Birthdays, Movies, and the Brothers: Chapter four
The next few days were filled with excitement as plans for Harry's 11th birthday were drawn up, and supplies bought. Rose had approached her Grandma a couple of days before hand and asked whether or not any of her father's things were left in the house. Juni smiled at her granddaughter before taking her up the stairs and to a manhole in the first-floor roof, leading to the attic. Up in the attic were bits and bobs of old mismatched pieces of furniture, boxes upon boxes of old clothes and family knickknacks, children's toys and just random junk. Juni pulled out an old wooden chest with bronze handles flanking it. Setting the chest down on the ground, Juni opened it up and turned it around to Rose. Staring up at her were a number of personal items, including ribbons, medals, books, photographs, knickknacks and a golden orb. Sifting through the chest, Rose spent a good 20 minutes trying to find something fitting to give to Harry. Finally, after almost half an hour, Rose found what she was looking for. Pulling out the three items she chose, she sat them down next to her carefully, trying not to damage them in anyway. Finishing up in the attic, Juni and Rose made their way down again, Rose making her way to her bedroom to try and hide her presents from Harry's prying eyes. Her brother was currently over at the Weasleys, enjoying himself by playing Quidditch, which Ron and the Twins had introduced him too.
Harry was currently flying through the air on one of the Weasleys old family brooms, cutting through the sky like a graceful hawk as he swooped in and out of the attacking twins, scoring another goal for him and Ron. The foursome had agreed to play a friendly game of scratch Quidditch, playing until one team scored 100 points. Currently Ron and Harry sat on 70 whilst the twins sat on 40. The Weasleys had been quite impressed by Harry's almost inborn flying skill, handling himself on the broom like it was a fifth limb. Not only did Harry have almost unnatural flying skill, he was brilliant with the ball as well, catching every single throw from Ron and even intercepting a number of throws between the twins. By the late afternoon, the boys had called it quits after Harry and Ron scored their last goal.
"Seriously Harry, are you sure you haven't played before" asked George as he came in to land on his broom,
"Yeah Harry, where'd you learn to fly and play like that, you'd make a fair chaser" Fred stated as he too came in to land
Harry shook his head as he answered the twins, "I don't know, my only guess is that it runs in my blood, Dad was an amazing chaser apparently. Other than that, I have no idea, I've lived with muggles for the last 10 years, not a lot of chance to ride broomsticks you know."
Ron came in to land next to his friend as he patted him on the back, "Well whatever it is, I hope you get picked up by the team this year, you could be brilliant,"
Harry shrugged as they all started walking off towards the broom shed, "Maybe, maybe not, don't really know how I'll go with more people and in proper conditions, it is a bit tame just playing in the backyard."
Fred clapped him on the shoulder as he reached for the broom shed door, "True that, but from what we've seen today, I think you'd do brilliant on the pitch."
The foursome made their way back inside to a feast of sandwiches, pumpkin juice, biscuits and tea that Molly had prepared for when they came back inside.
"How'd you go boys, did you let Harry and Ron win boys,"
The boys let out a laugh as they came and sat down at the table, "didn't have to mum, Harry flogged us right and proper, gonna be a fair flyer this one," said George,
"That's for sure, we'll have to get Wood to sign him up hey Feorge,"
"Couldn't agree more Gred"
Molly chuckled at her boy's antics as she came and sat with them, "We'll your father was a fair flyer himself Harry, there's no doubt that he's passed that skill on to you, maybe your sister as well, has she flown yet?"
Harry shook his head at Molly as he took a bite of his biscuit before answering, "No, Rose is a bit too paranoid of falling off at the moment, I tried to get her to fly with me but she downright refused, stating that if we were meant to fly we would have had wings."
The table let out a chuckle of laughter at the young Potters remark, "You and your sister are a right old hoot Harry, are you sure you're not part Weasley" George asked
"Yeah Harry, are you sure you don't just dye your hair black, I mean Rose is basically a Weasley with that hair of hers" Fred continued,
Harry laughed at the twin's comments and shook his head at them,
"Afraid not boys, we're as Potter as they come according to my Gran, although she did say dad was a prankster when he was at school, so it would explain a lot",
The table enjoyed their light conversation and before long it was time for Harry to head home for dinner. His birthday was only in a couple of days-time, so preparations around the Evans home was frantic as tables were found and brought out, food made, and a cake assembled. The Weasleys would of course be coming, along with those residing in the Evans home. Along with the obvious guests, Molly and Juni had invited a number of friends of James and Lily, including Rubeus Hagrid, the games keeper at Hogwarts and Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. On the morning of the 31st of July, Harry awoke to having his sister hit him with a pillow at 7 in the morning.
"ROOOSE, why would you do this, it's too early, and it's my birthday" Harry mumbled as he buried his head under his pillow,
Rose's attacks did not cease as she continued to pelt him with her pillow until finally he got up and grabbed her, tickling her, "AHHH HARRYYY, STOOPPP", Rose screamed out between her fits of laughter from Harry's attacks,
"Not till you apologize for waking me up at this god-awful hour",
"I'm sorry Harry, I'm sorry!"
Harry finally ceased his attacks and jumped off the bed, rearing to begin the day now that he was full of energy. He gave Rose a kiss on the cheek as usual and headed for the bathroom to get ready.
