Disclaimer: I own nothing. I do not own the characters, they belong to the wonderfully talented J.K. Rowling. I am making no profit whatsoever off of this story.

A/N: begs and grovels for her readers' forgiveness I'm so sorry! I forgot to tell you all that I would be on vacation and wouldn't have access to a computer! I was all ready to get the fourth chapter out, but my creative juices weren't flowing fast enough, so I bring it to you now. Again, I'm really sorry! But, as I promised in my previous author's note, this chapter is much longer than the other ones. I hope you enjoy it!

Review Responses:

Silverthreads-- Yes, I wholly agree that dark rich bittersweet chocolate is another one of my life sources. I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I know it was like a prologue, but it sets everything up. Thanks for the continued reviews!

Iaurhirwen-- Thank you for the wonderful confidence-booster! And I agree, we need to set up this chat room, because I still have complete faith in the good old Half-Blood Prince! Hope you continue to read and enjoy!

duj-- I thought so too. Thanks for the continued reviews!

Warning: HBP Spoilers

Chapter Four: Of Plans and Birthday Bashes

At the stroke of midnight on the thirtieth of July, Harry Potter shrunk his packed trunk and placed it in his pocket. He opened the door to his bedroom and slipped past the other rooms quietly to make his way down the stairs and post the note he had written beforehand on the fridge:

To my family,

I know that you have never spared any kind words to me and I to you, and therefore know that you will not miss me, while I will not miss you. I hope that you stay safe and watch out for shady characters. If all goes according to plan, you'll never have to see me again. Have a nice life.

Your nephew,

Harry Potter

Harry left the house and locked it with a wave of his wand, then walked to the end of the drive and raised his wand again, summoning the Knight Bus. It stopped before him with a loud bang, its engine letting off spurts of steam as a man with a mousy stature, brown hair and eyes, and wearing a purple uniform stepped off the bus. He looked bored and extremely tired, but took Harry onboard after receiving his pay. Harry read his nametag (Ian Faraday) and anger momentarily boiled his insides at the thought that this man was replacing Stan Shunpike. Stan should be the one greeting him, but he was still locked up in Azkaban because the Ministry was too proud to release him after having wrongly accused him of being a Death Eater. Harry came back to present time when he was prodded roughly in the shoulder.

"Where are ya goin', lad?" The bus driver, Ernie if he remembered correctly, asked of him.

"London. Grimmauld Place," Harry replied, sitting on one of the unoccupied beds and picking up a spare copy of the day's Daily Prophet. Absentmindedly, Harry pocketed his wand as he began to read about the goings-on of the magical world. His disgust increased tenfold when he read about the Hogwarts Board of Governors meeting with the Hogwarts Professors. Apparently, the negotiations to keep the school open were not going well and Harry knew it would take a miracle for the Governors to change their seemingly already set minds. That was why Harry planned on making a visit to the Ministry in the next few days.

"Grimmauld Place, young sir," Faraday announced in a bored tone while stifling a yawn, and Harry folded the paper again before thanking him quietly and getting off the bus. He waited for it to leave before looking around suspiciously; he didn't want to reveal the location of the Order of the Phoenix's Headquarters, after all.

The street and surrounding park were clear of any inhabitants, and Harry steadily walked towards Number 12, whistling a little tune. Number 11 was emanating many noises, most of which were of the stereo, but there were also lots of people talking inside; Harry figured it must be a party of some sort. Number 13 was silent and the lights were all out, so Harry thought it was safe to assume that no one was awake. When the door to Number 11 swung open, he immediately took on a drunken swagger; he didn't need anyone questioning him about his whereabouts late on a Friday night. When he collapsed against a stone pillar and slid down it to imitate a drunk, giggling like a loon, many of the passers-by ignored him, or shook their heads at him. Most of them were too drunk to care. When the last of them had passed and all of the cars had left, Harry rose and dusted himself off, shaking his head at how easy that had been.

"Commanding performance, Harry," a voice commented from the darkness and his wand was in his hand faster than the hidden man could blink. Paranoia could be both a hindrance and an advantage at times. A chuckle was heard and then a tired-looking Arthur Weasley stepped into the light. Harry's wand was in his pocket in an instant, and he took the man's briefcase for him, leading him by the elbow to Number 12, casting a cursory glance around the street, just for good measure. Mr. Weasley wisely did not speak until they had entered the house and closed the door. "I'm sorry that I startled you out there. I was just returning from work. I assume you are here because you've come of age. Congratulations, by the way."

"Thank you," Harry replied. "And sorry about that, I was only startled is all," he explained. They were interrupted at that point by Mrs. Black starting to scream and Harry rolled his eyes, exasperated already by the portrait. He took his wand out and with a subtle flick, the portrait shut up and the curtains closed, but not before the whole house had been alerted to their presence.

