*Grimwald Place, July 31st*
Harry woke up in his and Ron's room. The sun was shining directly into his face. What time is it? Ron's bed was empty. I wonder when I fell asleep last night. I don't remember going to bed.
He was getting ready to go downstairs when he remembered what happened yesterday. Dinner… silent, until after I left. Just then his stomach growled, reminding him that he should go down to breakfast. He put his glasses on and looked at his watch. 11:55. Or lunch.
He was walking downstairs. Everything is quiet… did they leave? He thought wildly for a moment.
"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!!!!!!" Everyone yelled. Everyone was there. The Weasleys, Hermione, and the Order. Even Dumbledore's head in the fire!
Wow! Unexpected is a mild word. I can't believe I didn't remember it was my birthday!
They started to sing Happy Birthday as Mrs. Weasley levitated an enormous cake with her wand into the enlarged living room.
Harry blew out the candles. "Thanks guys, this is the best birthday ever."
"It's not over yet, you have presents too," Ron said grinning widely.
"Really?" Harry said, even more happily.
"And then we get to eat the cake and Butterbeer for lunch!"
"Wow!" Ron and everyone else laughed.
"This is from the Order of the Phoenix," said Lupin, handing Harry a package.
"Wasn't it Dumbledore's idea?" asked Tonks.
"Yeah, but he can't go out of the school. He doesn't want the castle to fall prey to an unexpected Death Eater attack or infiltration," Moody replied.
"I thought the present was a bit smaller," said Mungdas Fletcher, aloud on accident.
The package was 4x4x4 feet and had brilliant red paper with snitches flying every which way. Harry ripped it off. There stood a box. Harry opened the box. Inside was a present, gold paper wrapping it with small red bows on the top circling a roaring lion figurine. When he ripped this off, another box stood in its place. This box was only 3x3x2 feet big, with the same wrappings as the first layer. There were 5 more layers. Then Harry opened a box. It was empty.
"Okay, you give me just gave me several pieces of raping. What's up?"
"Do you really think the Order wouldn't get you anything?" asked Lupin mischievously pretending to be hurt.
"Not really, but it looks that way."
The Order members sat silent for a minute, each one of them showing all their teeth in evil grins.
"I'll tell you what. How about you poke your hand around inside the box."
Harry did and felt something. He lifted it out of the box, patting it. It was a book.
"Well open it already!"
He opened it and it became visible.
"Whoa, its an invisible book of invisibility." Commented Hermione.
"Just think what we could do if we were invisible!" said Ron. "Now open our gift."
Harry glanced suspiciously at him.
Ron laughed, "No, mine only has one layer."
Harry got chocolate frogs from Ron, an emerald green crystal (but shaped like a quartz) on a silver necklace from Hermione, ["Um, well, thanks Hermione, ", "Your welcome, I know you will always wear it."], and two Skiving Snack boxes from the rest of the Weasleys."
"This is most definitely the best birthday ever."
"Well you don't really have much to compare it to, with the Dursleys and all."
"Yeah, the only way this could be better is if…" Harry forced himself to continue in a bright tone. "If Sirius were here."
"Harry, you know he's dead, right?" Moody asked, concerned. The boy was in denial and needed to move quickly through the grieving process to be stable. He was one of their only hopes, with the prophecy and everything.
Harry thought a moment; the only possible way to get Sirius back is if I have more information. I could try to rip out the fabric and see what's behind it, "I'll only move on after I see the Veil one more time in the Department of Mysteries."
"I'll try to make that happen," Moody promised.
They spent the rest of the day hanging out and eating Cake and Butterbeer.
"Hey, Ron, Hermione, come over here." Harry said secretively, so, of course, Ginny and the Twins followed.
"Don't you have to go maintain your shop or something? And don't you have somewhere to be too?" Ron said, annoyed that his siblings were answering to his name.
"Nope."
"We've got Employees."
"And since we can apparate in at any time, they are always on their toes."
"Wouldn't want the double p"
When they noticed the quizzical looks Fred said, "Pranks with their pay."
"Oh. Well okay then"
"Ron, stop being so mean," said Hermione threateningly.
"Why did you call us over Harry?" asked Ginny.
"Well, I wanted to know if you wanted to try to do some of the stuff in the book I got."
They spent the rest of the day learning how to turn themselves invisible. They couldn't do the stuff with wands but the potions were an option. They all went up to Fred and George's room. Fred and George apparated.
When they got in the room, they found a very clean room and a breathless set of twins. They also insisted on getting all the ingredients themselves. Ron and Hermione gave Harry significant looks at this behavior that said, lets talk later.
Hermione said, "It says that it will take three days to brew. It is very complicated."
"Don't worry about the ingredients," Fred said.
"We have all of them," George added.
Harry got more significant looks, as dragon's blood and angle dust was on the list.
After they had finished adding everything, except for the angle dust as you add that 20 minutes before you drink it, they went down for dinner.
Just before Ron and Harry fell asleep in their room, Hermione came in. "Hi guys. Ron said now would be a good time to meet."
"I thought I only thought that." Ron's nose was scrunched up with confusion. "Oh well. Harry did you notice anything odd about Fred and George?"
Uh oh. What if they tell Mrs. Weasley or freak out. Lets try a probe. "Just curious, how do you guys feel about the dark arts?" Oh great, that was subtle.
Their eyes widened. As Ron started to open his mouth, Harry said, "Oh, never mind. No I didn't notice anything. Fred and George have lots of potion ingredients because they are the inventers, the experimenters. Anything that might be useful they would have; especially as they had a large investment and are doing very well."
"That makes sense. But what about their room being hurriedly swept clean before we entered?" asked Hermione.
"Yeah, it's not like my room is very clean, and they go in there all the time."
"They probably just didn't want you guys to see the new products before they are released."
"Yeah, well I have to go to the bathroom." Harry caught a Significant Look as it passed from Ron to Hermione.
"It is getting late. I'd better go now." They filed outside but forgot to shut the door.
Harry pulled out an extendable ear and listened, "What was that questing for, what was he playing at." "I don't know, maybe he's tired and it just slipped out." "Why would it even be on his mind?" "But Harry's not…"
Harry yanked the ear out of his ear. He didn't need to hear any more. His friends didn't trust him as much as they did before. Well then, I don't have to feel guilty about not telling them anymore, he thought with forced optimism.
When Ron came back in, he pretended to be asleep.