DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Harry woke up early on the day of his birthday. He hoped to see owls waiting for him when he looked out the window, but there was nothing. His mirror was on the floor, but it was silent and only reflected his own disappointed face.
He tried to convince himself that it was silly to hope for such things. He knew that his friends probably wanted to send him gifts, but they wouldn't risk sending the owls to his window. The two Aurors were still outside and he knew they would report just such an occurrence, Even if it was his birthday.
He sulked in his room a bit before finally getting ready for the day. He wondered if the Dursleys would remember, and if they did remember what they would do about it.
When he finally walked into the kitchen to try and find something for breakfast he was met by all of the Dursleys sitting around the table. He sat down with an apple and a small glass of juice. Dudley smirked but said nothing. Petunia turned away from him, and Vernon shook his morning paper noisily and raised it to hide his face.
So that's the way it'll be, Harry thought as he quietly ate his breakfast. After finishing the juice, he took what remained of the apple and started walking out of the kitchen.
"Oh, Harry," Vernon said in a falsely kind voice, "There is something I wanted to talk to you about this morning." Harry stopped, and gave his uncle an uncertain look.
"I want the floors scrubbed and waxed," Vernon said with a smile, "And clean the fine china while you're at it."
"You're joking," Harry said with a scowl, "That's what you wanted to talk to me about? Today?"
"Why not today?" Vernon said, looking around the table, "Nothing special about today that I know of." His attempts to hide a smile were failing.
"Fine."
Harry finished his apple and went to fetch what he'd need from the closet under the stairs. He looked around the tiny room. Part of him loathed the place, and yet, part of him wondered if his life would be any better if he were still sleeping there, without any knowledge of how special he was.
He brooded on those thoughts as he scoured the floor in the kitchen. After finishing the kitchen he moved on to the hallway which ran from the front door to the kitchen. Dudley was taking pleasure in walking across the area Harry was working on. Vernon had some important business meeting to attend that afternoon, so of course he had declared that he would need to take off the entire day. He spent his morning watching the television and occasionally checking on Harry. Petunia kept a sharp eye on him from the kitchen where she was inspecting Harry's work, and probably compiling a list of spots to be redone.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Harry instinctively looked up.
"Petunia!" Vernon bellowed from the living room, "Could you get that?"
Harry stood up and started to walk toward the door. He was curious who would come around so early.
"You just keep to your scrubbing," Petunia scolded as she walked by, "None of your kind would ever think to use the doorbell."
Petunia opened the door. Before she could say a thing the visitor had greeted her eagerly. From the hallway, Harry could hear her voice clearly.
"Good morning!"
It was a girl's voice, and it was sickeningly sweet and cheery. Harry tried to keep himself from disliking her for being so impolite as to be happy on his birthday. It wasn't her fault, he reminded himself. She had no idea how wretched the day was.
"I'm here on behalf of the Society for the Defense of Social Normality, and I was wondering if you would be so kind as to donate any money, or items of value to our cause."
Harry groaned and continued scrubbing. Perhaps he really should dislike her. The Dursleys would certainly use this as an opportunity to continue ridiculing him.
"The Society for what?" Petunia asked with obvious bewilderment.
"What is it, Petunia?" Vernon called from the other room.
"Some girl from the Society for... er..."
"—The Defense of Social Normality, sir" the girl finished with loathsome cheer.
Judging by the stomping and creaking of the floorboards, Harry guessed that Vernon had opted to inspect their visitor more closely.
"Never heard of it." Vernon declared in a suspicious, yet curious tone.
"And that's why we so urgently need your support," the girl retorted so brightly that Harry winced. Did people like that really exist? Harry admitted that there truly were people in the world who deserved a little violence in their lives. Where was Dudley when you needed him?
'Aren't you a bit young to be collecting donations?" Petunia asked.
"Oh, no one is too young to help fight for the improvement of society," she replied. "Now, you live in a proper neighborhood, but where I grew up, there were loads of all sorts of odd people." The girls voice dropped to an ominous tone. "People with frogs as pets, bizarrely colored hair, and the oddest of hobbies. I knew one gentleman who claimed he had been a canary and another who would hold regular conversations with the pavement."
"Do you still live there?" Petunia asked. Harry wondered if that was fear he heard in her voice.
"Of course not," the girl said with a clear laugh. Harry instinctively stopped what he was doing, but didn't know why. The girl continued, sounding scandalized. "What sort of parents would raise their child in such a place? One day, a man in dark robes came to our door." She spoke as if telling a story to a group of toddlers. Harry tried to ignore her. "He waved a stick at us spouting some rubbish about wanting to use our fireplace. That was it for us. Moved that very month."
Harry was listening intently now. She had seen a wizard. Where had she been? What would Vernon and Petunia do?
"Yes, well your parents were quite right to do that," Uncle Vernon said proudly. "Exactly what I would do. Can't abide all that weirdness."
"It's unnatural," Petunia added in a slightly panicked voice.
"Quite right," the girl agreed, "When I saw this house I was certain it had to be the home of a proper, normal family. My parents have influence with some powerful people in the government. Can you spare a few pounds to help support our cause? Something really must be done," she said with gentle urgency.
There was silence for a moment, then the girl continued. "Just think of the children of all those abnormal people. They only end up burdening good families like you with their laziness."
That was it. Harry hadn't even seen her but he'd decided he didn't like her. She was like a young and sickeningly happy version of Aunt Marge. Harry forced himself to relax and stay calm. The last thing he needed was to blow up some girl with Aurors across the street.
"She's quite right, Petunia. We already take care of one of them," Vernon huffed. "On vacation from St. Brutus', of course."
"Oh? Here? Now?" the girl asked. She made it sound like the Dursleys were keeping a rabid animal as a pet. Harry found himself creeping toward the door. Despite his earlier decision, he wanted to get a glimpse of the visitor. He'd already imagined her as a younger, more arrogant version of Petunia, but it would make it easier for him to despise her later if he knew how to correctly picture her turning into a toad and being kicked repeatedly.
"Yes, he's doing chores right now," Vernon explained. "It's the only way to keep him in line. As for your charity, I can't think of any better use of a few spare pounds," he said, mimicking her cheeriness.
