Chapter Ten: Birthday Girl

Harry waited impatiently for Ginny to awake that morning. He had no intention whatsoever of giving her his gift in front of everyone, so he waited in the den, the door open, and his chair facing the door.

Every few minutes, he would stand from the chair, pace over to the desk, eye the package sitting there and pace back to his chair.

Ginny came down the stairs, sleep in her eyes and wrapped in a fuzzy robe at quarter to nine. Harry was literally on his last nerve.

"Gin?"

"G'morning, Harry," she yawned, switching direction and making for the den, and Harry, rather than for the door that led to the kitchens.

Not quite as I'd imagined this, he thought.

"I..."

"What?" she looked up at him, blinking her chocolate brown eyes owlishly. "What's wrong?"

He smiled. "Did you just wake up?"

"Hmmm... Mum does this every year... she lays out my oldest, fuzziest robe for me... and slams the door as she leaves. Then she goes and makes my breakfast. Two poached eggs and a slice of toast."

"You like poached eggs?" Harry looked curiously at her. All he'd ever seen her eat for breakfast, in the five years he'd sat across a breakfast table from her, was toast and fruit.

"Hate them. Don't know what keeps the woman going on that, actually."

Harry grinned happily.

"So... why are you keeping me from my breakfast, Potter?"

"Saving you from the horror of poached eggs?"

"Nope. Not good enough," she laughed. "It's my birthday, you know."

"I know," he said softly. "That's actually why I was waiting."

"You were waiting? For me?"

"Umm... yes, rather... kind of."

"For how long?"

"Umm.."

"Harry, how long have you been up?" she asked suspiciously.

"I... well, I've been up since about four, but.."

"Harry!"

"Well, I wasn't expecting you to be up that early... so I went for a walk down by the lake, and then I had a chat with Ron..."

"Ron is up?" Ginny looked shocked.

"Well... no. I kind of... well, I kind of woke him up to talk. He wasn't too happy about that... but he did. Then I let him go back to sleep."

Ginny giggled, shaking her head.

"I just wanted to... well, to say Happy Birthday, and..."

"Thank you, Harry."

"Gin?" He swallowed uncomfortably. "I..."

"What is it, Harry?"

Might as well go for it... she already knows you've been up for five hours waiting for her.

"I... I'd like to kiss you again."

Ginny's eyes grew dark. "I'd like that."

Slowly, he pulled her toward him, his hands on her elbows, not hemming her in at all, and lowered his lips to hers.

Fireworks. He could swear he saw the brilliant green and gold of fireworks. Ginny sighed as he pulled away.

"I want to do that again," he murmured into her ear.

"I have absolutely no objection to that," she breathed.

"Are you sure?"

"Harry...?"

"Because I'd like to do that a lot. I'd like to... have the right to do that... and be the only one who did."

"Harry...?" she pulled back from him, her eyes widening.

"Ginny... I... the other day... I didn't know what to say to you. I didn't know what to do... but I knew... well, things had changed. We had changed. I had changed. I need you, please..."

"Harry, what did you think I meant when I told you I loved you?"

"I didn't..." he took a deep breath. "I didn't want to think too hard on that, in case you didn't mean it the way I wanted you to mean it."

"I did."

"I know that, now. Ginny, will you..."

"Yes. Absolutely."

Harry sighed with relief. She made this so easy, despite it being one of the hardest things he'd ever done. Hard enough that he just had to kiss her again.

Some minutes later, he pulled away with a smile, and caught sight of the brightly wrapped package on the desk.

"I have something for you," he said.

"Really?"

"A present."

"A present?" her eyes lit with childish excitement. "I'm not supposed to have my presents until lunch."

"Well, this one is from me... the rules are different."

She giggled as he handed her the package. "Careful, it's kind of heavy."

"Oooh..." she reached for it, and immediately ripped the wrappings off. Harry grinned. Hermione would be horrified.

Revealing the box inside, Ginny looked up curiously at him, and opened it. The onyx lid lifted to reveal the golden quills and ink bottles inside. She gasped.

"Harry?"

"It's not new, Gin... I hope you don't mind, but it was my mother's and... well, I wanted you to have it."

Ginny stilled, and raised her eyes to his. He was startled to see them full of tears.

Oh no... not again.

"Ginny, please don't cry..."

"I can't help it, Harry... thank you... thank you so very much!" she set the package on the table and stood, throwing her arms around him and kissing him thoroughly. Suddenly, a crying witch didn't seem to be such a bad thing.

