Hi all! i appreciate all the recent reviews and follows, it continues to encourage me to keep writing! We are getting into Harry's birthday celebrations, please let me know what you think!
It was now nearly 11:30 on the eve of Harry's birthday, and the three of them sat on the porch, drinking their butterbeers and looking out on the water illuminated by the Christmas lights hanging from the porch (Tonks likes to celebrate Christmas in July, because of course she does). A few days prior, she had turned her hair festive shades of red and green, and transfigured the side table into a small Christmas tree, much to Teddy's delight. Now the clear porch lights glistened off the water, and Harry took a deep breath of sea air. Most nights they were already inside at this time of night, especially when Tonks had to work, but Harry knew they were staying awake to wish him a Happy Birthday. Part of him wanted to tell them there was no need, that he spent many of his birthdays alone in his youth, but he figured Remus still makes enough occasionally self-deprecating comments for the both of them. Anyway, part of Harry actually felt selfish for the first time in his life that he really wanted to share his birthday with the two people who have become like parents for him.
The two of Harry's most memorable birthdays were when Hagrid delivered his Hogwarts letter (and a nearly inedible but incredibly thoughtful cake), and the one he had spent with the Weasley family before their search for the Horcruxes. He chuckled to himself when he then thought of the one that Ron, Fred, and George broke him out of his room (more like prison) in Little Winging, and the reprimand they got from Mrs. Weasley when they returned. Harry did get to learn how to de-gnome a garden because of it though.
Remus had looked up when he heard Harry laugh, and could tell he was deep in thought. "Harry," he said, quietly, "May I ask what you are laughing at? You know Dora and I love a good story". Harry looked up, not consciously realizing he had laughed aloud, and before he could respond, Tonks added, "Yeah birthday boy, why don't you share with the class". This time Harry consciously laughed, and proceeded to tell them about Fred and George tying the flying car to the bars on his window, the same flying car that he and Ron crashed into the Whomping Willow prior to his second year. Remus and Tonks were laughing so hard that they were nearly in tears, and he couldn't believe he'd never shared some of these stories with them. Their lives were shrouded with so much darkness the past few years, that many of these moments were pushed back in his mind. It was hard to believe that he hadn't even known Remus and Tonks at that point in his life, when they are family to him now. They had known of the incident with Dobby and the smashing cake, but only because of the Ministry impact it had made.
"Harry, I must say you truly would've given your father a run for his galleons with some of these stories. No wonder your relationship with Severus over the years wasn't much better than his" Remus said, still laughing as he thought about how furious Molly must've been with the boys. "Snape was nothing compared to Mrs Weasley though", Harry laughed, "Ron got a Howler the next day, and he sunk so low into his chair that I thought he was going to accidentally disapparate". All three of them were in tears at this point, aggressively rocking in their chairs as their bodies convulsed with laughter.
"Will you tell us more, Harry?" Asked Tonks, and he graced them with some more stories about the Weasley's interactions with the Dursley's. How Mr. Weasley burst in through the fireplace and demolished their living room, how Ron calling him on the "felly tone" got him locked in his room for weeks, how Fred and George "accidentally" dropped some Tongue Tongue Toffees that landed Dudley in Saint Mungos. The tears were still streaming, and all Tonks could say was, "Oh poor Molly!" and snorted with laughter.
When they finally settled down, Harry realized it was only two minutes until midnight, as he watched Tonks summon a tray of cupcakes he hadn't even noticed from the kitchen. When the tray got closer, he saw that each cupcake had a small item made of sugar on the top, seemingly indicating a different part of Harry's life since he entered the Wizarding World. As the cupcakes landed on the table, he saw the first one had a small Hogwarts acceptance letter. The next sat a broom and a small golden snitch. The third sat a small brown book, one Harry knew to be an imitation of Tom Riddle's Diary. He knew it was included not because of the beginning of Voldemort's eventual downfall, but rather because it was the day Harry saved Ginny's life, and a much happier beginning… the beginning of their friendship. Of course Tonks would know this, as Harry would never admit it aloud but he knew that Ginny was Tonks' favorite Weasley. The next one made him smile, it was a small version of the animals represented by Padfoot, Prongs, and Moony. Harry couldn't help but look up at Remus and send him a soft smile. The next two cupcakes had moving magical photos rather than items. The first one was a photo of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, taken at the docks after Harry completed the second challenge, where he attempted to save all the hostages. Harry rolled his eyes a bit, thinking of Ron teasing him about his 'moral fiber' and how silly he had been to think Dumbledore would put students in danger.
The next one was a photo of the Second Order of the Phoenix, with Remus, Tonks, Sirius, and the rest of the Order members smiling up at him. The next cupcake had a chocolate frog card of Dumbledore, who had been so instrumental to his defeat of Voldemort. Harry fought back a small tear that tried to escape. The next cupcake he was surprised about, as they had chosen to represent a sugar recreation of his mother and snape's patronuses, a blueish silver doe. Though he supposed it wasn't that strange at all, since Snape had spent the better part of the last seven years of his life looking out for Harry, and had ultimately relayed him the information that led to his defeat of Voldemort. The final cupcake was another magical photo, this one was of Harry, Tonks, Remus, and Teddy out on the porch one day. He recognized it as one Molly took, as Remus had his arm around Harry and Tonks, looking ever the proud husband and father. Tonks was holding Teddy, bouncing him on her hip as he smiled and pointed at Harry and morphed his hair to a dark black. It was one of the first times that Teddy had morphed on purpose, and finally Harry couldn't hold back the few runaway tears that escaped through his eyelids. He looked up to Remus and Tonks, and Tonks also had tears running down her cheeks, while Remus's eyes were glistening with unshed tears. He couldn't believe the trouble they went through to recreate these special moments of his life, and how they managed to include every person who ever loved him, including his parents. "Happy birthday, Harry" Remus said, and Harry, typically not one for displays of affection, immediately left his seat to walk around the table and throw himself into both their arms. They held him tightly and he let his remaining tears fall, whispering, "I love you both. This is already the best birthday I've ever had".