Harry awoke on the morning of his seventeenth birthday eager to get started. He expected that Mrs. Weasley would have a large breakfast ready for him, and as he searched the nightstand for his glasses his stomach grumbled at the thought. He didn't expect to be immediately bombarded with kisses before he had a chance to get out of bed.

"Happy birthday, Harry!" Ginny chirped, handing him the glasses he'd been unable to find. He slid them onto his nose and grinned at her.

"Couldn't wait until I was out of bed?" he teased.

"I wanted to be the first one to tell you happy birthday. Girlfriend's prerogative." She smirked back at him. "But I can't stay long; if Mum decides to wake you up she'll kill us both if she finds me in here and you in nothing but boxers and a smile." She smiled and ran a finger down his bare chest to emphasize her point.

Harry suppressed a shiver and smiled back at her. "Well, get going, then. I'll be down as soon as I'm dressed." He kissed her quickly and jumped out of bed as she closed the door behind her.

Before Harry could reach the breakfast table, Mr. Weasley took him aside. "When you told us last night what you had planned for today, Molly and I took the liberty of setting up some security for you." Harry rolled his eyes but Mr. Weasley ploughed on. "I don't think you'll really mind. You'll be meeting Tonks, Remus, and Hagrid at The Leaky Cauldron at noon." Harry smiled brightly. "Before that, I'm taking you and Ron to the Ministry for your Apparition tests." Mr. Weasley looked a bit hesitant to bring up the next subject. "There may be some reporters there, Harry, so you should think about how you're going to handle them. Everyone knows that you turn seventeen today, so they'll be expecting your visit to the Ministry."

Harry grimaced at the thought of dealing with the press. "Thanks for the warning, Mr. Weasley. I hadn't really thought about that."

Breakfast was everything he'd anticipated and more, but he found himself eating quickly so that he and Ron could get to the Ministry. As he was finishing off his last rasher of bacon, an owl appeared outside the kitchen window and Mr. Weasley ushered it inside. It flew to Harry's place at the table and held out its letter, a crisp white envelope with an unfamiliar seal on the back.

Curious, Harry opened the letter immediately as the owl flew back outside. He frowned when he saw that it was from Gringotts, but his frown quickly disappeared as he read the letter's contents.

Ginny peered at him. "What is it, Harry?"

"Er, it's from Gringotts. Apparently now that I'm an adult there are some things my parents left me in another vault. I can pick up the key anytime I want." Harry scanned the letter again in disbelief.

"Well, it's a good thing you're heading to Diagon Alley today, then, isn't it?" Mr. Weasley observed as he glanced at his watch. "We'd better get going to the Ministry, though, or I'll be late. It's already ten."

Harry nodded agreement and stepped into the Floo behind Mr. Weasley. He stepped out of the fireplace into pandemonium.

"Mr. Potter! Harry!" he heard from at least a dozen different voices.

He held a hand up in an attempt to stop the barrage of questions that were being shouted at him as Ron came through the Floo behind him. After a solid minute of waiting for that to work without result, he called above the crowd, "One at a time, please! I can't understand all this shouting!"

The reporters looked taken aback by his tone and were simultaneously struck dumb. He was not pleased to see Rita Skeeter among them. I suppose her year of hiatus is long since up, he thought to himself. It was nice while it lasted. Feeling magnanimous after cowing the reporters, Harry instructed Rita to ask her question first.

She adjusted her glasses and licked the end of her Quick-Quotes Quill. "Mr. Potter. Harry. What the wizarding world would like to know is how you plan to defeat He Who Must Not Be Named."

Harry cursed himself inwardly for deciding to address her first. "If I had a plan, do you really think I'd tell you lot so you could print it and let Voldemort know?" He sighed with impatience as the reporters all shuddered and gasped at the name. "It's just a name."

Rita nodded as her Quill scribbled over the pages, and Harry felt obliged to add, "I'm sure the other publications would love to quote me accurately, Rita, so watch what you report." Rita had the good graces to at least look abashed at his comment, although the Quill kept scribbling merrily along.

A tall man with black hair and a rather ridiculous-looking attempt at Muggle clothing that involved a top hat, a nightshirt, and swimming trunks waved at Harry. "Harry, now that you're of age, will you start leading the fight against You Know Who?"

"Others will lead, but I will fight," he confirmed. "But as I've already said, I'm not going to be publishing details somewhere that Voldemort can read them."

A young woman in fuchsia robes was bouncing on her toes trying to get his attention, so he called on her next.

"Mr. Potter, are you just here for your Apparition test or will you be meeting with any Ministry officials?"

Harry took a moment to consider his response to her question. "I'm just here to take my test. I will not be meeting any Ministry officials until those who are wrongly imprisoned are released, including Stan Shunpike." Several reporters began talking amongst themselves with this announcement, and Harry was pleased to see several looks of concern on their faces.

Another reporter Harry didn't recognize raised his hand, and Harry pointed to him. "Mr. Potter, there are rumors that you are involved romantically with one Ginevra Weasley. Can you confirm or deny these rumors?"

Harry scrubbed his face with one hand. Unbelievable. "I will not be discussing personal matters with the world at large. If you have nothing better to ask me, then I'll be on my way to my Apparition exam." He turned and left the flock or journalists clamoring in his wake.

