In another flash of bright red Harry woke, gasping for breath, his forehead beaded with sweat, and his scar burning. He waited for his breathing return to normal and his scar to stop burning.
He took one deep, long breath and curled up in a tight ball on the sofa. Why did he keep having that dream? Why couldn't he just remember it, but not relive it night after night?
At least he was at Ron's house. Ron's family was a wizard family, unlike the Dursleys, whom Harry usually was forced to spend summers with.
When Harry had been one year old, Lord Voldemort, the most powerful wizard in a century, had come to Harry's house. For some reason, which Harry still did not know, Voldemort had wanted to kill Harry. Harry's parents, Lily and James Potter, had been killed protecting Harry. After killing them, Voldemort had turned to kill Harry the way he and his followers had killed hundreds of people. But for some reason, when he performed the curse, it had reflected off of Harry back onto Voldemort. Harry had only received the lightning-bolt shaped scar, while Voldemort had been nearly destroyed and remained only as a shadow of who he had been.
Harry had then been taken to live with Lily's sister Petunia Dursley, her husband Vernon, and their son, Dudley. They hated magic, as well as Harry, and had been cruel to him all of his life. They hadn't even told him he was a wizard. He'd found that out from someone else on his eleventh birthday.
When Harry had told them that the Weasleys were inviting Harry to stay with them, there had been uproar. Uncle Vernon had yelled at Harry for thirty minutes straight before Harry could get another word in. Not that Harry could blame them, of course. The summer before, the Weasleys had invited Harry to see the Quidditch World Cup and to stay with them. When they had picked Harry up, the results were short of disastrous.
The Weasleys had used Floo Powder, which required travel through fireplaces, and the Dursleys had boarded up theirs. Mr. Weasley had to blast the boards away so he, Ron, Fred and George could get out. That had spread dust all over the living room. On top of that, Fred and George had dropped a trick sweet, which Dudley found and ate. He had grown a nearly four-foot, multi-colored extension on his tongue. The memory of that still brought fear to Dudley's eyes.
Only when Harry had assured Uncle Vernon that Mr. Weasley had figured that sending Harry a Portkey (in this case a simple quill) would be much easier, and avoid disaster, did Uncle Vernon begin to consider letting Harry go. After Harry explained exactly what a Portkey was and how he would use it, Uncle Vernon finally had growled, "Fine, boy. You can go. But you let them know they're never coming here again!"
Harry got up from the sofa and went into the kitchen. Out of the windows, Harry saw the sky growing cloudy. The gentle wind had become fiercer, and the trees were swaying wildly. He guessed that the Weasleys had all gone upstairs.
He climbed up the long, tall staircase up to Ron's room and knocked on the door.
"Come in," Ron called from inside. Harry opened the door and saw Ron spread out on his bed, Fred leaning against the wall, and George lying on the floor.
The room was bright orange, because of Ron's favorite Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons.
"Hiya. We were just talking about going back to Hogwarts," said Ron. He sat up, and gave Harry a space to sit.
Harry made his way to Ron's bed. In the excitement of having all the people in the room, Ron's tiny owl, Pigwidgeon (called "Pig" for short) began hooting shrilly.
"Shut up, Pig!" said Ron, Fred, and George together. This had no effect, so Ron grabbed an owl treat and shoved it in the cage. This finally quieted Pig.
"Well, Fred and I were just telling Ron that we still had homework to do before we go back. How about you two?" asked George.
"Yeah, we've got homework," said Harry. He'd managed to do some of it at the Dursleys' house, but he still had most of it left.
"I haven't started," said Ron.
Harry, Ron, and the twins kept on talking until Mrs. Weasley called everyone down to dinner.
"Are you looking forward to going back to Hogwarts?" asked George as they walked down the stairs.
"Yeah, I love it," said Harry. Hogwarts, Harry felt, was his true home. However, he was starting to feel more at home with the Weasleys than before.
"Take some utensils outside with you, will you, boys?" asked Mrs. Weasley, directing people. "We're eating outside tonight."
Harry looked outside, and saw that the sky was still dark with clouds. "Are you sure it isn't going to rain?"