Half an hour later, Harry was making his way downstairs with Rose on his tail. Walking into the dining room, Harry was greeted by his smiling family,
"Happy birthday my sweetheart!" Juni said as she came and assaulted Harry's cheeks with kisses,
"Happy birthday Harry, presents now or later?" Asked Alex as he came over and gave his Grandson a hug,
"Thank you, Grandma, Grandpa, this is wonderful, I think I can hold off on presents for now",
"Awh why not know Harry, I want you to open what I got you!" Rose exclaimed as she jumped in front of him,
"Later Rose, later, don't you worry, I'm sure I'll love whatever you got me" laughed Harry, petting his sister on the head.
Taking a seat back down next to his sister, Harry waited patiently as Juni whipped up a fantastic Birthday breakfast for Harry as him and Rose. The morning was relaxing as Harry and his family enjoyed themselves on the front porch with a lovely pot of tea, awaiting the Weasley family who'd be coming over to spend the day there before having dinner that night.
At roughly 10 o'clock, the Weasley clan arrived in their magically enhanced Ford Angila, stepping out of what could literally be a clown car, as the four boys and one girl hopped out from the back of the small car. Harry smiled as his new friends came and greeted him with happy birthdays and a number of presents,
"Happy Birthday mate, can't wait for you to open these tonight" Ron said as he passed Harry his gift,
"Happy Birthday Hazza"
"Yeah Happy Birthday Hazza mate", the twins greeted as they two handed him a present,
"Happy Birthday Harry, I hope you have been enjoying yourself", Percy had rather pompously greeted as he too handed Harry a present,
"Oh Harry dear, Happy Birthday, you're going to have a fantastic time tonight" Molly greeted as she wrapped Harry into one of her world famous bear hugs,
"Harry my Boy, happy birthday, Molly and I got you something, I'm sure you'll find plenty of use for it at Hogwarts" said Arthur as he passed Harry the elder Weasley's present before shaking the young Potters hand.
Last to wish Harry a happy birthday was Ginny, who nervously sat at the back of the line, waiting her turn,
"H-Happy birthday H-Harry…I-I hope you like my g-gift" Ginny stuttered as she gave Harry his present,
Harry shocked the poor girl by grabbing her into an embrace as thanks, causing both young children to blush furiously,
"Thank you, Ginny, you didn't have to",
Ginny gave him shy little smile as they pulled away from each other and headed back into the house. Most of the day was spent playing all sorts of wizarding games, and lastly introducing the Weasley children to Muggle films. Rose and Harry and found a stack of old VCR movies from their grandparents. Digging through them, Harry had found a comedy trio called the three stooges which he thought the twins would enjoy immensely. Harry certainly wasn't wrong, and not long after putting it on, the whole group was bursting with laughter. Even Percy, who stayed only for a few minutes before leaving to talk to the elder guests, seemed to laugh at the small bit he saw.
"Far out Harry, I didn't know muggles could be so funny, you could learn a thing or two George, Fred" Ron stated, turning around to talk to them,
The twins responded by throwing a piece of popcorn at their brother, who quickly tried to duck out the way of the incoming barrage. The group of young teens sat and watched the comedy show set for a number of hours, never ceasing to laugh at the rustic humour. Eventually the kids got bored and decided to go outside and learn some muggle sports games. Harry soon had them going about with a scratch match of football. Even Ron, who was renowned for his poor foot coordination in sports, seemed to be handling himself alright. Percy had even come around to referee the game after a quick explanation by Harry, and soon the whole family watched on and cheered for the teams, none more excited than Arthur, who loved all things muggle. Soon enough, Arthur
conned Alex into joining in with the kids, and after going through the rules with the elder Weasley quickly, the two adults joined separate teams. Unfortunately for the all Weasley team consisting of the twins, Ginny and Arthur, the mixed Potter, Evans and Weasley team had more than one player who had played before. Alex had played for many years at a local club and as such dominated the playing field very similar to how Harry had done on the Quidditch pitch a few days prior. Before the hour was up, the mixed team was up 14 goals to the all Weasley team. Calling it quits by then, the two teams walked off in laughter at the fun that they had endured together.
"I say Harry, you we must play that again! I should speak to the head of magical games and sports and tell him to set up a magical football match!" Arthur stated enthusiastically.
Harry chuckled at the elder Weasley, never meeting anyone so passionate about what seemed normal to him. By 5 in the evening, the group had settled down at the table awaiting their last two guests from Hogwarts. They didn't have to wait long, as at the halfway mark of the long drive way, two figures, one very tall, appeared out of nowhere and started to make their way up to the house.
For Hagrid, this would be the first time in 10 years that either of them had seen the young Potter children, and even Dumbledore, who had rescued them from their abusive relativies and was considered the greatest wizard of the century, defeater of Grindalwald, was a tad bit nervous.
"Say 'eadmaster, you ain't nervous are ye?" Hagrid the half giant asked,
The old professor merely smiled up at his old friend before replying,
"Hagrid old friend, I would be lying if I said I wasn't just a tad bit nervous, but we must all face our fears, or even mistakes",
The two continued on up to the front door, making idle chatter about dragons and lemon drops, until they reached the front were their hosts were waiting to greet them,
Dumbledore made his way up to the front porch before greeting those waiting for him,
"Ah, Juniper, Alexander, I must thank you for the invitation, especially after our last meeting. Molly and Arthur, it is good to see you too, I hope the twins haven't been giving you a rough time"
The four adults all said their greetings to the old headmaster and games keeper before ushering them inside to were the children were currently seated. Entering the room, Dumbledore spotted the two Potter siblings and gave them a wide, warm smile before greeting the whole room,
"Ah, it is so wonderful to see so many young people enjoying themselves on a remarkable day like today. Percy, it is good to see you again, I hope you are quite prepared for your Owl's this year. Fred, George, I'm glad to see that you are keeping up with your humorous ways. Young Ginevra, my you've grown since I last saw you, I look forward to having you at Hogwarts next year."
