Harry Potter, reluctant resident of number four Privet Drive, was currently sitting cross-legged on his bed, staring at the clock on his bedside table. Now this might seem an odd thing to do at nearly midnight, but today was a special day for Harry: in a mere ten minutes, he would be turning sixteen.
Though it was normal for a teenage boy to be excited about his birthday, Harry Potter was not normal. Even by wizarding standards Harry was extraordinary; yes, this boy was a wizard, and a thumping good one at that. What made Harry different from the other witches and wizards in the secret wizarding world was his defeat of Voldemort, the worst dark wizard in a century. Now any magical person would have been famous for that feat, but what made Harry even more so was the fact that at the time, he had only been a year old.
Although young Harry had survived a killing curse, he did not escape unharmed. When the curse rebounded onto Voldemort, who had just killed Lily and James Potter, Harry was left with a rather remarkable scar on his forehead, shaped like a bolt of lightening. It had recently been discovered that this scar connects Voldemort to Harry, who feels white-hot pain in the scar when Voldemort is near. It also enables Harry to have visions of the Dark Lord if he is asleep, though with great pain to his head.
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, had tried to put a stop to this connection before something terrible happened. He enlisted the help of the Hogwarts Potions Master, Professor Severus Snape to teach Harry Occlumency, the art of blocking one's mind. Unfortunately, Snape's and Harry's dislike for each other had led to the cancellation of the lessons and the consequential success on Voldemort's part to lure Harry to the Department of Mysteries at the end of the school year.
Harry and his friends, who had gone with Harry to help save his godfather, Sirius Black, were led to the Ministry of Magic and met by Death Eaters. Voldemort had used his connection with Harry to create a false vision of Sirius in his grasp, knowing that Harry would play the hero and come to the rescue. In an effort to save the children, several members of the Order of the Phoenix (Dumbledore's organization of witches and wizards fighting against Voldemort) joined in the fray. While several Death Eaters were captured (including Lucius Malfoy, the father of Harry's school rival, Draco), Sirius was lost when he fell into a mysterious black veil in a room called the Death Chamber.
And as Harry Potter watched the minutes pass by, he found himself thinking about his lost godfather.
He missed Sirius, as he knew he would, but he never imagined such a deep feeling of loss. He'd had no idea how many things would remind him of Sirius-a dog barking; mentions of prison; worst of all, billowing curtains. He had tried to avoid thinking about his godfather for as long as possible, but soon the reminders seemed too many, and he finally got to mourning. He had stayed in his room for nearly two days. That evening he had gone into the kitchen, grabbed some food, and made his way outside. He ate while walking around his usual haunts before ultimately deciding to visit Magnolia Crescent, where he had unknowingly gotten his first glimpse of Sirius.
When he had arrived at his destination, he found that he was approaching the site as if it were his godfather's grave. This suited Harry just splendidly, considering Sirius would never have a real one. He had walked slowly to the house in front of which he had first spotted Sirius, and sat down facing it on the sidewalk. He didn't move or say anything for some time, before quietly telling Sirius and the setting sun how sorry he was for getting him killed; how he missed him so; how he hoped he was all right. Harry didn't know how long he had stayed that way, but by the time he felt he was through he was enveloped in darkness and cold.
Harry was taken out of his reverie by the arrival of midnight. He felt oddly tired, considering he knew that birthday gifts were currently on the way. Deep down he wondered if it wasn't perhaps that he also knew that he would not be receiving one from Sirius, but he quickly pushed that thought out of his head.
Just as Harry was slowly drifting into a light doze, a rapping on his window awaked him. Making his way over, he saw his snowy owl, Hedwig, perched on the sill, waiting to be let in. In the distance he could see several more on the way, and quickly opened the window to allow them entry.
There were quite more owls than usual, making a bewildered Harry wonder just who they could be from. Once he had freed the owls of their respective burdens (and had given them each a bit of water and a treat), they flew off. Harry gaped at the pile on his bed-parcels and envelopes covered nearly half of it (though perhaps this wasn't saying much, as it was a small bed). Breaking out of his daze, he picked up a package wrapped in tidy burgundy paper with a simple yet elegant golden bow. Finding the corresponding card, he opened it to find it was from one of his best friends, Hermione Granger. The card read:
Dear Harry,
I know it seems tactless to wish you a Happy Birthday right now, but I do. You need (and deserve) happiness. I had hoped we could have gotten you away from those relatives of yours by now, but Professor Dumbledore is adamant about your staying there (for now!).
