See? Told you I'd get this one out faster! It's a
long one too. Author's notes, as usual,
are at the end!
Thanks for reading.
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Harry pulled Ginny behind him and handed her his book before drawing his wand. Ginny shifted the two books to her left arm and reached out, trying to haul him back. "Harry! Wait!" Harry shook her off and crept carefully around the shelves, making his way to where he'd heard Hermione's alarmed shout. And walked straight into yet another blazing Ron vs. Hermione row. Ron's scowling face had darkened to almost the same shade as his hair and Hermione looked furious.
"I did attempt to warn you." Ginny commented dryly, coming up behind Harry. They backpedaled before Ron or Hermione noticed them, slipping further back into the shelves.
"What brought this on?" Harry asked, retrieving his book from Ginny. "I thought the Death Eaters were attacking!"
Ginny giggled and shook her head. "Ron's being a prat. He blew up over a book." She explained, holding up the guilty object. "It got mishelved." Harry read the words 'Dolce Amour: Potions and Spells for Special Occasions' scrawled in dramatic gold calligraphy across the cover. "We found it while we were looking for Charm books."
Harry nodded sighing inwardly. One of these days his friends would make it official.
"They act like a married couple don't they?" Harry started as Ginny verbally echoed his train of thought. He looked over at her and noticed the mischievous smile he'd seen so often on the Twins tugging at her lips. She turned to him and opened the pink book. "Think we should test that theory?" Harry's eyes widened and Ginny laughed outright at his expression. A final sounding shout caught their attention. Moments later a fuming red-faced Ron stormed past making Ginny spring back into the bookshelves. She glared after her brother until Harry caught her eye and nodded in the opposite direction.
"Better go check on Hermione. I'll handle Ron."
*
Bill appeared in Flourish and Blotts soon after, herding the Twins before him and walked back to the Leaky Cauldron with them for the trip home. They saw Professor Lupin seated at a far table speaking with a raven-haired witch in dark rose pink robes. Harry found himself reminded strongly of Fleur Delacour, the part veela Beaubaxton's champion during the Triwizard Tournament.
Suddenly the witch stood, swept on her gold velvet cloak and gathered a small brown wrapped package and a long, slender box into her hands. She waved farewell to Lupin and turned, nearly crashing into Bill before she could make the door. She blushed lightly and immediately apologized before slipping out of the pub to Disapparate followed by the appreciative eyes of several wizards. Professor Lupin frowned slightly and shook his head.
"Who was that?" Harry asked as they all joined Professor Lupin and sat down. Bill momentarily looked both disappointed and distracted by the encounter but perked up as Remus answered.
"Morgaine Myfanwy. She's was doing some shopping for Rowan and stopped by to say hello." Professor Lupin replied, standing and gathering his few sacks around him. "Have everything you need?"
"Myfanwy? They have a veela teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Bill looked impressed and shook his head. "Boy, that's a step up from Moody, eh?"
"She can't be a veela." Hermione sniffed, glancing back at the door suspiciously. Hermione didn't particularly like veela. "Veela don't have dark hair and Ron's not acting like a total prat over her."
"Well, that one did!" Ron argued. "And what do you mean by that?"
Lupin answered before Hermione, his gray eyes glowing with suppressed mirth at their antics. "The Myfanwy's had a some-odd great-grandmother, on their mother's side I believe, that was veela." He commented mildly. "Morgaine takes evenly after both her parents. Rowan takes more after her father." Lupin smiled. He remembered Ambrosias Myfanwy as a toweringly tall and impressive enigma of a wizard. Mr. Myfanwy had uncovered some of the Marauders' most audacious summer plots without comment and only sabotaged a few of the more dangerous ones. Remus always suspected they were more in trouble for being caught than committing the act.
Remus shook the potentially painful memories away and tossed a pinch of Floo powder into the fireplace flames. Harry stepped through first, loaded with packages and shouted, "The Burrow!"
*
Harry tumbled headlong out of the fireplace and onto the hearthrug of the Burrow. Sirius gripped his arm and helped haul him up, brushing the soot off his clothes.
"Happy Birthday, Harry!" He grinned, looking happier than Harry had yet seen him outside of pictures. Harry grinned back but his answer was cut short as the fireplace spewed forth Ginny Weasley. Ginny squeaked as she tripped slightly on the hearthrug and stumbled into Harry's arms. They stared at each other in surprise for a few seconds before the flames flared again heralding another imminent arrival. Hermione looked at them, smiled slightly and greeted Sirius. Ginny mumbled an apology to Harry without looking at him before carrying her things over to join Hermione and the two girls disappeared up the stairs with their packages. Harry watched them leave, feeling bewildered and wondering at Ginny's strange behavior. One minute she teased and joked with him and the next she couldn't stand to be in the same room without blushing and stammering. Girls, he decided, were very odd.
*
Harry was amazed. After years of watching the Dursley's kitchen table groan under the weight of Dudley's birthday presents it felt surprisingly good to look at his own small horde. He found himself casting glances at the brightly colored pile sitting atop a homemade patchwork quilt draped over the garden bench.
Strings of glowing colored lumaria surrounded the garden and occasionally reformed themselves into different animal shapes. Bill and Sirius had flown a pair of large and well-worn tables outside for the small feast Mrs. Weasley conjured and covered them with crisp linen tablecloths.
