"I have the bottle..." Lena boasted it in Maddie's face. Maddie rolled her eyes.

"Is that the birthday girl?" Lily ran up to Maddie and wrapped an arm over her shoulder. "Try birthday girls." Maddie nodded towards Lena a few steps ahead. "Happy Birthday, Lena," Lily called. Lena turned her head slightly, opened her mouth like she was about to say something, and turned away.

"Sorry about her, she's just... uh..." Maddie ruffled through all the excuses in her arsenal, "It's hard for her, sharing a birthday."

Lily gave a nod. "Hugo's waiting for us, ready?"

When they returned to Hugo, he smiled, "Well, there's the special lady." Maddie gave him a soft punch, "Stop making a big deal." Lily gave them a wicked smile as Hugo chuckled and returned the gesture.

"What?" Hugo raised his eyebrows.

"Nothing..." Lily looked at the bewitched ceiling with a smirk.

Maddie felt a tap on her back and turned around. It was Madame Pomfrey. "I heard it was somebody's birthday," she rubbed Maddie on her shoulder. "Hey, if you want to come by after breakfast, I'll see about removing that cast. It's been six weeks."

Maddie smiled on the outside, but gasped on the inside. Six weeks?! She checked with herself, yep. It was October 21st.

"O- Okay."

"Does that mean she can be in flying class tomorrow?" Hugo piped up.

Madame Pomfrey considered, "Well... I don't think so, I'd say at least the rest of the week for recovery, but maybe Monday."

Monday?! No, try a day that's maybe not six days away?!

"Great, right, Mad?" Lily exclaimed. "Yeah," Maddie said, "awesome." Real awesome, she sighed.

---

"Will it hurt?" Maddie asked as Madame Pomfrey sat her down on the white sheets of a hospital bed, "Getting the cast off, I mean." The nurse shook her head, "Not at all." She pulled out a pair of sleek scissors and fit the cast between the blades.

Snip.