Jacob Potter was frustrated. Very very frustrated. And unfortunately, this was becoming an everyday affair for him now.
"Uhh– Jake?" Ron's call came up from below. "Where are y–"
"To my room!" He snapped. "I want to be alone for a bit."
"Oh umm, alright then. I'll just...wait for you..."
But Jake wasn't listening as he skipped up the stairs to his room 3 steps at a time, fuming the whole while.
Today was supposed to be his birthday. His bloody birthday. And he'd only been wishing for two simple things for the whole week. Two very simple things.
One; to get a glimpse of that French beauty that had captured his heart so completely.
And two; Atleast one country from UK should qualify for the quarter finals.
But neither of them were freaking coming true!
Were they too bloody much to ask for? Alright, he could believe his first wish was a little unrealistic cause he'll probably never get to see that goddess again, but the second? But the Second!?
How can three different countries from the same bloody union qualify for the World Cup, but none of them could get a bloody win!? This was utter madness!
"This world is so unfair..." He moaned tiredly, throwing himself on his bed as soon as he got inside his room.
His disappointment was immeasurable, and his day was ruined.
It wasn't just the fact that Scotland lost, or how badly it lost, it was also the fact that no one seemed to give a rat's arse about his birthday.
Jake wasn't arrogant enough to think he deserved special treatment just cause it was his birthday, but the least his mates could do was stop asking him about his twin the entire time!
Just thinking about that was pissing him the freak off! Noncy bastards, the lot of them.
"So, how did your brother get so good?" Jake did a mock imitation of Dean. "I don't bloody know Dean, how about you ask him yourself when you grow a pair of balls?"
He didn't say it of course, they were still his friends. But it just pissed him off so bloody much.
Atleast Ron's non-subtle 'Did the little snake cheat, you reckon?' was better than Neville's stuttering little asslicking 'Gran says Harry's the most powerful Wizard she'd seen in our generation.'
"Yeah well, your gran wasn't there Neville. How the hell could she know his strength through a damned second-hand memory?" Jake grouched, burying his face in his pillow with a groan.
"Jake!" His father's shout suddenly boomed in the house from downstairs, and Jake had to wrap the pillow around his ears to muffle the sound. "Stop being lazy and come help us! We have a lot of work to do today!"
'Why did he have to use Sonorus!?' Jake raged in his mind, beyond mortified. 'It's like he just doesn't care how embarrassing that is.'
Everyone was probably laughing at him right now. The Weasleys and Tonks, who'd come to help them with the arrangements, what would they be thinking? And...Oh Merlin! Aunt Sara was here too! Remus did say she'll be arriving early today...
"Jacob! Get a move on, young man!"
"Coming!" He yelled down, his face heating up completely.
Just bloody stop shouting please!
'Merlin, now I have to take this face in front of Aunt Sara.'
But he knew he'll have to go down soon. His dad wasn't lying when he said work needed to get done. Not that Jake would get to do anything more useful than moving some bloody chairs around.
The tradition of birthday parties in their family had started way back, when the Potter family were first reunited. It was supposed to bring the family closer in a fun way, and spread a little warmth in their then cold-and-empty manor.
The things went out of hands however, when a massive crowd showed up to greet the newly released heroes of war, instead of the small and sweet celebration that they'd planned.
He still remembered the party on his first birthday in their new family..the crowd gathered had been in hundreds! The Tonks had always kept him away from public eyes for his own protection, so the Daily profit took this event as the official launching of The-Boy-Who-Lived to the public.
And the magical Britain went ham over it. Even when his parents started restricting the masses, people just won't listen. And the Potters could do nothing in the end but try to salvage it with extreme control over the event.
His sister's birthdays were much more manageable, but his had become a sort of tradition now, forming one of the biggest social event in Magical Britain, or maybe in the whole Europe too.
And today was going to be even worse. Not only were there so many magical families gathered in Britain for the world cup, but his twin's recent shocking performance on top of that was definitely going to skyrocket the masses to form the biggest crowd yet.
