A/N: Hello once again! Now this is a slow chapter, even if it is long, but I think you'll like it. Thank you all for reviewing.

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Chapter 4 ~ A Birthday Party

Harry was awoken by the sound of Lotty unpacking his trunk.

The curtains across the windows had been drawn and as he had forgotten to close those around the bed, the sunlight shone brightly around him.

"Good morning, Master Harry." Lotty said the moment he noticed Harry stirring in bed.

"Morning." Mumbled Harry.

"Master wishes to eat in bed, or will Master Harry go down to breakfast?" Asked Lotty looking at Harry as he waited for his decision.

"I'll go down." Said Harry promptly, he didn't know if he would ever get used to being served, it was a new experience for him.

"Does Master Harry wishes for Lotty to ready his bath?" The elf asked eagerly.

"Er.yeah, I guess." Said Harry. He would've preferred to do it on his own, but Lotty seemed so eager, Harry didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"Lotty disappeared into the bathroom wile Harry slowly got out of bed.

There was a bathrobe at the end of his bed. Harry grabbed it and hurried into the bathroom after Lotty. It was bigger than what he had expected.

There was a large stall, where, Harry assumed, stood the toilet. A large sink with golden knobs stood beside it with a long counter running along the wall next to it. A round bathtub stood at the center of the room. It was big enough to hold four or five people with comfort. There were golden faucets around it, and Harry remembered the one he used in the Prefect's Bathroom when he tried to decipher the golden egg for the Second Task during the Triwizard Tournament. At each end of the room was a door, which he expected, led into the dressing rooms and the sitting room.

The tub was full and Lotty was waiting with his arms full of clean towels, by the time Harry ended his perusal of the room.

Harry looked at the elf in consternation, he didn't know what he would do if Lotty announced that he was helping with his bath. But one thing was sure, he was not bathing in front of the elf.

"Lotty will ready Master's clothes." The elf said.

Harry sighed with relief. "You do that." He said with a smiled.

"Will master wear robes or muggle clothing?" Lotty asked.

Harry looked at Lotty with surprise. He had never worn wizard robes outside of Hogwarts, even the Weasley children wore muggle clothing during the holidays. The only ones he had seen wearing robes were the adult witches and wizards. "Muggle clothing." He finally said, even though he had a strong urge to wear robes for a change. He was sure there was nobody to gainsay him if he wished to do so.

Lotty nodded happily and quickly went into the room, Harry assumed, was the dressing room.

Harry disrobed and stepped into the bathtub. He had never had anybody set upon granting his wishes, and it was a luxury for him to have another serve him hand and foot. He knew Hermione wouldn't approve if she knew how much he enjoyed having a personal elf.

He stayed in the tub long enough for the water to get cold. Eventually, he stepped out of the bath and belted the robe around him.

There was a pair of slippers at the end of the tub. Harry stepped into them and followed Lotty into the dressing rooms.

It was a large room. Only a screen divided it into two. A large bench stood against one wall, between two large mirrors. Harry was strongly reminded of the Mirror of Erised, as the two mirrors resembled the style of workmanship of that mirror, but these ones, Harry knew, couldn't possibly have the same purpose. Next to one of the mirrors was a dressing table. Harry knew that it had once belonged to his mother as he noticed the golden set of combs and pins around the table. There were small pictures of him and his parents attached to the edges of the mirror.

Harry looked away from the dressing room to look at the rest of the room. At each side were shelves full of muggle clothing and wizard robes. One side was clearly meant for the Mistress of the house as the other was meant for the Master.

He was surprised to see that both sides were full of clothes, he had thought that all of his parents' clothes had been stored after they went into hiding and he was sure that those they had taken with them had been destroyed during Voldemort's attack.

"Whose clothes are these, Lotty?" Harry asked as he neared the shelves that clearly held the Master's clothes.

"Yours Master. Lotty and Minnie made these for you." Lotty said with a worried expression.

"Thank you." Harry said. "How did you know my measurements?"

"Lotty and Minnie don't, we need to measure Master Harry." The elf said as he motioned to a small box next to the mirror. "If Master stands before the mirror, Lotty will make sure the clothes fit."

Harry nodded and one by one, the clothes the elves had made were fitted and tailored.

Harry looked pleased by what the elves had accomplished. He couldn't remember a time when he hadn't worn Dudley's castoffs, and they never fit him properly. Now, for the first time in memory, he had clothes made specially for him, and all clearly made with the finest materials he had ever seen.

It was an hour later when Harry stepped out of his rooms, dressed in linen trousers and a white polo shirt. His shoes were also new, as he walked happily down to the family dining room.

Everybody was already there when he entered.

"Hello, Harry. Had a good night?" Asked Lupin the moment Harry entered the room.

"Yes, thank you." Said Harry with a smile. He had a great night, Harry thought, it was great knowing that he was back home.

"Have some breakfast, dear." Said Mrs. Weasley as she motioned to the platters of food set at the middle of the table.

Harry hurried to the only empty chair, the one at the head of the table. Roberts held it for him before sliding it forward.

He filled his plate with all that he could find before him and settled himself to eat. He wanted to see the rest of the house and he knew he would need the energy to see it all.

"Would you like to see the rest of the house?" Asked Lupin, who was sitting on Harry's left side.

"Yes, please." Harry said between bites. "I'd like that very much."

Lupin nodded with understanding. "We can see the gardens if you like, or the guests rooms if you prefer."

"The gardens. I'm sure that the guest rooms are all fine." Harry said.

"Can we come too?" Asked Ginny sitting next to Lupin. "I'd like to see the gardens."

Ron and Hermione turned to look at Harry. Clearly, they wanted to come along as well, but were trying to be sure he wanted them along instead of going on his own.

"Sure. Aren't you going to Diagon Alley with Fred and George?" Harry asked.

"No. Mom told them we needed to unpack. But the elves did it during the night. We haven't told her that though." Ron said.

"I didn't see them at it. I would've stopped them if I had. I'm more than capable of doing things on my own." Hermione exclaimed.

"I'm sure you are Hermione." Said Ginny, stopping Ron from saying something he was sure to regret later. "But they are just trying to gain their wages, they get paid for their work after all."

Hermione seemed thoughtful for a minute. "You're right. I don't want to be the one responsible for getting them sacked for not doing their duties." She said.

Harry and Ron shared an amused glance before turning back to their food.

One by one those sitting at the table left their chairs and made their way to the grate for their respective jobs.

Harry soon finished his meal and waited for the others to finish. Lupin was sprawled back on his chair. Harry had never seen him so relaxed, he was sure that his former professor was happy to be back on familiar grounds. And Harry was happy to have him there with him.

Ron was the last to push the plate away from him with an expression of complete satisfaction.

"That was a good meal." He said feeling extremely replete.

"Ugh!" Hermione frowned at the sight of the many plates Ron had eaten.

"You are disgusting." Ginny exclaimed.

Harry laughed. "Come on. Let's see the gardens." He said as he slid the chair back and started toward the door leading to the corridor.

"We can begin with the topiary and the enclosed gardens." Lupin said leading them to the family parlor. "Then we can go around to the formal gardens and the lake."

Harry followed Lupin into the sun bathed gardens. The flowery scents permeated the air and the colorful kaleidoscope of gardens brought an atmosphere of peace and made Harry forget about the troublesome dreams that had bothered him in the past nights.

Lupin took them around the topiary, Ginny stopped once in a while to look at the cropped bushes trimmed in various forms. Harry was impressed by the close attention the gardeners obviously paid to their duties. There was no limb out place or a leaf on the ground. Everything seemed cleaned and well taken care of.

They went around the enclosed gardens, except for the last one, which was locked.

"Mrs. Nichols has the key, I'm sure she'll give it to you soon enough." Lupin said. Harry was surprised to note that the former professor sounded saddened, but he couldn't understand why.

Lupin quickly led them through the rest of the gardens. They visited the greenhouses next. The lake was soon found and everybody agreed to row on it at the earliest opportunity. The mazes were impressive, although Harry was sure that they would not become a place he would enjoy. He had had enough of mazes and didn't want to be near one any time soon. The formal gardens were looked at with curiosity but everybody agreed that the enclosed gardens were better, as the flowers there were allowed to grow in a restrained kind of wildness that made the whole sight wondrous to see.

"You said you would show us the orchard." Harry reminded Lupin as they finished inspecting the gardens.

