Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 3: Happy Seventeenth

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: Harry escapes, has a nice conversation with his aunt, gets away to the Burrow, and has fun at his party.

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

Disclaimer: Well guys, it's been awhile, glad to see you are still here. Sorry about that cliffhanger, I just needed a place to stop. This chapter should end on a happier note. So without further ado, I submit for your entertainment, Chapter 3, Happy Seventeenth.

Harry stared at the man walking towards him now. He sauntered towards Harry, too sure of himself to pay attention to anything else.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here; if it isn't Harry Potter, the Boy who lived for sometime before he was later killed by the Dark Lord." The man smiled at Harry. Unable to move, Harry could only stare.

"Do you remember me Potter? I dare say it has been awhile." The man pulled his head back, and Harry saw the silvery hair framing the face of Lucius Malfoy.

"It is high time I take you to the Dark Lord, Potter." Malfoy, enervated Avery, and the two walked towards Harry cautiously. "Portus" Malfoy said and stared at Harry with a look of utmost loathing etched on his face. Avery went to grab Harry and give him the portkey, but an invisible force seemed to surge through Harry, and Avery was thrown back. He hit the ground hard and was knocked out again. Harry tried to laugh before remembering he was under the petrificus totalis spell, but was shocked to hear his snort of laughter escape into the night air.

Malfoy stared at him in shock, trying to figure out what had just happened, and failing miserably at it. Harry slowly pulled himself to his feet. He looked at the sky and figured it was around eleven. He had about an hour before his birthday. Malfoy confirmed it for him by swearing profusely.

"Avery! You were an hour early. Don't you ever pay attention? We were to wait until midnight. You've gone and blown it now!" Malfoy stared at Avery, clearly infuriated, and apparated on the spot. Avery had regained consciousness, but before he could do anything, was hit by a stunner and returned to the ground once more. Harry turned around, eyeing the new intruder warily.

Harry saw it was a young blond woman who looked like a total stranger, yet vaguely familiar at the same time. He realized that he had a throbbing scar and a sore back from the semi-duel. He looked around, rubbing his head, and stared at where he was. 'What happened?' he thought. And then the small fight came rushing back to him once more, as he tried to comprehend what just happened. He looked around and noticed the strange woman he had never met before. She was staring at him with interest. Harry stared at her, and noticed she still had her wand in her hand. He quickly chanted 'expelliarmus' nonverbally and watched in satisfaction as the witches' wand flew into his hand.

"Oh! Wotcher Harry, didn't notice you stand up," cried the cheerful witch.

"Tonks?" Harry asked incredulously.

"How may I help you?" she asked cheekily.

"What happened?"

"Well, I was coming over to check up on you, because Remus wanted to make sure you were going to the wedding and all and he really missed you and hadn't seen you in a while so he told me to come check and when I did I saw you get knocked out so I stunned the guy and that's where we are now." She said all this very fast; Harry had trouble understanding.

"You are allowed to breath once in awhile Tonks, what are you so high-strung about?" Harry asked curiously.

"The wedding. I get really emotional over weddings." Tonks' hair changed from the unfamiliar blond to a mousy brown as if to prove her point.

"Are you ok though Harry?" she asked, her voice full of concern.

"Huh, yeah, I'm fine," he muttered dismissively with a wave of his hand.

"Well come on, it's nearly your birthday, we need to get you packed and out to the Burrow," she said.

"Actually, let me just go tomorrow morning. I'll spend the night. It is after all the last night, and it looks like there's still some protection here. It would be best, after all, I promised Dumbledore I would."

"Ok then. Till tomorrow Harry." With a small pop, Tonks disapparated, Avery in tow. Harry trudged back up the steps and headed back to his room.

Harry flopped onto his bed and stared at what had become his one escape from the nightmare that was the Dursleys. He moved around to pass the time by, gathering all of his possessions, which had not moved very much as he rarely unpacked at Privet Drive, and succeeded in squishing it all into his trunk. Harry then pried up the loose floorboard and proceeded to snack on some chocolate frogs from Ron, while he waited for Hedwig to come back from hunting and for Harry to turn seventeen. He stared at the clock Dudley had broken and therefore put in Harry's room, which still worked although the glass was now shattered.

