Just Like Everybody Else

I'm Just Like Everybody Else--Part I--Harry

I don't even think I have to introduce myself. Everyone in the wizarding world already knows my name so it's useless. But if my soon to be wife was hearing this she'd tell me to stop being difficult, so here goes: I'm Harry Potter.

However, for those people who think that name is too plain, I'm also known as:

*The Boy Who Lived

*The Boy Who Destroyed Lord Voldemort

*Gryffindor Seeker (once upon a time)

*Cannons Seeker (once upon a time)

*The Boy Dumbledore Liked The Most

*The Hero Of The Wizarding World

*That Crazy Potter Boy

I'm sure there's more, but I'm starting to get a headache and I don't see the need in increasing the pain.

Right now, I'm sitting in my favorite leather armchair reading the Daily Prophet, and I think of how the media can be both a blessing and a living hell at the same time. For example, in my fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, articles were written about me that were absolutely ludicrous. From reports that said that my scar pains were a plea for attention (as if I don't have enough of that) to reports that said Viktor Krum and I were competing for the affections of (my best friend) Hermione Granger, the media found a way to lie about my life. And everyone believed it.

Then, in my fifth year at Hogwarts, I sat down with Rita Skeeter, The Reporter Who Lived To Tell Lies, and she was forced to get my story straight. Yes, I did witness Voldemort return, and no, I am not seeking personal glory. And people believed that too.

The media contradicts themselves and that drives me up the wall. I'm the type of person who wants the facts, not fake stories that the public is more willing to read.

The main problem with the media now is, now that Voldemort's gone for good, I'm amde out to be a hero. Not that I have a problem with that, mind you, but sometimes it gets a little out of hand. I'm a normal person. I get moody, I get aggravated, I argue--I am NOT a saint, but the media is convinced that I am.

I really wish that they'd throw the spotlight off of me and start reporting on cauldron thickness instead, because I think I'm like everbody else. And please don't say something like, "Oh, he's so humble," because I'm getting tired of that too. So let me give you the facts. Let me tell you why I'm like everybody else.

Yeah, I have my addictions

Two words come to mind: Butterbeer and Quidditch. I don't know one person who isn't addicted to butterbeer or Quidditch, and I don't think I ever will. Unless it's a Muggle, and even then, I suspect that some might also become obsessed with butterbeer and Quidditch if given the chance. How can you not?

I keep my share of secrets

Who doesn't? And I know people keep secrets from me. They always have, but I atill don't understand. I think Ginny's hiding something from me, but I can't put my finger on it...

I get selfish and defensive

Honestly, sometimes I feel like I'm fifteen again. I'm not selfish and defensive all the time, but it happens. Whenever it does happen though, Ginny (not to mention Ron and Hermione) always set me straight and (not so kindly) remind me that the world does not revolve around me. (But according to the MEDIA it does.)

And pay too much attention to my insecurities

Yes, it's true. I'm insecure, just like everybody else. I know I've saved the world plenty of times, but I still think there are others better suited for the job, Albus Dubledore for example. I don't think I'm exceptionally smart (that would be Hermione) and I'm not nearly as funny as my soon to be brothers in law, Gred and Forge. I'm afraid of becoming bitter, like Professor Snape, but I am secure about my hygiene.

Oh, I I'm just like everybody else

I try to love Jesus and myself

Yeah Yeah

I don't what you believe

What you think of

What you see

But this is a part of me, yeah

Of what I do and who I am

All of my impurities are right here on my sleeve

This is me, yeah

This is me

I don't know about most people, but when I left Hogwarts, which was truly my home, I felt empty. I was leaving the only place I was secure, and towards the end of seventh year, I got depressed. My best friends, Ron and Hermione, were worried about me, but I had shut myself out from them. I felt like the bottom was falling out my world.

Then, Dumbledore offered me some kind words and advice, as well as Luna Lovegood (who still has that affect of being able to go into your mind, read what you're thinking, and help you in some way), and I came out of my shell. I realized that I was going to be on my own and be in control of my life, for once.

I wasn't too keen on leaving Ron and Hermione behind, so the three of us bought a flat in London. It was spacious (thanks to my Galleons) and we each had our own room, even though Ron and Hermione seemed convinced that there were only two, and therefore, needed to share one.

