Chapter 14: Day of Surprises
Ginny, Fred, Ron, George, and Hermione were standing around Harry's bed, grinning at him. The twins began to caterwaul.
Happy birthday to you,
You live in a zoo...
Ginny punched one twin and Hermione punched the other. Both twins rubbed their arms and looked hurt. Ron hummed a note, and everyone joined in, including Remus, who was leaning against the doorframe, looking amused.
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday, dear Harry,
Happy birthday to you!
May you have many more,
Till you're hundred and four,
Happy birthday, dear Harry,
Happy birthday to you!
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" they all shouted again.
"Thanks," Harry said, hoping his voice wouldn't crack and show how close he was to crying. He'd hoped someone would remember, but he hadn't expected anything like this...
Ginny leaned in close to him. "Do you know what the birthday boy needs?" she said silkily.
"Oh, I know what he needs," Hermione said teasingly, also leaning in.
"Birthday kisses!" they exclaimed together, and kissed Harry on both his cheeks at the same time.
Harry felt a blush starting that would easily rival any of Ron's. "Er, thanks. I think."
Hermione giggled. "You should really have sixteen of them. One for every year."
"No, seventeen," purred Ginny, sitting down on the bed. "One to grow on. But we'll leave you alone for right now."
Harry appreciated that, because he felt that if his face got any hotter, he might set the bed on fire.
"Shoo," Remus said firmly. "Everyone out. Let the man get dressed. He can't spend his birthday in his pajamas."
Ron and the twins left, tossing "Happy birthday, Harry" over their shoulders. Hermione gave him a quick hug before she left. Ginny stood up, then suddenly bent down, kissed him again, and scampered out of the room, giggling madly.
"Are all girls mental?" Harry asked.
"At this age, yes," Remus said, closing the door. "Many happy returns, Harry. I wanted to give you my special wishes, since I'm the only one left who came to your first birthday party."
"My first birthday party?" Harry repeated.
"You did have one, you know. Very small and private, since you were only a baby. More for the adults, really. Peter couldn't come, so it was just me, Sirius, James, Lily, and you." The faraway, remembering look came into Remus' eyes. "You got me in the face with a handful of cake, as I recall."
"I threw my birthday cake at you?" Harry was torn between embarrassment and amusement.
"You threw it everywhere, but you hit me. Don't worry about it, it was a long time ago," Remus said, smiling. "I only wish we had gotten a photograph... actually, I think Sirius took one. It may be around here somewhere."
Harry looked down at the bed. "I wish he was here," he said, trying to keep the tears under control. He'll never get to throw me a birthday party...
"So do I," Remus answered softly. "So do we all."
A tear made its way out of Harry's eye despite his best efforts. He sniffed, and Remus handed him a tissue. "Thanks."
Remus sat down on the bed next to Harry. He didn't try to talk, or do anything. He was just there.
No one had ever just been there for him before, Harry realized. It sometimes felt like everyone had a demand for Harry Potter. Everyone expected him to do something or be something, even the people who cared about him. But Remus wasn't demanding anything. He was just sitting there, being with Harry.
Because he loves me. And he knows what I need right now is someone to just be with me.
"Maybe we can go photograph-hunting after breakfast," he offered after a few moments. The tears hadn't lasted nearly as long as he had expected. Sirius didn't want me to cry all the time. I have to grieve, but not every minute.
"Maybe." Remus was smiling as if he knew something that Harry didn't.
Hmm. Wonder what's supposed to happen after breakfast?
"Come on, Harry, you do need to get dressed. Unless you want them to drag you downstairs in your pajamas."
Harry smiled, knowing the twins were capable of just that. He got out of bed, put on his glasses, and was just about to take off his pajama shirt when Remus put a hand on his shoulder.
"Happy birthday, Harry," he said quietly, and pulled him into a hug.
Harry hugged back, feeling better every minute.
So this is what it's like to have someone who really cares...
-----
Ron and the twins had been dressed in a casual, but not sloppy, style when they had woken him up. Harry decided to emulate them.
He only wore Dudley's castoffs at Privet Drive, so his aunt and uncle wouldn't know he had another source of income. One of the first things he'd bought his third year, when he'd been free of Diagon Alley for two whole weeks, had been a new wardrobe, and he'd renewed it every year as necessary. Luckily, he hadn't grown much over the year since he'd been there last, so his "good" jeans (the one pair without any holes in them) and red collared shirt still fit him decently.