"No. But we can't all fit in here! Besides, the wind has died down," said Mrs. Weasley. "Bill and Charlie are leaving tomorrow. We'll be eating inside again once they leave."
Outside, Harry saw two tables put together, as they had been last year when Harry had stayed with the Weasleys.
Steaming dishes of potatoes, ham pies, roast chickens, and other delicious foods were placed on the tables, and Bill, Charlie, and Mr. Weasley were setting up plates and glasses.
"Where's Percy?" asked Fred, clearly annoyed that Percy hadn't been called down to help.
"Mum says that he's got too much work to do," said Ginny, carrying another stack of plates.
"So he doesn't have to help set the table? I want a full-time job."
Soon, everyone was sitting down. The dishes of food were passed from one person to another. Harry helped himself to large helpings. He listened to everyone talking. Mr. Weasley was discussing the situation at the Ministry with Percy.
"Fudge has got to admit that after everything that happened last year, You-Know-Who is back. What other explanation is there? Also, who does he think killed Cedric?" said Mr. Weasley.
"Mr. Fudge doesn't want to cause an unnecessary national panic, father. If he says that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was back, everyone would be scared out of their minds," said Percy. "He believes that a mistaken Death Eater they didn't catch is responsible for Cedric's death."
"He can't avoid the truth forever! If everyone knew You-Know-Who was back, they could work together to stop him. Also, making people believe that they aren't in danger, when they are, is much worse than frightening them."
Farther down the table, George, Bill, Charlie, and Fred were talking about Quidditch at Hogwarts.
"I never played myself, but I came to every game. I especially loved watching Charlie's," said Bill, grinning.
"It must've been neat being team captain," said Fred, longingly.
Charlie laughed. "Yeah, it was loads of fun. Hard work, but fun."
"We're going to have to find a new Keeper and choose another captain," said George. "We lost Wood two years ago."
Oliver Wood had been the Keeper and team captain for Gryffindor in Harry's first three years at Hogwarts. At the end of Harry's third year, he had graduated.
"Any idea who'll be captain?" asked Charlie.
"No, not really. It'd be nice if one of us were captain, but there's also Alicia, Angelina, and Katie," said Fred.
Ron was talking to Ginny and Mrs. Weasley about what students learned in their fourth year. Ginny was a year behind Ron and Harry and would be in her fourth year.
"Well, I can't really tell what you'll be learning for Defense Against the Dark Arts — that really changes from year to year, as we always get new teachers. But, you'll be learning the Summoning Charm in Charms," said Ron, straining hard to recall the classes.
Harry ate silently, listening to the various conversations. The evening faded away, and the sky began to fill with stars. Mrs. Weasley then told everyone that it was time for bed.
Harry and Ron shuffled upstairs slowly with Fred and George, yawning occasionally.
"That was great," said Harry.
"Yeah. Mum cooks really well," said Ron.
Ron and Harry said goodnight to Fred and George, and they went into Ron's room. Silently, they both changed into pajamas. Harry had a sleeping bag on the floor, and he crawled into it, after placing his glasses on Ron's desk. Ron climbed into his bed.
The two laid in silence for a while. Then, Harry said, "Ron?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you — wish you were on the Quidditch team for Gryffindor?" Harry was going to ask if Ron ever had nightmares repeatedly for days, but decided not to ask that. He could have kicked himself for asking such a stupid question to cover it up though.
"Yeah, I do. I love Quidditch. Best game ever. Do you think I could make it?" came Ron's reply.
"Sure. Would you want to play Keeper?" Harry asked, pleased that Ron clearly didn't think it had been a dumb question.
"I'd play whatever I could. If I had the chance to be on the team, I wouldn't care what position I played."
Harry nodded, although Ron couldn't see him. "I know the feeling. It's… great fun."
They then fell silent. Soon, Harry could sense that Ron was asleep. He sighed and rolled over onto his side, exhausted, but not wanting to fall asleep. He could not fight it for very long though… and soon, Harry's eyes closed slowly.
The next morning, Harry woke with a gasp. He'd had the nightmare again. Harry took a deep breath and felt for his glasses. He found them, put them on, and saw Ron, still fast asleep. Harry dressed quickly. Then he slowly, silently opened his heavy Hogwarts trunk and pulled out some textbooks, parchment, ink, and a quill. He figured that he might as well work on some of his homework.
