Title: Harry Potter and the Veneficus Quies (9/16)
Author: Atlantis Potter
E-mail: atlantispotter@yahoo.com
Category: Romance, Mystery
Keywords: Year 5, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Petunia
Rating: R
Spoilers: All Four Books.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: Please R/R! If you like it, let me know. If you hate it, let me know!

Chapter Four: Terre de la Douleur


It was 11:59 pm on July 30th. Harry stared at his Muggle alarm clock. In just under a minute he would be fifteen years old. Harry was beginning to get excited about the prospect of turning fifteen. Hermione was there and his aunt would be there in a way. He hoped that this birthday would be better than the years past.

At the strike of twelve, Harry's bedroom door flung open at the exact moment that his aunt's voice heralded birthday wishes inside his head.

"Happy Birthday Harry!" cried Hermione, across the room in a flash. She hopped onto the bed and stood at his feet. "Harry! Harry! Are you awake? It's your birthday Harry!"

Harry searched for a response to this new experience. Hermione was standing on his bed in purple pajamas covered in yellow duckies and her hair in twin plaits. She was clutching two birthday presents in her arms and looked positively…adorable. Feeling very unlike fifteen, Harry jumped to join her. She dropped the gifts she was holding and gave him a big birthday hug.

"I just wanted to say 'Happy Birthday' and give you the first presents of your birthday."

"What did you get me?"

"You're just going to have to open them!"

Harry sunk to the bed and grabbed the package that was closest to him. It was a cardboard box with holes cut in the side. Harry gave it a light shake and was very surprised to hear a muted "Hey!" He stared at it in shock.

"Go on! Open it!" Hermione squealed, grinning from ear to ear.

Harry gingerly did so. As soon as he had untied the ribbon, the top of the box skyrocketed off and landed three feet to the left of Harry's bed. In the blink of an eye, a small chocolate coloured teddy bear hopped from the box. Harry stared incredulously at the tiny cub dressed in what looked like a Muggle policeman's outfit. The bear turned to look at Harry.

"You there! How goes it?" shouted the animal, pointing at Harry, who looked to Hermione for guidance.

"Isn't he a riot? I found him at a store in Diagon Alley. He says a few different things; he's enchanted, but only to a certain degree. Apparently, he just walks around extraordinarily suspicious of everything."

"Then why on earth did you get him for me?"

"Oh, I saw him in the store and thought of you. I thought he might be perfect for torturing Dudley, but I guess now he'll just be entertainment."

"What's his name?"

"Sir, you may address me only as Chief Pip!"

"Err… hello, Chief Pip."

"Who are you?"

"Harry Potter."

At this, the bear put his hand to his chin as if scratching his beard. "Harry Potter? Do you trust him, Miss?" he asked Hermione.

"Oh, implicitly, sir, I assure you."

Chief Pip gave her a curt nod and reached out a miniature paw to Harry. Bewildered, Harry shook it. "I'm off to patrol the grounds!" shouted the bear as he gave them a quick salute and dashed from the room.

Hermione watched with glee as Pip ran from the room. She turned to Harry, who gave her a very grim face. As her face fell, "You don't like him do you?"

"Hermione, that is absolutely, most definitely, the funniest thing I've ever seen."

Hermione brightened and resumed her cheerful grin, "I'm glad you like him. Oh! Open the last one!"

As per her request, Harry began to untie the ribbon from the brightly coloured package. He opened the box, somewhat leery of anything jumping out at him. Instead he found a mish-mash of odd items.

"A dog collar? Lead? Dog bowls? Are these for the Chief?"

"No, silly. Those are for the present you'll get in the morning."

"Would it by any chance be a dog?"

"I'm not going to tell you. I'm off to bed though. Happy Birthday."

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and a hug before heading towards the door.

"Hermione!"

She turned towards him expectantly. Three times during the past week, she had come to his room in the middle of the night, terrorized by horrible dreams of Voldemort.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Hermione, have you gone to bed tonight?"

"Not exactly. I laid in my bed reading. Does that count?"

"Are you afraid of the nightmares?"

Her brave façade fell. Her face crumpled as she walked to his bed.

"Oh, Harry! They're just so awful. In each dream, someone close to me dies. Ron, my parents, your Aunt, Arabella, even Draco Malfoy. They seem so real. I'm just so scared," she whispered as she sunk to Harry's bed, her eyes wide.

"Hermione, it'll all be okay. I promise you, I'll do everything I can to protect you."

"But Harry, Voldemort is such a powerful wizard. He could kill you with a thought!"

"Do you honestly believe that?"

"I just don't know Harry. I just don't know."

"It'll be ok. Don't worry. Nothing is happening to us now."

"But don't you see? Things are happening Harry. The Fidelius Charm, The new school program, Dumbledore's operatives... Harry, they're preparing for a war."

