i was nineteen

[human_girl]

"I love you, too!"

"I'm so glad you could make it!"

"I'll call you tomorrow!"

 

Her hands and arms filled with presents, her stomach filled with garlic bread, and her mind only slightly tipsy from two glasses of sangria, Maria stood outside the restaurant, thanking her friends for coming as they got into their cars or walked around the corner to catch the next bus.
 

Candlewood Apartments wasn't too far from the restaurant. It hardly seemed worth the wait or the cost of a cab or bus. Besides, she was buzzing with joy and energy from being around her friends and from all the love they had shown her with the presents and simply by being there to celebrate her special day. She wasn't quite ready for the night to end and a walk seemed like a nice idea, even if there was no more pretty snow to look at.
 

Maria looked around to see if there was anyone else who might be going her way, when she saw Harry.
 

"Hey, neighbor, are you walking? Wanna help the birthday girl carry all her presents home?"

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[human_girl]

Maria chuckled softly at Harry's joke, her breath fogging up in the cold air. She liked his sense of humor. The tone that he used reminded her of Brody from the UFO Center back in Roswell, so she figured it was a British thing. It was charming to her in a way that she suspected Harry didn't even realize was charming.

"What can I say? I love presents and my best friends know it." Presents weren't more important than spending time with her friends or having their support when she needed it, but they still meant a lot to her. She liked having tangible reminders that there were people who cared about her.

Plus, there would always be something incredibly romantic about a guy buying her flowers and jewelry, as cliche as those kinds of gifts may be.

"You got any plans for the rest of the night?"

[who_lived]

Harry's grin widens; warmth spreads through him at the thought of making Maria laugh. A familiar warmth that he tries not to think about too closely, considering his past experiences of listening to his heart over reason.

"Presents are quite wonderful," Harry agrees. He can tell, from knowing Maria a little in their time in Darrow, that she isn't the sort to count her presents or protest when she doesn't have enough; she appreciates presents like everyone appreciates presents but Harry thinks she also appreciates the thought put into them as well.

"Feed my owl," Harry admits with a shrug. "And that's about it for my exciting adventures. How about you?"

[human_girl]

"Feed my dog," Maria replied, mimicking Harry's shrug without consciously meaning to do so. The night was still young, though, and she didn't want 'feed the dog' to be her only plans. It would probably be nice, she thought, to hang out with Harry once they were back inside the building they both called home. She could show off her birthday presents and then maybe they could watch a movie together while eating leftover birthday cake.

"An owl is sort of a weird animal to have as a pet. You do know that, right?" Maria hoped she didn't sound like she was being too rude, but she couldn't let the mention of the owl slide without saying something about it. She was also stalling while she thought of a way to invite Harry over to her place without 'giving him the wrong idea'.

[who_lived]

"I'm sure the dog will appreciate it," Harry says with a smile, shifting the gifts in his arms a bit so as not to drop them. It's the perfect sort of night for a walk, he thinks, as he and Maria make their way back to Candlewood. While still cold, the night is not freezing, and the stars flickering above them cast everything in a silver glow.

"I am aware of that by now, yes," he answers. He's more than used to the weird looks he gets in Darrow; the sort of weird looks he got in London. "But Hedwig is wonderful, and I wouldn't trade her for anything."

He likes spending time with Maria; he likes walking beside her and holding her gifts. He doesn't notice, in his usual fashion, her attempts to stall for time.