NOTE: JK Rowling is a goddess and the Harry potter series is her creation

DISCONNECTED

October 2005

New Delhi, India

20-year-old Nina sat in her bed muttering imprecations under her breath and throwing her roommate baleful looks. As the only child of doting parents, it was hard enough for her to share a room; but sharing it with this girl, who was presently rifling through her wardrobe, had tested her patience thin. And Nina wasn't a very patient girl.

" What the heck do you think your doing?"

" Looking for my sneakers. I can't find them anywhere" her roommate replied without looking back. " You are so disorganised," she added, " Why don't you spend some time cleaning your side of the room, instead of wasting it being disagreeable."

"And why can't you spend some time learning manners?" this from Nina, who was already working up a temper. " Do you know, it's impolite to go through other people's things without asking. Besides, why would I take your sneakers, I got more shoes than I can wear."

Her roommate gave a very sarcastic laugh. " Lots of uncomfortable sandals, yes….shoes, no. Must be hard, not being able to wear comfortable shoes just because you're so short."

" I prefer the word 'petite', if you don't mind." Nina was bristling with anger; she was very touchy about her size. At 5 feet, she was forever being mistaken for a kid; so she tried her best to look taller by running around in gravity- defying heels, which did nothing to help her already grumpy temperament. She hated Physics, the subject that she was majoring in; was brilliant but couldn't bring herself to work hard, was pretty enough when she wasn't scowling and usually wore an expression of bored cynicism. All in all, she wasn't a very pleasant person to be around. The few close friends she had would disagree; but to most of the people in her college, she was just weird.

"Now if you don't mind, I have a convocation to attend and I need to change. So move", she snapped.

As she walked to the college grounds she heaved a sigh of relief. Today was her last day in college and frankly she was happier than she had been in a long time. She would have her degree, her parents would be happy, and she could move with life. Delhi was a great place, colourful and vibrant, a commercial hub. She would have ample career opportunities here. She wasn't worried about her future; she had planned it in meticulous detail. But no matter what she did, she always felt disconnected to her surroundings. Her parents often complained about her lack of responsiveness; she loved them dearly but somehow could never be demonstrative with her love. Despite having everything a young girl could want from life, she didn't feel happy. She didn't feel like she belonged. She saw her parents waving to her from a distance, put on a big fake smile and went to meet them.

Back in her room packing after the convocation, she looked at the table standing next to her bed and smirked. The latest book in the Harry Potter series lay on it. Nina was hooked to the series, which her roommate, an English Literature student, called "juvenile". So obviously she made it a point to keep all 6 books right under Miss Prissy's nose. As she picked up the book to put it into her bag, she saw what lay beneath it and swore violently.

It was the 7th and final book. Which the author JK Rowling was understood to be still writing…..what the hell was going on?

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