"Yes, they are. But we can't worry about it now."

"I can't help it."

Harry shushed her. He enveloped her in a tight hug and she sighed against his chest. As the minutes ticked away, her breathing deepened and slowed. The heaving sobs subsided and she settled into a restful slumber. He watched her for a few minutes. Suddenly, he felt his mind opening.

Harry?

Yes?

Is everything all right?

Yes, of course, why?

I heard Hermione crying, is she all right?

Yes, she's here with me.

Harry, may I ask you a question?

Sure.

Is there something going on with Hermione?

No, Aunt Ami. She's just been having really bad nightmares lately. She ends up staying in here most nights.

I didn't mean the nightmares.

Oh, no!
Her meaning clicked in his mind. Hermione is my best friend. I'm just trying to help her out.

All right, I trust you. Just be careful Harry.

I know. Thanks for worrying about me.

I always have, I always have. Well, I'm going back to bed. Good night.

Good night.

Happy Birthday Harry.

Thanks.

Harry shut his eyes and leaned against the pillows. Hermione was curled against him, as was her usual habit. She better not get too used to this, school starts in a month.
***


Harry sat straight up, blinking furiously. He shook his head as he looked around him. Everywhere around him was a dark gray mist. He waved his hand in front of himself and cleared a small pocket of the mist away. He realized that he was sitting on something very hard and looked down. Underneath was a cement bench. He was in a cell of some sort; that much he could surmise. He rose and peered at the bench. There was nothing unusual about it. Looking beyond the bench, he noticed what must have been a wall to the cell. It looked like a rose-colored glass, but Harry noted that he could not see that much on the other side. He felt along the wall, looking for some sort of door or window.

***


After doing a thorough search of the four walls in the room, Harry could come only to two conclusions. The first was that he was in a pyramid shaped room and the second was the there was absolutely no way to get out of it.

Completely perplexed, but having not yet reached the point of terrified, Harry sat back on the bench to figure out the situation. He sat there for only a few moments before hearing a voice.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Harry Potter. I've been waiting for a long time to see you."

"Who are you?"

"For now, you may call me Tristram."

"If I may say, that is a very odd name."

"Perhaps. But at least it's not as horribly common as Harry."

"Yes, well, where am I?"

"In a cell."

"Well, that much was apparent. Where is the cell then?"

"Ah, that is a question for another day."

"Okay, how do I get out of this cell?"

"Well, I do not recommend that you leave the cell, but if you do insist, you know the way."

"I beg your pardon, but I don't know the way out of this cell."

"I assure you, you do. When there's a will, there's a way," said the voice in a very singsong manner that deeply agitated Harry.

"I have searched this cell and there's no door or window. Unless I am able to walk through this wall, there is not a way out of here."

"Ah, Harry Potter, you are much smarter than you think."

"What does that mean?"

There was no answer. Harry quickly became very angry as he waited for the effeminate voice to return. Slumping down in the middle of the floor, Harry became entrenched in his thoughts.

Tristram had said that if he willed it, there was a way out of the cell. Harry began thinking. Perhaps the way out was through the wall. Harry walked up to the closest wall, directly across from the cement bench. Placing his hands on the wall, he gave a light push, seeing if he could just walk through the barrier.

The wall did not give and Harry felt only the firm pressure of his hands against the wall. Harry stared at frosted pink glass.

"Oh, Harry? Are you still locked in your little pink cell?"

"Do you mind? I'm trying to get out of here."

"Oh, no, I don't mind at all. One would think that with such strong magical powers, you'd be out of that cell in a heartbeat."

"Tristram?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Shut it."

"Very well, if you insist."

Harry felt very alone again. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had no idea where he was or how to get out of it. The headache beginning to build in his mind did nothing in the way of assistance. He began to think of what Hermione had said when they had been discussing magical theory. She had told him that a wand was not about the spell or the wand, but rather the will. This is why they had been able to practice the wandless magic without casting any signatures. Harry's head snapped up as he thought of this.

Gathering his strength, Harry closed his eyes, focusing on the wall in front of him with his mind's eye. He focused on the very intricate details of the wall, the way the grains of whatever material it was made of were laid. He focused on the grains separating, breaking apart. He pulled back farther and pictured a hole forming in the wall, a very tiny hole. He let the hole grow until it was large enough to put his hand through. He then expanded it, pushing the wall to its limit. Within seconds, the wall in Harry's mind snapped, crumbling apart and falling at Harry's feet.

Slowly, Harry moved his hand towards the wall, still picturing the crumbling in his mind. He gradually opened his mind and nearly lost his concentration due to his surprise. He saw the wall bending to his will. Reshaping itself. The hole formed and grew, stretching to its limits. Finally, the wall gave way and the pieces landed in a tumultuous heap at Harry's feet.

"Are you proud of yourself Harry?"

