Disclaimer: Never had it, never will.

A/N: Sorry, I struggled to make this chapter interesting, but it's mostly info that is leading up to other things, so...let's just say Harry wished for a rather uneventful birthday.

Birthday Boy

"Gin, why are your clothes in my trunk?" Harry questioned when he recognized some of her things alongside his t-shirts and jeans.

"Well, if Mum starts spending more time here, sooner or later she'll show up to make breakfast," Ginny explained. "I don't particularly relish the idea of the scene she'd make if she caught me sneaking out of your room wearing nothing but your t-shirt and a smile."

"Ah, good point," Harry said. "You should learn to Apparate. All in the interest of safety, of course." He pulled his clothes out of the trunk and headed for the shower, sending a smile over his shoulder at her on his way out.

When he came back to his room to throw his clothes in the hamper, Ginny had gone, but Ron seemed to be looking for something in their room.

"Say, Ron, is this what you need?" Harry handed him Sirius' book. Ron took it, glanced at the cover and gave Harry a look that clearly asked if Harry had received a blow to the head.

"No, I don't need your Arithmancy book." Ron handed it back.

Harry looked puzzled, but opened to a certain illustrated page and handed the book to him again. "Here, look at this."

Ron grabbed the book, glanced at the page and glared back at Harry. "Y'know, I don't really care how to make my own Arithmancy triangle block. Now, I'm looking for your sodding birthday present, so stop interrupting or I'll never find it." He turned back to his trunk, "I know I hid in a safe place…"

"Odd," Harry frowned. "Perhaps he has to guess what it is first, like Neville did." Thinking it probably wasn't important, he decided breakfast was in order. When Harry arrived in the kitchen, he found that Winky and Dobby had been busy decorating. There was a large banner that read "Happee Birdday Harry!"

Mrs. Weasley and Winky were happily working together at the stove, preparing breakfast. Harry was thankful Mrs. Weasley hadn't decided to surprise him with breakfast in bed. Evidently Winky hadn't said anything that would inspire her wrath, either.

As soon as she spotted him, Mrs. Weasley wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug. "Oh, Harry, dear, it seems like just yesterday you were a sweet little eleven-year-old, wondering how to get onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters. And now you're all grown up." She sniffed. "We're so proud of you." She patted his cheek and smiled affectionately. "Do you know what Arthur did for my last birthday?"

Harry smiled hesitantly and shook his head.

"He added you to our clock." Her eyes went misty as she brushed imaginary dust off his t-shirt. "Of course all of us are piled up on 'Mortal Peril' right now, so you're a bit buried under the rest."

Somehow, Harry rather enjoyed the thought of being unnoticed in a passel of family members.

Mrs. Weasley smiled at his delighted expression and ruffled his hair, though she had a bit of a stretch. She pulled a chair out for him at the table as Winky set a full plate on the table. "Here you are, dear, you need a good breakfast before a busy day."

Harry unrolled The Prophet with the intention of skimming it while he ate. His eyebrows nearly hit his hairline over the front page. "Boy-Who-Lived Comes of Age!"

"Spectacular," he groaned. Skimming the article, he saw that it contained the letter, written by Hermione and her father and signed by Harry, calling for the temporary lowering of the underage use of magic and Apparition, insisting on the use of Ministry resources to target unforgivable curses rather than underage ones. The article continued with a proclamation of Stan Shunpike's innocence and decried the Ministry's proclivity for throwing people in Azkaban without a trial. Sirius Black's name was mentioned as another example, with hopes his name would finally be cleared posthumously.

He sighed as he refolded the paper. Somehow he doubted he would be taken more seriously now that he was of age, but maybe public outcry would force the Ministry into action. He shrugged as he tucked into his bacon and eggs. The Ministry would not affect his actions, one way or the other. It would be better for the wizarding world in general, but he already had a mission and really couldn't spare time for politics. He wondered if his presence this morning at the Apparition License office was predictable. He would hate facing the inevitable throng of people if everyone could guess where to find him.

"Mrs. Weasley?" Harry interrupted her supervision of the self-stirring pancake batter.

"Yes, dear?"

"Is Mr. Weasley at work already? I wanted to ask him something." Harry's brow furrowed.

