July 31st, 2001
Harry's birthday
"Happy birthday, Harry." Daphne said as she opened the bedroom door holding a tray of Harry's favorite breakfast. Plates full of bacon, sausage, poached eggs, fried tomatoes and toast. And most importantly the black coffee. Daphne got up earlier than she normally would and with the help of James they made breakfast for the birthday boy. It was much easier to make breakfast for someone when you've been sleeping at their house for the past couple of days. "Wakey wakey sleepy head."
"What's this?" A sleepy Harry asked, putting on his glasses. Smiling softly after a yawn escaped, he found his girlfriend holding a tray of delicious food and his son holding a box as big as his head. "Is all this for me?"
"Of course silly!" Daphne replied setting the tray on the bed in between them as James sat on the foot of the bed. Who was trying to keep his excitement in tacted. "Isn't your daddy silly James. Forgetting his own birthday?"
"He is silly." James said with a giggle escaping his lips. "How do you forget your birthday daddy?"
"Oh I don't know James." Harry said winking over at Daphne. "Maybe it's the old age."
"You mean the old age of 21?" Daphne laughed as she took a piece of bacon.
Playfully slapping Daphne's hand away from the food. "Hey that's mine."
"You think I made all this food just for you?" Daphne smirked as she took another piece of her bacon. While she and James ate most of their breakfast down stairs, they knew Harry wouldn't have cared about stealing some of his own plate. "Who do you think you are the birthday boy?"
Taking a bite of his toast, he gave Daphne his Harry Potter great big smile. "Yes that is exactly who I think I am." Turning his attention towards his son, he pointed to the present in James's hand. "Now whos that for?"
"You are silly." James responded making Daphne snort a bit of her tea of her nose. "So are you Daphne." Handing the present to his dad, he told him to open it. Watching him open the present with a smile on his face, he explained what it was when Harry pulled the picture frame out of the box. "It's pictures of me and you and Daphne. Aunt Mione helped me make it."
Smiling softly, Harry showed Daphne the collage. In all the photos they were all smiling at each other, never at the camera. And he also liked how all the pictures were moving at different times. Giving each photo its own time to shine. "This is amazing James truly. You are very talented. I'll put it right on the mantle."
After breakfast in bed and present opening, Harry found himself watching Daphne and James bake a cake. A chocolate cake, his favorite. He tried to help but Daphne pushed him out of the way anytime he picked something up. Even if it was a bottle of pumpkin juice. Making him sit at the kitchen counter on a bar stool. He could watch but he couldn't help. Something he never had heard when he was younger.
Daphne wouldn't even tell him what they had planned for the rest of the day. Harry hoped it was just them. Just the three of them sitting in the living room watching a movie that James picked out. Probably a cartoon. Holding Daphne close to his chest, playing with the ends of her hair. It was only another birthday. Just another day. And he wanted to spend it with people he cared about. But he knew that Daphne wouldn't make a full cake if someone wasn't coming over.
"So who is coming over?" Harry asked for the millionth time. Hoping that if he kept asking they would eventually crack and tell him. "You aren't allowed to keep secrets from the birthday boy. Its against the rules of birthday-daum."
"Birthday-daum?" Laughter was mixed in with her normal feathery voice. "I don't think that's a thing. Surprise parties are normally for birthday celebrations."
"Ah ha!" Pointing his finger towards the blonde baking a cake in his kitchen. He was impressed that she knew how to bake or cook without using any kind of magic. Being raised by a proud pureblood family. Molly Weasley barley even used her own two hands to make any type of meals. Daphne later explained that when she moved to the muggle world, she wanted to learn how not to be dependent on magic. If she could fix up a house without magic, she could figure out how to cook. When she learned how to bake, she found out how much she actually enjoyed it. It soothed her. "I knew it. You are throwing me a party."
"I never said I throwing you a party. I just said surprise parties are mostly found on birthdays. Doesn't mean you are getting a surprise party." Daphne said pointing her spatula at him after putting the cake pans in the oven. "Now just sit there and try the batter."
"You make me happy. You know that right?" Harry said walking over to the other side of the counter to wrap his arms around Daphne's waist. "No matter what secrets you are keeping from me."
Leaning into his touch, she held up her pointer finger that had batter on it. "I know. Now try it."
"It's delicious." Harry said after taking a sample of the batter. Licking his lips, he whispered softly into her ear, "Also very erotic."
Blushing slightly, she pushed herself away from Harry when she remembered a four year old boy was standing in the kitchen next to them. It was inappropriate for them to be having these types of interactions in front of James. Even if he didn't completely understand what was going on. "Alright trouble maker, I am going to go home and get dressed. Covered in flour and what not. Pull out the cakes in 15 minutes if I'm not back yet. They need to cool down before I can frost them. If I were you, I would put yourself and James in some nice clothes. Casual, but look handsome."
Harry heard the floo activate as he was pulling out the cakes from the oven. He was all dressed for the night in that he hoped Daphne had planned. He threw on a pair of jeans and a nice button up shirt that he knew both himself and James owned. Thought it would be cute if they were dressed the same. And he knew that Daphne would love the idea.
"I'm in the kitchen. I checked the cakes and they are cooling down now." Harry called out when he heard the footsteps coming closer to the kitchen, assuming it was Daphne, he continued to talk. "And now can you tell me what you have pla...Ginny?"
"Hello Harry." Ginny said as she walked closer to her husband. Holding a vanilla folder that Harry knew was holding the divorce papers. Hopefully the signed divorce papers. "You know my mum sent me a note saying you were moving on. Something I didn't believe until I was sent these papers."