The headmaster finished greeting the Weasley children before setting down a large box on the table of presents and making his way over to the two Potters,
"Oh, but how could I forget you two. I'm glad to see that the pair of you are much happier now that you are with people that truly love you. I have thought about the night we met once more many times since then what I should say to you the next time we met, but I do believe a simple happy birthday will suffice for today, don't you agree Mr Potter?"
Harry stared up in gratitude at the older wizard who he remembered rescued him and his sister from the Dursleys, "Yes Professor, I do believe that will suffice greatly" Harry finally replied,
The old headmaster smiled at the young boy before taking the seat next to them,
"I must confess my dear…dear children, I regret terribly the danger I put you in placing you with your abusive uncle and aunt, however I am glad to see that your grandparents are giving you the love and care that you each deserve".
Harry merely waved off the idea and reassured the professor that they were quite alright,
"It's alright professor, we have our family now, and we always had each other, that's all that counts. Besides, we should be thanking you for rescuing us from the place", Harry said this last piece whilst grabbing Rose's hand, giving it a tight squeeze, earning him a smile from his beloved sibling.
As the three were finishing their conversation, Hagrid finally joined them in the dining room, which barely contained him.
"Blimey would ye look at you two. You'se were barely a baby last I saw you Rose, and 'arry, you've grown up so much, oh my, seems like only yesterday that I picked you up from Godrics Hollow after…after that horrible night",
The half-giant couldn't hold it in anymore and allowed for tears to fall from his face. Seeing his discomfort, the two siblings stood up and gave the big huggable bear of a man a loving embrace.
"It's nice to meet you Hagrid, even if we have met before and we can't remember" said Rose as she stepped back from the embrace,
"Oh Rosey, you look so much like your mother, 'cept you got your dads eyes, and you 'arry! You look just like your dad 'cept you got your mums eyes! James and Lily would be so proud of ye lot",
Harry looked up at the giant man and broke out in a huge grin,
"Don't worry Hagrid, we've been told that plenty of times, and we can't help but agree".
The rest of the party goers eventually made their way back to the table to join in the festivities. Dumbledore had to conjure a specifically well-made chair for Hagrid to sit on, lest one of the finer, smaller chairs, collapse under his immense weight. Ginny had somehow ended up opposite Harry, much to her dismay, as those emerald green eyes would flicker past her, making her swoon and blush at the sight of them. Harry likewise was distressed that he had to endure looking at Ginny's deep, warm chocolate eyes which melted his heart and twisted his tongue if he stared to long into. Rose noticed all this, and quite happily kicked her brother under the table before shooting him a smug little smile. Juni and Molly had pulled out all the stops for Harry's birthday dinner, roasting a number of meats, including beef, lamb and pork, and creating jugs full of gravy. Pea's and potatoes and carrots piled high into bowls graced the table, as the group greedily tucked in to the feast that awaited them. Hagrid himself managed to eat a whole roast beef to himself, plus a bowl of veg and potatoes. To finish off the meal, Molly and Juni brought out a large red velvet cake, glazed with a treacle and cinnamon, butter icing in a lovely rectangular shape. The group quite happily sung the young Potter happy birthday, with Dumbledore himself conducting the rag shag orchestra, much to the enjoyment of the twins who managed to sing the whole song as a Gregorian chant. Soon, it was present time, as the group retired to the living room, with a roaring fire prepared by Alex earlier, and treacle tart and tea made by Molly. Arthur and Molly had taken the pleasure to levitate the large stack of presents to the living room end table, sprawling them along the table in order for everyone to see. Harry sat next to his sister and Ron, on the floor as he began to open up his presents.
"Finally, present time" Rose exclaimed.
Harry merely rolled his eyes as he picked up the first present, from Molly and Arthur. The Elder Weasleys had chipped in to buy material for Molly to make Harry a beautiful red silk scarf. The long piece of fabric was simply divine to touch, let alone wrap around your neck. Harry got up and quickly hugged the two elder Weasleys, much to their surprise, before retreating to open more presents. Next was Percy's, who had gotten him a charmed week-planer which screamed at you if you forgot to finish an assignment. Harry thanked Percy, rather reluctantly, before moving onto the twins, who had gotten him a large assortment of prank items and sweets, much to the dismay of Molly. Thanking them both, Harry moved on to Ron's present, who had bought him a lovely pair of leather Quidditch gloves.
"I know what you're gonna say, 'I won't get on the team this year', well even if you don't get on the team this year, you're gonna get on it sometime, the way you play. And even if you don't, you can use them playing against us",
"Thanks Ron, I really appreciate this, I'll make sure to put them to good use",
Placing the gloves to one side, Harry picked up the next present, Ginny's. Harry was a tad nervous to open it, but did so nonetheless. Inside of the finely wrapped box was a small figurine, a white snowy owl, much like Hedwig who was currently out on the hunt. As soon as the small owl was placed in Harry's hand, it began to hoot and took off around the room before landing back down on Harry's hand. Harry's face lit up at this wonderful gift he had received, admiring it in all its beauty, before
finally standing up and embracing the young Weasley girl in appreciation.
"Thank you so much Ginny! It's wonderful, truly amazing, thank you!"
Ginny couldn't help but feel over the moon at Harry's appreciation, but at the same time, couldn't help feeling nervous at her crushes touch.
