Harry's Best Birthday

An AU of the first couple of chapters of The Chamber of Secrets, where Harry's twelfth birthday turns out to be the best birthday that he's had so far. Includes the song "Happy" by Pharrell Williams, and written for Potions Class at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Surely this day can't get any worse, Harry thought to himself as he silently raced after a House Elf by the name of Dobby. Today had been one of the worst days he'd ever had, only made even more the worse by the fact that it was his twelfth birthday. Under any other circumstance, Harry would've been pleased that it was his birthday, with friends and family around to celebrate.

However, Harry Potter had lost his parents nearly eleven years ago, when a wizard by the name of Lord Voldermort had murdered both of them. He had, therefore, been raised by his dead mother's sister and her husband. But, because he was also a wizard, and because his aunt and uncle despised magic with a capital "D", he had been treated like a bomb that was liable to explode at any second.

Today had not been a good one as of yet, and it didn't seem like it could get any better. Firstly, his uncle threatened to get rid of the only friend he had in the Muggle world: a snowy owl by the name of Hedwig, because he assumed that his nephew would "send messages to his freaky friends" if she was let out of her cage.

Then he had announced that the day was a very important one. For a moment, Harry had hopefully thought that his uncle was talking about his birthday. However, Harry's hopes were dashed when his uncle elaborated that he was referring to the dinner party, which was currently taking place in the lounge.

He had then gone to town, whilst Harry spent half an hour or so wondering why he hadn't been sent a birthday card or even a present from one of his friends in the Wizarding World. He had also wondered if his time in the Wizarding World and at Hogwarts (the boarding school in Scotland that he attended) had been just a fantastic dream.

Harry had then had a strange feeling, like he was being watched or something. When he looked up, he saw a pair of emerald eyes peering at him from a hedge. He went to investigate, but his cousin Dudley had decided to taunt him. Harry had sarcastically informed his cousin that he was thinking of which spell would be best to set the hedge on fire. Dudley had run to his mother, and Harry had been forced to work outside for a good part of about ten hours, in the hot sun.

Then his aunt called him inside, and after a pitiful dinner of a hunk of bread and cheese, he was ordered to retire to his bedroom. It was there that he discovered what had been staring at him that morning: a House Elf by the name of Dobby, who, above al other things, had warned Harry to not go to Hogwarts.

He then admitted that he had stopped Harry's mail, and then had gone to make more trouble for him, which was why Harry was silently chasing him.

HPHPHPHPHP

Harry gaped in horror when he saw the fancy dessert that Aunt Petunia had made begin to float into the living room. He turned round, and saw Dobby watching it float.

"No, Dobby. Please put it down." He croaked, to which the Elf replied, "I will, but only if you give me your word that you won't go back to school."

"I can't, Hogwarts is my home." Harry said, nervously, as the pudding floated above the head of Mrs. Mason, one of their dinner guests.

With a double snap of his fingers, Dobby made the pudding fall and vanished at the same time.

Oh, shit, Harry thought, as his uncle glared at him, before forcing a smile on his face, and said, "I'm terribly sorry. He's our nephew, and meeting strangers upsets him, which was why he was upstairs."

Mrs. Mason sighed, before telling them that she'd take her dress to the dry cleaners, and to not worry.

"I'll clean the couch," Harry said, knowing that his aunt and uncle would make him do that anyway. Aunt Petunia handed him cleaning supplies, before going to get some ice cream. Sadly, Harry began to scrub the top part of the couch, and Mrs. Mason wandered over to him.

"I'm terribly sorry about your dress," he told her. She just smiled and began to wipe the gunk off her face, before moving onto her dress.

What a wonderful birthday this has been, Harry thought sarcastically, before moving onto a wishful one, I wish my parents were alive.

Just then, something very strange happened: the sky suddenly lit up with a bolt of lightning, and it began to pour with rain outside. Then something else happened which would have been tragic, but turned out to be magical. The chandelier was struck by lighting at the same moment Mr. and Mrs. Mason stood underneath it.

The wiring that held the chandelier in place snapped, and the very surprised Mason's found themselves pinned underneath it. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon ran into the living room, saw their guests, and screamed at Harry, "What the hell did you do!?"

Harry shook his head, not entirely sure how to explain what had happened. Just then, Aunt Petunia shrieked and pointed down at her dinner guests. Both of them were changing form rather quickly. Mrs. Mason's grey hair became fiery red, and her light green eyes became emerald. Mr. Mason's grey hair became black and messy, but his brown eye remained the same.

Then they both became younger, and all of a sudden, Mr. and Mrs. Mason became Lily and James Potter. Lily's dress shrank to fit her, and upon finding that she didn't like the style or colour, and finding her wand in her pocket, changed it to a simple emerald one. James on the other hand rather liked his tuxedo.

HPHPHPHP

After reuniting with their son, Lily being appalled that her son had been placed with her sister, and equally appalled by the fact that Harry had been mistreated.

"I told Dumbledore that you weren't to be placed with your Aunt." She seethed, but then her furious expression became gentle.

"I shall worry about that later. In the meantime, Happy twelfth Birthday, Harry. How does it make you feel that your parents are alive?"

"I feel many things: overwhelmed, confused, annoyed, but above all, I feel happy." Harry said, and then added, "I feel so happy, that I want to sing a happy song."

It was Dudley who piped up, and said, "How about the song "Happy" by Pharrell Williams?"

"Ok." Harry said, watching his mother as she charmed the Dursely's many statues and people in photos and paintings to sing.

Then the opening bars of "Happy" began to play, and Harry began to sing:

"It might seem crazy what I'm about to say
Sunshine she's here, you can take a break
I'm a hot air balloon that could go to space
With the air, like I don't care baby by the way."

Lily and some of the painted figures joined in on the chorus and clapped, whilst Harry did actions for each second line:

"Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do"

"Here come bad news talking this and that, yeah, (at this, everyone thrust their thumbs into the air)
Well, give me all you got, and don't hold it back, yeah,
Well, I should probably warn you I'll be just fine, yeah,
No offense to you, don't waste your time
Here's why"

Then they did the chorus again:

"Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do"

And then the bridge:

"(Happy)
Bring me down
Can't nothing
Bring me down
My level's too high
Bring me down
Can't nothing
Bring me down
I said (let me tell you now)
Bring me down
Can't nothing
Bring me down
My level's too high
Bring me down
Can't nothing
Bring me down
I said"

Followed by the chorus, which was sung twice:

"Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do"

"Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do"

Followed by the "bridge":

"(Happy)
Bring me down
Can't nothing
Bring me down
My level's too high
Bring me down
Can't nothing
Bring me down
I said (let me tell you now)
Bring me down
Can't nothing
Bring me down
My level's too high
Bring me down
Can't nothing
Bring me down
I said"

Followed by the chorus twice more:

"Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do"

"Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do"

When they finished singing, Lily took the charm off those she had charmed, and they fell silent.

"You sing wonderfully, Harry." Lily said, as she gave her son a hug.

Ten minutes later, Lily, Harry, and James apparated to a hotel, and Harry remarked, "This has been my best birthday ever," as he happily went to sleep.