"No, he's still at the Burrow," Mrs. Weasley looked at him closely, the barest hint of a knowing smile tilting the corners of her lips. "He will be stopping in before work, though, I'm sure he'll be here soon."

"Hi Mum!" Ginny said as she entered the kitchen. "We were just wondering if you'd be spending more time here now the wedding's done." Her eyes twinkled as she caught Harry's eye. "Lucky Harry got Winky to come and save us all from starvation."

"Winky has done a marvelous job with the house," Mrs. Weasley commented, circumspectly observing the exchanges between her daughter and the boy she treated as her seventh son.

Ginny sat next to Harry and squeezed his knee, oblivious to her mother's sharp-eyed stare. Harry's cheeks had gone slightly pink, but he didn't push her hand away. Molly turned back to the stove, resolving to have a talk with her daughter later.

Fred and George came through the door next, throwing themselves into their seats and loudly wishing Harry a happy birthday.

"Now in the interest of preventing your birthday from becoming a fiasco like our attention-seeking prat of a little brother's, we present you with these:"

George handed him a bezoar. "Just in case," he said with a wink. "We weren't sure we could get away from the shop at tea time, so we brought your present now."

Fred gave him a large box, filled with things from their workshop. "Most of this stuff is straight from the workbench," he warned. "Prototypes, you know. Tested, but not thoroughly. Use at your own risk, but make sure you tell us what you think after."

Risking a sidelong glance at his mother, he whispered, "Bottle of Firewhisky at the bottom for later."

Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna meandered in, finding chairs and filling plates, offering birthday wishes.

"Welcome back, Neville." Harry smiled. "Have a good birthday yesterday?"

"Yeah," Neville grinned. "Made a good haul. Spent some time with Gran, and most of the day with Hannah. Thanks for the bonsai tree, by the way. I have something upstairs for you. I'll show you when you get back from Diagon Alley."

Harry nodded absently. "How is Hannah doing these days? Do you want invite her to spend some time here?"

Neville looked as though it was his birthday all over again.

"Tonks!" Harry called. "Quit snogging Uncle Moony in the hallway and get in here. Neville needs you to fetch Hannah."

The pink-faced, pink-haired Auror stumbled through the door. "How'd you know I was out there?"

"Heard you trip down that last step," Harry smirked "and we know who's always conveniently on hand to catch you."

Lupin followed her through the door, smiling complacently as he pulled her chair out for her. "I am fortunate to have been blessed with quick reflexes."

"Blessed with more than that, from what I've heard," Fred whispered as he nudged Harry, wiggling his eyebrows.

Harry gave him a look of disturbed disgust. Fred motioned him out to the hallway as they stood to put their dishes in the sink, then pulled him into the empty dining room.

"Seriously, mate, Bill says Greyback did him a favor. Apparently it's no mean feat keeping up with a veela's, ah, appetites. He said he would have preferred not being bitten in the face, but the after-effects have been worth it. And this is Bill we're talking about." Fred just shook his head in wonder. "Untransformed werewolf saliva could be worth its weight in gold, mate. Think of the possibilities."

"What in the name of Merlin are you talking about?" Harry asked in the same low tone. "What happened to Bill with the full moon?"

Fred grinned evilly and cast Muffliato before continuing. "Nothing bad. It's just that werewolf spit seems to be a powerful aphrodisiac. Not that any Weasley has ever needed that, but there's a definite market for it out there. We're thinking of expanding our product line to include some, ah, medicinal potions and ointments."

"Why are you telling me this?" Harry asked, mystified.

"Do you think Lupin would be up for a little Marauder mischief?" Fred asked.

Harry just stared. "What are you talking about?"

"Be a bit ironic, wouldn't it? Poetic justice, really," Fred said idly.

Harry was regretting having a conversation with one twin. It was like carrying on a discussion with a third of it missing. Apparently George was the one who made sense.

"Lupin could have the satisfaction of knowing the people who used to spit at him are drinking his spit."

Harry wondered if Fred had sampled his birthday Firewhisky. He sighed and frowned. "So you want to hire Moony the Marauder as a consultant?"

"Do you think he'd help us out?" Fred asked. "As our major investor, we wanted to ask your opinion before bringing in someone else."