When she finally pulled away, he grinned down at her. "I take it you like it?"

"I love it. Thank you. I've never had such a lovely writing set... who am I kidding? I've never had any writing set, but it's gorgeous... and the fact that it was your mum's... Harry, are you sure you want me to have it?"

"Positive," he said. "I can't think of anyone I'd rather have it. Now, as much as I'd like you to thank me again, I have a feeling that if you're not in the kitchen in the next two minutes, your mum is going to come looking for you."

The Weasley family congregated just before lunch that day to celebrate the birthday of their youngest member. Ginny, whose birthdays in past had been celebrated at the Burrow, felt a momentary pang of homesickness, but it faded quickly when she glimpsed Harry standing, leaning against the back of the sofa in the large lounge off of the formal dining room.

Glancing around, she smiled. All of her favorite people were here. What was there to be homesick over?

Harry was currently talking to Ron and Charlie about something that seemed to require lots of gesticulating. Charlie must be talking about dragons. Her Mum and Dad were talking with Bill and Dumbledore in the doorway to the dining room, and Hermione had Percy and Lupin cornered, probably talking their ears off about the rather extensive library the Potter family had built over the years and which Hermione had been doing her level best to read through in the three weeks she had here.

Even Petunia Dursley was here, sitting alone across the room, watching everyone with her small grey eyes.

The twins stood in the opposite corner, talking quietly together and occasionally glancing her way.

Trouble, that. Perhaps it was time to circumvent it.

Standing, she placed her butterbeer on the table beside her chair and, with a determined look on her face, made her way to Harry's side. He looked up as she approached, the happy light in his eyes turning to alarm when he saw her expression.

"Hello, Harry," she smiled.

Charlie and Ron exchanged glances, then turned back to their sister. They knew that look. It was the look that said that Ginny wanted something, and was bound and determined to get it, no matter the cost.

"G-Ginny..." Harry swallowed, unsure of what that light in her eyes meant, but absolutely certain it didn't bode well for him.

Sliding up beside him, she grinned wickedly. She knew her movements had drawn attention from all corners of the room, but her eyes never left Harry's. Eyes which were showing his indecision, in a face which was quickly turning crimson. She nearly laughed with glee over that, but managed to hold back.

Slipping one arm around his waist, and the other up and around his neck, she made sure she had his full attention.

Then, she winked.

Harry nearly choked. He probably would have if he hadn't been distracted. Ginny Weasley's lips on his were an unavoidable distraction. For everyone, it would seem.

But at that point, Harry didn't really care. Their relationship was still too new for him to resist full involvement when something like this was laid before him. He kissed her back, forgetting they were in a room full of people.

Including her six brothers.

The clearing of a throat nearby made them surface, Ginny pulling back with a very self-satisfied look on her face. Harry was still rather stunned, but managed to straighten his glasses on his face before looking up.

"Um, Gin?" Charlie spoke, his eyes on Harry. "Take some pity on the poor bloke, would you?"

"Hmmm?"

"Harry. Not exactly sporting, broadsiding the poor git like that in front of everyone."

"Oh, Harry doesn't mind. Do you?" She turned dancing brown eyes to him. The challenge in them was clear. She was an evil witch, and she was obviously enjoying this.

But Harry wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing. Pulling her to his side, he wrapped an arm around her, and faced down her family.

Well, those who weren't looking on with glee.

Which was really only Charlie.

The one who taught her to knee a bloke... Harry thought uncomfortably.

"Potter?" Charlie's eyes narrowed. "You have something to say?"

"You need me to spell it out, Charlie?"

Charlie's eyes narrowed further. Harry wondered how he'd never noticed before that Charlie was, by far, the most muscular of the Weasley men. For Merlin's sake, was he insane? This guy wrestled dragons for a living!

At that moment, Ginny curled into his side, and placed her left hand up on his chest, over his heart... and Harry knew that he would willingly wrestle dragons for her.

He looked at Charlie, his eyes bright. Charlie's eyebrows rose, a smirk showing faintly.

"No, Potter... I think I get it."

"Good," Harry nodded, almost relieved.

Charlie stepped a little closer, his voice lowering, his blue eyes never leaving Harry's. He was a good three inches shorter than Harry, but he wasn't daunted at all.

