Chapter 49 Birthday (1)
The hottest days have passed. Although it is still a bit stuffy today, there is a breeze, which brings some coolness when the sweat is blown away.
Looking at the azure sky above her head, Della raised her hand to press down the visor of her sun hat with butterfly straps, then looked down at her brand new black leather shoes. Her royal blue dress was also rippling in the breeze.
"Hey, Della!"
Della turned around when she heard that. Harry was getting out of his uncle's car. Della could feel the warmth of the smile on his face even from a distance. As soon as he left his uncle's little white car, he couldn't wait to run to Della.
"You will never imagine what happened today. They actually gave me pocket money, and it's not a small amount!" Even though he was still catching his breath, Harry couldn't wait to talk to Della.
"If nothing goes wrong, your uncle will be able to sign that big order tonight," Della shrugged and laughed softly, "Okay, let's go into the mall quickly, it's still a bit sunny outside."
The two walked quickly into the mall. As soon as they walked through the door, the cold air crept up their bodies, making them sigh. A girl from a remote town and a boy who had only picked up things in the mall before, it was hard not to be attracted by the bright and grand scene in front of them.
"It looks like we'll have some fun today," Della said, her head slightly raised, her big black eyes flickering as the corners of her mouth widened. "I should be able to find a lot of interesting toys for Fred and his family. They all seem to like things from the Muggle world."
"I think we have plenty of time today. Before that," Harry looked at the dazzlingly shining sign of the arcade not far away, "I think we can go there and take a look. I have always wanted to try those things."
"Ah, a boy~" Della twitched her nose, and her eyes swept over the clothing stores and restaurants whose signs were vaguely visible upstairs. She followed them into the game hall with a smile on her face.
As soon as they entered, all kinds of strong lights challenged their eyes. Combined with the passionate sound system in the game room and the exciting sound effects coming from the game consoles from time to time, it really made people excited and they couldn't wait to kill everyone on the machine.
Although it was his first time here, Harry quickly followed suit and exchanged a small basket of game coins. He then pulled Della to try new games non-stop.
Harry must not have thought of himself as a girl. Della, who had always cooperated with Harry in moving between different game consoles, had a clear understanding of this, which made her feel amused.
She was not used to the dazzling special effects and emotional voices, but the sparkling enthusiasm of the boys around her made her reluctant to interrupt. Anyway, playing with friends was always a happy thing.
Come to think of it, during this week of studying with Harry, I haven't thought about those clueless things.
Thinking of this, Della calmly pulled the trigger of the toy gun in her hand. The shot, not really carefully, happened to hit the moving target that symbolized the grand prize. She had tried several times but couldn't even hit the edge, but this time she hit it and it even made Della feel like she was trying to scam her.
The sudden sound of winning in her ears made Della unable to think too much. Harry also excitedly held her arm. A staff member wearing a modified clown costume walked towards her with a smile holding a furry teddy bear that was almost as tall as her.
Harry's excited voice didn't seem so real in the noisy environment. When Della hugged the teddy bear that felt so good, she was still a little dizzy.
Harry looked very envious. He spent the longest time at the shooting game area, but he didn't have that luck anymore. He looked unhappy until he left the game hall.
Seeing him like that, Della suddenly understood why the game hall was so attractive.
"Harry, it seems that I haven't thanked you properly after the Quirrell incident. You know, there is always a little tail."
Della raised the brown teddy bear with great effort and waved it in front of Harry. "It just so happens that I won this today. I'll just regard it as my good luck to you. I hope you don't mind it, Harry."
"Give it to me? No, no...you won it, Della." Harry stretched out his hand halfway and then forced himself to put it down.
"Harry, take it quickly, my hands are sore from lifting it."
At Della's urging, Harry took the teddy bear with a red face. He rubbed his rosy little face against the furry face of the teddy bear, and it was hard to tell who was cuter.
"Hold it carefully, Harry, it's not light." Della shook her hands and laughed softly. She looked up at the pink sign on the second floor. "It's almost time for dinner. Let's go there. Forgive me for not being able to resist the temptation of cake."
