an: i know what y'all are thinking: wow, another post! it really isn't all that impressive considering i had written most of this chapter before i updated last night. so, don't go expecting more posts like this. winks
Chapter 24
That summer was the best of Harry's life. Not only was he not spending it with the Dursley's, but he was in America with his godfather and his cousin (the one he actually liked). Kayla took it as her own, personal mission to make sure that Harry enjoyed himself. Now that he didn't have to worry about Voldemort, she wanted him to have the life he never did.
When they had first teleported to Hope's house (Kayla had moved in with her biological mother after a long discussion with her "adoptive-mother"/aunt before she left for England), Kayla and Hope set Sirius and Harry up on the family room floor to sleep. It was late, and they all had major jetlag, so they didn't feel like setting up rooms for them.
The next morning, (well, since their body clocks were all out-of-whack, it was more like late morning) Hope and Kayla insisted on taking Sirius and Harry out to get new clothes, haircuts, and stuff to furnish their rooms. According to Hope, since they were spending the entire summer in America, there was no reason why they couldn't have decorations they liked. However, the first stop of the morning was a haircut salon.
"NO! You can't make me! I happen to like my hair long!" Sirius screamed when Hope informed him in no uncertain terms that he was getting a haircut along with Harry.
"Be that as it may, Sam, you will look better with short hair," Hope informed him, glaring, her hands on her hips in a way reminiscent of Molly Weasley. Harry had to walk off in order to stop laughing. Kayla rolled her eyes and led Harry inside the barbershop to get his own mop trimmed. An hour and a half later, all four came out of the salon with shorter hair: Hope had just gotten her hair trimmed; Kayla got her long, black, curly hair trimmed and had red highlights added; Harry got his mop cut short and spiked with green highlights (the stylist "gave" him some hair-gel and showed him how to do that to his hair); Sirius, arms crossed and sulking, had his hair cut shorter (not as short as Harry's), and it still looked shaggy.
When they all had presentable hair, Hope and Kayla dragged the guys to the local mall. Once there, they dragged Harry and Sirius to store after store, buying them fashionable clothes that actually fit. They also managed to stop at some home goods stores to buy things for the two guest rooms in the house. They needed sheets, bedspreads, and stuff to decorate the walls.
Therefore, only a couple hours later, the two men looked presentable and were each carrying multiple bags with stuff for their rooms. By that time, it was pretty late, so the Americans took their guests for cheap Chinese food. They all had a couple of laughs over the fortunes in the fortune cookies. Harry and Sirius thought that they sounded like something Trelawney would write.
The next day, Sirius and Hope stayed at the home to set up the rooms while Kayla took Harry to the local optometrist for new glasses. After a considerable wait and a long examination, Harry chose a pair of thin silver- wire framed glasses. Additionally, he asked the doctor for some contacts: he decided that it would be easier to play Quidditch if his vision wasn't tied to his reliance on his glasses. He got the normal clear ones, and he also asked for some colored ones: both blue and brown.
When Kayla had finally dragged him out of the optometrists, they decided to walk around for a little before returning to Kayla's home. As they walked past a jewelry store, Harry suddenly stopped short. Kayla turned to him and raised an eyebrow in question.
"How do you think I would look with an earring?" he asked innocently.
Kayla peered at him intently for a minute or two before replying: "I think you could pull off a hoop in your ear. Gold or silver, it wouldn't really matter. Why? Did you want to get one?"
"I think so," he answered. Kayla grabbed his arm and pulled him into the jewelry shop where he did, indeed, get his left ear pierced.
When they finally made it home that afternoon, Sirius and Hope were sitting at the kitchen table and chatting like the good friends they were (after Sirius living as a dog in her room for a year, they were close). They both did a double take when they saw Harry. Then, Sirius began to laugh, saying that Harry finally looked less like a goody-two-shoes and more like a Maurader. When he finally had himself under control, Sirius and Hope led the teens upstairs so that Harry could see his room. The decorations were somewhat of an early birthday present: Harry had picked out the sheets, but he didn't know what they had bought to decorate.
