1Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. But I do own the smoking girl. Please don't sue.

Author's Note: This is just something I wrote. I might write more later. We'll see. Enjoy and don't forget to review.

Chapter One: A Birthday, A Brief Habit, and A Girl.

Harry sat back and fished the lighter from one of Dudley's leather jackets. The Dursley's had headed out of town for a few days to visit Aunt Marge in the hospital. She had collapsed the day before from a heart attack after trying to lug 3 bags of dog food back to her car. Harry silently thanked her and drew the flame toward the end of a cigarette. Tonight he was turning 17 and he didn't have to worry about the Dursley's being there to drag him out the door at midnight. It was 8:30 in the evening and the sky had began its transition from blue to red and orange. Slowly, his mind drifted back to the first time he had placed a cigarette between his lips, not so long ago...

Harry watched as his Aunt and Uncle drove off into the distance. In the next room he could hear Dudley pick up the phone and say something about a party. He thudded back into the hallway and pointed at Harry.

"I need you to get out," said Dudley.

"And go where?" Harry responded.

"I don't know but I'm having people over. Go to Ms. Figgs house or that poor freak friend of yours' house, if that's what you call them."

"I'm not leaving. If I do, someone will come after you," said Harry coolly.

"Fine, but no one is to know that you are a freak." Dudley spat putting particular emphases on the word "Freak".

Later on that night, music of a very loud nature could be heard pouring out of #4 Privet Drive. Many teenagers were seen filtering through the many rooms pausing to sip from their drinks, converse with their friends or take a long draw on a cigarette that was making its way around the group. In amongst this giant storm sauntered Harry. He was calm as though he was the eye of the storm; hiding any sign of disturbance. He wandered through the drunken masses into the kitchen. He had slipped off earlier to his room to send a letter to Ron and Hermione asking if they were up to apparating over and keeping him company.

Ron had passed the test a week after he had gotten home so he expected Ron but Hermione was a different story. She hated being in amongst a crowd and tended to avoid them when possible; especially when they were drunk.

"Does anyone want this," asked a 5'5 girl with dark skin and straight purple hair. She looked directly at Harry and held the smoke up so he would realize what she was talking about. Harry just starred at her. She nodded at him still holding the cigarette.

"Do you want it?" She asked him again. Harry knitted his brow and nodded. She handed the burning tube to him and watched him take a long draw. He was unsure as to why he had taken it but for some reason it seemed like the best choice. Harry heard a faint 'crack' and looked around to see if anyone had heard the noise. The girl continued to gaze at Harry through a dazed expression. He merely glanced at her before bounding toward the stairs with the burning butt still pinched between his fingertips.

"You're here. I was wondering if you would be coming," said a male voice from inside Dudley's second bedroom. Harry pushed open the door and saw his best friend Ron lying on his bed. Hermione, his other best friend has just clearly arrived and was standing in the center of the room facing Ron.

"Oh hiya Harry," said Ron, sitting up. Hermione turned and pointed at his pinched fingers.

"Harry, is that a cigarette?" She asked with disappointed shock. Harry lifted his hand to give the smoke a good look. A moment later the girl who had given it to him stepped out from behind him.

"It's mine. He was holding it while I got another drink." She took it from his hand and hauled on to prove her point. Harry nodded and stared at her. She leaned against the wall and continued to smoke while the trio waited in an awkward silence expecting her to realize the out casting atmosphere.

"So your that kid. The one the rumors talk about. I didn't think you existed. So.. Who are you," the girl said without looking up. Both Ron and Hermione glanced back between the two. Harry stared at her with the same dazed gaze she had wore moments before.

"I'm not 'that' kid, I'm a kid. So don't worry about it. Now please get out of my room." he replied after a moment of thinking. She turned and stared straight into his face as if to try and see his whole life story. Then without so much as a word she turned and stalked out of the room. Harry closed the door and turned to Hermione and Ron.

"Dudley's birthday was on Tuesday and the party they threw for him clearly wasn't what he had had in mind," Harry stated. Ron chuckled and glanced at Hermione. She still was staring disapprovingly at Harry.

"We shouldn't be here.." she said now staring past Harry and at the door. "What if someone sees us?"

"We're not bloody ghosts, Hermione." Ron said screwing up his face.

"Then don't act like them," said a voice in the door. Everyone turned to see the girl had return; this time with four bottled drinks in tow. "Beer for you two," she said handing them to Harry and Ron "And a Smirnoff cooler for you." She said handing it to Hermione.

"I don't drink," replied Hermione with a sneer. The girl stared back with a more threatened look now.

"Ok that's fine. Doesn't bother me. Just don't say that to the jerks downstairs." She said jutting her thumb at the door.

"Why are you here if you can't stand who is downstairs?" said Harry as he sat down with is back on the edge of the bed.

"I wanted to meet you." She replied casually. Harry was a bit taken back by her statement.

"Oh? Why is that," Ron asked with growing suspicion. The girl turned and glanced at him, then gave a deep sigh.

"Because I hate everyone here. I'm new so meeting people is brutal. You see I know plenty of people but I have yet to meet one I like. So when people started talking about you I was skeptical and wanted to see if you were different." She finished. She gave the room another glance. Harry got up and walked out of the room. He traced the usual path down the stairs and out the door, without once looking back. He heard Ron and Hermione following him but he didn't stop and he didn't slow down. He had suddenly felt nausous and uncomfortable and figured it was best to remove himself from the situation before something happened.

Harry's thoughts were interupted by a loud crack. Ron was now sitting on his bed starring at the burning cigarette in Harry's hands. "I thought you told Hermione you didn't smoke," Ron asked with slight confusion. Harry starred down at it.

"I don't very often. This is only my fourth one." He replied. Ron shook his head.

"You'll get addicted. Percy did," retorted Ron. Harry gave him a confused look.

"Percy doesn't smoke."

"Yes he does. Mum made him hide it while he was home." Harry screwed up his face at hearing this and threw the cigarette out the window. "So if you don't smoke because your addicted, then why bother?" Ron continued. Harry glanced around his room and then out the window.

"Remember that girl?" Harry said with an air of absent-mindedness. Ron laid back stared at the ceiling. After a moment he nodded. "I wonder who she was." Harry continued. Ron rolled over and looked at his best friend.

"Do you fancy her?" Ron asked.

"No."

"Are you scared of her, is she evil or something?"

"No"

"Then what does she have to do with smoking?"

"She gave me the first draw... So every time I smoke now I think of her."

"Well is she important in any sort of way?"

"No,"

"Then stop smoking and stop thinking about her. Your slowly dying by puffing on that thing."

"Ron, I've been dying since I was one." Ron gave him a concerned glance.

"No you haven't." Ron replied dismissing the subject."So your birthday is in 3 hours. What do you want to do?"

"Find a flat. Or even better, lets go to Godric's Hollow."

A/N: Don't forget to review and I might write a new chapter.

I'm out for now

Pirate Jax.Quint