"Would you mind if I came in, then?" she asked politely. "I was always taught not to linger on the doorstep, and I wouldn't want your neighbors to think anything odd about it."
"Of course, dear," Petunia said.
The three of them were walking toward him on their way to the living room. As Vernon passed by Harry immediately went back to scrubbing the floor. Out of the corner of his eye saw Vernon enter the living room, dwarfing the girl who was wearing a hat and a crisp plaid school uniform. She was probably the spoiled daughter of rich parents. Like Dudley, he thought, and instead of being obese she was annoying, but to the same degree.
"That was him in the hall, was it?" the girl asked cheerily. Her voice really was starting to remind Harry of Delores Umbridge. He was disgusted by the thought of a girl so young already acting like both Petunia and Umbridge.
"Yes," Vernon apologized. "I'm terribly sorry. We don't usually let him out when we have guests."
"Don't they have combs at St. Brutus'?" the girl squeaked.
Harry scowled. He had put up with quite a bit from his relatives over the years, but now strangers were coming here to ridicule him as well. He really needed to leave this place.
"Apparently not," Vernon replied. "And here is thirty pounds. That's thirty pounds well spent, I say."
"Thank you very much. I'm sure my parents will be will be overjoyed with your generosity." Harry could hear the smile in her voice and it made him feel ill. "I don't suppose he would talk to me?" she asked sweetly.
"Well... er... He's prone to outbursts and babbling, I don't know—"
"Oh, please? You seem like perfectly normal people. He can't be all that bad," she argued. "He's not going to attack me, is he? I assume you've at least trained him to pretend to be civil."
That was it. Harry stood up. He wasn't some zoo creature to be poked at for other's amusement. He started walking for the stairs. He would take his trunk and make his way to Grimmauld Place. Vernon couldn't stop him, and he probably wouldn't try if he had his wand.
"Boy! Where do you think you're going?" Vernon called from behind him. Harry didn't even turn to look at him.
"I'm leaving."
"You're what?" Petunia squawked.
"I'm going away. Make Dudley scrub the floor," Harry said as he turned to climb the stairs. Suddenly he froze as a sound cut through the air.
"Hem Hem."
Harry instinctively reached for his wand, though it wasn't there. Did Delores Umbridge have a daughter? He turned to look at the girl who had made the noise, and his jaw dropped.
"Close your mouth!" Vernon commanded. "It's not like this is the first girl you've seen. Don't they have girls at your school?"
"They have girls at St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys?" the girl asked, while batting her eyelashes at Uncle Vernon.
"Well—er— I didn't mean..." he stumbled, "I assume that...er..."
"They do," Harry answered. "Some of them are really brilliant."
Ginny Weasley smiled as her face reddened slightly. She walked toward him. "Happy Birthday, Harry." Her voice was much different now, and Harry recognized it immediately.
"What— Who— What is this?" Vernon mumbled.
"Why are you here?" Harry asked, ignoring Vernon as he tried to get Harry and Ginny's attention by stuttering and turning red.
"Because it's your birthday, Harry," she said as if Harry had forgotten. "Tonks, Lupin and Shacklebolt are nearby. We came to sneak you out."
"Sneak me out?"
"Of course. The Aurors are still watching you. Dumbledore doesn't want them to know about..." she glanced at the Dursleys, "... that place. So we came to sneak you out."
Ginny tossed her hat on the ground and loosened the tie around her neck. Finally, she pulled her wand out of her sleeve, making Petunia shriek and Vernon's mouth drop open.
"Put that away!" he yelled. "How dare you! I'll not have another... another... freak in my house waving...one of those about." Vernon's face was red, and he strode toward Ginny with his hand already getting ready to grab her wand.
Vernon was angrier than Harry had ever seen him. Suddenly he was worried that Vernon wouldn't stop. He reached for his wand again, but found it still wasn't in his pocket. He'd left it in his room. Vernon was roaring in anger as he crossed the living room toward Ginny.
Images flashed in his mind. He imagined Vernon breaking Ginny's wand, and shoving her to the floor. Suddenly a venomous rage filled him, and he felt power coursing through his body.
"Vernon, STOP!" he shouted, rattling the lamps in the living room.
But Vernon had already stopped. Ginny was standing in front of him, with her wand jabbing right into his chest. Harry had spoken with such power that even Ginny turned and looked at him.
Vernon backed away from Ginny and Harry as if two wild animals had found their way into his home. Petunia remained on the couch but had moved into the corner, as if she hoped she wouldn't be noticed.
"Boy, go to your room," Vernon said. His voice was even and restrained. He slowly turned to Ginny, "And as for you, you'd best leave before I'm forced to throw you out."
"Don't you even dare threaten me!" Ginny shouted to Vernon's crimson face. "And Harry is coming with me."
"He will not," said Vernon, "He will finish his chores and remain in his room for the rest of the day. While he lives in my house, I'll not stand for him running about with you lot!"
"He is coming with me," she replied quietly, "but I'd love to see you try and stop me."
Vernon sneered at her and forced out a laugh, "You aren't allowed to... do what you do outside of that school of yours."
"Herpemorphus!" Ginny shouted, and suddenly the rug under Petunia's feet rolled up and sprouted short legs as it quickly turned into a rather large lizard. After a quick glance at its surroundings, it turned and began hissing at Petunia.
Ginny smiled at the successful transfiguration, then waved dismissively at the Dursley's. "Explain that to your new pet."
While Uncle Vernon brandished the poker from the fireplace at the lizard, Ginny retrieved a small envelope from a pocket and tossed it to Harry.
"There's a Portkey inside. It will take you to the party," she said. Then her expression turned to one of disappointment, "...but you'll have to come back tonight. We just can't risk the Aurors finding out."
Harry was wrestling with his own emotions. He had been so angry with the Dursleys, and suddenly he was getting everything he had wanted. His friends had come for him. And of all his friends, it was Ginny, his newfound friend and conspirator who was here and standing up to the Dursleys. He had often wished he could talk to Ginny normally, but now that she was here, he felt distinctly uncomfortable and afraid of talking.
Ginny saw the look on his face and gave him a lopsided smile.
"It's okay, Harry. Everyone is waiting for you."