"What's going on out there? The war?" A joking voice asked and Ron came out into the hallway from the drawing room, closely followed by Hermione, Ginny, and surprisingly, Hermione's parents. "Harry!"

"Not so loud, Ron, you'll wake Mrs. Black up with that racket," Hermione hushed him and Harry grinned at their familiar banter.

"Not anymore he won't," he said in a normal indoor voice. "I used a little something that should take care of her for a while."

"What are you doing here so late?" Hermione asked him as she came to embrace him warmly. He returned it just as enthusiastically, explaining about wanting to get out of his relatives' home as soon as he could.

"Understandable, mate," Ron agreed immediately, coming up to shake his hand happily. "Happy birthday, Harry."

"Thanks," Harry answered, hugging Ginny as she came to congratulate him, giving him a kiss on the cheek, which he returned awkwardly. He wasn't sure where they stood now that they both knew what would happen at the end of the next month. He needn't have worried, however, because she squeezed his hand briefly and stared into his eyes with a meaningful look that he understood immediately. She knew and she was willing to let him go when the time came, but not at the moment.

"Harry, these are my parents, as you know," Hermione introduced them again and he shook their hands, accepting their warm greetings with a smile. They exchanged pleasantries before Mr. Weasley clapped him on the shoulder, smiling at him again.

"You must be hungry. Come down to the kitchen, we'll get something for you," he said and Harry agreed, following him downstairs. Hermione, her parents, Ron, and Ginny were right behind them and Harry saw that Mrs. Weasley and Remus Lupin were seated at the kitchen table, enjoying a late night cup of tea.

"Harry, dear!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed upon seeing him, rising to greet him properly with a hug and kiss to the cheek.

"Mrs. Weasley," he returned, accepting her welcome warmly and turning to shake Lupin's hand.

"Sit down and I'll make you something to eat. Hello, Arthur," the Weasley matriarch entreated, pausing to kiss her husband briefly. "How was work?"

"Awful. We had ten new items brought in today and we're short-staffed this week, meaning I did most of the investigation. One of the cursed broomsticks wouldn't stop attacking me until I immobilized it," Mr. Weasley sighed, sitting down in between Mr. Granger and Lupin.

"That sounds painful," Lupin sympathized, though Harry noticed his eyes remained on Mr. Weasley for a while longer.

"Tonks stopped by my office and said she would be here soon," Mr. Weasley added kindly, patting the werewolf's shoulder.

"I'm already here," Tonks said as she arrived, her hair bright pink and in spikes. "Wotcher, Harry! Expected we'd see you here soon." Tonks ruffled his hair before going to sit on Lupin's other side, the two of them exchanging a fond look and linking hands. "So, what have you been up to all summer?"

"Studying," Harry hedged, not quite ready to let them know of his plans to leave the school. So far, no one had asked and he wasn't eager to tell them. He knew they wouldn't be pleased with his decision, especially when he refused to give them a reason for his parting.

"Getting a little keen, are we? Just as well, the last year at Hogwarts is brutal. That is, if the school survives for your final year," Tonks told him and he nodded, glad for the change in topic.

"About the meeting. It's public, isn't it?" Harry asked.

"Yes, everyone's been following it closely. Ron and I went in to see what was going on. They're very close-minded about their decision, Harry, they're really set on closing the school," Hermione told him.

"I'd like to make a visit myself. I know I can't do much to change their minds, but I can try," Harry admitted, looking around the table to assess what everyone was thinking. "Speaking of which…Hermione, have their been instances where the school was threatening to close in its history?"

"Plenty, Harry. There were many uproars after the respective Triwizard Tournaments, and some about its location so near the Forbidden Forest when students were being attacked by dark creatures. That was before the school established good wards," Hermione told him and Harry nodded thoughtfully.

"Could you find those references in Hogwarts' history for me? Don't make any notes, I'll do those myself, just mark the pages, if you could," Harry requested and she readily agreed.

"What are you up to, Harry?" Ron asked and Harry looked to his friend.

"I'm going to state my case to the Board of Governors. There's got to be plenty of cases such as this where the student body's safety was in peril through different threats and I plan to point out that the school persevered through those tough times. Hogwarts has never been this close to closing, and I don't plan on letting anyone make the decision to do so. The Headmaster wouldn't have wanted it closed, that's all I know…and I've told the Minister twice already that I was his man through and through. Well, I still am. I'm not going to let anyone crush a child's dream to learn. I remember what it felt like to discover a whole other world, and I wouldn't deny that to anyone. Dumbledore wouldn't have wanted it." Harry was staring hard at his clasped hands, which were resting on the tabletop, but he looked up at hearing Mrs. Weasley sniff.

