About Harry

Chapter 2 - Unwanted women and unwanted popularity

Harry and Ginny's relationship, on the other hand, was doing great. Harry felt his love for Ginny grew everyday instead of wither away like many other couples after almost eighteen years of marriage.

From the pretty teenager she was, she had grown to be a beautiful woman of thirty-four and Harry was still crazy about her.

He had improved a lot too since being a teenager. When he was eighteen, he had been to St. Mungo's to try to solve his sight problem. He had the ambition to become an Auror and good eyesight was essential. After days and days of long and boring spell casting sessions, the healer had succeeded. It was amazing not to have to wear glasses any longer. This, only in itself, would have been a great improvement but just a few months before he had learned from Hermione something else, he was only half aware of.

In September, they had assigned him a new secretary, a very young, silly girl.

She was overexcited by her new role in being Harry Potter's secretary and once introduced she had attacked him with a flow of words like 'You can call me by my first name! I'm Julia and I'm a huge fan of yours! It's so cool how you fought You-Know-Who. You have been so brave! I read everything of you I could lay my hands on and I'm so happy we will be working together! All my friends are dying with envy!'

What was HR thinking?? With all the people they could have chosen they had to give me a groupie??

There was always a group of giggling girls following him anytime he stepped in any wizarding event, waiting for him in front of the Ministry in the morning, and sometimes even in the muggle world.

He called them privately his "groupies". All very young, just out of Hogwarts, they all looked quite alike from Harry's point of view; a lot of makeup, tight t-shirts, plunging neckline. They were usually not very annoying, contented to stare from afar and giggling. It was a minor bother considering all the other problems and vexations his popularity had been giving him.

It was fascinating how he was idealised by all of them. Incessant flows of declaration of love, admiration, offers of different nature... And all for a person that didn't exist, that was only in their mind. All in love with the idea of him, of what he represented. They didn't have the remotest clue of who he really was and neither they cared, he was sure of it. Why exchange a national hero with all the qualities that most pleased them, quite perfect under every respect with just a normal man with all his weaknesses, faults and worries? He was just a name, an idea to them. Nothing else.

He had few relationships in the magical community that he could call genuine. Most of the people's interactions toward him were governed mostly by interests. Some wanted to be famous by reflection or seeing their name published on newspapers, some wanted him to use his influence to obtain privileges, some wanted to feel important.

Only a very few people would talk to him just for the pleasure of his company.

That's why he was so faithful to Ginny. She knew him in all his faults, many and great, and still loved him.

It was full of women trying to get his attention and flirting with him on any occasion, but he never felt tempted to have an affair with somebody else. Not because he didn't feel attracted to other women time to time but because there was too much to lose and too little to be gained.

For all these reasons, he wasn't overjoyed by this new secretary. His job was challenging and kept him under a lot of pressure, he needed to be surrounded by dedicated and focused people. He hoped she would turn out to be one of them.

For a few days everything seemed fine. She was doing her job punctually and accurately.

One evening he had to work late. Being just back from summer holidays, a big workload had accumulated, and he hadn't managed to cope with it yet. It was already eleven o' clock and he had just decided to be done for the day.