"Yes, I did. I'm sure you'll enjoy what's in the middle of it." Lupin smiled somewhat secretively.

"What's there to see in an orchard? It's only full of apple trees." Ron said as he, Hermione and Ginny followed Harry and Lupin toward the orchard at the far end of the surrounding grounds.

Harry looked skeptically at the tall trees standing side by side in close range. Ron was right, he thought, what could be so interesting about an orchard?

They reached the outer trees and Lupin kept walking deeper into the woods. "We'll be there soon." He called to them.

Harry frowned. "But we've reached it Professor. The apples do look delicious."

"They are." Laughed Lupin as he reached up for a couple. "The cider made from these apples are famous around these parts, even the Leaky Cauldron orders a couple of barrels a week for its costumers."

"Really? I didn't know they served cider." Exclaimed Hermione. "I love hot cider, my parents used to take me to this small inn out of town in winter just to drink a mug of hot cider."

"Well, you'll love the one fermented here. There are hundreds of sealed casks in the cellar and I'm sure Roberts would be glad to open one for you. He has been waiting for so long for somebody to inhabit the Manor once more so he could have an excuse for bringing up a cask of cider." Smiled Lupin.

The group continued to walk deeper into the orchard. Ron walked beside Harry and looked around with curiosity.

"What is he trying to find?" He whispered to Harry.

"Dunno, but he has been mentioning this orchard so often I expected to find a treasure." Harry whispered back.

"What is that?" Asked Ginny as she pointed forward.

Harry peered to the spot she pointed. It seemed that they were walking toward a wall.

"A wall?" Said Hermione with some confusion.

"Why do you have a wall in the middle of an orchard?" Ron asked.

They stepped into a clearing. A white wall loomed over them.

"Come, the door is this way." Lupin said as he pointed to their right.

They turned and walked along the wall. It seemed to Harry that it must be circular as he couldn't see any sort of corners. They reached a pair of wooden doors. They were as big as those opening into the entrance hall at Hogwarts. Lupin pulled and pulled, until the doors began to budge and open.

"You'll love this. It was one of James' favorite places to be. Sirius loved it too." He said with a bitter smile. He walked through the doors, followed closely by Harry and the others.

"Wow." Breathed Harry in awe.

The Quiditch Pitch opened proudly into the clearing. The grass had been trimmed and the poles polished. Along the wall stood hundreds of seats for spectators, along with some special seats for important guests.

"Beautiful." Said Ron as he looked around. "This will be perfect for us to practice in before term."

"It's as big as the one at Hogwarts." Ginny exclaimed.

"Yes, it used to be an exact replica of the Hogwarts' Pitch, but it was remodeled several times.

"Was it used often?" Hermione asked. Even though she wasn't a Quidditch player like the others and only watched because they played in the Gryffindor team, she was still impressed by the Pitch.

"There used to be several games between the villagers and the tenants, especially during the Harvest Fair." Lupin said.

"Harvest Fair?" Asked Harry.

"A celebration during the second or third week of September. It's a tradition done in order to encourage the villagers and the tenants to do well and to celebrate the harvested crops." Lupin explained.

"They're not celebrated anymore?" Asked Harry.

"The Fair is celebrated, but I'm not sure if the Quidditch games continued. The Master of the Manor was in charge of the games after all." Lupin replied.

Harry was thoughtful for a moment. For so long he believed that he had been the only one to be directly affected by his parents death, other than Voldemort that is, but now he knew that that hadn't been the case. The people leaving in the Manor and the village seemed to have been affected as well, and he couldn't help but feel that if he had know about it all, he wouldn't have felt so alone all those years with the Dursleys.

"I can't wait to come and fly later." Exclaimed Ron snapping Harry from his thoughts.

"We can practice for the next season." Said Ginny, her eyes sparkling with reined energy.

Harry couldn't wait to come out with his firebolt, just as his two teammates, he was eager to come out and play. Now he understood why Professor Lupin had been so sure he would like the orchard.

"Come, let me show you this. There's a changing room entrance down here." Lupin said as he led them to a door behind one of the poles at the end of the Pitch. "There's another across the Pitch." He said pointing to where the other set of poles stood in the distance. "But this one was used by the Manor team on the Harvest Games. He led them through a wide corridor ending in a large room there were lockers around the walls and long benches in the middle of the room.

Harry looked around. He had missed playing with the team on the last season. Umbridge banned him from playing Quidditch after he and George had attacked Malfoy after the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin game. He had regretted that he had lost control of his emotions then, but he couldn't regret going after Malfoy. As he looked over the lockers, he noticed that some had names on it, and one had the name POTTER printed in golden letters on the door.

Harry hurried to the locker and pulled it open. The hinges squeaked slightly, it seemed that Lupin had been right and the Pitch had not been used for a while. Inside, he found a set of golden robes, they had a scarlet lining with a large G with a P in the middle of it embroidered in the back of the robes below the golden J. Potter embroidered a the top.

"Your father always played for the Manor team. It was his favorite part of the Fair." Lupin said as he watched sadly as Harry took the robes out and tenderly stroked the heavy folds of the fabric.

Harry didn't say anything and he was aware that the others were silent as well. He roughly put the robes back into the locker. There was a broom at the back of the locker, he took it out and was surprised to find a firebolt in his hands.

"How did he get one? The firebolt came out only three years ago." Ron said with surprise.

"The Manor has always provided the brooms for the games, both teams have used the latest in broom technologies. In some cases, the broom companies have sent the latest prototype for the teams to test them. The groundskeeper is in charge of making sure that the brooms are replaced periodically. I can only assume that the costume continued and the brooms were replaced when the Firebolt came out." Lupin said.

"Wow, too bad we don't have enough people to make up another team, we would have a ripping good game if we did." Ron exclaimed as he opened other lockers to find the same items Harry found in his father's.

Lupin laughed. "You'll find enough young people in the village and the tenant farms, I'm sure you could form another team to play with."

"We should do that, Harry. It would help us train for the next season." Ron exclaimed with eager anticipation.

"We will. We'll go around visiting the tenants and the village and we'll see what can come out of it." Said Harry, Ron's enthusiasm was rapidly becoming contagious.

Hermione sighed wearily and Harry knew that it was just an act as he was sure she was eager to make a niche for herself in the bookroom and read as much as she could.

"Where do you want to go next?" Lupin asked as he watched happily as Harry, Ron and Ginny were looking through the lockers with curiosity.

"Could we go and see the tenants?" Harry asked. He wanted to see the land that kept the Manor and its people provided for.

"It would be better if we wait for another day, I think Mr. Stuart should go with us then, he can tell you a lot more about the farms and the tenants than I ever could." Lupin said.

"Let's stay here, Harry, we can fly around for a while." Urged Ron.

"Oh yes, let's." Said Ginny.

"I'll go to the bookroom." Said Hermione and hurried out of the locker room.

"We'll stay here." Harry told Lupin.

"If you wish. Let me show you where the balls are kept." Lupin said and led them out of the locker room toward a small door by the entrance of the corridor they had crossed to get to the lockers. Behind the door they found a small cupboard. A chest, that Harry readily recognized as one that held Quidditch balls, was tucked against the wall. A rack against another wall held ten to fifteen firebolts, and three sets of back robes hanged stiffly against the remaining wall. Above the chest was a net, where Harry noticed several beater bats. "You'll find everything you need here." Lupin said.

"We're allowed to use the balls here?" Asked Ron. "Is there any danger of muggles stumbling in here?"

"No muggles can come unless they're invited. Some of the muggles in the village are related to witches, so they have attended the games now and then. Those who know nothing about the magical world are kept away by muggle repelling spells. There's a shielding spell around the Pitch and every spell necessary to keep the balls within the field has been performed accordingly." Lupin said.

"Let's go get our robes." Said Ginny.

"No. I want to use the one in the lockers." Said Harry. He wanted to use his father's robes and he didn't want to wait for the others to get their Gryffindor robes.

"Let's see if we can find one that fit us, Ginny." Ron said, as if understanding Harry's decision.

"All right." Ginny agreed with no comment.

The three went back to the changing room, while Lupin decided to stay in the bleachers.

Harry took his father's robes tenderly out of the locker. He could hear Ron and Ginny chatting happily in the background as they looked among the lockers for a set of robes to fit them. The J. Potter glistened brightly in the light. Harry sighed and he promptly put on the robes.