"No. I still don't know where I am."

"And you won't know either."

"Could you at least tell me what I'm doing here?"

"I really couldn't tell you. My lord will not allow it."

"Ah, and who would that be?"

"Do you take me for a fool, you little brat?"

With the burst of anger from the disembodied voice, Harry felt the searing pain in his scar. He gasped and grabbed his forehead.

"Do not cross me, my boy."

The final warning echoed in the desolate chamber and Harry again had the dreaded feeling of being completely alone. For the first time since he had willed himself out of the cell, Harry took a look at his surroundings. He was outside now, that much he could gather. The world was very weird to him. The sky was a deep purple, fading to black as sky met earth. The earth beneath him was blacker than the darkest night Harry had ever seen. The scatterings of trees he noticed had no leaves, but were only branches. The feeling of death pervading Harry's body chilled him to the bone. The land he was in was without feeling, without life.

The flash nearly blinded Harry. He shielded his face against the burst of light. Instinctively, Harry reached for his wand and nearly cried out with relief that it was still tucked inside his robes.

"Your wand is useless here."

Harry moved his arms to his side, staring at the figure before him. He'd recognized the voice instantly. Blinding terror swelled up inside him, but an even more powerful emotion surged through Harry. Boiling rage consumed him as he looked into the evil, snake-like eyes of his parents' murderer, of Cedric's murderer. The ugly face that made his toes curl grinned maliciously at him.

"Hello, Harry."

"What am I doing here?"

"Harry. Harry. Harry. That's no way to greet an elder," shaking his head, Voldemort's smile faded, "didn't your parents teach you any manners?"

A white rage burned through Harry. He resisted the urge to lunge at Voldemort and instead turned a stony face to the creature before him.

Voldemort's head cocked slightly to the side as he eyed Harry. "You are very strong; determined and powerful. You have a very sharp mind, though that blinding rage causes you to lose your wit. Rather unattractive really. You remind me so much of, well, me when I was your age."

"We are nothing alike."

"But don't you see, Harry, how similar we are?"

Harry just stared straight ahead, focusing his eyes on a spot behind the dark wizard.

Voldemort frowned. "Will you not answer me?" Silence. "We aren't here to play games, Harry. Answer me." Again, silence. Voldemort's eyes narrowed and there was a swift flick of his wand.

Harry screamed as the familiar pain streaked through his body. The Cruciatus curse had become no less painful since he had endured it last. Harry doubled over in pain, his head lolling to the side. Gasping as he collected himself, he rolled his eyes up to look at Voldemort, the pain from the curse ebbing only slightly.

"Why don't you just kill me?" he managed, his body still quaking with pain.

"I cannot kill you, not yet. You're much more useful than I thought."

"I doubt that. I could never be of any use to you."

"Ah, but you are so very powerful. We could be great together. We could have the entire world grovelling at our feet."

"I don't believe you. You want me by your side because you believe that I'd be too dangerous against you," Harry said quietly, an unknown bravery beginning to creep into his chest.

"I don't fear you, if that's what you're implying."

Harry, growing braver or perhaps just foolish, stood himself straight up. He had gained a few inches since his last meeting with the Dark Lord and was nearly eye-to-eye with the man-no, snake standing before him.

"But you do, I can sense it," Harry challenged.

"These past years have not been wasted dabbling in trivial matters. I have spent the years of my plight to find out more about you. I know about your powers and the special gifts you have, things that you don't even know about. You would be a great weapon in my arsenal. If you join me, I can teach you how to use your powers. Without me, you will be nothing."

"With you, I will be nothing."

Using the frustration and annoyance portrayed on Voldemort's face to his advantage, Harry summoned all of the strength he was able to, playing a scene in his mind's eye over and over again. With another burst of light, this time from Harry's outstretched hand, the Dark wizard flew backwards into the side of the cell that Harry had previously occupied. Hearing a sickening crack, he began running, running away from the cell and the field it was in. He ran and ran, until the stabbing in his side became no more than a ghost of a feeling. He did not know where he was going or where he was, but he knew it was foolish to continue running. Stopping, he collapsed on the warped ground. He was mentally and physically exhausted. To his left, he noticed a small sign. The wooden post it was nailed to looked rotted and the sign did not seem to be in any better of a condition. He crawled to it, hoping for some sort of clue. However, the sign only puzzled Harry more deeply. The words were a complete jumble. He squinted his eyes and still nothing. Suddenly, his world shook.

The sign crumbled and his vision wavered.

***


"Harry! Harry! Wake up!"

Harry opened his eyes. He was back in his room on Privet Drive, with the moon shining down from his ceiling. Hermione was sitting next to him, shaking him wildly. He noticed the look of horror on her face and grasped her hand.

"Harry, are you ok?"

