated and injured him. Once, Papa placed huge spiders in Sev's bag. The spiders bit him and he had to be treated for poisoning!"
Hadrian gasped and gestured for his sister to hurry up with the story.
"Sev got better, thankfully. But all these pranks strained Mama and Sev's friendship. In the end, they stopped being friends." At this point, Hadrian looked horrified.
Heather hoped that her brother wouldn't hate their father after this, but she felt it important to teach him this. "Papa told me he was really, really sorry, though he wasn't able to say that to Sev himself. Mama and Papa told me this to teach me not to be cruel and mean," Heather hesitated, then continued sheepishly, "This happened after I kicked another girl for pulling my hair."
Hadrian remained silent for a while, digesting his sister's words. "Okay," he began tentatively, "so we can't be mean to people. But what if other people are mean to us?" Like the Dursleys, went unsaid.
"Well, if we're being attacked, we need to stand up for ourselves," Heather reasoned sensibly. "Like when we take food because they don't give us enough. Or if someone hits you, you need to defend yourself." She looked unconsciously at her brother's forehead. "Otherwise, being unnecessarily cruel would be just like Uncle Vernon..." she trailed off.
Hadrian made a face of disgust at that. "Right, no being mean," he said firmly.
Heather smiled, nodding her head at her brother. She glanced at the clock and grinned; it was two minutes to midnight. Grasping onto Rian's hands, they waited as the seconds ticked by.
.
.
.
Finally! It was midnight! Heather's eleventh birthday had finally arrived. "Happy birthday Heather!" Hadrian whispered gleefully. Heather giggled and hugged her brother; it was now time for their next tradition. Her brother loved this next part and looked forward to it every year on their birthdays.
Closing her eyes for effect, she focussed on that well inside of her and effortlessly pushed some of it out of the tips of her fingers. Rian's amazed gasp and the warm tingling on her hands told her that it'd worked.
Heather opened her eyes to see tiny flames on each of her fingertips. As usual, using magic made her feel exuberant and warm. Looking at her brother mischievously, she obligingly put on a show for his entranced gaze. Her magic eagerly met her demands and grew brighter, giving the dark cupboard a golden glow. Concentrating harder, she made each flame a different colour. They glowed red, blue, purple, silver and more. Hadrian was practically jumping on the bed in his excitement. She returned the flames to a normal candle-sized ember, not wanting to strain herself.
"I wish I could do that," Hadrian sighed, still staring in awe at the flames.
"Who says you can't?" Heather grinned at her brother wickedly. "I'll teach you."
Hadrian snapped to attention and looked at his sister. She was always careful about letting him try his magic. "Really?" he asked hopefully.
"Hmm, I'm eleven, but I've only got ten candles..." Heather wiggled her fingers in emphasis.
"Teach me, teach me!" Hadrian whisper-shouted as he thrust out his left index finger.
Heather chuckled at her brother's enthusiasm and began to instruct, "First, close your eyes. Search for the warmth of your magic," Hadrian smiled as he felt the familiar tingling, "Then, draw a bit of magic to your hand. Imagine a tiny flame bursting from your fingertip. You need to have a really clear picture in your mind. Lastly, you need to will it to happen. Be firm as you guide your magic."
Hadrian furrowed his brows and focussed on the image in his head, willing his magic to make it happen. He really, really, wanted it to happen. Warmth seemed to glow in his finger.
"Open your eyes, Rian." Hadrian could hear the smile in his sister's voice. Slowly, he lifted his eyelids, hoping that he'd gotten it right.
There, sitting atop his index finger, a brilliant orange flame danced merrily. His face broke into a wide smile, green eyes sparkling in the light of his magic flame. "I did it! See, Heather?"
"Oh, I'm seeing alright. You're doing great, Rian!" Heather beamed proudly at her brother.
Her brother blushed adorably and ducked his head, changing the subject. "Okay, now you have all eleven candles. Make a wish and blow them out!"
A sly smirk was shot Hadrian's way. "What's a birthday without a sweet treat?" Heather said, looking pointedly at her brother's shirt pocket. He looked confused, fumbling with his free hand through the pocket. His eyes lit up as he brought out two pieces of foil-wrapped chocolate.
Hadrian held the treats up and said, "Now that we have your candles and cake, make your wish!"
Heather smiled tenderly at her brother and thought fervently, 'I wish for Rian to be safe and protected from all harm!' her magic warmed approvingly at her regular birthday wish. Taking a deep breath, she extinguished all the flames in one blow. She let out an 'oomph' as her brother tackle-hugged her into the cot, singing 'Happy Birthday' softly.
As they drifted off to sleep, Heather had one last thought.
'A happy birthday indeed...'