Everyone sat back and watched with great amusement as Mrs. Weasley chased Fred and George out of her kitchen for the third time. She, obviously, didn't trust their 'culinary improvements' one bit. Neither did anyone else, and they regarded anything the Twins handed them with suspicion.
After dinner Fred and George put on a lively display of Filibusters Fireworks for everyone while Mrs. Weasley disappeared into the kitchen for a moment and reappeared levitating an enormous layered birthday cake with green and gold icing. The fifteen candles on top of the cake threw colored sparks into the air showering everyone with glowing sparkles that didn't go out for almost an hour.
Ron handed Harry his present first, a complex-looking device that turned out to be the magical equivalent to a pocketknife with potion scoops and spark-makers and various other things. Harry thanked Ron as he flipped through the various gadgets, trying a few out.
Hagrid sent several varieties of sweets he'd no doubt picked up on his travels over the summer as well as his traditional stock of treacle fudge and rock cakes.
Ginny blushed madly and hid partially behind Bill when Harry picked up her gift. Harry smiled encouragingly at her and carefully pulled off the paper. He ran his hand admiringly over the smoothly fitted wood patchwork and carefully carved Hogwarts Crest of the small keepsake box.
Harry laughed when he pulled the bright paper and ribbons off Hermione's weighty package and revealed his very own leather bound volume of ~Hogwarts, a History~. Inside the front cover Hermione had written a short note that Harry chuckled at but wouldn't let anyone read.
Bill handed him a slender gold Egyptian amulet inscribed liberally with hieroglyphics. Harry regarded it cautiously at first, having heard about some of the curses of the ancient Egyptian priests from Ron but relaxed when Bill looped it around his neck, promising it was safe. The Twins, obviously, hadn't been allowed to touch it.
Opening Professor Lupin's package revealed a red-bound book called "Seekers' Secrets: A Complete Guide and Strategy Handbook" complete with moving photos off the best Seekers, their tactics and their histories.
Fred and George presented him with a healthy-sized gift certificate to 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' along with a copy of their latest catalog – marked liberally with suggestions. They also handed him a new set of broom polishes but Sirius apprehended these shooting a warning look at the Twins. They both shrugged and muttered something about not wanting to win the Quidditch Cup with a pink Firebolt anyway.
Professor Lupin also presented Harry with a small box wrapped in heavy scarlet paper and tied with a gold bow. "This one's not from me, but I was asked to give it to you."
"Who's it from?" Harry asked, staring apprehensively at the box. Lupin just smiled and gestured for Harry to open it, which he did. A flash of gold zipped out of the box, startling Harry into dropping the box with a yelp. The flash quivered momentarily then resolved itself into a winged, walnut-sized, golden ball. Harry put his hand up and the Golden Snitch hovered obediently above it. He noticed a stylized lightning bolt etched into the golden surface.
The small card attached to the gift simply said: "Happy birthday, Harry!" and was signed with an elegantly penned R.M.
Hermione picked up the box and pulled out a small instruction scroll with "Quality Quidditch Supplies" printed neatly on the backside.
"It says you just say 'Begin' to start it and to stop it you either catch it or yell out 'Snitch' and it will return to your hand." Hermione reported, reading through the instructions. "You can even change the return word and it will stay within the measurements of a Quidditch pitch."
"Excellent! Now we can play a proper game of Quidditch!" Ron noted enthusiastically.
"Now you can practice all the moves in the book!" Hermione grinned. "It's nice that the presents match so well." For some odd reason Professor Lupin seemed to find this amusing and Sirius gave him a decidedly suspicious look.
Sirius's present was also wrapped in red and gold, an inverted image of the mysterious package. Harry pulled the paper off to reveal a black velvet box. Nestled inside was an exquisitely made gold pocket watch. Its crystal face winked delicately in the sunlight, covering an intricate assembly of stars and moons and suns that spun around in a complicated array. Harry carefully closed the watch and traced the relief on its surface: A baying wolf and a shaggy black hound crouched in a field of lilies under the majestic forms of a stag and a unicorn. If he looked carefully he could even see the tiny rat hidden between the wolf and the dog's paws.
"It was James's." Sirius said, watching Harry trace the figures with his finger. "His parents gave it to him when he was made Head Boy. I thought you would like it."
Harry stared at the heirloom. Something not only from his father, but from his unknown grandparents as well!
"Oi! Harry!" Ron called, distracting Harry from asking Sirius and Lupin more questions about the mysterious heirloom. "Lets break in your new snitch before it gets too dark!" Harry grinned, tucking his new watch into his pocket and raced Ron for the stairs.
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Now I must give huge great and prolific thanks to my betas: Megan, Kayla and
Imogen. They all give me excellent advice and the occasional death threat to
keep me going. And seeing as yesterday was Megan's birthday, this is something
of a belated birthday present. Happy Birthday Megan!
Lavona: *evil grin* *bows* expect worse ones. Cliffhangers are fun! (for me
anyway.)
Krissy: now you know!
Colorful: Await no longer!
Sweet Tooth: It's on my computer, in my head and in about 5 notebooks. ^_~
Zo'or: Glad you're enjoying it. Harry/Hermione? No it is not. It will
eventually be
Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione with a side of another big polygon.
Mystic Jade: *laughs* Akimi, you're a sweetheart!
Kelzery: Thanks! And I should be asking you that!