He wondered why he was taking pains with his appearance, since the only people likely to see him all day were the Weasleys, Hermione, and the Order members.
It's a special day, so I want to look special, he decided.
After brushing his teeth and running a comb through his hair in a token effort, he pulled on his trainers and went down to the kitchen.
"Happy birthday, Harry!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley the moment he walked through the door. She hugged him tightly. "I've made all your favorites, do hurry and eat. There isn't much time."
Much time for what? Harry wondered, but he was hungry, and anything Mrs. Weasley made was likely to be one of his favorites. Breakfast took priority over curiosity.
Ron kept sneaking looks at his watch, Harry noticed as he worked through his eggs, and Hermione seemed unable to sit still. Fred was shredding a piece of toast, and George was collecting the fragments and reconstituting them with his wand. Only Ginny seemed relaxed – she was sitting by the fireplace, petting Crookshanks.
As soon as Harry put down his fork and drank the last of his tea, Mrs. Weasley nodded to Fred and George and hurried out of the kitchen.
"What is going on?" Harry demanded.
"Nothing bad," George said, swapping looks with Fred. "Are you ready for your first present, Harry?"
"I think so," Harry said, a little unsure of the wisdom of accepting a gift from the twins.
Ginny got up and came to stand between her brothers. Ron and Hermione closed in on either side of Harry, so that they formed a rough circle.
"You have to close your eyes," Fred said, "and not open them till we say so."
"It's not a prank, mate, really," Ron said earnestly. "You're going to love it."
"I'm so reassured," Harry said sarcastically.
"It's true, Harry," Hermione said. "Would I lie to you?"
Harry sighed. "Do you really want me to answer that, Hermione? All right, what do I have to do?"
"Like I said, close your eyes, and stick your hand out. That's right," said Fred, as Harry followed his directions. "Now, grab onto what I give you, and hold on to it."
Harry opened his hand and felt something cool and smooth slip into it. He closed his fingers on it.
"Now, just wait for exactly... one minute and three seconds," George said.
It was a very long minute, Harry thought. Far too long for a minute.
What were the twins planning? How had they gotten Hermione to go along? Ron would gladly prank him, even on his birthday, but would Hermione? And how was Ginny involved?
What is going on here?!
"Open your eyes, Harry," Fred said, and Harry gladly did just that.
Nothing had changed. He was still in the basement kitchen at number twelve Grimmauld Place, holding on to some kind of carving on a chain, connecting it to other things which the other people in the circle were holding on to...
"Portkey travel stinks when you've got your eyes shut," Fred added, and before Harry could assimilate that, he was doing it, with the usual jerk behind the navel and mad rush of colors.
I think I may end up with Hagrid's opinion after all. Where are we going anyway?
They landed, Harry managing by some miracle to stay on his feet. They were in a dark room, a room that had a familiar smell...
A room with giggling people in it...
"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" shouted a chorus of voices as the lights flicked on.
He was in the living room of the Burrow. Bill and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were there, along with Remus, Moody, and Tonks, and –
Harry stared in happy surprise. Almost the entire membership of the DA was present – as far as he could see, only Marietta Edgecombe was missing – and she probably wasn't invited. Most of them were flocking forward, slapping him on the back and shouting, "Happy birthday!" and "Many happy returns!" and "Cheers, Harry!"
The boys were slapping him on the back, that was. Even as he realized who they were, Parvati and Padma Patil ambushed him exactly the way Ginny and Hermione had.
"Gah!" Harry rubbed his cheeks frantically.
"Awww," Parvati said. "That's so sweet. You're rubbing it in."
Harry felt himself turning red.
"That's enough, now, girls," said Mrs. Weasley, bustling forward. "Harry, dear, Arthur and I want to give you our present first. Is that all right?"
"Sure," Harry said.
"Turn around, then," she said, smiling broadly.
Harry turned. Behind him was the Weasley family clock. It had a hand for each member of the family, pointing to the different locations where those people were... but something was different about it...
It took him a moment to find it.
"You've... you've put... but that's me," he said in disbelief, staring at a new hand on the clock. It was clearly labeled "Harry Potter", and it was pointing to "home".
"It's only the truth," Mrs. Weasley said gently, putting her hand on his shoulder for a moment.
"We should have done it long ago," Mr. Weasley said, shaking Harry's hand warmly. "Welcome to the family."
