When two letters arrive in the post for the Potters inviting them to a school for wizards Pippa is beyond excited. She was ready to start fresh somewhere new where she could actually be someone, where she could be special.
However, Hogwarts was not...
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The common room looked better than I ever could have imagined. Sparkly pink and blue streamers lined the walls, a silver balloon arch at the entrance, a disco ball hung from the ceiling and a table filled with all my favourite treats- treacle tarts, pumpkin pasties, powdered doughnuts and white and pink three-tiered heart-shaped red velvet birthday cake covered in strawberries and topped with number 12 candles.
"Wicked." I mumbled turning to grin at Celia who was wearing a pair of huge pink heart-shaped sunglasses and her 70s orange hippy dress.
Ayesha had borrowed me a pair of flared 70s style white pants covered in purple hearts and a long sleeved lime green top for the party.
ABBA blasted out of the wizarding wireless (the magic version of radio) as students from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw filed into the room. All the older kids patted me on the shoulder as they made their way to the table filled with drinks.
"This is amazing," I yelled over the music. "Thank you!" I spun back around and flung my arms around my friends. Both girls laughed as I clung to them tightly.
"Happy birthday Pippa!" Ayesha yelled back. She was wearing a denim jumpsuit, and curly hair in two pigtails.
"You like it? Really?" Celia asked hopefully.
"Yeah, it's wicked." I nodded quickly. "Come on, let's have our picture taken."
We lined up for the photo station in front of the sparkly pink and blue streamers lined the wall with the camera Professor Flitwick had lent me. The line was annoyingly long, mainly because Daphne and Pansy were hogging the camera. We waited for about 5 minutes before Ayesha stormed to the front of the line. "Birthday girl coming through!"
"Times up ladies." Celia called over the music as Esha shoved the pair out of the way.
"Hey!" Daphne snapped.
For the first time since I'd arrived at Hogwarts, I didn't have overdue homework hanging over my head, I wasn't fighting with anyone and I was having my first birthday party ever.
I grinned as the giant old-timey camera nearly blinded me. We tried a load of different poses before we were shooed away from the photo station.
People kept coming up to me to wish me happy birthday throughout the evening. I'd never spoken to that many people in my life, half of them I didn't even know. There was no sign of the Gryffindor I was guessing their hair was still pink. Normally I'd be upset that Harry wasn't there but right in that moment I was too hopped up on sugar to notice.
"Pippa!" Adonis, the boy I sat next to potions, came rushing up to me. He hugged me far too tightly. "This is amazing, happy birthday!"
"Umm, thanks. It was all Celia." I gave him an awkward smile. I really wasn't used to compliments.
"Do you want to want to dance?" He asked.
I stared at him certain I was turning red. "Erm... okay?"