When Harry opened the door, he just stood in the frame for a minute with his mouth hanging open. His bed was in a corner, covered with the red covers he had chosen the day before. His walls had been painted a gold (Sirius thought he would like Gryffindor colors). Around the walls were hanging a variety of posters and pictures: a handful of posters for different Quidditch teams; pictures of himself along with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and/or his other friends; and, other paintings. His firebolt had been placed on a wooden shelf above a bookcase, which contained all of his schoolbooks along with some others that Hope and Sirius thought he would like. Parchment, quills, and ink had been placed on a desk in the corner, and Hedwig's cage had been placed on a stand by the window.
"I take it you like it," Hope commented dryly.
"It's wonderful!" Harry gushed.
"Glad you approve," Sirius smiled.
After Harry deposited all of his newest acquisitions and they ate dinner, Harry sat down at his new desk to write letters to his friends. After debating whom to write to first, Harry finally decided it would be easiest to write Ron's letter first.
Ron,
You wouldn't believe it here! The weird accents are all over the place, man. It is going to take some getting used to. I won't tell you all of what I have been doing so far because I want to surprise you, but I will tell you that my room looks amazing! It is absolutely perfect. I can't wait until you can see it. I miss you guys, but I can't believe I have been missing out on what it has been like to have an actual family, because that is what I have now. You know I have always thought of Sam as the closest thing to a father I have, and Kayla and I have become really close this past year. Besides, although we are cousins, we look enough alike to pass for siblings, twins maybe. And, Hope has become the closest thing to a mother I will ever know (besides yours, of course). Well, tell your family and Malfoy I say hello, will you? How is that working out, by the way? The whole Malfoy staying with you, thing, I mean.
-Harry
PS If you can convince your parents to let you come stay here for a week or so that would be awesome! Hope and Sam said it would be okay./I
When the ink had dried, Harry folded the letter and set it aside. He then wrote to Hermione, saying pretty much the same things he wrote Ron. When that was also folded and set next to Ron, Harry picked up one last piece of parchment and wrote,
Ginny,
You know, I didn't realize how deeply I cared for you until we spent a few days apart. I will apologize now for the ultimate sappiness that follows, but I ask you to bear with me, please. When I first asked you to the ball, it was mainly because I didn't want to go by myself and your brothers were acting all weird and I figured it was easier to go along with what they wanted than argue. Then, while we were dancing, I realized how wonderful you were as yourself. Not as Ron's little sister but as Ginevra Weasley, my date. Then, when we kissed...that was the best moment of my life. As we got to know each other during the rest of the year, I fell more and more in love with you. I know it would be better if I told you to your face, but this way you can't see my blush. If you don't feel the same way, we can go back to being friends I guess... I really miss you, and I would tell you what I have been doing here, but I want it to be a surprise. I hope you like it.
Love,
Harry
PS I asked Ron, but if you help, you should be able to convince your parents to let you two come stay here for a week or so. It would be a lot of fun, and both Hope and Sam say it would be okay.
When that, too, had dried and been folded, Harry grabbed the three pieces of parchment and took them over to Hedwig. "These go to Ron and Ginny at the Burrow, girl. And this goes to Hermione," Harry said as he held up the appropriate letter or letters in turn. He watched her fly off into the sky until she was only a small dot in the sky, then he went to Kayla's room.
He knocked on the open door to let her know he was there as he walked in and looked around. Her walls were a light purple and her bed, which had a wooden frame with shelves and drawers, was covered with a purple and green- patterned sheets. Against a wall were two large bookshelves crammed to bursting. She had a desk in the corner on which sat a computer. A beanbag chair sat in the corner near the bookshelves. On her walls were pictures of her adoptive parents, her friends, and her Quidditch team. When Harry entered, she was sitting at her desk on her computer, but she turned around when he entered.
He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. "So, cousin," he began. "Since you have no problem with the fact that I do magic, I was wondering if there was any place to play Quidditch around here."