After the lift closed, Mr. Weasley clapped him on the shoulder. "Rather well done, Harry."

Harry shrugged and looked back at him sheepishly. "I didn't tell them anything."

Mr. Weasley smiled knowingly. "Exactly."

Harry grinned as the lift opened and the woman's voice announced, "Level six, Department of Magical Transport, incorporating the Floo Network Authority, Broom Regulatory Control, Portkey Office, and Apparition Test Center." They were followed out by several paper airplanes that Harry steadfastly tried to ignore.

One of the airplanes stayed with them through their entire trip to the Apparition Test Center and disappeared into the window in the lobby. Harry and Ron both signed in on the clipboard by the window, and the witch behind the counter read Harry's name out a few minutes later.

She peered shyly at him, "Are you really Harry Potter?"

He nodded and blushed at her beaming smile. "Just wait until I tell the girls I tested Harry Potter! I was really hoping you'd come in today – I'm off tomorrow."

He followed her into a room that was reminiscent of the streets of Hogsmeade with fake storefronts lining a narrow street. She led him to the far end of the room and instructed him to Apparate back by the door. She then had him Apparate several more times to various locations within the room. When he finished she clapped her hands rather enthusiastically. "Well done, Mr. Potter! You pass with full marks!"

Harry returned to the lobby and waited anxiously for Ron to return from his own test. When he came through the door with a broad grin on his face, Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "You passed, then?"

Ron nodded and his smile widened. "I can't wait to tell Hermione!"

"Is she meeting us at The Leaky Cauldron, then?" Ron nodded again and got a somewhat glazed look on his face.

Mr. Weasley cleared his throat and said, "Well, I'll just leave you lads to it, then. Off to work for me, since I assume you can handle things from here. Straight to The Leaky Cauldron for you, though, and wait there for everyone else."

Harry was dreading the return to the lobby and the probability that the reporters were still there. He was not surprised, then, when there were even more people than he'd seen on his way in. "Word must have spread," he mumbled to Ron as they exited the lift.

Harry and Ron slowly made their way through the sea of reporters, steadily repeating "No comment," over and over as they were bombarded with questions. "Why won't you meet with the Minister?" "What about Ginny Weasley?" "Are you the Chosen One?"

When they reached the Apparition point, Harry gave a small wave to the throng and Disapparated with a crack.

They arrived in the alleyway behind The Leaky Cauldron and let themselves into the bar. Harry checked his watch and found that it was only 11:30, so they had a half-hour wait before the rest of their party made it there. "Let's find a quiet corner. I don't fancy being mobbed twice in one day." Ron agreed and they found a table out of the way of the pub's main traffic pattern. "Butterbeer?" asked Harry.

Ron shook his head. "No, mate, we should have some Firewhisky – celebrate your birthday properly, now that we're both of age."

Harry was hesitant to try such a strong drink, and if was honest with himself he would have to admit that he rather liked Butterbeer and was content to stick with that. Ron's enthusiasm, however, wore him down and he agreed to take a shot of the liquor.

"Excellent!" Ron whooped as he rose to get their drinks from the bar. When he returned, Harry was surprised to see that he had bought not two glasses, but six.

"You don't really mean for us to drink all of those, do you?" he asked worriedly.

"Why not?" Ron looked perplexed.

"Well, for starters, the strongest thing I've ever had is Butterbeer. And the strongest thing you've ever had is that mead that practically killed you. I'm not sure that three shots of Firewhisky is such a grand way to start, that's all."

"Aww, c'mon, I'm sure we can handle it."

Harry snorted. "You maybe, you're what? Thirteen stone? I'm not even eleven!"

"Fine, then, you have two and I'll have four." Ron negotiated.

Laughing, Harry picked up one of the shot glasses. "All right, I'll do two and see how I feel. You know, Hermione's going to be brassed off if she shows up and you're sloshed. And I don't even want to think about your sister's reaction if I am."

Ron blanched a bit at this, but lifted his glass as well. "What should we drink to?"

"How about we drink to long, happy lives?" Harry suggested, and Ron clinked his glass to Harry's in agreement.

"Bottoms up, mate."

The two young men swallowed their shots in one mouthful and almost immediately began sputtering.

"Blimey!" Ron said between coughs. "Not sure what I expected, but it wasn't that!"

"I definitely prefer Butterbeer," Harry muttered under his breath. "I may save this second shot for Hagrid when he gets here. Or see if Ginny wants some."

"You can't do that! It's your birthday!" Ron protested.

"And I'd like to remember it, if that's all right with you," Harry shot back. "I tell you what. We'll buy a bottle and if you like we can get well and truly pissed tonight after everyone else goes to bed."

Ron perked up and raised his second glass. "To getting well and truly pissed later." He upended the glass and managed not to lose control of his throat this time.

"All right, I'll drink to that," Harry conceded and downed his as well. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the second shot didn't burn nearly as much as the first. "And now, I think I'd like to put some food on my stomach before this stuff rots out the lining." He could feel the effects of the Firewhisky starting to creep up on him and wasn't sure he trusted his feet to take him to the bar, so he waved to Tom and waited for the old barman to come to them.