"Hermione…" Harry trailed off and hugged her. She did not respond for a moment before returning the hug.

"What happened?"

Harry pulled himself into a sitting position. She looked at him anxiously. He explained his entire dream to her. Her looks ranged from sadness to anger to righteous indignation. She gasped at all the right places and held his hand the entire time. When he had finished, she looked at him in shocked silence.

"Harry, we should write to Dumbledore immediately. In the morning, we'll go into the library and see if there's anything in there about dreams."

He laughed and kissed her on the forehead.

"That's my Mione alright, when in doubt, hit the books."

"Harry Potter, I believe that my research has saved your arse on more than one occasion," she scolded him, but her anger lost its affect with the smile plastered across her face.

He smiled thankfully at her, very glad that she woke him up from his nightmare. She smiled back at him and walked to his desk. Taking out a parchment and quill, Hermione scripted a quick letter to Dumbledore with a description of Harry's nightmare. She walked to Hedwig and tied the letter to her leg.

"There, all taken care of. I'm sure that Dumbledore will know what to do. It'll be alright Harry, don't worry."

Grasping her hand, "Hermione, I'm so glad you're here. I'm not sure what I would do without you."

"Harry, I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

Harry sighed inwardly. Ginny had said the same thing to him a few weeks before. He smiled to himself at the thought of Ginny. He was gradually going used to the idea of wanting to be with her and wanting to hold her and at the moment, he wanted to be with her now more than he ever had. His thoughts had wandered farther onto the topic of Ginny when he heard Hermione sigh.

"Hermione? Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, I just miss Ron."

"Oh," Harry's heart constricted when she said this. He was so confused. Harry genuinely liked Ginny. She was such a good friend to him, even when they hardly knew each other. There was something about her that made him trust her immediately, something in her smile and the way she looked at him. She was different than Hermione. She was wonderful and interesting and he wanted to know her better, but Hermione was a completely different story. She was a part of him. Often times, he felt like only Hermione truly understood him. However, Hermione had Ron. She'd been practically in love with Ron for what felt like years. Harry was actually thrilled that they were finally getting together after all the struggle of last year. However, he was more than a little worried that things would change between the three friends, maybe even for the worst.

***


The next morning Harry awoke to a flutter of wings. There were no less five owls in his room, perched on the desk, bookcase, window seat and night table, awaiting Harry. He sat up and Pig immediately flew to him, bearing two cards and a small package. What Harry recognized as Percy's owl, Hermes, flew over bearing another, larger package, and a cake box. An unfamiliar brown owl dropped a brown package tied with a grubby string. An eagle owl dropped a parchment envelope that bounced off of Hermione's head, waking her as two more owls dropped additional parcels or letters on top of the others.

In an instant they were gone.

"Harry, does this happen every birthday?"

"Usually, although sometimes they do come in the middle of the night."

Harry picked up the parcel dropped by Pig. There was a card from Ginny and Ron and a small package from Ron. Harry picked up the package and ripped open the packaging. It was a book entitled He Flew Like a Madman, about a famous Quidditch player. Ron also bought Harry a wizard's chess set with an enclosed note ("You've time to practice before you come to the Burrow. You should play much better by then."). Ginny had sent Harry a wizard's camera and Mrs. Weasley had enclosed a small package of fudge. The grubby package was from Hagrid, which contained a small Wizard Wireless receiver. Sirius had sent Harry a package of silver Gobstones and a book on duelling.

When Harry came to the last two packages, he was surprised to see that one was a copy of the Daily Prophet. The second was a letter from Hogwarts.

"Harry, don't open your letter yet. Wait until I get mine."

"When do you usually get yours?"

"On July 31st, but it may be delayed this year."

Harry tossed the parcel from Hogwarts and the copy of the Daily Prophet onto his desk and let Hermione lead him downstairs. When they reached the kitchen, Harry was surprised to find it completely empty. Arabella was nowhere to be found. There was no evidence that any breakfast had been made and Harry couldn't even feel the presence of his aunt. He turned to Hermione, expecting to see her worried and instead found her grinning cheekily at him. As if on cue, Harry heard a small bark and turned to the entrance of the kitchen.

Arabella was standing there holding a little jack Russell terrier. The puppy was wiggling about in her arms as Arabella stood there smiling at him. She set the dog down, who dashed to Harry, jumping all over his legs and wagging her tail furiously. Harry bent down to pick her up and she joyfully licked his face.

"What kind of dog is she?"

"Well, she's not completely a dog. She's half crup."

Harry vaguely recognized the name, but still looked at Hermione for a further explanation.

"A crup is just like a jack Russell terrier, except for two key differences. The first is the tail and the second is the fact that they hate muggles."

"Isn't that kind of a dangerous pet to have in a muggle neighbourhood?"

"Not necessarily. She's still a puppy and a half-breed at that, so she's still very gentle and by the time she would start to get, um, moody, we'll be back at Hogwarts."

