POV of James Rivers

The second week of school was really intense: Par and I felt like we only survived it because working together made the homework easier for each other. I have no idea how the others managed not to drown in their homework completely. On Thursday morning, I got up before the other Gryffindor first-years and sat with my brother at the Ravenclaw table, which was still quite empty. Just as I grabbed a piece of toast, Padma and Ginn joined us. To my surprise, Oliver said "Happy birthday" to Padma. When she noticed that I didn't know it was her and Par's birthday today, she said, 'It's not a problem; Par doesn't particularly like her birthday. She probably didn't say anything because she doesn't like being congratulated on her birthday.' I wished Padma a happy birthday anyway and ate my toast thoughtfully. It felt really strange. Somehow, Par and I had talked about a lot of things, but she hadn't told me when her birthday was. I wondered if there was a special reason why she didn't like celebrating it.

Suddenly, loud owl hoots snapped me out of my thoughts. About 12 owls were heading towards our table. They were carrying a large, long package, and at that moment, I had a pretty good idea of what it was. We quickly made room on the table so the owls could land, and I could take the package from them. The other students in the still relatively empty Great Hall, of course, all looked at us curiously as I took a letter from the package. It was from my parents:

'Dear James! Your father and I are incredibly proud that you have the chance to be accepted into your Quidditch team. We got permission from Professor McGonagall to send you your Nimbus 2000 so you won't be at a disadvantage compared to the other students. However, she asked me to tell you not to open the package in the Great Hall but in the common room or dormitory so that the contents don't attract too much attention. Please write to us on Saturday to let us know if you were accepted! Also, say hi to Ollie from us and don't cause any trouble! Lots of love, Mom.'

Much to the disappointment of the Ravenclaws, I made my way to the common room with the still-wrapped broom. Just as I climbed through the portrait hole, I saw all five Gryffindor girls coming down the stairs from the girls' dormitories. All five looked at me curiously as I stood there with the large package. As Par opened her mouth to ask the obvious question about the package's contents, I quickly shook my head to silence her because I didn't want Veatrix or Lavender to find out I had been sent a broom. She seemed to understand what I meant, said to the others, 'I'll come later, I'm not hungry yet,' and sat down on a sofa. The other four stood around uncertainly for a few more seconds but then fortunately headed off to breakfast.

Once they had left the room, I sat down next to Par and unpacked the package. She looked at my broom with wide eyes.

'Wow, you seriously got sent a Nimbus 2000?' she asked incredulously.

'Well, Oliver and I both got one as a gift because we love flying so much.'

'But it just came out this summer! It's incredibly expensive; I saw it in the store!' she replied.

I shrugged. Both my parents, like hers, held high positions in the Ministry of Magic. Mine were even active across Europe and could afford to buy us something like that. Hers probably could have too, but she had already told me that her parents never wanted to buy her and Padma brooms. As a slightly awkward silence threatened to develop, I was torn about whether to bring up the subject of her birthday. Before I could decide, however, an owl tapped its beak on one of the windows. Par jumped up and let it sit on the windowsill, where she took a letter and a package from it. The owl immediately flew back out the open window. When Par sat back down next to me, she seemed to be struggling with what to say as she placed the unopened letter and package on the table. I took the decision from her by saying, 'It's okay, I know it's your birthday. Happy birthday!' 'Thanks...' she said. 'You know... I would have told you, but somehow I only have bad memories of my past birthdays... That's why I thought it would be better to spend today as just a normal day.' 'That's fine,' I replied. 'Padma warned me earlier... Say... Would you perhaps like to accompany me on Saturday? You could watch the training from the stands, and maybe you can even fly for a bit afterwards, when the others have left.' She couldn't refuse this offer, I could see it in her eyes, which were shining with joy.