Jacob sighed, slowly climbing down the bed to walk out of his room. Honesty? While normally this tended to be an exciting day for him, this time he'd be glad when it's over.
"Jake! What are you doing!? Come on down here, son!"
Jacob slapped down his head on his palms. Truly, the life of a teenager was the hardest thing imaginable.
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"Won't take half a day, my arse." Harry Potter grouched as they finally apparated back to Black cottage late in the afternoon.
7 hours! It took over 7 hours before Harry finally convinced Lily and Bella to finalise their shopping and be done with it. With no less than 7 subtle threats, 3 non-subtle threats, and a failed attempt to catch the knight bus behind their back, Harry's tale of epic struggle for freedom was worthy of legends and poems.
"Hey, don't be like that." Bella elbow-bumped him, two muggle bag filled to the brim jiggling in her hands...along with a dozen other bags charmed with extension charm. "If you think with a cool mind, you'll find that you actually enjoyed your time a lot."
"Oh shut up, Bella." He snapped as they entered the cottage. "You've broken my trust, and completely betrayed me. I thought better of you. Let this be known, that I, Harry Potter, shall never again go shopping with either of you."
He ignored her laughter, throwing the pile of bags in his own hand onto the dining table.
He felt the woman moving behind him, though didn't stop her as she suddenly draped her arms around him in a hug. "Aww, I'm so sorry, honey. We do get carried away sometimes. But seriously, you should be more excited than this. You've got new clothes for the evening party, a new owl that made you more happier than I've ever seen you, and Merlin knows what else you bought when you managed to give us the slip. And don't you dare pretend you didn't enter knockturn alley. I'm not that stupid. So really, you shouldn't hold this against us too much."
The reminder of Hedwig drained away all of his anger in an instant and he felt a smile creep up on his face. "Well, that's true I guess."
He'd been absolutely thrilled to realize that no one bought Hedwig in this world. She'd been sitting there in her cage like a lonely queen, away from the rest of the owls due to her bad habits of biting anyone who tries touching her.
Of course, the same wasn't true for Harry. He'd been surprised to note that she seemed as Happy at his arrival as he was by her presence. His first true friend, who died protecting him, was now back at his side.
What better birthday present could there be?
He felt Bella shift against his back and realized he could still feel her heavy breasts pressing against him. She soon disengaged though, her head jerking to the side.
"There's a mail for you I think." She muttered, her magic letting the owl through the wards.
It was an eagle owl, with a unique navy bluish fur. The owl made a beeline straight for him, a letter and a small brown pouch clutched between it's talons. Both of which he quickly unhooked.
"Your friend?" Bella asked, arranging the shopping bags on the table.
Frowning at the unfamiliar scribble, he quickly tore open the envelope. And as his eyes read through the letter, his brows kept climbing up his head.
Dear Harry,
I apologize if I'm inconveniencing you by writing this letter. Perhaps you have forgotten about me, but I'm your former challenger for the championship title, Fleur Delacour. I simply desired to wish you a very happy birthday. May you forever find happiness in your life, and be as fearless as ever. Whilst I will not be able to attend your birthday party personally, I hope my small gift can make up for it. I would be delighted to meet you in the world cup finals on 22nd August, though would understand if you're unavailable. Eagerly awaiting your reply,
Your admirer, Fleur.
P.S– This may not mean much to you, but you have kept me motivated through some unpleasant times. I would truly appreciate it if we could exchange some letters.
The letter ended in a messy way, as if the last portion was scribbled on with hesitance.
"Well, this is...unexpected." Harry muttered with a frown, his eyes scanning through the letter one more time.
"Who is it?" Bella asked, coming behind him to peek over his shoulder.
"Fleur Delacour. You know, the other finalist against me in the U-18 tournament?"
"Ah, know her? I freaking love her. She's stolen quite a few hearts hasn't she? But I've known about her for almost half a decade now. She has always been a terrific duelist, and anyone even remotely serious about the subject will know of her. She'd done something I never could, winning the European Championship for 5 consecutive times, though for different age groups."