Harry snuck downstairs, lied down on the couch, and began writing an essay.
He had to write an essay about the Goblin Rebellions for his History of Magic class. Professor Binns had told them it had to be two rolls of parchment long.
He worked all day on it, pausing only for meals. Ron stayed up in his room with Fred and George all day long. Everyone had said goodbye to Bill and Charlie after lunch though, as they had to go to get back to work.
Harry was nearly out of ink by early that evening.
Harry heard a hand on the Weasley's clock move, and he looked up at it. It was like a grandfather clock, but it had twelve hands. It didn't tell time, but it did let you know where all of the Weasleys were. Most of the hands were on "Home," but not Mr. Weasley's. It had been on "Work" for most of the day, but now was on "Traveling."
"Mr. Weasley's coming!" Harry called to Mrs. Weasley, who was in the kitchen getting dinner ready.
"Thanks, Harry dear," she said. A second later, the front door opened. Mr. Weasley came in, and shut the door quickly.
"Hello, Molly. We've got to talk." Harry listened in.
"What's wrong, Arthur?"
"The usual. Only, it's getting much worse. It isn't as bad as it was when You-Know-Who was around, but nearly. It's hard enough to try and keep You-Know-Who under control, and the fact that Fudge doesn't believe he's back doesn't help. Fudge also apparently has something against Harry now, because of those articles about him. He saw me in person today. He told me that he had heard that I was on Dumbledore's side. He asked me why, and I told him that I believed Dumbledore and Harry," said Mr. Weasley.
"Good for you, Arthur. It may be hard, but you and I know that Dumbledore is right," Mrs. Weasley reminded him.
"But that's not all, Molly! Apparently, Dumbledore decided to tell his students that You-Know-Who killed Cedric! Now, we're also pelted with angry letters, even Howlers, from furious parents concerned about their children. Also, a few demand that we replace Dumbledore with someone with more sense."
"Arthur! You wouldn't! Dumbledore is the best thing that ever happened to Hogwarts!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley.
"I know Molly, but we can't have him scaring everyone! He should at least cooperate with us," said Mr. Weasley. "Anyway, the Ministry's hell now. Half are siding with Fudge, and the other half are trying hard to not seem as if we aren't. Fudge's got my job in his hands, and I'm nervous about losing it if I get on the wrong side of him. I wish I could get out of there. I can only thank God that Rita Skeeter hasn't gotten word of this…"
Rita Skeeter was a reporter for the wizard newspaper The Daily Prophet. She had constantly written lies about people and thoroughly embarrassed Harry, Ron, and Hermione. But Hermione had found out that she was an illegal Animagus (wizard able to become an animal) and threatened to expose her if she didn't stop writing for a year. The year was half over, and nothing had been written.
"Arthur, we've talked about this. Dumbledore needs you help! You-Know-Who can't come back. We can't allow that to happen. The Ministry has to do something, and Fudge won't, so others have to do the job for him. Dumbledore is counting on us," said Mrs. Weasley.
"You're right, Molly. I'll go get ready for dinner, yes?" asked Mr. Weasley.
"Yes dear."
Harry heard Mr. Weasley leave out of the other kitchen door. Harry sighed.
Cornelius Fudge had trusted Harry and even been worried about him when Sirius had escaped. But when he found out that Harry was a Parselmouth (he could speak to snakes) and disturbed (according to Rita Skeeter), Fudge had stopped trusting Harry.
Harry heard laugher on the stairs, turned, and saw Ron, Fred, and George coming downstairs.
"Hey Harry! You've been working all day?" asked Ron, sitting down next to Harry.
"Yeah. I've nearly finished though," said Harry.
"Imagine… working, the day before your birthday," said Ron, shaking his head.
"Want to grab your Firebolt and play a little game of Quidditch?" asked Fred.
"No, you can't," called Mrs. Weasley from the kitchen. "Set the table, will you boys? We'll be having dinner soon!"
The Weasleys and Harry walked into the kitchen and saw Mrs. Weasley stirring something in a pot. Harry and Ron grabbed forks and knives, while the twins set up the plates.