"Ah, Mr. Potter. Happy birthday – what can I get for you?" he asked when he finally arrived.

Harry smiled blearily at him. "Do you have Shepherd's Pie today?" When Tom nodded, Harry asked him to bring two.

Ron picked up his third shot and drained it. "One of those pies is for me, right?"

"Of course - did you think I was going to have two and leave you to starve?" Harry noticed that he was having a bit of trouble keeping Ron's face in focus and he took off his glasses to rub his eyes. It didn't help.

"I dunno. I usually have two by myself." Ron appeared to be swaying just a little in his seat, so Harry reached across the table and pulled the fourth glass away from him.

"Ah, hell, Hermione and Ginny are going to kill us." Harry put his head in his hands.

"What?" Ron wore a look of shock. "What did we do?"

Harry laughed out loud. "In case you haven't noticed, we're both a little drunk. I knew we should have stuck to Butterbeer."

Ron waved a hand dismissively. "Nah. We'll be fine by the time they get here."

Their pies arrived at the same time that the girls came out of the Floo five minutes early. Hermione seemed to notice that there was something wrong with them, and her face reflected her disapproval.

Ron feigned innocence when she glared at him. "What?"

Ginny sat down beside Harry and kissed him firmly. "Mmm. Firewhisky?"

Ron goggled at her a moment. "How do you know what Firewhisky tastes like?"

Ginny snorted. "The twins have kept a stash in their room since I was twelve. I tried a few glasses last summer. But tell Mum and I'll see if that Bat-Bogey Hex can be applied to something other than the nose."

"So are you two drunk?" Hermione demanded.

"I don't think I am, Hermione. I only had two." Harry kissed Ginny again before turning back to Hermione.

"So you've had three, Ronald?" Hermione scolded.

Harry shrugged at Ron's feeble protestations. "I warned you, mate. Although I thought perhaps Hermione was loosening up a bit, after that flock of canaries."

Hermione blushed and finally stopped towering over them and sat down beside Ron. "So this last one is yours, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "Oh, no. I've had quite enough, thanks. I think pumpkin juice might be in order for the rest of this meal."

In a very small voice, Hermione asked, "Do you mind if I try it? I've never had it."

Ron looked as if you could knock him of his chair with the slightest of breezes. Harry waved his hand absently at the glass. "Go ahead. It burns a bit, though."

Hermione lifted the glass and took the tiniest sip Harry had ever seen anyone take. She coughed delicately and Ginny dissolved into giggles. "Oi, come on, Hermione, one shot is not going to kill you! I drank much more than one shot and still made it back to my own bed."

Hermione colored at Ginny's mocking and lifted the glass to her lips a second time. She swallowed all the contents in one fast gulp and immediately succumbed to a coughing fit such as Harry had never heard. Ginny shook her head. "Amateur."

Hagrid's booming voice came from behind Harry. "Blimey, Hermione! Drinkin' Firewhisky at noon! I'd never have 'spected that o' yeh."

Hermione's mouth opened and closed several times as she seemed to be trying to come up with the words to defend herself. Hagrid's face broke open into a huge smile as he took the remaining chair at their table. "I'm jus' teasin' yeh, Hermione. I can see the boys got started before you was here. It's Harry's birthday, o' course yer celebratin'!" He clapped her on the back with one of his huge hands, which only set her to coughing again.

Hagrid then turned his attention to Harry. "Yeh can walk, I hope? Be a short trip if yer already three sheets."

"I'm fine now, Hagrid. It's been twenty minutes or so and I think the worst of it has worn off. I'm not missing today for anything." He stared over at Ron with a look that would have made Hermione proud if she'd been paying attention to anything but the table in front of her. "Although I think Ron might have to stay here for a bit. Hermione can keep him company."

Lupin and Tonks came out of the fireplace a few minutes later, and Harry announced that he wanted his first stop to be Gringotts so he could pick up some money. Harry, Ginny, Hagrid, Lupin, and Tonks headed out and left Ron to a second Shepherd's Pie and Hermione with a tall glass of milk.

When they approached the desk inside Gringotts, Hagrid told them that he would wait in the lobby. Harry remembered that Hagrid didn't like the goblin carts, so he didn't press the matter and went up to the closest available goblin. "Excuse me, but my name is Harry Potter and I got a letter this morning about a second vault that has become available to me. I have the letter here." He placed the letter on the counter and the goblin immediately called for Griphook. Harry was put a little more at ease at the sight of the familiar goblin as Griphook told him to follow.

He led Harry, Ginny, Lupin, and Tonks into a room that was lined with gold-colored boxes. Pulling a ladder from the corner of the room, he climbed to the topmost shelf and unlocked one of the boxes, pulling out a small golden key much like the one Harry already had. He climbed back down and handed it to Harry. "I'll take you to your vaults now. Only three of you can come with me. There isn't room in the cart for more."

Harry turned to Tonks. "I'd really like Professor Lupin's help going through the stuff my parents left me. Is it okay if you wait with Hagrid?" She nodded and, after kissing Lupin on the cheek, left the room through the door to the lobby. Griphook guided the rest of them through the door at the opposite end of the room and ushered them into a cart. They stopped first at Harry's personal vault, where he filled his money bag with more than he'd ever retrieved before. While I'm here, I might as well get money for the next few months of living, he reasoned. He handed the bag to Lupin in the cart, and they rode quickly to the next vault, which was only a few doors down from his own.