Harry smiled back but that uncomfortable feeling only got worse. There was something different about Ginny. He'd been talking to her face in the Mirror for quite a while, but now that he looked at her, she didn't seem to be the same Ginny he remembered. She was taller and her face didn't look so young as he remembered it. Her eyes were shining and filled with both happiness and concern. Her hair was sleek and tied back neatly. Her lips were... moving.
"Harry?" she called gently. "Harry, are you listening to me?"
Harry suddenly realized that he had been staring at her. He felt heat creeping across his face, and wished he had any excuse to hide it. He didn't understand why he was so embarrassed, but it seemed to have robbed him of the ability to speak coherently.
"I...er... I was—well..." he mumbled, stumbling over his own thoughts as he tried to find a good answer. He thought he saw a small smile on Ginny's face and growing redness in her cheeks. Harry smiled back and immediately felt lighter and happier. "I guess I wasn't." Ginny laughed. She had an amazing laugh.
"Get your wand. When you get back, you'll open the envelope, and I'll walk out the door. I'll see you there a little later. I'm sure Hermione will explain whatever you missed."
Harry turned and walked up the stairs. When he was no longer visible, Ginny turned to the Dursleys. She trained her wand on Vernon Dursley once more.
"You loathsome, vile bastard," she said in a low voice. "It's his birthday, and you do this?"
Petunia sat up, "This is our home and—"
"Silencio!"
Petunia's mouth kept moving, but nothing came out. Ginny pointed her wand back at Vernon. "You have no idea what's going on, do you?" she asked.
"I know that you and my ungrateful nephew are attacking my family, and I won't stand for it."
Ginny pointed her wand back at Petunia. "Finite Incantatem!" Petunia's face froze in horror, and she instinctively screamed. When she realized that she actually could scream, her face changed to one of confusion and suspicion.
Ginny lowered her voice, and glared at Vernon with all her anger. "Harry deals with things that would have you whimpering in the corner. It may not be long before you're visited by more wizards. Bad wizards. And if that happens, you'd better pray that Harry is around to protect you because I don't think anyone else can."
The color drained out of Vernon's face, and Petunia remained as silent as if Ginny had hexed her again.
"You're lying."
"I'm not lying," Ginny replied, her voice taking on a note of sadness. "It's already started. One family is already dead."
"They already tried," Vernon said firmly. "Our Dudley was already attacked. Why would they try again? Harry didn't—" Vernon started.
"The Dementors?" Ginny whispered. "No... Those weren't sent by the truly bad wizards. I'm talking about the one who killed Harry's parents. If he'd have come for you, you'd already be dead."
"Ginny?" Harry called from the steps, "I heard a scream, is everyone okay?" He had his wand out and seemed to be searching for intruders.
"Yes, Harry," she called back. "I'm afraid everyone is still okay."
"Oh," he replied, sounding almost disappointed. Vernon's eyes opened as large as saucers and he looked at Petunia.
"You didn't do anything to them?" Harry asked.
"Nothing permanent," Ginny laughed. "Open the envelope, Harry. I'll see you there shortly."
Harry put his wand away and opened the envelope. Inside it was a bright red and yellow card with "Happy Birthday, Harry!" written on it. He opened it and read "You are invited to a birthday party at 12 Grimmauld Place—" before he felt the expected tugging on his navel. As he felt his feet leave the floor he felt faintly afraid, as if he had just done something terribly foolish. Number Four Privet Drive disappeared, and he felt his feet buckle as they hit a wooden floor.
He looked around. It was dark and quiet. The room he was in was quite small and the only light came from under a nearby doorway.
He had no idea where he was. A closet perhaps. It had happened again. It was just like the Triwizard Tournament. He'd been tricked again. Did Ginny know? Had it even been Ginny? Was this the Riddle House? Or perhaps some hideout used by Death Eaters? It didn't matter, he wouldn't just sit here waiting for Death Eaters to find him.
He sprung to his feet and searched for his wand. He found it and was about to try and light up the room, when he heard heavy footsteps headed his way. They were talking quickly and the sound was muffled, but he caught one of them above the rest.
"There! He's in there!"
A moment later, the door opened, revealing a slightly darker shape against the dim room outside the door. Harry had to act quickly or he'd never get out of the closet. He stabbed his wand toward the doorway and shouting, "Stupefy!"
The dark shape in the doorway froze, then dropped limply to the floor with a thud. A second shape was already in the doorway, but with a helpless shout it tripped over the first, and was sent sprawling on the floor in front of Harry.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
The second shape suddenly stiffened, its arms and legs as stiff and straight as the floor planks it was laying on. He was about to smile at his work, when the room darkened again. A third shape was in the doorway, this one much taller than the others. He could hear more footsteps. He'd never get free. There was no way out of here, and more of them were headed this way. Harry stood up and aimed his wand at the new shape.
"Nice job, Harry," the shape said cheerily. "Been trying to get those two to shut up all day."
"Ron?"
Another shape slid into view. This one was shorter, and had a wavy mass of hair swinging about her head.
"Harry! What did you do to them?" she said as she looked at the shapes on the ground. "Lumos!" The room was suddenly lit by her wand as Hermione followed Ron into the small room. On the ground, the motionless bodies of Fred and George lay between her and Harry. Hermione surveyed them with indifference. "Well, it did get them to shut up about your party."
Harry winced at the sight of the twins on the floor. They really had looked like Death Eaters to Harry. With a shrug, he lowered his wand to point at George. "Finite Incantatem!"
George's limbs relaxed. He rolled over and sat up, shaking his head. He looked at Harry with some confusion. "What was that for, Harry?" he said massaging his forehead, "And we were even going to let you in on our plans..."
A loud thumping stopped just outside the doorway. Mad-Eye Moody looked in the room with a somewhat frightening smile across his scarred face. "Good work, Potter!" he barked, "See that? Potter's always prepared. Why weren't you two?" he added with a rasping chuckle. He looked at Fred's limp body. "Stunned, is he?"
"I'm afraid so," Harry said quietly, "I just didn't expect to show up in a closet."
Moody was pointing his wand at Fred as he shouted, "Ennervate!"
Fred sat up and blinked a couple times before looking to Harry, "That'll teach me to open doors for Harry." He turned to George who was standing near him. "Always wondered what that felt like. It's actually rather like the Fainting Fancies."