"Just remember, Potter... if you ever hurt her, you won't see it coming. And I work with dragons, so all they'll have to bury will be the pieces."

Harry swallowed, nodded and tightened his hold on Ginny.

"Charlie..." she began.

"It's okay, Gin," Harry said softly. "Charlie has the right to say it."

"Saying and doing are two different..." her red-haired temper was beginning to show.

"Gin," Harry said, looking down at her, his green eyes sending a message only for her. "It's okay."

When Ginny didn't continue, but actually smiled up at Harry, the brothers exchanged surprised looks. Charlie had braced himself for an itching hex, at the very least.

"Harry, you have done something that I never thought possible," Ron crowed.

"What's that?" Harry looked up at his best friend, his arm still holding Ginny to his side. He had no intention of letting go now.

"You've tamed our Ginny!"

Ginny's eyes sparked, the twins actually groaned at Ron's stupidity, and Charlie began to laugh, inching carefully away from Ron, and out of range.

"I have no intention of doing any such thing, Ron," Harry looked down at her, her soft brown eyes calmed. "She's perfect the way she is."

There was an audible sigh of relief from Ron, who had just realized what he had said and had been fully aware of what the repercussions would probably be.

"Come, everyone, lunch is ready!" Molly's voice carried across the room.

Turning Ginny toward the dining room, Harry glanced over his shoulder at Ron.

"You owe me, mate," he whispered. Ron merely grinned.

Lunch was eaten, the cake consumed, and they moved back into the lounge to watch Ginny open her gifts. Standing back watching, Harry realized that she was the life of this family. Everyone adored her, doted on her, protected her. How on earth had she managed to become the independent, giving person she had?

Love, he thought. The great equalizer.

Glancing at his aunt, he found her watching Ginny. She'd been very quiet, even more so than usual. Harry wondered at that.

"Oh... this is wonderful! Thank you, Hermione!"

Harry turned back to see his brand new girlfriend holding up something red... and lacy.

Dear Merlin!

Glancing around, Harry noticed that the expressions on the faces of the Weasley men ranged from speechless to blazingly angry. Unfortunately, that last was directed at Harry. He gulped, and swore he'd kill Hermione later.

"Harry, look!" Ginny held up the lacy bit of nothing.

Actually, if the expression on Charlie's face was anything to go by, he probably wouldn't have a "later".

"Ginny! Stop embarrassing Harry," Molly scolded. "It's lovely, dear, but not something that you should be waving about in public."

And with that, Harry promptly got a mental image of Ginny waving it about in private, and groaned.

"Watch it there, Spanky," Bill muttered from beside him.

Harry took a deep breath, cursing Ginny six ways to Sunday. "Look, Bill, I know she's your sister, but..."

"I'm fully aware of how you feel, mate. She's a right little vixen. Mum and Dad have had their hands full keeping her in line this long, and I do not envy you the slightest. But I'm warning you that it will take very little to make Charlie pop until he gets used to the idea, and Ginny and lingerie being together in the same thought in your seventeen year old brain is guaranteed to get you into deep, deep trouble."

"You think I don't know that?" Harry whispered. "Merlin, Bill... she's... she..."

Bill laughed, "A word of advice, Harry. I've known her for sixteen years... this is nothing new. If Ginny knows she's getting to you, whatever she's doing, she's unlikely to stop anytime soon. She enjoys pushing people to the edge and watching them hang there."

Harry considered the possibilities of that, and was returned to reality as Bill cleared his throat.

"Harry? You need to focus, mate. Charlie can smell fear... and guilt."

Harry nodded, colouring yet again.

"Why are you...?"

"Warning you?" Bill grinned. "Harry, I was eleven years old when Ginny was born. After witnessing the birth of five brothers, all of whom drove me nuts most of the time, a girl was very, very welcome. I was due to leave for Hogwarts three weeks later, and in that time, my little sister stole my heart. There is nothing I wouldn't do to see her happy. She's wanted you, misguided though she may be, since she first laid eyes on you at ten. If you make her happy, I'll do everything in my power to make sure it works."

"Thanks," Harry said quietly.

"Now, the flip side of that is that if you hurt her, I'll make sure you feel great pain for extended periods of time before I mercifully finish you off."

Harry nodded.

"I'm a curse breaker, Harry. I know some really, really nasty stuff."

"I'm not going to hurt her, Bill. Not if I can help it. Not ever."

