Chapter IV: Nineteen Candles and One Wish
Cho Chang blocked the last hit with her shielded forearm. Another bright light sparked forward, and it nearly made her drop her wand. Steadily, Cho regained her balance and darted to the left. Her maroon cape followed her, swaying in the brisk wind. As she readjusted her dragon skin gloves, a flash of blue hit her right knee causing her to kneel down. She clenched her teeth was she braced the stinging pain.
Within a few seconds, it was gone, and she jumped back to her feet. She rolled over to the side just in time to miss another shot. Quickly, Cho raised her hand and flicked her wand twice. On the third wave of her wrist, she said,
"Lumos Solarum!"
At that instant, a fantastically brilliant light shone from out her wand. Its rays traveled all around her, brightening every dark corner and shady ground. Floating a good eight feet in front of her was a medium sized wizard wearing a dark green robe too long for his size. As the light hit his eyes, he closed them and lifted his arms as if to stop the light from getting any brighter.
Cho studied her opponent well. She definitely met him before and now knew why she could not easily defeat him. He was one of the eldest and wisest wizards on the island of Atlantis. There was no way she could win against such a powerful wizard.
"Why did you stop?" the wizard asked, still floating.
"I know who you are now," she said. "I cannot possibly defeat you."
"So you stop? Before, you fought well. But now that you have seen your enemy, you are too scared to fight."
"I'm not scared!" Cho yelled as she stepped forward.
He laughed. "Of course you are scared, maybe not of me, but of my reputation. You believe that the fight is unfair, that because I am older and more skilled, I must win."
"You are much better than me. It is an unfair fight."
The wizard slowly floated down and landed in front of Cho. "My dear, there are no fair fights in our magical world, only fair competitors. When you quit a match like that, you not only forfeit your right to win but your reputation. Never forfeit that. It's the only thing you have once your power has weakened. I should know. I was a great wizard in my time… But now, I am an old one and not so great. You coukd have defeated me if you only tried."
Cho sighed and looked down at her wand in her hand. If she was going to study these ancient, great wizards of Atlantis, she had to be able to face them in battle. Even if it was just practice, she had to give it her all. When Cho looked up, she realized the wizard was gone. She did not even have time to apologize.
She then turned to a wooden bench on the side of the dirt arena. After sitting, she took off her gloves, letting her sweaty palms air out a bit. Just as she was about to get up, a large owl flew down with gorgeous white feathers with gold trim. It had a black underbelly and perfectly groomed tail feathers. It landed right next to Cho and held an envelope in its beak.
"Is this for me?" she asked.
The owl nodded its head and moved itself toward Cho's free hand. She carefully grabbed the letter and as she did, the owl jerked back and flew off. Then, she turned the letter over and opened the flap by breaking the yellow and red seal on it. She charily pulled out a card, faced it toward her, and read it to herself.
Dear Cho,
I invite you to attend my coming of age celebration. It will be held at Madam Puddifoot's in Hogsmead on July 31st at 6:30 PM Muggle time. Gifts are not necessary. Just bring yourself in one piece.
Yours Truly,
Harry
"It's tomorrow night, Neville!" Harry shouted to the other room. He walked past twenty-four unopened boxes of fan mail lining the kitchen walls.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Neville, my birthday has always been that day."
Neville emerged through the doorway wearing nothing but a towel. His bare, hairy chest dripped in water. An aqua colored toothbrush stuck out of his mouth and toothpaste bubbled around his lips and chin. His hair was choppy and messy on top; it wouldn't surprise Harry if a few birds had nested there recently.
"Oh, then I suppose I can take off from training tomorrow. It shouldn't be very hard."
Harry gave him the look of 'what do you mean you suppose you will?' Neville grabbed his parchment lying on a stool near by and unrolled it. He moved his hand down the page and let out a sigh of 'oh no'.
"What, what do you have planned for tomorrow that's more important than my coming of age party?" Harry asked.
Neville put down the parchment. "I can make it."
"But you do have something important scheduled tomorrow."
"No, no, I can make it. Definitely." Neville grabbed his schedule before Harry could have a look and stuck it in his towel. "I should be going to my afternoon class now. I'll catch you later Harry to help set up and all."
"Right, Neville."
Harry watched him as he left the room, and then he turned around at the boxes still piled. He got through ten of them the other day. Most of the letters he had were from what he called fans. Wizards and witches from around the world wanted to know if he really defeated You Know Who and if he was really alive. Only a few letters were not as pleasant. One in particular was from a girl in British Columbia. In summary, she wished Harry death and hoped that once Harry was gone, all the bad things in the world would stop happening. She blamed Harry for all the trouble and misery. She wrote about whenever there was danger, Harry was always involved in it. For the most part, she was wrong. Harry knew he didn't actually cause bad things to happen; but the girl was right that he happened to get involved in it quite a lot.