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear, it's just that…you remind me so much of him sometimes, it's hard to believe he's gone," she explained, sniffling again and Mr. Weasley rose to hold her close.

"I know," Harry breathed, looking back down at his clasped hands with haunted emerald eyes.

Harry felt a shy press against his lips and he pressed back, breathing in slowly through his nose. After the pressure from his lips was gone, he opened his eyes blearily, reaching for his glasses. Ginny came into focus above him, her brown eyes warm and trusting as she leaned in for another kiss. Harry brought a hand up to caress her face, relishing in the warmth she emanated from her entire body, shuddering with the comfort he felt in someone to hold him. When they again broke apart, Ginny slid in next to him in bed and wrapped her arms around his now shaking shoulders. For the first time, Harry realized that he was crying.

Ginny seemed to understand and didn't say anything, just held him while he shuddered in anguish over the loss of the only man he trusted with all of his secrets. When the tears finally stopped, she pushed his messy hair out of his face, kissing his scar tenderly and he held onto her for dear life, believing that if he let her go now, he'd lose her forever. Again, she seemed to share his understanding and held onto him just as tightly while they lay there, just basking in one another's offered comfort. When he felt ready, Harry pulled back from her to stroke her fiery red hair out of her eyes, pressing a tender kiss to her lips.

"Thank you," he told her, looking into her warm eyes and feeling at home for the first time in several months.

"Think nothing of it," she answered with a smile and he smiled back, kissing her once more. "Happy Birthday, Harry. Mum's got breakfast on the table, so if you want to get dressed, we can go down together."

"Alright," Harry agreed, and she got out from under the covers, offering him a hand to help him up. Harry dressed in a pair of jeans and a green tee before heading down to breakfast with his girlfriend, kissing her chastely before they climbed down the stairs to the kitchen.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRY!" Multiple voices shouted as they descended the last step and Harry's eyes filled with new tears at the small group of people grinning at him. He turned startled eyes to Ginny, taking in her shy grin and the blush staining her cheeks.

"You…you…" He was at a loss for words as she grinned at him, her eyes speaking volumes about the feelings she had for him.

"I organized it, yes. It took a bit, but I made it happen," she admitted and he swept her into a kiss that garnered quite the attention from the people seated at the table. "I figured it was about time we gave you a proper birthday party," she added breathlessly when they separated.

"Thank you…this means more to me than I can describe," Harry told her sincerely, kissing her once more.

"Hands off our baby sister, Potter!" Bill and Charlie called jokingly and Harry laughed at their good humour, blushing slightly at the thought that he'd just kissed Ginny senseless in front of her older brothers and parents. Ron and Hermione came up to engulf him in a three-way hug and wish him a good birthday once again, grinning at his still shocked expression.

"Come on then, take a seat," Hermione urged him, pushing him to the head of the table, where Hermione and Ginny sat on either side. He looked around the table with a large grin as everyone urged him to dig into his breakfast. Remus, Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Weasleys, the Grangers, Neville, Seamus, Dean, Luna, and surprisingly, Professor McGonagall were all present for the occasion. Harry later found out that Neville, Seamus, Dean, and Luna were only there because their parents or extensive relatives were either in the Order, or strong allies. Luna's dad and Neville's grandmother, for example, were both allying themselves with the Order, while Seamus' mother and Dean's second cousin were both a part of the elite group of people.

Harry had never felt more at home than he did on that day, surrounded by friends all around. It turned out that Professor McGonagall could only stay for breakfast, but she wished him an excellent birthday, handing him a thick envelope.

"This is from Albus. He wanted this to be given to you on your coming of age; he also left you a small sum of money and a few of his prized possessions, which I will bring over as soon as I am able," she explained quietly.

"Thank you, Professor," he managed to rasp and she squeezed his shoulder once before leaving the kitchen, presumably for the meeting between herself and the Board of Governors. He quickly decided to read the letter when he was alone, as it was sure to bring out more emotions in Harry than he wanted to share with the people sitting around the table with him.

The rest of the day was spent in good spirits, talking about Quidditch, the possible closing of the school, everyone's summers, and anything else that came to mind. Harry opened his presents from everyone, receiving a wide variety of gifts, but the ones that stuck most in his mind were a book on Occlumency and a few books on different curses he had never heard about. These particular gifts were a part of the key Harry would need in order to track down all of the horcruxes and arrive at the end of it all to kill his nemesis. These were the types of things that would keep him alive.

A/N: Chapter Four's out the window! Okay, I hope you liked it and if you really liked it, you can leave a review!  (That wasn't obvious butt-kissing at all! ;) Again, I love hearing your feedback, so if you want to give me some constructive criticism, go for it! See you next time! (Hopefully soon.)