Harry, holding his teddy bear, followed Della's gaze to the second floor, and saw the words "Sweetheart Dessert" surrounded by various pink decorations.
Although he wanted to complain about the vulgar name and strange aesthetics, Harry also noticed the faint sweet smell of the snacks wafting down from above. His little face buried beside the teddy bear was still flushed, and he agreed to Della's proposal after a little thought.
After entering the store, Harry realized that the sign outside was quite subtle. The interior of the store was decorated in blue and pink, with many dreamy and exaggerated patterns printed on the walls, and a large amount of lace, giving people a soft feeling.
The shop assistants were wearing the most traditional British maid uniforms. Their every move was very elegant, and they walked around the store with smiles on their faces.
What a strange decoration, and there were quite a lot of people in the store. Maybe the cakes were really delicious, Harry and Della thought so after a little surprise.
Under the guidance of the waiter, they sat in a corner. Harry placed the big teddy bear neatly on the chair next to him. His serious look made the blonde waiter who took their order laugh. She started talking to Harry in a very friendly manner.
"You received such a big teddy bear. Is it your birthday today, little one?"
"Um... um!" Facing the clerk's gaze, Harry blushed and pursed his lips, squeezing out a small response from his throat.
"Happy birthday to you, little friend. We have a promotion in our store. You can have an extra piece of cake today. How old are you this year? We will put number candles on it."
"Ten... twelve..."
"Got it. Wait for your little birthday cake~" The blonde clerk wrote a few more words on the menu, then smiled and nodded at Della and Harry, and walked gracefully to the back kitchen.
"Birthday? Oh, Harry, I didn't know today was your birthday. I'm so sorry I didn't prepare a gift for you." Della, who had just been watching the two talking with her eyes open, opened her eyes even wider. She opened her mouth slightly, and the surprise and guilt on her face had not faded yet.
"Ah, I thought you knew... But I've got a great gift, and it's me who should thank you, Della."
Harry looked at Della seriously, his bright green eyes sparkling. He smiled gratefully and shyly, "What about you, Della, when is your birthday? I think I can give you a gift then."
"Birthday... Harry, I don't know when my birthday is. There is no such thing as birthdays in the orphanage. We all consider Christmas, when we receive presents, as our birthday."
"Oh, sorry, Della... I didn't know..."
"Don't make that face, Harry, I don't really feel anything about it. Okay, don't be sorry Harry, you're not the first person to ask me that question, Draco had the same expression as you did back then."
At this point, Della puffed her lips and frowned, "Come to think of it, I haven't seen anyone celebrating a birthday in Hogwarts yet."
"How could that be? Didn't Malfoy invite you to his birthday party? It was at the beginning of June, and he was showing off. At that time, you seemed..." Harry frowned, trying to recall the situation that day, "You seemed to be away. You were always in the library or the office, Della."
But I have classes with Draco every day.
Della added silently in her heart, narrowing her eyes slightly, and Draco's uncomfortable little face after asking her birthday appeared in front of her. That conversation was probably in mid-May, and combined with Harry's words, Della quickly had the answer in her mind.
He's really awkward, but he's considerate.
The cake was brought up at this time, and the sweet fragrance immediately rushed into the nostrils of the two. The kind blonde clerk considerately placed the small cake with the number 12 on it in front of Harry, and then lit the candle that symbolized growth under Harry's expectant gaze.
Harry closed his eyes and bent down slightly, raised his hands and clasped them in front of him. The heat from the small candlelight seemed to make his face red. In this heat, he made a silent wish in his heart, then opened his eyes, and reluctantly and gently blew out the candlelight that he had always longed for.
"Happy birthday to you~"
Della and the clerk called one after another, and Harry smiled shyly. The blonde clerk also smiled and removed the candles, then skillfully cut the cake, revealing the layers of fruit and bread inside.
The sweet lunch time was spent in this pinkness, but the day was far from over.