"Happy Birthday, Beth!"

Elizabeth opened her eyes to see her three friends standing over her. They were holding a small cake that would serve about four. Small flames were floating above it. She rubbed her eyes and sat up. The sunlight caused the lake to glow, sending a green tone over the room. "You remembered," Elizabeth laughed as she ran a hand through her hair to fix it.

"How could we not!" Matilda exclaimed, sitting at Elizabeth's feet. Walburga and Matilda sat across from them. It was a Saturday and Elizabeth was so happy.

"I can't believe our girl is sixteen," Walburga gave Elizabeth a sweet look. "I almost forgot you're so much younger than us."

Melissa agreed, "The same for me. Anyways, let's cut this cake!"

"She has to blow out the flames," Matilda pulled the dessert back from Melissa's grasp. "It's a muggle tradition, Beth told me about it a few months back."

"I always loved blowing out the candles," Elizabeth thought. She remembered the only time she celebrated her birthday at Baxtart's. Asher had snuck a cookie out from one of the professor's rooms. He brought a candle and Elizabeth had wished she could go home.

The girls sang her a birthday song and Matilda shoved the cake into her face, "Make a wish."

Elizabeth closed her eyes and blew out the candle. She opened her eyes and the three cheered.

"What did you wish for?" Melissa asked.

"She can't say, it's a secret," Matilda told her.

"Alright, well I am starving, so if I don't get a piece of this cake in me soon, I will go wild," Walburga reached for the three other plates.

They cut the cake and shared stories about their previous birthdays. Elizabeth became unnecessarily focused on her cake. She ate the last few bites while the girls had begun getting ready. Walburga was dressed and waiting for them. Matilda put on her shoes while Melissa slipped her arms through her robes. "Beth, is it okay if you meet us up there?" Matilda asked as the three fully dressed girls stood at the door.

"Oh, it's completely fine," Elizabeth set the plate down and wiped her mouth with her hand. "You girls go ahead."

"Alright, happy birthday," Matilda smiled.

Melissa waved, "Happy birthday!"

"Happy birthday, Beth," Walburga blew a kiss as she was the last to exit the room.

Elizabeth stretched and stood from the bed. She went throughout her routine, brushing her teeth and hair. She sprayed a bit of perfume onto her neck as a final touch. Pulling on her robes, she left the room. As she walked through the Common Room, she received a few greetings with "Happy Birthday" in them. She smiled politely and thanked them.

Tom was not among any of them. She walked out and up the familiar staircase. Even walking through the halls, students she didn't know wished her a Happy Birthday.

She turned the corner and felt herself bump into a familiar figure. When she looked up, her body became tense.

"Hello, Elizabeth," Joshua said quietly. "Happy Birthday."

"Thank you," she replied coldly. Elizabeth continued walking, but Joshua lightly pulled on her shoulder. She almost winced but didn't allow herself to.

"I still love you," he told her, sincerity in his eyes. Elizabeth bit the inside of her cheek. "This summer, I'm getting help," Joshua brought up at the lack of a response. "Real help, from a professional. I haven't had one sip of alcohol since...," he trailed off, remembering the night that had occurred two months prior.

Elizabeth looked down, "That's good, you need the help."

Joshua was silent for a moment. "I didn't know it would leave you like this," he whispered, looking at the scar over her right eye. His knuckle had sliced through her skin like a razor. "I'll see you around," he said quietly and walked off.

Elizabeth grazed her fingers over the small scar, and the memories came.

She was in Headmaster Dippet's office. Dumbledore had pulled her from Transfiguration as soon as he saw her beaten and bruised face. Dumbledore, Dippet, and three others sat across from her.

"How did this happen?" Dippet asked.

"Joshua and I... we were in his dormitory. I know I wasn't supposed to be there, but it was where it happened. He had a bottle of whiskey and I guess he drank too much... he has a problem with alcohol," Elizabeth explained.

"You drank too?" a woman asked.

Elizabeth looked down to her lap, "Yes, I know I'll be in trouble, but if I didn't, he would have drunk the entire bottle."

Dippet sighed, "Miss Maryn, the policy for any substances of alcohol on the grounds is punishable by expulsion. However, it was not yours, so I think a month's detention would best correct the situation." The three of them stood and conversed silently in a whisper, leaving Dumbledore to sit and stay with Elizabeth.

"What about him? What will happen to Joshua?" Elizabeth looked up, needing to know that he would be punished. They had been talking for nearly ten minutes.

Dippet turned around to face her. "We considered expulsion for him as well, but we also are aware of his alcoholism. I believe if he receives some sort of guidance or therapy, his habits could be reversed. However, the policy for inflicting violence upon another student states that the punishment can range from three months detention to expulsion. We don't want to expel him, for we know the issue was out of his control by some means," Dippet explained.

"So he'll receive detention?" Elizabeth clarified.

Dippet nodded, "Yes, he will also be suspended from the Gryffindor Quidditch team for an undecided amount of time."

