Chapter Text
As more and more people have difficulty finding a partner without the help of matchmaking services and dating websites, it was only a matter of time before someone launched a dating site that looks for potential matches based on DNA compatibility. That time is apparently today with the launch of GenePartner . The Switzerland-based company says they can use a $199 DNA test to help you find your perfect match, statistically speaking. They’ve analysed “hundreds of couples” and have determined the genetic patterns found in successful relationships.
Sharp knocks on his window made Harry look up from his the news report on telly (not that the article was very interesting; match making based on DNA! Ridiculous) and turn his eyes towards the window. A large, brown owl was sitting on his windowsill, an envelope in its beak. It was unfamiliar, and Harry wasn’t expecting any mail. At least, none that he could remember. However, there was a storm (okay, now he was just exaggerating – there was slightly heavy rain) outside, and he felt sorry for poor creature. So he got up and opened the window to let the owl in. It let out a short hoot of appreciation, dropped its delivery on the first surface it saw, and proceeded to rest near Harry’s heater. Unsure of how far it had to travel, Harry hurried to get it some snack first, giving one to Althea, his own owl, on the way. Both owls hooted a thanks, and proceeded to eat their respective snacks while Harry walked towards the desk where the owl had dropped its letter. He picked it up, glancing at his address written on the envelope in an unfamiliar handwriting, and opened it. Inside was a single, relatively short sheet of parchment.
Dear Mr. DeadlyFlighty,
Thank you for signing up Cupid Owl! We have reviewed your profile and your request, and are delighted to inform you that we have found a match for you. As per the rules, the name will not be revealed until you and your match decide to reveal it to each other, but please see some details below:
Username: SinCharming25
Gender: Male
Age: 28
Height: 183 centimeters
Hair colour: Blond
Eye colour: Light blue
Hobbies: Quidditch, books, cooking, playing the violin
Likes: Sunsets, good art, good food, finding that book that makes you forget where you are, quiet nights at home
Dislikes: Politics, large crowds, idle talk, getting sunburnt
What I am looking for: Someone who can look beyond the obvious. Someone understanding and kind. Someone to share cold nights under the blankets with.
If you are interested in starting an interaction with this person, please write your letter and send it back. We will make sure the recipient will receive it. Please note that your match received a similar letter and they will have to agree to communicate with you in order for a connection to be made. In case one of the sides is not interested in starting the communication, we will find a new match for both parties and a notification will be sent in this regard.
Best regards,
Helene Bailey
Cupid Owl Operator
Harry looked at the letter he’d just read, staring at the words. A match had been found for him. He had almost forgotten that he had signed up for the service; it took awhile for them to match him to someone. Nevertheless, the letter got him a little excited. His last – meaningful – relationship had been with Ginny Weasley, and that had ended three years ago. They had dated for a long while, had almost gotten engaged, but something… something just hadn’t been quite right . She was a very nice girl, and there were no doubts about him liking her family. The Weasleys were the nicest people he had known in his entire life. And he loved Ginny. He did. But it took him too long to realize that he didn’t quite love her enough , and in the right way . It had taken him too long to realize that her love for him had been too based on her early admiration of him. When they decided to break up, it was on good terms. They still saw each other regularly and were good friends, despite it all. She was now married and seemingly very happy, expecting her first child.
But Harry…
Harry found that finding love, when his name was written in history books since before he knew how to walk, was not an easy task. Oh, he’d had lovers, both men and women. Getting dates, for a night or a little longer, was easy. But it always felt like none of them loved him sincerely. Most of them seemed more excited about being able to say that they’d shagged the Great Harry Potter than actually wanting to be in a relationship with him. It seemed nearly impossible to find someone who liked him because of who he was, rather than because of his fame. He didn’t feel like he could get to really know anyone, and no one was interested in knowing him . They wanted to hear all about what he’d done, what it was like to be the Great Harry Potter.
It was exhausting.
And then… then Hermione had shown him this service that one of her coworkers had used and found her husband through. A matchmaking service that allowed for anonymity, for first getting to know each other before revealing one’s looks and names. It sounded sketchy, but Harry was willing to give it a shot. A part of him was certain, especially as time passed by and no response came, that it was nothing but a scam. A part of him was scared that they’d use his application form and sell it to the gossip papers, even though theoretically, they did not have his real name, but it did not stop him from getting just a little bit paranoid. What a headline that would make! Harry Potter, in search for love, and gay. Hermione reassured him that they would do no such thing, but he was still skeptical.
But maybe there was something to it, after all. He didn’t know who the man they had matched him up with was. He seemed a bit inauthentic, giving clichéd answers (who did like politics or large crowds after all, and who didn’t like quiet nights at home, tucked in with someone special?) , and maybe just a tiny bit of a stuck-up too. His username was ridiculous, but then, the username Hermione and Ron chose for Harry (because he was too anxious to choose his own) wasn’t the best, either. But it was the first chance of something that was more than being paraded around as the Boy Who Lived since forever, and maybe that was worth making the effort and giving it an honest try.
He didn’t have much to lose. He sat down to write his response.