Harry didn't know what to say. Fortunately, it seemed the look on his face made words unnecessary. The Weasleys pulled him into an enormous hug as Mrs. Weasley kissed him on the cheek. Ginny and Ron attached themselves to the outside of it, and then Fred and George and Bill had to get in on it as well, and Hermione got pulled in somehow, and everyone else started clapping and cheering...
Somehow it all got sorted out, and Harry found himself ensconced on the couch, with a pile of presents, just beyond his reach, looking very interesting. "We'll hand them to you," Hermione said, slapping his hand as he reached for them. "Don't be greedy."
Harry made a face at her.
"Hello?" called a woman's voice from the kitchen.
"In here, Minerva," called Mrs. Weasley.
Professor McGonagall came into the living room, followed by Hagrid, carrying a couple of packages. As usual, he made the room seem smaller the moment he came in.
"Happy birthday, Harry," he said, beaming as he sat down on the floor.
"Yes, felicitations, Mr. Potter," said Professor McGonagall.
"Thanks," Harry said. "Are those for me?"
"No other birthday boys 'round here, are there?" Hagrid asked.
"Actually there is," Hermione spoke up. "It was Neville's birthday yesterday."
Neville Longbottom gasped and stared at Hermione. "How'd you know that?" he demanded.
"You mentioned it once," Hermione said, "but I'd almost forgotten until now. So happy belated birthday, Neville."
Of course, then, everyone had to say it, and Harry, grinning, started singing "Happy Birthday", and everyone took it up, with the word "belated" crammed in any way people could fit it, and everyone ended up laughing.
"You can have anything you fancy out of that," Harry said, waving a careless hand at his presents.
"Hoy, that's not fair!" protested Seamus Finnigan. "Neville went in like everyone else on the –"
Dean Thomas slapped a hand over Seamus' mouth and grinned apologetically. "All the guys in the DA went in on one of your presents, Harry. That's what Seamus is trying to say."
"Gerroff," Seamus growled good-naturedly, shoving Dean away.
"I think that I will invoke my privilege as your Head of House, Mr. Potter, and ask that you open my gift first," Professor McGonagall said, handing Harry a card. "This gift is also partly from Miss Bell."
"Katie?" Harry looked across questioningly at Katie Bell, who smiled and nodded at him.
He tore open the envelope. The card bore a picture of a Golden Snitch, fluttering its silver wings. As he opened the card, something almost fell into his lap. He caught it reflexively and stared at it. It was a golden C, the kind he'd seen sewn on Oliver Wood's and Angelina Johnson's Quidditch robes.
No way. She can't want me to...
He looked down at the card.
Harry –
It has been a pleasure having you in my house for the last five years. You are a true Gryffindor and an excellent Quidditch player. Miss Bell has declined the captaincy of the team, so by seniority, it now passes to you. I am sure you will make a fine captain.
Yours truly,
Minerva McGonagall
Carefully, Harry closed the card around the golden letter. "Professor," he said, "could I see you for a moment? Alone?"
"Certainly, Mr. Potter." McGonagall looked confused.
In the hallway, with the door shut, Harry said the thing that had come to his mind first when he realized McGonagall was appointing him captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. "Professor, I can't take this."
"Why not, Mr. Potter?"
"I'm not the best qualified candidate, ma'am. Ron is."
McGonagall's eyebrows went up. "Mr. Weasley has only a year's standing on the team, Mr. Potter. You have four – three of actual play, since there was no Quidditch your fourth year – "
"But Professor, Ron's a better strategist." Harry wouldn't have dreamed of interrupting McGonagall in class, but this wasn't class, and he was frustrated – how could she not see what was so clear to him? "Don't you remember our first year, with your chess set, going after the Stone? That wasn't me, that was him. He's the best chess player I know, he flattens me every time we play. He could do the same with the team, I'm sure of it."
McGonagall was looking carefully at him. "I see," she said slowly. "Very well, Mr. Potter. Shall I inform Mr. Weasley, or would you like to?"
"May I?"
"Of course."
As Harry turned to go back into the living room, he thought he heard her say very softly, "You have a good heart, Harry."
Nah, I must have imagined it. She never calls me Harry.
He came back into the room beaming. "Hey, Ron – happy un-birthday."
"Ah, thanks, mate," Ron said, looking a little self-conscious now that everyone was looking at him. "What does that mean?"