Harry smiled ruefully at that. He knew he wouldn't be leaving Number Four until it was absolutely necessary-on September the first. Now that Voldemort was back and had shown himself, the blood protection he received through his aunt was more crucial than ever before.
The Daily Prophet seems to have finally taken a liking to the truth, with the notable absence of Rita Skeeter. There are daily articles on ways to safeguard your homes, though they speak of Death Eaters as if they're termites that can disappear with the right repellant. There's a special section with information on Voldemort (Harry wondered if Hermione had had trouble writing the name down), such as supposed sightings of him or his followers and the Dark Mark. There's a load of speculation, of course, but nothing concrete.
Harry marveled at Hermione's intuition. He had meant to renew his previous summer's subscription to the wizarding paper, and wasn't surprised that he had forgotten with the despair he had been in all this time. He was glad that someone was keeping him informed of the status of the wizarding world this year.
I had thought that most people wouldn't believe that Voldemort could return, but apparently many of them had never believed he was actually dead in the first place. The fact that both you and Professor Dumbledore both say that he has, indeed, returned helps as well.
Have you gotten your O.W.L. results yet? I haven't, and I'm not sure what that could mean. Do you think they lost my exams? Maybe they were so terrible they simply threw them out! I hope not, I could use those to study from so I can retake them if I must.
Harry stared at the card in his hands incredulously before laughing quietly. They were probably taking so long with Hermione's tests because they were twice as long as anyone else's!
Anyway, enough of my worries. Do try to enjoy your birthday somehow, won't you? I hope my gift helps-I thought it might make your stay with the Muggles a bit more magical.
Love from
Hermione
Harry smiled softly as he put down the card and turned to the gift. Knowing Hermione, it was probably a book she thought he would find interesting; but when he picked it up, it rattled and felt too light to be a book. He carefully unwrapped the thin, rectangular box and opened it up to reveal-a puzzle?
But this was no ordinary puzzle, to be sure. Harry could tell immediately that this was a wizarding puzzle, for the breathtaking picture on the box was moving. A small tag on the side of the box stated: "ONE TIME USE ONLY" though it made no sense to Harry. He made a mental note to start on the puzzle as soon as he could before moving on to a simple, deep blue envelope. This one was from Neville Longbottom, one of Harry's Gryffindor classmates, and one of the group that had gone to the Ministry of Magic with him just weeks earlier. It seemed to begin a bit awkwardly:
Dear Harry,
I'm just writing you to say Happy Birthday, and I hope you're well. I guess you're not that well, though. I'm sorry about the whole Ministry mess, and about your friend, Sirius Black. Though Gran says I finally did my family name justice, I'm still sorry for your loss.
I was also wondering if there will be D.A. next year? I don't want to pressure you into it or anything, it's just that it was fun and got me an E on my Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. I hope you did well on your exams (or at least better than I did on mine).
Anyway, have a good summer and see you back at school.
Neville
P.S.-Gran wants you to know that she thinks what you did for the students and me would have made your parents proud. She knew them, you know.
Yes, Harry knew. The Longbottoms had been in the Order along with his parents. Neville had no idea that his position could have easily been switched with Harry's; Neville may have been the Boy-Who-Lived, for the prophecy that foretold Harry's fate would have applied to Neville if Voldemort had chosen to try and kill him instead of Harry. Fortunately for Neville, Harry was perceived as the more powerful wizard and subsequently attacked.
Harry moved on to a familiar brown envelope with green ink (thicker than usual this year), finally made curious to see his O.W.L. results. Along with the usual start-of-term notice were the exam results, and, in lieu of a book list, a sign-up sheet for various classes that Harry was eligible for. He opened his results with some trepidation.
Ordinary Wizarding Level
Test Results for
HARRY POTTER
Key:
Outstanding (O) earns two O.W.L.s
Exceeds Expectations (E) earns one O.W.L.
Acceptable (A) earns one O.W.L.
