Happy Birthday Harry Potter!

By: Devina (The Charmed One)

YAY!!! It's Harry Potters' birthday!!! I don't know about you, but this day is definitely highlighted in my calendar. And now, I shall sing!

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday dear Harry,
Happy Birthday to you!
Hope you don't die too soon,
Hope you don't die too soon!
Happy Birthday dear Harry,
Happy Birthday to you!

And some trivia for the Harry Potter fans whose knowledge extends only to the movies and a mild interest in the books…July 31st is also J.K. Rowling's' birthday. Making the central character share the same birthday as herself shows that perhaps she identifies herself with him. Well…some hope that she won't kill him off in the end eh? I mean, if killing Sirius was such a painful experience for her, killing Harry Potter, whom she has grown with, will be traumatic, to say the least. Enough of death; we're celebrating Harry Potter day!!!

Ok, July 31st is Harry's birth date which makes him a Leo. According to my calendar, Leo's are dynamic, passionate, loyal, magnetic, attractive, regal, courageous etc. These were, of course, their positive aspects. So is Harry all of these? YES HE IS!!! Note to those who have no idea whatsoever: The sign Leo effectively implies a lion. Coincidentally, (ok, not a coincidence in my opinion) the mascot of Gryffindor is a lion, which definitely shows that Harry is a true Gryffindor.
What about the negative qualities? Hmm…self-centred, self-absorbed, smug, bossy, arrogant, contemptuous etc. Umm…Harry isn't so bad, is he? Although he does have the tendency to dish out orders and while I'd like to look at that as leadership…some might think of the word 'bossy'! What about Harry never giving gifts to Ron and Hermione? They always send stuff for him. Besides, having being bereft of gifts and love until he came to Hogwarts…why on earth can't he use some sense and give them something? Does this show the self-absorbed side?

Now, how old is Harry exactly? And I mean, in 2004. Those who shouted 15 or 16, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? HAVE YOU EVER READ THE BOOKS???
In CoS, Harry goes to celebrate Sir Nicholas DeMimsy Porpington's (Nearly Headless Nick) DeathDay party. Nearly Headless Nick mentions that it is his 500th deathday and also that he died in 1492. Let's do the math. 1492+500=1992. Plus, in CoS, Harry was 12. So, again, doing the math…1992-12=1980. So, Harry Potter was born on July 31st 1980. And going by the dates, Harry graduated from Hogwarts in 1997, which was when the first book came out if I remember correctly. I just love the coincidences that JKR throws out. So, this is 2004…Harry is 24 years old!!! That is, of course, if he's alive. He could have died at 17 you know.

Now, how to celebrate Harry Potter's birthday? Let us count the ways! Umm…well, there are many ways, but let's think of 10 for now!

1. Make cut-outs of Daniel Radcliffe's face and use them as masks and tell everyone you meet that you're the Harry Potter clone.
2. Call everyone who asks you what you're doing a Muggle.
3. Stitch a pair of socks (yes, you can!!!) and try making patterns of Snitch's all over, just like Dobby. Then wear them in honour of 'the great Harry Potter'.
4. Eat pumpkins and drink pumpkin juice.
5. Bake a cake in the shape of a broomstick. This way you get to apply chocolate all over and stay in character.
6. Play the soundtrack of all the 3 movies all day. Dance on them if you want to.
7. Invite all your friends for a party and ask them to dress up as any character, except Harry Potter coz he's all yours.
8. Name those who refuse to come to the party, Snape or Malfoy and hope they get cursed with the Jelly-Legs Jinx.
9. Send letters and cards to "Harry Potter, Gryffindor Boys Dormitory, Hogwarts" and hope that even if he isn't there, someone will get it to him. Try coaxing an owl to send them.
10. Officially change your name to "Harry Potter". And if you're a girl, change it to "Harriet Potter" and tell people your nickname is Harry.

Frankly speaking, most of Harry's birthdays have been damn uneventful and extremely boring. In fact, until he joined Hogwarts, he didn't really look forward to his birthdays. His eleventh birthday was probably the most exciting of them all. Learning that you're a wizard and finally escaping the evil relatives can do wonders.

Now, will Harry survive his seventeenth birthday to reach his eighteenth? Hmm…only Book 7 can tell!!! Ending the HP series on such a sad note will be…well…sad! No one wants to see a good guy go down. Many have often wondered the significance of the term 'vanquish' in the prophecy about Harry and Voldemort. Does it mean both have to die? Does it mean both will live but Voldemort will be reformed? Does it mean that only Harry will live? Personally I don't really think Harry will die, which means that right now, he's probably sitting somewhere in the UK in his house with Ron and Hermione Weasley visiting him, perhaps with his godchildren in tow? Ok, too much speculation, and yes, you did note the subtle(!!!) implications of Ron-Hermione shipping by me!!!

In any case, Happy Harry Potter Day to everyone and hope you all have a great day and here's wishing that the 6th book is released soon and all of you keep the magic of Harry Potter alive in your own little way. Remember, you're witnessing a legend in the making!

Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus!!!