Chapter 10 – Belated Birthday

Harry surprised himself the following morning as he actually woke up peacefully for the first time in weeks, the dark thoughts still clouded his mind as he came further into reality but at least he wasn't panicking. He decided to try and have a quick shower before getting ready for the day which meant another struggle to keep his balance on a wet floor. After successfully manoeuvring in the shower, he got changed into a hoodie and some shorts before sitting back on his bed ready for when the rest of the house woke up.

Soon movement could be heard from below so Harry decided to go downstairs before the rush for breakfast, so he could take his time making his way down. When he arrived in the kitchen, he saw paper banners lining the ceiling saying Happy Birthday Harry! They shouldn't have gone through so much trouble he thought as he sat down at the empty wooden table, glad that no one was down yet. You don't deserve any of this, we don't celebrate freaks in this house, muttered his Uncle's voice in his head.

"Morning Harry" came a soft and gentle voice from behind him, making him jump out of his thoughts. Harry turned around to see Ginny walk into the room sporting a small gift wrapped beautifully in white and blue wrapping paper. She sat down beside him and smiled at him "Happy Birthday" she said as she handed him his gift. Harry sat observing the package for a while, his head shouting at him, not for you, you aren't good enough, you've never been good enough for presents. He was soon interrupted by Ginny saying "Well open it then"

Harry nodded, his hands shaking from the anxiety bottled in his chest he carefully unwrapped the small package to reveal a leather-bound notebook and a quill.

"It's a unreadable notebook, only those with a particular wand can open it, you set the wands that allow the notebook to be read by writing the specific wand specifications on the back page of the notebook using the quill"

"Woah that's awesome, thank you Gin"

"You are welcome, I know its not much…" she started but Harry cut her off

"It's perfect" Harry paused and without thinking he muttered "I've never had a birthday present before" he glanced over at Ginny as his insides squirmed. Ginny's face fell into a sympathetic look before recovering quickly and placing her hand over his rubbing her thumb back and forth as if she could sense his anxiety. It was nice, he had never been treated like this with anyone else before, with compassion and respect, someone just being there who didn't question his every thought or movement like Ron or Hermione would.

The pair weren't alone for long as they were soon joined by Remus and Sirius who both sat opposite them. Sirius looked like he had just been dragged reluctantly out of bed by Remus as he yawned loudly stretching out purposefully knocking into Remus as he did so earning a laugh out of Harry and Ginny who both thought the pair acted like an old married couple.

"Happy Belated Birthday Harry" cheered the Marauders.

"Thanks" replied Harry

"Molly should be down in a moment to cook breakfast, do you know what you want, she wants to make what you want." Asked Sirius. Harrys stomach decided to give a twang of anxiety at this point as if daring Harry to eat.

Harry was about to respond when Mrs Weasley came bustling into the kitchen muttering something about someone liking their bed too much. Hermione followed carrying a dishevelled looking Crookshanks. All four of them around the table bit their tongue to stop themselves from laughing as they knew exactly who she was talking about.

"Happy Belated Birthday Harry" she exclaimed happily as she saw him sitting there at the table "what would you like to eat, I can do sausages, bacon, eggs, pancakes, mushrooms, anything you like. So, what will it be?"

Harrys stomach didn't like the sound of that and lurched slightly at the thought of eating anything as filling as that for breakfast let alone eating anything at all. Not wanting to raise concerns from the adults in the room Harry clenched his free fist and replied "Pancakes sound good Mrs Weasley if that's not too much trouble"

"No trouble at all dear!" Mrs Weasley smiled broadly as she started flicking her wand making eggs, flour and milk pour into a large jug before being whisked. It wasn't long until the smell of pancakes filled the house arousing the remainder of the Weasley clan down to the kitchen. Fred and George apparated down behind Harry making him jump once again, his head snapping around and his shoulders jumping up, Ginny who was still holding his hand gripped his hand tightly in an effort to ground him slightly. Harry laughed the incident off with everyone at the table but inside his heart was pounding and he had to fore himself to take a couple of deep breaths.

Ron was last down as usual and plonked himself down holding his knife and fork aloof ready for breakfast to appear in front of him. Hermione rolled her eyes as Harry and Ginny tried to suppress a laugh once again. Mrs Weasley soon placed a plate of pancakes in the centre of the table and with the flick of her wand dealt them out equally to everyone at the table. Harry gulped as four pancakes made their way onto his plate, he could barely manage one let alone all four. He took a deep breath and started eating without complaint, he managed to get halfway through before he couldn't stomach anymore, feeling like one more bite would provide a large mess for everyone to clean up.

Excusing himself to the bathroom Harry went as fast as his good leg and arms would carry him to the nearest bathroom which was next to the living room. Hoping no one had followed him, he relieved himself of the nausea that ad settled prominently in his stomach. Forcing himself to throw up as much as he could in little time made his throat burn with acid, but at least he felt a little better. He then made his way back to the kitchen to find everyone was still sitting and eating discussing the plans for that day.