Griphook opened the door for them, and the three of them stepped into a vault that was significantly larger than Harry's. While Harry's held only money, this vault had boxes and trunks stacked to the ceiling, as well as a pile of gold to rival what Harry already had. Griphook returned to the cart and turned to Harry. "I'll return with the cart in one hour, Mr. Potter."

"Thanks, Griphook." He walked a bit farther into the vault as he heard the cart speed away. "Well, we have to get started somewhere. They look like they're labeled pretty well, so that should make things a bit easier."

After walking up and down the rows of boxes, Harry had a general idea that most of what his parents couldn't take into hiding with them they'd left in this vault. There was an entire row of boxes labeled Books and at least ten trunks labeled Clothes. He was happy to recognize his mother's handwriting from the letters, and surmised that the writing he didn't know must be his father's. He traced his fingers over the word Quidditch written in his father's hand on one of the trunks and smiled to himself.

One box that he wanted to take with him was labeled diaries by his mother. He pulled it out of the stack and placed it in the aisle outside the vault. They continued to dig around and pull promising boxes and trunks, placing them by the door. After about forty minutes they had a sizable stack, including three boxes labeled work in his mother's writing. Harry shrank them all down and placed them in another bag and left it in the hall.

When he returned, Ginny pointed to a trunk that was, surprisingly, labeled in Hagrid's untidy scrawl: Godric's Hollow. Harry sat down beside it and opened the lock with his wand. When he lifted the lid, a faint odor of smoke wafted up. "Professor? Did Hagrid get these things from Mum and Dad's house after that night with Voldemort?"

Lupin came and sat down beside Harry. "I don't know, Harry, I'm sorry. I had no idea this was here. And as I'm no longer your professor and you are now an adult, I expect you to call me Remus." He gave Harry a kindly smile. "Well, let's see what's in here." He reached in and brought out a small wooden box and handed it to Harry.

Harry was ashamed to see that his hands were shaking as he lifted the lid from the box. Inside were two gold bands and he almost dropped the box in shock. "It's – it's their wedding rings."

Ginny rose to her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. "You okay?" she whispered in his ear.

He closed the box and set it on the floor beside him. "Yeah." He squeezed her forearm and she released her hold on him. "Just surprised me. I guess I always just assumed they were buried with them." He took a deep breath and peered back into the trunk. It was filled with an assortment of books, a few household items, and when he dug down to the bottom he found a scorched baby blanket. "Blue. With sheep." He chuckled and held it to his nose and inhaled deeply before placing it back on top of the contents of the trunk. It just smells like smoke, but what did you expect, talcum and Mum's perfume? He shook his head to clear it and closed the lid, standing as he did so. Ginny and Lupin stood beside him, each of them placing a hand on his shoulder. "Well, I'm definitely taking that one with me."

"I'll put it outside for you, then, Harry." Lupin took out his wand and levitated the trunk out into the hallway.

Ginny stepped into him and he pulled her close. "Why does everything have to be so hard?" he mumbled into her hair. He sighed, replacing the smoky odor with Ginny's flowery smell. "I think I'm done with this for today. I can always come back later and go through the rest of it. I can bring Hermione to help me sort out the books."

She stepped back from him and smiled. "Ready to have some fun, then? Hopefully Ron's sober by now." He nodded as he heard Griphook returning with the cart. "And there's our ride now." She pulled him by the hand out of the vault and waited while Griphook locked it behind them.

They squinted into the sunlight as they headed back to The Leaky Cauldron, where they found Ron and Hermione bickering about whether or not she was drunk. Harry was ready to take Hermione's side, but the argument stopped as soon as Ron and Hermione realized they had an audience. Hermione stood quite steadily and held out her hand for Ron to join her. He shook his head and complied, much less steadily than she had. Harry laughed. "You had more, didn't you?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, he did. And now he insists that he's the sober one and I'm drunk. Honestly."

"Well, plastered Ron is holding your hand in public, so don't be too hard on him." Ginny observed. Hermione smiled and followed them out of the bar, leading a red-faced Ron.

"I've decided that my primary order of business today is to get rid of this rubbish of Dudley's I've been wearing for sixteen years. Other than my school things and some boxers I've owl-ordered, I don't know what properly fitting clothes feel like." Ginny's face lit up at his announcement.

They headed to Quality Quidditch Supplies first, because Ron insisted that Harry should have a Chudley Cannons' shirt and it was easier to go along with him than debate the point. In the end, Harry bought a variety of short- and long-sleeved shirts from each of the thirteen teams. Hermione scoffed at his Quidditch-centric wardrobe, but Ginny whispered to him that she'd enjoy the opportunity to "borrow" some of those shirts. His mind drifted back to the image of her in her nightgown and he was suddenly very pleased with his purchases.

The next stop was Madame Malkin's, where Harry insisted on buying two sets of plain hooded black robes for himself, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione. After a brief whispered argument, Harry won out by asserting that they might need to move anonymously in any number of possible situations.

