In Every Darkness
Chapter Twenty Three: Party Time
31.7.1996(Night)
Harry fell asleep that night feeling almost content. Remus was gone, but his friends didn't hate him, and Remus didn't blame Harry for killing him.
Perhaps Voldemort had killed Harry's friends to make Harry feel afraid and guilty, perhaps to the brink of suicide.
Harry shook his head slightly. He would not let that happen. He would grieve for his friend and his family, and train all the harder to bring about Voldemort's downfall.
When morning came, Harry felt more relaxed for his thoughts the night before. He was ready to face life again … at least, he hoped he was.
Just as he was leaving his room, Tatsu appeared beside him. "Sirius said that Remus wanted me to tell you that if you dare spend your birthday being sad about him, he'll find away to escape the Realms of the Dead and kill you himself," Tatsu told Harry, grinning widely.
Harry actually laughed. "Thanks Tatsu. I think I needed to hear that," he told his friend.
"I think you did to. That's why I bothered to tell you," the other retorted lightly as they headed downstairs for breakfast.
When they reached the kitchen, only Molly Weasley was up, busily cooking breakfast. "Hello dear," she greeted him with a cheerful smile. Harry returned the greeting politely, just as Tatsu followed him into the room.
"Morning Molly," he greeted her with a nod, and she smiled in reply before going back to breakfast.
A moment later Ron turned up, his hair fluro green and his skin bright pink, looking very annoyed. "I. Hate. My. Brothers," he growled out, as the inhabitants of the kitchen laughed at him.
Mrs. Weasley quickly undid the charms, but slight remnants of the colour remained, seeming to resist all efforts to clean them.
Harry noted that Tatsu closed his eyes momentarily every time Molly did the cleaning spell, and from the look of concentration on his face, Harry decided that Tatsu was probably to blame for this.
He was careful, however, not to mention this to Ron – he noted that his oldest friend was a little … angry with Tatsu, though he wasn't sure exactly why this might be.
Soon the rest of the house joined them downstairs, the kitchen, though large, was pretty much filled to the brim. Just when Harry thought that everyone must have arrived, the door opened one last time.
The soft chatter that filled had filled the air stopped immediately as Severus Snape entered the room.
The man looked to be in high bad temper, dark bags under his eyes betrayed lack of sleep and there was a haunted look in his icy black eyes.
He stalked into the kitchen, saying nothing to anyone, snatched a plate and stalked out again. Until he was gone no one made a sound.
"What's up with him?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione as the rest of the Order began talking again, somewhat louder, as if to make up for the momentary lack of sound.
"He's been having nightmares," Hermione replied immediately. "Well, that's what everyone seems to think, anyway."
"What sort of nightmares?" Harry was immediately interested.
"Who knows?" Ron replied rudely, grabbing some more food. "Are we having a party today?" he added.
"Yeah," Harry replied, smiling slightly.
"Good, I'll go and tell mum. She'll get everything ready again," Ron disappeared from their side.
"Ron's not that great at emotional things," Hermione remarked. "I think he's a bit awkward around you because he doesn't know how to act, with Sirius and Remus gone."
Harry just nodded silently, watching Ron weave his way through the crowd of people to his mother, speak to her for a little while, and then wander slowly back.
"The party starts in two hours," Ron said, grinning, as he reached them.
Harry smiled slightly. "Well, I'd better change then," he remarked. People were now beginning to move from the room to begin the days chores.
Hermione nodded in agreement. All three of them were wearing what they'd slept in the night before. "Meet back here in ten minutes?" she asked.
The two boys nodded in agreement and Harry headed away from the other two towards his own room.
When he returned, he found that he was the first, but that Dumbledore was waiting for him.
"I wanted to wish you a happy birthday," he remarked quietly to Harry as his young student approached him.
"It wasn't much of one," Harry replied with a faint sigh. "But thanks anyway."
"I don't really have a present for you, but as this house is yours now, and is without a House Elf to take care of it, I thought that I would take care of the problem," Dumbledore said.