Suddenly, Harry heard the puff of chimney smoke. Neville had left for his class. Immediately, Harry ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs into Neville's room. Half of the room was already packed thanks to Dobby, even though Neville had not even gotten a place for himself yet. Sitting on Neville's ratty bed was the parchment containing his schedule. Harry grabbed the paper, unrolled it and searched for tomorrow's date… July 28th, 29th, 30th, ah, the 31st. 7 AM breakfast, shower… Harry ignored the morning routines and skimmed down the page quickly.
"Wait a minute… '4 o'clock: Visit them'." Harry searched for more, but that was it. Neville was definitely missing some event for the party. It was obviously important because Harry knew that look Neville made. He would have to talk to him later about it. But until then, it was time to prepare.
Harry received his packages from Fred and George. They even threw in a few goodie bags containing samples of gags they haven't exactly perfected yet. Harry tried one of the 'ear wax' fake teeth to make him look like a vampire. It tasted like cheese and peppers. Even though it was good for breakfast, it wasn't very practical.
The main thing on Harry's mind was who could actually make it. All the invitations were sent and nothing was returned to him. He even sent one to Hagrid. Yes, it was a long shot but he'd feel guilty not inviting him. One person he did regret inviting was Draco Malfoy. The two had their differences, but he was still a fellow wizard. At the time, Draco was on the Vratsa Vultures, a Quidditch team that had won the European Cup over seven times. He was their new seeker after the fall of their last one the previous year. Harry knew the only reason Draco made it on a world team was due to his father, but that wasn't completely true. Despite Harry's belief, or actually, no belief in Draco, the Malfoy was quite good at Quidditch.
If Draco did show up, he would surely be showing off his uniform, broom and anything else that made him stand out. It did not matter though. This was Harry's day to shine. His real friends would never let Draco get in the way of that.
As the night came to an end, Harry hovered around his house. His stomach ached, his throat was sore and his eyes were itchy. Everything felt horrible, but he was so excited that it didn't matter. The clock struck twelve.
"That's it… I'm 18!" Harry yelled. "I'm 18!" He yelled again and again. Yet, there was no one around to hear him.
Madam Puddifoot's was packed with party decorations, lavish awnings and games everywhere. When Harry arrived early on July the 31st at about 4 in the afternoon, there were some witches and wizards already in the café. Harry reserved the whole shop by using some saved up galleons and allowing to be interviewed by the Sunday Prophet. When he opened the door, he saw three young figures and one older one. He noticed the two red haired boys first.
"Fred, George, I'm delighted you could come. And so early too."
They nodded. "We wanted to make sure our items got to you all right. We've tested them all out for you. Those wax teeth are wonderful, don't you think? Tastes like cream of broccoli soup to me."
"Oh yes, delightful," Harry lied. He put down his bag of extra galleons, to make sure he could pay for any additional party favors. Then, he turned to see who the other two guests were. The other younger wizard was actually a witch, and her face was one that Harry knew very well.
"Hermione! Come here!" Harry yelled and opened his arms wide. She ran into them as he hugged her tightly. "How have you been? How are your studies going?"
"Wonderful! I've been learning so much."
"That's great. I was afraid you might not have had any time off to come."
She arched her eyebrows. "Did you really think that I would miss your birthday? By the way, I left your present in the corner." She pointed to a booth. Sitting on the cushioned bench was a bag with a few balloons strung on to the side. "It's not much, but I hope you like it."
"Oh, you didn't have to get me anything. But thank you. I'm sure I'll love it."
Harry let go of her and allowed her to run off to speak with George and Fred. At least one best friend made it. Harry then looked over at the taller figure with what looked like black hair. He didn't remember inviting any other adults besides Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall.
"Hello over there!" Harry shouted.
"I hope I'm not intruding, Mister Potter." As he said this, he lifted his face from the shadows and took off his robe's hood.
"Professor, Professor Snape," Harry stuttered. He was certain he didn't invite him.
"I overheard someone talking about this party of yours. I wanted to give you something."
Harry laughed. Since when did Snape give him gifts? Snape ignored his laughter and approached him anyway. He took out a piece of parchment and gave it to Harry.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"It belongs to you. I figured it was about time you got it back. Good day, Mister Potter."
Before saying anything else, Snape left the café through the back door. Harry, still a bit confused about why Snape was even there to begin with, looked down at the parchment. He unfolded it carefully to see nothing at all.
"Why would he give me back a blank piece of parchment?" Harry said to himself. He shrugged and neatly placed the paper in his pocket.
After a few hours of chitchatting, the remaining guests arrived one-by-one. First came Neville, then Colin Creevy, then Ginny and following her was non-other than Ron. At the sight of him, Harry jolted forward and squeezed him hard. Ron coughed a bit and patted Harry on the back a few times until he finally let go.