"Well, it's not your birthday, but I thought I'd get you something anyway. Open your hand, and close your eyes, and you will get a big surprise," Harry chanted, grinning.
Ron, looking dubious, did what he was told, and Harry placed the golden C in his hand. "Open up."
Ron had no trouble recognizing it.
"Harry... you... you mean I... Professor, really? I mean, you're not just having me on?"
Professor McGonagall smiled. "No, Mr. Weasley, this is quite genuine. Mr. Potter insists that you would be the better captain of the two of you."
Ron slowly closed his hand around the golden letter, then suddenly leapt off the couch and tore out the door toward the kitchen. A moment later, Professor Dumbledore came in by the same door, looking somewhat perplexed.
"Happy birthday, Harry," he said, handing Harry an envelope. "May I ask why Ronald is shrieking and running laps around the house?"
"He's just happy," Harry said, ripping open Dumbledore's card. "I gave him something he's wanted for a long time..."
He stopped. The envelope was heavier than it should be. As if there was something inside it.
Harry pulled the card slowly from the envelope – a roaring lion – and tipped it. A shining, red-and-gold badge fell into his hand. The kind he'd been secretly wanting, trying not to envy Ron for having, for a whole year...
"What about Ron, sir?" he blurted, staring at it.
"Ronald will continue to be a prefect, Harry, as will Miss Granger. I feel that Gryffindor house needs more visible leadership than usual in this time of trouble." Dumbledore beckoned Harry close and added quietly, "And you seemed to want it very much."
"Thank you, sir," Harry said, carefully pinning on his new prefect badge as the DA broke into applause. "You won't regret it."
"My other gift to you, Mr. Potter, is more in the light of returning something that was already yours," Professor McGonagall said. "Madam Hooch took the liberty of caring for it, it was a bit out of condition after being in the dungeons..."
Harry eagerly ripped the wrapping paper off his Firebolt, which had been lovingly polished and trimmed until it looked as good as new. "I'll be sure to thank her, Professor," he said, running his hand lovingly along the handle. "And thank you, too, very much."
"What about ours?" protested Cho. "When are you going to get to these?"
"I'm coming, I'm coming, don't get your knickers in a twist," Harry said, then realized who he was talking to and turned crimson again amid general laughter. "Erm, what should I open first?"
"Well, this is from us and Lee," Fred said, handing him yet another envelope.
"Why does everyone seem to like them small and flat?" Harry asked, ripping it open. This card was an ad: Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, 93 Diagon Alley: Grand Opening Soon!
Harry flipped it open to discover a slip of parchment. He read it to himself, then looked sharply at Fred.
"No way," he said. "No way are you doing this to me."
"Oh, yes, we are," Fred said.
"No, you're not," Harry said firmly.
"No more arguments, it's yours and that's final," Fred said, folding his arms.
"What is it?" asked Ron, coming back in, flushed and grinning.
"These idiots are trying to make me a partner in their business," Harry said, waving at Fred and George. "They've just given me 10 percent of their company."
"We wouldn't be asking you to make any decisions," Fred said. "You'd only need to show up on payday."
"And you're not giving it back, so don't even try," George said.
"Ten percent is a good deal," Lee Jordan said. "I'm a full partner now, and I own ten percent. We're going public after the grand opening – 50 percent of the company will be for sale. That's for any of you who happen to have some money to invest and want a sure thing," he added, looking around. There were signs of interest on many faces.
"You deserve it, Harry," George said persuasively. "Without you, it would never have gone anywhere." Mrs. Weasley looked sharply at her sons but didn't say anything.
Harry sighed. "All right. Fine. You win. Who's next?"
"This one's just from me," Fred said, reaching into the pile and extracting a rectangular package.
"You got me something else?" Harry asked, surprised. "I mean, thanks, but I wasn't expecting..."
"Just open it," Fred said.
Harry tore a swath of paper away from the front.
His father and Sirius looked up at him, waving and grinning.
His breath caught as he ripped away the rest. It was a framed photograph of Remus, Sirius, and his father, standing side by side and waving, occasionally shooting off a few sparks with their wands. Across the top, in red letters, was printed:
The Marauders: The First and Original.
We only follow where they led.
Across the bottom, it read:
Rest in peace, James Potter.
Rest in peace, Sirius Black.
You are never forgotten.
Remus' signature crossed one corner of the photo, with the dedication "To Fred and George Weasley and Lee Jordan – the next generation of Marauders."
