Chapter Eight: Greatest Day
July 31, 1995
Okay, so it's about 6:00 in the morning and the sun's just barely up. About half an hour ago the presents arrived. I know that we told the guy to deliver them early but I didn't exactly mean five past yesterday. Well whatever floats his boat but Hermione came to the door while that filthy git was there and he gave her the once over. I think, given a few more seconds, I would have punched him square in the face.
On the subject of filthy perverts that are too old for Hermione, Little Vicky Krum sent her an owl about two days ago and it sent her into tears. We couldn't get her out of Ginny's room for the whole day! What is it with him anyway? I mean it's not like he couldn't have any girl at Hogwarts in a second, no matter how ugly he is, but now he needs the one girl at Hogwarts that he doesn't deserve! Hermione is too smart for some stupid git like him! She's too smart for almost anyone at Hogwarts so why did she have to pick someone that much older and with that much capability to hurt her?
Gotta calm down Ron, I don't know why I get so worked up ver this kind of stuff but there you go. Unsolved mystery. It's 6:15 now but I still feel like something's not right. I want to write more but there's nothing that I can think to put down on the paper. I guess I'll just put down the first few lines I've made up for a song. I'm having writer's block but then that's what the song is about so maybe I just set myself up for that one. Here goes.
Can't sleep, can't think, can't eat, can't drink
'cause the words in my head won't come out.
I'm writing it for you, but every time I start to rhyme
My mind begins to doubt and the words just disappear.
Why can't I find the words to tell you how I feel?
The words are blocked, my mind is locked
Even though I know the feeling's real.
And that's all I've got. I just can't seem to write a song that makes sense or sounds good. I thought the song I wrote last night was pretty good but then Hermione killed it. I don't see why she didn't like it and when I went to look for it so that I could maybe save it for later the trash was already emptied. I can't believe I don't remember the words. Oh well, I guess I'll write later.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Ron woke Harry at about 8:00 with the ceremonial stealing of his sheets and the dumping of cold marbles into his bed.
"Ahhhhhhh! Bloody hell Ron! Get 'em off me, holy crap it's cold! Ahhhhhhh!"
"Happy Birthday mate! You awake?" chortled Ron.
"Well if I weren't awake you would probably come up with another brilliant idea for how to get me up so, for the sake of my good health, yes," said Harry, still trying to escape the marbles that kept rolling into the indentations that he made in the mattress.
"Marbles roll downhill, I expect you wont be able to escape without getting off of the bed completely," observed Hermione coming into the room to see what all the commotion was about.
"Thanks for that pointer Hermione but would you excuse me now while I get dressed?"
"Sure thing. By the way, breakfast is almost made so you ought to hurry up." Harry finally managed to get himself out of bed only to find a shirt and pants being flung into his face by Ron.
"You do understand that customarily on ones birthday they are aloud to sleep in as long as they like. Now I've never experienced this first class mind you, but I thought that maybe since I wasn't at the Dursley's house I might get some special treatment for a change," grumbled Harry as he pulled on the pants over his boxers.
"Sorry to tell you but that's not the way we do things at The Burrow. I'm only lucky that my birthday is during school so I don't get the full treatment. Believe me, you're not even getting the full treatment. I think it's illegal to do that to somebody else's children. Harry and Ron hurried down the stairs as Harry finished pulling his shirt over his head.
"Breakfast boys! Hurry before it gets cold!" shouted Mrs. Weasley from down in the kitchen.
"We're coming mum!" Shouted Fred who, along with George, had just joined Harry and Ron on the way down to breakfast. "Oi, happy birthday Harry! You already got the cold marbles I suppose."
"Well sure he did! He's awake isn't he?" laughed George as he nudged Harry. They all entered the kitchen before Harry and stood in front of the present with suspicious looks on their faces.
"What are you guys hiding? My present can't be that big that it takes all of you to hide it."
"Well sure it could, but only if it was something that you really wanted," smiled Ron as the look of realization spread over Harry's face.
"No way! You got the guitar and drums? Awesome!" shouted Harry, running over as Ron, Fred, and George all stood aside to show the guitar and drums standing there in all there glory. Nobody gave a second thought to the quality of them because at that moment, no present could have been better.
By the time breakfast was through everyone was aching to have a go at playing Ron's drums and Harry was raring to get a hold on his guitar.
