Fourteen and a Fool on April Fools Day ((Friends))

[Ivy Tunstall]

Ivy was woken that morning by Gilbert nuzzling her finger affectionately. She dozed for a second, her temples creasing into a frown as she realised there was something alive near her. She jumped up, waving her hand to try and get it off. Gilbert gave an indignant squawk and fluttered over to the other side of the room. Ivy looked up, having realised it was him, and got out of bed to go and stroke him. He looked at her reproachfully, so she bent down into her bag, the purple pyjama trousers that were already too short becoming even shorter, and went to him with an Owl Treat. He swallowed it and nuzzled her again. He must know it was her birthday.

If it was her birthday, that meant today, April 1st, must be April Fools Day as well. How annoying. People were always in high spirits anyway on that day, without being encouraged by having a birthday girl to play tricks on. Ivy had endured it ever since she went to school. So about 10 April Fools Day birthdays at various schools. She carried Gilbert over to her bed again, and took off the package he was carrying, wrapped up in brown Muggle parcel paper, and with her name and location on it in Fanny's neat writing. Ivy reached for her scissors in her pencil case, and cut open the white string that bound it. It was then a case of getting rid of all the brown sticky tape and ripping the paper open, as well as the bubble wrap surrounding the final thing concealed inside. At length she got inside to reveal some little wrapped (oh no!) presents, several cards and a gooseberry fool, along with a piece of paper on which Fanny had written out a poem about goosberries, and the Ashton children had evidently done the background and border. Ivy smiled, turning around as the door burst open.

[Nokomis Astarra H5]

She didn't know when Ivy's birthday was for the longest time. They always talked about other things, studies, family, friends, quidditch most of all, but never about the personal stuff. It had only been late the week before when the truth finally slipped out. Lately she and Ivy had grown closer, the third year being one of the few people in all of Hogwarts she felt comfortable around, and she wasn’t going to let her friend go with out a birthday celebration. There had been a bit of talk about a few of the Hufflepuffs, not that she was ever brave enough to start any of it, and she managed to relay information to one of the older Hufflepuff's of what to get Ivy in Hogsmead, seeing as she was too young to go herself. She had ordered a year's subscription to the best Quidditch magazine in the Wizarding World, "Quaffle This," and how held a decorative birthday bad in her hand with the first issue along with a small black box she had tied a ribbon around. Inside was a thing silver chain with a small quaffle hanging from it. A matching one hung around her own neck. She wished she could have bought a nicer one, but at least she had enough kunts left over to have it customized with a yellow H on the ball.

Once she was sure Ivy was up, she burst through the door, calling "Happy Birthday!" as loud as she dared and heading straight for her friends bed, jumping onto the edge of it and holding out the bag that held her gifts.

[Ivy Tunstall]

Ivy jumped as Nokomis came into the room at top speed, greeting her 'Happy Birthday'. She smiled at her friend, clearing some of the parcel paper to make a space for Nokomis on her bed just in time, as her friend jumped onto it. Ivy smiled happily at Nokomis. She seemed to be in a very good mood today, and the fact it was Nokomis had come through that door had put Ivy in a very good mood too. Nokomis seemed to be holding out a bag for her. "For me?" Ivy asked, smiling. Well, it probably was, judging by the fact that it had balloons on it, Ivy was the only person in the room apart from Nokomis, the only person she was aware of who had a birthday today, and the one who Nokomis had wished Happy Birthday.

Ivy took the bag gingerly and peeped inside it. There seemed to be two things inside there. She took out the more obvious one first, which seemed to be some sort of magazine. On closer inspection, it was 'Quaffle This'. She smiled, looking through it. It held pictures of the Kenmare Kestrels practising as a team, along with one of the more good-looking players. Ivy flicked through it and found much more. There was hours of enjoyment in this thing. She grinned at Nokomis. "I only have two treasured copies of this thing from the past two years. Thank you ever so much." As she remembered having seen another shape lurking inside the bag, she looked in again, and drew out a small box, decorated very nicely with a yellow ribbon, that had to be Nokomis' doing. Ivy untied the ribbon carefully and opened the box, inside which was nestling what looked like a necklace. On closer inspection it had a tiny Quaffle hanging from it, just the right shade of red, from which a yellow 'H' shone. Ivy thought it was absolutely beautiful, and just her sort of thing. She put it round her neck, adjusting it so that the mini Quaffle could be clearly seen.

"Thank you Nokomis," she said, smiling at her friend, feeling slightly awkward. She hadn't really expected anyone to make much of an effort for her birthday. She always kept it fairly low key. On an impulse, Ivy decided that a much better way of thanking Nokomis would be to give her a hug, so she did so. "It's beautiful," she said, smiling again to show just how much she meant it. Ivy stayed silent for a while, before eyeing the fool again. An amused smile played on her lips, and it broke out as she looked Nokomis in the eyes again.
"Do you like gooseberry fool?" she asked playfully.

[Nokomis Astarra H5]

She was glad that she was the first one to come into the room and wish Ivy a happy birthday...and that she could do it when they were alone. She handled more emotional things much better where there were less people around....she handled almost everything better when there were less people around.

A wide grin spread across her face when Ivy pulled out the copy of "Quaffle This." She only had one copy that her father had sent her and she loved it. It was nothing but quiddich...even the ads, and it even had a focus on chasers.
"Well, now you will get one every month for a year."

When her friend took out the necklase she smiled again. It took a lot of throught to come up with it. She wanted to get something that would be more special, and she and Ivy really got to know eachother by being chasers on the quiddich team. She lifted a hand up an tugged on the chain that hung around her own neck, revealing the exact same necklase that had been hidden under her shirt. She wished she could say something to express why she had done it--gotten the same necklase for the both of them. It was sort of so both of them woudl always know the other was there, but she wasn't good enough with words to tell that to Ivy. Luckily she didn't have to think long becaue Ivy soon hugged her.

"Gooseberry fool?"
She had never heard of it...whatever it was.