They fit perfectly. Harry run down his hands among the folds of the robes as they majestically moved around him. He turned rapidly to look at Ron and Ginny and found them attempting to step into a set of robes.

"I'm ready." Called Harry.

"Just a moment." Grunted Ron as his head was lost among the folds of the robes.

"I'm set." Said Ginny a moment later.

"Ok, there." Sighed Ron as the robes fluttered in place.

"Come on." Said Harry as he grabbed the Firebolt and led the others into the Pitch.

Lupin stood in the middle with the chest of Quidditch balls at his feet. "I'll let them go once you're on the air." He said.

"All right, just don't let the bludgers go. We don't have any beaters with us." Said Ron.

"Yeah, I'll practice with the Snitch while Ginny throws the Quaffle to Ron." Harry said.

"I much prefer the chaser position. The seeker has too much pressure." Said Ginny.

Harry mounted his broom, Ron and Ginny followed his example. Moments later, three brooms were rising into the air.

Lupin opened the chest open and the Snitch flew promptly into the air. He kept the bludgers strapped in place and threw the Quaffle toward Ginny.

She caught it efficiently and flew around the Pitch as Ron took his place around a set of rings.

Lupin sat on the bleachers watching the three young people flying around the Pitch. There were squeals of laughter and whoops of awe as each performed daring moves trying to show off their different skills.

They passed almost an hour in this way when Hermione ran into the Pitch. "Come down." She yelled.

Harry motioned to the others to land and seconds later they were landing gracefully by Hermione.

"What is it, Hermione? We were happily entertained." Snapped Ron.

"Oh, stuff it. Your mum wants you in for lunch." Hermione said.

"You should've said that." Ron exclaimed and started running to the changing rooms.

"Hurry up." Hermione yelled as Harry and Ginny followed Ron out of the Pitch.

"What's the hurry? It won't take too long to change." Yelled Harry turning back to see Hermione flapping her hands as if that would make them hurry.

"Three owls just came in, I saw them when I was coming out. I heard Roberts say that they came from the examination center." Hermione squealed.

Ron and Ginny had stopped to hear what Hermione was saying.

"The examination center?" Asked Ron with a blank expression.

"The O.W.L.'s Ron, it must be our O.W.L. results." Hermione yelled with excitement.

"Oh no!" Exclaimed Ron and ran faster into the changing rooms. Harry was close behind him.

Harry dressed in a hurry, he didn't even bother to take a quick shower before he changed. Ron was hurrying at his side. Only Ginny took her time changing. It was less than fifteen minutes when Harry and Ron joined Hermione in the Pitch.

"Come on, Hermione. Hurry up." Urged Ron.

The trio ran out of the Pitch toward the Manor House. Lupin had stayed behind to walk back with Ginny.

"What do you think you got?" Ron panted as they ran through the grounds past the enclosed gardens.

"I just hope I got enough O.W.L.s, I'm only sure that I got an Outstanding in D.A.D.A." Said Harry.

"Hurry up, the results are waiting for us." Hermione gasped as she ran by their side. She had to make an effort to keep up to them and the stitch at her side was become really uncomfortable.

The Manor House loomed above them as they got closer. The glass door to the dinning room stood open as they ran into it.

"Ron, Harry, Hermione. Please, behave yourselves. There is no need for you to come in running that way." Scolded Mrs. Weasley as she sat at the table waiting for them.

"Sorry mum." Panted Ron.

"I'm sorry." "Sorry, Mrs. Weasley." Said Harry and Hermione.

"Come, sit down." Mrs. Weasley ordered. "Where is Ginny?"

"She's coming with Professor Lupin." Ron said as he gulped down a glass of water.

Roberts and the footmen were setting the full plates before them as Lupin walked in with Ginny at his heels.

"There you are, Ginny dear. Had a good time?" Mrs. Weasley asked as Ginny kissed her cheek dutifully.

"Oh yes. There's a Quidditch Pitch in the middle of the orchard. We had a great time." Ginny exclaimed.

Mrs. Weasley laughed. "I'm sure your brothers will enjoy that when they return from work." She said.

The meal had been served and Harry didn't know who to ask about the owls Hermione was sure had arrived.

"Where are the letters?" Ron whispered to Harry.

"Don't know." Harry whispered back. They turned to look at Hermione, who sat at Harry's other side.

"I'm sure I saw them." She said.

"Maybe they weren't from the examination center." Ron said.

"But I heard Roberts say that they were." Hermione exclaimed.

"Something wrong, dears." Mrs. Weasley asked to the trio sitting at the other end of the table.

"No mum, we were just making plans for later." Ron said.

They turned their attention to the rest of their food. Ginny was chatting happily with her mother and Lupin, while Ron, Hermione and Harry continued whispering on their side of the table.

They were finishing with their meal, when Roberts entered the room carrying a silver platter in his hands. Three letters lay in the middle of it.

"These letters arrived for you and your friends, Master Harry." Roberts said bowing to Harry.

Harry took the letters. "Thank you." He said and passed one to Ron and the other to Hermione.

The three of them looked down at the letters in trepidation.

Hermione sighed and her shoulders straitened with determination. She ripped open the envelope and read the letter that slipped into her hands.

Harry quickly followed her example and opened his letter.

Dear Mr. Potter:

On this present letter you will find the results of your Ordinary Wizarding Level Exams taken last June. As you are aware, these exams are very important for your future as they will decide your future career. We are sure that you did your very best and the results will show that.

Good luck in your future endeavors.

Sincerely,

Griselda Marchbanks,

Head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority

At the bottom of the page was a table.

Charms E 2

Transfiguration E 2

Herbology A 1

Defense Against the Dark Arts O 3

Potions E 2

Care of Magical Creatures E 2

Astronomy P 0

Divination P 0

History of Magic A 1

Total of O.W.L. credits: 13

Harry looked at his letter with surprise. He had done much better than he had expected. He breathed with relief. He had done the best he could and he had gotten good results. He couldn't hope for anything better than that, except a better grade in Potions if he wanted to become an Auror.

"Oh, I did much better than I expected." Hermione exclaimed.

"How could you? You know everything." Ron said.

"Well, how did you do?" Hermione asked him.

"Let's just say that I don't see how I'm going to become an auror with these results." Ron mumbled.

"It couldn't be that bad." Harry said.

"I have four A's, two P's, one O, and the rest are E's." Ron said.

"That's eleven credits, that's good." Mrs. Weasley grinned proudly. "How did you do, Harry dear?"

"13 credits." Harry said pushing the letter to Mrs. Weasley.

"I bet Hermione got O's in everything." Ron said.

"No. I didn't do as well as I expected in Ancient Runes and Astronomy." Hermione said.

"I don't think anybody did very well on Astronomy, we were too distracted during the practical exam." Harry said.

"You can say that again. I don't think I filled half of the chart by the time the commotion started." Ron said.

Hermione nodded with alacrity. "I was almost finished but I got completely distracted by the end, I don't think I wrote the correct planets on the chart."

"Well, no matter, we did better than we expected." Harry said.

Mrs. Weasley was busy reading the results of their O.W.L.s, which had been passed to her by Ron after each had read their letter.

"I'm very happy for you, dears. You did very well indeed. Although, I would've preferred for you to do a little better, Ron dear, after all Percy- " She didn't finish her sentence as she looked away disconcerted, Ron and Ginny looked away from her and looked down to their empty plates while Harry and Hermione looked at each other with consternation.

It was more than a year since Percy left the family but the repercussions were still deeply felt by all members of the family.

"I'm sure that they did the best they could, Molly. I'm sure James and Lily would be proud of you Harry. Thirteen O.W.L.s is a great accomplishment." Lupin said cutting through the silence that had enveloped the room.

Harry smiled at Lupin with relief, Mrs. Weasley seemed in control of her emotions once more.

"Now, why don't we all retire to the game room, I'm sure that you need some time for the food to settle in your stomachs before you go out and do whatever you want." Said Lupin as Roberts and the footmen quickly dispersed around the table gathering the dirty plates.

"That's a good idea, dears. I'm meeting with Mrs. Nichols to go over the rooms of the guest wing and see what it's needed there." Said Mrs. Weasley hurriedly and quickly left her chair and made her way out of the room.

"I think I prefer to go to the bookroom." Said Hermione. "I'd like to take a look around."

"I'll go too. I want to see the section of Defense Against the Dark Arts you mentioned." Said Harry, pushing his chair away from the table preparing to go to the bookroom.