"Offer him a partnership," Harry suggested. "And if you get him to do this potion, patent it in his name, or an alias, if he prefers. I think if he could find a way to employ other werewolves, he'd agree to it. And if other werewolves had a way to support themselves and their families, they wouldn't have to join Greyback and Voldemort."

"Brilliant!" Fred was delighted.

"Just one condition," Harry's eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "Put it in his contract. Lupin must devise an appropriate Marauder punishment for Umbridge. Preferably one that takes her out of office with her own laws. I had a dream the other night that she was a were-toad," Harry grinned malevolently.

Fred pretended to sniffle, then threw his arms around Harry. "I love you, man!"

"I don't swing that way, mate. Now, go talk to Lupin."

George joined them then. "Did you get things ironed out?" he asked, glancing around for eavesdroppers. "We decided it would be best if just one of us talked to you, Harry. Otherwise people think we're up to something, for some reason." He tried to look innocent and offended at the same time.

"Yes," Fred grinned. "He has some excellent ideas. If I didn't know better, I'd say he'd given this some prior consideration."

"I'll just fetch Lupin for you then, shall I?" Harry edged toward the door. "I need to find your dad."

"He's in the kitchen," George supplied helpfully. "Is this about that ring on Ginny's finger?"

Harry was stunned. "Erm, no, actually, I just wanted to ask about the Apparition office, and if it was advisable to go there today after the article in The Prophet," Harry said, brow furrowed. "Why would I need to ask your dad about giving Ginny a ring?"

The twins looked at each other in disbelief. "That's tradition, Harry, you have to ask the girl's father for permission before getting engaged."

"Engaged?" Harry's eyes went wide.

"Well, you're of age now, in wizarding society," George pointed out. "And Gin-Gin turns sixteen next month, which makes her marriageable age in Scotland. Being married would clear her to use magic outside of school, as well."

Harry was reeling. "I don't think…I've never...It's not…" Harry shook his head. "Hang on, you two thought we were engaged and you didn't try to kill me?"

"We're in the middle of a war," George shrugged. "People need to live life a little differently. She's talked about marrying you since she was five. 'Bout time you got on with it, far as we can tell. Better you than any of the other blokes she's dated."

"Um, yeah, well, I need to go soon, so you'd best chat with Lupin." Harry backed warily through the door.

He found Arthur in the kitchen, chatting with Lupin and Tonks. Mrs. Weasley was finally sitting down to her own breakfast as well.

"Happy birthday, Harry!" Arthur beamed. "I understand there will be a small party this afternoon. We'd best get that Apparition test out of the way first thing."

"Actually, that's exactly what I wanted to ask you about," Harry said, glancing at Mrs. Weasley. Was that disappointment on her face? "Oh, Professor Lupin, the twins want to talk to you in the dining room. Tonks too, I think."

Harry turned back to Mr. Weasley. "Do you think it's a good idea for me to go to the Ministry after the article? Is that too predictable?"

"We've arranged for a private exam for you, Ron and Neville, in the interest of security," Arthur smiled reassuringly.

"Oh, thanks," Harry said, relieved.

"Now, we have a question for you."

"Erm, yes sir?"

"About this new jewelry our daughter is sporting…"

"I'm sorry sir, it was my mum's," he broke in. "I just thought it was pretty, and that Ginny would like it." His ears were dark crimson now, he knew. "I had no idea it would turn into a promise ring."

Arthur smiled. "Well, someday when you want it to be a more permanent promise, it'll be fine with us," he winked.

Molly swatted Arthur's shoulder, "Don't pressure him, Arthur! He's got enough on his mind."

She gave Harry a smile and reached across the table to squeeze his hand. "We already love you like a son, Harry. We just want you to know how happy we are that you and Ginny are together."

Harry's shoulders drooped. "What if being together is putting her in more danger? Look at how often people around me get hurt…or die…because of me."

Mrs. Weasley squeezed his hand tighter. "You can't tuck people away and try to keep them safe while you go save the world. That isn't who they are. They need to help, and you need them. Love, loyalty, unity and hope are our best weapons in this fight. If you tried to leave us all and do it yourself to keep us safe, we'd lose. We need each other. No one can accomplish much alone."

She withdrew yarn and knitting needles from her pocket. "Let me show you something."

