Goodness. Teenaged love. Plum tried not to let a patronising grin take over her face. They were cute, but hopefully she'd not have to giggle too much at them.

"Just friends? Looks to me like he might be interested in more than that,"

But honestly. Was her eighteen-year-old brother going to lecture her on Joshua Cloud?

"That's the way he usually looks, Luke," she laughed. "You get used to it."

She settled herself at the table with the two teenagers, opening her menu and looking it over like the restaurant pro that she was.

"So, ladies, it's all on me today. I'm the gentleman and I'm paying for our meal. I don't care if it's my birthday, too. It's your birthday, first, Plum, and what sort of man would I be if I didn't spoil my two favorite girls, huh?"

A rosy flush spread up Plum's neck and into her cheeks, igniting them with a pleasure-filled glow. Two favorite girls? That meant herself and Michelle, right? She was one of his favorite girls? She smiled at him, the true, genuine smile of a soul touched to the core, before her attention turned to Michelle and whatever it was that she was doing.

And what was this- a gift? A gift for Plum? Her eyebrows lifted in surprise, as her smile widened.

"For me?" she asked, almost in awe. "My dear, you didn't need to get me anything."

Well, go on and open them up, Michelle said. And happy birthday.

Gently, Plum lifted the top of the box, making all sorts of surprised and pleased noises as her eyes fell over the very pretty scarf. It was incredibly soft, which was exactly how Plum liked things, and really, just too pretty and delicate for words.

And then she caught sight of the card.

Plum read it closely, trying to ignore the way it seemed as if her heart were slowing down with every passing word. Her face she kept schooled, feigning understanding and interest as she read over the rest of the instructions.

"How very clever," Plum said, looking up. If there were any shine to her eyes or tightness in her voice, she expelled it imediately. "Thank you very much, Michelle. How very thoughtful."

Luke hadn't told her. Why should he have, Plum asked herself. Luke hadn't told his girlfriend that his sister was a Squib. Why hadn't he? Plum glanced to her brother. Was he ashamed of it? As ashamed as Plum herself was? She folded the scarf and laid it gently back into the box, sliding the card in between the folds.

"Are we doing presents now, then?" Plum asked, forcing as much bubbly energy as she could. "I've something for you, as well, Luke. What's that you've got from Michelle then, hmm?"