A half-hour later, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Percy, Fred, George, Ginny, and Harry were sitting down to a wonderful dinner of chicken, ham pies, roast potatoes, and salad.
"Sorry Bill and Charlie can't be here, Harry. They both had to get back," said Mrs. Weasley. Bill worked in a wizard bank called Gringotts in Egypt, and Charlie worked with Dragons in Romania.
"Mum! We usually have more than this," said Fred. "Why aren't you feeding us?"
"It'll do you good to eat a little less tonight. If you're still hungry there's still plenty of other things to eat," said Mrs. Weasley, clearly annoyed.
"But, it's not enough for Harry to eat," said George, grabbing and showing Mrs. Weasley one of Harry's thin arms, making him go red. "He's starving, you see?"
"If you would like me to give Harry your portions, I wouldn't mind in the slightest," said Mrs. Weasley, smiling. George and Fred said nothing, sat down, and ate.
"How was the Ministry today, Father?" asked Percy. Percy had thick horn-rimmed glasses. He was a huge fan of abiding by rules.
"Loads of work, Percy. Almost wish I didn't work there," answered Mr. Weasley.
Ron was sitting next to Harry, and at one point, when everyone else was talking, he whispered, "Have you heard from Snuffles?"
"Snuffles" was their code name for Sirius.
"Yeah. I've been sending him owls. He's still at Lupin's house. He doesn't write much though, because he can't give away too much of what's going on, in case someone intercepts the letter," Harry whispered back.
The conversations quickly died down. Everyone ate in silence. Harry noticed that the Weasleys were all eating rather quickly, as if they had something important to do after dinner.
Then, there were three loud knocks on the door. All of the Weasleys glanced at one another, but none of them got up.
"Would you mind getting that, Harry?" said Mrs. Weasley, directing her glance to her plate.
"Sure," said Harry, rising up. He didn't understand why Mrs. Weasley wanted him to get the door, but he didn't mind. He made his way out of the kitchen to the front door. He opened it, but no one was there. Harry poked his head out, but still saw no one. Frowning, Harry closed the door and headed back into the dining room.
However, when Harry got back in the room, everyone was gone. All the plates had been left on the table. Ron's was still half full of food.
"Mrs. Weasley? Ron?" Harry called, looking around wildly. Then, he noticed a small piece of parchment by Mrs. Weasley's seat.
A hasty note was written on it:
Harry,
Please come to the backyard, quickly!
Molly
Harry raced outside, hoping that everyone was okay. As soon as Harry got outside —
"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRY!"
Harry nearly called out in shock, but managed to control himself. A long, wooden table had been set up. All of the Weasleys, now joined by Hermione Granger, had taken seats. Each place had a plate, glass, and a fork. Near Mrs. Weasley was a large, moist, delicious-looking chocolate cake. In green letters they had written:
Happy Birthday HarryFifteen candles were lit and burned brightly. By Hermione was a small stack of presents.
Everyone sang Happy Birthday to Harry. Once they had finished, Hermione said, "Blow out your candles, Harry!"
Harry did just that. He closed his eyes tight and wished that he, Ron, and Hermione would be able to prove Sirius was innocent that year, and that he would get to go back home with Sirius. He opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and blew very hard. The candles flickered, but relit.
Harry, Ron, and the twins burst into laughter, Mrs. Weasley looked taken-aback, Mr. Weasley chuckled, Hermione smiled and rolled her eyes, Percy scowled, and Ginny looked around, not knowing how to react.
"FRED WEASLEY! I TOLD YOU NOT TO BUY MAGIC CANDLES!" Mrs. Weasley bellowed at the top of her lungs.
"They're — not — magic — candles — Mum!" said Fred, barely able to speak through his laughter.
"They are Muggle candles, Mrs. Weasley. They're called trick candles. No matter how hard you blow on them, they won't go out," Hermione assured Mrs. Weasley.
Mrs. Weasley frowned. "They won't go out? Why on earth would anyone want candles that won't go out?"
"They're — they're just a joke," Ron said, managing to stop laughing.
"A joke? Let's see how funny a joke it is when that wax starts dripping on my cake, Ronald!" said Mrs. Weasley.
