Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

The Long-Awaited Birthday

A dense fog lay over the houses of Privet Drive. The weather had been extremely bleak for months, and tonight was no different. The usual dark, black night was now a depressing gray, a change which ironically brought with it an increased sense of fear. The windows on the street were all pitch black, the occupants having gone to bed hours before. Everything from the cold air, to the soft grass was still.

Harry Potter lay in his bed in Number Four Privet Drive, his soft breathing barely audible over the roar of his cousin Dudley. Several worn books lay spread out on the floor, amongst used quills, bottles of ink, and owl pellets. The light from the street made eerie shadows on the walls and ceiling. Suddenly, one of the shadows moved. It began gliding towards the bed as though it had a mind of its own. It stopped at the foot of the bed, content with its new place in the room. Slowly, a figure rose out the shadow, a quiet, rattling hiss issuing from what was once a mouth. It leaned over the helpless young man lying motionless on the sheets and began to reach for his throat.

A dazzling white light filled the room as a magnificent stag erupted from the wand in Harry's hand. The stag charged the Dementor and engulfed it in dazzling light. There was an ear piercing scream as the stag collapsed and vanished, taking the Dementor with it. Harry sat up in bed, a calm look in his bright green eyes. He could hear footsteps coming from the hall, and he braced himself for the impact. Sure enough, his Uncle Vernon came crashing into his room, cane in hand.

"WHAT THE DEVIL IS GOING ON!" he screamed.

"Nothing Uncle Vernon, go back to sleep." Replied Harry, smoothly.

"Nothing? What do you mean 'Nothing'?" asked Uncle Vernon "I just heard an explosion, and then there was an awful scream."

"It was nothing Uncle Vernon, I was just practicing and I got a little overzealous and scared Hedwig."

"What do you mean practicing? I thought you weren't allowed to do any… magic … outside of that bloody school of yours." Uncle Vernon looked confused, a look which suited him well.

"I'm not allowed to do magic until I come of age. Today is my seventeenth birthday, not that you'd remember, and I am now 'of age.' So, I may use magic as I please." Responded Harry with more than a little irritation.

Normally, Uncle Vernon would have been furious with Harry for speaking in such a forceful and rude manner, let alone speaking at all. Instead, he had a wide grin on his face.

"If you've come of age, then that means you are no longer safe here." Said Uncle Vernon, "That means we no longer have to tolerate your ungrateful, worthless and unnatural presence any longer!"

Uncle Vernon seemed to be deep in thought, a look of pure ecstasy on his face. Harry was not surprised, however. He had expected to be thrown out no later then midnight and hadn't bothered to unpack too much when he had returned from Hogwarts. Before his Uncle could say another word, Harry had gotten up and had begun to pack up all of his worldly possessions. Uncle Vernon seemed to come out of his trance once Harry got up.

"You can stay until breakfast, but I want you out of this house before I finish my first cup of coffee, understood?" asked Uncle Vernon.

"Yeah," said Harry, "I figured you'd say that, so I already have a ride coming. They should be here any minute now."

Sure enough, there was soon a knock at the door. Harry had just finished packing up his trunk and rushed down the stairs. Harry opened the door to find Mr. Weasley smiling at him.

"Hello Harry, are you ready to go?" asked Mr. Weasley.

"For once in my life, I'm as ready to leave physically as I am mentally." Harry said. "I'll be right back with my things, wait here."

Mr. Weasley was about to come in, but listened to Harry when he saw Mr. Dursley come down the stairs with a look of pure hatred on his face. While Harry ran up to his room, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Dursley stood downstairs in total silence. When Harry returned, he couldn't help but laugh at the vast contrast between the two men. There was Uncle Vernon standing with his arms crossed, his face purple with anger. Mr. Weasley, on the other hand, seemed pleasantly content and was lightly rocking on his feet. Harry rushed down the stairs, thinking it was best to leave before Uncle Vernon exploded. As Harry was just about to leave Privet Drive forever, he realized that Mr. Weasley and Uncle Vernon were still staring each other down.

"Mr. Weasley? I'm ready to go when you are."

"Just wait a minute Harry. There are a few things I'd like to say to your Uncle." Said Mr. Weasley, his voice cold and harsh

Harry was surprised, and so did it seem was Uncle Vernon. Mr. Weasley loved muggles more than any other wizard Harry knew and he had always tried to befriend the Dursley's. It seemed like Mr. Weasley was done being civil.

"Mr. Dursley, I have always treated you with respect and kindness because you took Harry into your home. I was always willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, but you have struck my last nerve. I have heard horrible stories about you and your wretched family for six years." Said Mr. Weasley. His voice was calm, but his eyes were shooting daggers as he continued. "I turned a blind eye because of the protection you unintentionally gave to Harry and because of the hope I had that you would see in him what everyone in our world does. I was sorely disappointed. Harry sent his owl two weeks ago to ask me to come and get him tonight. When I got his owl, I thought that he must be joking. I couldn't imagine how anyone could throw out there own flesh and blood, especially on their birthday!"

"I-I-I told him that he could stay for breakfast" responded Vernon, Harry could hear his voice shaking.

"That one statement solidifies my opinion of you. The fact that you think that would even be acceptable in a civilized world is appalling. I have to say that I am glad that Harry asked me to come and fetch him. For now I see you for what you truly are, a pathetic excuse for a human being. I would be proud to call Harry my son and I pity you for never taking advantage of the many opportunities you had to do just that. Good bye… Dursley." And with that, Mr. Weasley turned and followed Harry down the drive.