"Y-you're welcome Harry, it was m-my pleasure",
Returning to their spots, both as red as Ginny's hair, the two elder Weasleys and elder Evans gave their partners a knowing look at what they had just witnessed, smiling at the thought of puppy love. The next present Harry opened came from his Grandparents. Opening the box, a large collection of new clothes greeted Harry, who up until a few weeks ago had to endure Dudley's old handy downs. Getting up and thanking his Grandparents,
"Thank you so much Grandma, Grandpa, this means so much to me" Harry beamed at his grandparents,
"You're welcome my dear, now go on an open the rest of your presents" Juni petted her grandsons' cheek,
Sitting back down in his spot, Harry got back to opening his presents, moving on to Hagrid's, which contained a box of what Hagrid called 'rock cakes'. More importantly however was the smaller box which resided in there with the cakes. Inside the small box was two strands of hair…one black, the other auburn.
"T'was one of the las' things I could grab when I came and grabbed ye both. I'm assuming it's ye first locks of hair when ye were little ones".
Harry slowly took out the two, finely bound pieces of hair, examining and smelling each before passing them to his sister. They smelled of a sweet soap, made of what smelt like strawberry and cinnamon. Rose was conflicted on what she was feeling. On the one hand, she was amazed and ecstatic to hold something of a time long past, a time where both her parents were alive. But on the other hand, she was mournful and grief stricken as the thoughts of what might have happened if her parents had lived, what else would be in this box, would their baby teeth be in there? Slowly handing back the two pieces of hair, tears started to stream down her face. Looking over to her brother she could see that he too had tears rolling down his face. Seeing the distress in her eyes, Harry leaned forward and grabbed his sister in a tight embrace, letting her cry into his shoulder. When her sobs stopped, and his own tears subsided, Harry turned to Hagrid and stood up, with Rose close behind, and embraced him in a grand Hug.
"Thank you so much Hagrid, you have no idea how much this means to us. Thank you…thank you"
Harry pulled away to see tears forming in the half-giant's eyes. Smiling up at him, Harry took Rose's hand and led her back down to the floor where He picked up the next present, which came from none other than Dumbledore. Opening it, Harry marvelled at the fine silk texture of the apparent cloak he had received from the old professor.
"Why don't you try it on my dear boy" Dumbledore said,
Taking the professors advice, harry stood up and wrapped it around his shoulders. Immediately there were gasps from all around the room. Looking down he noticed that he could no longer see his feet, let alone anything else below the neck.
"Wicked Harry!" The twins called out,
"Ah professor, what exactly is this?"
Dumbledore smiled at the young potter as he removed the cloak off of his shoulders.
"That my dear boy, was a possession of your dear fathers that he lent me just before he died. It is a remarkable invisibility cloak, one of the finest I have ever seen, and you would be wise to keep it safe at all times, and to use it well".
Harry could have sworn he saw a sly grin form on the professor's mouth as we stuffed the cloak back into the box it came from.
"Thank you so much professor, I'll make sure to look after it well" Harry replied, smiling at the old headmaster.
Lastly, Harry had a large box from his sister. Grinning at her he took it into his lap and began to open it.
"Hope you didn't blow our whole inheritance on this gift Rose" Harry joked.
"Why don't you open it and have a look dear brother" Rose laughed back.
Putting the wrappings to one side, Harry opened up the lid of the large box and took in a sharp breath. Staring up at him were three beautiful objects. A silver case, possibly for glasses Harry thought, a rectangular golden case with intricate markings on it, including a fine brown stag, and lastly, a beautiful bright burgundy and gold scarf, with little roaring lions at each end. Harry stared gobsmacked at the beautiful objects that stared back at him.
"They're all dads, his glasses case, quill case and school scarf…I found them in the attic".
Before Rose could say anything else, Harry lunged at her and pulled her into a tight embrace, landing kisses on both her cheeks.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh, Rose you are the best! I love you so much!",
Harry was over the moon with the gifts Rose had gotten him. The glasses case was beautifully crafted silver, with the Initials J.C.P on the top. The inside was layered with a fine burgundy coloured velvet with small pictures of various types of glasses stitched into it. The quill case once again had the initials J.C.P, and inside was a number of beautiful silver coated quills, and a number of slots which could only be for ink. On the far-right corner of the underside of the lid sat a beautifully
drawn etching of a young couple, who Harry could only assume was his parents when they were at Hogwarts. The scarf, Ron and the twins had explained, was a Gryffindor house scarf, in its traditional colours and emblem, the roaring lion. Harry once again thanked all those who had gotten him presents, and went about carefully placing them upstairs in his and Rose's room. Coming back downstairs, Harry took a seat back down next to his sister and joined in on the small talk that filled the room. At some point, Dumbledore had come over and conjured up a chair next to the two Potters.
"I'm afraid I must depart soon Harry, however if you wish to ask me anything about Hogwarts, anything at all, please feel free to do so now".
"What should I do to be prepared for school professor?" Harry asked,
The old professor smiled down at the boy before replying, "My dear boy, read your textbooks, practice incantations, read up on potions, and practice wand movements. I'm sure the Weasleys won't mind you practicing magic under their supervision".
Harry nodded his acknowledgement at the old professor, thanking him for the advice,
"Thanks professor, I might just do that tonight, I'm sure Rose won't mind me staying up till midnight to study",
"If you even dare keep me from my beloved sleep, I well throw your books in a cupboard and throw away the key until you go off" Rose replied, slapping her brother on the arm.