Harry turned to the woman with a smirk. "Sounds like we have a little fan in here. Should I get you her autograph?"
"Oh shut it, you." She swatted at him, moving back to the dining table. "To be honest I'm quite surprised to know that you defeated her. Back in my days, she'd have been an uncontested Champion without a doubt."
"...back in your day...alright, granny Bella, thanks for the words of wisdom."
"Of course, little nephew. How else will you grow up?" She snarked.
"Hmm...I feel like I've grown up quite a bit already, wouldn't you agree?" He mused, and had to suppress a smirk when the woman gave a sudden jerk, standing upright.
While the shopping had been a little mind-numbing, there were of course moments of pure fun in them. One of them was when the two ladies took him to a cloth shop and convinced him to undress his shirt right there in front of them, due to the dresser being occupied.
They were most likely trying to embarrass him or something, maybe open up his uptight mood. The show was flipped on them however, and their reaction had been priceless.
Since having done the physical ritual, his body had went throw quite a transformation in the last couple of weeks. Not only had he shot up a full inch in height, he'd also grown some very visible muscles.
To see the wide eyed surprise on the two mature witches faces, and especially Bella's flushed face struggling to maintain her cool, had been worth going to that otherwise boring shopping trip.
All in all, it was a rewarding experience that he'd quite like to repeat.
Bella cleared her throat loudly, her hands again busy with the shopping bags. Though he could clearly make out her rosy cheeks under the evening light.
"Alright mister, go change up now. We have to be back in the Potter manor in under an hour." She threw three bags at him, which he promptly suspended in mid-air using Levitation charm, before making for his room with a last wave at the woman.
His mind went back to Fleur's letter, and the confusing feelings returned once again.
Her letter had come as a surprise to him. Not just the fact that she actually wrote to him, but also the politeness and consideration that she wrote it with. He wouldn't have expected that kind of words to come out of her, even in writing.
Plus that post script...it made him consider that this Fleur might be just like Bella and Lily, with completely different history than their counterparts.
If so, he would definitely like to get in touch with her. A good thing she'd already offered to meet on the finals. Till then, he'll just have to talk to her through letters...
Absently he opened the little pouch, dropping whatever was inside of it in his hand, though only after a thorough examination for anything harmful.
What came out was a small figurine of live fire. A miniature Phoenix made entirely of flames that didn't seem to hurt him whatsoever. As soon as he rolled out the 5 inch tall Phoenix on his palm, the figurine suddenly came alive, extending it's wings as if just waking up from a deep deep sleep. Then, with a flap of its tiny wings it took off into the air, giving a cute little cry of exhilaration as if tasting freedom for the first time.
Harry stared after it for a second, completely awestruck. He'd seen 'Mione do some advanced conjurations, but never had he seen something so beautiful and perfect before. The only thing that came close was Voldemort's massive fiery basilisk, which he'd conjured against Dumbledore in their battle in the ministry.
And yet, that had been more power and might, rather than beauty and perfection, like this tiny phoenix was.
The bird of fire soon came back to perch on his left shoulder, cuddling softly against his cheeks. Harry smiled at the thing, caressing it's head with one finger tenderly.
"Oh, the finals are gonna be so much fun this time..." He muttered, giving the bird a little scratch under it's flaming beak.
He couldn't help but see the phoenix as a prelude for what was to come soon.
And he honestly couldn't wait.
But first... he'll have to get through today's party without making any major mess.
For some reason, he got the weirdest feeling that he was going to fail.
'Eh, whatever. Probably nothing. Afterall, what could possibly happen in a single birthday party?'
"...And I just cursed myself didn't I?" Harry muttered with a sigh.
'Hopefully nothing bad happens today...'
Hopefully.
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AN: Done!
Nothing much happened in this chapter storywise but it set the prelude for what's about to come. After the events of birthday we'll head towards the WC finals so we're quite close to a massive amount of action.
Hope you lot still enjoyed the chapter. Let me know in the reviews!
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P.S: The new schedule for chapters is 3 days, so the next update i.e Mystique Soldier Ch.10, will be on 9th.