Story Party 1: Harry Prepares

It's Harry's 26th Birthday and he knows someone's planned something 'special'. Help him prepare for the big day by writing this story together!

This is a collaborative challenge. It's like telling a campfire story. Each post picks up where the last left off until the story is complete at the end of ten posts.

1. Each post has a maximum of 400 words.
   
   
2. Each post continues the story according to what has gone before.
   
   
3. No post may contain something that kills off anyone or prematurely ends the story (ie: You can't cancel the party).
   
   
4. Each post (except the 10th) must end with the beginning of a sentence for the next poster to complete.
   
   
5. There will be 10 posts allowed. The 10th post must resolve the story.

The first sentence of the first post begins..

Hedwig was irritated and Harry fumbled for an owl treat as --



Happy writing!

Please only post story entries in this thread. All discussion belongs in this thread.

Hedwig was irritated and Harry fumbled for an owl treat as 7:00 approached. He could barely think over the owl's demanding screech, and he was going to be late for work. Successfully feeding his fowl companion, Harry ran down the stairs of his small flat, teeth carefully holding a piece of toast, his arms flailing to get through his Ministry robes. He grabbed his wand and his briefcase, looked around the living room, sure he had everything, and with a CRACK! he and his piece of buttered toast were on their way to work.

Walking down the corridor to his office, he passed Ron's office in Magical Games and Sports. He was surprised when he found Hermione sitting next to him, both in whispered tones, not a scent of argument in the air. Puzzled, Harry cleared his throat. The both of them jumped unnecessarily, and their conversation came to an immediate halt as they spotted their best friend.

"Hi Harry," they both almost whispered. Hermione averted eye contact, but a small smile played on her mouth, and Ron's ears were red. Hermione declared she had to go to her desk, and left in a hurry. Harry couldn't help but feel a little hurt when she had not bothered to utter him best wishes on his 26th birthday. It seemed that Ron, too, had either forgotten or was deliberately refraining from saying anything as well.

Harry turned suspiciously to Ron, and...


Shannon

...said 'What was that all about?'

Ron's ears remained red, and he refused to look at him. 'What was what all about?' he asked in mock confusion, pretending to shuffle papers on his desk. Harry ran a hand through his hair and took a seat beside him. 'Don't play with me, Ron,' he said sternly. Ron slowly faced him with a tired look on his face. 'It's nothing, really. Don't bother.'

Harry was slightly taken aback by this. He had never heard Ron act this way since Hogwarts during their 4th year. It was either he di something wrong or Ron was jealous of something from him . . . or maybe it was something else.

Ron watched Harry's confused face from the corner of his eye. He smiled inwardly to himself as he congratulated himself for doing a job-well-done. In a few moments of silence, he hearda scratching of a chair, and at that harry had left. He grinned slightly and sighed. 'Mission 'Make Harry Not Suspect a Thing' completed'.

As Harry walked along the corridor, he looked left and right, and saw that all his officemates wererefusing to look at him. When he got back to his desk, he . . .

When he got back to his desk, he saw the mounds upon mounds of paperwork that he had to finish by the time he got off work. Harry didn't want to do it just yet. He reached down into the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a favourite book of his. "Happy birthday to me." He whispered to himself.

Harry leaned back in his chair and began reading where he left off. Although his eyes were scanning the page and he was still flipping through the book, his mind was elsewhere. He couldn't help but think that he did something wrong. What other reason would there be that all his friends and co-workers were refusing to look at him and acting suspicious towards him?

He shook his head briefly and concentrated his mind back to his book. There was a knock at the door and in walked...

And in walked Ginny Weasley. Harry smiled at her.

"How are you, Harry?" she asked. "Fine," he replied. He had expected a kiss and a "Happy Birthday, dear Harry" from her. He waited, but none came. He resolved not to say anything on the topic if she herself didn't remember that it was his birthday.

"I'm going to a concert tonight," Ginny said excitedly. "Alone?" Harry asked blankly. "Yes, I love the Weird Sisters," she told Harry, who had never had that impression that she liked the band much. He shrugged.

"Mom wants you at home, though," she added. "Why?" Harry asked. So, he thought to himself, at least someone remembered. Mrs. Weasley would probably stuff him with custard and treacle tarts....

"We're moving to Kansas for holiday," Ginny said promptly. "She needs help with the packing." And she left, after telling him to pay the burrow an immediate visit. Heaving a sigh, Harry decided it was best to go. He apparated to the Burrow while, outside the office, Ginny grinned to herself. Now they could arrange the party at the office and then, when everything was in order, give him a ring telling him there was an emergency at the office.