Harry was utterly shocked at what he had just witnessed. He had always thought Mr. Weasley was slightly naïve for trying to change Uncle Vernon, but now he realized that it was not naivety but hope. It was hope that allowed Mr. Weasley to hold his tongue and his hand for 6 years, and it was hope that Harry needed. Harry also had to agree with him, not just that the Dursleys were scum, but that he would be proud to have Mr. Weasley call him son. With that thought in mind, Harry grabbed on to Mr. Weasley's arm as he apparated to the Burrow.

When Harry felt the ground under his feet again, he was in front of his second favorite building in the world, and looking at his first favorite family. The Weasleys were all there along with Fleur and Hermione, who could clearly be seen among the sea of red hair. Before Harry could even catch his breath, it was quickly squeezed out of him as he was pulled into a big hug. After a few minutes of laughter, Mrs. Weasley led them all into the house. Once inside, Harry was surrounded by candles, streamers, and banners with messages like "Happy 17th Birthday Harry!" and "You're free!" He couldn't help but smile as he looked around at all of the hard work everyone had put in to make his birthday special.

"Thank you…everyone." He managed to say.

Harry wanted to say more, but he really couldn't explain how much this all meant to him. Not just the decorations or the food, but just being with them and feeling like he was home. Everyone seemed to understand his feelings, however, so they just smiled. Mrs. Weasley had prepared a wonderful breakfast full of Harry's favorite things and had made enough for an army. Harry was grateful though because he hadn't had much to eat with Dudley's diet still in full swing. He felt a twinge of sadness as he thought of Privet Drive, but it was immediately replaced by the knowledge that he would never have to return, a fact which was starting to sink in.

After breakfast, everyone helped with the dishes, except for Harry whom everyone insisted stay seated. As he watched everyone work together, he couldn't help but imagine what it would have been like to grow up with a real family and what it would be like to have one of his own.

This thought startled Harry. He had always looked forward to the future with uncertainty. In a world at war, no one's fate was certain, especially not for the "Boy Who Lived." Ever since leaving Hogwarts, he had been thinking more and more about the future. Dumbledore's death had made Harry think about his own life and the death that lay before him. Harry knew that in the end, he could meet the same fate as Dumbledore. But when he thought of Dumbledore, and all the people he loved for that matter, he felt confident that he would succeed. He didn't know why, but as things seemed to get darker he became more resolved and more hopeful. Dumbledore had always believed in Harry, even when he didn't believe in himself. After Dumbledore died, Harry decided to start believing no matter how hopeless things became. He thought that it was the least he could do for the man who gave him everything to give him a future.

Harry was brought back to his senses by Ginny gently shaking him. Everyone was done cleaning and had started to gather the presents for Harry. Ron and Hermione were sitting at the table with Ginny and looking at Harry with amusement.

"You looked kind of in a daze. What were you thinking about?" asked Ginny.

"I was just thinking about the future" Harry said.

He looked over at Ginny as he said this, but realized what he was doing and became very interested in twiddling his thumbs. This caused Ginny to giggle and Hermione to smile, Ron just seemed to be curious about what Harry found so fascinating about his thumbs. Harry was saved from any questioning by the rest of the Weasleys returning with mounds of gifts.

Harry started with the gifts from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. They had given him a new sweater and some of Mrs. Weasley's treacle tart. Bill and Fleur gave him a very nice traveling cloak that was very warm and very light. Harry received another cloak from Charlie, but his was made from dragon's hide. Fred and George said that they'd give him their present later, and Ron and Hermione both gave Harry books. Hermione's books were about defensive spells, while Ron's were about advanced hexes and jinxes. Last came Ginny's present. She handed Harry a small box wrapped in red paper. Harry opened it and found a golden pocket watch. Harry opened it up and his heart skipped a beat. On the inside of the cover was a picture of him and Ginny. They were holding each other close and smiling. After a few moments, Harry noticed the watch itself. It was the same as a normal watch, except for a fourth hand that had the label 'Ginny' on it. Above the numbers around the edges were the four words: Happy, Sad, Safe, and Danger. Right now, the hand was pointing at Happy.

Harry looked up at Ginny and didn't know what to say. He reached over and hugged her close. He could smell her as he held her close and decided to let go before his emotions ran away with him. When he looked back at everyone else, they were all smiling. He also noticed that there was one more present that he hadn't noticed before. It was a long thin box and it said 'From all of us.' Harry opened it up to find a long strip of highly polished metal. He picked it up, and it immediately began to glow. Harry watched as his own name was written in golden letters across the strip. Once his name was written, Mrs. Weasley reached out and took it from him. Harry watched as she walked over to the Weasley clock and placed his name among the rest. It immediately shot to 'Mortal Peril' and everyone laughed. Once the laughter had died down, Mr. Weasley stood up from his chair.

"Harry, we are so glad to have you here. You are now of age and free to make your own choices. We are all confident that you will make the right ones. You have had so much pain and suffering your whole life, and we are glad to take away some of that pain, even if it isn't much. Harry, you were a gifted boy who has become an amazing man. I am proud to have you as a part of this family, and I want you to know that wherever you go, you can always call this place home. We are all proud of you and privileged to know you. Welcome home son."

Harry felt tears in his eyes as everyone repeated Mr. Weasley. He had never had a real home or a real family, and now he had both. For once in his life, Harry felt like he truly was home.