She cut a wand-length piece of string and gave it to him. "Take each end and pull as hard as you can."

Harry pulled and the yarn broke.

Mrs. Weasley swiftly charmed the needles to knit a small square, which she gave to him.

"Now pull that as hard as you can."

Harry pulled and the stitches stretched, but held.

"You see? Strength is cooperation and togetherness. This is a tightly-knit family you've become part of, and you can't ask us to take out your piece. Look at the damage that would do." She pulled the end string and the little square unraveled.

Mrs. Weasley patted his hand. "Harry, dear, why don't you run along and find Ron and Neville so you can go take your test. Lupin said you and he are going to spend some time in your vault? Are Ron and Neville staying to help you with that?"

"If they want," Harry answered rather faintly.

"I'm sure they will, dear," she smiled reassuringly. "We won't plan on you for lunch then."

Harry left the kitchen in a daze. He really expected a lecture on being too young for commitments and warnings to keep his hands to himself upon pain of death. "Today has been so very odd. Maybe I'm dreaming. Wonder if Ginny would wake me up again…"

Arthur and Lupin escorted the boys by Floo to a secure conference room at the Ministry. Lupin waited with them for the examiner while Arthur proceeded to his office. Lupin kept the boys amused with stories of his maraudering Hogwarts days until Mr. Twycross arrived.

"Hello boys!" greeted the wispy examiner. "Who'd like to go first?"

All in all, it hadn't taken long at all for all three of them to pass their tests. Harry had offered to go first. Neville, heartened by Harry's apparent ease and Twycross' mild manner, relaxed enough to pop from one end of the room to the other, landing perfectly in his hoop. Ron stumbled just a bit as he landed, but it seemed to be due to his hands holding onto his eyebrows rather than any problem with the process.

"Best to keep the arms at the side for balance," Twycross suggested.

"Yes, sir," Ron said meekly.

Harry quickly slipped under his Invisibility Cloak as they departed for Gringotts. As they crossed the busy streets, bound for the pure white building, Harry felt his scar twinge. Odd, I thought Voldemort blocked that connection. He waited for more reactions or a vision, but felt nothing, and wondered if he'd perhaps imagined it. Not for the first time, he wondered how to use the link. He idly thought about what kind of message he'd send if he could. Walking past a large, black dog on a leash made Harry's heart contract rather painfully, and he concentrated on using the emotion as a rather forceful projection of his godfather's Animagus form.

Voldemort was shaken out of a potion-induced slumber by the vivid image of a very large, menacing black Grim. The emotion accompanying the vision had been raw, painful and frightening. He stood and began to pace. His Occlumency shields had been well in place. He wondered if this was one of Potter's spurts of accidental idiocy as Snape seemed convinced, or something else entirely. Perhaps the boy was dreaming of his inevitable death. Voldemort's high-pitched cackle echoed in his bedchamber as he summoned Snape for more potions.
In Gringotts, Griphook commandeered a larger than usual cart for them to make the trip to the Potters' vault. They made a quick stop at the Longbottom vault where Neville retrieved his mother's old wand.

In Harry's family's vault, Griphook assisted them in loading Harry's mother's trunk into the cart, along with the boxes of things that had been recovered from Godric's Hollow, and anything else that looked promising. Finally, having gathered up enough boxes and trunks to keep them busy for awhile, they shrunk them and put them in their knapsacks. Lily's Ministry trunk refused to shrink, however, and had to be carried.

"You lot hungry?" Ron asked, his stomach growling audibly. "Shall we do take-away or eat-in?"

"Let's go to the Leaky Cauldron," Harry muttered. "Tom's discreet. I think."

As they seated themselves at a table in a dimly lit corner, Lupin was wearing an expression of pure Marauder mischief. They ordered and were served within moments.

"I take it your little business dealings with the twins went well this morning?" Harry asked dryly after finishing his hamburger. "You've been overly chipper all day."

Lupin gave them a jaunty grin. "Yes, thank you, I have had a very good morning."

"Mine started out pretty well." Harry smiled vaguely, toying with the rest of his food.

"Are you humming?" Ron looked at him askance.

"Sorry," Harry sniggered. He glanced up at the door when he heard a chime, and demonstrated his first legal Apparition seconds later. Ron and Neville goggled at the sudden muffled pop that been preceded by the chink of Galleons hitting the table.