For the first time, I was able to relax and do what I wanted, without having the pressure of saving the world on my shoulders. I took the Seeker Position for the Chudley Cannons the second I left Hogwarts, because I knew I was good at it and it was something I truly enjoyed doing.

Three years later, at the age of twenty-one, I became tired of the limelight and dropped out of the sport. My grades were surprisingly good enough for me to become and Auror, and so I did. I felt like I was doing something important with my life, and around that time, I decided that I was stable enough to live on my own. I moved out of the flat and into my mansion. I liked living with Ron and Hermione, but their bickering got to be too much. At Hogwarts, i could deal with it, but for twenty-four hours a day--it was enough to make anyone scream. And they would actually drag me into it. ("Harry, don't you think Ron is being a prat?" and "Harry, tell Hermione to get off of my back, I'm ready to throw something.) At these times, Hermione would miraculously realize there was an extra room and Ron would be forced to sleep there. Not only that, their living habits are impossible to live with. Ron likes to do things like use a spoon and put it right back in the drawer ("What? It's not dirty!) and Hermione is such a neat freak ("Harry, Ron! Your damn broomsticks are sitting on the porch. They belong in the closet!").

Yes my heart breaks for the homeless

I don't consider myself to be a saint, but I am charitable. Whenever I see a poor person on the street, I give them some Galleons. I don't like having loads of money when there are people suffering in the world.

I worry about my parents

I know what you're thinking. How can you worry about your parents when they're dead? But I do. I wonder if they felt any pain when they died, I wonder what life would be like if they were here, I wonder if they're watching over me from heaven. I also worry about the Weasleys because they are the only family I have. They've offered me support, love--I'm like their eighth child. If anything ever happened to them, I would be as sad as Ron or Ginny or Bill would be. That's how close we are. And believe it or not, I worry about the Dursleys. I wonder how their getting along; after all, when I was eighteen I just packed my things and left Privet Drive. I wonder if they've smartened up at all, or if they're still as thick as Crabbe and Goyle. I wonder if Petunia is still bonelike and if Vernon is still like a whale.

And all my bills are late

Yes, this is true. It's a shame. My bills are always late. It's just a natural thing for me, and living with Ginny now doesn't make a difference. She's just as forgetful as I am. The only time my bills were on time was when I lived with Ron and Hermione, and that was only because Hermione took care of all of that.

I'm dealing with the changes

This complicated strangeness

Of seeing life this way

I've actually haven't been surrounded by many changes. I've been living in this mansion for five years now, so I'm used to it. Living with Ginny, however, has been a change. The woman steals all of my chocolate, and she thinks I don't know. And the reporters. Now, instead of dealing with the fact that they lie about me, I have to deal with the fact that they lie about Ginny. That gets me mad; in fact I yelled at a reporter so much the other day for calling her a scarlet woman that he fainted. Headlines for the next day were: Harry Potter, Not So Saint?

Hey, I, I'm just like everybody else

I try, Lord I try, to love Jesus and myself, yeah yeah

I don't know what you believe

What you think of

What you see

But this is a part of me, yeah

Of what I do and who I am

All of my impurities are right here on my sleeve

This is me, yeah

This is me

I keep going on about how Ginny and I are together now. Let me tell you the story. Right after I became an Auror and moved into my mansion, I had had some girlfriends, all of whom were interested in me for my money. I remember going to visit and Hermione and Ron at their flat one day. Ron and I were talking and then we heard voices from the bathroom. We went to investigate and saw Hermione arguing with Ginny about dying her hair. I hadn't seen Ginny in awhile, and suddenly my heart started pounding and my knees were weak. I knew I was in love. Before I could express my feelings, she was off to France. I wallowed in my pity for awhile, and then when she came back for two months, I made my move. I told her how I felt, but it didn't have the affect I had planned. She looked like a deer caught in headlights, and then she moved to the U.S. Six months later, she was engaged to that bastard Michael Corner. Then, she called off the engagement for some reason and went to Bulgaria for awhile. She came back home when she learned that her mother was ill. I was 24 now, and I didn't want to lose her again. I told her I was still in love with her. She (hesistantly) agreed to date me, and then on her 24th birthday, I proposed. She moved into the mansion about a month ago and we're to be wed in two months.