"I'll go too then, I'd like to see those books too." Said Ron. An afternoon closeted on a library was not his idea of fun, but he was curious about the books Professor Lupin had mentioned.

"I might as well work on my summer assignments if we're going to be there." Said Ginny.

"Very well, I have some letters to write so I'll accompany you." Said Lupin.

The group crossed the corridor to the bookroom. The curtains had been drawn and lamps lit in preparation for their work in the bookroom.

Hermione hurried to the nearest bookcase and started to look around. Ron and Harry hurried up the ladder and looked around the cases in the gallery searching for the Dark Arts section. Ginny had gone to her room in search for the materials she needed and Lupin sat behind the desk pulling from the drawers parchment, quills and ink. Minutes later only the sound of scribbling quills and shifting pages could be heard through the room.

Night had fallen when Mr. Weasley walked into the room looking for them.

"Ah, Roberts said I could find you lot here." He said with a smile as Ginny and Ron greeted him with a "Hi dad!"

"Hello, Mr. Weasley." Harry called, Hermione repeated his greeting moments later.

"You have been entertained, I see." Mr. Weasley said as he sat on one of the chairs near the desk.

"You should see all these books in here, dad." Called Ron from the gallery. "These would've helped greatly in the D.A. meetings."

"I suppose they would." Said Lupin. "The Potters always made sure they had the latest in Dark Arts History and Defense. I'm sure the estate manager updated it during the past years."

"Talking about the estate manager, Remus. I received a letter from a Mr. Nicholei. He wants to meet with us tomorrow evening. Something about trusts and arrangements. I truly didn't understand what he was talking about." Said Mr. Weasley with a confused air.

"Mr. Nicholei was the Evans' solicitor and James and Lily did some work with him as well. I'm sure we just has some things to go over with us now that Harry is back home." Lupin said.

"I see." Said Mr. Weasley breathed with relief. "I'm sure we all need to hear what he has to say."

"Indeed. There is nothing to worry, Arthur, Mr. Nicholei is one of the trustees of Harry's inheritance. I'm sure he is coming mostly just to meet Harry. He hasn't seen him since he was a baby, after all." Lupin replied.

"Oh, I'm sure you're right." Mr. Weasley said. "Come, Molly is waiting for us to wash up for dinner."

There was a lot of scrambling through the room as everybody hurried from their places around the room. They left the room hurriedly, Mr. Weasley and Lupin were the last to leave.

"Dumbledore wants the Order to meet tonight." Mr. Weasley whispered in Lupin's ear.

"I thought he might. Tomorrow is the 31st, there might be some trouble afoot." Lupin whispered back.

"Do you think it wise, to leave the children here on their own, I mean." Mr. Weasley asked.

"They'll be safe. I had the gamekeeper and his assistants set up a schedule to keep watch on the house. Mrs. Nichols and Roberts will keep an eye on the children and the elves will be working around the house. There'll be enough eyes to keep watch on them for the night." Lupin said.

"Molly will worry, she doesn't like the idea of leaving the children during the night." Mr. Weasley said as the pair started down the corridor toward the family dinning room.

"I know, but Hogwarts is the only place we have where we can meet safely." Lupin replied. "Until we find another place, we'll have to go to Hogwarts whenever we have a meeting."

"We'll have to find somewhere else soon, we won't be able to meet at Hogwarts once schools starts." Mr. Weasley exclaimed. "We'll have only one month left after tomorrow."

"I'm sure Dumbledore will think of something." Lupin said as they neared the dinning room.

Everybody was already there, Harry, Ron and Hermione sat at one end of the table discussing their O.W.L results. Ginny, Bill and the twins sat across each other in the middle of the table talking about the latest Quidditch game, while Mrs. Weasley was talking with Tonks at the other end of the table in whispers.

Mrs. Weasley looked up as Lupin and Mr. Weasley entered the room. She motioned to them to join her at her end of the table.

"I had Roberts bring some of that fabulous cider to celebrate the O.W.L. results the kids got this morning." She said with a smile directed at Harry, Ron and Hermione. "They did quite well."

"Please don't tell us that we have a future Head Boy." Fred exclaimed.

"I don't think we could handle the shame of it." George shook his head sadly.

Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips in displeasure while Mr. Weasley chuckled in amusement. "Will you sod off?" Ron exclaimed.

"Ron!" Hermione hissed.

"Hermione will certainly be Head Girl." Said Ginny piling food on her plate. "But I don't think Ron's results will win him that badge."

"Hey! I did well! Maybe not as good as Hermione but well enough." Ron said with hurt pride.

"But Harry got more O.W.L.s than you did. If the Head Boy is chosen by the results, he is more likely to be chosen than you." Ginny said unruffled by Ron's glaring.

"She's right, mate." Fred said pushing the plate full of sweetened apples to Ron.

"I don't think I'll get it either." Harry said. "Dumbledore didn't give me the prefect badge because he thought I had too much to deal with, I don't think a Head Boy badge will make any difference."

"As long as he doesn't give it to Malfoy." Ron grumbled.

Hermione looked frightened by the thought and Harry nodded with agreement.

Conversations continued around the table. Harry could hear the others talking animatedly as he emptied his plate.

By the end of the meal, they all seemed satiated. The empty plates lay discarded around the table and the pitcher of cider had been emptied and filled several times during the meal.

"I'll be in the bookroom, there is a report I have to do for tomorrow morning." Mr. Weasley said.

"We'll go to the game room, mum." Fred said nudging George on the arm with discretion.

"Very well dears, but I want you all in bed early tonight. It'll be a big day tomorrow." She said cryptically.

"What does that mean?" Asked Ron as he, Hermione and Harry followed the twins to the game room. Ginny had decided to go to her room and finish the schoolwork she had started that afternoon.

"It means that they have something planned for tomorrow." Hermione hissed with exasperation.

"But what's so special about tomorrow?" Ron asked in confusion.

"Honestly!" Hermione exclaimed.

"She means my birthday." Harry said with a smile. He had forgotten about his birthday, but Mrs. Weasley's excited chatter and the servants mysterious glances had reminded him of it and was looking forward to having a real celebration after all the years he spent in neglect at the Dursley's.

"Oh." Ron's eyes opened in understanding.

Hermione looked at him exasperated.

"Well, I didn't know what you were talking about." Exclaimed Ron.

"Talking about what?" Asked Fred as he and George settled to play a round of pool.

"About tomorrow." Said Harry, he went for the couch in front of the television. For years, he had watched what others wanted to watch, now for the first time, he could sit and watch whatever he wanted.

"What about tomorrow." Asked George as he leaned across the table lining his shot.

Hermione growled with frustration. "It must be the Weasley genes." She mumbled as she joined Harry on the couch.

Harry laughed as he flipped through the channels searching for something to watch.

"Harry's birthday." Ron said as he stood by the table watching the game.

"Oh, heard they were planning something." Fred said.

"I think it was meant to be a surprise." Hermione exclaimed.

"Sorry." George laughed.

"Don't worry, Hermione. I would've guessed something. Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Nichols were whispering excitedly earlier today." Harry said.

"Well, if you're sure." Hermione sighed with resignation.

"I'll still enjoy it." Harry replied. "It would be the first time my birthday was celebrated."

"See, he doesn't mind knowing." Ron said as he joined them on the couch. "Maybe we could have a game, Harry." He said excitedly.

"I'm sure we could gather enough players." Harrry responded with enthusiasm.

"A game of what?" Asked Fred as he waited for George to take his shot.

"Of Quidditch, of course." Ron exclaimed.

"Quidditch? And where do you plan to have this game?" George asked straightening after taking his shot.

"In the Quidditch Pitch. You should see it, it's huge." Ron said excitedly.

"A Quidditch Pitch? Where?" Asked Fred, forgetting their game for a moment at the mention of a Quidditch pitch.

"In the middle of the orchard." Said Harry, putting the control aside for a moment as he turned to look at the twins. "Same size as the one in Hogwarts, with changing rooms and everything."

"And every locker has a Firebolt and a set of robes. We played a bit this morning, it was great." Ron replied, his eyes shone with excitement and the others were soon become so.

"We got to go and see it." George exclaimed sticking his cue on a rack, ready to step out of the glass door leading to the gardens.

"You can't go out." Hermione said. "Your mum is not going to like it. Besides, you could see it better tomorrow morning."

"She's right." Said Fred. "And everybody'll be here, we can set up a team and have a game."

