A/N: I just couldn't wait.
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Disclaimer: If it belonged to me, HBP would have been MUCH different.
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Birthday Wishes
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"Harry, mate, you have to get out of this office."
Harry Potter looked up at his friend Ron Weasley and smiled weakly. "This paper work has to be finished by morning, and since you're obviously going out…"
Ron had the courtesy to look sheepish at his Harry's comment. "If Luna and I are ever going to get married, we have to learn to get along first. That means dating." Ron said, referring to the girl he was betrothed to-Luna Lovegood.
"If you say so." Harry muttered.
Ron walked further into Harry's office and sat in the chair across from his desk. He took in his friend's appearance. He looked even more pale normal. There were huge bags and dark circles under his eyes and his cheeks were beginning to look sunken. He looked bad, to put it kindly.
"Harry, you alright?"
He glanced up at the obvious concern in Ron's voice. "I'm fine Ron. Honestly. Working just…keeps my mind off things."
"What kind of things?" Ron asked quickly, thinking he'd stumbled onto some dirt.
"Just things. Nothing important." he said with an air of finality that Ron knew he wouldn't get past.
"If you say so." Ron sighed and stood to leave. "Just don't stay too late. I'll be forced to tell Hermione." he teased.
Harry paled at the thought of what she would do. Their other best friend, Hermione Granger Weasley was currently pregnant for the third time and bit nuts. She'd been nagging Harry about working too much for weeks now. If Ron told her, she'd murder him.
"You wouldn't." Harry said.
"We'll see. Night mate." Ron grinned at his friend's obvious fear and headed off to meet Luna.
Harry shook his head and went back to work. He was finished after an hour and apparrated home, exhausted. He collapsed on the bed in his room and stared up at the ceiling in thought.
Ron had been right in assuming that there was something specific on his mind. It was something very specific.
He was lonely.
Everyone of his friends were married or in serious relationships. Ron, Hermione, Neville, Dean, Seamus, the whole lot. And here he was, the most famous wizard maybe of all time, and he hadn't been on a date in over six months. Each girl he'd dated that had genuinely liked him had been scared off by the media attention they drew. And the ones that weren't were the ones who were in it just because he was famous Harry Potter.
He sighed deeply. Most muggle guys weren't ready to settle down at twenty-two, but apparently in the wizarding world it was commonplace. Someone had just neglected to tell him.
He looked over at the stack of birthday card on his nightstand. They came from all over, every year, from people as far away as Egypt and Alaska. So far he'd only gotten through about a third of them, owing that he always wrote thank you notes- at Mrs. Weasley's insistence.
With nothing better to do on a Friday night than sort through his mail, he picked one up and opened it.
The scent of roses wafted delicately out of the envelope. A girl. Most of these were from girls as young as twelve and all sounded alike. But this one seemed different. No special effects, no singing, nothing popping out at him. Intrigued, he opened it.
It was from Gabrielle Delacour. Her older sister, Fleur, was married to the eldest of the seven Weasley children, Bill. Harry had known Gabrielle since she was eight, when he had pulled her out a lake during the Tri Wizard Tournament, which he competed in against Fleur. Gabrielle had sent him a card every birthday and Christmas since. She even sent him one when he graduated Hogwarts.
He smiled as he read the simple, familiar greeting and wishes she always sent. She was such a nice girl.
He hadn't seen her since Bill and Fleur's wedding four years earlier. She must be fifteen…no sixteen by now. He could just imagine her. She was most likely the very image of Fleur when he'd first met her. Huge blue eyes, long silvery blonde hair, strikingly beautiful-all thanks to her Veela ancestry.
Smiling, he took out a piece of parchment to write back.
What could it hurt?
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A/N: Short, but hey, it's only the first chapter. : )