Ginny knew of a Muggle clothing shop at the end of the Alley, so despite Harry's misgivings about the sort of "Muggle" clothing he'd seen various wizards and witches sporting over the years, he allowed her to lead them down the street. He was pleasantly surprised to find that, while the collection did include some rather questionable items (including a pair of hip waders and a shocking-pink muumuu that would have fit all seven of them including Hagrid), they also stocked a decent selection of jeans, trousers, button-down shirts, and other things that actually were acceptable Muggle-wear. Harry spent the next two hours being pulled in and out of the dressing room under Ginny and Tonks's direction. Hermione and Harry joined forces on occasion when the two witches tried to suggest things that were not typical male Muggle clothing, but for the most part he was happy with their choices.

Ron sobered up during the ordeal and began muttering mutinously about wasting time on clothes. Hermione could only shush him for so long before the two of them decided to go ahead to Fred and George's shop and wait for the rest there. Hagrid elected to join them, and after they were gone Harry picked up a dress that he saw Ginny admiring. When she protested that it was too much money, he leaned down and murmured in her ear, "But it's not just for you - I get to see you wear it." When she came out of the dressing room in the blue-patterned, knee-length sundress, Harry smiled and knew he had made the right choice. With his purchases shrunken and placed in a newly-purchased backpack, they headed off to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to meet up with everyone else.

Fred and George's shop was just as full and boisterous as Harry remembered from the previous summer. Children were running everywhere in the aisles and Lee Jordan was standing on the checkout counter demonstrating a Headless Hat. Hagrid waited outside the shop, which was probably for the best as there wasn't likely to be a space big enough inside for him to stand.

Harry and Ginny waved to Fred and George, who were happily checking out customers behind Lee. They hadn't spotted Ron and Hermione yet, so they left Tonks eagerly showing the Pygmy Puffs to a skeptical Lupin and continued their search. They finally found the other couple in the back room of the shop going through the Defense products the twins had developed. Ron had already thrown a few Shield Cloaks over his shoulder and was holding a bag of Decoy Detonators. He and Hermione were debating the merits of the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder that Draco Malfoy used against them at the end of the previous school year, but Harry interrupted. "Go ahead and grab some. Malfoy already showed us how dead useful it can be."

Fred and George appeared in the doorway behind Harry and Ginny. "So I see you've been helping yourself to the merchandise again, little brother." George said.

Ron gestured weakly at Harry. "It's for Harry, not for me."

"A likely story –" Fred began.

"But we're not swallowing it unless Harry says so." George finished for him.

Harry nodded. "I'll pay for everything we take. You've already given me more than enough merchandise to make up for my initial investment and we'll likely need quite a bit of this Defense stuff."

Fred smiled. "We haven't given you nearly enough to make up your investment, but if you insist. I must say, though, that we feel that now you're inflicting yourself with the presence of not only ickle Ronniekins here —"

George interjected, "but also our very dangerous sister —"

"You should have some compensation from other, more mature members of the family." Fred concluded.

"I don't know, Fred, I'm sure Ginny is managing the compensation quite well on her own." George argued as he waggled his eyebrows at Harry. Ginny took the opportunity to stomp on George's foot. "Or maybe you're right, Fred. Being around her has its price."

"Of course I'm right, brother mine. But before we were sidetracked by the terribly uncouth discussion of payment, we were going to introduce Mr. Potter to…" Fred gestured expansively at the shelf beside the door.

"Some of our new inventions!" the twins said in unison.

"This is the one we're most proud of," George explained as he lifted a small black object that resembled a beanbag off the shelf and tossed it to Harry.

It felt much like a beanbag, too, Harry reflected. "What is it?" he asked as he tossed it up and down in his hand.

"It's a Bogus Bloke," Fred replied, "Although we may have to come up with a more dignified name now that the Auror Department has started asking for them." He then took another off the shelf, pointed his wand at it, and said, "Effingo." It glowed softly for a second before Fred tossed it to the side of the storeroom. A moment later, it let off a tiny puff of smoke and a third twin was standing there. Fred began waving his arms and the other Fred did the same a moment later. Fred jumped up and down, then danced a very silly jig, then bowed, and his doppelganger repeated each movement, shimmering a bit before disappearing entirely after the bow.

"Wicked." Ron breathed.

Fred continued, "We initially thought of it as a joke item; you know, you activate it and suddenly there are two of you. But when we showed Tonks at an Order meeting, she thought they'd be just as good as, if not better than, the Decoy Detonators for allowing you an opportunity to get away from a fight. Moody and Kingsley agreed after we showed them, and the next thing we know the Auror Department is asking for 200."

Hermione sniffed and asked, "Why does it have to be a Bloke?"

George looked taken aback by the question. He turned to Fred. "Why does it have to be a bloke?"

"Alliteration. Goes well with 'bogus.'"

"Not gender-neutral, though."

"True, brother mine. Good ear, that Hermione."

"Place for her in the organization, don't you think?"

"Hm, Vice President in Charge of Proper Labeling?"

George turned to Hermione. "What do you say, Hermione? You come up with a dignified, gender-neutral term for it, and we'll give you a commission on the increased sales. If there are any." He grinned.