"Er... Does anyone know why we're in a closet?" Harry asked, louder this time.
"Because you haven't left yet," Arthur Weasley said from the room. "We're sorry, Harry. Dumbledore let Remus make the Portkeys. I'm afraid he's still learning."
"Well, luckily nothing unexpected happened," Fred said as he stood up and dusted off his clothes. "Speaking of Lupin, where is he? Weren't they Apparating back?"
"No, Ginny is with them," Arthur said, "They're taking a Portkey as well."
"Did Lupin make it?" Harry asked quickly.
"Er... A fine point, Harry," Arthur said before motioning for them all to leave quickly. Ron and Hermione struggled to leave as Moody limped back through the door. George was having some trouble pulling Fred to his feet. As if on cue, there was faint flash of light as Lupin suddenly appeared right in front of Fred. The room went dark, and he fell forward with a shout. Two more people appeared soon afterward, causing George to fall back against Harry as someone steadied themselves against him. Harry and George fell, and Harry had the wind knocked from him as someone tripped over Fred, fell onto Harry and then struggled to stand up.
With a final dull flash, a last figure appeared in the packed closet. Fred (or was it George?) shouted and Harry could barely make out someone falling toward him. Before he could move, the person had landed on his chest. Luckily, this person was much lighter than George. And softer. And they smelled faintly of raspberries.
A bright light blazed from the corner of the closet. From underneath a couple other people, Harry could only see the glow and hear Tonks' voice. "Is everyone— HA!... Is... Oh my—" The light went out, and the closet filled with the sound of Tonks' laughter. In the brief time when there had been light, Harry hadn't been able to see anything but a large amount of flowing red hair.
"TONKS!" growled Kingsley Shacklebolt. "Some light, please?"
"Sorry!" she apologized. "But— You know... It is quite funny." The closet lit up again. "Imagine, all this, and I'm the one still standing."
The light revealed what Harry had already guessed. When Ginny realized who she'd fallen on, she gave a shriek, jumped up, and quickly worked at straightening her skirt. Harry stood up immediately after her, and saw Tonks giving both of them a very curious smile. Harry felt himself blushing furiously, and wished Tonks would just let it go dark again for a while. A quick look at Ginny gave him some relief. She looked the way he felt.
Ginny shuffled along the wall past the pile of people on the floor and stepped through the door with some help from Hermione. Harry decided to stay in the closet until everyone else had left. Tonks stayed with him, lighting the room and giving him odd, knowing looks.
"Sorry about that, everyone," Lupin announced as he stepped out of the closet and proceeded to brush dust off of the trousers he'd been wearing. "The others all worked fine."
The lot of them eventually made their way down to the kitchen and parlor where they had taken to spending much of their time. Dumbledore, Molly Weasley, Mrs. Figg, and a number of other wizards from the Order had assembled around the table, including a smiling Minerva McGonagall.
The entire kitchen had been prepared. A very large cake sat on the table decorated in Gryffindor colors, and over the table letters hung in the air spelling out "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRY!" and raining harmless sparks on the table.
As everyone greeted him with handshakes and firm pats on the back (Hagrid nearly made him choke), Molly and some of the other guests started placing large plates of food on the table. A group of chairs had been reserved for Harry, Ron and Hermione. Next to them sat Dumbledore, McGonagall, Lupin, Arthur and Molly. On the other side of them, Ginny and the twins sat with Charlie and Bill.
Harry wanted to try and make room for Ginny by him, but he knew it would look too suspicious. He felt somewhat troubled. In the past three weeks he'd talked to Ginny more than Ron and Hermione combined, and yet he had to pretend she was only his best friend's sister now. He caught Ginny's eyes and it seemed she understood. Unfortunately, Dumbledore had seen the shared look, and where Tonks had smiled and laughed at them, Dumbledore looked deeply thoughtful instead.
"Harry! Wake up, Harry!" Ron shouted at him. Harry turned back to Ron, slightly annoyed over his loud interruption. Most of the people around the table were standing and and seemed to be heading for a one of the doors. Ginny was already at the door, escorted by the twins, both of which were smirking at Harry. Ron was tugging on Harry's robes, trying to lead him to the door as well, while Hermione just shook her head behind him.
"Hang on, Ron," Harry said as he tried to stand up without knocking his chair to the ground. "You're ripping my robes, you impatient git!"
"Hermione will fix them later!" he said causing Hermione to make an annoyed sound. "You've got gifts to open. Bill and Charlie even have something for you. Come on!"
Ron led Harry to the room which everyone seemed to be calling the parlor. He honestly didn't remember it being there before, but it had seemed that Grimmauld Place had changed quite a bit. His chest tightened a little at the thought that some of the changes were probably Sirius' work. The room was spacious, but not large. There were plenty of places to sit, and there was a large fireplace in the middle of one of the walls. The decorations were distinctly like those found in the Gryffindor common room. This place felt more like home than any other place he'd been. He immediately sat down in a large cushioned chair, with a big smile on his face.
As soon as he sat down, people began bringing him gifts. "We've heard about the Dursleys," Dedalus Diggle explained, "and many of us feel that it's a thing in need of a remedy." He brought a small package to Harry, saying, "Now, you probably shouldn't go on expecting to get all this next year, but, well... there it is." Harry opened the package to reveal a small silver watch. "Detects dark magic, that watch. And tells time, I believe." Harry immediately put the watch on with a grin. "Oh, and it will warn you if you're about to go swimming too soon after a meal." Harry gave his watch an odd look, but thanked Diggle anyways.
Other people came forward to hand gifts to him. Certainly not everyone in the room, as many of them were simply taking a break from their duties to the Order. However, Harry still received more gifts than he had ever received on his birthday. Among other smaller presents, he got a wand care kit as well as a handsome oak case for his wand, a pair of self-sizing and magically waterproof shoes, a rather large, floppy hat that he reluctantly wore for some time, and a bottle of Wooten's Rearranging Ink, which would try to rearrange the words written with it into other less meaningful sentences.
Professor McGonagall had given him his own pair of dragon hide gloves. "You'll want those for all the Potions work you'll be doing," she had said with a stern yet cheerful glare. Charlie and Bill presented him with a long, glittering knife. It managed to look expensive, elegant and dangerous all at the same time.
