The Birthday Party
"Happy Birthday!" Cried Persephone as Hermione padded into the kitchen that morning. Hermione giggled and looked at her mum who held her arms open for Hermione to get into them. Persephone hugged her daughter.
"Hey did someone say the birthday girl was in here?" Harry put his head around the door. Hermione looked at him and smiled "Hey Dad".
"Hey my birthday girl!" he picked her up and hugged her tightly.
"Okay Dad! Put me down now I'm not two!" Harry laughed and placed his daughter on the floor "Your not too old to be hugged by your Dad are you?"
She crinkled her nose but shook her head. "Mione, mione" cried a little voice who had just entered the room on her brother's back. There in the doorway stood the two seven-year-old twins, Sirius and Cole and on Sirius's back the little face of India peered over her brother's shoulders. "Hey baby girl," Hermione said holding her arms out to take her from Sirius.
"Happy birthday Mione" India said smiling, "I made you a card, go see, go see!" Hermione giggled and nodded her head padding through to the living room. There she was met with a banner, which read "Happy Birthday Hermione" and a collection of presents. She smiled with delight.
Putting India on the floor India walked to where her card was and thrust it into Hermione's hand. "Wow this is really good did you make this all by yourself?"
India nodded proudly. Hermione whispered in her ear "I can tell it's going to be my favourite!" India giggled and clapped her hands proudly.
"Hermione open the presents... come on... I want breakfast!" Cole and Sirius said together and simultaneously glared at each other for "copying".
Harry put his arm around Persephone's shoulders squeezing them gently. Hermione opened present after present. Until she reached the last one gently unwrapping it she took out a wand. She stared at it in awe "Can I?" she looked excitedly towards Harry. "Can I Dad?"
He nodded coming towards his daughter. He showed her how to hold it and instructed her how to pronounce the charm "Wingardium Leveosa and swish and flick." She nodded and she attempted to make one of her cards float. On the third attempt she managed it and grinning broadly at her Dad she said, "that was so cool! But I thought I would get to go to Diagon Alley to get my wand?"
Harry looked at her "I thought this wand would take to you. It's Hermione's old wand, it was used in the final battle with Lord Voldemort, I bet none of the other kid's will have one with quite a tale attached to it!"
"I thought wands only had one owner?" Hermione enquired.
"So did I but I guess this is the exception, do you like it?"
Hermione nodded enthusiastically "It's the best wand I could ever have gotten." Harry smiled glad that it was the case.
"Oh and before I forget" Persephone said reaching behind her back to produce a letter "this came this morning". Hermione ran to her mum to open the letter, "Look Dad, look! I'm going to Hogwarts, I'm really going," She told him. Harry nodded his head. "Yes, yes you are I hope I won't cramp your style too much!" Hermione giggled and hugged her Dad. "You couldn't you're the best dad in the world" Harry laughed n ruffled her hair. "You missy are too good at sweet talking your old man!"
"Can we have breakfast now mum?" The green eyes of Cole asked. She laughed, "Come on then!"
"Hello" came a voice that afternoon. Hermione sprang up and raced to the door where she knew her Uncle Ron would be standing. "Uncle Ron!" she said excitedly and jumped into his arms for a hug.
"How is my niece this afternoon?" He put her down and circled her, she rolled her eyes, this was a yearly tradition and she knew what was coming next "you look older today, any idea why?"
"Well it is my birthday could that be it?" she played along.
"Is it really? Well that's what these will be for then!" From behind his back he produced a bag full of presents. "For my gorgeous niece and Goddaughter!"
She laughed and behind her she was completely taken off guard when Oliver wrapped his arms around her middle "How is my girl today?"
She turned around "Eleven" she replied smartly stepping away from him.
He stuck his tongue out at her "obviously" they stood looking at each other and then couldn't help but laugh "Happy Birthday Mione" Oliver said. He swept her up in a hug. As they had practically been best friends all their lives this wasn't unusual but every time they were together her Mum and Ron would share a secret smile as if they knew a secret they didn't. For them they were now both eleven and were eagerly waiting for their first year at Hogwarts.
