16Harry sighed as he continued to stare out of the window. It was July 30th. He turned his gaze to the clock on his bedside table. It glowed luminescent in the dark.
11:58 pm. Only two more minutes till he was sixteen. He looked out of the window and sighed once more. He remembered all the birthdays he'd ever had. The ones with the Dursleys were miserable for they had ignored every single one. It was better that way. He snorted as he imagined his relatives throwing him a party. He'd probably hex them on the spot, imagining them to be Death Eaters.
11:59 pm. A minute left. The stars in the sky were bright and the moon was full once again. Lupin's in for a rough night he thought. Too bad Sirius-. He cut off from that train of thought. It was too painful to think about it.
0:00 am. He was now sixteen. He didn't feel any different. Actually he felt quite sad. It was his birthday without Sirius. His eyes burned as Sirius's face loomed in his mind. This was Voldemort's fault. All bloody Voldemort's fault! No it's not his fault. You're the one who went to the Department of Mysteries a snide voice in his head said. And somehow he knew it was right. A sob escaped him but he quickly composed himself. He glanced at the window. In the distance he could see three dots coming closer and before he knew it there were three owls on his bed. The first one was his snowy owl Hedwig. She stood proud at accomplishing her mission. Next to her was Pig hooting excitedly and the other brown owl he presumed was from Hogwarts. Once he had relived the owls of their burdens the brown owl took off at once while Pig and Hedwig perched in Hedwig's cage.
He opened Hedwig's to find a letter from Hermione.
Dear Harry,
Happy Birthday!
How are you? Are your relatives treating you well? I'm at home at the moment but I'm going to go the Burrow soon and by the time this reaches you I'll already be there. I know what you're thinking Harry. It's not your fault and remember that I'll always be there and that it's good to talk. Well I better wrap this up, Hedwig's getting impatient.
Talk soon
Love from
Hermione
Harry frowned as he finished the letter. He knew Hermione meant well but to be honest he didn't want talk about it. He picked up her present and grinned. It was definitely a book. He opened it and his grin grew wider. It was green book and on the front it was emblazoned with A Hundred Diversionary Seeker Attacks. He put the book down and grabbed Hagrid's letter.
Hello Harry
How are you? Hope the muggles don't get you down and have a happy birthday. I hope you like the present I got you. It'll only be opened by you.
Hagrid
He unwrapped a badly wrapped parcel and out fell a pouch with fangs. Typical Hagrid he thought. He opened it and found it charmed so it had an unlimited amount of space inside. He then took Ron's letter and started to read.
Heya mate!
Happy birthday! How are the muggles looking after you? If they try to do anything just hex them-they deserve it. Dumbledore said it's alright for you to come over. Hermione's already here. Be ready by noon on Friday.
See ya!
Ron
Harry opened Ron's present to find a Chudley Cannons poster. Harry just shook his head at Ron's antics. It was a well known fact that the Chudley Cannons were probably the worst team ever. He was suddenly brought out o his reverie when he saw another present. He wondered who it could be from. He grabbed the note and started reading.
Hi Harry!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Wow, you are now officially sixteen! Only a year till you're of age. Can you believe it? And I know what you're thinking Harry and stop brooding! It's your birthday, have fun! I know for a fact that Ron hasn't told you anything. Honestly, I swear the git dosen't have a brain. Bill's getting married! I know, shock. I would be really excited (I know your rolling your eyes-I'm a seer! Joke)but did he have to get married to Phlegm...err...I mean Fleur. Yes Fleur Delacour! I can see you going in to shock.
See you on Friday! And stop brooding!
SMILE!
Love
Ginny
Harry stared at Ginny's letter. It truly had made him smile. He hadn't felt this happy since before the Department of Mysteries incident. An image of a slim red-haired girl in a white summer dress came to his mind. Her hair glistened in the sunlight. He smiled once more and then climbed into bed. Maybe things were looking up. Maybe he could defeat Voldemort and with that thought in mind he swiftly fell asleep. Dreaming of a certain girl.