"Then you have nothing to worry about, do you, Potter?" Charlie's voice came from his other side. When Harry turned to look, it looked like he'd been standing there for a while.

"Ginny," Hermione's voice distracted him from Ginny's irate older brother. "Where's your gift from Harry?"

Ginny's dancing eyes met his, mischief glinting there. Harry's throat went dry.

She wouldn't...

"Oh, Harry gave me my present when I woke up this morning," she commented, her eyes never leaving Harry's, and an evil little grin playing about her mouth.

She would.

Standing helplessly between her two eldest, and most protective, brothers, Harry groaned aloud. Their relationship would certainly never be dull. Assuming he survived it.

After calming down Bill and Charlie, amazingly after being on the receiving end of only one death threat, Harry had watched as Ginny bundled up her gifts and left the room. He had a desperate need to be alone with her and, ill-advised as it may be in this house full of her protective siblings, he wanted to kiss her senseless.

He followed her out into the hallway just in time to see her disappear at the top of the stairs.

"Stupid... very stupid, Potter..." he muttered as he made his way to the bottom of the staircase.

But movement caught his eye. There was someone in the den.

Drawing out his wand, he moved to the doorway, sighing as he saw his aunt standing looking at his parent's portrait.

"Aunt Petunia?"

She glanced up at him, her eyes fearful until she realized who it was.

"Harry."

"What's wrong? What is it?"

"Nothing."

"You've been very quiet... even more so than normal."

"I'm... I'm a bit homesick, I suppose. I miss Dudley," she stopped, glancing at him then away. "I don't suppose you have any idea of what I mean. You never had any reason to miss your family."

"You think?" Harry smiled bitterly. "I missed them all the time."

Petunia looked up at him again, blinking curiously.

"This is my family, Aunt Petunia. The Weasleys, Hermione, Remus... all of them. Every minute I spent away from them, at your home, I missed them. Why do you think I left so quickly that morning?"

"To get away," she said simply.

"No. It wouldn't have been like that if I had had nowhere to get to. Look, I may not share your feelings for them, but I can understand you miss them. You now know how I felt every summer, knowing that I didn't belong... knowing that there was a place I did belong, but with no way to get there... and you and Uncle Vernon..."

Petunia didn't respond. Harry sighed.

"Well, you should be getting back to the party, Harry," she said softly. "Don't let me keep you from them... from her."

Harry nodded, his eyes not leaving hers. "Yes. Yes, you're right."

He looked longingly up the stairs as he passed, knowing on some level that Ginny was waiting for him to come to her. But there was something he needed to do first.

"Professor, can I speak to you for a moment?" Harry asked after approaching Dumbledore and Remus back in the lounge.

"Of course, Harry..."

"Could we... take a walk?"

Dumbledore's eyes sharpened on him, but, perhaps sensing Harry's odd mood, he simply nodded.

"Yes... of course."

Leading the old man through the garden doors and across the stone patio, Harry headed across the lawns towards the lake.

"Why did my cousin and uncle not come with her?"

"I don't know, Harry. I explained the situation to her, and left her to make her decision. When I returned an hour later, she met me by the front door, her bag already packed. I never saw your uncle, or young Dudley."

Harry walked for a few minutes, silent.

"She misses them," he said eventually.

"Just as you missed your true family every year, Harry. Do not believe that I do not understand that."

"If you understood, you would know that I wouldn't put my worst enemy through..." Harry paused. "Well, not my aunt, in any case."

"I thought you wanted her to understand what it meant to be alone?"

"I did, I do. But I think that..." Harry paused. "I think that she already does understand. Maybe I never saw that because she didn't want it seen... or maybe it was there all the time..."

Dumbledore was silent, but after a moment, stopped and turned to look at Harry.

"What are you asking of me, Harry?"

"Can you bring them here? To her?"

"I don't know."

"She needs to see Dudley, at least."

"He is her son, Harry. They are her family. She loves them."

"I know... maybe I just don't understand why."

"Why wouldn't she?"

Harry looked hard at Dumbledore for a moment before speaking. "You really have no concept of what life is like in that house, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"My aunt... look, I'm not defending her. She's definitely part of her own problems, but..."

"But?"

"I wouldn't put a dog to live in that house, Dumbledore."

Dumbledore looked concerned. "Harry?"

"Look... it's not a nice place to be. Not for me, but I wasn't the only one. My uncle..."

"Harry?" Dumbledore looked alarmed now.