Chuckling at the sibling's antics, the professor excused himself and dragged Hagrid off with him back to Hogwarts. Bidding everyone a goodnight, Dumbledore and Hagrid apparated away and back to the sanctuary that was Hogwarts. Soon most of the party were making plans to move, and before long the house was emptied of the Weasleys, leaving the Potters and Evans alone in their house once more. Harry thanked his grandparents one last time before departing for bed where Rose was already set up for bed.
That night, Harry sifted through his new belongings, particularly the owl Ginny had gotten him, and his father's belongings. Rose had warned him that if he stayed up any later then 11, she would flog him till he started seeing stars. Harry, taking his sisters threats very seriously, made sure to have his light out by 10:59, setting his glasses in his 'new' case, and placing mini-Hedwig next to them. Drifting off to sleep, Harry couldn't help but smile at the wonder that had happened to him today.
The presents, the food, and most importantly the love that he received was phenomenal. He only hoped that Rose's birthday was just as good whilst he was away at Hogwarts.
Unfortunately, he would miss it, as it fell on the 3rd of September, only a couple of days after he left for school. Still, Harry had a plan to get her presents to her on the day, if only he could find a present worth giving to her after the amazing gifts she got him. Not dwelling on it, Harry shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of a reality where him and his sister were one big happy family with their parents still alive.
The first week of August flew by, as the Potter and Weasley children went in between houses to play whatever they felt like, and learning different spells from Molly at the advice of Dumbledore. In the evenings Harry would sit with Rose and go through his textbooks, specifically his potions textbook, being drawn to it for no apparent reason. Soon however, the 10th came around and Harry realized that he still hadn't gotten anything for Ginny, whose birthday was on the 11th. Desperately, Harry asked Rose what he should get her, without coming off as creepy or uncaring.
"Harry, why don't you just get her a book, I'm sure she'll like that",
"I can't get her a book Rose, that's just so…boring and generic",
"Well, what about jewellery?"
"If I get her jewellery I might come off as desperate, or worse yet a creep".
Rose sighed in exasperation as her frustration over her brother's decision making settled in.
"Harry, she likes Quidditch yeah? Why don't you get her a little model broom, I saw some in the same place that she got your owl",
Harry looked at his sister in bewilderment, "You were there when she bought the owl?"
Rose nodded at her brother, "Mmhm, I was the one who gave her the idea. Actually, she was a lot like you are at the moment".
Harry rolled his eyes at his sister's comment as she giggled to herself. It was decided then that Rose, Harry and Juni would make a trip into Diagon Alley later on in the day. It was fortunate that at the direction of Arthur, the Evans house was linked up to the floo network earlier that month, in order to make going to and from the Burrow and Diagon Alley so much easier and quicker. Thus, later on in the morning, the siblings made their way downstairs to ask their Grandma if she would come with
them to Diagon Alley to shop with them. Juni readily agreed and just before 12 the trio set off for the wizarding mall once more. Half an hour later, Harry was walking out of the magical model shop with a lovely handmade, magically flying model of a Nimbus 2000, the fastest broom in the world at that time. Harry had watched it in the shop as it flew around the room with the little neutral looking rider holding on for dear life. The shop keeper had told them that he could make small adjustments
to the model if they pleased.
Milling the thought over, Harry agreed to ask the shopkeeper to change the rider's hair to a much longer, fiery red hair variant, keeping the face blank, and giving the rider a feminine build. Arriving back at the Evans house, Harry tucked his gift to Ginny away in his room and made his way over to the Weasleys with his sister for another day of fun and adventure. Today the twins had decided to take Harry and Rose off to the village to explore the muggle shops once again.
"It's a right old hoot, these muggles, thinking they know what magic is" Fred exclaimed as they walked towards the village.
"They think that just because you have a deck of cards and some sleight of hand that you're suddenly a wizard. These muggles mate, they're mental" George continued.
They visited a number of stores before, including the so called 'magic' shop, settling down in the local café to enjoy some lunch and drinks. The twins had managed to scab some muggle Pounds off their parents in order to pay for lunch. Enjoying a nice filled baguette and soft drink, the kids soon got into the rhythm of conversation as they sat there enjoying each-others company.
"So, Ron, whatcha get Ginny for her Birthday, a pack of glue like last year?" said Fred, teasing his little brother.
"Oh shut it Fred, and I'm not tellin' you what I got her, otherwise it'll spoil the surprise won't it".
The twins rolled their eyes at the thought of their brother keeping a secret, knowing full well they'll hear it from him later.
"Alright then, what about you Harry, what did you get our dear beloved sister" George asked,
Harry spluttered a bit of his drink as he registered what George had just asked him,
"T-that's a surprise isn't it now, can't tell you while G-Ginny's here can I",
"Oh come on you lot, none of you are fun", Fred replied in an exasperated tone.
The group continued on with their meals, finishing up a little while later before making their way back to the Burrow for a scratch match of Quidditch. The 10th passed by and before long it was the 11th. The Weasleys had invited the Evans and Potters over to the Burrow for Ginny's birthday dinner later that night, not that Rose and Harry wouldn't be there earlier.
"So, have you got Ginny's present all wrapped up nicely ready for tonight?" Rose asked her brother as they made their way downstairs to floo over to the Burrow.
"Of course I have, I even used that nice wrapping paper you got in the village",
"Did you get her a card? Card are important you know"
"I don't need to get her a card, I'm right there, I can wish her a happy birthday myself. Besides, I didn't get any cards for my birthday"
"That's because you don't care about cards"
"Well how do you know if Ginny cares about cards?"