"Did you sign them?" Harry asked crossing his arms over his chest. Today was not the day he wanted to deal with Ginny Weasley. Not on his birthday. Not on the day he should be spending with his son and girlfriend. "Because that would be great."
"Divorce papers?! Really?" Taking a step closer to the dark haired wizard who was shaking his head in disbelief. How could she be so daft that he wouldn't send her divorce papers. "Do you know how embarrassing it is to be handed divorce papers?"
"Oh I'm sure Dean took it just fine now that he knows he gets you all to himself. Or is it some other guy now? I can't keep track from all the articles in the Prophet. But now you can do whatever you want with no quilt. No husband dragging you down from leaving your life here." Rolling his eyes and putting a dumb look on his face. "Oh yeah that's right. It didn't matter that you had a son or a husband. You just wanted to go and sleep with some other guy. Packed up all your things and left. I gave you a month to come back and you didn't. So I moved on! James moved on!"
Pushing the vanilla folder into Harry's chest, Ginny looked him straight in the eye. "Don't you dare tell me that my son has moved on. I am his mother.."
"A mother who abandoned him!"
"I was coming back! I told mum that I was coming back. I just needed a break."
"You told Molly that you were coming back? When did you tell Molly that?" Harry asked setting the folder down on the counter. Did Molly know from the beginning that Ginny was going to come back. "If she knew that you were coming back why did she tell me to move on?"
"Because I told her to tell you that!" Resting her hands on her waist, she looked up at the ceiling. Getting her words together, Ginny looked back at the man she loved. "I left to have some time off, to no longer be Harry Potter's wife. Or James Potter's mum. I needed to find Ginny Po.."
"Don't you dare call yourself Ginny Potter. You are no longer my wife in my eyes. I'm not happy with you, I was never happy with you and I didn't know or realize that until you left." Opening the vanilla folder, he pulled out the papers. Seeing they weren't signed, he pushed them back into Ginny's chest. "Sign them and get out of my sight."
"I want to see my son."
"He's not your son. You get your wish, you are no longer James Sirius Potter's mum. You get a do over. Just what you wanted." Handing a quill over to the redhead, who was looking at him like a deer in headlights, he walked out of the kitchen to find Daphne holding a crying James in her arms. "James buddy, come here."
Daphne looked at Harry while James shook his head against her neck. "He's a little shaken up."
"I didn't know she was coming. You know that, of course. I'm a little shaken up as well." Harry babbled taking a step closer to Daphne, resting each of his hands on Daphne and James. He knew he had to ask, if though he didn't want to. "James, do you want to see your mum?"
"No." The harsh voice of James surprised both of the adults. Harry thought at least James would want to see his mother. Harry watched his grip on Daphne become tighter. "I don't want to go with her. I want to stay with you."
"Okay." Knowing that was all he wrote. Looking back over at Daphne, he kissed her forehead before saying. "Why don't you go cancel whatever plans you had. It should just be the three of us once I get Ginny out of here."
"Already done." Daphne said with a sad smile on her face. When she made it back to Grimmauld Place, she could hear the shouting between Harry and Ginny from the living room. She quickly called Hermione telling her that all plans were cancelled, spread the news and she would explain everything later. Then she spotted James sitting on the steps with tears running down his face. That was when her heart broke.
"Who is that bitch holding my son?!" Ginny's screech came from the doorway of the kitchen. Marching towards the threesome standing in the middle of the hallway, she watched as Harry blocked both Daphne and James from her view. "What the hell Harry? Bringing other women to our home? Where we live together?"
"You don't live here anymore and you are no longer my wife." Harry said loudly, pulling out his wand which made Ginny stop taking any steps closer. Daphne could see why Harry was the most powerful wizard there was. "Now sign the papers and get back to your life with Dean."
Handing him the papers, Ginny glared at Daphne over Harry's shoulder. "This isn't over. You may think we are no longer be married but I am still going to fight for you Harry James Potter. Just mark my words."
"No Ginny your not." Taking a deep breathe, Harry shook his head when he realized Ginny still hadn't signed the papers. "You and I are going to talk about this like adults tomorrow. I will have Hermione here to make sure things don't get out of hand. And you are going to sign these papers."
"Fine." Not taking her eyes off the women who was holding onto her son. "And we are going to negotiate the terms as well. My son is going to be staying with me when this is all over."
"No!" James screamed which in turn made the lights flicker in the house. James had always been good about being able to control his magic. Harry made sure of it after he fell off the broom. Once a day they would practice controlling his magic. The only time James ever uses accidental magic is when he was extremely upset about something. "You left me! Daddy didn't! I am staying with Daddy and Daphne! I don't want you to be my mummy anymore."
"The four year old has spoken." Daphne said turning on her Ice Queen voice as she began to rub the back of the young boy in her arms. The sooner he calmed down the better. Accidental magic wasn't something you wanted to mess with. And Ginny Weasley was the focus.
Harry watched as the women he once thought was the love of his life, huffed and floo'd away. When he heard her say The Burrow, it made his stomach boil. Did Molly and Arthur know where and why Ginny left all along? Giving Harry and James the heartbreak neither of them deserved. Turning towards Daphne, he took James out of her arms. "James I want you to know that everything is going to be okay. You are going to stay right here."
"Good." James replied softly, resting his head on Harry's shoulder. The tears that were falling down his cheeks were now soaking Harry's shirt. But Harry didn't care, his son was upset and he needed to take care of it.
"Daph, can you call Hermione and let her know what's going on?" Harry asked softly, as he began to rub his son's back. "I'm going to take James up to his room."
"Of course."