"What was that about? Where'd he go?" Neville queried, brows furrowed worriedly.

Lupin chuckled and pointed at a grumpy-looking dwarf determinedly approaching their table, wearing a loincloth and party hat and bearing a slice of cake.

Harry stood in the shadows of a tree in the park near Grimmauld Place, hoping dwarves weren't equipped with the same sort of navigational devices as house-elves. He slipped into the house and fiddled with his watch. He sent a message to Ron asking him to help Lupin with the trunk and apologizing for his abrupt departure, explaining he had developed a rather severe allergy to dwarves in costume. He hoisted the knapsack higher on his shoulder and started up the stairs and down the hall to his room. He paused, hearing Ginny's voice in the room she supposedly shared with Hermione.

"Mum, we aren't doing anything to need those spells!"

"Yet." Her mother's voice was suspicious.

Harry knew he ought to move quickly down the hall and barricade himself in his room, but curiosity kept him stock-still in front of the door.

"No, and probably not ever," Ginny said irritably. "You know Harry's got that nobility streak a mile wide."

"Please don't tell me you've been pressuring him?" Mrs. Weasley's whisper resonated with shock and horror.

"Oh, mum, it's nothing like that!" Ginny huffed. "It's all silly fun and games. We both know the limits. You didn't raise me to be easy. And Harry, well, after living in a cupboard for ten years, he probably has a phobia of broom closets, so you needn't worry about improper behavior at school either."

"Still," her mum sounded relieved. "I need to show you these spells and talk about some personal things. Now, I didn't envision needing to have this talk until your wedding night, but…your father and I decided, in case something happens to us, we needed to have this little talk sooner."

Harry's shoulders slumped. Now he understood the conversation with the Weasley parents this morning. They gave him their blessing now in case they couldn't later.

He continued his stealthy path to his door, where he set down his knapsack and sat on his bed. He knew the girls had used the morning for a training session, and supposed he ought to spend some time in the War Room as well. He changed into cotton shorts, t-shirt and trainers, scooped up his knapsack and went to the library. The three Grangers, Tonks and Luna were there, poring over the books spread across the table, sharing tidbits of what they read and taking notes. Harry deposited the knapsack next to Hermione. "Exhibit A, for your perusal. I'm off for a bit of training. I'll be back."

"Oh, hi Harry." Hermione barely glanced up. "Moody and Flitwick should be there waiting for you. I'm sure Dobby will be able to find them for you if they aren't." She glanced towards the empty doorway. "Where are the others?"

"Oh, I popped back and left them to finish dessert." Harry shrugged. "Crookshanks need anything while I'm there?"

"No, he's fine." Hermione frowned at him. "You didn't find him a little friend, did you?"

Harry gave her a confused look. "Crookshanks has a little friend?" His eyes widened in horror. "It's not a tabby with squarish markings around her eyes, is it?"

Hermione glared at him.

"Well, I know we've said McGonagall was going to have kittens over some of the stunts we've pulled, but, just think, your cat could actually make it happen." Harry struggled to keep a straight face.

Hermione huffed, giving him a disgusted look, "No, it was not McGonagall, it was a Kneazle. And there are no students there, so I don't know where she came from. She wouldn't be Hagrid's, he's allergic."

Harry just shrugged. "Maybe Mrs. Figg was visiting McGonagall and brought one of hers along. I'll take a look, I'd definitely recognize any of her cats." He turned toward the door, then paused and turned back. "What does Flitwick want me for?"

"I think he had an idea for re-doing the Fidelius Charm here without taking the old one off first," Hermione answered vaguely, already immersed in her book again.

Ron and Neville entered the War Room half an hour later, watching as Moody dueled with Harry.

"DECIPIO NAVITAS INFITIALIS!" Harry pointed at the ceiling rather than his opponent. A shimmering haze surrounded the two duelers.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Ron frowned.

"That's too long an incantation to work against Voldemort." Neville looked disapproving. "Better to use short, snappy ones."

"Too loud, too," Ron added. "Non-verbals are sneakier."

"What was it supposed to do?" Neville asked. "Just make a dome? Does it keep spells in or out?" He pointed his wand at Moody, sending a tickling hex in his general direction. The jet of light passed harmlessly right through the hazy walls. "Not out, apparently."