Aunty Luna entered with the baby Lily. "Happy birthday dear" she addressed Hermione serenely kissing her forehead. Hermione smiled at her Godmother, Luna and Ron weren't really her Aunt and Uncle they were old school friends of her Dad who had fought in the DA and against Voldemort. Yet from the day she was born she had been part of this makeshift family, and both Luna and Ron were her godparents along with Ginny and Dumbledore. Oliver was her best friend he had been born just two months before her when Ron had been twenty. Uncle Ron looked at her sometimes especially when she was reading as though he was remembering a completely different lifetime and she knew he was. Uncle Ron always tells her how much like Hermione she is, the love of his life. A lot of the time she knew she was the person that kept Hermione alive for both her Uncle and her own Dad, even though they both had their own lives they missed her deeply. Oliver who touched her arm gently "you going to open your presents then?" snapped her out of her thoughts. She laughed and nodded.
Harry came out of the kitchen "I thought I heard trouble" he said addressing Oliver who he hugged. "Hey Ron my old pal" he shook Ron's hand and was pulled into a hug. He kissed Luna gently on the cheek. Persephone and the others soon came out on the landing to say hello and fuss over baby Lilly.
"You wouldn't think it was my birthday would you?" Hermione said half jokingly half not.
Oliver chuckled "you're a grown up now you don't get to sulk remember?"
"I'm not sulking I'm simply observing" she looked at him smiling now.
"Ahh of course how could I not have gotten that?" He gently asked her.
She shrugged her shoulders "cause you're a loser" she joked.
"So are you loser" he shot back smiling.
The last of the partygoers arrived about an hour later and strolled into the room. Her Aunty Ginny and Uncle Paris who really were her Aunt and Uncle came with their twins Isabella and Ishmael. Dumbledore, Remus, Alastair, Tonks and Mr and Mrs Weasley Molly and Arthur, the twins Fred and George and Neville apparated in soon afterwards. The Lestrange twins were the same age as Oliver and Hermione and the four of them had been thick as thieves since they could talk. "Hey birthday girl" Ishmael greeted her and Isabella hugged her. Again the same ritual took place as Hermione got more gifts and then they ate and danced and sung happy birthday. At nine o'clock everyone was tired Lilly had fallen asleep in India's room about two hours ago and India had soon followed. The Potter twins had drifted off about an hour ago and the adults had gone out to the garden while the remaining four children talked about the upcoming year and the trip to Hogwarts.
"Albus could I have a word?" Harry asked his old headmaster "This hardly seems the place to discuss such things but I'm worried."
Dumbledore stood listening calmly to a string of disappearances and strange occurrences. He finally nodded and turned towards him "such things have not gone unnoticed Harry, believe me, you and I Harry are a dying breed, I am a very old man and soon I will have to leave Hogwarts to go into retirement, I wish to recommend you as our new headmaster and Ron as the replacement DADA teacher. At least then there will be a few of the old crowd left who remember what happened, of course I'll keep in touch but I'm not the wizard I once was, I've carried my fight and on most occasions I have won. But enough, you were right this is not the place but I must say I am relieved that someone else has noticed I was starting to think they were just the delusions of an old man who is rather unsuited for this life." He chuckled softly.
"I would be honoured but not so sure I could successfully fill your place Albus for all my life I have known Hogwarts to only been governed by one man, the greatest wizard in the world, that is not vain praise simply the truth, simply the truth." He looked at Albus Dumbledore the man who had supported him when the world refused to believe him, the father whose mistakes still haunt him because of the fall of Sirius, the fall of countless others and of course the one that hurt Harry the most, even more than Sirius, the fall of Hermione Granger, and as he looked at him he felt love for the man before him that of a son for a father.
"Ah, my boy you are Harry Potter" Dumbledore smiled at him "you are the boy who lived, that is a legacy that will far outlive mine."
"You are right Albus I am Harry Potter and of all my accolades the one I cherish the most is that of my quidditch career and for the birthday of my little girl I think there should be a quidditch match don't you?"
Harry called into the house, which brought the four children out, informing them of the match Hermione lit up with glee, she loved to fly and she loved quidditch. Both of her parents had been on their house teams and she was going to try out for her house team even though your not meant to until your older, her father had broken that tradition.