"She'll never leave him, but I've had to set him straight on his treatment of her. And Dudley..."

"Dudley?"

"Follows his father's lead. Vernon Dursley is a cruel man, and when I'm not there to take it out on..."

"He is... abusive?"

"Verbally... emotionally... yes. I've never seen any evidence of him hurting her physically, but you can't have any idea..."

"Abusive?" Dumbledore said weakly, looking away.

"Look, she misses Dudley, and I think it's wrong to keep them separated. If you could get them here..."

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded. "I shall see what I can arrange."

"Thank you."

"And Harry, it takes great courage..."

"Spare me, Professor," Harry said sharply. "She's my mother's sister. I like to think that I'm only doing what my parents would expect me to do."

"Or what you would expect for yourself," Dumbledore said sadly.

Harry, ignoring this last, returned to the house.

Okay, I didn't mean I was going to leave the Remus/Petunia theme out... I couldn't if I tried... but it DOES mean I'm done with trying to be clever about it. You're all far too suspicious of me. Perhaps with good reason, as a few of you have been with me since The Power of Truth... I suppose I've created the monster that is now turning and biting me on my behind.

Anyhow, on with the show...

CQ

Medieval Woman: Oh, the birthday party was FUN to write...

Kazziedal: Define "big problem"? LOL...

Merlindamage: Who says I don't? LOL – actually, I don't... but I do think that the H/Hr shippers out there are destined to be terribly, terribly disappointed! But, as they say, "whatever floats your boat"... (wink)!

ThundersShadow: Would I do that? Never...

HarryPotterFan777777: Thanks! No one was more surprised than I when I got the news that Truth had been nominated for the Accio Fanfic awards... it's a real honor, let me tell you – out of all of the superb fan fiction out there, I'm bloody ecstatic that I've even managed to get on the list! I was originally planning on 13 chapters for this fic... it's done, and I'm thinking that we'll go by way of the sequel to continue the story. This story is, essentially, about Harry learning that all is not always as it seems – and his learning more about the Evans family, and specifically, about what makes Petunia tick... this is all this story was meant for, but I'm realizing that there is more to explore.

Starnat: Don't worry about Remus – Petunia's world is very small, and this is time out of time for her... whatever happened in the past (or didn't happen) will have to stay there... I don't see Remus as the type to poach!

Jouve25: Really? Wow – I'm happy you think so. When I'm writing, I generally get to the point where I think what I've written is absolute crap – then nice people like you say nice things, and suddenly, it's okay that it's on the 'net! LOL – thanks, reviews like this make me happy!

Beornthryth: You know, I don't know about the Potter/redheadedwomen thing... but it's been alluded to enough in canon that I think JKR has a surprise in store for us...

RyougaZell: Yes, JKR has stated that Ginny is the first female born to the Weasley's in "several" generations... it certainly has a bearing on her family's over-protectiveness, I'm sure... but I also think it has bearing on canon – JKR doesn't say ANYTHING for no reason!

Brittschrick: Glad to hear it!

Danny: Trust me, I like you smiling, too – happy reviewers are so much nicer than cranky ones! Hope this helps make today a little easier...

Libyanauthor: Wow! Thank you – I don't even know where to begin to respond to your review! It's appreciated, thanks! I have to say that the one thing that stood out was the "internet lingo" comment... I had to laugh, because several of my "online" friends are FULLY aware of how I feel about "netspeak" - it's horrid! I'll be sure to check out your efforts as soon as I get some time to actually read some fanfics... my muse has been particularly productive lately.

Omeganian: Well, it is only rated PG13...

Nimbirosa: AAAARRRRRGGGHHH! The dialog monster got me... you've managed to point directly at one of my major failings – I recognize it, and am working towards a cure!

Weselan: Aww! Thank you! I like being someone's treat!

Lady of Masbolle: Nope... no subliminal psychological manipulation being used here... at least not by me!

Finbar: Good!Draco? Umm... nope... not me. I think he's a git. Always has been, always will be. I believe that what people BELIEVE about Draco may not be entirely accurate – from either side... but at the core of it, I think that the Malferret is perfectly nasty little piece of work, and he deserves a proper hiding at least once every fic he appears in!

And to the rest, my thanks: Nightwing509, ImaQuidditchFan, Kordolin, MysticRuby, Pdlegirl, Bobboky, IndiaInk, Akemi, Gaull, IcePhoenixTears