Second Birthday (Part 2)

The birthday celebrations themselves were much like last year but with a few notable differences. Snape brought me a selection of rare potion ingredients that I had never seen before, each carefully labeled and with a brief note on their properties. He also gave me the next two years' worth of textbooks and a stack of homework. It is good to see that my uncle is as serious about my education as I am, maybe even more so. Draco was given seven more glow-in-the-dark Quidditch figures by his godfather. My mother had somehow managed to guilt-trip Snape by mentioning how much time we had spent together and how he would have to get him something extra special. Draco barely managed to thank our godfather before running to the other room to play with them.

Draco only returned when he heard the promise of sweets. Narcissa, ever the doting mother, had prepared a lavish cake, adorned with intricate magical decorations that danced and twirled around the icing. She gave me a beautiful set of enchanted paintbrushes, each imbued with a different magical effect. One could make the paint shimmer like stardust, another could change colors with a thought, and a third could create images that moved like the characters in my Magical Mates and Merriment (I'm tired of writing the name out and will use MMaM when referring to it from now on) show but without me having to place runes. These were a type of enchanting I was yet to be able to practice, long-term spells placed onto objects. They were not just functional as paint brushes but also pieces to try and copy using my methods.

My mother's gift to my brother was just as extravagant. Draco's eyes lit up with joy as he unwrapped a set of miniature Quidditch players that zoomed around a tiny pitch, their movements controlled by a glove on his hand. I could instantly tell that this had been commissioned as none of the various catalogs I could see had contained something similar. He immediately set them up and began playing, his laughter filling the room.

From my father, I received a beautifully crafted magical quill that never ran out of ink, a set of crystal phials for my potion experiments, and a rare book on ancient runes that may have cost more than everything else I had been given today. I was also given something heartwarming as well—a delicate silver locket, engraved with the Malfoy crest and inscribed with protective enchantments. Inside was a tiny portrait of our family that would age with me and Draco. Draco had been given his practice broom, a bunch of toys that he had circled in a catalog, and a similar pendant. It was to remind us that no matter where we were, family was always close.

This year I gave Draco a "Where's Merlin" book. He seemed to have enjoyed the old wizard from MMaM and he had given me the idea back in the library. Two weeks ago, I had brought my handiwork to my father to get his opinion on what the cost of making this book would be and whether it would sell well. This led to another trip for him to the patent office. This marks the third patent under the "Nyx" name, with the lamps and MMaM both having large-scale success. The publishing rights for this book were sold to Flourish and Blotts, and within the month, this book would hit shelves. If it sold well, I would probably make a sequel with the whole cast. Future knowledge really comes in handy; I had beaten out "Where's Waldo" by about five years. I had written on the inside cover that this book was inspired by "my brother's adventurous spirit." I even decided to put 5% of the profit into a vault with his name on it out of the kindness of my own heart. I was, however, going to take that back if he didn't get me a birthday present next year.

The event ended with a final portrait being made of the family, the magical artifact used acted like a camera, painting the picture based on the photo taken, this would take about 5 minutes each time, a digital camera would be a must in the future. Even Snape was allowed to join in after Draco said "He got me such a good present, he deserves to be in the photo", it is quite easy to buy the heir's love. It took seven tries before we got one where my darling brother had stood still and not made a face. Narcissa sent Dobby to hang up the portrait while Snape was walked by his godchildren to the fireplace. "I expect to see you at 12 tomorrow at my lab, Seras. Don't be late," he said with his usual stern voice, a slight smirk appearing on his lips.

With that, I went to my room to sleep. Roughly ten minutes later, I heard a loud knock at the door. I got up from my bed to find out what was the matter, and there stood Draco. In his hands, he had a small stuffed dragon that he had begged Mom and Dad to buy him from a catalog. He had never touched the dragon after its arrival as it was too small, apparently. He looked at me and said, "Happy Birthday," before putting the dragon in my hands and running back to his room. Maybe my little bro wasn't so hopeless, I thought to myself, before going back to my bed and putting the little dragon onto my desk where I would be able to see him when I worked. I fell asleep with a smile on my face.