Confident | Fred Weasley

Chapter 22 | Seventeen

January 2nd had always been a strange day for Sarah. Ever since she was little, she never particularly looked forward to her birthday, but at the same time, she didn't particularly dread it either.

At the Carter's house, the birthday kid always got an extra glass of chocolate milkshake before bed, which Sarah definitely enjoyed, but otherwise that was it. Sarah sometimes felt rather uncomfortable on her birthdays, as it occurred to her that she was getting another year older, but that's exactly what she wanted so that she could get out of the foster system and make ends meet on her own. She'd stopped trying to understand her feelings for birthdays long ago, it just confused her.

Sarah woke up that morning, her stomach yearning for something tasty to eat. She knew the girls would understand if she dashed to breakfast before them, so she hurriedly got ready and headed down.

The Great Hall was ordinary once more, much to Sarah's dismay. The four house tables glinted tangerine in the beams of the rising sun. The open roof displayed a sunrise that was of pictures, the sky as vibrant as burnt sienna. Sarah took a seat a Gryffindor table, where few students sat and ate breakfast. She too reached for a plate and some food.

As Sarah ate her breakfast, more people began to pile into the Great Hall. Soon enough, Angelina, Alicia and Patricia turned up, rubbing the sleep out of their eyes.

"Happy birthday!" was the first thing any of them said.

"Thanks," Sarah replied, mustering her biggest smile.

"Seventeen, eh? You can use magic outside of school now," Patricia said excitedly, her dark hair falling into her face as she put food into her plate.

"Oh, yeah! Hmm, I wonder what I'll do first - " The idea of using magic outside of school excited Sarah a lot.

"You won't be outside of school till the summer," Angelina told her with a laugh.

"Oh, you're right..." Sarah trailed off, with a sigh.

The morning owls arrived. A tawny brown owl, small but mighty, soared across the hall, dropping a letter into Sarah's grip. It swooped around, returning the way it came. Sarah looked at the letter, which had a M.O.M logo printed on the corner of the envelope. A wax seal with their crest held the paper together.

"Who's it from?" Alicia inquired, her spoon hovering in mid-air.

"Ministry," Sarah replied. As she went to peel the wax seal off, the letter jumped out of her grip, floating in front of her ominously.

"No way did you get a howler from the ministry!" Patricia gasped and recoiled in case it exploded.

Sarah watched as the envelope bent, forming a papery mouth. It opened and began to shout:

"SARAH GENIVIEVE COPPER -"

Sarah groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

" - AS YOU ARE OFFICIALLY SEVENTEEN, YOU ARE NO LONGER ELIGIBLE FOR FOSTER CARE OR ADOPTION. THE TRACE HAS BEEN LIFTED UPON YOU, AND YOU MUST NOW MAKE YOUR OWN ENDS MEET. MR AND MRS CARTER WILL NO LONGER HELP YOU."

"Absolute cows," Angelina hissed under her breath.

"THEY HAVE LEFT NO PARTING GIFTS. HOWEVER, YOU ARE NOW IN CONTROL OF YOUR FINANCES. AN EXTRA SLIP IN THIS ENEVLOPE HAS EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR ACCOUNT. WE WISH YOU THE BEST, ANDREA HALL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF UNDERAGE MAGIC AMD CARE!" The letter finished.

The letter folded itself back into an envelope, before floating down onto the table in front of Sarah. She glared at the letter, feeling rather overwhelmed.