Harry looked down at the giddy puppy. She had jumped out of his arms during the brief exchange with Hermione and was now battling ferociously with a piece of paper found under the kitchen table. He noticed her forked tail, which Hermione had mentioned. Still curious about the small animal, Harry bent down to get a closer look. She noticed him immediately and leapt at him with all her strength. Harry fell to the ground in a fit of giggles as the dog jumped on him, covering his face with kisses.

"What shall we name her?" Harry managed.

"I have no idea."

Harry stood up then and brushed himself off, looking at Arabella.

"I had a niece named Daryl. It means beloved," she said.

"Hmm... Daryl. I like it. What do you think of it?" Harry asked the puppy.

Harry, Hermione and Arabella decided that the tiny bark and high jump was enough indication. Arabella picked up the small purple collar that Hermione had brought down from Harry's stacks of gifts. With a quick flick of her wand, the name was scripted on to the small gold tag dangling merrily from the collar. Harry fastened the collar onto to Daryl, who emitted another happy bark.

***


Just as Hermione's letter from Hogwarts arrived, the front doorbell rang. Harry, Hermione and Arabella jumped and all looked at each other. They had been sitting in the living room playing with the new puppy when a large owl had swooped in. Just as it landed, the doorbell rang, breaking the silence of the household and they all became dead quiet, even Daryl. Arabella motioned to Harry to return to his seat and went to the hallway to answer the door.

"Hello Arabella!"

"Hi!"

"So where's the party?"

"Where's Harry?"

At the same time, Harry and Hermione jumped off of the couch. They had both recognized the voice of Ron and ran to the door.

Ron, Ginny and the twins stood grinning at the door. Arabella looked utterly flabbergasted by the surprise quests. Suddenly, chaos erupted.

Daryl sprinted happily into the room as Chief Pip stormed down the stairs. Hermione had flung herself at Ron in order to get out of the bear's way, which was running to and fro, brandishing a miniature nightstick. Several well-landed blows had Ginny hopping on one foot, holding her ankle, George clutching his knee and Daryl sitting in the corner whimpering. Harry snatched the bear under his arms.

"I say! What is the meaning of this? Unhand me, you rogue! Put me down!"

"What are you doing?"

"We were being attacked sir."

"Chief, these are my friends. This is Ginny, Ron, and Fred. George is the bloke clutching his knee. They're not attacking the house, I promise."

"If you insist, Harry Potter."

Harry set the bear back on the ground. Pip retreated a few steps and stared at the Weasleys menacingly.

"Harry, what on earth is that?!" exclaimed Ron.

"That is Chief Pip, a gift from Hermione."

"Hermione, why in the bloody hell would you buy something like that?!"

"Oh, Ron, calm down. He's just a teddy bear. Really, he's nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about? I believe that a miniature nightstick is most definitely a sort of weapon."

Hermione just shook her head at him, chuckling to herself. A rather indignant squawk sounded from the living room. Hermione clapped herself on the head.

"Oh my letter! I'd forgotten all about it!"

They all dashed into the living room. Hermione was clutching a package from Hogwarts, nearly identical to Harry's. She looked rather nervous about the whole situation. Calmly, Harry led everyone up to his room.

"Has everyone received their letters?"

The Weasleys all nodded and pulled theirs from their cloaks.

"Have you read them yet?"

"No, we were waiting to open them with you and Hermione; thought it might be less scary."

Harry just nodded and picked his package off of the desk.

Ginny gave everyone an encouraging smile and they all tore into their various parcels. Hermione had gotten hers opened the fastest and emitted a shriek of delight. Ginny squealed and began blushing furiously. Nearly in unison, Ron and the twins offered up rather stormy looking glances at the two girls, before turning expectantly to Harry.

The poker face they saw revealed nothing. He looked at Hermione, who watched him for a few moments before emitting another squeal and zipping across the room to hug him. Hermione kissed Harry on the cheek.

"I knew you could do it! What does your letter say?"

However, before Harry could answer, he noticed the equally angry looks from Ron and Ginny. He quickly separated himself from Hermione.

"So, what does everyone's letter say?"

"Mine says that I have an MQ of 161. It says that though the score is above average, I was not in the top 10 in the school. Therefore, I did not get into the program. The letter goes on to list the prefects for this school year and the supplies that I will need," Ron offered up, looking stonily at Harry.

"I have an MQ of 139," George added.

"Mine is 138," answered Fred.

"As tested as having an MQ of 192, I have been accepted into the Hogwarts School of Intensive Magical Studies," muttered Ginny, looking rather sheepishly at her brothers.

"I tested at 263. Also accepted and made a prefect," whispered Hermione.