Hermione nodded, looking both thoughtful and pleased.

"We'll take a dozen of these, then," Harry interrupted. "And we'll pay for them." He gave Fred and George each a glare to ensure that they knew he meant it.

"Right-o, then, Mr. Potter! If you'll just follow me to the till, I'll happily take your money." Fred bowed him out of the room. Once he had paid far less than he thought he should for their Defense items, they took their leave of the twins and headed back out to the Alley.

Ginny picked up Harry's hand and he thought she was going to hold it, but instead she turned his wrist around and checked his watch. "It's 3:30 – we should be getting back - it's almost tea time."

When Harry stepped out of the Floo at The Burrow, he was greeted by pandemonium for the second time in less than five hours. It seemed that a party had been arranged for him in his absence, and he turned to Ginny and raised an eyebrow. She giggled and kissed him, speaking softly into his ear, "I know you've never had a proper birthday party so Mum and I set this up."

He surveyed the crowd filling the Weasleys' sitting room. All of his dorm-mates were there, along with all of the Weasleys except the twins and Percy. Over in a corner, he saw Luna chatting merrily with Charlie about some unknown topic. Behind him, he heard someone else step out of the Floo and turned around, concerned. His wand was halfway out when he realized that it was Lupin and not an uninvited invader. Tonks followed a few seconds later, and he expected Hagrid to come after her, but there was no one else. After a minute, he asked Lupin, "What happened to Hagrid?"

"He had some errands to run, but he'll be along shortly. The twins are behind us by a few minutes; they said they needed to do a few things at the shop before they left Lee and Verity alone." Lupin wrapped an arm around Tonks and it struck Harry that he'd never seen his parents' friend look quite so happy before. He turned back to Ginny as he tucked his wand back into his robes.

"Thanks for this, Gin. It means a lot to me." He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead and held her close for a moment before Ron interrupted.

"Oi! Come have some of these cakes, Harry! And get your hands off my sister!" Ron's outburst caught the attention of the other Weasley brothers, and Bill and Charlie both turned to look at Harry.

Harry suddenly felt as if everyone in the room was staring at him although he could see that wasn't the case. Ginny slung an arm around his waist and pulled herself into his side. "We'll put our hands where we like, Ronald Weasley, and it's none of your business." She shot a glare at Charlie and Bill for good measure.

That was the moment that Mrs. Weasley entered the room with another tray of cakes. She glanced at Harry and Ginny, and then turned to Ron. "For heaven's sake, Ron. They're just standing there. Leave them be." She surveyed her other two sons as if looking for signs that they were going to cause trouble.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and squeezed Ginny briefly.

"I already told you, Harry, no one's going to do anything to you now that you're mine," she giggled. "Stop being so worried about my brothers. They all like you, and I think they're all a little afraid of me now."

Harry relaxed and spent the next two hours enjoying his party. The twins arrived about half an hour into the party and soon random gales of laughter erupted wherever they went. He soon found himself discussing Seeker moves with Charlie, who was impressed to hear of Harry's exploits on the pitch. "I should have known after you handled that Horntail that you were probably a better flier than I am. Not that I'm admitting that you are, mind you."

Harry was distracted momentarily by the sound of Ginny's laughter from across the room, but after he exchanged a smile with her he returned his attention to Charlie. "I'm really happy you two got together, Harry. Not just because Ginny wouldn't be quiet about you from about the age of six, but because you're a decent sort, and I can see how happy you're making each other."

"Is it that obvious?" Harry asked him, concerned. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad to hear it, but I don't want to nauseate the folks around us." He cast a glance at Bill and Fleur, who were feeding each other bits of canapé.

Charlie laughed. "Don't worry about it. To be honest, I'm glad to see that it's possible to be together with someone and not make everyone around you sick. With those two, I was beginning to wonder." He shrugged and looked at his feet.

After a bit more chatting with Charlie, Harry started looking around for Hagrid again. He wondered what errands were taking Hagrid so long. It somehow seemed right that Hagrid should be there for this birthday, after everything he'd done for Harry on his eleventh. The day I became a wizard and the day I became a man, and Hagrid's been there for both of them. I really should tell him what that means to me. He realized guiltily that he didn't even know when Hagrid's birthday was, or how old he was. Some friend I am.

He heard a low rumbling in the distance and wondered if a storm was coming. After a moment, though, he realized that the sound was more like an engine than thunder. The noise suddenly stopped, and a few moments later Hagrid came in through the front door and waved to him. He raised his hand in return before he realized that Hagrid was waving him over, not just saying hello. He joined him near the door, and Hagrid leaned in as much as he could. "Got summat to show yeh, Harry. Not a birthday presen', 'xactly, but yeh should have it jus' the same."

"Do I have a second to get Ginny?" he asked. Hagrid nodded, so Harry scanned the crowd for her and found her talking to Luna and Neville. "Ginny, can you come with me for a moment?" She nodded and took his hand and together they followed Hagrid into front garden.