"We know we can't replace your last knife, but this might pass as a substitute. It's not really designed for locks, but it made short work of the twins' door," Bill said.
It certainly was larger than Sirius' pen knife. The blade was almost as long as Harry's forearm, and it tapered steadily to a delicate looking point. Molly obviously disapproved but said nothing. "Bill claims this one should be quite a bit more durable, despite its fancy appearance. Enchanted to stay sharp, too," Charlie added.
Dumbledore presented Harry with two large bundles. "As the esteemed Professor Trelawney has predicted—" he said loftily, with a graceful wave of his hand, "you've grown. Though, perhaps, her Inner Eye has seen farther than she thought. So, I have two gifts for you. Robes!" The packages suddenly unwrapped themselves, leaving Harry with two piles of new black robes on his lap.
"Why do I need so many?" Harry asked, "Did Trelawney predict that my entire wardrobe would burn to ashes or something?"
"Of course not," Dumbledore scoffed, "I... er... I didn't know your size. So I got two different sizes. I fear that the other set is one size too large." he said with a twinkle in his eye. "I'm certain you'll find a use for them that makes you happy."
With a smile, Harry turned to Ron. "I know how you hate castoffs Ron, but I swear, they're like new. Never been worn."
Ron seemed only slightly put off, and with some encouragement from Harry he took the robes, and gave Harry his present. It was a small candle in a brass holder. "Its a Cold Flame Candle. Easier to use than a wand, and it won't burn down your bed."
Next Hermione came forward with a large flat box. Ginny stood somewhat behind her, yet made sure she could see Harry's face. In the box was a brand new set of gloves and guards for Quidditch. He gave Hermione a slightly confused look. After the Broomstick Servicing Kit she'd given him on his thirteenth birthday he didn't expect her to encourage his love of Quidditch any more.
"You don't like them?" she asked.
"No!" Harry replied quickly, causing Hermione's face to fall, "Wait! Yes! I mean— Yes, they're great, but why—"
"Well, Ginny—"
"I told her that you'd like it!" Ginny interrupted as she stepped forward. "It was Hermione's idea, but she wasn't sure if you'd like it."
Hermione gave her a funny look, but moved on. "Happy Birthday, Harry," she said.
"Yeah, Happy Birthday," Ginny chimed, as Hermione gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. As Ginny leaned in to kiss his other cheek, Harry's head nervously jerked to the side at her proximity to him. The result, however, was much worse than her simply being close to him.
When Ginny went to kiss his cheek, it was no longer there, and instead her lips found his, and they both paled as the were hit with the realization of what had happened. Ginny jumped back immediately muttering something about his present helping him play this year.
The room was silent for a moment. At least, it was mostly silent except for the sound of Tonk's gasping as she covered her mouth and the silenced laughter of the twins. Hermione looked startled, and Ron mostly looked as if he'd missed the punchline to some joke.
"Well, then, I guess it's our turn," announced Fred.
"Last, but not least, and all that—" George said.
"—Actually, that's not true—"
"Right, but he doesn't know that yet," George whispered loudly.
"Moving on," Fred said over the muffled laughs, "We had quite a bit of trouble trying to come up with a gift for young Harry."
"What do you get the boy who has everything?" asked George.
"How about a birthday cake without exploding candles?" offered Bill from the back of the room.
"Ah yes, that," George mumbled. "We might be able to do that..."
"But beyond that," Fred continued dramatically, "what more could we do for our friend Harry than promise him three favors?"
Charlie spoke up this time. "Well, you could—"
"Yes, Charlie, we'll take care of those as well," Fred sounding quite disappointed.
"Ignore them, Harry," George said. "Just name your three favors. Just tell us when you need something and we'll do whatever we can to make it happen."
"And the Ministry won't even know about it," Fred added, "Oh, calm down Mum, it's Harry! What's to worry about?"
"How's that, Harry?" George asked. Harry smiled and nodded energetically. He was already thinking of things he could ask the twins for. "And finally, we'd like to continue the new Weasley family tradition. Fred!"
Harry turned to look at Fred, but he realized too late that Fred was much too close to easily see. Without any warning, Fred gave him a quick but quite dramatic kiss. Harry recoiled and turned away only to have George do the very same thing.
"We love you, too, Harry," George said as Harry struggled to stay in his chair as he recovered. The whole room, even Molly, was laughing. Ginny was laughing as she tried to hide her face. The two smiled at each other and began walking back toward their brothers.
Fred looked over at George, "Ours were better than the girls', don't you think?"
"Course they were," Fred replied, "Look at Ginny, she's hiding her face in shame. She'll have to try harder next time." Ginny dropper her hands and gave them a icy glare.
Bill and Charlie were shaking their heads but smiling as the twins took their spots standing near them. They weren't standing very long, as Molly took the opportunity to suggest it would be the perfect time to have some cake, if it wasn't set to explode when Harry blew out the candles.
"Right!" George shouted, with Fred right behind him. "Almost forgot!"
As the reached the door, Fred stopped short and grabbed George before he could leave the room. "George! We almost forgot! Moody!"
"Oh, of course," George said with a smile. "I believe Mr. Moody owes us twenty-five Galleons each."
"I haven't forgotten," Moody growled, as he pointed a rough looking finger at them.
"Fifty Galleons?" Arthur said, "Why do you owe them money, Alastor?"
"A foolish wager," grumbled Moody, "They bet me double my money that Tonks here wouldn't foul up smuggling Harry past the Aurors."
"That's nice!" Tonks said in a shocked voice. "I am an Auror, you know!"
"And we had complete faith in you," George said in a patronizing voice.
"I'm sure," Tonks said with a dubious look. "However, I wasn't the one who got Harry."
Mad-Eye Moody and Arthur both looked surprised. "Who did? Remus?"
"No, they'd recognize me immediately," Lupin said, "And we were worried about them detecting Tonks using magic. In the end, there was only one of us who knew the Dursleys well enough to be let in, and still not be noticed by the Aurors."
"Ginny?" Arthur asked, "But, I thought she was just there to help Tonks—"
"She was," Lupin said, "But the place was empty. We couldn't send Tonks in. She'd be spotted pretty quick if she was the only person to watch."