They all turned to Harry, who was still staring at his letter. Ginny crept forward and plucked it from his hands. She unwrinkled it and grinned cheekily at him before opening the piece of parchment, still expecting Harry to make a grab for the letter. Harry, however, was standing stalk-still, staring at her with a look of abject horror on his face. Giving him an odd-like, Ginny turned back to the parchment in her hands.

She perused the letter before letting it drop to the floor.

"Harry, that just can't be. How is that possible?"

"I'm not sure," Harry looked at Ginny, who could not hide the utter surprise in her eyes.

Ron playfully smacked Harry on the shoulder, "What did you get? A 64?"

"Ron! Harry would never score that low!"

"Gosh, Gin, I was just kidding. What did he get then?"

"Well, his letter says that he tested at an MQ level of 426. That's, theoretically, a magus level MQ."

The entire room became as quiet as a tomb. Ron stared angrily at Harry, turning twelve different shades of red in the process. He flung his letter to the floor before storming out. They listened as he bolted down the steps and slammed the front door.

Hermione took one look at Harry before turning and following after Ron. George and Fred stared at Harry. There were a few minutes of silence before Fred cleared his throat, "Magus level, that's pretty cool, Harry. Don't worry about Ron. I'm sure he'll get over it."

"I doubt that," Harry said quietly, looking at the floor. Ginny motioned to Fred and George, who quickly made excuses to be elsewhere.

Once they had left, Ginny grasped Harry's hand and led him to sit on the bed.

"Harry, are you okay?"

"Gin, how would you be right now if your best friend was never going to speak to you again and your other best friend just ran after him?"

"I imagine that I'd be pretty upset."

"Yes, well…um, Ginny, where did my letter go?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, here," she handed over the letter to Harry.

"Well, I'm a prefect. I guess that's more ammunition for Ron. Oh and what's this other letter? Hmm. Well, it looks like the Underage Wizarding Law has been revoked. Brilliant, another chance for Harry Potter to use his super powers."

"Harry, what did you just say?"

"Super Powers? Cape? You know, comic books and lunch boxes?"

"No, no. The Underage Wizarding Law has been revoked?"

"Oh, yes, that. Well, by the looks of this letter, I would say so. I think there's a Daily Prophet over on the desk. There's more than likely an article about it in there."

Ginny walked across the room to the desk and picked up the paper.

UNDERAGE WIZARDING LAW REVOKED


Today, July 31st, the Ministry of Magic has announced that they will be revoking the Underage Wizarding Laws. Affective immediately, it is no longer illegal for witches and wizards under the age of seventeen to use magic when away from school. The Ministry did not cite specific reasons for this unprecedented development, but rather Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge was quoted as saying "During this ago of uncertainty, it is necessary that all magic people be perfectly capable of using their magic, should the need arise."

The ruling shocked many adult wizards and witches, who claimed that such a revocation of the law would create problems among young wizards and witches. Gangs and illegal duelling clubs are just a few of the complaints made by parents throughout Britain.

Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore refused to comment, but this reporter believes that this new development comes in the wake of the newly resurfaced You-Know-Who rumours. Though the Magic of Ministry firmly denies that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has risen, shortly after the end of spring term at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, parents began owling the Daily Prophet with rumours about You-Know-Who, which were allegedly started by Headmaster Dumbledore.

Ginny looked at Harry in shock. He took the paper from her and read the article splashed across the front page. After reading it, he simply smiled at her and picked up his wand. He banished the paper to the desk.

"Harry! Don't--"

"Gin, relax, it's not illegal anymore. Here, watch."

With that said, Harry began magicking items around the room. He sprouted a bouquet of magical flowers for Ginny from the tip of his wand. He summoned items from his desk and banished things out into the hallway. Upon, hearing the noise, Chief Pip tore into the room.

"Harry Potter! What's going on?"

"Oh, we're just playing around a bit, Chief Pip," Harry said, levitating the small bear around the room. Daryl had followed Pip in and was delighted when Harry magicked some dog biscuits out of thin air for her.

"Harry Potter! Put me down!"

"Oh, Pip! Pipe down!" Harry chortled, landing Pip across the room on top of the bookshelf. The small bear looked daggers at Harry, followed by menacing looks at Daryl who was happily barking at Pip from her spot on the floor.

Ginny laughed at this and walked to Harry. She slid her arms around Harry's neck and hugged him tightly.

"Are you feeling better Harry?"

As an answer, Harry leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips.

"Thanks, Gin."

Ginny reached for Harry's hand and they headed downstairs. Before they reached the bottom of the stairs, Harry heard two very distinctive voices shouting at each other.

"Ron, you need to grow up! Who cares if Harry has more magical capability than you? Don't you realize that it just doesn't matter?"

"That's the thing, Hermione, it does matter! Maybe not to you, you're the smartest witch, I know. But to me, it matters. It's not fair. Harry is the Quidditch star, Harry is the prefect, and Harry is the super hero. What about me?"

