Author's note: You may have read the previous version of chapter 4 which was quite comedic and very different. But my beta insisted I rewrite it to keep it more consistent in tone and as serious as the first three chapters. There will be one more chapter and then the serious ending, but don't worry: if you liked the crackfic version of chapter 4 I will be including it as a bonus chapter at the end with the harry/ginny/luna scene. But here is the more serious version of chapter 4 and thanks to my beta and reviewers for their input :) ~siriusbarks

[song for this chapter: Pinball Wizard - The Who]


IV.

Harry could have started crying. If he was a crying-sort-of-person. Which he wasn't. Harry Potter was very much an English gentleman, bury-down-your-feelings type so that no one ever sees them. He hadn't even cried when Dobby died.

But now, as he stared at all the people that had miraculously fit themselves in the cupboard with an extension charm, his eyes started to water.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!" They all called in joyous raised tones at the same time. Ginny was standing at the front of the cupboard, but behind her he could see at least seventy people and hear their voices.

Harry had to stand back in shock as, one by one, everyone he had met and loved, or made some connection to, in the wizarding world began to pile out of the cupboard. Starting with Ginny, who came out first and hugged him, told him happy birthday and then carried the homemade cake into the kitchen.

Quickly following Ginny, his brother-from-another-mother, Ron Weasley, and his best friend Hermione came out. They also both gave him hugs and Harry was pleased to notice that Hermione and Ron were as in love as ever. Hermione was blushing and looked radiant, while Ron had obviously been forced into wearing a tux and seemed both happy and put-off that they'd all been crushed into a cupboard like sardines for the surprise.

"Happy birthday, Harry!" Hermione practically shouted while hugging him closely.

Ron opted to just shake his hand, while handing him a present that both he and Hermione had chosen for him. "You can open that later, it's for both you and Luna. Happy birthday mate."

"Ron," Harry began accusingly. "You knew about this and you didn't tell me anything?"

Hermione smacked him on the arm. "Harry, don't even start, we were sworn into secrecy, Luna made us swear not to tell anyone. Believe me, it wasn't easy."

"I can't believe it was easy either," Harry said, scratching at the back of his neck. "How many people did you fit in there?"

"Close to a hundred people, I believe," Hermione said. "And don't give me any credit, it was all Luna's doing."

Luna made a chirping sound and Harry turned to see his girlfriend was looking very proud of herself.

"Told you so."

"I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

Harry had never felt so proud of his girlfriend and bent down to kiss her again as they all stood in front of the entrance to the little cupboard.

Suddenly they heard George Weasley's voice call from somewhere in the back of the cupboard. "Can we all get moving out of here and stop blocking the doorway? It's crowded like bollocks here and smells like hippogriff droppings—!"

George suddenly cried "Oi!" as his mother, Molly Weasley slapped him and the matron was heard muttering loud words of disapproval from within the cupboard.

"Now you know what Harry had it like, when he had to live here," someone else muttered in reply.

"And that was before the Extension Charms!" someone else said.

"Unimaginable," someone who sounded like Ernie McMillan said.

Normally, Harry would be upset by anyone talking about his cupboard or the Dursleys, but somehow seeing all these smiling faces coming out of the cupboard for his surprise birthday party just changed how he thought about the cupboard. If he ever thought about the cupboard again, he would remember this night when over seventy wizards and witches willingly hid in there, with a cake, to surprise him when he came out. He would treasure this memory forever.

"C'mon people, get moving again!" George or Charlie Weasley called again from inside the cupboard.

"Well stop pushing!" someone else who sounded like Dean Thomas said. "I swear did someone buy Harry a new broomstick, because there's something poking up my backside!"

"That's mine," Seamus Finnegan said.

Everybody began to laugh, as it was very much like trying to get a bunch of clowns out of a clown car after they'd all been stuffed. It was just not enough room to move an inch.

Hermione and Ron quickly moved away from the doorway to make more room for the line up coming out of the cupboard; and Hermione took out her wand so she could start decorating the Dursley's empty house with decorative lights.