There was suddenly two loud cracks. Harry looked around, and quickly spotted two figures – Dobby and Winky.
"Mr Potter sir!" Dobby squeaked, looking happy beyond measure. "Dumbledore is asking Dobby and Winky to come to Harry Potter's house! Dobby and Winky is being very happy to accept!"
When he looked at her, Harry immediately noticed that Winky seemed to be looking a lot better than she had been before. "How are you Winky?" Harry asked her.
"Winky is happy to have a new master," the house elf squeaked. "Away from crowds. Winky doesn't like crowds."
"Well, I'll be sure not to make you go anywhere that might have crowds," Harry told her, smiling.
"Master doesn't need to do that for Winky!" Protested the elf. It seemed that with Harry being her 'master' now, her previous attitude towards him was gone.
"I would be happy too, Winky," Harry replied firmly, then turned to Dobby. "What is that you want to be paid?" he asked the elf calmly.
Winky still looked scandalized by this idea, but she said nothing. "Dobby is not really wanting pay from Harry Potter!" The other elf squeaked at him. "As long as Dobby can still wear his own clothes, and can take the occasional day off, Dobby is very happy, Sir!"
Harry smiled down that the overenthusiastic creature. "Of course you can still wear your own clothes," he told the elf.
"Dobby and Winky is going to help with cleaning and preparing for the party now, Master Harry," Winky told Harry, bobbing a slight curtsey. Harry noted that Dumbledore had freed her in the traditional manner – presenting her with clothes.
These clothes actually looked as though they were looked after, and Harry hoped that they would remain that way. It was disconcerting watching the creatures going around in dirty rags.
"Thank you, both," Harry replied, not really knowing what he should say. He was completely unaccustomed to giving any type of order, apart from those he'd made when teaching some of his fellow students Defense Against the Dark Arts the previous year.
The two house elves, however, did not seem notice as they disappeared over the house with sharp cracks. "I think you'll find that they will serve you happily," Dumbledore told Harry softly. "Winky has, it seems, mainly managed to get over her devotion to her former family."
Harry only nodded, then shook himself and smiled at the Headmaster of his school. "Thank you, Albus. I really do appreciate this," he said.
"Nothing to it, child," Dumbledore responded, turning and heading away, just as Ron and Hermione appeared, hurrying downstairs.
"Did I just hear house elves?" Hermione demanded curiously.
"Yeah, Dumbledore brought Dobby and Winky here. Apparently they are here to replace Kreacher," Harry replied.
"That's cool," Ron decided. "Come on, everyone is waiting for you in the living room," he added, betraying the fact that he had taken a slight detour on his way to or from changing clothes.
Harry, however, only nodded in calm acceptance, and the three friends headed for the living room.
When they arrived, there was a fairly large crowd of people waiting to wish Harry a happy birthday, and there was a pile of presents in the centre of the room that more than rivalled anything Dudley had received on any single occasion.
Most of the people were happy to wish Harry a happy birthday and then disappear, until all that remained were the people who Harry was familiar with.
The Weasley twins were looking a little subdued – Harry took it that their mother had given them at least part of a tongue lashing for what they'd done to Ron that morning.
Everyone settled down, forcing Harry to a position near the centre of the room as they began presenting gifts. As this ceremony began, there were way too many people presenting Harry with gifts at once, and, watching, everyone was very quickly reduced to laughter.
When everyone's amusement was curbed, they proceeded to present Harry with presents in a much more dignified and orderly fashion.
The gifts were many and varies, those who did not know him to well gave him little things like lollies, pranks, books, quills and ink.
Alastor Moody presented Harry with a small looking present, and Harry looked up into the retired Aurors grizzled face in surprise. "Open it, Harry," the man told him, chiselled lips curing up into something that might have passed for a smile.
Harry did as he was told, and was rewarded with a leather wand holder which could be fastened to his arm or leg, or simply to his belt. "So that you don't have to put it in your back pocket any more," Moody growled, before leaving the room.
From Hermione, he received a picture of him teaching DA in the room of Requirement. "I asked Colin to take it," she said, smiling slightly.