"It'll be great, and we'll have enough practice for the next season." Ron sighed with contentment.

"Too bad the rest of the team can't do so." George said.

"Yeah, they need it. It was a miracle Gryffindor kept the Cup." Fred said.

"It was so embarrassing." Harry shook his head with disappointment.

"I got better." Ron exclaimed, his ears had turned as red as beets. "I helped keep the Cup with Gryffindor."

"Well, yes. You did redeem yourself, but we can't say the same about our replacements." Fred replied.

"Ginny was good. Maybe not as good as Harry, but she did well." Hermione chided them.

"Well, but she's our sister, she was bound to do well." George said.

"Besides, she wants to be a chaser, not a seeker." Harry reminded them.

"But our replacements were a disappointment. Can't say when we were disgusted with the team as we were last season." Fred said sadly.

"Went to the game just to support, didn't see a minute of the games, knew we wouldn't like what we could've seen." George explained.

"I'm sure we could do better this year. We need to replace almost half of the team." Harry said.

"Yeah, all the chasers have left us." Ron said, glad that they hadn't said much about him and his performance on the team on the previous season. He knew how bad he had performed at the beginning.

"You only need two chasers, now that Harry is back and Ginny takes over one of the vacant positions." Fred said.

"Might as well replace the beaters too. I'm sure there are better players in Gryffindor somewhere." George said.

"Yeah, we didn't have time to have a good try out last year after you lot were banned. We had to find replacements in a hurry." Ron explained.

"You might want to keep all this planning until the new captain is chosen." Hermione replied. "Can't do much until you know who McGonagall is going to choose."

"She's right." Harry said.

"We know who the captain will be." Fred said.

"There's no other choice. Harry is the only one left with experience." George exclaimed.

Harry flushed as the others looked at him. He didn't want to seem like he agreed with the twins. But he was indeed the only one left in the team with the experience necessary to take on the part of Gryffindor Quidditch Team Captain.

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch." Said Hermione.

The Weasleys looked at her in confusion.

"What do chickens have to do with anything? There are no chickens in Quidditch. Are you feeling all right?" Ron asked with a worried expression.

Harry laughed. "She means that we shouldn't take everything for granted. McGonagall might just agree with Dumbledore and decide that I have too many things to deal with and choose somebody else as Captain." He explained.

"Who is she going to choose? Ron?" Fred exclaimed.

"I could do it, I could be a good captain." Ron mumbled.

"Ronnikins, you couldn't take the responsibility. You don't have the experience Harry has, and let's face it he's a natural leader, something you're not. Besides, he deserves that position more than you do." George said.

"I'm not saying he shouldn't get it. I know he would be a better captain, but we are talking about options. McGonagall never does what we expect." Ron said.

"He got us there. She never did a thing we wanted her to do." Fred sighed.

"That's because you never wanted anything good." Hermione replied.

"But she wants the best for the team, she wouldn't have chosen Harry as seeker if she didn't. And he has never lost us a game." George said.

"Except for the one against Hufflepuff in third year." Harry replied, happy that the others had much confidence in him.

"That wasn't your fault. If the dementors hadn't appeared during the game, you would've gotten the snitch before Diggory." Ron exclaimed.

Silence fell among the young people.

Harry looked down at his hands, the image of Cedric as he had seen him last on that fateful day more than a year ago was still fresh in his mind's eye.

"Sorry." Whispered Ron.

Harry shook his head. "It's nothing." He mumbled.

"Come, I think it's time to go to bed. I'm sure we'll have lots to do tomorrow and if you lot want to have a game, you have to have a good rest." Hermione said, shooing them to the door.

"She's right, we have lots to do tomorrow if we want to have that game." Fred said.

They hurried to put everything back in place before they started leaving the room.

"Harry, are you all right?" Asked Hermione after Fred and George left the room.

"Sorry, mate. Didn't mean to make you remember." Ron said with worry in his eyes.

"I'm fine. I'm sure that Cedric would be wanted to be remembered as he was in that moment." Harry said.

"It will get better. Maybe." Whispered Hermione.

"Let's go to bed." Said Harry as he left the couch and started toward the door.

"Are you sure? We could stay up and keep you company if you want." Hermione said.

"I'm fine. I'm a bit tired." Harry said and walked out the door.

He heard Hermione call him before Ron's voice said "leave him, he'll be all right." He was glad that Ron restrained her from following him.

On that last couple of nights, his sleep had been dreamless. He had been so excited to be in the Manor that for a time he had forgotten all about Voldemort, Cedric, Sirius, about everything that could bring him pain. He had slept as he hadn't done for so long, now, he didn't know if he would sleep in such a way again.

The corridors were silent as he made his way to his room. Torches had been lit and lighted his way. He hurried to the third floor, he could hear the twins arguing in one of the rooms but he didn't stop to see what the argument was about. He sighed as he closed the door as soon as he entered his room. Lotty was busy preparing his bed.

"Thank you, Lotty. Why don't you go to rest? I can get ready by myself." Harry said.

The elf bowed and promptly disappeared from the room.

*~*~*~*

It was the middle of the night, and Harry hadn't slept much. After Lotty had left the room, Harry hurried into his pajamas and snuggled between the sheets. Sleep hadn't come. The memories of Cedric and Sirius' deaths kept intruding his mind. He twisted and moved around the bed, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in, but sleep proved elusive.

Now, he was sitting on the bed, his potions book stood open in his lap and Harry was trying to pay attention to the page before him. But he couldn't keep his eyes on the page for more than a minute. His eyes kept straying to a collection of photos that stood on a table beside the bed.

Harry had found them around the bedroom the day before, while he was looking around the room after settling for the night. He found many of his parents, some when they were young, others after their marriage. There were pictures of his father and Sirius, some included all four Marauders, Harry looked at those with sadness at the thought of what had happened to each member of that group.

His mother had kept pictures from her muggle family. He had found some in which his Aunt Petunia stood by his mother and an older couple, who he assumed were his grandparents. There were others of his mother around Hogwarts' grounds, he could clearly see the lake and the Quidditch Pitch in the background. In most, she wasn't alone. He recognized Hagrid in some of them, but in most, she was accompanied by a couple of young girls, who clearly were close friends. Harry didn't know who they were, but wished they hadn't suffered the same tragedy his family had suffered.

Light was dawning when Harry finally fell asleep. But dreams started to intrude soon enough.

He was standing in the middle of a large circular room, there were doors around the wall and torches with blue flames lit the room. It was the one in the Department of Mysteries, where the circular wall rotated every time a door was closed. Harry could see the traces of the fiery marks that they had left behind to mark the doors they had checked. Harry was standing before one of these doors.

Harry turned to look at the other doors, all stood open, except for the one before him. He could see the arch through which Sirius had fallen, the brains glistening in the dark. He recognized all of the rooms behind each door, they had passed all of them as they tried to escape the clutches of the Death Eaters.

Harry turned to look at the closed door and understood which door it was. It was the locked door they had tried to open. All their efforts had been in vain. The knife Sirius had given him had melted when he passed it around the sides of the door, the Alohamora Charm had not worked, and no matter how hard they pushed against it, it had stayed closed.

Harry saw his hand touch the door, it opened slowly and silently. He stepped into darkness. He saw darkness turn into fog. Light was dim, he could barely see shadows among the fog. There was silence, it seemed that he was alone among the mist.

Suddenly, he could hear whispers. At the beginning they were unintelligible but they became clear after a moment. He could hear Dumbledore's voice as he explained the importance of the prophecy, he heard Neville's voice as they tried to escape from the Death Eaters, he could hear Bellatrix's laughter, the same he heard after Sirius' fell through the veil. Then there was silence. Seconds later he heard another voice. ".born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies.and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not.and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives."

Harry peered into the fog, shadows moved but he could see no one. "I know about this." He yelled into the mists. "Either I kill him, or he will kill me." He whispered.

The mist shifted. The shadows were lost in the fog and silence was restored.

Harry looked curiously around. He didn't feel fear or nervousness. There was a power around him that made him feel safe. "You're not alone." He heard. He looked around hoping to see where the voice had come from. It was a voice of a girl and among the mists he could see the silhouette of a young woman, standing proudly against the dim light. The fog around her shifted once more and she disappeared from sight.

A bright light spread around him, blinding him.

Harry awoke. The curtains had been drawn from the windows and the sunlight shone around the room.

Harry sighed and remained on the bed. The memory of the dream still clear in his mind.