Rose mulled this over in her mind as she picked up some floo powder and threw it into the fire,
"Good point, 'spose I don't know"
"That's a change", Harry joked, earning him a slap on the arm from Rose,
"Hurry up and get in there, I'll come in after" said Rose,
Harry stepped in and clearly said aloud 'The Burrow', before being magically whooshed away to the other side of the village. Harry was greeted by the twins who were the first to spot him coming out of the fireplace,
"Wotcher Harry" the twins greeted in unison,
"Come to tongue tie our sister again" exclaimed Fred,
"Or turn her red again" George continued,
"I don't know what you're talking about fella's" Harry merely stated as he made his way towards the kitchen where Ron was currently sitting with his sister. Upon seeing Harry, carrying a present for her no less, she immediately turned a bright red. Harry sat the present down in front of her and wished her a happy birthday,
"Happy Birthday Ginny, I only got you something small, I hope you don't mind?"
Ginny nodded up at Harry as she stood up to embrace the boy,
"Th-thank you Harry, y-you didn't have too",
Breaking the embrace, Harry went and sat next to Ron to discuss the days plans,
"So, Ginny, what do you want to do today? Once Rose gets here we can do anything you want", Ron told his sister,
"Once I get here we can do what?" Came Rose's voice at the edge of the kitchen,
Harry turned around to greet his sister as she came and sat down next to Ginny, giving her a hug and her present,
"Happy birthday Ginny, did the boys give you a hard time till I showed up?",
Ginny chuckled at her friend before replying, "No, Harry just got here, and the boys have been doing a good job of keeping on my good-side",
"That's because you'll get mum to hex us if you think we're being mean at all", Ron quipped,
"As it should be, I'm the youngest, and the only girl, so I get special privileges" Ginny replied, sticking her tongue out at her brother.
Harry laughed at Ginny's antics, earning him a smile from said girl, along with causing her to blush.
"Alright but seriously what are we going to do today? I'm up for anything" Rose added.
"I say we take our dear sister to go see one of those muggle 'film's' that Harry and Rose were talking about" George said, coming to sit down next to Harry whilst Fred went and sat next to Rose,
"We could do that, I don't mind, but we'll have to ask mum and dad" Ginny replied,
"So, its settled then, go see a muggle film and then come back to get our arses kicked in quidditch again" said Fred, just as his mother was walking into the kitchen,
"Fred! Language!"
"Sorry mum"
"Mum, is it okay with we take Ginny to see a muggle film?" Ron interrupted,
"I don't see why not. Oh! Hello Harry, Rose, I didn't see you sitting there, when did you get here?"
Harry waved to Molly before replying, "Not very long, Rose just got here a few minutes ago. Say, Mr Weasley might want to come along, you know how he is with all things muggle",
Molly seemed to ponder this idea for a bit before speaking up, "I think that would be a lovely idea, Arthur will certainly love to see how muggles enjoy themselves. I'll go fetch him from the shed",
Molly quickly went and got Arthur from his hidey hole in the shed, informing him of the kids plan to take Ginny to the movies. Arthur was ecstatic at the idea and quickly agreed to go with them, suggesting that they drive to Exeter, the capital of Devon county. The Weasley children ran up to their rooms quickly to go get changed and ready for the day, meeting the Potters back down stairs lickety split. Percy would be staying behind to help with the birthday preparations, leaving only the twins, Ron and Ginny to accompany the Potters. Hopping into Arthurs magical Ford Anglia, the group set off towards Exeter to go to the local cinema. The drive took roughly half an hour, passing through the countryside and eventually the city. The Weasleys gawked at the muggle city, taking in the sights, causing Arthur to almost crash more than once. Luckily the car was charmed to avoid accidents, and would swerve anytime Arthur gawked at a telephone box for too long.
Pulling into the Cinema car park, the group made their way to into the old theatre house, where upon they looked at what to watch. There were a number of action and adventure movies showing, however since it was Ginny's birthday, she would be the one to decide. She eventually decided on going to see the movie Doc Hollywood, a RomCom, much to the dismay of the boys, except of course Arthur, who was happy to see just about anything. Arthur gave Harry and Rose some muggle money in order to buy the tickets and snacks, since everyone there was absolutely hopeless with muggle Pounds. Buying the group what they needed, they headed into the cinema to watch the movie. At some point, Ron fell asleep on Harry's shoulder, and the twins had their heads against each other napping as well. Arthur sat on the edge of his seat, taking in every single word and occasionally leaning over to Harry to ask how it all worked.
"I'll tell you afterwards Mr Weasley, there's people trying to watch",
Rose and Ginny on the other hand were thoroughly enjoying the movie, laughing and crying throughout it. Ginny couldn't help but imagine Harry and herself in place of the main actor and actress.
"Don't they just look adorable together", Rose whispered to Ginny, referring to the main characters,
"They're so cute together" Ginny Whispered back,
"That Michael J Fox isn't bad lookin' either hey"
"Not as good looking as your brother"
Ginny immediately regretted saying that, as she felt the warmth flooding her cheeks with the tell-tale sign of blushing.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that" Rose whispered back, patting her friend on the knee.
For the rest of the movie the group sat there in rapt silence as they watched the muggle film till the end. By the time they were done it was nearing the party start time. Hopping back in Arthurs car, they drove back to the Burrow, where Molly and Juni had prepared a feast for Ginny's birthday. Whilst there were off in Exeter, the eldest Weasley boys had arrived from their overseas jobs. Currently setting up tables and chairs in the Burrow's garden were Bill Weasley, a curse breaker working in Egypt for Gringotts, and Charlie Weasley, a dragon keeper working in Romania. The elder boys had the trademark bright red Weasley hair, however Bill wore his in a ponytail, whilst Charlie's was more of a mop of messy hair. Bill had inherited his father's tall lanky build, whilst Charlie had inherited the Prewitt stocky build, the same as Molly's older brothers.