Kayla peered at him intently for a moment before answering, "Well...yes, there is. But, I think that if you are going to spend your summer in the States, you are going to spend at least a few weeks as a tourist. I promise we will play Quidditch before your birthday. And, if not, I promise I will take you on July 31 as part of my birthday gift to you. Deal?"
"Fine," Harry grumbled. "So, what are we going to do while I am here? Don't keep me too busy," he added. "I still have summer work to do!"
"I know you do. So do I," Kayla replied. Then, she grinned evilly, "But, as to what we are doing, that is a surprise my friend. Now, go do some of that work you just admitted to having and let me be!" When he left, Kayla typed in the window on her screen: 'So, it's all set? Good.' Then she turned her computer off and picked up the book that was lying on the floor and began to read.
The day dawned bright and early in the Weasley's home in England. Ginny, rubbing sleep from her eyes, ambled downstairs and collapsed at the kitchen table and mumbled a good morning to her mother. She perked up slightly as she began to eat. Although she was the first awake, the rest of the house came down shortly. Bill was in Egypt and Charlie in Romania, but the rest of the family was there, plus Draco who was staying in Bill's old room. If Mrs. Weasley had been surprised that Malfoy was staying with them and being polite about it, she didn't show it. She was ecstatic to have another person around.
As Ginny brought a piece of toast to her mouth, an owl swooped into the room and landed in front of her. Excitedly, Ginny untied the letters from Hedwig's leg and gave her the toast. Tossing Ron his letter, Ginny ran outside to read hers in peace. She didn't know what was in it, and she didn't especially want her family or Draco to read it or see her reaction to it. Her hair flying wildly behind her, Ginny didn't stop until she reached the edge of the forest where she climbed a tree. She had been climbing this tree since she could walk because she had learned when she was young that to hide from her brothers meant going someplace they wouldn't think of. As she got older, she just climbed when she wanted quiet.
When she was comfortable, Ginny carefully broke the seal and opened the letter. As she read, she began to blush slightly, very glad that she waited until she got outside to read the letter. She smiled slightly as she read the postscript. She climbed back down and headed back into the house and up to her room where she wrote Harry a reply.
Over the next few weeks, Kayla (along with Jason) took Harry around to do "normal tourist things." While it wasn't Quidditch, Harry admitted it was fun. Jason and Kayla had planned it all over the computer that one night Harry walked into her room. They took him to a baseball game, an amusement park, a pool, movies, the mall, etc. They even took him to a beech a couple times (they teleported and stuff). By the time Harry's birthday rolled around, he actually felt like a "normal" teenager doing normal things.
On The 31st of July, Kayla woke Harry at an ungodly early morning. "Get dressed. Quidditch. Now," she told him before leaving his room. At the word "Quidditch" Harry's eyes had snapped open, and when his cousin left, he quickly changed, put on his new brown contacts, and grabbed his broomstick from its shelf, and went downstairs where Kayla and Jason were already waiting for him. After he ate a perfunctory breakfast, she grabbed Harry's arm and a box and they all teleported to a Quidditch field.
"This is part of my school, but it is open to the 'public' during the summer. So we can use it if we want," she explained. "We're just waiting for the others, they should be here in a moment." And, soon enough, the other musketeers appeared. They all did a double take when they saw Harry since they hadn't seen him since they left Hogwarts. However, they expressed their approval quickly and everyone was in the air in a flash. They did not have any clear teams and weren't really keeping score. Both Harry and Kayla were playing seeker and so there was no keeper. If one of them caught the snitch, he or she would let it go and they would chase after it again.
Around noon, they all landed and Kayla unpacked what was in the box she had brought with them: lunch. She had packed sandwiches, chips, and drinks for them all. After they ate, they were back up in the air and playing. When the sun's rays were hitting the tops of the trees, the seven of them landed and prepared to head back to Kayla's house.