Harry grinned back, before turning to a present that had apparently been from Remus – a wizards radio.
He tuned in, and almost immediately a song from the Weird Sisters began to play.
Then he was presented with a gift from the Weasley clan as a whole. A beautifully crafted figurine of a black dog, a perfect replica of Sirius's Animagus form, made in pure silver.
Harry hugged all of the Weasley's – he knew what their budget was, and the gift had probably nearly drained their account completely. And then there was the thought behind the gift.
"Thanks guys," he said, having some trouble finding words to express his thanks.
"There is one other gift, from the Order of the Phoenix, but that can wait until after the party," Mrs. Weasley murmured in his ear as she hugged him.
Harry nodded, and Tatsu approached someone turned the music up higher as most of the people began a spirited dance. "My present, too, is waiting until later," Harry's teacher murmured. "You'll get it when you go back to your room."
He was gone again before Harry could say anything in response. Harry shrugged and joined in the dance.
An hour or so later, everyone was completely exhausted and no one could keep dancing any longer, so a few different people began games. One group was playing charades, one truth or dare, another was playing spot-light in the room next door.
Harry wandered from group to group, having the time of his life. None of Dudley's birthday parties could even begin to compare, in Harry's mind.
All too soon the day was done, and the party moved to the kitchen, where Harry was presented with a humongous birthday cake, lit was sixteen candles.
Once the last words to 'Happy Birthday' had been sung, Harry blew the candles out in a breath, acutely remembering that he'd never done this before in his memory.
He did not offer this thought to anyone, knowing it would make his friends angry, and he did not want that emotion at all at his party.
Finally, Harry cut the cake and the gathering cheered. Mrs. Weasley took over the cake cutting and handing out generous slices to everyone.
Eating the cake took some time, as Mrs. Weasley's skill in the kitchen went unrivalled and everyone wanted at least seconds – more than one person came back for fourth helpings, even.
Harry was feeling somewhat bloated after only two, and gave up on eating, simply watching as Fred and George engaged in a cake eating contest while Mrs. Weasley stood by looking disapproving.
When they'd finished the contest (Fred ended up on nine slices of cake, while George just secured a victory on ten), the twins were sent upstairs with potions to settle their stomachs and send them to sleep.
Harry looked around him at all of the Order. While his blood family was dead, he knew that the family of his heart was standing around him, laughing and enjoying themselves.
Dumbledore had been absent through most of the day, attending some sort of meeting with the Ministry of Magic, and when he returned the Order of the Phoenix would present Harry with it's birthday gift.
Harry had a feeling that it would be incredibly spectacular.
When Dumbledore showed no signs of appearing immediately, the party was once more moved to the living room where some on the braver (or less full) people, starting a slower, less energetic dance.
Harry took the opportunity to slip away with Tatsu so that the other man could show Harry what he'd brought for him.
With a slight smile and a flourish, Tatsu threw the door open and Harry gaped. Suspending in mid air by some magic spell, Tatsu gift was a proper Japanese Gi – sort of like a fighting garb.
They were black, but on the back was a beautiful embroidered dragon, done in gold thread, caught in mid dive. A smaller representation of a dragon was on the left side of the chest – it was standing on it's back paws, wings spread open and a small spout of fire coming from it's muzzle.
"Dragon is the highest rank in most fighting styles," Tatsu explained. "It is also my mark. Now, I think that Dumbledore has returned, judging by all of the people yelling for you to come down. I think they want to present you with the Order's gift."
Harry grinned at his teacher and bolted from the room, Tatsu following at a more leisurely pace behind him.
Harry burst into the living room, and was immediately swept towards the back yard of the house.
"Now, this present bends the rules a little bit in the rare cases that it is found, and Dumbledore's been at the Ministry persuading them that it's ok," Arthur Weasley explained, then pushed the door open.
Harry hardly prevented himself from yelping in amazed surprise, though he knew that his facial expression was one of complete awe.
***
*smirks* I love leaving cliffies!
~WolfMoon~