As it neared twelve, Harry felt something inside him. Apprehension, excitement? Harry didn't know. It continued to grow in his stomach. Then, it struck twelve. Harry was seventeen. He jumped in the air to land on his bed, but hit it sideways and fell onto the floor with a thud. He got up, gingerly rubbing his head and walked downstairs for some water. To Harry's surprise, the Dursleys were up.

"Isn't today the day you leave boy?" asked his Uncle Vernon.

"Yes," replied Harry, staring at his relatives.

"So I get my room back now, right Mum?" asked Dudley, staring expectantly, as if he was a dog who was about to receive a particularly nice treat.

"Yes my little Duddykins, Harry won't be here anymore. Why don't you go pack the things you want to move back in there?" Dudley ran up the stairs as fast as his pudgy little legs would carry him.

Harry stared at his Aunt expectantly, remembering she had wanted a word with him. But his Uncle wouldn't let that happen anytime soon.

"Who's coming to pick you up boy! Or are you just going to walk the streets now? Because we are done with you. I have had it up to here with your nonsense, all your ruddy magic tricks, crazy friends who threaten the safety of me and my family, a murderer chasing after you and I especially hate- ALL THESE RUDDY OWLS!"

During Uncle Vernon's rant, two owls had swooped in form the kitchen and headed towards the three of them. Harry went to reach for them, but they went to his Aunt Petunia. Harry stared at her. She hesitantly opened the letters and began to read. Vernon ran upstairs, muttering about crackpot teachers and how owls should go kill themselves, or something to that effect. Petunia finished reading the letters and handed them both to Harry, then quietly exited the room, returning to drop a parcel into Harry's lap as he read the letters.

Petunia,

Thank you for taking care of Harry for all these years. As you know, the protection has now worn off. Harry is on his own now, as I told you in our previous meeting. All that is left for you to do to complete your half of the bargain, that we didn't invite Dudley to attend Hogwarts, is to give Harry the letter from 16 years ago, and that should be it. Thank you once again.

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Headmaster of Hogwarts

Chief Wigwamp of the Wizengambot

Order of Merlin, first class

The second letter was addressed to Harry.

Dear Mr. Potter,

We at Gringotts are pleased to inform you that due to your seventeenth birthday, you have now come into the possession of the Potter family vault. We would be more than happy to handle it with you and to complete any and all transactions necessary at your leisure. Yours in fortune,

Ragnok

Harry then proceeded to open the parcel given to him by his Aunt. In it were his baby clothes he had worn the day he had come to their house, along with a letter from Dumbledore.

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,

I am sorry to be the barer of bad news, but your sister Lily Rose Potter and her husband James Harry Potter were murdered yesterday around midnight. Their child, your nephew, is still alive however. Harry James Potter, now known as the boy who lived, will be living in your care until he turns eleven, at which he will be sent to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, to study magic. I have invoked some protection for Harry that can only be sealed by him being taken into the care of his mother's relations; otherwise, I would taken him in myself. He will be protected as long as he stays with you, and in turn your family will be equally protected, because Harry cannot be touched there, and anyone who attempts to do him harm shall be prevented from doing so by the magic I have invoked. Please treat him as you would your own child, and help him through the next ten years of his life, until we shall take watch over him. I will contact you myself if I feel the need to. Thank you for taking Harry in, you will not regret it.

Harry looked at his Aunt expectantly.

"You have a lot of explaining to do." His Aunt sighed.

"What would you like to know?"

"For starters, why did you hate me and my mum so much, and what happened to my grandparents?"

"Your grandparents, they were killed; by dementors. That's how I knew what they were. Your father, James, was talking to Lily about them, and how they had killed our parents. I overheard. That was the last straw; I separated completely with the magical world until you. I hated magic; it was because of magic I no longer had parents. And well, with Lily, well, err, you see, the thing is, Lily was always the one to get everything, she was the younger one, I was born in September, she in August the following year. She was the baby of the family, it was always Lily this, Lily that. I always see her in you, because of your eyes. Then, one day, a man visited and told our parents how Lily was magical and she would be going to a magical school, if she wished. Lily was ecstatic. As a side thought, my parents asked about me, and to my surprise, they said that I was also accepted. They handed us both our letters, and asked if we would like to go. Lily of course said yes, and my parents were thrilled. I, however, refused." Harry's Aunt plowed on, oblivious to Harry's goldfish like mouth, which opened and closed, soundlessly mouthing incoherent words.

