Disclaimer: JK's stuff still doesn't belong to me, but if it did...oh what
the heck it doesn't so why am I imagining it does? Does that even make
sense?
A/N: Well, sorry for the wait on this chapter. I have moved, and because random parts of this story are stored on two different computers, and both of those computers are now in different states, it took me a while to get everything re-organized. This chapter is a bit more depressing than the other two, and a lot of it came to me in kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing, so I hope you enjoy! Oh, and I can't say this enough, thanks to the people who are reading and (hopefully) reviewing!
To Live and To Love Chapter 6
Harry's sixteenth birthday had finally arrived. When he awoke in his bedroom upstairs in Grimmauld Place, he didn't feel any different than before. But the second he stepped into the dining room downstairs, things definitely took a step towards the better. After an extremely tasty breakfast of hotcakes, sausages, bacon, and scrambled eggs (all of which were actually handmade by Mrs. Weasely) with just his close friends and pseudo-family (the Weaselys), the real fun began. People started showing up, including many of the members of the Order, and professors from Hogwarts. Even Professor Snape showed up for a few minutes. After a few rounds of warm greetings, everyone started bombarding Harry with gifts. From the collective Weaselys he got a new broomstick servicing kit ("Your broomstick certainly will need some work after being locked up in that dratted Umbridge's office!" laughed Mrs. Weasely). From Hermione he got a very extensive back to school box, containing mundane things such as parchment and ink, and stranger things such as a peacock-tail quill and a Remembrall. Harry also got a humongous box of treacle fudge from Hagrid, and many other small gifts from the members of the Order and from his Gryffindor friends at school. The most unusual and amazing gift, however, cam from Remus Lupin himself. As Harry opened the flat, unobtrusive box, his eyes widened. Within the box was a leather-bound album containing pictures from before Harry's birth. Everything from Lily and James' wedding to the Mauraders during their seventh year was pictured in that book, every one of the people smiling and waving. Harry actually had to wipe away tears of happiness before giving Remus a huge bear hug.
"Thank you so much Moony. Thank you everyone. This day has already gotten me tired out. I think I am going to take all of this stuff up to my room and lie down for a while. Hermione, would you help me with these boxes, please?"
All of the partygoers shouted their "Happy Birthday Harry's" as he turned around, went out the dining room door, and disappeared up to his room, with Hermione close behind him. When they got up to the relative safety of his bedroom, Hermione closed the door behind them.
"I have another gift for you, but I didn't want to give it to you in front of everyone else." Hermione said with a flirtatious smile on her face. She handed him a small black velvet box, about the size of a box that a ring or watch would come in. "Go on...open it! Don't keep me waiting!"
Harry cracked open the box slowly. Inside was a fine brass chain made out of tiny links. But that wasn't the best part. Attached to the chain was a square-shaped locket, and inside the locket was a tiny photograph of Harry, Hermione, and Ron at the end of first year. As he watched, the picture changed to the three of them during second year, and so on up to the end of fifth year. "Wow 'Mione, this is awesome! Did you charm it to do that yourself?" breathed Harry. Hermione nodded. Harry cracked a huge grin, one of his first in many weeks, and put the chain around his neck. "I'll always wear it." With that he gave Hermione a tight hug and a quick kiss, before telling her that he had to go do something for a few minutes, and rushing out of the room.
Although Hermione fully expected Harry to go back downstairs and share in his birthday revelry, he wasn't down there when she wandered back into the dining room a few minutes later. No, Harry was going to a place where no one would look for him. A place where he could sit and think, or sit and try to calm down his raging mind. Harry had turned down the hallway, toting his two photo albums, and went into Buckbeak's room. After greeting the gigantic hippogriff with a good petting and a few dead rats from the cabinet in the corner, Harry settled himself down in the corner. Buckbeak, now contented, lay down next to him and promptly went to sleep.
Harry opened a photo album to his favorite picture, the one with his mum, his dad, waving madly and smiling. Hagrid said that the picture had been taken directly after the wedding ceremony. He took a deep breath and looked at the picture before speaking.
"Well, mum and dad," he said in a melancholy voice, "I'm finally sixteen. Everyone seems to think that sixteen is a big milestone, but I really don't feel any different from yesterday. But I've tried to make the best of it, for you guys. I really miss you, you know. I keep trying to imagine what these last fifteen years would have been like if you were around, but I can't. I guess it's been bearable, except for the Durselys. Apparantly the demand that Dumbledore made to have them keep me in their house didn't say anything about the treatment. Well, that's all different now. I get to stay at the Weasely's for the next summer or two. You would have really liked them; they sort of remind me of you." Harry chocked back a sob, but couldn't help the tears streaming down his face. The sound of footsteps was frequent outside the door, in the hallway. "Well, I suppose that everyone's looking for me. It's been great talking to you. I miss you both so much...I love you mum, I love you dad." With that Harry turned to the next page and looked at Sirius's picture from the wedding, hugged it to him, and said "I miss you so much, Sirius. Give mum and dad my best." Then Harry stood up, Buckbeak following as he had been shaken awake from his nap. Harry patted the hippogriff's beak then went out into the hallway, being sure to securely close and lock the door behind him. Wiping his tears away, he then stashed the albums back in his bedroom and went downstairs to enjoy the company of his closest friends, of which many were starting to feel like family.