"Hermione and I will be captains and of course respective seekers, pick your team Hermione." She smiled and picked Oliver who was an awesome keeper, Tonks, Remus, Ron as chasers and Isabella and Ishmael as her two beaters. On Harry's team were Fred and George as beaters, Persephone, Alastair and Arthur Weasley as chasers and Neville as the goalkeeper. It was agreed that Dumbledore would referee.
Hermione kicked off from the ground and started to circle the garden for the snitch, she had been taught how to fly since she could walk and she had played quidditch with her dad and mum and the other family members since she was six. She was a natural or so her father said, she felt more at ease on a broom than on foot, up here she was in control and she knew how to use it. She had memorised all the moves since she had been little and hoping to fool her dad she dived into a wronski faint, she looked across seeing Harry had taken the bait and as soon as she saw this she leant towards the ground willing her broom to go faster and at the last second she used all her weight even standing on the broom to level out and fly off. Her dad had not been the greatest seeker England had ever had for nothing and he pulled out of the faint with ease but he smiled at her shouting his praise. As the game continued Oliver had made a few blinding saves and they were leading 60 – 40. Then she saw it just across the garden and she dived, her dad followed as she had hoped and then she pulled out rolling over her dad and back towards the snitch, she was thrilled she had just executed a perfect barrel roll to give her an advantage, her dad was quick and he was the best, he also wasn't into letting her win without her producing something amazing. She felt her hand reach out and clutch the snitch and she heard the whistle blow. As she descended Oliver came bounding up to her "that was wow, I mean you usually are but wow, did Uncle Harry teach you that? "
She nodded grinning "we've been practising it because I complained that he was too quick and he showed me how to outwit a faster broom, never got it quite right though until then." She was exhilarated and she was breathing hard.
Her Dad came over grinning broadly "amazing amazing just like we talked about!" he lifted her up "you are going to be the star of your house team!"
Then Hermione said something that was unexpected of a victorious eleven year old "But you know I couldn't achieve that without my team, Oliver was amazing did you see those saves?"
Oliver blushed under her praise and Dumbledore smiled at the unselfishness of his Goddaughter. Harry nodded "indeed you four will be the talk of your house team I hope you're in Gryfindor because we will have the best quidditch team for the last half a century. With that they walked inside the children going to bed eagerly anticipating their trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow.
"Happy Birthday!" Cried Persephone as Hermione padded into the kitchen that morning. Hermione giggled and looked at her mum who held her arms open for Hermione to get into them. Persephone hugged her daughter.
"Hey did someone say the birthday girl was in here?" Harry put his head around the door. Hermione looked at him and smiled "Hey Dad".
"Hey my birthday girl!" he picked her up and hugged her tightly.
"Okay Dad! Put me down now I'm not two!" Harry laughed and placed his daughter on the floor "Your not too old to be hugged by your Dad are you?"
She crinkled her nose but shook her head. "Mione, mione" cried a little voice who had just entered the room on her brother's back. There in the doorway stood the two seven-year-old twins, Sirius and Cole and on Sirius's back the little face of India peered over her brother's shoulders. "Hey baby girl," Hermione said holding her arms out to take her from Sirius.
"Happy birthday Mione" India said smiling, "I made you a card, go see, go see!" Hermione giggled and nodded her head padding through to the living room. There she was met with a banner, which read "Happy Birthday Hermione" and a collection of presents. She smiled with delight.
Putting India on the floor India walked to where her card was and thrust it into Hermione's hand. "Wow this is really good did you make this all by yourself?"
India nodded proudly. Hermione whispered in her ear "I can tell it's going to be my favourite!" India giggled and clapped her hands proudly.
"Hermione open the presents... come on... I want breakfast!" Cole and Sirius said together and simultaneously glared at each other for "copying".
Harry put his arm around Persephone's shoulders squeezing them gently. Hermione opened present after present. Until she reached the last one gently unwrapping it she took out a wand. She stared at it in awe "Can I?" she looked excitedly towards Harry. "Can I Dad?"
He nodded coming towards his daughter. He showed her how to hold it and instructed her how to pronounce the charm "Wingardium Leveosa and swish and flick." She nodded and she attempted to make one of her cards float. On the third attempt she managed it and grinning broadly at her Dad she said, "that was so cool! But I thought I would get to go to Diagon Alley to get my wand?"