"I kept the letter though. I think Dudley saw it once. He was really shocked. I have actually done accidental magic once or twice, of course you were here too so I believed it was you, but Dumbledore explained it to me. He was a nice enough guy once you get to know him. How is he?"

"He- he's dead." Harry said it, and once the words left his lips, he really, truly, believed it. The impact of it all hit him, while he was sitting in his Aunt's living room, at 12:30 in the morning, on his birthday. He would never see his twinkling eyes, or hear his words of wisdom, or of confidence. Harry looked up from the floor, eyes glistening, to stare at his Aunt who, to Harry's surprise, was having a similar reaction.

"Dead? Not Dumbledore." At Harry's nod, she broke.

"Now what will happen?"

"It's all up to me." For some strange reason, Harry was always able to speak plainly to his Aunt and Uncle about magical things, like when Dudley had been attacked; Harry's two worlds had seemed to merge. It was happening more frequently as time passed.

"What do you mean up to you? What can you possibly do against that man that murdered Lily?" Harry was surprised that she was able to say her sister's name in a tone that wasn't hostile.

"I have done a few things…"

"Like what? What have you possibly done at that school that can compare?"

Harry began to count on his fingers. "Well let's see. First year, saved the philosopher's stone from Voldemort, you know the guy that killed my mum and dad, then second year, killed a basilisk, that's like a fifty foot long snake that kills you if you look him in the eyes, petrifies you if you see its eyes reflection, and has poisonous fangs, third year, saved my godfather from dementors, the ones that attacked Dudley, fourth year, won a tournament, saw Voldemort come back to life, dueled him, and got away, fifth year, fought off some death eaters in the Ministry of Magic, found out I'm the only person who can kill Voldemort, and last year, went with Dumbledore on an adventure to try and kill Voldemort, held off some inferi, those are like zombies from Dudley's video games, and really that's about it. I'm sure there's more, like putting up with Dudley for sixteen years, but that is pretty much the main bit. Welcome to my world," Harry finished, mock-dramatically.

His Aunt looked shocked. But what shocked him more is that she walked over to Harry, and gave him a hug: the first bit of affection the Dursleys had ever bestowed upon Harry in all the sixteen years he had been with them.

"Take care of yourself Harry. And, Happy Birthday." She shed one tear, and then went upstairs to her room. Harry, however, stayed glued to his chair, still trying to understand everything he had heard. His Aunt was capable of magic. That was the first, most important piece. It was her letter Dudley had seen, not his own. That, Harry definitely didn't see coming. He also felt bad for his grandparents, even though he never knew them at all. Harry walked back up the stairs to his room, and sat on his bed, pondering everything that had happened. He didn't know when he fell asleep, but heard voices dragging him out of consciousness.

"You think?"

"Not yet Ron quiet. I'm trying to find it."

"Well hurry up Ginny, we haven't got all day."

"Does it look like I'm going slow?" Harry distinctly heard a slap pierce the air.

"Ouch! That hurt."

"Shhh! Ron, we aren't ready to surprise him yet."

"Hermione, Ginny slapped me, and you are-"

"Just gonna stand here because you were rude and deserved it. Honestly Ron, sometimes I don't understand why I- Harry! Wake up! Forget about the surprise. Ron ruined it."

Harry slowly lifted himself out of bed to see the beaming faces of his three friends, Ron Weasley, his very first friend ever, Hermione Granger, the muggleborn know-it-all, and Ginny Weasley, Harry's love and ex-girlfriend, also younger sister to Ron. They all smiled at him.

"Happy Birthday Harry," they chorused. Harry sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked at Hermione, and noticed her wand out. She sent a spell at Harry, non-verbally, and to Harry's dismay it turned out to be aguamenti. Harry was now soaked to the bone, shivering in his bed, now fully awake and understandably angry.

"Hermione," Harry began indignantly through gritted teeth, "Why – did – you – do – that," Harry spoke slowly, accenting each syllable. He was still cold from the water, but now wide-awake. He slowly advanced on his best friend, but was stopped by Ginny.

