Magic of the All Hallows Eve

More Duels?! No!

28th December 1991

When Lily was scrolling through the library trying to find a worthy book for Harry this year, she was all set to break her norm and take a fictional book.

Mind you, Harry loathed fiction. And particularly Fantasy. He used to argue that they were all too vague and the world-building took the majority of the book than the actual character developments themselves. Which, as Harry usually was, completely right.

But her growing concern was that he was going to Hogwarts this year, and seeing that he was particularly all very reserved around his peers and all his letters back home were awfully self-centered, she had made up her mind. She was going to give him a book which was completely based on social interactions. And this landed her into the section for Plays. 

Now, which one should she get for him was the main question. Over the years, Harry had grown more close to his books than even his parents themselves. So any sudden change inside of him would only be possible if it was introduced through a writing.

3rd January 1992

Harry was not that much of a fan of plays. But when he was gifted a muggle book as every year which turned out to be a play, what could he do but read it?

Its title was 'A Few Good Men', and it was supposed to a legislative play. The cover art was good, although he didn't particularly relate the quality of the content with that of the cover art. 

But don't judge a book by its cover meant that cover artists are insulted. 

And do judge a book by its cover meant that the authors are insulted. 

And don't judge a book meant that the book critics are insulted. 

And don't judge meant that the court magistrates are insulted.

And do judge meant that the front person himself is insulted.

And just don't meant that Nike was insulted.

Leaving stupid conjectures aside, he opened the book. And on he read. He had to admit he enjoyed the read. Heck, he was liking it, although it was fictional. Man, what had gotten into him!

He was completely engrossed inside the book when he heard a familiar loathed voice speak,

"Reading a Muggle book, eh Pottah? Maybe you just ain't influential enough like your father and want to jealously go Muggle, eh? Your magic is stained by that stupid mud—", but Harry casually snapped his fingers to silence the blonde baboon.

"Ooh, A few good men? I've read that book last year, you know. You might like to know that this Downey and —", Hermione had spotted him from her usual seat and was all set to bombard him with spoilers.

"Please, I like to keep the suspense to myself, thank you", Harry said and closed the book.

"Oh, alright. Um. . . Anyways, why do you just sit at this bench for the whole day all the time you aren't in classes? I don't particularly see you at meals most of the time", she said, surprising Harry that somebody had noticed such a small detail.

'If you count being missing for 80% of the meals the whole time and being omnipresent in the library, sometimes even missing classes a small detail', his mind argued.

"Well?", she quipped.

"I just like to read, you know", he replied.

"You could use a bit of sun and exercise, Harry. The next quidditch match is up soon enough against Hufflepuff, and I have heard that Professor Snape is refereeing the match"