"So you sent... her in?" Moody said as his magical eye swiveled to gaze suspiciously at Ginny. "I think she's done quite enough."
"She did get Harry here," Lupin said in a pacifying voice, "And even Kingsley's Aurors didn't notice or suspect a thing. They barely took notice of her leaving."
"So," barked Moody, "Tell us what you did, Miss Weasley."
Ginny's embarrassment from the Twin's antics had passed and now she looked quite stubborn. Harry doubted she'd tell Moody how she'd done it.
"I must admit," Dumbledore said with a bit of laugh, "I am quite interested in hearing how Miss Weasley dealt with Harry's charming relatives."
Ginny told everyone how she'd pretended to be collecting money from a charity the Dursley's surely would have started if they'd ever had a thought for someone who wasn't themselves. She left out her talk with Uncle Vernon, but didn't hide the fact that she'd drawn and used her wand. As she finished, she jumped to her feet shaking her head.
"Completely forgot," she said as she walked toward Harry, "It's not like I'd know what to do with them." She handed Harry a handful of folded notes.
Harry smiled. "The thirty pounds?" he asked with a laugh.
"Yeah," Ginny replied. "It's probably the best and last present you'll ever get from them, so don't spend it wisely."
As everyone realized where the money had come from, they broke out in laughter again. Even Moody forgot his suspicions of Ginny for the moment and let out a series of harsh barks which passed for laughter from the ex-Auror.
The twins both went to shake Ginny's hand, but received a threatening look as they tried to show their appreciation. It seemed that she wasn't going to forget their stunt. They backed away and headed toward the kitchen.
"We'll just be... er..."
"—preparing—"
"Yes! Preparing the cake," Fred said as they left the room.
"Make sure you prepare the chairs as well," Bill called out from the corner.
Fred's head poked back in the room, "Fine! The chairs, too. I swear, it's like we're not related. At least our lovely sister knows how to have a little fun." His head disappeared before Ginny could get out of her seat.
Shortly afterward, the room emptied and all the party-goers moved back to the kitchen, where the birthday cake (now with normal candles) was waiting for them. Harry sat back and marveled at how the day had changed. Just that morning Uncle Vernon had make a point to ignore his birthday and assign him chores. Now he was sitting amongst his friends, who were talking animatedly back and forth about any number of subjects.
Harry enjoyed being able to talk with Ron and Hermione finally. Now that he was here in front of them, they were both less reserved and guarded about what they would say to him. However, for once, he didn't care about what the Order was up to, or anything the Ministry had done, or any news of Voldemort's plans. He just wanted to enjoy a birthday, the way he'd always dreamed it.
Ginny was still a bit of a problem. He wanted to talk with her as well, but whenever she got near him, he could feel (and often see) Mad-Eye Moody's magical eye staring at them. Ginny had noticed as well, and she pretended to enjoy spending time with Bill and Charlie.
Dumbledore had been sitting quietly near the fire in the parlor, talking occasionally with anyone who would show up. He mostly seemed thoughtful, and would occasionally glance at Harry, but he never made any move to talk to him. Harry decided that was fine. He wasn't going force Dumbledore to talk to him. If he didn't want to, Harry was perfectly happy not knowing what Dumbledore was spending his time thinking about.
Yet, for all his attempted apathy, he immediately noticed when Dumbledore stood up and walked over to where Bill, Charlie and Ginny had been watching Ron and George playing a game of Exploding Snap. He pulled Ginny aside and talked with her for some time. Moody seemed to be watching intently, so Harry tried to focus on the game of chess occurring between McGonagall and Kingsley Shacklebolt.
When he looked up from the game he realized that he had missed their entire conversation. Ginny was slipping into the kitchen carrying some mugs, and Dumbledore was right in front of him.
"Happy Birthday, Harry," he said, his eyes twinkling. "Miss Weasley wanted me to deliver this card to you. She was terribly sorry she couldn't do it personally, but I asked her to do me a quick favor."
He handed Harry a card. It was a simple birthday card, yet Harry winced as he opened it, waiting for it to conjure a chorus of frogs to serenade him, or for the card to jump on its side, and begin singing itself. However, he was surprised and confused to see that it was rather plain on the inside, saying only:
Happy Birthday, Harry
Love, Ginny
Harry turned the card over, expecting something more, but there was nothing. That was all he got? After all the hours he'd spent talking to her, he got five words? He knew that she was being secretive, but he'd hoped she'd be able to say more in writing.
"Is there a problem, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.
"No, Headmaster," Harry said quietly, "I just expected something ... more."
"Something singing, perhaps?" Dumbledore said with a smile. When Harry said nothing else, he took the card back and opened it. "I wonder," he said as he gazed at the empty card, "How far did you read in your Transfiguration book last term?" McGonagall looked up from her chess match. "How far should he read to be ready for his first Transfiguration class, Minerva? Would page four-hundred ninety-eight be sufficient?"
McGonagall looked confused. "Page four-hundred ninety-eight? I hardly think he'll have much use for those, Albus, they are mostly for—" She paused and looked at Harry. "Yes, I suppose that page four-hundred ninety-eight would be sufficient," she said somewhat reluctantly. "But he would do well to read the entire chapter," she added sternly.
"Excellent advice, Minerva," Dumbledore said. "I quite agree. Perhaps you should see about reading page four-hundred ninety-eight after you get back to Privet Drive."
Harry didn't know what they were talking about, but he was certainly going to look at whatever was on that page of his old Transfiguration textbook.
"Now, if you would come with me, Harry, I would like to have a word with you before you have to go back."
Harry followed silently as Dumbledore led him to the kitchen. When he walked in, he saw Ginny sitting sullenly at the kitchen table prodding an apple and making it change colors. When she saw Harry, she sat up and looked at Dumbledore.
"Why did you bring him here?" she asked in a defensive tone.
Dumbledore shook his head and pointed his wand at the ceiling, "Camerocultus!" he said clearly, and the walls seemed to shimmer for a moment. "I brought him here because there is something I need to discuss with both of you— At least I believe so."
"Why not invite Moody in?" Ginny said as she slumped back in her chair, "You know he's outside watching and listening." Harry wondered if Ginny had always been this rebellious, or if it was some recent work of the twins.