"Oi Harry, you wanna take all this up to my room so we can get started practicing?" asked Ron who, without waiting for Harry's answer, was already dismantling his drum set piece by piece so it would be easier to move. Harry agreed at once and after only half an hour of moving they were all ready to get started, the only problem being that neither of them knew anything about music.
"So how hard could it be? I mean come on; you just use the sticks and bang around on them. I've heard enough rock to know that the drums are easy... right?"
"I'm not so sure about that one Ron. Do you know how to read music? Because it doesn't look like anything but a bunch of little inkblots and squiggly lines to me. I mean, somebody in this house has to know something about music. How bout your mum?"
"Nah, she never played any instruments besides piano-"
"You dope, that's still music only just not the kind of music you like. Sometimes you amaze me with your total lack of thought!"
After about an hour of this kind of conversation Hermione came up to see what was with the lack of incoherent noise.
"Not going to try and play any music or can't you figure out how?" she smirked, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed.
"Sod off Hermione. We're just trying to figure out what we want to play," grumbled Ron as he made an attempt to twirl one of his drumsticks and ended up hitting himself in the face. Hermione started laughing uncontrollably and Harry let out something that sounded like a cross between a laugh and a cough. Ron, who's ears were now the same color as beets, made a face at Hermione and stuck out his tongue.
"So do you think you might want me to teach you how to read music or would you rather keep doing things your way?" asked Hermione, finally in control of her laughter again. Ron and Harry looked at her, then at one another, and then back to Hermione.
"Sure," they replied in unison. In no time they were watching Hermione point to a large diagram with music notes and little numbers and letters all over the place. Hermione seemed to be enjoying herself quite a lot because she was making them call her Miss Granger and raise their hands to ask a question. After about two hours of nonstop learning Ginny knocked on the door of Ron's bedroom.
"Er, I forgot to give you your present Harry. So here you are." Ginny was now blushing to the roots of her bright orange hair. Harry took the box from her and pocketed it.
"I'll open it tonight at dinner, okay Gin?" smiled Harry as Ginny hurried out of the room even redder than before.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
A/N: I really like this chapter a lot and I hope that you guy's do too! I know that the ending seems a little rushed but I really wanted to get this posted tonight and I had a limited amount of time to finish it.
July 31, 1995
Okay, so it's about 6:00 in the morning and the sun's just barely up. About half an hour ago the presents arrived. I know that we told the guy to deliver them early but I didn't exactly mean five past yesterday. Well whatever floats his boat but Hermione came to the door while that filthy git was there and he gave her the once over. I think, given a few more seconds, I would have punched him square in the face.
On the subject of filthy perverts that are too old for Hermione, Little Vicky Krum sent her an owl about two days ago and it sent her into tears. We couldn't get her out of Ginny's room for the whole day! What is it with him anyway? I mean it's not like he couldn't have any girl at Hogwarts in a second, no matter how ugly he is, but now he needs the one girl at Hogwarts that he doesn't deserve! Hermione is too smart for some stupid git like him! She's too smart for almost anyone at Hogwarts so why did she have to pick someone that much older and with that much capability to hurt her?
Gotta calm down Ron, I don't know why I get so worked up ver this kind of stuff but there you go. Unsolved mystery. It's 6:15 now but I still feel like something's not right. I want to write more but there's nothing that I can think to put down on the paper. I guess I'll just put down the first few lines I've made up for a song. I'm having writer's block but then that's what the song is about so maybe I just set myself up for that one. Here goes.
Can't sleep, can't think, can't eat, can't drink
'cause the words in my head won't come out.
I'm writing it for you, but every time I start to rhyme
My mind begins to doubt and the words just disappear.
Why can't I find the words to tell you how I feel?
The words are blocked, my mind is locked
Even though I know the feeling's real.
And that's all I've got. I just can't seem to write a song that makes sense or sounds good. I thought the song I wrote last night was pretty good but then Hermione killed it. I don't see why she didn't like it and when I went to look for it so that I could maybe save it for later the trash was already emptied. I can't believe I don't remember the words. Oh well, I guess I'll write later.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Ron woke Harry at about 8:00 with the ceremonial stealing of his sheets and the dumping of cold marbles into his bed.
"Ahhhhhhh! Bloody hell Ron! Get 'em off me, holy crap it's cold! Ahhhhhhh!"
"Happy Birthday mate! You awake?" chortled Ron.