Elizabeth let her hand fall from the scar and she walked on. She reached the Great Hall and made her way over to where her friends were. Bonnie, Henry, and Pevlos had joined them. "Happy Birthday!" Bonnie shouted loudly, causing a group of third years to look their way.

"Shh!" Elizabeth silenced Bonnie as she gave her a quick hug. "Not everyone needs to know," Elizabeth said, smiling ear to ear as she sat down.

"It's not every day you turn sixteen," Matilda excused their loud behavior.

"I thought she would be turning seventeen," Henry told the group in a confused voice.

Melissa nodded, "She is in our year, but only because she is so advanced."

"Oh," Henry shrugged. He had grown to really like Elizabeth over the past two months. "To Elizabeth," he raised his goblet of pumpkin juice.

"To Elizabeth!" the others shouted and clunked the goblets together, laughing. They didn't care that they were being loud, for they were having fun.

They ate breakfast and talked about normal things for once. The conversations about how terrible Joshua was had ended two weeks after the incident had occurred.

"Everyone, look," Henry whispered, his head turned to face the back of the hall. All of those eating in the Great Hall were now looking at Joshua who stood in the doorway. Everyone had figured out what had happened and hadn't spoken to him since. He hadn't been to the Great Hall for a meal since before the incident. Joshua was always either in detention or sulking in his bedroom. "That is tragic," he scoffed.

Elizabeth looked over at him as he stood there, not knowing where to go. "Should we ask him to sit with us?" Melissa wondered aloud in a hushed tone.

Bonnie harshly elbowed Melissa, "Are you mad? We can't ask him over here."

Joshua went and sat down at the empty end of a table, not daring to even ask a first year if he could sit with them. He looked up at his former friends as they all looked back at him. The group quickly looked away and nonchalantly returned to their conversation.

"He had the nerve to sit down next to us at the evening feast," Henry told Elizabeth, two days after everything had happened. They were walking to Potions class.

Elizabeth shrugged, "I guess he just assumed that nothing was wrong."

"That's the problem, he doesn't know that what he did was wrong," Henry explained. "He needs to know."

She agreed and sat down in the classroom. Tom was in his usual seat. Elizabeth wondered what he had done to "take care" of Joshua.

"Beth, I asked you a question," Matilda raised her eyebrows. Elizabeth was shaken from her thoughts. "Where do you want to go to in Hogsmeade?"

"Remember the place with the tea? That would do," Elizabeth told her.

Matilda nodded and smiled, "Madam Puddifoot's! I love that place."

They all engaged in conversation again. Elizabeth was thankful that she had such wonderful friends who celebrated her birthday with high amounts of joy, but she didn't feel complete. Four months ago, she thought that she would be with Joshua, perhaps opening a gift from him. The ring he'd given her had worn away and faded from her memory.

"You know you'll have to get me a real one soon," Elizabeth told Joshua, smiling up at him as she laid against his chest. It was an unusually warm February afternoon and they were out by the lake, enjoying the sunlight.

"Be patient, love," Joshua chuckled, taking her hand in his and rubbing his thumb over the ring. Its shiny layer had faded and the material was thinning. "I only want the best ring for you, nothing I could find in Hogsmeade."

Elizabeth looked ahead at the lake and laid her head back against him, "I love you."

"Beth, this is the second time. Why do you keep zoning out?" Walburga asked. The rest of her friends were looking over at her.

"Just tired, that's all," Elizabeth reassured them. She looked over at Joshua, all alone. Elizabeth felt bad, but she couldn't admit that to anyone, not even herself.

Elizabeth quickly finished her breakfast. Matilda had told her that they were going to plan all of her birthday festivities, so Elizabeth kindly obliged to leaving. She stood and waved goodbye to her friends, leaving them to plan. As she left the hall, she heard them immediately rushing into excited chatter.

"Hey," a voice called after her. Elizabeth turned around and saw Asher walking quickly towards her. They were on good terms. "Happy Birthday," he smiled at her, pulling her into a friendly hug.

"Thank you, Asher," she wrapped her arms around him. He didn't feel familiar. His arms were more muscular and his abdomen was toned, most likely due to Quidditch.

He pulled away and quickly eyed her up and down, "You look good, kid." Asher referred to how she had been months ago. He was always there for her, and he had been in the times where she wouldn't leave her dormitory.

"Thanks, I feel better," Elizabeth gave a small smile.

Asher smirked in a friendly way. "I, uh, got you this," he pulled a box out of his pocket. He held it out to Elizabeth and she gingerly took it from him. She pulled the lid off to reveal a dainty necklace with a small, silver daisy dangling from the end. "It's not much, I know, but you always said you loved daisies."

"No, I love it so much," Elizabeth gushed, tracing her hand over the necklace. She pulled Asher in for another hug. It felt so warm and loving, but she had sworn off boys. "Can you put it on?"

"Of course," Asher took the necklace from the box and waited for Elizabeth to turn around and pull her hair up. He wrapped the chain around her and clasped it behind her neck, letting the charm rest on her chest.