As the group drove into the Burrow's driveway, Ginny flew out of the car to greet her elder brother's, Bill especially,
"Bill! Charlie! You made it!",
Bill grimaced as Ginny ran head on into him, embracing him in a tight bear hug, "You didn't think we'd forget about our little kid sister, did you?",
Ginny removed herself from Bill and embraced Charlie as he strutted over towards the group,
"Besides, I think mum would hex us if we didn't show up" Charlie added as he returned the embrace from his sister.
"Boys, it's good to see you, no trouble getting home then?" Arthur asked as he came over to embrace his eldest boys.
"No trouble at all dad, so who's this lot then?" Bill asked, pointing to Harry and Rose,
"Bill, Charlie, I'd like you to meet Harry and Rose Potter. They moved here to Juniper and Alexander Evans house, just across town. They're Harry and Rose's maternal Grandparents".
Bill and Charlie's eyes widened at the mention of their last name, striding over to shack their hands each,
"Pleasure to meet you both, I'm William, but everyone calls me Bill",
"And I'm Charlie, nice to meet you both, Mum mentioned that Ron and Ginny had made some new friends",
Harry and Rose shook the Elder Weasley boy's hands as they returned the greeting,
"Nice to meet you both, Ron's mentioned you quite a bit, specifically you Charlie, seems mighty proud of you" Harry greeted,
"Yeah, and Ginny's already named you as her favourite brother, Bill" Rose supplied, stepping back into line with her Brother.
"Awh, Ginny, I didn't know you felt that way, I feel honoured" Bill quipped in a sarcastic tone,
"Shut it you" Ginny replied, punching her brother in the arm.
As the group finished up their greetings, they wandered into the Burrow to the sight of the two matriarchs cooking away in the Kitchen,
"Hello dears, did you enjoy yourself?" Molly asked, looking up from setting knives to chop potatoes,
"It was fantastic Mum, Dad loved it too, though I think the boys fell asleep halfway through" Ginny told her mum, coming and embracing her with a hug,
"Hey! I stayed awake throughout the whole thing, wasn't going to fall asleep on your birthday, now was I?" stated Harry,
Ginny blushed at the thought of Harry staying up to watch the movie just for her.
"Thanks H-Harry, I appreciate it",
Harry gave the young Weasley a smile before sitting down next to Ron at the kitchen table,
"So little sister, what now", Fred asked, walking into the kitchen,
"Yeah little sis, what now", George added,
"Why don't we have a little game of Quidditch, now that the big boys are here" Ginny grinned at her elder brothers,
"And Rose, you have to fly, It's my birthday, pleeeease"
Rose visibly paled at the thought of flying, looking around the room for an escape,
"I'm sure Rose would love to fly, but I think she's better off flying with me on my broom" Harry stated, giving his sister a reassuring look.
Rose mouthed a thank you before replying to Ginny, "Alright, alright, just because it's your birthday I'll risk dying by height…just for you",
Ginny grinned at her friend as she made her way outside, "Last one up in the air has to pack the brooms up!",
With that revelation, the Weasleys and Potters, minus Percy, ran from the kitchen in an effort to secure a broom and kick off from the ground. Unfortunately for Bill, it appeared that he was the last one up in the air, having helped Rose up onto Harry's broom.
"lucky last Bill, guess you're cleaning up" Ginny shouted from her position high in the sky,
"Yeah yeah little sis, you'll be begging to clean up by the time I'm finished whoopin' your teams arse",
"Just wait till you see Harry then" Ginny snorted, before blushing red,
Bill noticed his sisters flushed face and smirked at her before looking at the raven-haired boy, who was blushing as well, having just heard her comment about him.
"So, you're a flyer then Harry, alright then, this outa be fun" Bill quipped.
Before long, the group had split up with Bill, the Twins and Ron on one team, whilst Charlie, Ginny, and Harry/Rose joined another.
Despite having his sister on his back, Harry flew like a soaring eagle, swooping in and out of the other players, deftly handling the ball, scoring a magnitude of goals against Ron, the other teams keeper. Charlie in the meantime had defended Ginny's team's goal with skill, keeping most of Bill's shots out. The twins on the other hand, enjoyed themselves by getting in the way of passes between Ginny and Harry, stealing the ball whenever they could. Ginny and Harry worked in perfect tandem as they passed the ball in between each other, setting the other up to score a goal.
About an hour passed before Molly finally came out and announced that dinner was ready, calling everyone in to clean up and get ready for dinner. Her timing couldn't be better, as Bill's team was suffering…bad. Ginny's team were up 300 points against Bill's 100.
"Far out Harry, you're a natural, where'd you learn to fly like that?" Bill asked as he packed the brooms away,
"His dad was a chaser, isn't that right…H-Harry" Ginny answered for him, blushing at mentioning his name,
Harry nodded, "Yeah, dad was a chaser for Gryffindor apparently, so I suppose it's just in my blood. Although it appears Rose didn't get that trait",
"Hey! I didn't mind it up there, in fact, I quite enjoyed it, once I opened my eyes and stopped hyperventilating" Rose said, slapping her brother on the arm.
The group made their way inside to wash up before helping Molly carry food out to the table outside. The Weasleys, Evans and Potters found their places around the table, with Ginny at the head of the table with Rose and Harry to her Left and Bill and Ron to her right. Molly and Juni had pulled out all the stops once again, cooking all of Ginny's favourites, including potato bake, roast chicken, roast lamb, mashed potato, and many more delicious foods. The group stuffed themselves full, only leaving just barely enough room for the cake that was to come. Molly levitated a large chocolate and cream cake out to the table, helping Ginny serve up the pieces for their guests and family.