"How's the Ministry work going?" Harry asked.
Ron chuckled and then sighed. "It's like getting a lecture from your 'rents all day long. Nothing but nagging and nagging."
"Yeah, I suppose that's what it would be like," Harry said. He never got a chance to be lectured but from what he's heard, it's one of the most dreadfully boring things ever. You're just sitting in a chair or car seat or wherever and your parent just blabs on for hours about things you should be doing, things you are doing and should stop doing and why else you aren't good enough.
"I got you something good," Ron said as he reached into his pockets.
"You too? I distinctly remember asking for no gifts."
"Everyone does that. You don't really mean it. Come on, you want your gift or not?" Ron slowly pulled out something from his pocket.
"All right, since you already bought it for me…"
Ron smiled and revealed two pieces of paper in his hand. They were long and rectangular and hand silver writing on them.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"Read them," Ron said as he handed them over.
"No way," Harry said. "How could you… Two tickets to the World Quidditch Cup? These are expensive. Ron, you really shouldn't have."
"I saved up for them. Harry, if it weren't for you, I'd be dead right now. Don't roll your eyes. I'm serious. One of those tickets is for you and the other is for whomever you want to bring. I know Cho wants to go to that." Ron winked his eye.
"Are you kidding? Why would I take Cho when I could take my best mate? You're coming with me, Ron."
Ron let out a sigh of relief and joy. "Splendid!"
Two more guests entered from the front door. One was Professor McGonagall; she was very noticeable with her half-moon spectacles and pointy black hat. The other… Harry's heart beat fast. He didn't think his feelings would come up again, after what happened before, but they did. Some feelings just don't die as quickly as others.
"Hi," Harry said lowly.
"Oh, Harry!" Cho said and rushed toward him. Just as she opened her arms expecting to receive a hug, she noticed Harry wasn't moving. Instead, he just stood there with a frozen look on his face.
"Hug her," Ron coughed from a few feet away. "Now."
But Harry couldn't move. Something about Cho made him all nervous inside. Even though they were not dating anymore, he still felt as if he was or should be. Cho smirked and handed Harry an object wrapped in what looked like tin foil.
"What's with everyone giving me presents," Harry said.
"It's because it's your birthday, and we have to give you something. It's the rules. Now take it and like it," she commanded at once.
Harry took the object and slowly unwrapped it. A small statue sat in his palm. It was clear and made out of some crystal. It was beautiful. When Harry looked at it closer, he noticed it was shaped like an island and etched into it were fine buildings and streets and even people. The details were very small yet incredibly precise.
"What is it exactly?" Harry asked.
"Atlantis," she said. "It's something for you to remember me by."
Harry nodded and smiled. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Now, where is he…"
"Who?"
"Draco. I heard he made it onto the Vratsa Vultures. Is it true?" Cho asked.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes. He's not here. I don't think he's going to show."
"Oh, pity. I would have liked to see him one last time."
Cho then walked off into the corner to join the rest of the group. Within the next half hour, the remaining guests around one by one. By 7 o'clock, everyone had arrived except for three. Draco Malfoy, Hagrid and Professor Dumbledore. Harry didn't care for Draco at all but it was the other two he missed. The party had to go on without them.
"Blow out your candles!" the crowd cheered. Dumbledore led the group in the chant, having arrived forty minutes late for the party. In front of Harry was his birthday cake, all lit up with warm flames. There were eighteen candles and another one for good luck. The wax started to melt and slowly dripped down the sides onto the Muggle chocolate cake that Hermione arranged. It was just like the ones the Dursleys would make and eat in front of him while he ate the leftover salad Dudley never touched.
"Come on, Harry. Make a wish," Cho said.
"I don't know what to wish for."
"Anything! I'm starving. Hurry up, mate," Ron insisted.
"Okay, okay."
Harry closed his eyes and thought. What could he possible want that he could actually have? Asking for his parents back or Sirius back couldn't be done. It wouldn't be right to ask for something he knew couldn't happen. As the crowd continued to cheer, Harry could only think about one person who wasn't there cheering.
He took in a deep breath and blew out from his mouth. When he opened his eyes, the candles were burnt, and his friends were cheering. They jumped toward the cake with forks and spoons and knives in hand. Their plates quickly filled up with more than generous slices. Harry took his piece and sat down in the booth with Ron and Hermione.
"What did you wish for?" Ron asked. Hermione elbowed him, just like in the good ole days. "Ow."
"You can't tell us or else it won't come true," she said.
"Oh, please, you can't believe that. Harry, tell us."
Harry shook his head. "I don't want to risk it. This wish was pretty special."
"I hope it comes true then," Hermione said and dug into her rich chocolate cake, smothered in hot fudge and cool whipped cream.
"So do I, Hermione, so do I."