Harry Potter glanced at Hedwig's empty cage, which was full of owl droppings.
'What a great way of celebrating my birthday, by cleaning owl droppings.' He thought getting up from his bed.
He was 16 for exactly eleven hours now.
Harry received numerous gifts, cards, and sweets from Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, and Sirius. He truly did appreciate the gifts and food that his friends and godfather sent, but he was still waiting for one more important owl, from Cho Chang, his girlfriend.
By two in the afternoon, Harry gave up on receiving an owl from her.
He walked around his neighborhood in a sour mood, 'How could she forget?' he thought as he kicked a small rock, hard. He watched as the rock flew up in the air and hit his cousin's porky knee.
Harry was taken aback; he didn't even notice that he walked back to the Dursley's.
"Have you finally gone mad? I saw you walking around the block three times." Dudley said, his piggish face splitting into an ugly grin.
"Yeah, I have gone mad." Harry replied dully.
"I reckon your girlfriend didn't remember your birthday." Dudley teased bouncing on the heels of his huge feet.
"Shut up! Don't open that hole that's supposed to be your mouth if you don't know what you're talking about!" Harry exploded. It felt good to take out his irritation and anger on somebody.
"I'm going to tell Mum," Dudley said backing away from Harry, "that you've gone mad."
"Right, go ahead." Harry watched as Dudley ran to the front door, all of his meat shaking along with him. If Harry weren't so mad, he would've actually been laughing.
Harry looked at his watch; it was almost 4:30. He headed back into the house and into his room. Once he closed his bedroom door, he opened his trunk and pulled out blank pieces of parchment, a quill, and an inkbottle.
He held his quill over the parchment as he thought of what to write. After a few seconds of thinking, he started writing:
Dear Cho,
How could you forget my birthday? I remembered your own. I reckon you might be too busy to even read this letter. You must be having much better things to do. I'll end it here.
-Harry
Harry read the letter and then started tearing it up. He didn't want Cho to think that he was a baby just because she forgot his stupid birthday. He never knew that he would feel so hurt when Cho would forget something like his birthday.
He sighed and threw the paper on the floor.
He decided to lie down on his bed and not think of anything, or anyone. He closed his eyes; he could hear Aunt Petunia rummaging through her pots and pans. He could also hear Dudley thumping around the house, running up and down the stairs like an elephant.
All was quiet (except for Aunt Petunia and The Elephant) when Harry heard the fluttering of wings.
He opened his eyes and jumped off the bed. Hedwig was back and she had a letter with her!
Harry took the letter and saw Cho's familiar handwriting. They had been writing to each other the whole summer. Her letters (and Hermione, Ron, and Sirius's too) were the only things keeping him sane.
Harry quickly stroked Hedwig's head as a gesture of thanks. He flopped on his bed and quickly unrolled the parchment.
His heart was beating wildly and his face was starting to feel warm. He couldn't believe that her letters were making him feel so happy. He imagined when he would see her a week from today. At the thought of that, his heartbeat increased its pace.
Harry started smiling when he read the first few lines:
Dear Harry,
How's everything with you? I miss you. I have an idea, if your cousin takes your food again, just poke him a few times with your wand and maybe you'll make a few dents in him. On the other hand, maybe that'll just make him hungrier! I sent you some food; I don't want you to go hungry.
My Mum suspects something about you. She caught me smiling the other day when I was reading your letter. She asked me about it and I said it was from a friend in Gryffindor. It's okay; we don't have to worry about her too much.
Happy birthday, Harry!!! I hope that my letter and food reached you in time. I hope your birthday wasn't too terrible.
Love,
Cho
Harry reread her letter three times before rolling it up with a smile and stowing it away in his trunk with all of her other letters.
Cho Chang was in the kitchen watching her mother bewitching pots and ingredients to make the dinner.
Her mother was very angry with her because, she found some of Harry's letters.
"This is your final year and you're fooling around with Harry. Whoever this Harry-Parry person is, I want all of this foolishness stopped at once!"
"His name's NOT Harry-Parry, Mum!" Cho exclaimed, "It's Harry…Potter." She said more softly.
The vegetables her mother was transferring to a well-oiled pan suspended in mid air, "Harry POTTER?" her mother asked turning to face Cho. The vegetables fell into the pan, "No, Cho. I will not permit you to hang around this boy. He's in danger! You-know-who's after him! And, I don't want anything to happen to you."
Cho stood there fuming.
"You will not-oh for Heaven's sake!" Her mother exclaimed turning back to the sizzling pan. A burning smell filled the room.
Cho started backing out of the kitchen slowly, without making any noise.
Her mother whipped around, "I'm not finished. Give me all of the letters."
Cho's heart fell, "No! They're mine!" she exclaimed angrily.
"Accio! Accio!" her mother said waving her wand.
Three of Harry's letters zoomed out of her pockets.
"No!" Cho shrieked trying to grab at them.
"Let this be a lesson to you. Your father ought to know about this." Her mother said pocketing the letters.
Cho glared at her mother's back as she continued cooking then, Cho stormed up to her room.
She locked her room door and lifted her mattress. She pulled out a glittering blue pouch.
She opened it and pulled out the contents.
Cho got comfortable on her bed before she reread the remaining of Harry's letters with a grin on her face.