It had been agreed that everyone would help out in the drawing room in the morning before having a small party for Harrys birthday in the afternoon. Harry in the meantime would go up to the library and work on his homework. Mrs Weasley cleaned up the dishes as everyone broke off to go to their respective places. Harry made his way to is room to pick up his potions textbook and some parchment before making his way to the library.

The library provided some much-needed peace and quiet for his loud head for a while, with no one to distract him he could focus on trying to calm his mind down. He took a couple of deep breaths, letting his lungs fill up completely before letting air out of them. Once he could think straight, he opened up his potions textbook to chapter 5 and started to read.

About an hour later Harry had managed to produce a foot of his essay and had read here chapters in his potions book, which he actually found quite interesting now he could concentrate on it. It was a lot like cooking, the fine art of balancing the ingredients with the temperature of the cauldron. He quicky realised that the potion he was supposed to be writing on (A calming draught) could easily go wrong, though the ingredients said you needed were standard the actual weight and number of lavender and peppermint needed for the potion highly depended on the weight of the crocodile heart. Soon Harry had completed his essay and proofread it to make sure it all made sense, he then looked around the room to see what else he could do since he didn't bring any other homework up with him. He didn't want to disturb any of the books as some looked unsafe and dark.

Turning around to go back to his seat he noticed the grand piano, thinking back at what Sirius had said about the room no one would know he was there or was playing, he made his way over to it and sat down on the red silk topped piano stool, placing his crutches down onto the floor to the side of him before carefully lifting the lid up to reveal the ivory keys.

Admiring the beauty of the wooden piano for a second he slowly moved his left down on one side and his right on the other. Then without thinking he closed his eyes and started to play, it came naturally and without thinking, there was no sense to the tune, but it sounded beautiful but sad. Harrys mind drifted back to when he first met the ivory keys back in primary school, he was eight years old and they were doing a music lesson, his teacher pushed the cart with all the instruments on it to the centre of the class and everyone grabbed one leaving Harry without anything. The kind teacher didn't like seeing him left out, so she allowed him to play on the piano. Over the term in school, she allowed Harry to stay in at break times and taught him how to play the basics and even some complex chords. They were just getting onto more complex chords when his Uncle came up the school and complained that Harry was having an unfair advantage and threatened to sue the school, after that his lessons finished but he learnt all that he needed.

Music filled Harrys ears as his hands swept gently yet precisely onto the keys in front of him, he didn't know how long he played for or what he was playing but this was the kind of relief he had been needing for weeks, this was the best he had felt sine Cedric's death. Thinking of that his chest tightened and he swiftly finished off his piece.

"That was beautiful" came a gentle voice from behind him, he almost jumped straight off the stool as his head snapped back to look at who had heard him play. Panic arose in his chest without being able to stop it happening, trying to force himself to take a deep breath he opened his eyes to see a long-haired ginger girl approaching him slowly. Recognising that it wasn't one of his relatives the panic eased lightly but his chest still grew tight, he was hyperventilating.

"Hey, it's okay, Harry it's okay" reminded the voice gently coming closer towards him. Ginny sat down next to Harry and took is hand like she did earlier. "Breathe with me, in and out" Ginny guided gently her other hand rubbing Harry's back soothingly. Slowly Harry managed to calm down and get his breathing under control. Still breathing heavily but more in control now he leant into the girl who was still guiding him, she welcomed him with open arms

"Sorry Gin, I didn't mean to"

"Shush you, its okay. Sometimes we can't help when we panic, it just happens, there's nothing to be ashamed of." Replied Ginny holding him closer now in a hug, he felt safe there in her arms, like nothing he had ever felt before.

"How do you know what it was?" asked Harry

"I have had them, you know after what happened with Tom down in the chamber, just so you know I am here if you wanted to talk about anything at all.

"Thanks Gin, uh sorry for... uh" he gestured to them hugging

"It's actually comfortable"

"Yeah, it is" He replied looking up into her chocolate brown eyes she really was beautiful. Snap out of it he thought, you cannot kiss your best mates' sister! "Did you come up to tell me something?"

"Oh yeah, we are ready downstairs for you, I almost forgot, I could have stayed like that for ages"

"Me too" Harry agreed before attempting to reach down. Ginny jumped up at that moment and picked up his crutches before handing them to him so he could stand up. Harry slowly closed the piano before accepting her help. Ginny then picked up his finished homework and ran them up to his room while he carefully made his way back down to the living room. Ginny had caught up with him by the time he had reached the last few steps, so they walked down the corridor together to the living room.