"Calx!" Harry threw a shield made of stone, which shattered with the impact of Moody's Reductor curse.

"Protego!" Harry's shield was up just in time to prevent him from sustaining injury from the flying stone shrapnel. He kept it up long enough to ward off Moody's next hex, which ricocheted back at Moody, who dodged. Ron and Neville ducked instinctively, expecting the curse to pass through the haze.

"Must keep the curses in," Ron noted, when no jet of light passed overhead.

"Ingenius!" Neville grinned excitedly. "We can shoot in to help him, but the spells can't leave the dome.

"Stupefy!" Ron aimed a Stunner at Moody. To his surprise, the wall seemed to absorb the spell.

"Contrissssssto!" Harry hissed, hitting Moody with a funny gray spell.

Moody seemed to droop a bit, but was still flinging Stunners at Harry, who ducked, dodged and shielded while shooting hexes of his own.

Moody's Stunners grew progressively lighter in color until they were pale pink.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Harry lazily flicked his wand and Moody dropped like a stone. He hastily dissipated the dome and Rennervated Moody, muttering other counter-curses under his breath. He glanced up at the applause from the sidelines.

"What the heck was that?" Neville asked. "My spell went right through it, but Ron's didn't."

"Er, it's a negative energy trap," Harry explained. "Keeps nasty stuff contained, and the walls are sustained by the energy of spells that hit it, so they don't ricochet around. Hermione made it up." He grinned. "Harmless spells can get through the mesh, but anything with a bit of power gets sucked into the wall itself. It's so I can get Voldemort into the trap, and even if I go down, someone else can keep him in, just by shooting Stunners at the dome. And the more magic he does to get out, the stronger the shield gets as well."

"That was a long incantation," Ron pointed out.

"Yeah, it's better nonverbally." Harry nodded. "Moody wanted to know what I was doing so he could help me improve."

The three boys observed the peg-legged, one-eyed Auror still out cold on the floor. "Looks like you've improved a bit, yeah?" Ron raised a brow.

Harry flushed, "Yeah, well, this is the third time, so the Rennervates"--he tapped Moody with his wand again--"are taking a bit longer to wake him up. Maybe you could help."

All three boys cast reviving spells on the older man, who finally groaned and began to stir.

"What was that last spell, Potter?" he asked gruffly, "The gray one."

"Oh, that was one of Hermione's creations," he answered. "How did it make you feel?"

"Like a dementor was breathing down my neck," he groaned, rolling his shoulders and rubbing his neck. "I'm too old for this," he muttered to himself.

Harry grinned. "Perfect. She'll be thrilled to know it works."

The boys did some light physical training and sparring before hitting the showers. Harry forgot his offer to check on Crookshanks, but when he thought of it later, he shrugged. He'd never met a cat more able to take care of himself.

"You know, we've really got to get to work on destroying those Horcruxes." Harry frowned at Hermione, who was coming out of the library as he passed by. "We can't just leave them at Hogwarts, in case Voldemort is trying to get them back."

"I'm getting there, Harry," Hermione sighed. "We've all just got so many irons in the fire right now. We need to make a list of priorities. First priority, though, is your birthday party," she said determinedly, steering him down towards the kitchen. "C'mon, presents!"

"I need to find Ginny," he protested.

"She's already down there, waiting for you."

"Uh, is there some kind of weirdness afoot? She's not going to jump out of the cake or something is she?"

"No! Of course not," Hermione sounded shocked.

"Just how many Weasleys are in the kitchen?" he asked suspiciously, thinking of Charlie and his determination to get his hands around Harry's throat.

"Oh, Harry," she groaned in exasperation, "Bill and Fleur are on their honeymoon, Percy's not here, of course, and I think the twins are still at the shop, but everyone else is here, waiting for you. Ron is probably starving, so you'll be lucky to have any cake left." She dragged him into the dining room, where everyone was already seated, as she'd predicted, waiting for his appearance. Immediately, Tonks started everyone in singing Happy Birthday.

Harry took his seat next to Ginny, nudging her and inclining his head toward Charlie and Luna, who were chatting with their heads bent close together. "What's going on there?"