Harry's jaw dropped when he saw what Hagrid was pointing at. It was a shiny black motorbike, obviously not new but cool nonetheless. "Is that – "

"It belonged to Sirius, yeah. He loaned it ter me ter take yeh from yer Mum an' Dad's house tha' night, an' tol' me he wouldn' be needin' it no more an' I should keep it. Seemed wrong ter keep it now, what with yeh bein' an adult now an' all." He clapped Harry on the shoulder and sniffed.

Harry threw his arms around Hagrid's vast midsection and hugged him tight. "Thanks, Hagrid. I was thinking earlier, that you've been there for pretty much every important thing that's ever happened to me. I never told you how much it means to me to have a friend like you."

Hagrid burst into tears at this confession, and squeezed Harry so tight he thought he might pop. When he finally released Harry and blew his nose on his great spotted handkerchief, Harry found that he had a few unshed tears in his own eyes. His hand sought out Ginny's and she kissed his cheek softly.

Hagrid waved his vast hand at the bike. "Well, c'mon now, give 'er a go!"

Harry turned to Ginny and she nodded; he mounted the bike and Hagrid showed him how to start it and explained all the various controls. Harry had never learned to ride a bicycle, but he reasoned that it couldn't be any harder than riding a broom, so he started the bike up and took it for a few slow turns around the garden. "I think that's probably enough for me tonight, Hagrid. I'll give flying it a go some other time." He dismounted and parked the bike under the overhang of Mr. Weasley's shed and the three of them returned to the house.

Harry looked around for Ron, eager to share his news. He and Hermione were standing in one corner, drinking Butterbeer and talking to the twins. When Harry approached, Ron asked, "Where'd you go?"

"You'll never believe this, Ron, but Hagrid just brought me Sirius's old motorbike!"

Ron's jaw dropped. "Cor! Where is it? Can I have a go? Does it still fly?"

Ginny laughed. "Calm down, Ron, Harry will have it for a long time. And I get the first ride once Harry's more comfortable with it. Besides, it's time for presents."

Presents, Harry thought. It still shocked him, even after six years, that people thought to give him things on his birthday and Christmas. Ginny ushered him into the kitchen, where a large pile of gifts was stacked on the table. Harry did a double-take when he realized just how many there were. He turned to the guests standing behind him. "You – you all didn't have to do this for me." His eyes dropped to his feet and he felt Ginny step closer to him.

Molly spoke up, "Of course we did, Harry. You're important to us. Now open them!"

Hesitantly, Harry reached out for the first package and read the tag. It was from Lupin and Tonks, and contained a framed photo of his parents, Sirius, and Remus, obviously having a good time. He assumed that Peter either had taken the photo or had walked out of it. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley gave him a hand of his own for the family clock, which Mrs. Weasley immediately attached after she'd finished hugging him tight. He was pleased to see that it pointed to Home briefly before joining the others at Mortal Peril, but Mrs. Weasley burst into tears in Mr. Weasley's arms. From Bill and Fleur he received a book on introductory curse breaking.

He eyed the twins' gift with concern, but they assured him that it was perfectly safe to open. Inside, he found an assortment of joke and Defense products from their shop. "Right difficult to not let you buy one of everything today and make our gift useless!" Fred explained. He then leaned in and told him, "There's also a bottle of Firewhisky up in Ron's room for you – Ron mentioned to me that you 'forgot' to pick one up earlier."

His dorm-mates had clubbed up to get him a book called A Wizard's Guide to Witches, and he was glad when he opened it that Neville had warned him earlier that he might not want to show it around to everyone. His face reddened and he quickly stuck it under the curse breaking book but he was sure everyone present could guess its contents from his reaction. He tried desperately to avoid Ginny's eyes and picked up Luna's present, a subscription to The Quibbler.

When he opened the gift from Ron, he laughed out loud. "A Chudley Cannons' shirt? Why did you make me buy one today if this was your gift?"

Ron looked a bit green and admitted, "Well, I really thought you should have one, and I guess I forgot." This earned him a round of laughter from all assembled. He mumbled, "At least it's different from the one you bought today," which Harry had to admit was true. He decided that he'd best not mention the Firewhisky episode in front of Mrs. Weasley and let the matter drop to continue with his gifts.

Hermione gave him a canteen that automatically summoned water, which earned her a few curious glances, probably wondering why Harry would need such a thing. He hugged her and thanked her sincerely, knowing how useful it would be very soon.

The last gift was from Ginny. She had attached a homemade card that said simply, "Happy Birthday" on the front and "I love you" on the inside. He grinned at her and said, "At least this one doesn't sing," before poking her in the side. She squealed dramatically and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

He opened the long, thin box to find two chains with pendants that each looked like half of a coin. Put together, the coin read, The Lord watch between me and thee while we are apart, one from another.

"It's called a Mizpah coin, and the quote is from the Bible. It's a kind of magic Muggles actually believe in, that these coins bring good luck and safety to those who wear them. I bought them when we were broken up, but I thought they were still appropriate," she explained.

Touched, Harry fastened one chain around his neck and slipped it under his shirt and robes before helping Ginny put the other around her own. He kissed her softly on the side of the neck and whispered, "That's really nice, Gin. Thank you."

"I thought you'd prefer that to My Sweetheart," she whispered back while shooting her eyes at Ron.