They all teleported to the front yard and Kayla pulled Harry with her as she pulled open the front door. "SURPRISE!" shouted a room full of guests as soon as they saw Harry. The startled boy-who-lived glanced around at everybody before smiling. Then, he went in search of a certain redheaded female. On the way, of course, no less than 10 people who wished him happy birthday, including all of the other Weasley's, stopped him.
Finally, he managed to make it into the kitchen, where the elusive 15-year- old had been standing. Ginny had been unsure of whether Harry would feel the same in person as he had in his letters. So, she had been waiting in the kitchen, hoping he would find her. She was just wondering if she had gotten her hopes up for nothing when a tall boy with black hair with green highlights and brown contacts walked into the room. He walked over to her and whispered, "Hello, Ginevra," before kissing her softly on the mouth.
Startled, Ginny took a step back and barely restrained the urge to slap this strange person. "Do I know you?" she asked snottily, instead.
The other began to laugh and responded, "Don't you recognize me? I told you I had a surprise for you. Do you like the new look?"
"Harry?!?!" Ginny gasped. "You look...different. But, yes, I like it. Shame on you for startling me, though."
He only laughed and kissed her again. "So, why are you hiding in here, anyways?"
She looked down and blushed. "I was afraid you wouldn't want to see me," she mumbled.
Harry put his fingers under her chin and lifted it so that he could look into her eyes. "I meant every last word I said in those letters, Ginevra. I like you. A lot. I would be willing to say that I love you, but I don't really know what love is. So few people in my life have said that they loved me. I am willing to work on it, though. So, are you willing to give me a chance?"
Ginny's eyes clouded over and she nodded mutely. Then, hand-in-hand, the two of them left the kitchen and joined the party. Later, Harry couldn't help but admit that it was the best birthday he had ever had. Not only had he not had the knowledge that an evil psychopath was after him, but also he was able to spend it with those he liked. As an added bonus, he received a lot of nice gifts.
From Ron he got a book entitled Greatest Wizards of the 20th Century. When he opened the cover, he saw an inscription in his best-friend's handwriting: Harry- When you get the chance, you might want to read page 212. I think you will find it amusing, mate. He set the book aside to read later. From Hermione, he received a pair of Seeker's gloves. They were really similar to archer's gloves in that they didn't have fingertips, and the palms had grips. They would not only keep his hands warm in the winter but would also prevent him from losing his grip. From Kayla, he received a book of Seeker's plays. On the inside she wrote: Cousin- I took the liberty of commenting on the moves inside these pages. I didn't think you would mind too much. You should know that I haven't shared these plays with anyone else and that you should be careful who you let see them so that they don't fall into the wrong hands. You might also consider asking Sam or the twins (Weasley) for a charm or spell to prevent spies. Ginny gave him a basilisk pendent that was looped on a leather cord. In her note she wrote: I know that I can never thank you for saving my life in first year. I just wanted to let you know that I do appreciate it. I have been saving money for years to be able to afford this. I have one, too, and I have charmed them so that if the wearer of one were to be in trouble, the other would know it. Harry also received gifts from the other Weasley's (homemade fudge and a box of Fred and George's latest jokes), from the rest of the musketeers (a beautiful long sword), and from all of his other friends who had come to wish him a happy birthday (including Draco). All in all, he was happy.
It turned out that Mrs. Weasley let her children and Draco spend the week after Harry's party in America. Hermione came, too. During this time, the musketeers and Harry took them all over the place. They enjoyed a crash course in American culture. Then, they took them to Bridgeton's Quidditch pitch for some games/training. However, before everyone knew it, the week was up and they all (except Harry and the musketeers) had to return to England to their families.
Before they left, Fred and George said that if their joke shop took off in England, they would think about opening a branch in the states. Everyone thought it was just so that George would have an excuse to hang around with Tori, but no one said anything. Until that point, they were going to try a long-distance relationship and one or the other would apparate/teleport across the ocean for visits.
After they left, Harry settled into a routine of homework and doing things with Kayla and the other musketeers. Before they knew it, summer had ended and everyone was preparing to return to school. After they all said goodbye, Harry promised to return for the Christmas Holiday, and he teleported (they had taught him how over the break) to Platform 9 and 3/4.