"That goes in the store at Grand Opening, Harry," George said. "D'you like it?"
Harry nodded, watching the Marauders wave at him. "It's brilliant." His throat was seizing up again, he couldn't cry at his own birthday party...
"Mine next," Remus said quickly, stepping forward to pull an oddly bumpy bundle out of the pile. "Happy birthday, Harry, and many more to come."
The bundle wasn't badly wrapped, Harry discovered, just curvaceous. Flat on top and bottom, curved around the sides... and it was in a case, he saw as he pulled away the wrapping paper, a case of black leather... but he can't have remembered, I only said it once, and so much happened in between...
Remus had remembered. Harry snapped open the case to reveal the golden sheen of a guitar. He put it carefully aside and threw his arms around Remus. "Thank you so much," he whispered.
"Consider it from all of us," Remus whispered back. "All the Marauders. They would have loved to hear you play."
It was exactly the right, or the wrong, thing to say, and Harry's tears almost escaped him, but Ron and the other male members of the DA started clamoring for him to open theirs next, and he didn't have time.
There had obviously been planning behind this party. The combined gift Seamus had almost revealed was a magical amplifier for Harry's new guitar, so that he could play rock songs as well as acoustic. George handed him a handwritten voucher good for a year of lessons. Then the girls started piling small packages in his lap. Every one contained sheet music. Harry knew a few of the names on the covers, names of bands or performers, names of musical plays, but many of them he had never heard of.
"We all got you our favorites," Cho said as he opened hers. It was entitled Best Love Songs of the Musical Theatre. "I hope there aren't too many repeats, we couldn't coordinate as closely as we would have liked, there wasn't much time..."
"Don't worry about it," Harry said, smiling at her and feeling something akin to his old thrill at her return smile. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, smiling more brightly than ever as he blushed.
"Here you go, Potter," said Moody, stumping forward and handing him a box. Inside was something that looked like a crooked gold TV antenna, which Harry thought he remembered from his fourth year, and Moody identified a moment later, as a Secrecy Sensor. It would tell him if there was anyone around concealing something.
"Wish I'd had it before today," Harry said, glaring at Ron and making everyone laugh.
Hagrid gave him an enormous box of Noruca's Noisy Sweet Treats, which made you emit noises when you ate them. Harry tried one and found himself whistling like a train. Neville got one that made him roar like a lion, and Ginny picked out one that had her mewing like a kitten. When Ron patted her on the head, she stomped on his foot.
After Ron got done hopping around the room, Ginny handed Harry a package. "This is from me and Colin," she said. "We worked on it together some last year, and then he finished it for us these last few days."
It was a photo album of the DA. Harry hadn't realized Colin had taken pictures at the meetings, but there he was, standing in the Room of Requirement and lecturing, correcting people's stance and grip, dueling with various members, and in the last photo, producing his stag Patronus. It was practically a pictorial record of everything he could do in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Harry found it a little embarrassing, but he discovered he was proud of himself as well.
I'm actually good at this. Maybe I have a chance at being an Auror after all.
"Thanks, Colin, Ginny. This is great. Oh, yeah, official announcement," Harry said, remembering. "The Defense Association lives."
There was massive cheering.
"It's now an official school club," Harry continued. "Anyone who wants to join can join. So tell your friends."
"And I guess I'm last," Tonks said, extending a box towards Harry. He reached for it, and she pulled it back, grabbed his wrist, pulled him toward her, and kissed him on the cheek while everyone hooted.
"Thanks a lot," Harry said sarcastically, feeling the heat rise to his face and snatching the box out of her hand. He opened it to find another box, this one brightly colored, with the signature three W's on its lid. The cover read:
Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes' Metamorphmagus Mints!
Surprise your friends, trick your enemies!
Appear as anyone you choose!
Less dangerous than Polyjuice Potion!
"Try one," Tonks said, blushing a bit herself. "They're all labeled, you can tell what they do."
Harry pulled out a "blond hair" one and sucked on it. It was extremely small and melted in his mouth almost instantly, leaving behind a pleasant mint taste. He didn't feel anything, but a few people gasped, and Cho shrieked, "Oh my Lord, he looks like Malfoy!"
"I do not," Harry started, when he caught sight of himself in the mirror. "All right, maybe I do, a little," he admitted.
"Those could be dangerous!" Moody growled at the twins. "Are you selling them to the general public?"