Poor (P) earns no O.W.L.s
Dreadful (D) earns no O.W.L.s
Astronomy - E
Care of Magical Creatures - O
Charms - E
Defense Against the Dark Arts - O
Divination - P
Herbology - E
History of Magic - D
Potions - E
Transfiguration - E
Total Ordinary Wizarding Levels: 9
Note: See enclosed sign-up sheet for possible sixth year courses.
So, thought Harry forlornly, no chance of being an Auror then. Professor Snape only accepted those with "Outstanding" Potions O.W.L.s in his advanced class, which Harry needed to take in order to become an Auror. He was just considering the possibility of professional Quidditch when he glanced at the sign-up sheet and stopped.
Right there, under Advanced Transfiguration, was Advanced Potions. Harry blinked and thought that there must have been some mistake, when he remembered Professor McGonagall saying that she would help him to become an Auror if it was the last thing she ever did. Could she have actually talked Snape into letting Harry Potter into his Advanced Potions class, even with only an Exceeds Expectations?
Deciding that now was not the time to ponder the Slytherin side of the Head of Gryffindor, Harry placed the letters back into the envelope and on his bedside table, next to his clock. He turned back to the pile on his bed and chose a small, elongated box wrapped smartly in parchment and tied with string. Upon opening the attached card, he discovered it was from Remus Lupin.
Dear Harry,
Happy Sixteenth, from all of us here at Headquarters. I know that you've needed one of these for a while now, and we all pitched in to get you the very best. You don't have to worry about taking good care of it, because it's made to be virtually indestructible. We've put various charms on it to take care of that "virtually" part.
Thank you for keeping in touch with your letters, as we asked. While I know you are in fine physical health, I'm worried about the rest of you. I know you miss him, Harry, as do I. Know that you can always come to me when you feel overwhelmed, and take care.
Remus
Harry's face saddened as he thought once again of his loss, and remembered it was Remus's as well. Maybe he would take Remus up on his offer, once he had worked through the pain enough to be able to speak about it.
Turning from his darkening thoughts, he opened the gift and gasped. Inside was, undoubtedly, the most beautiful golden wristwatch he had ever seen. It was simple yet elegant, with a gliding second hand and a pale, lustrous face. When he carefully put it on his wrist, Harry found it fit him absolutely perfectly. He would definitely have to write Lupin's thank you note first.
The next box he approached with some apprehension. It was a deep orange and had royal purple stars shooting their way around, leaving golden stardust in their wakes, which quickly faded from view. What had Harry worried was the fancy stylized "W" stamped on the top. Upon closer inspection, he saw the words underneath the "W" read: Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. He felt it would be prudent to open the card first, hoping for some kind of warning regarding the contents of that box.
To our Esteemed Private Investor:
Let's just call you EPI for short then, eh? Happy Birthday, Harry! We thought it must be terribly boring over there with the Muggles, and as you're our beloved EPI we thought you more than entitled to a free sample of some of our best products. Careful when you open the box (Aha, Harry thought), you're likely to get a face full of, er… well, that would ruin the surprise, wouldn't it? Just do us (and yourself) a favor and tell your cousin there's a scrumptious cake inside. Trust us, it will be delicious (though for whom, I'm sure you have no idea). Seeing as Percy has been visiting recently, we've had several opportunities to test our finest wares. It's our way of initiating (torturing) his way back into the family. Your special gift box contains all of these "Percy Approved" tools of mayhem.
Use them well!
Gred and Forge Weasley, owners of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes
(We couldn't pick whose name got to go first, so we picked both)
Harry smiled at the thought of one of the Dursleys being the first to open this wonderful box. It wouldn't matter who would bear the brunt of it, as they were all foul people. Maybe he would plant it somewhere tomorrow, somewhere he could watch the ensuing chaos. Thinking of the fun to come put him in the (rather childish) mood to quit waiting and just open his biggest present right then. It was wrapped in lavender paper with thin silver swirls. Forgoing the card in his haste, he made quick work of the wrapping and lifted the lid off the rather heavy box-and gaped open-mouthed at the contents.
Harry's eyes took in the smooth slate finish and mysterious dark runes of the pensieve. He knew immediately whom it was from, and slowly opened the card.