"Good morning, Master Harry." Lotty said.

"Morning, Lotty." Mumbled Harry as he tried to sit up. His potions book fell to the floor as he tried to straighten the sheets that trapped his feet.

"Minnie has brought the Master's breakfast." Squeaked the elf.

Harry turned to look at Lotty, who was pointing to the younger elf waiting by table set before the fireplace with a large variety of foods.

"Thank you." He said.

"Minnie will serve Master in bed." Said Minnie promptly.

"I'd like that." Exclaimed Harry, he had never been served breakfast in bed and he didn't mind it this morning. It was his birthday after all.

Minnie hurried to serve him. Harry enjoyed his breakfast, by the time he had finished his meal he couldn't remember the dream that had disturbed him so much.

Minnie took the plates away while Lotty prepared the shower for Harry.

Half an hour later, Harry was hurrying down the corridor to the family dinning room. Everybody was there.

"Where have you been? We had to start breakfast without you." Said Ron the minute Harry opened the door.

"I already ate. Minnie and Lotty served me breakfast in bed." Harry said.

"That was sweet of them." Said Hermione pushing her empty plate aside.

"Don't stand there then, open your presents." Exclaimed Ginny.

"Presents?" Harry asked with excitement.

"Of course, you don't think that we could let the day pass without giving you something, do you?" Asked Fred.

"Come dear, open your gifts." Mrs. Weasley said as she pointed to a table in a corner loaded with brightly wrapped packages.

Harry hurried to the table, there were more gifts that he had ever seen in his life. He was sure that if Dudley had been there, he would've thrown a tantrum from envy. He didn't care to know how many gifts there were, he would've been happy with just a few. It was the first time in his memory that his birthday was celebrated properly.

He started with the top package, a set of books about the Defense Against the Dark Arts fell on his lap. He happily put them aside before reaching for the next package. An hour later, he had a new set of robes, a set of Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-Bangs Deflagration Deluxe, a box full of his favorite sweets, a case for his broom, Quidditch robes with two large C's on the back, and several packages of Dungbombs.

"Wow, thanks." Exclaimed Harry after every package had been unwrapped.

"Shame we're not at Hogwarts anymore." Sighed Fred at the sight of so many Dumgbombs.

"Yeah, those would've been of so much use." George said understanding his brother's thoughts.

"Don't you two be putting any ideas into Harry's head." Mrs. Weasley chided. "Now Harry, dear. Why don't you take your presents up to your room?"

"I'll help." Said Ron as he finally pushed away from the table.

Hermione accompanied them as they trekked up the stairs.

At their return, they found the whole household waiting for them in the entrance hall. Lupin was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs.

"The staff has something to say to you, Harry." He said, motioning to the servants standing in line by the staircase.

Harry walked to Lupin and looked at him with a question in his eyes.

"Come." Whispered Lupin as he led them to where Roberts and Mrs. Nichols waited at the front of the line.

"In the name of the staff, here at Gryffindor Manor," Roberts said, "I'd like to wish you a happy birthday, Master Harry."

"Thank you." Said Harry.

"We have prepared something for you, Master Harry. If you'll follow me." Roberts said motioning to the open door.

Harry started toward the door, he could hear everybody following him out. Roberts led him toward the lake. In the distance, Harry could see colorful tents erected on the grounds around the lake. And there were many people waiting.

"Happy Birthday, Master Harry!" The people shouted as soon as Harry was in sight.

Harry was surprised by what he saw.

There were balloons and banners all over the place, Happy Birthday was printed in each as they fluttered in the breeze.

There was a tent, where food and casks of butterbeer waited for those present, and in one table, he could see a towering cake waiting to be cut.

There were tables and chairs, there was even a stage where a small band waited to play for them. Children were running around the tents. Small boats were tied around the shore of the lake. And people were waiting to start the celebration.

"Thank you." He whispered. He could feel a knot forming in his throat, he tried to push it down as the threat of tears started to form in his eyes.

"Come Harry, let's celebrate your birthday." Said Hermione and pulled him toward the smallest tent.

There was a throne like chair, raised on a pedestal. Around it were several wrapped packages.

"Wow." Sighed Ron.

"Let's meet the tenants, shall we. You did hope to meet them and form a Quidditch team." Urged Hermione.

They mingled with the tenants. Harry heard many "Welcome Home" and "Glad to see you." People nodded happily at him and few even stopped to say how much he looked like his father. Young and old people greeted him, some, he was told, had walked from the village just to see him and wish him a happy birthday.

The band had started to play and a group of dancers had queued around the stage. Many of the older residents sat around the tents drinking butterbeer or cider. Children played and young couples rowed in the small boats around the lake.

After meeting many of his well-wishers, Harry joined Ron, Hermione and Ginny near the stage where they watched the dancers having fun.

"Come Harry." Commanded Ginny pulling him to the dance floor.

"Er.all right, but if I hurt your toes, you better not complain." He said with a laugh.

Harry spied Ron and Hermione standing at the edge of the dance floor, both looking a little self-conscious.

"Are you sure we should leave them on their own?" Asked Harry.

"They'll be fine. Maybe Ron can do what's right." Ginny said.

Harry looked confused for a minute but shrugged with indifference the next.

After a few minutes, he saw Ron lead Hermione into the dance floor.

Ginny giggled but said nothing when Harry looked at her in confusion.

"Never mind." She said as she led him through the dance.

They danced several sets, changing partners several times. After more than half an hour on the dance floor, Ron and Harry said enough and led the girls to the refreshment tent, where they drank several glasses of cider and butterbeer.

"Let's go for a round around the lake." Ginny proposed after they had rested a little.

"We can do that any time, let's get the others and see if we can find enough players to have a good game of Quidditch." Ron said.

Harry rapidly agreed to that idea.

Ginny and Hermione shrugged and accompanied them to look for the twins and Bill.

They found Bill cheering by the children's sack races.

"Bill, do you want to join for a game of Quidditch?" Asked Ginny as she came to stand by her brother.

"Quidditch, you say?" Bill asked turned to look at her after a while. "That'll be fun. Who's playing?"

"Well, Ron, Harry and I. You, if you want, we'll ask Fred and George, and we'll try to see who else wants to play." Ginny replied.

"Right, I'll play if you find enough people to have a game with." Bill said.

Ginny returned to Ron, Harry and Hermione who had been talking to Tonks by the lake.

"Bill said he'll play." Announced Ginny as she joined the group.

"Good, Tonks wants to play too." Said Ron.

"Let's get Fred and George." Harry hurried them.

"You still don't have anybody to play against." Hermione reminded them.

"Oh, yeah." Sighed Ron.

"We'll ask some of the guests, I'm sure we can gather a team." Tonks said.

"You go get Fred and George." Ordered Ginny.

Harry, Ron and Hermione went looking for the twins. They found them with Professor Lupin talking to a middle-aged woman and an old gentleman.

"Harry!" Called Lupin as soon as he spied the group among the crowd. "Come, I want you to meet somebody."

Harry walked briskly toward them with Ron and Hermione hurrying behind him.

"Harry, this is old Dr. Pomfrey and his daughter Miss Pomfrey." Lupin introduced the couple. "Dr. Pomfrey here was the one who helped your mother through her pregnancy and labor."

"How do you do?" Said Harry politely.

"I see you've done very well, Young Potter. Must say, we've never had anybody so famous in our village before." Said the old man.

"He's rather proud of being the one to help in your delivery." Explained his daughter.

"Miss Pomfrey is a doctor as well, she is helping Dr. Pomfrey in his practice." Lupin said.

Harry and Ron nodded in understanding, it was very clear that the old doctor wasn't up to snuff anymore.

"Are you related to Madam Pomfrey?" Hermione asked with curiosity.

"Yes!" Exclaimed the old man. "Oldest daughter, she is."

Lupin laughed. "Indeed. Madam Pomfrey decided to become a mediwizard, while Miss Pomfrey became a healer and a muggle doctor."

"Have you lived here long?" Harry asked.

"Oh, many years. Your grandfather hired me when the previous doctor died of old age. He was a muggle doctor as many in the village are muggles. Master Aliaster put ads in London newspapers, including the Prophet. I saw the ad asking for a doctor trained in muggle medicine. I had trained in both so I applied. He hired me in the instant." Doctor Pomfrey said happily.

Doctor Pomfrey had kept his eyes on Harry. After a while, Harry started to shuffle his feet as he became uncomfortable under the peering eyes of the old man.