"No, sir," Fred said quickly. "This is part of our restricted collection. Only DA or Order members are allowed to buy them, or even know about them."
"All right," Moody grumbled, "but I want to be briefed on how to recognize them at work ASAP, understand?"
"Yes, sir," Fred said seriously.
"I thought you'd like them, Harry, after the way you complimented my hair and all," Tonks said.
"I love them, Tonks, thanks a million, but is there any way to make them stop?" Harry asked plaintively. "I don't want to look like Malfoy."
Everyone laughed. "There's reversers in there, they're labeled too," George said, pointing them out. Harry ate one, and his hair returned immediately to normal.
"Phew," he said dramatically, pretending to wipe his forehead. "A few more minutes of that, and I'd be looking for a green and silver tie and spewing rubbish about purebloods."
"Harry, would you call Malfoy a rival of yours?" Fred asked.
"A rival? At Quidditch, sure. Maybe in class. Why?"
"Try one of the ones marked 'Peppermint Nemesis'," Fred said, plucking one from the box. "Please? We want to make certain they work."
"You want me to test one of your products? Do I look totally insane?"
"It's not like that," George said. "We know it'll change what you look like, and we know we can reverse it. We're just not quite sure if it does exactly what we had in mind."
"Well, what did you have in mind?" Harry asked.
"Just try it?" Fred asked, batting his eyelashes. "Please?"
"Only if you stop doing that," Harry said, shoving Fred backwards into Angelina's lap. "All right, I'll try one."
This time, he felt a slight tingling on his face as the mint dissolved in his mouth, and everyone in the room gasped. Cho had her hand to her mouth. "I take back what I said before," she said in awe. "Now you really look like Malfoy."
Harry turned to face the mirror and stared. If he hadn't known it was a mirror, he would have sworn it was a portrait of the blond Slytherin, doing everything he did just to annoy him. It was exactly the kind of thing Harry would have expected a portrait of Draco Malfoy to do.
"I am very impressed," he said in Malfoy's voice, causing another round of gasps. "Incredibly grossed out, but impressed."
"They do work!" George exulted. "We spelled them so you'd turn into whoever you consider your biggest rival. Want a reverser now?"
"Yes, please," Harry said emphatically. He quickly ate the mint George handed him and watched with relief as the sneering features in the mirror blurred back into his own familiar face.
"If you ever run out of reversers, the effects wear off in a half-hour," Lee said. "At least they're supposed to. I had a bad reaction once, got stuck with blue hair for about a day, but that was the worst of it."
"Why don't you show us what that looked like?" Harry said, pulling out a "blue hair" mint and tossing it to Lee.
"Well, if you insist..." Lee popped it in his mouth and swallowed. A moment later, his hair was a vibrant shade of azure. Katie Bell looked fascinated.
"Hey, can I have a try?" asked Seamus.
"Sure, everyone have one," Harry said, putting the box on a low table. As he did, he noticed Angelina whispering something in Fred's ear, pointing over at Lee. Fred turned first scarlet, then pale, and said what sounded like "Are you sure?" Angelina nodded firmly. Fred looked utterly disbelieving for a moment, then his face became speculative, and he beckoned George and Alicia over.
"RON!" Hermione shouted, jerking Harry's attention back to the main group of partygoers, who now had hair all the colors of the rainbow and a few that weren't.
He stared at the person he assumed was Ron. He had to assume, because to all appearances, it was Viktor Krum.
Ron considers Krum his biggest rival? For what?
"Ronald Weasley, do you still think there's something going on between him and me?" Hermione demanded.
Oh. Of course.
"Vell, you try von!" Ron demanded in Krum's voice, pointing at the box.
"Fine," Hermione snapped, picking out a Peppermint Nemesis. "I will."
She quickly chewed the mint and swallowed; her hair went in an instant from brown and bushy to silver-blond and straight, her face blurred and settled, and Hermione was a double of Fleur Delacour.
The real Fleur walked into the room at that moment, saw Hermione, shrieked, and ran back out. Bill quickly followed her as the rest of the party recovered from fits of laughter and Ron and Hermione reversed their changes, both looking rather embarrassed.
Fleur's gift to Harry was a bottle of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion. He wasn't sure if this was a comment on his appearance or not, but he thanked her for it anyway. She beamed and kissed him on each cheek, reminding him of the second task of the Triwizard Tournament, when he had felt as if steam was shooting out of his ears. Then someone started a sentence with the words, "Hey, do you remember..."