Harry could only grin as he watched the Dursley's house fill up with the people he loved. He greeted them each with handshakes or hugs as familiar faces with warm smiles, and hands filled with presents for him, stepped out of the cupboard's tiny door one-by-one. Even though the inside of the cupboard had been extended, the cupboard's door was still incredibly small and many of the party-goers had to come crawling out on hands and knees.

It was particularly amusing to see the elderly Augusta Longbottom, accompanied by her grandson Neville Longbottom, struggle out of the tiny muggle aperture. "Well, I never!" Augusta Longbottom exclaimed as she finally stood up after getting through the cupboard door. "It's a lot easier getting in there than out of it. I'm so sorry you ever had to live here. If I had known, I would've taken you to live with Neville and me. You could've been like brothers!" the elderly witch said as she patted Harry on the shoulder.

"It's alright Mrs. Longbottom, Neville and I are like brothers anyways. Isn't that right Nev?" He shot a glance at Neville who was very much his equal in every way, having both lived through the prophecy, slain one of Voldemort's horcruxes and had less than perfect childhoods. Neville, who also much taller and athletic now, grabbed his hand and gave him a fist pump.

Harry grinned. He didn't have to say much to Neville for them to understand each other; Neville was always someone he could trust and count on, even more now that they were both in the Auror department together. Neville always had his back and he had his. They were like brothers.

Next out of the cupboard, also on their hands and knees, were Minerva McGonagall, Pomona Sprout and Madam Hooch. Harry did his best to help each of these elderly, former-professors of him, up. Professor Flitwick, who followed behind them, was just about the only guest who could walk through the cupboard door without crouching; it helped that Flitwick was half-goblin and, therefore, of diminutive stature. Flitwick flashed Harry a brilliant smile before waving his wand and levitating a magic feather into Harry's hand as a gift.

"Is this...?" Harry was suddenly lost for breath.

Flitwick winked. "Yes, it is. It's the same feather you used in your first class with me as a first year. I kept it all these years, because it was of the boy-who-lived and now I'm returning it to you. Just know that you are special."

Harry was speechless. But Flitwick only chuckled and added that he'd added spells to it so it would always give him good luck. "Consider it a graduation present from my class, since I never gave you one."

"You didn't need to," Harry said quickly, his eyes definitely not watering at all. "Your lessons and everything you taught me were enough, in fact, the greatest gift you could've given me."

Flitwick just waved his hand, however, as he trotted off to the kitchen to see to the cake and drinks. Harry had the inkling that somehow the tiny half-goblin professor was also affected to and perhaps just didn't want him to see it. Goblins weren't known for being emotional, not even half-goblins.

Harry shot a glance at Luna.

"Luna, this is getting too much," he told her. Luna was still standing by his side and her smile as wide as the Cheshire's cat as she watched his reaction to each guest's arrival.

"We're just getting to the good part, Harry," she said pleasantly. "I made sure to invite everyone who loves you, in some small or big way."

"Is your father here?" Harry asked.

"Of course he is, he's somewhere in the back. He loves you too, Harry. Xeno knows that you saved me in the war and he's always cared for you.''

"That's good to know." Harry's mouth set in a grim line. "If I ever marry you, I wouldn't want him to hex me." He was teasing of course.

"Xeno would never do that," Luna teased back. "Unless you broke my heart. Or your head got filled with nargles."

"I know." Harry's hand wrapped more firmly around hers as Hannah Abott, Seamus Finnigan, Dennis Creevey and Angelina Johnson stepped out, all singing happy birthday to him in unison. Harry wondered if Dennis was a little tipsy. The blond reporter, who became a photographer and journalist in his dead brother's honour, did seem rather unsteady on his feet.

Harry gripped him by his arm. "Thanks for making it out here, Dennis. I appreciate it, " he said with sincerity as he met the younger man's eyes.

"I couldn't miss a story like this could I?" Dennis said, he held out his camera. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all," Harry told him. "But stay tuned for later when the real story begins."

Harry grinned mysteriously and Dennis just nodded enthusiastically, holding on to his brother's camera.