"I assure you, Alastor will be quite disappointed if he tries to hear what is being said in this room. Make no mistake, Miss Weasley, I can create my own privacy when I need it." Ginny seemed to relax, but still eyed Dumbledore warily. He ignored her and began walking lazily toward the fireplace. "I dislike repeating myself, but Harry, is there anything you wish to tell me?"
"Er... Like what? Another attack?"
"Anything that you know that you haven't told me about," Dumbledore said idly, "Odd things that have happened, strange things that you can't explain..."
"No," Harry answered slowly. "I know that you know about the mirrors."
"Of course. I've noticed something different about you, Harry," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "For some time I could not put my finger on just what it was. I only discovered what it was today, when I found that I could not discover what it was." Harry's empty gaze must have shown his bewilderment. Dumbledore smiled and looked into Harry's eyes. "I cannot detect your feelings or emotions. You've become exceptionally good at Occlumency."
"Not good enough to block the dreams," Harry responded. He didn't want to have to think about this right now.
"That's true. Quite curious, really. Is there nothing else?"
What could Dumbledore be looking for, Harry wondered. "I— I don't think so."
"I have had my suspicions for some time, but I could never be certain. I'm terribly sorry, Harry. I'm afraid that I must be certain now."
Before Harry could ask what he'd meant by that, the Headmaster had taken Ginny's birthday card and tossed it in a lazy arc toward the fire. Ginny stood up immediately and shouted at him. She'd apparently written something important on it. Dumbledore knew it, and he was going to let it burn.
Time seemed to stand still. Harry felt a surge of anger as he jumped to his feet. What was Dumbledore up to? He'd practically told Harry that there was more to read on the card, and now he was going to destroy it before Harry could read it. Harry took a step toward the fire, and reached for it in an impotent attempt to stop it from landing in the fire.
However, to his amazement, he did. Before the card made it to the flames, it slowed and sailed back toward his open hand. Ginny gasped and sat down, her jaw hanging open. Dumbledore merely nodded and looked a little more solemn.
"I must admit this is what I expected."
Harry felt his anger and annoyance boiling up inside him, "You what? You knew this was going to happen, and just decided to wait until I found out? I thought we were done with this!" he shouted, not caring what Ginny would think. "I'm tired of being your puppet! You're just using me, waiting for me to kill Voldemort, or for him to kill me! You—"
"Harry!" Ginny shouted. She was pale, and standing again.
Harry felt as if a cold wind was pushing away his anger. He looked to Dumbledore. Harry had never seen him looking so surprised. Then the pain began. Intense pain like a dull knife pressing into his forehead shot through his scar. He groaned and sat down. The pain was ebbing away quickly and before anyone spoke it had become nothing more than a dull ache.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you of this earlier, Harry." Dumbledore said calmly as he walked around the table. "At first, I didn't believe this would happen. Then I convinced myself it would not develop this quickly. It was Miss Weasley who helped me finally realize the truth."
Ginny gaped at him, "What did I help you see?"
"You've always done quite well in your studies, but in the last year you've made some truly remarkable progress. Professor McGonagall mentioned it to me immediately, and Professor Flitwick explained how you have been working to control your tendency to cast overly powerful charms."
"So?" Ginny said looking a little worried, "Am I not supposed to be getting better?"
"Yes, of course," Dumbledore said nodding, "but we expect students to grow gradually, and you seemed to grow quickly over the last summer."
Harry was beginning to wonder what Dumbledore was getting at. Part of him thought he should know. He wondered if it had something to do with the strange things he was able to do now. He was about to ask Dumbledore, when the apple Ginny had been prodding with her wand suddenly turned into a small, tightly coiled, black snake.
With a hiss, it slipped from its coil and shot toward Ginny, swiftly slithering onto her hand and wrapping itself around her arm. Harry panicked and searched for his wand, but before he found it, a voice in the back of his mind called out: Command it.
He turned to look at the snake slipping around her arm. It seemed to be quite angry and its mouth was open, exposing small but threatening fangs.
Ginny was panicking as well, "No! Stop!" she shouted at it. It seemed to pause at the sound of her yelling, but made no move to retreat.
"Move away from her," hissed Harry. "Go back to the table."
The snake looked from Ginny to Harry and back. Then, without a hiss it slithered back onto the table, into a lazy coil where the apple had been.Ginny still looked pale, and she was looking at Harry and Dumbledore.
"Is there anything you'd like to tell me, Ginny?" Dumbledore asked her quietly.
"I— I heard him..." she said faintly.
"Ginny," Harry said in a manner he hoped would comfort her, "You know that I can do that. It's okay."
"No..." she said shaking her head, "I heard what you said. You told it to go back to the table." Her eyes opened very wide and she turned to Dumbledore as she covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh no— Did I—"
"Yes, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore said quietly, "I'm afraid I expected that as well, though not until recently."
Ginny was a Parselmouth as well. Harry wasn't sure if he was relieved or disgusted. "It was Riddle and that diary, wasn't it?" he asked. Dumbledore nodded but Harry was still unsure what the connection was. "So we both have some of his power now, but how does that explain how I did... this," he asked holding up Ginny's card.
"When Voldemort got his body back, he began regaining his power," Dumbledore explained, "As he regains more of his old power, you will notice your own powers growing. As a young man, Tom had already developed the rare talent of using magic without a wand or incantation."
Harry's stomach churned at the thought. "I don't want it! I've never wanted it!" he said vehemently, "I never meant to use it. I've tried not to, but it just happens."
"Relax, Harry," Dumbledore said as he conjured hot cocoa for the three of them. "It is not Voldemort growing inside you. This power has been there for some time. Right now, it is simply... waking up, and you'd do well to learn to master it."
He pushed the cocoa toward Ginny, who was still pale and staring at the snake, and continued, "Ginny will have a much easier time of it. She does not have the stronger connection to him that you do." Ginny looked up, and she seemed relieved at first, then turned her eyes to Harry and then back to the snake, as if she were ashamed. Dumbledore gave her an apologetic look. "I'm not sure what you'll have to look forward to, Miss Weasley. It seems as if you've little more than the power you used in your first year, though in time it might progress beyond that."
He turned back to Harry. "No one knows what you should expect beyond what we've already seen. Obviously, this is not something the wizarding world has often seen. With practice, your skills will improve."