Before long, dinner and desert were all finished and dishes were moved inside, tables and chairs packed away, and tea and biscuits brought into the living room where Ginny's presents were set up. The adults, Percy, Bill and Charlie had all nabbed the chairs and sofas, leaving the twins and Ron to sit by on the floor with Harry, Rose and Ginny, who had all made their places around the coffee table. Ginny spread her presents out and took the first one she saw which belonged from Ron. True to his word, Ron hadn't told anyone what he got her, much to the twin's disappointment, as such, it was a surprise when she opened it to reveal a Hollyhead Harpies Alamac, signed by the captain, Gwenogg Jones herself.
"WOW, Ron! Where did you get this!" Ginny exclaimed,
"I got it in Diagon Alley, that day we went in to get out school supplies, it was on sale so I thought it'd be a perfect birthday present",
Ginny gave her older brother a hug before sitting down and taking the next present, which belonged to Percy. As per usual, Percy had gotten her a useful, but boring, gift, consisting of a diary which was charmed to tell you what appointments you had that day when you opened it in the morning. Moving on, Ginny received a pair of new dresses from the Evans, new robes from her parents, a plush dragon which was charmed to breath fire and fly from Charlie. Thanking them all, Ginny moved on to Bill's gift, a scarab charm which he picked up in the Bazaars in Cairo.
"it's supposed to ward off evil spirits, works wonders whilst your down in the tombs, does a fair job of keeping you safe from some nasty ancient curses" Bill remarked, returning the embrace that his sister had given him,
Moving on, Ginny turned to the twin's present, which consisted of joke items, and a number of witch weekly magazines from the last several months. Next was Rose's gift. Opening it, she found a beautiful golden bracelet with, consisting of interlocking chains, connecting on a golden plate with the word's 'friendship' printed on it.
"it's a friendship bracelet, albeit a fancy one, but a bracelet nonetheless. Thought you deserved it since you're basically my first friend, and you don't have a lot of jewellery",
Ginny was flabbergasted by this sign of generosity and hugged her new friend fiercely,
"Thank you so much Rose! It's beautiful, I'll make sure to take good care of it"
"I'm sure you will",
Last but certainly not least, was Harry's present. Ginny hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should open it or not. Deciding that it would be unwise to ignore it, Ginny reached for the present and slowly unwrapped it. Inside was a small redheaded figurine, on what appeared to be a Nimbus2000 broomstick. Picking it up and placing it in her hand, the figure kicked off from her palm and started to fly around the room before landing back on her hand. Ginny beamed up at Harry, loving the little toy, realising that the redheaded rider was supposed to be her.
Ginny reached over and embraced Harry, burying her head in the crook of his neck, breathing in his sent lightly before pulling back, tears starting to form in her eyes,
"it's wonderful! Thank you so much Harry!", Ginny exclaimed, shocked that she didn't stutter this time,
"You're quite welcome Ginny, I'm glad you like it", Harry chuckled.
The rest of the night went rather smoothly, as the group let the conversation flow around them. Before long the group decided to call an end to the night, growing tired from their earlier outings. Harry, Rose and the Evans bade the Weasleys farewell, promising to be back tomorrow to study or play more Qudditch. Taking the floo back to the Evans house, Harry and Rose said their goodnights before departing for their room upstairs. Quickly getting ready for bed and hopping in, the Potter siblings sat there and discussed the nights events,
"Well I think that went rather well, Ginny seemed to enjoy your little gift" Rose told her brother, flicking through her romance novella,
"I think she liked her bracelet too, when did you pick that up?" Harry asked,
"I got it one day whilst you were over playing Quidditch, Gran took me to the village, there's a jeweller there"
"Well I think that was very nice of you, I think she appreciated It immensely"
"I think she liked yours better, probably because it was from you"
"Oh. Well…I was just following your advice" Harry blushed,
"Did you notice she didn't stutter when she opened your gift, I think she might actually be getting use to you not being a god",
"What are you on about, of course I'm a god"
Rose scoffed as she hit her brother softly, "You wish mate, you've certainly got the ego of a god"
Harry grinned at his sister as he fell down onto his pillows, "I'm just hoping we might actually be able to have a conversation for once without one of us getting tongue tied"
"Well you seem to be getting better, you work out that she's more nervous around you then you are around her?"
"Something like that, mainly I think it's just getting to know her. She's an amazing flyer you know, probably better than me",
Rose scoffed," I know you're trying to be nice…but I flew with you tonight, you are by far the best flyer there I'm afraid",
"You really reckon?"
"Course I do, would I ever lie to you",
Harry rolled his eyes, thinking about the occasions she had,
"Don't answer that" Rose quickly included.
"yeah yeah, I don't know about you but I'm exhausted, so I'm going to bid you goodnight and hit the hay"
Harry leaned over and gave Rose a kiss on the cheek before rolling over onto his back and shutting his eyes,
"love you little sis, don't stay up too late",
"I won't, promise. Love you too Harry",
Harry let sleep take him over as he thought about the happy face Ginny had when she opened his gift. He wondered when he would have the courage to do something with this crush, and if it would ever develop into something more. He paid that thought no more attention as he focussed solely on how happy his crush was throughout her birthday. Happy with the results of his gift, Harry thought once again about what he would get Rose, deciding that tomorrow was a good a day as any to sort that out.