Chapter 24
That summer was the best of Harry's life. Not only was he not spending it with the Dursley's, but he was in America with his godfather and his cousin (the one he actually liked). Kayla took it as her own, personal mission to make sure that Harry enjoyed himself. Now that he didn't have to worry about Voldemort, she wanted him to have the life he never did.
When they had first teleported to Hope's house (Kayla had moved in with her biological mother after a long discussion with her "adoptive-mother"/aunt before she left for England), Kayla and Hope set Sirius and Harry up on the family room floor to sleep. It was late, and they all had major jetlag, so they didn't feel like setting up rooms for them.
The next morning, (well, since their body clocks were all out-of-whack, it was more like late morning) Hope and Kayla insisted on taking Sirius and Harry out to get new clothes, haircuts, and stuff to furnish their rooms. According to Hope, since they were spending the entire summer in America, there was no reason why they couldn't have decorations they liked. However, the first stop of the morning was a haircut salon.
"NO! You can't make me! I happen to like my hair long!" Sirius screamed when Hope informed him in no uncertain terms that he was getting a haircut along with Harry.
"Be that as it may, Sam, you will look better with short hair," Hope informed him, glaring, her hands on her hips in a way reminiscent of Molly Weasley. Harry had to walk off in order to stop laughing. Kayla rolled her eyes and led Harry inside the barbershop to get his own mop trimmed. An hour and a half later, all four came out of the salon with shorter hair: Hope had just gotten her hair trimmed; Kayla got her long, black, curly hair trimmed and had red highlights added; Harry got his mop cut short and spiked with green highlights (the stylist "gave" him some hair-gel and showed him how to do that to his hair); Sirius, arms crossed and sulking, had his hair cut shorter (not as short as Harry's), and it still looked shaggy.
When they all had presentable hair, Hope and Kayla dragged the guys to the local mall. Once there, they dragged Harry and Sirius to store after store, buying them fashionable clothes that actually fit. They also managed to stop at some home goods stores to buy things for the two guest rooms in the house. They needed sheets, bedspreads, and stuff to decorate the walls.
Therefore, only a couple hours later, the two men looked presentable and were each carrying multiple bags with stuff for their rooms. By that time, it was pretty late, so the Americans took their guests for cheap Chinese food. They all had a couple of laughs over the fortunes in the fortune cookies. Harry and Sirius thought that they sounded like something Trelawney would write.
The next day, Sirius and Hope stayed at the home to set up the rooms while Kayla took Harry to the local optometrist for new glasses. After a considerable wait and a long examination, Harry chose a pair of thin silver- wire framed glasses. Additionally, he asked the doctor for some contacts: he decided that it would be easier to play Quidditch if his vision wasn't tied to his reliance on his glasses. He got the normal clear ones, and he also asked for some colored ones: both blue and brown.
When Kayla had finally dragged him out of the optometrists, they decided to walk around for a little before returning to Kayla's home. As they walked past a jewelry store, Harry suddenly stopped short. Kayla turned to him and raised an eyebrow in question.
"How do you think I would look with an earring?" he asked innocently.
Kayla peered at him intently for a minute or two before replying: "I think you could pull off a hoop in your ear. Gold or silver, it wouldn't really matter. Why? Did you want to get one?"
"I think so," he answered. Kayla grabbed his arm and pulled him into the jewelry shop where he did, indeed, get his left ear pierced.
When they finally made it home that afternoon, Sirius and Hope were sitting at the kitchen table and chatting like the good friends they were (after Sirius living as a dog in her room for a year, they were close). They both did a double take when they saw Harry. Then, Sirius began to laugh, saying that Harry finally looked less like a goody-two-shoes and more like a Maurader. When he finally had himself under control, Sirius and Hope led the teens upstairs so that Harry could see his room. The decorations were somewhat of an early birthday present: Harry had picked out the sheets, but he didn't know what they had bought to decorate.
