There's A House Elf in My Room!!
Beth was woken up by something landing on her.
“Let me go back to sleep Gwen,” muttered Beth pulling herself further under the covers.
“Dobby does not know how Gwen is, could Gwen be the scary cat hissing at Dobby?”
Beth pulled herself out from under the cover in confusion.
“Who are you and what are you doing in my room?” screamed Beth staring at Dobby.
“I is Dobby, I is a house elf.”
“Remus!” she screamed, “Grandpa!!”
“What’s the problem Cariad?” asked Lyall who was halfway through pulling on a dressing gown.
“There’s a house elf in my room!” she said pointing at the said house elf who had just woken up.
“So there is,” said Lyall looking at the house elf with interest.
“Hello elf,” said Lyall nodding at the elf, “my name is Mr Lupin, can we help you?”
“Hello Mr Lupin,” said Dobby bowing to Lyall deeply, “I have come to talk to Miss Potter.”
Lyall raised his eyebrows as he looked from Dobby to Beth.
“He woke me up by jumping on the bed,” she stammered as Guinevere hopped onto the bed and into her arms.
“Dobby is sorry,” muttered Dobby, “but Dobby had to come early before making the breakfast.”
“What is it that you want Dobby?” asked Lyall who was fed up at being woken up five o’clock in the morning by a house elf on his day off.
“I has come to warn Miss Potter to not return to Hogwarts school this year, it is very dangerous.”
“Any particular dangers I should be warned about?”
“Dobby can’t say,” struggled Dobby reaching for a book to hit himself with.
“Ok Dobby,” said Lyall shaking his head, “thank you for your warning, go back to your master.”
Dobby gave a firm nod and clicked his fingers. He was gone from the room with a loud crack.
Lyall turned to head back to bed when he stopped in the doorway.
“Happy Birthday Cariad,” he smirked.
“What?” she muttered as she and Guinevere got back into bed.
“I said Happy Birthday!”
Beth snuggled back under her duvet for another couple of hours with Guinevere.
Once she had actually got some sleep without being woken up by excitable house elves, she got up.
It was a warm day so she got dressed in a pair of shorts and light yellow shirt. She brushed her hair into two small plaits and went down for breakfast.
“Good morning, and how is the birthday princess today?”
“Morning Grandpa,” she chuckled giving him a hug.
“How’d you sleep sweetheart, apart from the house elf jumping on you.”
“You heard about that did you?” said Beth raising her eyebrows.
“Happy Birthday princess,” said Lyall bringing over three plates of pancakes which had blueberries mixed into them.
“Are you going around to Susan’s today or Ernie’s?” asked Remus.
Remus and Lyall both had work today so most days Beth would spend at one of her two best friends’ houses.
“Susan’s,” nodded Beth, “Mrs Bones is taking us to the cinema.”
“Oh exciting!” said Lyall as he cleared the plates before getting ready for work.
“Don’t forget to take a jumper!” said Remus, “you know you get cold.”
“Yes Uncle Remus!” called Beth as she ran upstairs to fetch a jumper before floing over to the Bones’.
She got out of the fireplace at the Bones’ where Susan was waiting for her in a pair of muggle jeans and a jumper which was dark green to match her eyes.
“Happy Birthday Beth!” said Susan pulling her in for a huge hug.
“Thanks Sus,” she beamed.
“You excited to go to the cinema?”
“Yeah, I haven’t been before,” said Beth nodding enthusiastically.
“Haven’t been to the cinema?” said Susan raising her eyebrows, “but you were brought up by muggles!”
“Yeah I know, they used to take Dudley, but I haven’t been before.”
“Seriously?” asked Susan, “they used to go but leave you at home?”
“What made you think the Dursley’s were ever fair?”
“Fair enough,” laughed Susan.
“Hello there young Beth!” said Mr Bones coming into the sitting room in his robes for work.
“Good morning sir,” beamed Beth.