"It's beautiful," Elizabeth turned back to him and held the charm between her fingers. "Do you want to come to Madam Puddifoot's with my friends and me?"

Asher nodded with a grin, "I'd love to. Where are they, by the way? It's your birthday, isn't it?"

"They're planning some surprise," Elizabeth informed him with a chuckle.

"If you don't mind, I'd love to keep you company while they plan... wouldn't want you to be alone on your birthday," Asher proposed.

She nodded, "Yeah. I was just about to go to the library, but if you wanted to do something more fun, I'd be happy to."

"I haven't been to the Room of Requirement in a while, we could relax there," Asher suggested. Elizabeth hesitantly nodded. There were so many bad memories from that room, but she figured she should begin making new and better ones.

They walked up the numerous flights of stairs until they reached the seventh floor. Asher paced across the wall three times with his eyes closed. The door appeared and he looked to make sure no one was watching. The two entered and he closed the door behind her. The couches still remained, the fire still cracked, and the instruments sat idly at the front of the large room.

"It's a bit chilling, being in here all alone," Asher commented as he looked around.

"I agree," Elizabeth nodded as she walked over to the tables. They had cleared themselves as they always did, not one empty bottle remaining.

Asher noticed her looking around, "Thirsty?"

"What have you got?" Elizabeth asked.

"Firewhiskey," he took out a flask.

Elizabeth shook her head, "Promised myself I wouldn't drink anymore."

"Understandable," he nodded and put the flask back in his pocket. "You want to sit down?" Asher asked, walking over to the couch and sitting down.

"Sure, we need to catch up," Elizabeth smiled and sat next to him. She was reminded of their first date many years earlier, but she didn't want to think about boys. "How have you been?"

Asher chuckled, "It's not me we need to talk about."

"You heard what happened, what more is there to say?" Elizabeth brushed it under the rug. She didn't want him to think she was weak.

"I can't stand to think that you're hurting," Asher admitted to her.

"It's in the past, I really don't want to talk about it," Elizabeth told him. "Besides, I haven't seen you in so long."

Asher hesitated before answering, "Yeah, I suppose. Quidditch has been better. The new Gryffindor Seeker isn't very good, so it gives us an advantage, I suppose."

"He was so good at Quidditch," Elizabeth reminisced. After a moment, she laughed it off, "Sorry, sorry, I just miss him, I guess."

"Don't think about him," Asher told her.

Elizabeth looked at Asher, thoughts running through her head that she didn't want. After spending so much time with Joshua and always being with him, she missed having someone. Almost as if he knew what she wanted, he leaned in towards her, attempting to kiss her. Elizabeth almost gave in, but she drew back.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"I shouldn't," Elizabeth told him. "I just believe I need a break from relationships," she said honestly.

Asher nodded, "Sorry, I just thought that there was something here."

Elizabeth would be lying if she said there wasn't. She felt so much tension between them, for their relationship had ended abruptly just as they were planning to go further. As Elizabeth looked at him, she uttered the two words that she regretted, "There isn't." After the words came out, she saw the defeat in his eyes. "You need to move on," Elizabeth said quietly.

"Is that what you really want?"

"Is that what you really want?"

"Joshua, just leave me alone," Elizabeth told him through tears. They stood behind a clothing shop in Hogsmeade, the snow whipping around them.

"You really want everything we've had to be over? It was a drunken mistake," Joshua pleaded.

Elizabeth shook her head, "You need to stay away from me."

"You were all I had," he choked out through a strained voice. "I lost my spot on the Quidditch team, the entire school is against me, and you hate me, I have nothing left now!"

"You should have considered that before you let yourself get that drunk," she replied coldly, turning around to leave.

"An age we wait, forever we stand. What happened to that?" Joshua yelled over the loud wind and snow.

Elizabeth turned her head halfway, not looking into his eyes, "Goodbye, Joshua."

"Elizabeth!"

"Elizabeth?" Asher asked, waving his hand in front of her face.

"Sorry, I just...," Elizabeth trailed off. "I should see if Matilda is done planning," she stood from the couch, Asher following her motion.

He took her hand in his, "What we had was amazing." She didn't respond, so he spoke again, "Come on, what have you got to lose?"

"My sanity," she joked, giving a hesitant laugh. "I just need some time. Ever since I came here, I've been obsessing or dreaming of a boy, three at one point. This time I've been alone, I realized I don't need a man to feel complete. Can you just understand that?"

"I understand, but I just want to feel your lips on mine, even if it's for the last time," Asher confesed. "Just one kiss is all I ask."

Elizabeth looked down at her feet, then back to him, "Don't fall in love with me." He gave a small smirk and quickly put his hand behind her head, pulling her lips to his. It was like a fire had just been set ablaze in Elizabeth's heart. They hadn't kissed in so long and so much had built up between them in that time. She rested her arms over his shoulders and linked her hands together behind him, pulling herself as close to him as she could.

Asher pulled away slowly and looked down at her, their foreheads touching, "I think I just did."