"Why does my scar hurt when I use them?" Harry asked, lightly rubbing his scar which was only tingling now.
"There are some things that even I do not know, Harry," Dumbledore said in a low voice. Seeing the distraught look on Harry's face, he continued, "But if I were to make a guess, I would say that like Ginny, you are simply trying too hard. The effort of summoning that card likely opened the link between you and Voldemort, and for that moment, you felt the intensity of the anger and hatred that he carries with him at all times. With some practice, I think you'll find you're able to control it."
Harry and Ginny sat silently for some time, sipping their cocoa. Dumbledore seemed to relax a little and he talked lightly with Ginny about choosing her to be a prefect. "This year at Hogwarts will be an unusual one, I'm certain," he said. "There are a number of very important things planned. I hope you will not be disappointed to hear that you will not be a prefect, Harry?"
Harry shook his head, though he did feel somewhat disappointed. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny would all be prefects and he'd be left alone.
"Perhaps you will change your mind after the term begins," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I may find other uses for you which fit your particular talents a little better."
Harry and Ginny both looked up, but Dumbledore was busy stirring his own cocoa and looking as if he'd just said absolutely nothing. Harry looked back to his cocoa as he tried to figure out what the Headmaster had meant. He lazily stirred the creamy liquid, watching the wisps of steam moving quickly across the surface.
He looked up, searching for some draft. Finding nothing, he turned back to the cocoa and took a sip. As he lowered the cup, he noticed the strands of steam flowing toward him, slowly. They parted and danced, and seemed to weave amongst each other. Then as if on cue, they turned and began to drift past an empty shape in the vapor.
Harry shouted and threw down the cup, spilling the steaming liquid across the table as he fell backwards off his chair. Dumbledore shot out of his seat.
"Harry! Are you okay?" Ginny cried as she jumped to her feet.
"Dementors!" Harry choked. "The Dementors are moving."
"Where are they?" Dumbledore asked quickly. His actions took on a sudden sense of urgency
"I don't know!" Harry replied, annoyed. "I see shapes, not maps!"
"I'm sorry, Harry, but it's very important that you tell me exactly what you saw."
"Dark shapes —they had to be Dementors— gathering and then all leaving in the same direction," Harry said quickly. "And Voldemort... He must have been there. He's always there."
"I think we still have some time." With a flick of his wand the walls shimmered again and Ron and Hermione tumbled through the now open door, looking quite shocked.
"We— er... We were..." Ron started to explain.
"Eavesdropping, but you didn't hear a sound." Dumbledore finished for him. "Quite understandable, and two Gryffindor prefects will suit me quite well. You wish to help the Order?"
"Yeah," Ron answered without thinking. Hermione nodded but gave Harry a concerned look.
"Ronald, I believe your father has gone back to the Ministry. I need you to fetch him here as quickly as possible." Ron nodded and ran off. "Hermione, I need you to go to Diagon Alley and find Mundungus Fletcher. Take the twins and Charlie with you. I'll need Bill, so please send him to me immediately." With a quick nod Hermione turned and walked out of the kitchen.
"Professor Dumbledore," Ginny said quietly. Harry understood why. Dumbledore became quite intimidating when he was angry or even just terribly focused like he was now.
"Yes, Miss Weasley, quickly!"
"The Aurors, sir," she said quickly. "What happens if someone sees the Dementors and the Aurors check on Harry."
"Of course, Miss Weasley," he said nodding his head, "You need to return to your relatives, Harry. Miss Weasley, I will trust you to make sure he returns to Privet Drive safely. Those candlesticks should be your Portkeys. If they are not, your brothers will spend the next month as garden gnomes. The envelope between them will be your way back."
Ginny smiled and walked over to take the envelope from the shelf over the fireplace. It wasn't that she didn't understand the seriousness of the situation, but rather this was the first time that she'd been trusted to do anything.
"It shouldn't be that surprising, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore said, as if he read her mind (and Harry realized that he just might have). "You've been helping Harry more than I have. It seems only appropriate that you be responsible for seeing that the secret party you made possible goes unnoticed."
Ginny and Harry gathered Harry's presents quickly but quickly decided they didn't have the time, or the extra arms to carry them all. Various members of the Order were in the kitchen now. Moody and Lupin were talking with Dumbledore. Bill had already left, and Kingsley Shacklebolt was planted in front of the fireplace, trying to find out where the Dementors might be.
"We'd better go," Ginny said to Harry. "Dumbledore looks quite busy."
They walked to the fireplace on either side of Kingsley as he talked to a witch through the flames. She had just handed him a large mug of something that looked like butterbeer, but it glowed faintly. He wasn't drinking it.
"You're letting her take him back, Albus?" Alastor Moody said loudly pointing a crooked finger at the two of them.
"I can think of no one who stands a better chance of accomplishing that task, Alastor," he announced as Harry and Ginny approached the fireplace. "Ah, wait a moment!" he called out to them. "Don't forget your presents, Harry." He handed Harry a small box into which he'd shrunk all of Harry's gifts. Moody was obviously annoyed. "Now, be careful. If there are any problems, I assume you can contact us." Dumbledore looked to Harry who nodded as slightly as he could.
"I'm afraid we just may have to wait until something happens, but keep an eye out. Tell your Aurors what is happening if you like. Kingsley won't be alerting any of the Aurors until Miss Weasley has returned."
Dumbledore turned to look at Ginny. "Try to return as soon as possible. I'm sorry this must end so suddenly, but it's very important that we get help from the Aurors soon. Goodbye, and I hope your birthday remains as happy as it is now."
Harry turned and sighed. He reached for his candlestick.
"No!" Ginny shouted as she grabbed his arm. "I'll go first. I have a way back if there are any problems. Count to... five, then grab yours."
Harry didn't like the idea of Ginny going alone, but he didn't really have any choice as Ginny put the envelope in her pocket, pulled her wand and then vanished.
He stood there, and began counting to himself. He couldn't help but imagine what might be happening to Ginny. What if the Death Eaters are waiting at Privet Drive? What if the Portkey dumped her somewhere else? His mind raced through any number of terrible situation. He'd only reached four, but it had felt much longer. It must be time for him to go.