When Harry opened the door, he just stood in the frame for a minute with his mouth hanging open. His bed was in a corner, covered with the red covers he had chosen the day before. His walls had been painted a gold (Sirius thought he would like Gryffindor colors). Around the walls were hanging a variety of posters and pictures: a handful of posters for different Quidditch teams; pictures of himself along with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and/or his other friends; and, other paintings. His firebolt had been placed on a wooden shelf above a bookcase, which contained all of his schoolbooks along with some others that Hope and Sirius thought he would like. Parchment, quills, and ink had been placed on a desk in the corner, and Hedwig's cage had been placed on a stand by the window.
"I take it you like it," Hope commented dryly.
"It's wonderful!" Harry gushed.
"Glad you approve," Sirius smiled.
After Harry deposited all of his newest acquisitions and they ate dinner, Harry sat down at his new desk to write letters to his friends. After debating whom to write to first, Harry finally decided it would be easiest to write Ron's letter first.
Ron,
You wouldn't believe it here! The weird accents are all over the place, man. It is going to take some getting used to. I won't tell you all of what I have been doing so far because I want to surprise you, but I will tell you that my room looks amazing! It is absolutely perfect. I can't wait until you can see it. I miss you guys, but I can't believe I have been missing out on what it has been like to have an actual family, because that is what I have now. You know I have always thought of Sam as the closest thing to a father I have, and Kayla and I have become really close this past year. Besides, although we are cousins, we look enough alike to pass for siblings, twins maybe. And, Hope has become the closest thing to a mother I will ever know (besides yours, of course). Well, tell your family and Malfoy I say hello, will you? How is that working out, by the way? The whole Malfoy staying with you, thing, I mean.
-Harry
PS If you can convince your parents to let you come stay here for a week or so that would be awesome! Hope and Sam said it would be okay./I
When the ink had dried, Harry folded the letter and set it aside. He then wrote to Hermione, saying pretty much the same things he wrote Ron. When that was also folded and set next to Ron, Harry picked up one last piece of parchment and wrote,
Ginny,
You know, I didn't realize how deeply I cared for you until we spent a few days apart. I will apologize now for the ultimate sappiness that follows, but I ask you to bear with me, please. When I first asked you to the ball, it was mainly because I didn't want to go by myself and your brothers were acting all weird and I figured it was easier to go along with what they wanted than argue. Then, while we were dancing, I realized how wonderful you were as yourself. Not as Ron's little sister but as Ginevra Weasley, my date. Then, when we kissed...that was the best moment of my life. As we got to know each other during the rest of the year, I fell more and more in love with you. I know it would be better if I told you to your face, but this way you can't see my blush. If you don't feel the same way, we can go back to being friends I guess... I really miss you, and I would tell you what I have been doing here, but I want it to be a surprise. I hope you like it.
Love,
Harry
PS I asked Ron, but if you help, you should be able to convince your parents to let you two come stay here for a week or so. It would be a lot of fun, and both Hope and Sam say it would be okay.
When that, too, had dried and been folded, Harry grabbed the three pieces of parchment and took them over to Hedwig. "These go to Ron and Ginny at the Burrow, girl. And this goes to Hermione," Harry said as he held up the appropriate letter or letters in turn. He watched her fly off into the sky until she was only a small dot in the sky, then he went to Kayla's room.
He knocked on the open door to let her know he was there as he walked in and looked around. Her walls were a light purple and her bed, which had a wooden frame with shelves and drawers, was covered with a purple and green- patterned sheets. Against a wall were two large bookshelves crammed to bursting. She had a desk in the corner on which sat a computer. A beanbag chair sat in the corner near the bookshelves. On her walls were pictures of her adoptive parents, her friends, and her Quidditch team. When Harry entered, she was sitting at her desk on her computer, but she turned around when he entered.
He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. "So, cousin," he began. "Since you have no problem with the fact that I do magic, I was wondering if there was any place to play Quidditch around here."