Harry looked at her "I thought this wand would take to you. It's Hermione's old wand, it was used in the final battle with Lord Voldemort, I bet none of the other kid's will have one with quite a tale attached to it!"
"I thought wands only had one owner?" Hermione enquired.
"So did I but I guess this is the exception, do you like it?"
Hermione nodded enthusiastically "It's the best wand I could ever have gotten." Harry smiled glad that it was the case.
"Oh and before I forget" Persephone said reaching behind her back to produce a letter "this came this morning". Hermione ran to her mum to open the letter, "Look Dad, look! I'm going to Hogwarts, I'm really going," She told him. Harry nodded his head. "Yes, yes you are I hope I won't cramp your style too much!" Hermione giggled and hugged her Dad. "You couldn't you're the best dad in the world" Harry laughed n ruffled her hair. "You missy are too good at sweet talking your old man!"
"Can we have breakfast now mum?" The green eyes of Cole asked. She laughed, "Come on then!"
"Hello" came a voice that afternoon. Hermione sprang up and raced to the door where she knew her Uncle Ron would be standing. "Uncle Ron!" she said excitedly and jumped into his arms for a hug.
"How is my niece this afternoon?" He put her down and circled her, she rolled her eyes, this was a yearly tradition and she knew what was coming next "you look older today, any idea why?"
"Well it is my birthday could that be it?" she played along.
"Is it really? Well that's what these will be for then!" From behind his back he produced a bag full of presents. "For my gorgeous niece and Goddaughter!"
She laughed and behind her she was completely taken off guard when Oliver wrapped his arms around her middle "How is my girl today?"
She turned around "Eleven" she replied smartly stepping away from him.
He stuck his tongue out at her "obviously" they stood looking at each other and then couldn't help but laugh "Happy Birthday Mione" Oliver said. He swept her up in a hug. As they had practically been best friends all their lives this wasn't unusual but every time they were together her Mum and Ron would share a secret smile as if they knew a secret they didn't. For them they were now both eleven and were eagerly waiting for their first year at Hogwarts.
Aunty Luna entered with the baby Lily. "Happy birthday dear" she addressed Hermione serenely kissing her forehead. Hermione smiled at her Godmother, Luna and Ron weren't really her Aunt and Uncle they were old school friends of her Dad who had fought in the DA and against Voldemort. Yet from the day she was born she had been part of this makeshift family, and both Luna and Ron were her godparents along with Ginny and Dumbledore. Oliver was her best friend he had been born just two months before her when Ron had been twenty. Uncle Ron looked at her sometimes especially when she was reading as though he was remembering a completely different lifetime and she knew he was. Uncle Ron always tells her how much like Hermione she is, the love of his life. A lot of the time she knew she was the person that kept Hermione alive for both her Uncle and her own Dad, even though they both had their own lives they missed her deeply. Oliver who touched her arm gently "you going to open your presents then?" snapped her out of her thoughts. She laughed and nodded.
Harry came out of the kitchen "I thought I heard trouble" he said addressing Oliver who he hugged. "Hey Ron my old pal" he shook Ron's hand and was pulled into a hug. He kissed Luna gently on the cheek. Persephone and the others soon came out on the landing to say hello and fuss over baby Lilly.
"You wouldn't think it was my birthday would you?" Hermione said half jokingly half not.
Oliver chuckled "you're a grown up now you don't get to sulk remember?"
"I'm not sulking I'm simply observing" she looked at him smiling now.
"Ahh of course how could I not have gotten that?" He gently asked her.
She shrugged her shoulders "cause you're a loser" she joked.
"So are you loser" he shot back smiling.
The last of the partygoers arrived about an hour later and strolled into the room. Her Aunty Ginny and Uncle Paris who really were her Aunt and Uncle came with their twins Isabella and Ishmael. Dumbledore, Remus, Alastair, Tonks and Mr and Mrs Weasley Molly and Arthur, the twins Fred and George and Neville apparated in soon afterwards. The Lestrange twins were the same age as Oliver and Hermione and the four of them had been thick as thieves since they could talk. "Hey birthday girl" Ishmael greeted her and Isabella hugged her. Again the same ritual took place as Hermione got more gifts and then they ate and danced and sung happy birthday. At nine o'clock everyone was tired Lilly had fallen asleep in India's room about two hours ago and India had soon followed. The Potter twins had drifted off about an hour ago and the adults had gone out to the garden while the remaining four children talked about the upcoming year and the trip to Hogwarts.