"I'll take father to the refreshment tent." Said Miss Promfrey. "Come dad, you need your rest."

She led the old gentleman into the crowd and Harry sighed with relief.

"You have another fan, Harry." Laughed Fred.

Harry glared at him.

"Never mind that, we're getting together to have the game." Ron said.

"Oh good, wondered if we were going to have one." George exclaimed.

"Tonks and Ginny are rounding up enough people for another team." Said Harry.

"You'll find that the tenants and villagers will be very willing to play you." Lupin said.

They heard Ginny calling to them as she run through the crowd to join them.

"We found players." She panted as she came to stand before them.

"Good. Where are we playing?" Asked Fred.

"Quidditch Pitch. Where else?" Said Ron.

"You should go and prepare then, I'm sure the rest will follow you." Lupin said.

"Could you referee?" George said.

"If you want me to." Lupin smiled.

"Please, we'd like that." Harry urged.

"Very well, go and prepare, I'll round up the rest." Lupin said.

The group ran toward the orchard. Harry could hear in the distance the voice of Professor Lupin talking to those assembled. He heard the words "Quidditch game" and "Pitch" clearly and he assumed that he was telling the crowd about the game.

Harry led them to the center of the orchard the tall white walls loomed before them and they went round looking for the entrance.

"Wow!" Fred sighed in awe as they stood at the edge of the pitch.

"Come, let's change." Urged Ron.

The group followed Harry into the changing room. Harry walked rapidly to the one that had once belonged to his father, but as he opened the door to his locker he found something different.

Harry noticed that the robes didn't say J. Potter any longer, instead, the golden letters said H. Potter.

He heard the rest scrambling into their robes. Tonks and Bill had joined them.

"Everybody is coming to see the game." Tonks was saying.

"Said there hasn't been one for a quite a while." Explained Bill.

"Great! It's been a while since we played Quidditch." Exclaimed George.

"Let's show them how Gryffindor plays Quidditch!" Yelled Fred.

Harry laughed. It felt good to be back on a Quidditch Pitch and play in a team once more.

"Who's captain?" Asked Tonks as she and Ginny stepped from behind a screen in a corner of the locker room. They had changed quickly.

"Bill is, he's the oldest." Said Ginny.

"All right, if we're set, let's have a good game." Said Bill.

Everybody grabbed their brooms and lined up to step out to the Pitch.

"Harry's seeker, Ron's keeper, Fred and George are beaters, and the rest of us will be chasers. All set?" Bill asked as they stood waiting in the corridor waiting to see the other team on the opposite side.

Everybody nodded. They saw Lupin step out into the Pitch, there were cheers and applause as he did so. He motioned to them to enter the Pitch.

"Mount your brooms, we'll go round once around the Pitch." Said Bill.

They mounted their brooms and zoomed around the pitch.

Harry fell elated at being back in the air. He could hear the people cheering from the stands. They flew around for a few moments before taking their positions at the center of the Pitch. The other team zoomed around the pitch and took their places a few moments later.

Harry saw Bill and a burly young man shake hands. They took their positions with the rest of the team and waited for Lupin to mount his broom and release the balls.

It was an energetic game. Harry barely kept his attention in the rest of the players as he tried to keep ahead of the opposing seeker.

He thought it was probably the use of the Firebolts that made the game more competitive than the ones at Hogwarts. Here, everybody was flying quickly and efficiently but it was each player's skill that made the game seem faster.

By the end of half an hour, each team had scored a great number of goals, the only way a team would win was if its seeker caught the snitch.

Harry felt the pressure mount. The snitch was out of sight and he had to keep sight of the other seeker as he flew around the pitch. Suddenly, he saw it. The snitch fluttered about three feet from the floor near their team's goal posts.

He dived with great velocity toward the ground. The audience gasped before the other seeker noticed Harry's move and made to follow.

The chasers stopped for a moment to follow the dive of their seekers. Ron cheered Harry forward. Bludgers were flying around the pitch, each beater trying to keep them away from the other members of their team.

The snitch continued to flutter near the floor. Harry zoomed after it. He could sense rather than see the other seeker beside him.

"Come on, come on." He whispered as he pulled his broom a little to the left trying to block passage to the other seeker.

He was getting near the snitch. Suddenly the snitch zoomed about twenty feet up in the air. Harry turned his broom up but the other seeker was a little faster than him and took the lead.

"Come on, come on." Harry urged his broom as he kept getting closer and closer to the other seeker. Moments later they were neck to neck. Harry inched forward reaching out with his right hand. The other seeker was doing the same. Harry tried to get his broom nearer to the snitch. The fluttering golden ball was within grasp when the snitch changed directions once again.

Harry watched in frustration as the snitch flew toward his right, zig- zagging around the pitch. He could hear his team groaning, he could swear that Ron screamed in frustration.

Harry rapidly gave chase, but the other seeker wasn't too far behind.

Nobody was paying attention to the chasers any longer, nor were they trying to score any more. All eyes were clasped on the zooming seekers trying to reach the snitch.

They zig-zagged across the pitch. The snitch always stayed a few feet from reach. Night was falling and many spectators were afraid that the game would continue well into the middle of the night. They hadn't seen such an exciting game for a long time.

Harry was getting tired. He had a strong urge to just let the other seeker get ahead of him. But his sense of honor and his strong competitor side would not allow him to do so. He kept urging the broom forward always a foot or so ahead of his opponent, but the snitch stayed out of his reach. Until the snitch made another change in direction. It went straight down.

Harry dove after the snitch, allowing gravity to help him gather speed. He was ten feet away from the ground when he finally closed his hand around the snitch.

The Pitch broke into tremendous applause. Harry landed gracefully on the ground, his teammates diving to join him as the snitch fluttered gently in his hand.

"Good game, that." Exclaimed his opponent. He didn't seem angry or disappointed, quite the contrary, he seemed ecstatic by the result.

He was congratulated by the spectators, as they cheered and waved happily.

"To the showers." Directed Lupin as he shooed the players to their respective locker rooms.

Harry happily followed his team to the lockers. It had felt good to be back on a broom and playing a good game. It had been months since the last time he joined his team. He was now feeling elated by their performance and felt that if only they could find members as good as the ones that played this night, Gryffindor would surely keep the Cup one more year.

The Weasleys and Tonks kept clapping him on his shoulder. Ron was chatting happily the whole time they showered and changed into their clothes.

Harry and Ron were the first to leave the lockers and found everybody waiting for them around the Pitch.

Applause broke through the silent night.

"Master James would've been so proud." Mrs. Nichols was sobbing into her handkerchief before she hugged Harry tightly.

Harry looked at Ron for help, but Ron was trying to keep his mother from hugging him in the same way.

"Come Alice, Master Harry doesn't need you to be a watering pot at this moment." Roberts said at their side and Harry saw his arms pulling Mrs. Nichols from him.

"Thank you." Sighed Harry.

"Well done, Master Harry." Roberts said with a bow.

"Thanks." Harry smiled.

Mrs. Nichols was still crying into her handkerchief. Harry looked worriedly at Roberts.

"You better join your friends, Master Harry. Dinner will be served in the refreshment tent in a few minutes." He said.

Harry nodded and rapidly made his way to the Weasleys.

Hermione was standing nearby. "That was great!" She exclaimed as she threw her arms around him for a quick hug.

"I thought so too." Harry said as he happily turned to Ron who had come to stand beside him.

Ron was frowning slightly as he looked at them.

"Something wrong?" Harry asked.

Ron seemed to notice that he was spoken to and turned to look at Harry. His frown disappeared and he smiled at Harry. "No." He said quickly.

"Are you sure?" Asked Hermione as the three started to walk from the pitch. "You seemed to be deep in thought."

"Er.just thinking about the game." Ron said but Harry thought that it wasn't the truth as he saw Ron's ears turn red. "Just thought that it was a shame that Gryffindor didn't have a similar team."

"Hmmm - It certainly would've been nice if we had one." Hermione agreed.

"We'll get two new members for next season. We'll make sure we get the best." Harry said.

They had reached the grounds around the lake. Lanterns had been lit around the area where the tents stood ready for the guests' comfort.

The refreshment tent was proudly set in the middle, surrounded by tables and chairs. The night was warm, and the new moon stood hidden in the sky.