Funny stories about the last school year took up the rest of the time until lunch, which was, of course, excellent. It featured a huge chocolate cake, and everyone sang to Harry again before he blew out his candles. Afterwards, there was an enormous game of Quidditch, Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Professor McGonagall was nice enough to enchant the paddock where they played with a Repelling Charm, to keep the Bludgers and the Snitch within bounds, so they could play full-on without worrying about the balls getting away.
Fred was missing the Bludger occasionally, Harry noticed, and Angelina had dropped the Quaffle once already, something she never did normally. Obviously something was on their minds. But it wasn't his problem. He went back to looking for the Snitch and keeping an eye on Cho, who was Seeking for the other team.
About forty minutes later, Ron yelled, and Harry twisted around to see a speck of something gold fly past the goalpost Ron was guarding. He shot that way with Cho in hot pursuit. There was no huge point margin for either team, so the game was up to them. Almost a year without his broom was catching up to Harry – his arms and legs were tired after two and a half solid hours aloft. But then singing from the sidelines caught his ear:
Potter is our king,
Potter is our king,
For he can always catch the Snitch,
Potter is our king...
Harry put on an extra burst of speed; as the Snitch darted sideways towards Cho, he looped her once, causing her to pull back in surprise, and snapped his hand shut around the tiny ball.
"AND POTTER TAKES THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!" shouted Lee Jordan. The Gryffindor spectators broke into cheers as Harry turned to Cho.
"Good game," he said.
"Yeah," Cho mumbled, her face turned away. "You too."
"Rematch during the school year," Harry pointed out. "I'm back on the team."
"See you there, then," Cho said with a small, tight smile. "And next time I'll be ready for anything. I suggest you do the same."
She flew past him quickly, brushing her lips against his cheek as she did.
"Er, thanks," Harry called after her, and sent his Firebolt into a dive.
"Oy, Harry, you stole my song!" Ron shouted in mock-indignation as he touched down.
"No, we both stole Malfoy's song," Harry reminded him as Katie grabbed him and kissed him, with Angelina and Alicia right behind her, making him blush for what felt like the thousandth time that day. "Wonder how he felt about it when they turned it into a victory anthem?"
"Hey, it's even more true now than it was then," Katie said, laughing. "Because you're captain now. All together, everyone..."
Even the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs joined in.
Weasley is our king,
Weasley is our king,
He never lets the Quaffle in,
Weasley is our king...
They paraded back down to the Burrow, singing lustily.
-----
This is the only way to spend a birthday, Harry thought, lying on the floor of the living room at Grimmauld Place after dinner and half-listening to Ron and George debate about Quidditch. Though I do wish Sirius could have been here.
Tears threatened, but a new thought appeared that gave him pause. In a way, you could say he is here. "The dead are only truly dead when they are forgotten," he said, and I'm not forgetting him – I'm doing what he wanted me to do. I'm living and enjoying myself.
Nothing is more important than that.
Someone shrieked in the hallway. Harry sat up, startled, as Alicia burst in through the door, followed by six owls, all carrying letters. Each one flew to a different person in the room – Angelina, Alicia, Lee, Harry, Ron, and Hermione – and dropped the letter in their laps.
Why would we all be getting letters at the same time? Harry wondered. He picked it up and looked at the return address.
It was from the Wizarding Examinations Authority.
A dead silence fell in the room.
"Oh Merlin," breathed Lee, holding the envelope as if it might explode.
"I don't think I can open it," Alicia squeaked.
"What is it?" asked Ginny.
"Results," Hermione said, staring at her envelope. "O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. results."
"Well, we can't just sit here all day," Harry said impatiently, sticking his finger under the flap of the envelope and ripping it open.
Ordinary Wizarding Level Testing Results Report
Name of Student: Harry James Potter
Results
Astronomy: Acceptable
Care of Magical Creatures: Outstanding
Charms: Exceeds Expectations
Defense Against the Dark Arts: Outstanding
Divination: Poor
Herbology: Exceeds Expectations
History of Magic: Dreadful
Potions: Outstanding
Transfiguration: Exceeds Expectations
Total results: 7 pass, 2 fail
Professor McGonagall's voice resounded in Harry's ears.
"Professor Snape absolutely refuses to take students who get anything other than 'Outstanding' in their O.W.L.s..."