I laugh at silly movies

I haven't actually seen many movies, to tell you the truth. At the Dursleys, I was hardly ever allowed to watch TV and wizards didn't care much for anything that was Muggle. But, Fred and George came over to the flat that Ron, Hermione, and I were sharing at the time and Hermione popped in a movie. I don't remember what it was called, but I do remember that Fred and George were fascinated by it. They acted very strange and about a month later, we learned that they had made two movies themselves and were in the process of making more. The first they made was based on some comic about "The Mad Muggle" or something like that. The second made fun of Cornelius Fudge and his bowler hat. They weren't very long, but they were hysterical, and they made Fred and George rich.

Tear up when I see babies

I think that babies are adorable, yes, but like most men, I don't "tear up" when I see them. Ginny does though, and I think that after we get married, because Weasleys are expected to have loads of kids, we will. I favor the names James and Lily, but Ginny has this thing for weird names (Pigwidgeon, come on) so I don't know how we're going to work that one out.

And I'm stubborn as a stone, yeah yeah

Yes, I am stubborn, just like everybody else. I don't give up easily, and this, along with my stubborness, has allowed me to do all of the things I have ever done. Things like saving the sorcerer's stone, saving Ginny from the basilisk, fighting dragons, and all of that. In fact, almost everyone I know is stubborn. Ginny, Ron, Hermione...

I criticize my body

Even though I was in the top ten for Sexiest Wizards Alive this year and the year before and the year before, I just don't think that I'm goodlooking. I'm not really "scrawny" anymore, but I'm still on the thin side. I'm not exceptionally tall, either, and my hair is as wild as it ever was. Nothing will ever be able to change my hair, I don't think. I still wear my glasses, even though Ron tried to talk me into getting contacts, but they aren't held together by tape anymore. I get a new set of glasses every year, thank you very much. But according to Witch Weekly (and Ginny and Hermione), my eyes are "the most beautiful in the world", "are captivating and mysterious", "hold your attention", and "make girls tingle inside." Whatever. I personally like my scar, it's unique, even though it can be a pain at times. (Not literally--anymore.)

I wonder if I'm ready to ever be alone

I think everyone wonders about this, but I know the answer. My life with someone else is just beginning, and I don't think I will ever be ready to live on my own again. Life alone was great at first, but then it just got lonely. Ginny came along and changed that, though, and I look forward to spending the rest of my life with that fiery redhead. I'm not ready to say goodbye to Ron or Hermione either, that's why my mansion is about a mile away from their flat. When they go, a part of me will go with go them, and I can only guess that I'll die soon after they do. But I really really don't want to think about that.

I, I'm just like everybody else

I cry, yes I cry, just like everybody else

It may be hard to believe, but I do cry. I've cried four times I can remember in life. One, right after I defeated Lord Voldemort. That was more out of relief than anything, but I was crying for all of those whom he and his Deth Eaters had killed. Two, when Professor Dumbledore died a year after Voldemort was defeated. Three, when I found out that Ginny was engaged to Michael Corner, but I don't like to think about her with that--that bastard. Four, when Hagrid died. He had gone to live with the giants after the war ended to "go where he belonged" and he became chief of one clan. A rebellion began, and he was killed by another giant. He was my first connection to the wizarding world, my true home. He was a mentor and a father to me and he was the best person I have ever met. When he died, I felt like I had died as well.

I don't know what you believe

What you think of

What you see

But this is a part of me

Of what I do and who I am

All of my impurities are right here on my sleeve

This is me

Oh this is me

Oh this is me, yeah

I'm gonna celebrate it

Celebrate who you are

What you do

What you feel

What you see

Who you are

I'm not afraid to say who I am, and I'm not at all ashamed of myself. I may be a prat sometimes, but that's who I am. I'm just like everybody else.

Now, I have to go to Fred's engagement party to Angelina. I'll be among Hogwarts friends, who know the real Harry Potter, and I am going to enjoy myself. I'm also going to ask Ginny why she's been acting so odd lately, and hopefully I'll get a straight answer, instead of that wink and smile, followed by, "You'll know soon enough." I'm at a point in my life where I am content and I like it.

This is me