A/N: This is my first fanfic, and I have like the first five chapters done, but im not going to put any more up unless some of you review...because otherwise it will be pointless…that doesn't include you kk…o_O

Birthdays Past:

It was midnight at Number 4 Privet Drive.  A black-haired boy lay on his bed staring out his window into the night.  This boy was Harry Potter. A snowy owl in its cage on the desk nearby ruffled her feathers.  The boy looked at her, coming out of a sort of trance. He looked at her and smiled. Then he directed his attention to the alarm clock on his bedside table.

"Midnight," he muttered to himself, "Happy Birthday to me." This was in fact his sixteenth birthday.  He continued to lie on his bed staring into space and thinking.  How long it seemed since his last birthday. Alone, here, with no real communication to the wizarding world. Now, at least he got frequent letters from Mad-eye, Tonks, Lupin, Mr.Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, Ron and Hagrid. He looked over at the stack of letters which he had saved from all of them, and smiled.

The smile immediately turned into a frown at the thought of the Order…and the missing member.  Sirius, his godfather, was after all dead. His thoughts had played over and over on Sirius falling through the veil at the Department of Mysteries all summer. Now this scene was played yet again in his head.  He thought about it over and over until he finally drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, he awoke and was immediately distracted by the small ball of feathers that was rocketing around his room, hooting wildly. He got out of bed and caught the miniature owl. He untied the piece of parchment from its leg and let it go.  He opened up the letter and read:

Dear Harry,

            Happy Birthday!  Dad says we are going to come get you this afternoon. Sorry we couldn't tell you earlier. Dumbledore just sent an owl saying you can come to the Burrow. Hermione is here already. We will give you your presents when you get here... I think we are coming by Floo Powder again. Anyways, make sure the muggles have moved that eclectic fire thing, ok? Be ready at 1:00.

                                                            See you soon,

                                                                        Ron

By the time he had finished reading Pigwidgeon, the owl, had already rocketed through the window and off, back to the Burrow.  Hedwig looked indignant to the overenthusiastic little owl that belonged to Ron. She obviously did not approve.

Harry glimpsed the alarm clock that now read 10:00.  "I slept late," he said partly to himself, partly to Hedwig. He then walked down the steps to the kitchen. Aunt Petunia was there, already cleaning up from breakfast. There was a plate of bacon eggs and toast on the table. Harry sat down in front of it.

He had just picked up his fork and started eating the cold eggs when Aunt Petunia said, slowly, almost painfully, "Happy Birthday."

Harry was surprised that she had even realized that it was his birthday. "What?" he asked even though he had definitely heard her.

"Happy Birthday." She repeated, louder.

"Thanks," Harry replied startled.  Why had she acted so ….nice.

"You slept late." Why had she noticed this and why had she pointed out, without a nasty tone, like she usually had. Then, Harry remembered Dumbledore's letter at the end of last summer, and Mad Eye's threat at the beginning of this one. He still had not gotten used to the lack of bitterness in their voices.

"Yeah," he said awkwardly, then added, "I'm leaving this afternoon. The Weasleys are coming to get me."

"How?" she asked suddenly uptight, her nostrils flaring.

"Floo Powder" he said, trying to hide a smile

"What?" she asked, then getting angry, "Is that the stuff that blew up half our living room?"

"Er, well, yes, but that was only because the fire place was blocked up and Mr. Weasley had to use a Reductor Cha…." He started but was cut off.

"Don't mention any of that fancy mumbo-jumbo in my house" she said stiffly.

"Sorry," Harry said, not meaning it. "I'm going to go pack." He said finally. Anyways, the Dursley's had never replaced the wooden blockade barring the fireplace from any unsuspecting wizard trying to get through via Floo powder. They actually used the real fireplace, and enjoyed it, but they would never mention that, especially to Harry.

She glared at him the whole way up the stairs. Finally, when he had gotten away from her stare. He sank down in his desk chair, where Hedwig was perched, and started stroking her absentmindedly. He still had 2 hours before the Weasleys would come for him. He ought to have his stuff in the living room already. Although, he thought, it would be funny if Fred and George left another little treat for Dudley, he doubted if his relative's would, And, it would definitely not be a good thing for Mr. Weasley, who worked at the Ministry of Magic, and was a specialist in Muggle Relations and such.

So, he set about picking up all the spare quills, bottles of ink, and pieces of parchment that were lying around his room and putting them in his trunk. An hour later he had all his robes, books, and other things locked away in his trunk. Just as he clicked the top closed, a large tawny owl flew through his window and landed on his bed. As he untied the parchment from his leg, he saw it was a school owl, and the letter he carried had the Hogwarts seal on it

He opened the envelope, knowing what it was, O.W.L. results. Out fell two pieces of parchment. He picked up the first. It had his school supplies and the reminder that term started on the 1st of November, and the Hogwarts Express would leave platform 9 ¾ at 11 o clock. He would need:

The Standard Book of Spells Grade 6, by Miranda Goshawk

Magical Drafts and Potions; Advanced, by Arsenius Jigger

Charms for the N.E.W.T. Scholar, by Gustav Hoffa

The Big Book of Counter curses, and Protection Charms, by Arnold Dean

            And

The Student's Guide to Transfiguration, by Emeric Switch

            The second was, yes, the O.W.L. results. He scanned down the list. He had passed everything. Even Potions. It read:

            Transfiguration: E

            Potions: E

            Charms: O

            Defense Against the Dark Arts: O

            Care of Magical Creatures: O

Herbology: O

Divination: A

Astronomy: E

History of Magic- A

Not bad, he said to himself. 'I wonder what Ron got. Probably decent. And Hermione. Knowing her she got all O's.' He laughed to think what Crabbe and Goyle got. Probably T's.

            Before he knew it, it was 1 o clock and the time for departure had arrived. He lugged his trunk down to the living room, and returned upstairs for Hedwig. As he stuffed her in her cage, he remembered his photo album, hiding under his pillow, open to the page showing his parents on their wedding day, with Sirius. He grabbed it quickly and as he looked down at the smiling figures, he felt tears welling in his eyes. 'How can they be so happy,' he thought' Do they know that they are all going to die, and leave me here all alone.

            Before the tears trying to escape from his eyes succeeded, he snapped the book close, and regained his mood of happiness, after all he was leaving the Dursley's for the summer and he got to spend the next whole month at the burrow with his two best friends. *sigh*

            He was drawn from his thoughts when he heard a loud bang from downstairs. The Weasleys were here.