Harry laughed and thanked everyone again for his gifts. The party started filtering back into the sitting room but Dean and Seamus came over to give him some good-hearted ribbing about the book. Finally, Dean stuck out his hand and confided, "I'm glad you're together, Harry. You're a tough bloke to compete with."

Harry was glad to see that Dean's words held no sarcasm or bitterness and shook his friend's hand enthusiastically. "Thanks, Dean. I was glad to see you here tonight."

He pulled Ginny away from the beginning of a conversation with Luna. "Fancy a walk?"

She smiled and kissed him lightly. "Of course."

They returned to the clearing they'd visited the day before, and Ginny again took the initiative to conjure a blanket. "I feel bad, leaving everyone inside, but I wanted to be alone with you," he admitted as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she leaned her head against him. "Spending the day with you was wonderful; everything I thought it would be. And thanks for the help picking out clothes; I never knew it took so much thinking."

She laughed and wove her fingers through his. "It was fun. We've never had much money, so it was nice to be able to pick things out without worrying how much they cost."

"Except your dress. Apparently it's okay for me to spend loads of money on myself but not on you," he teased.

"Of course, Harry, it's your money, not mine."

"What if it was your money, what would you do with it?"

"I've never really had a lot of pocket money, so I've not really thought about it much."

"Well, I've decided what you're getting for your birthday. A repeat of today, but for you."

She scoffed and said, "Mum would never let me."

"What if we didn't tell her? We'll be leaving soon after that; with Bill's wedding the following Saturday there's nothing else keeping us from setting off on our search for the Horcruxes. I'd like to go to Headquarters at that point, maybe go through some of the books in my parents' vault and Dumbledore's library to try to figure out what to do next. You could have a whole new wardrobe and your mum wouldn't even see it until maybe Christmas." Harry felt guilty about deceiving Mrs. Weasley, but he wasn't going to let that stand in the way of Ginny having a good time picking out things for herself for a change.

He felt, rather than heard, her sigh against him. "That sounds nice. It will be a wonderful change to be away from school and parents and all the other things that keep us from being able to really be ourselves, won't it?"

"As long as being ourselves means that you'll wake me up every morning like today, then yes," he chuckled.

She sat up a bit and turned to him. "That would be nice. Although I don't always want to be the one to get up early."

He closed his eyes for a moment, wondering what it would be like to be awoken by Ginny's kisses every morning and found that he rather liked the idea. "Deal," he said without opening his eyes. "Remember that day by the lake?"

She giggled softly. "Which one?"

"The one, a few weeks after we got together, when we just sat and talked about what we wanted to do after Hogwarts and the war?" he replied wistfully.

She reached up to touch his face and he leaned his cheek into her palm. "Yeah, I do. I said that I wanted to have a family and you agreed that a family was a good thing to have."

He opened his eyes. "You're my family, Gin. You, and the rest of the Weasleys, and Hermione, and even Remus and Tonks and Hagrid. You're what I have. I didn't really realize that until today, but it's true. Just a minute ago I was thinking how nice it would be to wake up to your kisses every morning, but it's not just the snogging. It's you. I know that you know that I love you, but I don't know if I've ever let you know how much you mean to me. It's why I tried to break things off with you, because I was – " he sighed and continued, "I was scared that every person I've cared about, every person who's been close to me, has been taken away. First my parents, then Sirius, then Dumbledore. Even Cedric was killed just because he happened to be nearby and Voldemort didn't need him. And I couldn't bear the thought of having you, or Ron, or Hermione taken away from me. But mostly you. Ron and Hermione made a choice when we were still kids to stick by me and they've faced danger almost as much as I have. But you, you're different."

He felt her bristle at his statement and he took her face in his hands. "Not different in the way that you're thinking. Different that – different because if I lost Ron or Hermione I would be devastated, but I know I could go on. I could live knowing that they did what they felt they had to, and that they'd want me to finish what we started together that day in the girls' toilet against that troll."

He smiled at the memory, marveling that eleven-year-olds would do something so bold, so rash, so - Gryffindor.

"They've practically grown up knowing that we were in this together, and I've known it too. When we went after Quirrell that year, I had to leave Ron behind, and then Hermione, not knowing if they'd be okay, because I knew what had to be done and I was the one to do it. But you, I have to fight the instinct to put you away in a tower and keep you safe because I don't know if I could continue without you, without knowing you were okay. For almost the whole past year, every decision I've made has been based on how I thought you would react to it. How you would feel about me knowing what I'd done or thought or said. You're what makes me want to not only defeat Voldemort, but what makes me want to survive it."

He gave her a self-deprecating grin, and concluded, "And I think that's the most I've said in one sitting to anyone, ever."

He saw that her eyes had misted over and apologized. "I didn't mean to make you sad, Gin, I just wanted you to know how I feel. It's been going through my head off and on all day."

A tear fell down her cheek and he wiped it away with his thumb.

"It's not that I'm sad, you great prat, it's because I don't think you understand that I feel the same way. That if something happened to you I couldn't continue. That's the reason I got these," she lifted her pendant. "That's the reason I want to go with you, so that I don't have to wonder if you're all right, so that I don't have to wonder whether it's okay to go on for another minute or hour or day."

He leaned in and pressed his forehead to hers. "I understand now."