She had, to his mind, slammed the door on his hopes of becoming an Auror that day. To become one, he would need a N.E.W.T. in Potions. To get a N.E.W.T., he'd have to take the upper level class. And to get into the class... well, she had said it. But Harry had hoped, he had studied and worked his hardest...
And I did it.
I DID IT!
"Er, Harry?" said Ron in a very odd voice over the sound of ripping parchment. "Would you read this for me and tell me if it really says what I think it does?"
Harry accepted Ron's parchment from his shaking hand and looked it over.
Ordinary Wizarding Level Testing Results Report
Name of Student: Ronald Bilius Weasley
Results
Astronomy: Poor
Care of Magical Creatures: Exceeds Expectations
Charms: Acceptable
Defense Against the Dark Arts: Outstanding
Divination: Dreadful
Herbology: Acceptable
History of Magic: Poor
Potions: Outstanding
Transfiguration: Exceeds Expectations
Total results: 6 pass, 3 fail
"Ron, this is great!" Harry said enthusiastically.
"The line about Potions," Ron said weakly. "What does it really say?"
"'Potions: Outstanding,'" Harry read aloud. "Ron, you did it!"
Ron moaned, looking as if he were about to faint.
Hermione scrambled over to them, her face alight with glee. "Harry, good work! I knew you could get it, I just knew it!"
"No, this is Ron, not me," Harry said.
"Ron?" said Hermione, her jaw dropping.
Harry's hand went to his prefect badge, and he grinned, struck by a strong sense of déjà vu. "I've got one too," he said, handing their O.W.L. results to Hermione. "How about you?"
"O's in everything," she said absently, scanning the reports. "Oh Harry, this is wonderful! We'll all be able to go on together!"
"Together?" Ron asked, snapping out of his daze with a jerk. "Hermione, what are you planning on doing?"
"I want to be an Auror," Hermione said as if surprised Ron should even ask. "What else would I be?"
"Well... I guess I always thought you'd do something a little more... I don't know, studious?" Ron said slowly. "It's really dangerous, you know. Look at Moody. Look at all of them. I thought you'd probably be a historian, or a teacher, or something like that."
"Well, I might end up teaching," Hermione said. "I mean, there's no law that says you have to do what you start with for always. But I want to stay with you two. You're my best friends. And besides, we're all going to have to fight, with the war starting again, so I thought I might as well be ready for it."
"We'll be ready for it," Harry said firmly. "All of us."
"Oy, Harry!" Lee shouted. "O in Defense, mate! All thanks to you!"
"Us too!" chorused Angelina and Alicia, grinning. They swooped down on him and kissed him, one on each cheek.
"OK, enough with the kissing," Harry said firmly, feeling his cheeks heat up again. "I think I've had my limit for the day."
"Not quite," Ginny said. "You've had your sixteen, but you need one more. To grow on."
"What've you been doing, keeping track?" Harry asked, astounded.
"Yes," said Ginny matter-of-factly, walking over to him and stopping right in front of him, so that he had to look directly into her eyes. "Congratulations, Harry. Happy birthday."
She leaned forward and kissed him, on the cheek, very softly.
"Get a room, you two," George said, pulling Alicia onto his lap.
"You should talk," Ginny retorted, making everyone laugh.
"C'mon, let's find Mum," Ron said. "She'll be over the moon."
"Remus too, I bet," Harry said, leading the way out of the room. "Of course, he's always a little moony..."
Then he had to run.
-----
(A/N: OK, yes it's long, but I couldn't exactly cut it down, it's all important, or fun... and people seem to like longer chapters, so I hope you like this!
Thanks to everyone!
MackenzieW: It gets that way in football season around here.
MAndrews: I will never praise your reviews again if that's the reaction I get!
Lady Cinnibar: Yes, I want to hear this – 40 pages in an hour and a half?! And yes, Umbridge is severely confused at this point. She will be more confused in future chapters. Heh heh heh.
emikae: Bet you've gotten good at ducking. Just hang in there. ::chants with you:: Three more years, three more years...
Lanie: And what exactly is he going to do? Sit on my keyboard and look menacing?
harryp123: Yes, the Carrington scenes are dreams, sorry if I confused you.
Oh yes, and if the Noruca's Noisy Sweet Treats sound familiar, they're a direct steal from the PoA movie. Any guesses on the origin of the name Noruca?
Big hugs to all my reviewers! Please send me love and honesty, I need it!)