"Ron! Everything isn't about you! Did it ever occur to you that Harry never picked this? He never wanted to be a magus or a prefect! It's just how the cards were dealt."

"Harry gets everything Hermione! Everything always works out for him. I'm surprised he hasn't gone after you, yet. You two would be oh-so-perfect together. The perfect little witch and wizard couple. You could go off and defeat all the evil in the world and then go and make lots of little super babies."

Harry winced, as he knew what was coming. He heard the smacking sound resonating throughout the house. Ginny grimaced next to him as they peered through the door to the kitchen.

"Sod off, Ronald Weasley! How dare you say such a thing to me!"

"Well, it's true Hermione! You'd be so sodding perfect for each other. He's just your type. Smart, nerdy, and powerful. Why aren't you just falling all over yourself in love with him?" Ron spat at her.

"Because, I'm not."

"Why, not? Too good even for Harry Potter? What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing, Ron. Absolutely nothing is wrong with Harry. He is perfect. But I'm not in love with him."

"And why the bloody hell not?"

Hermione's anger was obviously at the boiling point. Her brown eyes were flashing dangerously. Ron noticed this and took a tiny step closer to her. He cocked his eyebrow at her. This was the point that drove it home for Hermione.

"Because, I, Ronald Weasley, am in love with you, you great prat!" she screamed at him.

Whatever Ron had been expecting, it had not been this. His face softened as Hermione burst into tears. He pulled her to him tentatively, either afraid to break her or afraid she'd pummel him.

"Hermione, shhh… I'm sorry. I am, I'm so sorry."

"I am too, Ron. I know you're upset and it wasn't fair of me to yell at you like that," she managed between sobs.

"Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"Did you mean it?"

"Of course. Ron, I do love you."

"I love you, too. My Hermione," he smiled down at her, before gathering her too him and kissing her fully on the lips. At first, she didn't respond, but she softened into his kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Harry felt a light nudge in his side. He turned to Ginny, "Harry, I think we should give them their privacy."

He nodded silently and followed as she led him back to his room. Harry was glad for his friends, but a part of him, albeit a small part, was hurt by the prospect of Hermione being with Ron. Harry vowed not to let it bother him and turned his attention fully to Ginny, who wanted to discuss the supplies they'd need for the new program.

***


Later that night, the rest of the Weasley family turned up. Arabella had made Harry a huge dinner for his birthday. She had made spaghetti, complete with garlic bread and a huge salad with vegetables from his aunt's garden. There was a massive birthday cake, with 'Happy Birthday Harry' scrawled across it in green icing. They all sat at the table to talk after the dishes had been cleared. Eventually, the entire party moved into the living room for various games and conversation. In between games of Exploding Snap, Ron tapped Harry on the shoulder.

"Err. Harry, do you think I could talk to you outside?"

Without a word, Harry followed Ron into the backyard. They sat down on one of the benches.

"I'm, err, sorry about earlier. I made a big deal out of nothing."

Harry wasn't sure how to respond. He wanted to forgive Ron, but a part of him hesitated. It had hugely unfair of Ron to snap like that. Nothing that ever happened to Harry was Harry's fault, yet Ron, who was supposed to be his best friend, had completely lost it. Harry said so to Ron, who obligingly apologized.

After a few more minutes of talking, Harry accepted Ron's apology and Ron smiled gratefully at him. Harry smiled back and after an awkward silence, they headed back into the house.

Ginny and Hermione were sitting next to each other on the couch in a fit of giggles. After they had all discussed the underage wizarding law at dinner, Hermione and Ginny had taken to using magic whenever possible. They were currently hiding tiny trinkets around the room, using their wands and various hiding spells. Daryl and Chief Pip would sit anxiously in front of them, awaiting the signal. When given the go-head, they would run off in opposite directions looking for the objects. Harry laughed at the small dog, who time and again, would find the object before the teddy bear.

After the Weasleys had left, Hermione, Arabella and Harry sat talking quietly in the living room. Arabella had brought one of her cats from home and sat lovingly stoking its soft fur as Harry petted Daryl, who was sprawled out on the floor.

Hermione sighed audibly at the sight of the kind witch and her cat. "I miss Crookshanks."

"Oh, I'm sure he's having a fine time at the Weasleys dear. There's nothing to worry about."

"I know, but I still miss him."

Arabella asked Hermione some more questions about her beloved cat before Harry stood up, yawning and stretching.

"I think I'll head to bed. Goodnight Arabella. Goodnight Hermione. Thanks for such a great birthday."

He nodded to both of them before giving a brief whistle. Daryl stood up from her place on the floor. Chief Pip stood as well, having been stripped of his pillow and they all trudged up the stairs.