Beef stew, smoked ham, grilled chicken and fried fish were served in platters around the tent. At one corner of the tent stood the cake surrounded by cookies, pudding, pies and different kind of pastries. By the door were the casks of cider and butterbeer.

There was chatter and laughter all around as everybody sat around the tables surrounding the tent.

Harry, Ron and Hermione chose an empty table near the door of the tent. Ginny and the twins joined them soon after.

"I'm starving." Said Fred as they sat around the table.

"So am I. That game surely gave me an appetite." Exclaimed Ron.

"Very energetic. Best game ever played." Said George in between bites.

"It was very exciting." Agreed Hermione.

"Too bad the rest of the team didn't see it." Said Ginny.

"It would've helped if they had." Fred said.

"They'll need a lot of help." Said George.

"We're not that bad." Exclaimed Ron.

"Ronny. You say that because you haven't seen it for yourself." Said Fred.

"If you've forgotten, I was there." Ron said.

"But it's different Ron. You see things different from the seats than you do from the pitch." Said Hermione.

Ron sulked in silence, while Harry happily ate his dinner. He didn't want to say it but he agreed with the others, even though Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup, the team needed a lot of practice to do much better.

They soon emptied their plates, Ron and the twins returned for seconds. Harry wanted to wait for the cake to be cut and waited eagerly as everybody continued with their meal. He had never had a proper cake during all his years he lived with the Dursleys. Year after year he had seen Dudley have parties, open presents, go to fun places on his birthday, but never had Harry been able to celebrated his own birthday in the same way.

When he was very young, he didn't understand why it was so, but as he got older it became clear to him that the Dursleys weren't too happy having him in their home.

But now he had a home of his own and he was glad that the Weasleys and Hermione had come along. He didn't think he could be very happy here on his own. Everybody kept mentioning his parents and even though he wanted to learn more about them, he couldn't help but feel sad and angry that they weren't here with him.

He was shaken from his thoughts moments later by Hermione. "Harry, look." She whispered.

Mr. Roberts was wheeling a tray table toward him. On it, was the large cake that had decorated the pastries' table all day.

"Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you - " Everybody started to sing. Harry watched happily as the cake was set beside him.

Applause broke through the grounds as the song ended and Harry had blown off the candles.

Roberts took the cake back into the tent, where Mrs. Nichols could be seen ready to cut the first piece.

"Harry, everybody is waiting for you to go to the tent with the gifts." Said Lupin.

"Gifts?" Asked Harry.

"Indeed, they have been collecting gifts for you since your second birthday. They have been hoping for years that you would come one day and they could have the opportunity of presenting you with their gifts." Explained Lupin as he led Harry through the crowd toward the tent where piles of wrapped packages waited for them. It seemed that there were a lot more than that morning.

"Wow." Exclaimed Harry at the sight of the towering piles of gifts.

"Never seen the like." Whispered Ron.

"Well, if they have been accumulating for fifteen years, it was bound to be a large pile." Hermione said.

"Pile? This is not a pile, Hermione, this is a mountain." Said Ron.

Harry wasn't listening to them. He was busy trying to decide what to do with his gifts, he didn't know whether to open them now, or wait until they had been taken to his room. One thing he was certain of, Dudley would be dead with jealousy if he had seen this. There were more gifts here than his cousin had ever received since the day he was born.

"Well, come on Harry. Open them." Fred said as he reached them with a couple of plates in his hands.

"But there are so many." Said Harry.

"Never thought to hear anybody complain that he had too many presents." Said George handing one of the plates he carried to Hermione. A piece of cake lay at its center.

"But where am I going to start? I'll never finish with them tonight." Harry laughed.

"You should start on them then." Said Ron as he pushed Harry toward the nearest pile.

Harry started with a small package at the top of the pile. It contained a set of cufflinks with his family coat of arms and small diamonds embedded around the edge.

He continued opening presents as his friends surrounded him and watched eagerly as he unwrapped each package.

The party was almost over and Harry still had many to open.

"I think I'll better have all of this taken to my room. I'll open them there." Said Harry as he held up a set of wizard robes he had just unwrapped.

"It's for the best." Said Hermione. "I think everybody is getting ready to leave."

Harry left the tent, where the gifts had been housed all day and stood by it as each guest came to him to wish him a good night.

An hour later, Harry was sitting by his bed as the gifts accumulated over the years waited to be opened by the windows behind a large desk.

Harry neared the piles of gifts. For years, he had thought that nobody had cared for him. Now, he knows that others had waited patiently for years for him. It was too much for him to take.

Harry sat at the edge of the chair behind the desk. He had seen the desk on his first night in his parents' room. But had not gone near it as he dreaded to see what he could find in it. He didn't want to see if his father had kept notes or letters within the drawers. Now, he rested his head on his hands as he turned to look out the window.

It was a clear night. The courtyard below the windows was clean and trimmed. The lane that led to the front door was empty as the cars and bikes that had brought his guests that day had all gone home.

His birthday was now over, and he had the greatest time in memory. He sighed with pleasure at the thought of their game that afternoon. It had been a great day.

Harry stood abruptly from the chair and as he did so he bumped his knee against the desk.

"Ouch!" Exclaimed Harry as he sat back down and rubbed his knee.

It was then that he noticed something. One of the drawers had slid open a little and a glowing light came from within.

Harry reached down and opened the drawer. There were a lot of small things in it, a music box, a small jewelry box, a box of pictures and toward the back, was a glowing ball.

Harry took the ball and held it in his palm. He had never seen anything like it. For a moment he had thought that it was a remembrall, just like the one Neville had received from his grandmother on their first year, but the color of the mist within was the wrong color. Silver fog glowed within, and two small grooves were found at one side of the ball. Harry took the ball with his index finger and thumb and found that they fit perfectly into the grooves.

He held the ball before him, but he couldn't imagine what it was suppose to do. He thought he would ask Mr. Weasley in the morning as he twisted the ball around. The moment he held it upside down, the ball started to glow more intensely and the fog within it started to move.

Harry held the ball closer and watched in awe as images started to appear. He could see his parents appear for a moment before being replaced by the image of his twin cousins and his grandmothers. More images of his parents reappeared and Harry watched hungrily at the foggy images.

"Mum, dad." Harry sighed sadly.

The ball glowed once more and the image of his father and mother appeared once again. His mother was lying on a bed, which Harry recognized as being the same he slept on every night, she was sweaty and clearly in pain. He could see his father leaning at her side, whispering in her ear and wiping her forehead. He could also see old Dr. Pomfrey and Madam Pomfrey. He could see his mother twisting in pain.

"Ok, Lily, I can see the head." Said doctor.

"GET HIM OUT OF ME!!!!!" Screamed Lily.

"Here comes the head." Exclaimed the doctor.

James moved to see. "Lily I can see him." He screamed.

"GET HIM OUT! GET HIM OUT!" Lily panted.

"Ok, Lily. One more push." The doctor ordered.

"Oh no, I can't." Panted Lily.

"You can do it Lily. I know you can." Said James as he dried her brow.

"Here it comes." She gasped.

After some vociferous moments, the cry of an infant was heard.

Lily sighed with relief.

"Congratulations." The doctor said as he and his daughter cleaned and examined the baby.

"Oh give him to me." Pleaded Lily.

Madam Pomfrey approached the bed. A bundle of blankets on her arms. "Here you go." She said with a smile as she put the bundle into Lily's arms.

"Oh James, look." Sobbed Lily.

"He is perfect." James said.

Baby Harry yawned. "Hello Harry. I'm your mum." Whispered Lily.

"And I'm your daddy." James whispered.

Baby Harry opened his eyes and looked at the two faces above him.

"He looks like you James." Lily smiled turning to her husband.

"But he has your eyes." James smiled back and leaned in to kiss her softly.

Tears were running down his cheeks, but Harry didn't notice them as he watched the image in the ball get lost within the fog.

*~*~*~*

A/N: How did you like that? I was very happy with the ending, weren't you? Although I couldn't help but tear up a bit when I wrote it (the memory is of course from the last chapter of Part II). I was reading CoS, again, and I read something that made me very glad. I know there was some discussion about Alicia's status on the team, whether she was still in school or not. Well, in Chapter 5 of CoS, it says that Alicia is in fourth year. That means that she leaves after OotP. Glad I noticed that. Phew! Anyways, I wanted to thank all of you who reviewed, I really appreciate hearing from my readers. And to those of you who have asked about Emma and Katie, don't worry, you'll hear about them soon enough.