Kayla peered at him intently for a moment before answering, "Well...yes, there is. But, I think that if you are going to spend your summer in the States, you are going to spend at least a few weeks as a tourist. I promise we will play Quidditch before your birthday. And, if not, I promise I will take you on July 31 as part of my birthday gift to you. Deal?"
"Fine," Harry grumbled. "So, what are we going to do while I am here? Don't keep me too busy," he added. "I still have summer work to do!"
"I know you do. So do I," Kayla replied. Then, she grinned evilly, "But, as to what we are doing, that is a surprise my friend. Now, go do some of that work you just admitted to having and let me be!" When he left, Kayla typed in the window on her screen: 'So, it's all set? Good.' Then she turned her computer off and picked up the book that was lying on the floor and began to read.
The day dawned bright and early in the Weasley's home in England. Ginny, rubbing sleep from her eyes, ambled downstairs and collapsed at the kitchen table and mumbled a good morning to her mother. She perked up slightly as she began to eat. Although she was the first awake, the rest of the house came down shortly. Bill was in Egypt and Charlie in Romania, but the rest of the family was there, plus Draco who was staying in Bill's old room. If Mrs. Weasley had been surprised that Malfoy was staying with them and being polite about it, she didn't show it. She was ecstatic to have another person around.
As Ginny brought a piece of toast to her mouth, an owl swooped into the room and landed in front of her. Excitedly, Ginny untied the letters from Hedwig's leg and gave her the toast. Tossing Ron his letter, Ginny ran outside to read hers in peace. She didn't know what was in it, and she didn't especially want her family or Draco to read it or see her reaction to it. Her hair flying wildly behind her, Ginny didn't stop until she reached the edge of the forest where she climbed a tree. She had been climbing this tree since she could walk because she had learned when she was young that to hide from her brothers meant going someplace they wouldn't think of. As she got older, she just climbed when she wanted quiet.
When she was comfortable, Ginny carefully broke the seal and opened the letter. As she read, she began to blush slightly, very glad that she waited until she got outside to read the letter. She smiled slightly as she read the postscript. She climbed back down and headed back into the house and up to her room where she wrote Harry a reply.
Over the next few weeks, Kayla (along with Jason) took Harry around to do "normal tourist things." While it wasn't Quidditch, Harry admitted it was fun. Jason and Kayla had planned it all over the computer that one night Harry walked into her room. They took him to a baseball game, an amusement park, a pool, movies, the mall, etc. They even took him to a beech a couple times (they teleported and stuff). By the time Harry's birthday rolled around, he actually felt like a "normal" teenager doing normal things.
On The 31st of July, Kayla woke Harry at an ungodly early morning. "Get dressed. Quidditch. Now," she told him before leaving his room. At the word "Quidditch" Harry's eyes had snapped open, and when his cousin left, he quickly changed, put on his new brown contacts, and grabbed his broomstick from its shelf, and went downstairs where Kayla and Jason were already waiting for him. After he ate a perfunctory breakfast, she grabbed Harry's arm and a box and they all teleported to a Quidditch field.
"This is part of my school, but it is open to the 'public' during the summer. So we can use it if we want," she explained. "We're just waiting for the others, they should be here in a moment." And, soon enough, the other musketeers appeared. They all did a double take when they saw Harry since they hadn't seen him since they left Hogwarts. However, they expressed their approval quickly and everyone was in the air in a flash. They did not have any clear teams and weren't really keeping score. Both Harry and Kayla were playing seeker and so there was no keeper. If one of them caught the snitch, he or she would let it go and they would chase after it again.
Around noon, they all landed and Kayla unpacked what was in the box she had brought with them: lunch. She had packed sandwiches, chips, and drinks for them all. After they ate, they were back up in the air and playing. When the sun's rays were hitting the tops of the trees, the seven of them landed and prepared to head back to Kayla's house.
They all teleported to the front yard and Kayla pulled Harry with her as she pulled open the front door. "SURPRISE!" shouted a room full of guests as soon as they saw Harry. The startled boy-who-lived glanced around at everybody before smiling. Then, he went in search of a certain redheaded female. On the way, of course, no less than 10 people who wished him happy birthday, including all of the other Weasley's, stopped him.