Harry lit his wand, when he entered his room, preferring the dim light. He noticed a rather large box sitting on the bed and walked over to it.

Harry,

I could not buy you a present this year, as you may have well imagined. However, I think this could be better than any present that I could ever buy you. Happy Birthday.

A.
Harry smiled to himself as he opened the box, but suddenly his heart skipped a beat. The first thing that he saw was a long list on an old piece of parchment. He name was scrawled at the top in a hand that Harry recognized as his mum's. Upon reading it, Harry quickly realized what it was. Ron had told him a few years ago about the Cérémonie De Cadeau performed by wizarding families at the birth of their children. Ron had told him that every Weasley had a list of the gifts for them from other wizards and witches at their births. Each witch or wizard invited to the ceremony would give a small part of themselves to the baby. Usually they gave a piece of themselves that represented something they treasured. The transferring of a part of one's self to a new baby was a great and powerful gift. Harry perused the list for familiar names. He found many.

Sirius Black- Mischievousness
Remus Lupin- Curiosity
Albus Dumbledore- Wit and Humour
Peter Pettigrew- Forgiveness
Rachel Granger- Intelligence
Richard Granger- Loyalty
Minerva McGonagall- Perseverance
Rubeus Hagrid- Compassion
Severus Snape- Integrity
Molly Weasley- Luck
Arthur Weasley- Intuition
Amarante Evans- Love

And so the list went on and on. He recognized many of the names on the list and was surprised at how many people had attended. Harry set the book aside and began to shuffle through the contents of the box.

He found numerous photo albums and a baby book. He laughed at some of the pictures and nearly cried at the others. After what felt like hours, Harry heard a soft knock on his bedroom door.

"Come in, Hermione."

Harry had known it was her, but truthfully had not expected to see her. He turned to her with a concerned look on his face.

"Don't worry, I haven't had any nightmares yet. I just wanted to come in and talk to you for awhile."

Without answering, he moved over on the bed so that she could sit with him.

"Dumbledore responded to my owl. He said that you should write down what happens in your dreams. He also said that if one happens again that is like this first one, you should owl him immediately. He doesn't seem too worried though."

"That's good," he responded absentmindedly, still looking at the photo album.

Harry looked at Hermione and watched her eyes that looked as if they were involved in some sort of internal struggle.

"Is there anything else you wanted to talk about, Mione?"

Hermione looked at him and took a deep breath. "Harry, I don't think it's a good idea for me to come in here at night anymore. Ron would kill me if he found out. He wouldn't understand."

Harry privately agreed with her, but did not say anything. He felt that this was not a time when he should really say much of anything. Hermione obviously had something on her mind and wanted Harry to listen to her.

"Harry, did you overhear my argument with Ron this afternoon?"

"I may have heard bits and pieces."

"Well, he said some pretty horrible stuff about you."

"Yeah, I heard. Don't worry Hermione, I'm not upset or anything."

"Thank Merlin for that, but that isn't what I wanted to ask you about. We've just grown really close this summer and I wanted to make sure you were okay with anything happening between Ron and me."

Harry looked at her, "Well, I'm just a little worried that this is going to somehow strain the friendship between the three of us."

"I don't know, Harry. I can't promise anything. I hope it doesn't change the three of us."

"I think it will, Mione."

"I know," she said softly, bringing her knees up under her chin. After a few minutes of silence, she turned to look at him, "Harry, thank you for being such a good friend."

"Mione, you don't have to thank me."

She smiled and hugged him. Turning, Hermione noticed all of the albums spread across the bed.

"Harry, what is all this?"

"These are albums from my parents. My gift list is here somewhere. There's a baby book and my first pair of shoes. I think some of this stuff is also what my aunt has saved over the years."

"Wow, I didn't think she would have saved anything from when you were a baby."

"Yeah, well, see this painting right here?"

"Harry, I don't believe you can call that a painting, it's more of a large blob with multicoloured paint."

"Just semantic, but there's no way I could have done this when my parents were still alive. It looks like from when I was in primary school."

Hermione nodded and picked up Harry's gift list.

"Harry, you got so many wonderful gifts. I can't believe my parents were there. It must have been right before I was born. I wish that I had a gift list like this."

"Maybe you do. Perhaps your mum and dad made one for you."

"I don't know. I've never seen one."

"Well, you wouldn't have. It's not like muggles have Cérémonies De Cadeau."

Hermione just studied him silently and he noticed her eyes staring directly into his, as if looking for some reaction. He wondered what his eyes betrayed and whether or not she could tell that he was exhilarated, overwhelmed, exhausted and sad all at the same time. Hermione gave him a light smile before leaning over and giving him a small kiss on the cheek.

"Well, I think I'll leave you alone to enjoy this. I'm tired anyway. Sleep well, Harry. Happy Birthday."

"Good night Hermione," Harry whispered as she walked out of the room.