"Come on, Molly. The boys just wanted Harry to have some fun. Now he has, and it's time to serve the cake. How do you put them out, boys?" asked Mr. Weasley. He was trying to seem serious, but Harry could tell that he was pleased by the inextinguishable candles. Mr. Weasley had always found Muggles and their behaviors fascinating.
"Er — we've forgotten," George said, grinning broadly. "Nah, we haven't really. You've just got to use a little water." He took out a little water gun and squirted the candles, grinning.
"What is that thing?" asked Mrs. Weasley.
"A water gun, Mum. It holds water, and you can shoot it out of it," explained Fred. Mrs. Weasley just shook her head.
"Now it's time for cake!" Ron said, collecting the plates to bring to Mrs. Weasley.
Mrs. Weasley cut the cake into pieces, making Harry's a little larger than the others. They all dug in. From the moment the cake touched Harry's lips he couldn't stop eating it until he'd finished. It was moist, warm, and fluffy. It was the best chocolate cake Harry had ever had.
Once everyone had finished, Ginny called out, "It's time for Harry to open his presents!"
Hermione pushed all of the presents over to Harry. Harry grabbed the first one, which was the largest. It was wrapped in gold tissue paper.
"That one's from George and me," said Fred. Harry tore through the paper and found that it contained a sampler box of various kinds of chocolate from Hogsmeade, a wizarding village.
"Thanks!" Harry said, grinning. Then, he picked up another parcel, which was wrapped in dark brown paper.
"That's from me," said Ron.
Harry tore through the paper and found it contained a photo album. He opened it and saw a picture of himself on his Firebolt, fighting a dragon.
"I got Colin Creevey to get loads of pictures of you during the Triwizard Tournament. I wasn't sure you'd want this, but I figured I'd at least give it to you."
For the first time in a century, a Triwizard Tournament had been held last year. The Triwizard tournament was a competition between three wizarding schools: Hogwarts, Beauxbaton, and Durmstrang. One champion from each school was chosen, they competed in three events, and the winner not only brought glory to their school, but also won a thousand galleons (large golden coins used for Wizard currency).
The first task had been to snatch a golden egg from a nest of dragon's eggs, guarded by certain breed of dragon. The second task had been to rescue someone from the lake of Hogwarts. And the third had been the maze that Harry would never forget.
Harry had gotten to compete only because of a secret plan to get him to Voldemort. Cedric Diggory had been chosen originally for Hogwarts, but the rules were bent to allow Harry to compete.
Although Harry still was in shock over what had happened, he was glad someone had taken pictures.
"Thank you very much, Ron," said Harry, not taking his eyes off of his album. His eyes had found a picture of Cho Chang. He finally tore his eyes away, and shut the album.
He grabbed another present, wrapped in silver wrapping paper. "That's my gift," said Hermione.
Harry tore through the wrapping paper, and inside was a thick book. It was A Complete History of Broomstick Sports, written by the same wizard who wrote Quidditch Through the Ages. "Wow, Hermione! Thanks." He placed it gently next to the sampler of candy, and the photo album.
He grabbed a small, thin present, wrapped in dark red paper. "That's from the rest of the Weasley family," said Mrs. Weasley.
Harry tore open the paper, and found it contained a long, thing hand-knitted bag. It was made from scarlet and gold thread, and had Harry's initials on it in black. "For your wand, Harry! I made it myself, right when we got home from King's Cross this past June. You can attach that to the inside of your robes, and keep your wand in there. But there's something in there now. Take a look!" said Mrs. Weasley proudly.
Harry dug into the bag, and pulled out three shiny silver sickles. Harry went red. "You can't give me this," muttered Harry, trying to give it back.
Mrs. Weasley refused though. "No, Harry. It's your birthday gift! And I want you to spend it on yourself, mind you!"
Harry saw that only a thin envelope remained.
"That's from me," said Ginny, turning bright red. Ginny had been taken with Harry since his second year, when he stayed at the Burrow.
Harry opened it. It was a hand-made card of thick parchment. On the front, Ginny had drawn Harry, and there was a table with cake and presents next to him. On the inside she had written in large, multicolored letters:
Happy Birthday
Harry Potter!
