Everywhere, Everything

Reuniting with her father and her youngest brother knocked a wave of relief so strong against Tigerlily, she felt ready to collapse. The exhaustion from the freshly-finished school year still lingered, but seeing the smile on Colin's face when they met their family at Platform 9¾ made it all worth it. For the first time in months, Tigerlily let her guard down, falling asleep on the train ride home.

Back in Dorset, very little had changed. Dennis was getting taller and so was the grass, but Marcus, their shepherding dog, was still as energetic as ever; the chickens clucked and the cows and sheep grazed and the seasonal fruits and vegetables in the patch looked juicy and ready for harvest. Stephen was so glad to have his kids back, he took a day off from work to sit around and do nothing but bask in the sun and drink lemonade all day. When the evenings fell, the Creeveys gathered in the carpeted floor of the living room (which would be hot from the sunlight that had touched it all afternoon) and played snakes and ladders until their eyes were heavy.

Colin was so cheerful, Tigerlily could almost convince herself he had not lost precious months of his life petrified. When Stephen asked for the photos Tigerlily had promised they would send back in the winter, she faltered before quickly compensating by saying it would be more fun if they developed them at home once Colin ran out of film. She didn't mention how Colin's last roll had been burned by the Basilisk, or that his camera had been in a horrible state for months until she asked Professor Flitwick to fix it on the last week of term.

    When Tigerlily's thirteenth birthday rolled around, she woke up to a pile of parcels and envelopes at the foot of her bed, delivered by Apollo while she slept in until noon thanks to the window she'd left opened because of the heat.

    Before she could so much as reach for one piece of mail, as though sensing her consciousness, Colin and Dennis burst through her bedroom door, carrying a small stack of hotcakes smothered in butter and syrup, three candles lit atop of it. The boys walked carefully as to not drop the plate, Stephen watching from the doorframe with a smile. As Colin lowered the hotcakes to Tigerlily's lap, they began singing her "Happy Birthday" and urged her to make a wish.

    With her eyes focused on the dancing flames, Tigerlily drew in a big breath and closed her eyes. Please, she thought, though she was not sure who she was addressing anymore. Keep my family safe this year. She opened her eyes and blew, hard, until all three candles had gone out. She sighed quietly with relief as her family clapped and cheered, Dennis clinking four forks together and Colin imitating trumpets with his lips; her mother had taught her years ago that birthday wishes were secret and sacred, and they could only come true if you blew out all the candles in one go. Back then, she had wished for her mother's health, though perhaps her breath had faltered when it mattered.

    Now she knew that she had done it right. If her wish kept her family safe for the following year, she would not have to worry about anything until her next birthday, in which she would wish for the same thing.

    Colin and Dennis had gone all out for her birthday. Not only did they manage to keep the kitchen (nearly) intact after making hotcakes, but they'd put up the decorations Tigerlily used every year and swore were hidden cleverly. Stephen gave his daughter two banknotes for fifteen pounds and promised to take her to the shops soon so she could get U2's new album, Zooropa, once it came out.

    Her friends had successfully blown her mind with their presents. Neville mailed her some seedlings for flowers his grandmother had in her garden and candy bars; Hermione got her a Broomstick Servicing Kit (complete with its handbook, polish, clippers, and a compass for long journeys; Tigerlily cried when she opened it), and Ron sent toffee and socks his mum had knit for her. Cedric wrote her a nice note which folded up into a butterfly and fluttered around her room after she was done reading it, while Oliver bought her a new pair of Quidditch gloves. Finally, Harry had written her a letter wishing her a nice birthday and saying he was hoping they could see each other soon because he was deadly bored at home with his aunt and uncle. He asked her to please avoid calling him because his uncle would lose his marbles, but promised he had been eager to hear from her and had also wanted to get her something but he wasn't allowed to leave the house so he had to settle with pressing flowers on the envelope.