The pair entered the living room to find everyone sporting party hats and blowing pat blowers making such a racket. Sirius seemed to be in his element blowing three at the same time and grinning broadly as he did so. "PRESENTS!" he yelled as Harry sat down in a spare seat, Ginny sat next to him so she could put his crutches one side, making sure he put his braced leg up on her lap as she put a cushion there. Whilst Sirius jumped around placing a package on Harry lap to open.

One by one he opened the present, each time thanking more and more, he appreciated everything he received. He had some Honeydukes best chocolate from Ron and Hermione, a defence against the dark arts book from Remus, Sirius gave him a book called "Useful Wizardry for an Auror in Training – Potions, Spells and Disguises" and from Mrs Weasley a ginormous Birthday cake. Harry couldn't stop muttering his thanks to everyone.

Once the presents had been opened Sirius turned up the wizarding wireless and brought out the exploding snap cards. They all broke off into teams, the twins together, Ron and Hermione, Sirius and Remus and finally Harry with Ginny. The game was intense, cards being fired and placed on the table faster than a golden snitch everyone got so into it all leaning over the table when boom the cards explode leaving Sirius with only half a moustache left

"Aww my pretty Moustache!" he cried. Everyone laughed as he tried to fix it with magic only making it ten times worse.

"It'll grow back!" Laughed Remus crouched over in pain from laughing too much.

After the moustache incident the exploding snap cards were put to one side and a new game established, everyone laughed so hard that afternoon they didn't stop for breath except for when Mrs Weasley came in with soe freshly baked pasties and sausage rolls for everyone to share, once everyone had finished it was time for cake.

They sang Happy Birthday to Harry who turned as red as Ginny's hair in the process, especially when he missed one candle out of fifteen when he tried to blow them out. Ginny once again took his hand and made sure he was ok, he appreciated that.

After tea and cake everyone settled down around the TV and put on a movie to watch, Mrs Weasley was very reluctant to let them watch a horror movie, but when Remus reminded her that the images on the TV were all actors she calmed down a bit. Ginny settled down with her head on Harrys chest, her lap still supporting his braced leg, the weight of her laying on his chest easing the overwhelming anxiety and nausea he had been having from the food not long earlier. This felt right, Harry thought as the film started.

Though everyone knew it wasn't real it didn't help that Sirius let off sparks with his wand and evil laughed at the tensest parts of the film. Mrs Weasley was so scared one time she screamed at him to stop it or she would make Remus transform him into Padfoot for the remainder of the night. After that earned a laugh from everyone the tension eased in the room for the remainder of the film.

"Ingenious things these muggles make" muttered Mr Weasley as he turned on the light after the film ad finished. There was a yell from across the room and everyone's head snapped towards the person who yelled.

"Hey! Get off my sister!" Yelled Ron to Harry "Just because your leg is fucked doesn't mean you need to use her like that!"

"Language Ronald!" spat Mrs Weasley

"It's not what you think!" Harry tried to respond but he wasn't heard.

"You don't go around touching my bloody sister like that, you have no right!" Ron continued

Harrys head dove and suddenly he wasn't in Grimmauld place anymore, he was back in the Dursleys. You don't touch her like that ever boy!" yelled his Uncle towering over him at full height. He had only brushed past his Aunt and she dramatically fell to the floor "You'll pay for this!" as a large hand grabbed his neck and pinned him against the wall. Now unable to breathe a fist connected with the side of his head.

Someone tried to grab his hand, he flinched back and jumped up hopping over to where his crutches were before getting out of the room as quickly and as calmly as he could telling everyone he was going to bed and was sorry to cause such a problem.

"Harry!" yelled Ginny from behind him, but it was too late, he couldn't hide his panic anymore he needed to get out. He raced up the stairs as quickly as he would allow and up to his room as fast as he could, grabbing his blade from his trunk and rolling up his sleeve cutting deep not the flesh time after time. Once he could breathe again, he heard shouting from down below.

"Yeah, you run! You aren't good enough for her!"

"Ron, I laid on him not the other way around, and besides what would be such a big deal if we did like each other like that? Say what's the problem?"

"uh"

"He's your best mate, if he not good enough for you why are you friends?"

"But you can't just go laying on my best mate"

"He was fine with it! You cannot control everyone Ron!"

"That's enough Ron. Bed! The lot of you! This was supposed to be Harrys day and you have made it all about you Ron!" Yelled Mrs Weasley

"I'm going to check on Harry!" exclaimed Ginny

"Ginny, leave it, Harry needs some time to calm down you two can talk in the morning, He did the right thing to leave before his temper exploded, The Potter temper is infamous, we wouldn't want him to lose control and hurt himself further" explained Sirius. "Harry will be okay, if he needs anything, he knows he can come to one of us. Now like Molly said, bed everyone."

Everyone made their way up the stairs and into their respective rooms, Harry was gad that no one came knocking at his door as he was now sitting in a pool of blood. Putting his head in his hand's tears rolled down his cheeks, why is it that every time he thinks something is going well it slaps back in his face?