A/N: Well, sorry for the wait on this chapter. I have moved, and because random parts of this story are stored on two different computers, and both of those computers are now in different states, it took me a while to get everything re-organized. This chapter is a bit more depressing than the other two, and a lot of it came to me in kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing, so I hope you enjoy! Oh, and I can't say this enough, thanks to the people who are reading and (hopefully) reviewing!
To Live and To Love Chapter 6
Harry's sixteenth birthday had finally arrived. When he awoke in his bedroom upstairs in Grimmauld Place, he didn't feel any different than before. But the second he stepped into the dining room downstairs, things definitely took a step towards the better. After an extremely tasty breakfast of hotcakes, sausages, bacon, and scrambled eggs (all of which were actually handmade by Mrs. Weasely) with just his close friends and pseudo-family (the Weaselys), the real fun began. People started showing up, including many of the members of the Order, and professors from Hogwarts. Even Professor Snape showed up for a few minutes. After a few rounds of warm greetings, everyone started bombarding Harry with gifts. From the collective Weaselys he got a new broomstick servicing kit ("Your broomstick certainly will need some work after being locked up in that dratted Umbridge's office!" laughed Mrs. Weasely). From Hermione he got a very extensive back to school box, containing mundane things such as parchment and ink, and stranger things such as a peacock-tail quill and a Remembrall. Harry also got a humongous box of treacle fudge from Hagrid, and many other small gifts from the members of the Order and from his Gryffindor friends at school. The most unusual and amazing gift, however, cam from Remus Lupin himself. As Harry opened the flat, unobtrusive box, his eyes widened. Within the box was a leather-bound album containing pictures from before Harry's birth. Everything from Lily and James' wedding to the Mauraders during their seventh year was pictured in that book, every one of the people smiling and waving. Harry actually had to wipe away tears of happiness before giving Remus a huge bear hug.
"Thank you so much Moony. Thank you everyone. This day has already gotten me tired out. I think I am going to take all of this stuff up to my room and lie down for a while. Hermione, would you help me with these boxes, please?"
All of the partygoers shouted their "Happy Birthday Harry's" as he turned around, went out the dining room door, and disappeared up to his room, with Hermione close behind him. When they got up to the relative safety of his bedroom, Hermione closed the door behind them.
"I have another gift for you, but I didn't want to give it to you in front of everyone else." Hermione said with a flirtatious smile on her face. She handed him a small black velvet box, about the size of a box that a ring or watch would come in. "Go on...open it! Don't keep me waiting!"
Harry cracked open the box slowly. Inside was a fine brass chain made out of tiny links. But that wasn't the best part. Attached to the chain was a square-shaped locket, and inside the locket was a tiny photograph of Harry, Hermione, and Ron at the end of first year. As he watched, the picture changed to the three of them during second year, and so on up to the end of fifth year. "Wow 'Mione, this is awesome! Did you charm it to do that yourself?" breathed Harry. Hermione nodded. Harry cracked a huge grin, one of his first in many weeks, and put the chain around his neck. "I'll always wear it." With that he gave Hermione a tight hug and a quick kiss, before telling her that he had to go do something for a few minutes, and rushing out of the room.
Although Hermione fully expected Harry to go back downstairs and share in his birthday revelry, he wasn't down there when she wandered back into the dining room a few minutes later. No, Harry was going to a place where no one would look for him. A place where he could sit and think, or sit and try to calm down his raging mind. Harry had turned down the hallway, toting his two photo albums, and went into Buckbeak's room. After greeting the gigantic hippogriff with a good petting and a few dead rats from the cabinet in the corner, Harry settled himself down in the corner. Buckbeak, now contented, lay down next to him and promptly went to sleep.
Harry opened a photo album to his favorite picture, the one with his mum, his dad, waving madly and smiling. Hagrid said that the picture had been taken directly after the wedding ceremony. He took a deep breath and looked at the picture before speaking.
"Well, mum and dad," he said in a melancholy voice, "I'm finally sixteen. Everyone seems to think that sixteen is a big milestone, but I really don't feel any different from yesterday. But I've tried to make the best of it, for you guys. I really miss you, you know. I keep trying to imagine what these last fifteen years would have been like if you were around, but I can't. I guess it's been bearable, except for the Durselys. Apparantly the demand that Dumbledore made to have them keep me in their house didn't say anything about the treatment. Well, that's all different now. I get to stay at the Weasely's for the next summer or two. You would have really liked them; they sort of remind me of you." Harry chocked back a sob, but couldn't help the tears streaming down his face. The sound of footsteps was frequent outside the door, in the hallway. "Well, I suppose that everyone's looking for me. It's been great talking to you. I miss you both so much...I love you mum, I love you dad." With that Harry turned to the next page and looked at Sirius's picture from the wedding, hugged it to him, and said "I miss you so much, Sirius. Give mum and dad my best." Then Harry stood up, Buckbeak following as he had been shaken awake from his nap. Harry patted the hippogriff's beak then went out into the hallway, being sure to securely close and lock the door behind him. Wiping his tears away, he then stashed the albums back in his bedroom and went downstairs to enjoy the company of his closest friends, of which many were starting to feel like family.