“I hear it’s somebodies birthday,” he whispered conspiratorially with his hands behind his back.
“Happy Birthday young lady,” said Mr Bones taking his hands from behind his back and passing her a small box.
“Thank you,” she beamed taking the box and opening it to find a silver chain with a daisy charm on the end.
“I didn’t know what to get you, but our little Susie’s always telling me that you like nature and flowers.”
“Its wonderful thank you,” said Beth earnestly.
“Richard,” said Amelia Bones coming into the sitting room, “we need to get a move on.”
“Merlin you’re right Amelia,” said Mr Bones looking at his watch.
“I’ll see you tonight princess,” said Mr Bones giving Susan a hug.
“Bye Daddy!”
Mr Bones and Amelia walked over to the fire and headed to the Ministry where they both worked, Mr Bones as head of the department of Magical Transportation, and his sister Magical Law Enforcement.
“You two ready for the cinema?” asked Mrs Bones fetching her muggle coat.
“Yes Mummy,” said Susan running up to fetch her own coat.
“You doing anything nice for your birthday dear?” asked Mrs Bones as they walked through the muggle town to the cinema.
“I don’t know,” shrugged Beth, “I’m just happy to be alive after a few weeks ago.”
“I understand that completely,” said Mrs Bones, “but you don’t turn twelve every day.”
They went to the cinema and watched Robin Hood- A Prince of Thieves.
“So did you enjoy it?” asked Susan
“It was amazing!” enthused Beth.
“What would you like to do now?”
“What do you mean Mrs Bones?” asked Beth confused.
“Well it is your birthday dear,” she chuckled, “and I don’t have to take you home for five hours, what would you like to do?”
“Oh well I don’t know,” muttered Beth.
“Beth likes nature, and flowers,” said Susan, “could we go to a National Trust?”
“That is a perfect idea Susan, Lydford Gorge is close,” said Mrs Bones.
Susan and Beth both held on to her hands and Mrs Bones side apparated them to the National Trust park.
“There’s a beautiful waterfall,” said Susan beaming as they walked along the path, “it’s called the Whitelady Waterfall.”
Susan was right, it was beautiful.
“It’s the most wonderful thing I’ve ever seen,” breathed Beth as she watched the waterfall.
“Is this the best birthday you’re ever had yet?” asked Susan as they finished the walk
“No,” said Beth shaking her head, “my best birthday was last year, I’d only been with Remus and Grandpa a week and I’d just made friends with the Macmillan’s it was amazing.”
“Talking of Remus,” said Mrs Bones, “he’s going to be wondering where you are.”
Mrs Bones looked around to check for muggles before side apparating with the two girls to Lupin Cottage.
Beth waved goodbye to Susan and Mrs Bones and started to skip into the house.
When she got into the kitchen, there was nobody there.
“Remus!” she called, “Grandpa?”
“We’re in here Cariad!” said Lyall from the sitting room.
Beth went through to the sitting room and found not only Remus and Lyall, but all the Macmillan’s, and all the Bones including Amelia. Susan and Mrs Bones had snuck in the door behind her and crept through to the sitting room when she hadn’t been looking.
“Happy Birthday Beth!” said Tim rushing over to give her a hug.
“Thanks Tim,” said Beth hugging him back.
“But I’ve already had my birthday treat,” said Beth looking around confused at the sitting room which had been set up for a party.
“That was your birthday distraction,” explained Ernie, “we’ve been here setting up your birthday party all day.”
“Do we want presents or food first?” asked Remus.
“Um,” said Beth thinking for a moment, “food!”
“Your wish is our command birthday princess,” said Lyall, “but first, the birthday princess crown.”
Beth beamed as he placed a crown of wildflowers in her hair.
They all went out into the garden, where Remus and Mr Macmillan were busy manning the barbeque, they were having hamburgers which were delicious.
“Ok now can we open presents?” asked Tim.
“I should think so,” said Remus.