"Thanks Ginny," Harry smiled, placing it next to his other presents.
"Well, I guess it's time for bed," Mrs. Weasley said, seeing Ginny yawn.
"Hang on, Mum! When we went to get Harry his present, we thought it might be appropriate to get a box of Filibuster's Fireworks, to set off! May we?" Fred looked pleadingly at Mrs. Weasley, who bit her lip, and then sighed.
"All right then, get on with it."
Grinning, Fred and George raced off up to the house. Mrs. Weasley shook her head.
"I tell you, those two are insane," said Mrs. Weasley. "But, I am going to miss them," she added fondly.
"What are they going to do after they graduate?" asked Harry.
"Well, they want to work at Zonko's Joke Shop, at least for a while… I've been trying to persuade them to join the Ministry, to help out Arthur, but they refuse," Mrs. Weasley sighed. Zonko's Joke Shop was a store in Hogsmeade, a wizarding village. It had things like biting teacups. The twins loved mischief, so it would only be natural for them to want to work there.
"I can't say I blame them," said Mr. Weasley.
"I don't think those two should go into the Ministry, Mother," said Percy. "Because if they did, they wouldn't be on Fudge's side," He glanced at Harry, "like I am."
"DON'T YOU SAY THAT, PERCY! Don't you ever say that again, as long as you are in this house, do you hear me?" yelled Mrs. Weasley, going red.
For the first time that night, Harry could finally talk to Hermione. Everyone else was distracted by the argument.
Hermione Granger had bushy hair. She was the cleverest witch in Harry's year, and knew almost everything about everything in the wizarding world. She was born to Muggle parents. She whispered to Harry, "Harry, it's good to see you! How are you?"
Harry stopped to think about how he should answer this.
"All right. Tired, but all right."
Fred and George came stumbling out of the house, each with a box of the fireworks.
"Ready, Mum?" called Fred. Mrs. Weasley nodded, breaking of the argument hastily. "All right then."
They set off all of the fireworks, which gave a wonderful burst of intense color, and a loud bang. An hour later, they were finished.
"All right everyone. Now, it's bedtime for everyone," Mrs. Weasley urged. Before Harry could get too far, she pulled him aside, and whispered, "You really must forgive Percy… but he just refuses to accept what Mr. Crouch did…"
Percy had worked for Barty Crouch, head of the International Magical Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Magic. Mr. Crouch's son had been put into Azkaban for trying to bring back Voldemort, but Mr. Crouch had taken him out. Mr. Crouch's son had been responsible for everything that had happened the year before. Percy had admired Crouch and would of course be the last to admit that something Crouch had done had led to Voldemort's rebirth.
"It's all right," Harry assured Mrs. Weasley.
Harry picked up all of his presents, and followed Ron and Hermione upstairs to Ron's room. Hermione would be sleeping in Ginny's room, but she wanted to come to Ron's room to say goodnight.
"How'd you plan this, Ron?" asked Harry. "This was great!"
"Well, my Mum made the chocolate cake last night, when we were asleep. We got Hermione to arrive by Portkey, knock on the door, and let us know she was here. While Mum sent you to answer the door, she ran around back, while we did the same," said Ron.
"Yes. But I think your Mum's getting my bags, right Ron? She insisted," said Hermione. "I've got Crookshanks in his basket, and I don't want him to get lonely…" Crookshanks was Hermione's ginger cat, which had a squashed face. Neither Ron nor Harry had ever taken a liking to him.
They had reached Ron's room, and went in and sat on the bed. Ron's owl Pigwidgeon was hooting wildly, excited by the visitors.
"Shut up, Pig!" Ron muttered, placing a blanket over the cage. "I hope you enjoyed the presents…"
"I loved all of them," said Harry.
"Looks live you've got more coming," said Hermione, glancing out of the window.
Harry turned to look, and indeed, his snowy-white owl, Hedwig, was flying towards the house, with two packages. Harry opened Ron's window, and Hedwig flew in, and landed on the bed.
"Thanks, Hedwig!" said Harry, untying the two parcels from her legs. She gave a soft hoot and an affectionate nip, and flew back to her cage, which was next to Pig's.