Harry apparated to the Burrow to find…

EDIT: If it's too long, Jan, please PM me know and I will fix it. =]

Harry apparated to the Burrow to find Fred and George sitting outside the burrow talking. Harry walked up to them but as soon as he got in ear shot the talking subsided. Harry looked suspiciously at the two.
" Hey Harry" Fred and George said at the same time.
"uh hi..what were you talking about?" He asked.
"oh it was nothing really" Fred said.
"mums waiting for your help inside" George said. Again Harry was surprised not even to here a Happy birthday from eathier one of them, Was everyone going completely mad or somthing.
"right...ok then" Harry said.

He walked inside the house to see Mrs. Weasly with a bunch of boxes stacked in the kitchen.
"Harry dear is that you?" Mrs. Weasley called from behind a few boxes,
"oh good I was starting to worry" Mrs. Weasley said standing up.
" can you go upstairs and you'll se a bunch of boxes and a bunch of stuff scattered everywhere, just start boxing it for me please" Mrs. Weasley said.
"no problem" Harry said with a little disapointment in his tone.

Harry walked uptairs and around alot of junk scattered everywhere, Harry almost...

tripped. He looked down at all the boxes and sighed heavily. Why did no one remember his birthday? Slowly he started packing up box after box.

-While back at the Ministry-

"No Ginny don't put that there, someone will knock it over." Ron said with a frown before turning back to the decorations he was putting on the wall.

Hermione walked over and helped Ginny move the cake to a new location. They stood back and admired the transformation of the office. All the cubicles had been moved so the room was open. Ron nodded with approval and turned back to the decorations.

Ginny turned to Hermione and said, "Do you think he suspects anything? I really want this to be a surprise." She looked so anxious that Hermione laughed.

"Don't worry Gin, he doesn't suspect anything. He probably just wonders why no one wished him a happy birthday."

"Oh I do hope he's not mad that i'm making him pack up boxes, mum was quite happy to have an excuse to have someone help her." Ginny grinned and turned back to the cake.

-at the burrow-

Harry walked down the steps when he finished packing the boxes and went over to Mrs. Weasley and said, "I'm just going to head back to work now that i'm done."

"Oh wait Harry can you go try and get that goul out of the attic? I would try, but i'm just so busy down here."

With a sigh Harry turned and headed back upstairs to battle the goul. He walked up the steps slowly wishing someone would remember his birthday. For a moment her thought maybe he had gotten the day wrong and his birthday wasn't till tomorrow. He rushed to one of the spare rooms and looked at a calandar. Nope it was his birthday.

He sighed as he continued back up the steps towards the goul. He was still hoping that maybe this was a dream he would wake up from. As he reached the stairs to the attic he

Coughed and Spluttered as he walked into Cobwebs. Harry flung his arms trying to get the sticky soft material out of his face.
"Great. No one remembered my birthday and now i have Cobwebs on me!" He mumbled. Harry entered the Attick and shivered. it was dark and slightly cold. He had his wand out and was walking around the attick slowly. Something caught the corner of his eyes and he turned just as the ghoul leapt into the air and was aiming A pipe at Harry.

---Downstairs---
Molly weasley Listened as Harry walked up the stairs. once she realised he was in the attick she stopped with the Boxes adn Moved into the kitchen where she was cooking Chicken and a fruit salad. Molly had agreed to be the caterer for Harry's Party. Once she made the food she would hex it and send it to Ginny at the Ministry where they would put it on the buffee Table. Molly weasley had just finished The salad and was now making rasberry trifle.

---Attick---
Harry let out a cry and was now rolling around with the ghoul. Giving hexes adn reciveing punches. He stood up and the ghoul grabbed his leg. Harry flung his leg and the ghoul flew off and smashed into the attick window causeing the ghoul to fall out. Harry ran to the window and saw...

...the goul flying up angrily at him. Harry was trying to immobilize the goul, but the spell went right through."Great.First, no one remembers my B-day. then I pack boxes. THEN, I get to battle a stupid ghost!" is what Harry was thinking as he dodged a box filled with books that was thrown at him. Harry threw many hexes and cursesat the goul.
---First Floor---

Molly Weasley was nervously cheking the stairs. She didn't want Harry to find her icing his B-Day cake.Then the party wouldn't be as good for a suprise party. She hastily put it in the cabinet as she heard........

Wham! the ghoul was on the floor of the kitchen and Harry was bounding down the stairs. She hurriedly (sp?) finished the cake and sent it over to the office.

"That thing is mad!" Harry cried when he reached the unconscious ghoul.

"Yes, yes," Molly said. "Well...umm.."

Just then Ginny apparated over and said, "Harry, there's an emergency back at the office, you'd better come quick!" Then she looked at her mom. "Right mum? He'd better go quick?" Molly gave her a confused look. Ginny made a face as if she was eating something.

"Oh, right, Harry you'd better go. Thanks for all the help! Bye!" Ginny and Harry Apparated away.

When they reached the office, everyone said, "Surprise! Happy Birthday Harry!"

"Oh my gosh! Thanks guys!" Apparantly, they hadn't forgotten. And Harry had an awesome birthday.