It was such a nice evening that they actually brought all the presents outside.
Beth sat down between Ernie and Susan as Remus and Lyall brought out all the presents.
“Ok,” said Lyall “who is going first?”
“Me!” said Tim reaching into the pile of presents and handing her a small parcel.
“I know you like Merlin,” said Tim as she opened the present.
It contained two chocolate frog cards, one of Merlin and the other Morgana.
“They’re perfect thanks Tim.”
Tim beamed smugly that his present had gone down well.
The Macmillan’s had bought her some history books on the second-year topics, the Medieval Assembly of European Wizards and the International Warlock Convention of 1289.
Ernie had got her some nice notebooks for her to make her notes in. Beth kept the best notes in the year and Ernie thought she might like some nicer notebooks.
Mr and Mrs Bones had got some books on herbology.
Susan’s Aunty Amelia passed Beth a box.
She pulled the lid off and found a daisy chain crown with a few buttercups threaded in.
“Susan told me that you like wildflowers,” said Amelia, “those flowers will never wilt and the crown will never fall apart.”
“Thank you its wonderful,” she beamed.
Susan bit her lip and passed Beth a heavy parcel.
Beth was surprised at the weight of the parcel and started to pull of the paper.
She found a large book with the title on the cover, Flora and Fauna of Britain and Ireland.
She opened the book and found that it detailed all the different wild creatures and flowers in the British Isles.
“Do you like it?”
“I love it Sus,” chuckled Beth giving her a huge hug, “it’s perfect.”
Susan blushed slightly as Beth hugged her.
Then came the presents from Remus and Lyall. Remus had bought her books including the other seven Anne of Green Gables books and Pride and Prejudice. Lyall had given her art supplies including a canvas that could fold up to a much smaller size than it should do and a new box of water colour paints.
Remus had also given Beth a Walkman and a set of headphones.
“You mum was a muggle, and love muggle music, so these are some of her favourite artists.”
Beth flicked through the tapes and found The Seekers, Abba and The Beatles.
“And now for pudding,” beamed Lyall.
Mrs Macmillan went inside with Remus and Lyall to go and get the pudding.
“Are we having cake?” asked Tim.
“We’re having better than cake,” chuckled Lyall, “we’re having ice cream!”
They had bought ten large cartons of different flavours of ice cream and all sorts of different toppings, chocolate sauce, raspberry sauce, coloured sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, gummy bears, chopped strawberries, even popping candy. Instead of having birthday cake, they were having an ice cream bar.
Beth’s eyes nearly popped out.
“I told you to save the ice cream for after the presents,” nodded Lyall chuckling.
“Dive in sweetheart,” beamed Remus passing her a large bowl.
Beth had a huge bowl of raspberry ripple ice cream with raspberry sauce and popping candy on top.
After she had another three bowls of ice cream they headed back inside, and Susan helped Beth pick out a film to watch.
“We should watch this one,” said Susan picking out a new video Beauty and the Beast, “she looks like you.”
“Yeah and he looks like Ernie!” said Tim pointing at the cover of the box.
Beth had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing as Remus loaded the video into the television.
Beth and Susan settled into a large armchair together as the film started.
About fifteen minutes in, the Beast appeared on screen for the first time.
“I told you Ernie was in this film!” shouted Tim pointing at the screen.
“Tim don’t be so horrible!” said Mrs Macmillan as Mr Macmillan tried to stop himself from laughing.
“At least I turned into a handsome prince in the end,” beamed Ernie as the film ended.
“See,” said Amelia, “even young Ernie admits he was the Beast.”
Not long after that everyone headed home.
Beth headed up to bed where Guinevere had been keeping the bed warm for her. Guinevere was lying on top of the quilt waiting for her patiently.
“Good night Queen Gwen,” said Beth getting into bed.
Gwendoline nodded and get off the bed to patrol the bedroom door in case anyone wanted to hurt her beloved mistress.