The larger of the two had the untidy scrawl of Hagrid, the Game Keeper and teacher of Care of Magical Creatures for Hogwarts. Harry tore it open, and it held a beautiful cake. Harry tried a little bit of it, and it was delicious.
Harry picked up the other parcel, and tore off a card attached to it. He opened it, and read it aloud to Ron and Hermione:
Dear Harry,
Lupin, Buckbeak and I all want to wish you the happiest birthday you have ever had. We hope that you have lots of fun, and have a great time.
Lupin told me that he met up with you the other day. I wish I could've been there too.
I've enclosed a little gift for you. I hope that you enjoy it, although Lupin and I are sure that you will.
Have a wonderful year at Hogwarts, and Happy Birthday, Harry!
Sirius
Harry grabbed the package, and tore it open. Inside there was a small parcel wrapped in bright red wrapping paper, and another note:
Harry —
I didn't want this information on the card, just in case this didn't come to you first.
The night before Voldemort killed her, your mother came to me. She said that she didn't think Peter was trustworthy, and begged me to be their Secret-Keeper again. She said that she trusted me more.
But I was so sure that it was a good idea that I told her no. After practically begging me, she gave up. But, before she left, she told me that she had something she wanted you to have. She left me this wrapped package. I have no idea what is in it, or why she wanted you to have it.
Happy Birthday, Harry.
Harry didn't say anything. He sat, numbly, staring at the note. A gift from his mother? Ron and Hermione didn't say anything either, and a couple minutes passed in silence.
Finally, Hermione broke the silence by whispering, "Well, open it, Harry."
Hands shaking, Harry slowly tore the wrapping paper off of a small package, which looked a lot like a book.
Finally, it was unwrapped. It was a notebook, a pale blue notebook with golden-lined pages. It was beautiful. Harry opened the cover, and saw in a young child's handwriting:
Lily Anna Evans
"Lily Evans?" Ron frowned. "Who's Lily Evans?"
Harry didn't say anything. He turned the page and read:
Dear Diary,
Hello! My name is Lillian Anna Evans. I just turned eleven yesterday, when I got you.
I live in London, with my mother Rose, father Peter, and sister Petunia. I'm going to be in the secondary school soon! I can't wait.
My life is pretty quiet, although my sister cannot stand me. I don't understand it, but Petunia always is so mean to me. She says I'm a freak! I don't know why… I do make odd things happen sometimes, but I never mean to!
Well, I'm not sure what else to write, so I'm going to say goodbye!
Lily
Harry didn't speak for a long time now. So that was what his mother had given him: her diary. Harry wondered if the little Lily Evans had any idea what would happen to her; that she would marry James Potter, and have Harry, and wind up being murdered, by Voldemort. He read on and on, not being able to read quickly enough.
"Harry?" Hermione got no response. "Ron, I think Lily Evans is Harry's mum…"
"His mother's diary?" whispered Ron. "Harry, I know this is amazing, but we really need to get to bed. My mum's going to kill us…"
But Harry couldn't put the diary down. As he was reading, a card slipped out of the back of the diary. Harry noticed this, and opened it. It played music, a song Harry had never heard before. He read:
Happy birthday, Harry!
Harry,
I want to wish you a very happy birthday. I'm not sure if I'll live to see another one of yours, although I hope so.
The song is one from a music box I got my first Christmas at Hogwarts. It didn't have any words, so a friend and I wrote them:
Let me always be,
Near the one who needs me.
Do not cry my friend,
I'll be with you 'til the end.
Let your heart guide you,
And you will know what you must do.
I'm giving this card and diary to James' friend Sirius. He will give it to you when you are fifteen, if I don't make it. I just want to be sure to tell you that I love you, Harry.
Goodbye, and all my love to you.
Love,
Your mother LilyHarry sighed deeply and shut the diary.
"Harry? Are you… all right?" asked Ron tentatively. Harry nodded. "We really have to go to sleep now."
Hermione got up. "Good night, Ron. Good night, Harry. I'll see you in the morning." She glanced at Harry, before leaving. She shut the door behind her.
"G'night, Harry," said Ron. "See you in the morning."
Harry said nothing. He climbed slowly into his sleeping bag, after removing his glasses. He closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.