Ginny smacked his leg under the table, "Nice to see you, too, sweetheart," she whispered dryly.

He flushed. "Sorry! I, uh, missed you very much today and thought about you constantly," he recited as if from a script.

Her hand had stayed on his thigh and crept to the inside of his knee. He narrowed his eyes at her as he removed her hand. "I know what your devious little plan is now, Red. You've got me to get rid of Riddle, and then your brothers to get rid of me, and you've got a clear shot at world domination. Very clever."

"Muhuhahaha," she chuckled evilly. "No, I'll keep you. You can be my flunky sidekick. Or…" she eyed him speculatively, "you might make a good slave."

Harry felt a little silly blowing out the candles on his cake, but he made a wish nonetheless. Mrs. Weasley cut the cake and passed Harry the first piece; chocolate with chocolate frosting. When they'd all eaten their fill, he opened his gifts.

Ginny presented him with new t-shirts that he knew she'd steal back later. Ron and Hermione gave him chocolate and defense books, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had found him a sticking charm kit for his glasses, to keep them from falling off or getting broken, Tonks and Lupin gave him a set of brass knuckles and throwing stars as a joke, and Luna gave him a jar of fireflies. Neville had several flowering plants he'd been growing for Harry to take to Godric's Hollow, to put on his parents' graves. Hagrid had sent owl treats for Hedwig and a box of rock cakes. Charlie gave him a book on Snaggletooth Sungliders.

"You need to prove yourself reliable, responsible and trustworthy before I can allow you to have something so special," he said meaningfully.

Harry raised a brow at him before glancing to Luna at Charlie's side, then raised his chin and defiantly met his gaze.

Charlie scowled at Harry's implication. Charlie and Luna had bumped into each other more often than could strictly be called coincidence in the past few days. At first, he' was simply courteous, politely answering her questions. At some point, her questions had turned into discussions, and before long, he started seeking out her company. Luna was blunt, and told him she fancied him. He brought up the age difference, but she'd shrugged.

"If I was 50 and you were 59, you think anyone would care about our ages then? Why should it matter now? Why not just see where it goes? If you drive me insane, it's be a moot point," she'd said matter-of-factly.

Harry idly watched his friends milling about, wondering how long birthday teas lasted. His thoughts kept drifting to his mother's trunk, as well as the other things they'd brought from the vault. The thought of going through his parents' things made his stomach twist uncomfortably. It felt intrusive; disturbing things they may have wanted kept private. He wondered if anyone would notice if he slipped up to the library to go through their things alone.

"Go ahead, Harry," Hermione murmured, having caught his glance at the stairs. "Go on up and get started. We'll join you after awhile."

When Ginny moved to follow, Hermione caught her wrist. "Just let him be for a bit. I think he needs some alone time."

Ginny scowled darkly.

"He'll want you up there soon," Hermione reassured her impatient friend. "He just needs a few minutes alone to collect himself. He's probably looking through his parents' things, to see if there is anything private or personal. He deserves that, don't you think?"

Ginny looked crestfallen. "I could help him."

"You will," Hermione smiled. "But remember, he's not great at dealing with his emotions, and today has probably had a lot of ups and downs for him. He will want you with him, but if you leave him alone for a few minutes, it'll give him a chance to realize he's lonely."

"Why should I trust your advice on relationships?" Ginny turned to her skeptically.

"No, it's not relationship advice, it's just…he's Harry." Hermione frowned. "He's not hard for me to understand. Maybe because we both had rather lonely childhoods."

"Are you sure you only think of him as a brother?" Ginny looked closely at her friend.

"That's probably another reason he's easy for me to understand. No confusing emotions mucking things up." She watched Ginny's eyes trace the path Harry had taken up the stairs. "Just give him twenty minutes, okay?"

Ginny nodded shortly, turning back to the table to collect the plates to carry to the kitchen.

Twenty minutes later, Ginny walked into the library. Harry sat in the middle of stacks of parchment. He looked up when she walked in and gave her a small smile.

"I'm glad you're here," he sighed. "I thought I wanted to do this alone, but…" He gestured helplessly to the stacks of documents and notes, "this is overwhelming."

"Damn Hermione. She was right again," Ginny muttered under her breath as she picked her way through the piles.