Dear Harry, it read,
I hope you are not angered by my correspondence, but I felt that to not give you this tool would be far worse than any hard feelings you may have toward me. Last summer you bottled up your feelings and had only your harsh thoughts to churn them further. With this Pensieve, you will not need to go through that again. I know you have prior experience in entering the Pensieve, but not in getting yourself out. When you are ready to leave the memory, simply look up and envision the room from whence you came. You will feel yourself soaring up and landing on the floor of the room.
Please make use of this gift and deal with your thoughts and memories, one at a time.
Albus Dumbledore
Harry was still angry that Dumbledore had kept him in the dark about something as huge as his prophecy, but he also realized what a huge relief this gift would be. He had seen both the Headmaster and Snape put thoughts into the Pensieve and felt like starting immediately, but he decided it may be better to keep all his thoughts in his head for one more night. After placing the stone basin back into its box and carefully storing it under his bed, he chose a small square box that revealed some of Honeydukes' finest candies from his other best friend, Ron Weasley. His letter was a bit longer than the last ones.
Dear Harry,
Happy Birthday, mate! I hope things are all right with the Muggles. I got my O.W.L.s a few days ago, and I got nine! I got an Outstanding in Defense, all thanks to you, I might add. Hermione hasn't got hers yet, and she's worked herself up into a right state about it. I told her it was probably because it was taking them twice as long to grade as anyone else's, but she wasn't too happy with that. She's mad, she is.
Harry grinned at the way he and Ron had had the same theory as to why Hermione hadn't gotten her scores yet. He could imagine how she might take that comment the wrong way, though. Poor Ron, he thought.
Anyway, how did you do on them? How about that Astronomy exam, eh? I still managed an Acceptable, though I think we were all given a break considering that even the examiner got distracted by the attack on Hagrid and McGonagall. I also got an A in Charms and History of Magic, though I don't know how I pulled that one off. I got a P in Divination (though that was to be expected, and good riddance anyway), and E's in Transfiguration, Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, and Herbology.
Mum was pretty happy when the results came. She's been a bit emotional this summer, as Percy (Harry could practically hear the name being spat out of Ron's mouth) has come around a few times (to Fred's and George's delight) to apologize for his "misplaced notions of honor" as he calls it. I call it being a stupid, bloody prat, but not to Mum's face. By the way, don't be surprised if old Perce sends you a long, tedious, groveling letter of apology for, you know, saying you were dangerous and evil and insane and all that. (Harry sincerely hoped that letter was not among the current pile on his bed)
Listen, Harry, Hermione told me not to mention Snuffles, but I can't let you mourn forever. I'm not asking you to stop mourning right now or anything, it's way too soon, but just work through it. I don't want you keeping your feelings inside you all the time like last year. It's not good for you in any way at all. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, and I hope you don't take it the wrong way.
Ron
Harry felt the familiar burning in his eyes at his best friend's words, and told himself he would work through the pain with the help of the Pensieve. Eying the bed, he noticed there were only two letters left, each tied onto a gift. He didn't think Percy would go so far as to send an apology gift, so he was fairly certain he wouldn't have to deal with the prat (Ron had a point, after all) tonight.
He picked up an odd, nearly two-foot long, narrow white box which contained an even more odd root-looking thing that looked like it had been smashed and then stretched like an accordion, except it was quite hard. Glancing at the bottom of the letter, he found it was from Luna Lovegood and her father, the owner of the oftentimes-questionable wizarding magazine, The Quibbler. According to the Lovegoods, this was one of the horns from the remains of a dead Crumple-Horned Snorkack. Though Harry still thought it was just a dead tree root, he wasn't about to say anything; Luna was all right by him.
Still slightly worried that the final gift might be from Percy, Harry opened the rather long letter first. It was certainly the appropriate length for an apology from someone as long-winded as Percy, and this did nothing to help Harry's fears. He looked at the bottom of the last page of the letter, gasped, and dropped all the pages as if they had burned him.
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Next time: Who wrote the letter? What was the picture on the puzzle box? Will Harry ambush one (or all) of the Dursleys? Where on Earth is this story going? No, seriously…
Review Responses:
Heather: My first reviewer! I didn't even think I'd get one. Is the length satisfactory now?
Jenkid11: My second reviewer! Thank you, and I love those stories too. In fact, you've given me an idea. I'll go work on it now, and I'll check out your stories.
