Fourteen

The week quickly went by as Rowan did indeed receive a stream of visitors. Even the marauders stopped by between Quidditch practice chatting about how Ravenclaw would be playing Hufflepuff. With the exception of Remus, who stopped by more frequently with Terry and Severus in tow. Which was not exactly pleasant as Severus was still rather cross with Rowan for fainting. It wasn't as though it was her fault and she had not planned it to begin with!

By the start of the second week in January, Rowan was able to stay awake more awake for most of the day in bed and had begun to catch up on her homework and lessons. Despite feeling tired all the time, it was no longer that bone-weary exhaustion that she had been feeling before. The 9th of January largely went and came unperturbed as those that knew it was Rowan and Severus's birthday did not make a fuss. They all knew better than to do so. Beyond promising to fork over some sweets when Rowan was feeling better, the well-wishers kept the fact to themselves.

It must have been eleven o'clock at night when Rowan awoke to feel unseen eyes watching her. Unnerved she instantly reached for her wand hiding on her pillow to suddenly feel an invisible hand wrap itself around her wrist. She almost punches the invisible person as her fist only stops mere inches away from the unseen figure, who whispers, "It's me, Rowan!"

"James?"

"Yes!" James hissed as he quickly removed the invisible cloak causing it to slip down and past his shoulders.

"I almost punched you, Potter," Rowan grumbled as she slowly lowered her fist and eyed the sheepish-looking James before her.

"Heh, I must have scared you, huh?" James crookedly said feeling rather pleased about himself. "You haven't called me, Potter, since our first year."

"I should," Rowan huffed as she stared at the grinning, unrepentant James. "So, why'd you sneak down this late at night? I know it wasn't because you were bored."

"You don't seem very shocked to see me having an invisible cloak," James pouted as he climbed onto the edge of the bed.

Rowan purses her lips as she'd known he'd possess the cloak sooner or later. She'd personally rather it be later. But well, the Potters were rather doting parents. "It's you, James. If anyone would own an invisible cloak, it would be you."

"Well, that's no fun," James sulked, before brightly saying, "Well, at least I surprised you!"

Pausing to grab into the mokeskin pouch around his waist, James reaches inside and pulls out a palm-sized birthday cake with an unlit candle at the end. "How come you never told us today was your birthday? We wouldn't have ever known if Terry hadn't let it slip to Lupin, who told us."

"Severus and I don't much like celebrating our birthdays," Rowan quietly said as she watched James light the candle with the tip of his wand.

"Still, you're fourteen today, and that's something to celebrate!" James said with a cheeky grin. "Now blow the candle out and make a wish!"

"Aren't we too old to be making wishes?" Rowan with a rather amused expression said.

James rolls his eyes and says, "Just make a wish already!"

Rowan stares at the flickering candle, before taking a breath and blowing the candle out in a single breath. The candle instantly went out as a faint wisp of smoke emerged from the white candle. James grins and asks, "What did you wish for?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't come true, now, would it?" Rowan smirked back.

James merely sniffs and splits the palm-sized birthday cake in two. Holding a half in each hand he silently holds both parts out for Rowan to choose. She chose the smaller one as James happily bit into the bigger half. The small chocolate cake was rather good as they both quickly finished their own half of the cake and licked the crumbs off their face and hand.

Having made certain that weren't any more crumbs on her person, Rowan made a face as she reached over and wiped a crumb off James's cheek with her thumb. "Messy boy," Rowan softly chuckled in amusement.

James made a face at her and said, "I'm only a few months younger than you!"

"Mm, still a boy," Rowan said in satisfaction at seeing James scowl at her. "And your voice hasn't even begun to break yet. Peter and Remus's voices have already begun to break, and even Sirius's started over the winter break."

Seeing the look of disbelief and betrayal on James's face, Rowan snickering rather loudly said, "Regulus confessed to me that little tidbit, giggling rather loudly during one of his visits."

Pursuing his lips and wrinkling his nose, James grumpily mutters under his breath, "Traitor," in reference to Sirius's voice change.

Folding his arms over his chest, James sullenly says, "That's the last time, I ever sneak down to see you."

"Good, because I doubt you can get into the Slytherin common room."

"I can too!"

"It wasn't meant for you to take it quite so literally James, it was a joke."

James makes a satisfied expression as he haughtily says, "That's only because you know that I can."

"Yes, well, I would rather not risk it," Rowan drily said imagining the awful scene in her mind.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" James said as he hurriedly reached into his pouch and pulled out a silver chain necklace with a crescent moon silver lining around a glittering dark moonstone that appeared to sparkle as if it had taken part of the cosmos and stashed it inside.

"Oh, it's lovely, James," Rowan whispered actually impressed for once. "Whose it for?"

James arches his eyebrow and says, "You know, and they say that Slytherins are supposed to be clever." Rowan's ears begin to turn pink as he shoves the pendant into her hand.

"I saw it in Hogsmeade and thought to give it to you for Christmas, once we came back. But with everything that's happened, I didn't get a chance to give it to you. Go on, put it on!" James urged her as Rowan carefully slipped the pendant over her head.

"Thank you, James," Rowan sincerely said. "It's quite lovely." And she meant it, as she wasn't one for wearing any jewelry. But as this was a thin silver chain pendant, she should be able to wear it safely under her clothes without anyone noticing.

James proudly puffs out his chest and says, "I knew, you'd like it."

Rowan merely rolls her eyes at him as she glances over at the clock that read as midnight. "It's midnight already and you have classes in the morning. You better get going now, James."

"Ug," James grunts as he slides off the edge of the bed onto his feet. "I'll see you later," James cheekily said, before pulling the cloak on his head.

"Please don't bother," Rowan firmly said as she watched the bedcurtains open and close all on their own. Hiding a smile, just in case, James had faked his leaving, she slipped the pendant inside her clothes and turned over to lay on her side. Closing her eyes, she faintly smiled at recalling the incident, before falling fast asleep with her lips still curled upwards.