Finally, he managed to make it into the kitchen, where the elusive 15-year- old had been standing. Ginny had been unsure of whether Harry would feel the same in person as he had in his letters. So, she had been waiting in the kitchen, hoping he would find her. She was just wondering if she had gotten her hopes up for nothing when a tall boy with black hair with green highlights and brown contacts walked into the room. He walked over to her and whispered, "Hello, Ginevra," before kissing her softly on the mouth.
Startled, Ginny took a step back and barely restrained the urge to slap this strange person. "Do I know you?" she asked snottily, instead.
The other began to laugh and responded, "Don't you recognize me? I told you I had a surprise for you. Do you like the new look?"
"Harry?!?!" Ginny gasped. "You look...different. But, yes, I like it. Shame on you for startling me, though."
He only laughed and kissed her again. "So, why are you hiding in here, anyways?"
She looked down and blushed. "I was afraid you wouldn't want to see me," she mumbled.
Harry put his fingers under her chin and lifted it so that he could look into her eyes. "I meant every last word I said in those letters, Ginevra. I like you. A lot. I would be willing to say that I love you, but I don't really know what love is. So few people in my life have said that they loved me. I am willing to work on it, though. So, are you willing to give me a chance?"
Ginny's eyes clouded over and she nodded mutely. Then, hand-in-hand, the two of them left the kitchen and joined the party. Later, Harry couldn't help but admit that it was the best birthday he had ever had. Not only had he not had the knowledge that an evil psychopath was after him, but also he was able to spend it with those he liked. As an added bonus, he received a lot of nice gifts.
From Ron he got a book entitled Greatest Wizards of the 20th Century. When he opened the cover, he saw an inscription in his best-friend's handwriting: Harry- When you get the chance, you might want to read page 212. I think you will find it amusing, mate. He set the book aside to read later. From Hermione, he received a pair of Seeker's gloves. They were really similar to archer's gloves in that they didn't have fingertips, and the palms had grips. They would not only keep his hands warm in the winter but would also prevent him from losing his grip. From Kayla, he received a book of Seeker's plays. On the inside she wrote: Cousin- I took the liberty of commenting on the moves inside these pages. I didn't think you would mind too much. You should know that I haven't shared these plays with anyone else and that you should be careful who you let see them so that they don't fall into the wrong hands. You might also consider asking Sam or the twins (Weasley) for a charm or spell to prevent spies. Ginny gave him a basilisk pendent that was looped on a leather cord. In her note she wrote: I know that I can never thank you for saving my life in first year. I just wanted to let you know that I do appreciate it. I have been saving money for years to be able to afford this. I have one, too, and I have charmed them so that if the wearer of one were to be in trouble, the other would know it. Harry also received gifts from the other Weasley's (homemade fudge and a box of Fred and George's latest jokes), from the rest of the musketeers (a beautiful long sword), and from all of his other friends who had come to wish him a happy birthday (including Draco). All in all, he was happy.
It turned out that Mrs. Weasley let her children and Draco spend the week after Harry's party in America. Hermione came, too. During this time, the musketeers and Harry took them all over the place. They enjoyed a crash course in American culture. Then, they took them to Bridgeton's Quidditch pitch for some games/training. However, before everyone knew it, the week was up and they all (except Harry and the musketeers) had to return to England to their families.
Before they left, Fred and George said that if their joke shop took off in England, they would think about opening a branch in the states. Everyone thought it was just so that George would have an excuse to hang around with Tori, but no one said anything. Until that point, they were going to try a long-distance relationship and one or the other would apparate/teleport across the ocean for visits.
After they left, Harry settled into a routine of homework and doing things with Kayla and the other musketeers. Before they knew it, summer had ended and everyone was preparing to return to school. After they all said goodbye, Harry promised to return for the Christmas Holiday, and he teleported (they had taught him how over the break) to Platform 9 and 3/4.