"Albus could I have a word?" Harry asked his old headmaster "This hardly seems the place to discuss such things but I'm worried."
Dumbledore stood listening calmly to a string of disappearances and strange occurrences. He finally nodded and turned towards him "such things have not gone unnoticed Harry, believe me, you and I Harry are a dying breed, I am a very old man and soon I will have to leave Hogwarts to go into retirement, I wish to recommend you as our new headmaster and Ron as the replacement DADA teacher. At least then there will be a few of the old crowd left who remember what happened, of course I'll keep in touch but I'm not the wizard I once was, I've carried my fight and on most occasions I have won. But enough, you were right this is not the place but I must say I am relieved that someone else has noticed I was starting to think they were just the delusions of an old man who is rather unsuited for this life." He chuckled softly.
"I would be honoured but not so sure I could successfully fill your place Albus for all my life I have known Hogwarts to only been governed by one man, the greatest wizard in the world, that is not vain praise simply the truth, simply the truth." He looked at Albus Dumbledore the man who had supported him when the world refused to believe him, the father whose mistakes still haunt him because of the fall of Sirius, the fall of countless others and of course the one that hurt Harry the most, even more than Sirius, the fall of Hermione Granger, and as he looked at him he felt love for the man before him that of a son for a father.
"Ah, my boy you are Harry Potter" Dumbledore smiled at him "you are the boy who lived, that is a legacy that will far outlive mine."
"You are right Albus I am Harry Potter and of all my accolades the one I cherish the most is that of my quidditch career and for the birthday of my little girl I think there should be a quidditch match don't you?"
Harry called into the house, which brought the four children out, informing them of the match Hermione lit up with glee, she loved to fly and she loved quidditch. Both of her parents had been on their house teams and she was going to try out for her house team even though your not meant to until your older, her father had broken that tradition.
"Hermione and I will be captains and of course respective seekers, pick your team Hermione." She smiled and picked Oliver who was an awesome keeper, Tonks, Remus, Ron as chasers and Isabella and Ishmael as her two beaters. On Harry's team were Fred and George as beaters, Persephone, Alastair and Arthur Weasley as chasers and Neville as the goalkeeper. It was agreed that Dumbledore would referee.
Hermione kicked off from the ground and started to circle the garden for the snitch, she had been taught how to fly since she could walk and she had played quidditch with her dad and mum and the other family members since she was six. She was a natural or so her father said, she felt more at ease on a broom than on foot, up here she was in control and she knew how to use it. She had memorised all the moves since she had been little and hoping to fool her dad she dived into a wronski faint, she looked across seeing Harry had taken the bait and as soon as she saw this she leant towards the ground willing her broom to go faster and at the last second she used all her weight even standing on the broom to level out and fly off. Her dad had not been the greatest seeker England had ever had for nothing and he pulled out of the faint with ease but he smiled at her shouting his praise. As the game continued Oliver had made a few blinding saves and they were leading 60 – 40. Then she saw it just across the garden and she dived, her dad followed as she had hoped and then she pulled out rolling over her dad and back towards the snitch, she was thrilled she had just executed a perfect barrel roll to give her an advantage, her dad was quick and he was the best, he also wasn't into letting her win without her producing something amazing. She felt her hand reach out and clutch the snitch and she heard the whistle blow. As she descended Oliver came bounding up to her "that was wow, I mean you usually are but wow, did Uncle Harry teach you that? "
She nodded grinning "we've been practising it because I complained that he was too quick and he showed me how to outwit a faster broom, never got it quite right though until then." She was exhilarated and she was breathing hard.
Her Dad came over grinning broadly "amazing amazing just like we talked about!" he lifted her up "you are going to be the star of your house team!"
Then Hermione said something that was unexpected of a victorious eleven year old "But you know I couldn't achieve that without my team, Oliver was amazing did you see those saves?"
Oliver blushed under her praise and Dumbledore smiled at the unselfishness of his Goddaughter. Harry nodded "indeed you four will be the talk of your house team I hope you're in Gryfindor because we will have the best quidditch team for the last half a century. With that they walked inside the children going to bed eagerly anticipating their trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow.