Disclaimer: I own nothing involving Harry Potter except way too many copies of the books.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews, everyone! I hope you like this chapter, at the end if finally starts to pick up a bit of speed.
Chapter 6: Birthday SurprisesThe trip to Godric's Hollow, though thought provoking, did not give the trio a clear direction of what to do next. They decided to continue their focus on locating R.A.B., and so, they spent the next couple of days taking turns at the London Library of Wizardry. Not wanting to be seen by ministry officials, Harry wore his invisibility cloak.
Harry and Hermione were desperately trying to read information on horcruxes- perhaps there would be a clue on how to destroy one, if it were found. Unfortunately, horcruxes seemed to be a topic banned in all of Britain, based on the scanty amount of information they found.
Ron, meanwhile, was combing the wizarding indexes to get a list of wizards with the initials R.A.B. Harry sincerely hoped R.A.B. were real initials and not a nickname. After all of the arguments concerning the half-blood prince's identity, Hermione was keeping fairly silent on what the letters may mean, for which Harry was grateful.
They all felt as though they weren't working hard enough- but really, what were they to do? They read the paper faithfully each morning, although Ron's question was now accompanied by the follow-up question, "Any old Hogwart's stuff being sold?"
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They still weren't allowed in the Order's meetings, which they thought was incredibly unfair, as Harry's parents themselves had been hardly a year older than them when they had joined. Ron said angrily one day, "we're going to be doing more than all of them combined!" To which Hermione reminded him, "but they don't know that, and we'd best keep it that way." Ron just shook his head angrily. Harry agreed with Ron, but thought it was probably easier not to be part of the Order- less questions they had to answer.
But they had learnt from the Order that no one had found Snape yet, although Scrimgeour had increased the bounty on Snape's head to 10,000-gallons. Ron was frequently seen grinning at that number, but each time Hermione caught him imagining what he could do with the gallons, she reminded him they had other missions to attend to. "Much more important," she said, "to destroy Voldemort."
Although Harry agreed they must focus on the horcruxes, he certainly wouldn't mind catching Snape. And he would gladly do it for free. Just let him come back and visit. I'll remember my wand this time. Constant Vigilance, he thought. But Snape had not been back to Number 12 since the night of the wedding.
Why had he shown up in the first place? Ron thought it was just to rub it in their faces that Snape was finally done associating with them- but Hermione thought it must be more. "Snape is too smart to risk being caught just to brag," she had said. Harry didn't know what to think. He certainly didn't put it past Snape to point out that he was a much better wizard than Harry, Snape would do that even when they thought he was part of the Order. But he did agree it was odd to walk right into the headquarters of the Order when he was a wanted man.
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When Harry awoke on the morning of his birthday he could smell breakfast cooking already. Food that smelled that good could only mean one thing: Mrs. Weasley was here. She had, amazingly, left the three of them alone, except when she was here on Order business, although Harry suspected Arthur may have had a say in the matter, as it was a very un-Mrs. Weasley thing to do. But she probably couldn't keep herself away on a day that was so important in her mind- Harry becoming a man. Harry jumped out of bed, gave the portrait of Nigellus a jolly wave, which he as usual ignored, and wandered down the stairs.
"Happy Birthday, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said warmly. "I hope you don't mind that I came, but I couldn't let you eat a cold breakfast on your birthday!" As Harry had been cooking for years with the Dursleys, he knew perfectly well he hadn't been planning on a cold breakfast- indeed, after Ron's attempts at breakfast, Harry was nearly always the one to cook their meals, although Hermione's cooking wasn't too bad, once you got over the fact every meal she made was dentist-approved.
Harry still hadn't attempted to ask Dobby to join them at the house for a number of reasons. For once, he figured Dobby didn't know where Number 12, Grimmauld Place was. Dumbledore was the secret-keeper, and he couldn't be giving out the secret anymore, although Harry wondered if the portrait of Dumbledore in the Head Office might still be able to give out the secret. Of course, Dobby was a house-elf at Hogwarts, so perhaps, he "belonged" to Dumbledore, although he was free, and could bring himself there. But Harry really hadn't asked because he figured he'd probably have to call Kreacher back to pass the message on.
"Of course I don't mind, Mrs. Weasley," he could say honestly, "Thank you so much for coming." Harry still wasn't used to being, well, loved, on his birthday, but it was a feeling he most certainly knew he could get used to.
Hermione was already up. "Happy Birthday, Harry," she said, hugging him.
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Ron came ambling down the stairs five minutes later, stomach growling. "Thanks, mum!"
He slid into his seat next to Hermione, and the four began to eat. Mrs. Weasley presently said, "Now, I know you three have a mission, but you can take one night off for a birthday party, can't you?" Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged glances. Obviously, no one in the Order thought their mission was that important. That was clear from the fact they weren't allowed in the meetings. But given that it had been Dumbledore who had given them their task, the members of the Order had reluctantly let the trio go on with their business.
Harry didn't have much of a heart for a party. He hadn't had much of a heart for anything but the library lately- ugh, he was turning into Hermione! But he felt guilty not accepting, especially considering they hadn't been accomplishing much at the library, so the three agreed to show up to the Burrow later in the day.
After saying yes, Harry had a pit in his stomach, but Ron said firmly, "Harry, my family is all in the Order. They are always in danger, and you showing up isn't going to make one whit of a difference,' which, although not exactly reassuring, cheered Harry up very slightly. He just couldn't handle being the cause of any more deaths.
The daily prophet owl came soaring in. "Anyone we know dead?" Ron asked. Hermione opened it and found that the inferi had ravaged a city south of London, but no one they knew had died. Draco still hasn't been found, and no Hogwarts relics were being sold. They all sighed, how were they going to find these objects?
After breakfast, they planned to adjourn to the drawing room. Harry always remembered this room fondly, as it was the room he helped clean the first time he had arrived at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. Then, it had been full of dust, doxies, a boggart, and plenty of dark objects that Kreacher had continuously tried to steal.
But now, they had set it up as sort of a "DA headquarters" (as they had continued to call themselves, since they weren't allowed to be members of the Order). Hermione had performed a tricky charm to allow only the three of them to pass through the doorway, although Harry wasn't sure if it was simply out of respect for the trio that members of the Order didn't pass through. On one hand, if Hermione was that talented of a witch, he had high hopes for their personal mission, but on the other hand, if the members of the Order couldn't break a charm placed by a barely legal witch, then the wizarding world might be in more trouble than he suspected.
Regardless, they had set the room up with the few clues they had found in the library, many items they had purchased from Fred and George, and the picture Harry had taken from his old home. His parents waved at him as each time the three entered the room to discuss their plans for the day. It gave Harry confidence.
But before they reached the drawing room, three tawny owls arrived, each carrying letters with the Hogwarts seal. "Oh, I'd forgotten about our letters," Harry said. They took the letters from the owls, who flew off. Hermione was looking at hers with longing.
Harry grinned. He knew she wanted to see that Head Girl badge inside. "Go ahead, Hermione. It doesn't hurt to look."
She smiled. "No, it doesn't, does it?" And she picked it up and carefully opened it. The shiny gold badge fell to the table.
Harry and Ron couldn't help themselves. They tore their own letters open, too. But they weren't quite so lucky. Neither Harry nor Ron received the Head Boy badge. This surprised Harry slightly. Harry knew Dumbledore thought Harry had too much to do, but he'd thought perhaps, McGonagall, who was still the temporary Headmistress, would have given it to him. A small voice reminded Harry that his father had been Head Boy. He shook it off. He wasn't going back, anyway. He had, of course, retained his position as captain of the quidditch team.
Ron carefully gathered up his and Harry's letters (Hermione clutched hers to her chest and refused to give it up-she claimed the book list might be useful) and said, "Since we aren't going back to school we might as well chuck em-"
"WHAT?" Mrs. Weasley roared from the kitchen sink. "What do you mean by that?" Ron stuttered something inaudible. "I will NOT have three of my boys be dropouts from school!" She resembled an angry bear. All three backed against the wall.
They gulped, looking at each other. Harry noticed they seemed to actually be looking at him. He knew without a doubt he'd rather be facing Voldemort than explain to Mrs. Weasley why her youngest son was no longer attending school. By the look Mrs. Weasley was giving him, he wished he had told someone else about the Horcruxes- because, if looks could kill, the secret would have died right then.
A moment passed in silence. Mrs. Weasley was still glaring at each of them, her soapy hands firmly on her hips. "WELL? WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELVES?"
Finally, Harry spoke up. "Mrs. Weasley, our mission may last for a long time. Er…we don't have time to go to school." He paused and looked at Mrs. Weasley's face. Oh, this was not going well at all. Even he wasn't convinced by this lackluster description of the importance of his mission. "Er, …well, we have to do something, you see-"
"What THINGS?" Mrs. Weasley said as she advanced on them. She took a short breath, "Hermione dear, you seem to be sensible, and Head Girl! Why don't you leave for a bit while I speak with these two," and she continued voice louder, "Nothing you two will be doing-"
But Hermione, still clutching her letter, found her voice and said, "three. I'm leaving, too."
Mrs. Weasley expression went blank and she stared, her mouth slightly open. "Her-Hermione? Are you okay?" And she went over and placed her hand on Hermione's forehead. She mused, "Not a fever. What's wrong?" A look of comprehension suddenly crossed Mrs. Weasley's face. " This is a joke, right?" She frowned. "You three know how much I worry! HOW DARE YOU JOKE LIKE THAT AT A TIME LIKE THIS!"
Ron took this out and said, "You're right, mum, it was wrong of us-"
But Hermione smacked his arm and softly said, "Mrs. Weasley, it isn't a prank."
Harry wished he could disappear. Oh, she was going to kill him. Maybe he should put on his invisibility cloak. Fortunately, Hermione continued to speak, "Mrs. Weasley, I know this is upsetting-"
"UPSETTING!" Mrs. Weasley sputtered, but Hermione continued firmly, "But we can discuss it later-"
"LATER? LATER! WE'LL DISCUSS IT NOW!" Molly screamed, her arms flailing and bubbles floating around her. But Hermione wasn't backing down. She shot Harry and Ron a dirty look for not backing her up and continued, "Yes, later. Or else Ron and Harry will be late to their apparition test. We need to floo to the Ministry now."
Urgh, Harry thought. Dealing with the ministry was about as pleasant as the conversation he was currently having with Mrs. Weasley.
But Hermione walked to the fireplace, threw some floo powder on the fire, and stepped inside, yelling, "The Ministry of Magic." Harry and Ron exchanged a quick glance with each other, then at Mrs. Weasley. "Er, sorry about this, Mrs. Weasley," Harry stumbled. "But we'll see you tonight at Harry's party," Ron finished, and they both quickly stepped through the fireplace.
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They found Hermione, who was having her wand weighed at a counter. Harry gave her a brief look of thanks, and Ron and Harry quickly submitted their own wands. They were told to proceed to the 5th floor. Hermione continued to accompany them, although she kept whispering advice that started with the letter D, and so they wished she hadn't. Harry wore his invisibility cloak as they walked.
When they reached the 5th floor, Harry took off his cloak. They sat down to wait outside the testing agency door. There were two other wizards Harry didn't know waiting, which surprised him, as they figured most all wizards their age in London would have been at Hogwarts.
Ron and Harry were both perfectly confident they could do it, but, still, their nerves were beginning to set in, especially as the wait got longer. Ron was getting particularly agitated, and finally shouted, "Just can it already, Hermione!" She huffed, but fell silent.
The two unknown wizards gave Ron a look of thanks. Ron grinned.
Presently, the four of them were called in to take their tests. There were two wizards administrating the test. Both seemed rather green for the job, and over-enthusiastic. They reminded Harry a bit of a male-version of Tonks, but he prayed they weren't quite as clumsy.
The first wizard, whom Harry promptly forgot the name of, explained that they would be apparating to the entrance of St. Mungo's. This location had been chosen after a number of witches and wizards had splinched themselves and the healers had to be called, anyway. This saved everyone involved time, the wizard laughed. Harry looked at Ron, who had turned slightly green, and was touching his eyebrows. The butterflies increased in Harry's midsection.
The first administrating wizard apparated ahead of them to St. Mungo's. And then the remaining wizard said, "In alphabetical order, then. Go ahead. And don't forget, Destination, Determination, Deliberation!" They all gritted their teeth.
The two wizards Harry and Ron didn't know went first. It seems as though they had passed- at least, they didn't leave any body parts behind. Then it was Harry's turn.
He thought about the entrance to St. Mungo's and with a swish of his robe- he was there! He'd done it! The other three were standing at the entrance and politely clapped. A moment later, Ron appeared, eyebrows intact. They had passed!
The administrating wizard asked them all to touch an empty tin can, and they were instantly portkey-ed back to the administration room at the Ministry.
Ron rushed through the doors, shouting, "Hermione, Hermione! We did it!" and she jumped up, saying, "That's great!" before giving Ron a small kiss on the cheek. Ron blushed a brilliant red color. Then, looking at Harry, Hermione blushed, too.
Harry grinned at them both. "Come on. I know you are snogging!" Hermione's face turned an even deeper red, but Ron grinned back, proud. "Sorry we didn't tell you, mate." Hermione squeaked in embarrassment.
The sentence caught Harry off guard- why hadn't they told him? His happiness for them suddenly turned to suspicion and anger, although he attempted to remain calm and forced his grin with a, "How about you tell me ALL about it when we get back?" Hermione's face was positively purple by that point, and she purposely changed the subject. "Hey Ron, do you want to visit your Dad while we're here?"
Ron rolled his eyes. "Are you crazy? Mum's probably already told him we're leaving Hogwarts. Let's just go back."
They began, slowly, walking to the entrance of the Ministry. Harry insisted on putting his invisibility cloak back on as they walked through the corridors. Deciding to take the long way home, just in case Mrs. Weasley was still there, they exited through the phone booth. As they were about to apparate, they heard a small pop and turned.
"Neville!" Hermione exclaimed. "How are you doing?" Neville grinned. "Great, Gran and I came today so I could take my apparition test!" They noticed Neville spoke and stood confidently. He had changed so much since the DA! His Gran was smiling, proud of Neville.
They wished him luck, and as they were leaving, Harry noticed a bit of gold poking out of a fold in Neville's shirt. "Neville, you've been made Head Boy?" Next to him, Harry felt rather than saw Ron's mouth drop. He stepped on his foot, and Ron quickly shut his mouth.
Hermione gave a genuine squeal. "Neville, that is so great!" Neville blushed, but his Gran just smiled even more broadly and patted his back.
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Harry was surprised with himself. Two years ago, when Ron, not Harry, had been made prefect, he had been angry. Upset. Confused. Jealous, even. But, though he may have been confused about Neville being selected, he only felt happiness. Even since learning of the prophecy, Harry had felt closer to Neville. Their lives were more closely linked than Neville would ever know. Neville had done better than anyone else in the DA, and Harry was constantly being surprised by how quickly he learned new spells.
Surprised at his acceptance of Neville getting the badge Harry so wanted, Harry mused that maybe he had become of age, after all.
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They arrived back at Headquarters and settled into the drawing room. Hermione pulled out some parchment to write to her parents. She had confided in the two of them that she missed them, but didn't want to put them in danger, and so she didn't visit them. Harry understood her perfectly.
Harry relaxed on a couch and began imagining what his birthday party would be like that evening. He was worried about everyone's reactions- but especially Ginny's. What would she say, knowing he wasn't coming back to Hogwarts?
Harry heard a snide cough. He looked up, surprised. Phineas Nigellus had moved from his portrait in Harry's bedroom to a small figure of a woman in the drawing room. He coughed again, to make sure he had Harry's attention. The former headmaster then read from a piece of parchment, "The new Headmistress requests your visit in one week's time at the Head Office at four in the afternoon for biscuits and teas and a lively discussion. She also adds that this is not a request, but an order, and, as we are at war, please arrive in a non-fashionable and thoroughly well-hidden manner." Nigellus, glad to be done with his duty, rolled his eyes and walked out of the portrait.
Ron grinned. "Sure sounds like a message from McGonagall. Let's take the passage from Hogsmeade. That would be a well-hidden manner. I guess she doesn't want us to walk up to the front door and announce our arrival."
Harry nodded. "I wonder what she wants."
Ron groaned. "Mum's probably told her we're leaving, too."
"Well, we'll find out soon enough," Hermione said briskly, as she put the finishing touches on her letter. Harry smiled politely. "Finished? Good, now you two have to tell me when you started snogging!" Hermione blushed again.
Harry may have been priding himself with dealing with Neville's Head Boy-ship in an adult manner, but he was still slightly annoyed that Ron and Hermione couldn't have just told him they were together. But he was surprised when he heard Ron say, "Well, mate, we didn't want you to feel left out." Harry rolled his eyes, but appreciated the thoughtfulness of this.
"Why would I have felt left out?" He asked. Ron stuttered, something about Ginny, and suddenly Harry decided he didn't want to know anymore. Harry felt his stomach flop. He shouldn't be alone right now! She should be with him. Then Ron and Hermione wouldn't be keeping secrets from him. It was all Voldemort's fault. Harry felt the familiar anger building up.
Hermione still didn't speak but simply blushed further. Harry found this odd- she certainly had been bold at Hogwarts when she was trying to make Ron jealous. But now that she had him, she was so quiet. Girls, Harry thought. Can't ever understand them. Deciding he forgave them for the moment, at least, Harry decided to concentrate on the anger and said, "well, why don't we put a few hours in at the library before we head over to the Burrow?" Hermione gave him a grateful smile and jumped up. As she jumped up, she knocked a table against the wall.
"Opps," Hermione said nervously. Just then, the picture of Harry and his parents fell from the wall. "Oh, no, Harry, I'm so sorry!" She rushed to the picture to pick it up.
"I'm sure it is okay," Harry said, taking it from her. He turned it over to hang it back up. The backing of the picture had torn slightly. "Hey, what's this?" he muttered. A piece of paper was sticking out of the backing. Harry pulled it out carefully, opened it, and quickly skimmed it, his mouth wide open. Wordlessly, he handed it to Hermione, who said, "It's just a piece of blank paper. What's the big deal?"
Harry looked at her, astonished. "You can't see it?" Ron grabbed the sheet of paper and held it up. "Yup, definitely blank" he said.
Harry just said slowly, "it is a note to me. From my dad…he knows R.A.B."