Next stepped out the smiling faces of the beautiful Fleur and Bill Weasley. Bill gave him a lucky dagger for curse breaking and Fleur showered him with kisses and muttered half French birthday greetings that he didn't even understand, though Harry blushed under her Veela charm as Luna giggled.

Next came, Molly Weasley, George Weasley and Arthur Weasley out of the cupboard. They were all wearing party hats and carried presents with them. Seeing Molly and Arthur, who were like second parents to him, was one of the greatest joys. Molly didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around him and sob an overly emotional 'happy birthday' into his shoulder before she dashed off to the kitchen crying with the dishes she had prepared for him.

George winked at him as he gave him a box wrapped in paper, and said, "This contains some of our newest products, untested, mate. Enjoy."

Arthur gave him a hug too and brought a bottle of elf-wine which he carried to the kitchen to start pouring out. Wine was definitely needed, Harry thought. He just hoped that his guests had brought enough.

After the Weasleys came his familiars from work and the Auror department, there were at least forty of them overall from the Ministry whom he'd come to know and be familiar with. And they each had each other's backs both at work and here. It seemed that this surprise party was what they had been chuckling about on that last Friday before they each took off. Harry hadn't even realized that it would occur to them to all organize this much for his birthday. Harry did have to pinch himself, despite being the Boy-Who-Lived and celebrated war hero. It was still unusual for him to experience this much love or public affection. And he was certainly still not used to getting birthday parties on this scale. Harry hadn't even been allowed to invite one friend over when he'd lived her with the Dursleys. And now four years later, since he'd last stepped foot in this house, they were too many to even count.

He was dazed at this point as yet more people appeared, including Andromeda Tonks, Teddy Lupin, most of his Gryffindor classmates including Padma Patil, Parvarti Patil, Lee Jordan, Katie Bell, Oliver Wood, Mrs. Wood, Samuel Wood their son; Dumbledore's brother Aberforth, Percy Weasley, Charlie Weasley and his girlfriend Cara Cleary, Susan Bones, Susan's aunt Amelia Bones, many of his old Dumbledore's Army supporters including Terry Boot, Michael Corner, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Zacharias Smith, Alicia Spinnet, Anthony Goldstein; Gabrielle Delacour; Doctor Jane Granger and her husband Doctor Terry Granger; Sandra Ollivander, Dennis Figg-Bell, Arabella Figg's nephew; Poppy Pomfrey and her kids; and some Order members and their surving family members like Sturgis Podmore, his family and Emmeline Vance's daughters; Dirk Cresswell, whom he'd gotten to know after the war as a friend of the late Ted Tonks, and Mrs. Figg. Arabella Figg was the only guest who had been able to walk here from her home to Privet Drive.

"That is one massive extendable charm," Harry whispered to Luna, wiping a not-existent, not crying tear from his eye. He was definitely not crying as everyone he loved filled the house he used to hate. Not crying. Harry Potter never cried. Not publicly. Never, ever. No, definitely not. "How did you get so many people to fit in there?"

Luna wrapped her arms around from behind, she had the widest smile on her pretty face. Her blue eyes lit up with mischief. "Actually had Professor McGonagall to help me with that, she used her skills at transfiguration to be able to extend the cupboard by that much."

Harry nodded and kissed Luna on the nose. "It's amazing. Believe me, I could barely fit in there myself as a kid...and now..." His green eyes stared at the room filling with witches and wizards all celebrating his birthday. "...You've brought my entire world here."

"It was a good surprise then?"

"Yes, Luna, it was a good surprise." He smirked. "Somehow I expected you to do some strange surprise involving Ginny or the Dursleys becoming moles."

Luna gave him an impish smile and traced her finger along his lips. "It might've crossed my mind..."

'I'm starting to like being 21."

"There's still one surprise more though," Luna said while holding out her drink. She had the wildest look in her fairy-blue eyes.

.

~O~

a/n - dudley, burning things and mischief in next chapter...

and don't worry I will include the comedic version of this story later as a bonus chapter