"Well if I weren't awake you would probably come up with another brilliant idea for how to get me up so, for the sake of my good health, yes," said Harry, still trying to escape the marbles that kept rolling into the indentations that he made in the mattress.
"Marbles roll downhill, I expect you wont be able to escape without getting off of the bed completely," observed Hermione coming into the room to see what all the commotion was about.
"Thanks for that pointer Hermione but would you excuse me now while I get dressed?"
"Sure thing. By the way, breakfast is almost made so you ought to hurry up." Harry finally managed to get himself out of bed only to find a shirt and pants being flung into his face by Ron.
"You do understand that customarily on ones birthday they are aloud to sleep in as long as they like. Now I've never experienced this first class mind you, but I thought that maybe since I wasn't at the Dursley's house I might get some special treatment for a change," grumbled Harry as he pulled on the pants over his boxers.
"Sorry to tell you but that's not the way we do things at The Burrow. I'm only lucky that my birthday is during school so I don't get the full treatment. Believe me, you're not even getting the full treatment. I think it's illegal to do that to somebody else's children. Harry and Ron hurried down the stairs as Harry finished pulling his shirt over his head.
"Breakfast boys! Hurry before it gets cold!" shouted Mrs. Weasley from down in the kitchen.
"We're coming mum!" Shouted Fred who, along with George, had just joined Harry and Ron on the way down to breakfast. "Oi, happy birthday Harry! You already got the cold marbles I suppose."
"Well sure he did! He's awake isn't he?" laughed George as he nudged Harry. They all entered the kitchen before Harry and stood in front of the present with suspicious looks on their faces.
"What are you guys hiding? My present can't be that big that it takes all of you to hide it."
"Well sure it could, but only if it was something that you really wanted," smiled Ron as the look of realization spread over Harry's face.
"No way! You got the guitar and drums? Awesome!" shouted Harry, running over as Ron, Fred, and George all stood aside to show the guitar and drums standing there in all there glory. Nobody gave a second thought to the quality of them because at that moment, no present could have been better.
By the time breakfast was through everyone was aching to have a go at playing Ron's drums and Harry was raring to get a hold on his guitar.
"Oi Harry, you wanna take all this up to my room so we can get started practicing?" asked Ron who, without waiting for Harry's answer, was already dismantling his drum set piece by piece so it would be easier to move. Harry agreed at once and after only half an hour of moving they were all ready to get started, the only problem being that neither of them knew anything about music.
"So how hard could it be? I mean come on; you just use the sticks and bang around on them. I've heard enough rock to know that the drums are easy... right?"
"I'm not so sure about that one Ron. Do you know how to read music? Because it doesn't look like anything but a bunch of little inkblots and squiggly lines to me. I mean, somebody in this house has to know something about music. How bout your mum?"
"Nah, she never played any instruments besides piano-"
"You dope, that's still music only just not the kind of music you like. Sometimes you amaze me with your total lack of thought!"
After about an hour of this kind of conversation Hermione came up to see what was with the lack of incoherent noise.
"Not going to try and play any music or can't you figure out how?" she smirked, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed.
"Sod off Hermione. We're just trying to figure out what we want to play," grumbled Ron as he made an attempt to twirl one of his drumsticks and ended up hitting himself in the face. Hermione started laughing uncontrollably and Harry let out something that sounded like a cross between a laugh and a cough. Ron, who's ears were now the same color as beets, made a face at Hermione and stuck out his tongue.
"So do you think you might want me to teach you how to read music or would you rather keep doing things your way?" asked Hermione, finally in control of her laughter again. Ron and Harry looked at her, then at one another, and then back to Hermione.
"Sure," they replied in unison. In no time they were watching Hermione point to a large diagram with music notes and little numbers and letters all over the place. Hermione seemed to be enjoying herself quite a lot because she was making them call her Miss Granger and raise their hands to ask a question. After about two hours of nonstop learning Ginny knocked on the door of Ron's bedroom.
"Er, I forgot to give you your present Harry. So here you are." Ginny was now blushing to the roots of her bright orange hair. Harry took the box from her and pocketed it.
"I'll open it tonight at dinner, okay Gin?" smiled Harry as Ginny hurried out of the room even redder than before.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
A/N: I really like this chapter a lot and I hope that you guy's do too! I know that the ending seems a little rushed but I really wanted to get this posted tonight and I had a limited amount of time to finish it.