"Now that you're awake," Ginny began suggestively. Harry turned his emerald eyes on her, half-surprised and half-comically, as he watched her lean in and kiss him full on the lips, reminiscent of their first kiss in the common room, only Ginny was kissing him, not the other way around.

"Well, now THAT is a birthday present." Harry let loose the smile he was trying to hide as Ginny blushed an interesting shade of crimson. Ron looked like he was trying not to laugh, or else strangle Harry,he wasn't sure which, while Hermione was waiting patiently.

"Hem – hem," Hermione coughed.

Harry spun around, and saw Hermione stifling a giggle, before he gave her a look that plainly said, just wait, before stalking off to get his trunk.

"Well, what are you waiting for, are you ready to leave this house or are you wanting to stay with the Dursleys? If you are, be warned, nothing can prepare you for the horrors within. You two have already seen how they've been somewhat, but Ginny, you have no idea." Harry stated this all quite seriously, in a deep voice. Ron and Ginny smirked, while Hermione began laughing hysterically.

"You sounded like a movie preview guy," she choked out through fits of laughter.

Harry suppressed a smile, while Ron and Ginny looked confused. Harry quickly explained to them what a movie was and the four shared a nice laugh. Ron and Hermione apparated to the Burrow. Harry looked around his room one last time, taking it in, and quickly forgetting it. He would never be coming back. All of those painful memories would be gone, buried. This was it. Harry turned to see Ginny staring at him, concern evident in her gaze. He gave her a small smile, held out his arm and said goodbye forever to Privet Drive. Then, they apparated away to the Burrow, with Ginny side-apparating along with Harry even though he wasn't really legally able to do so yet. It didn't matter though because he had done it before with Dumbledore. They popped into the Burrow, and everyone screamed at Harry.

"Happy Birthday Harry!" Harry's eyes went wide as he saw all the people looking at him. All the Weasleys (except Percy, who was still a giant prat and hadn't apologized after the family argument) were beaming at him, and began to bombard him with presents, the twins, Fred and George, leading the way. Harry soon found himself immersed in pleasurable company.

"Well, open it dear," said Mrs. Weasley after she gave him a bone-crushing hug and handed him a beautifully wrapped present. Harry was more than happy to comply. When he opened his present, it revealed a new watch, and it was a beautiful watch too. Harry gave her a huge hug and immediately put it on. She beamed at him. He went on to Ron's gifts, which were some more chocolate frogs to replenish his stock, plus a Chudley Cannons sweatshirt. Hermione gave him a book called The Art of Non-verbal Incantations, which Harry knew he would have to read and become familiar with to have a prayer against Voldemort. Harry gave her a peck on the cheek. From Ginny, Harry got a beautiful photo album, and in it were pictures of her and Harry's first kiss from the common room, most likely taken by Colin, pictures of he, Ron, and Hermione from the years past, along with Ginny, and other pictures that were of Harry and his friends. Harry knew right away that this was the best gift he could ever ask for, and also knew that if he so much as looked at the fiery redhead he had come to love with all his heart, he would never be able to say no to her ever again.

Harry quickly averted his eyes after giving a hearty thanks to Ginny for her excellent gift and began to rummage through the rest of his presents. From Charlie, he received some dragon hide boots that fit comfortably. Bill gave him a bag from Gringotts that he could pull money out of whenever he wanted, and it would come straight from his account into his hand. Only Harry's hand could go in it too, because it was customized for him. Fred handed him a box of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and George smiled at him benignly and told him to open it. When he did, a cloud of smoke came out of the box, enveloping Harry completely. He looked inside the rest of it and saw a ring that was an emergency portkey straight to their office according to the note, some canary creams, dung bombs, a knife like the one given to him by Sirius, a wand holster, and a dragon hide vest to wear under his shirt. (It's basically a shield charm, and it looks nice too, said Fred.) From Lupin, Harry got a diary of all the pranks the marauders had ever pulled. Finally, the last present was also from the Weasleys. They put his name on their clock. Harry was overcome with emotion, but not before he noticed that Hermione's name was also up there. Harry's eyes were now full of tears, and he did the best he could to hold them in. He gave each Weasley a huge hug.

"You all have no idea how much this really means to me. I can now truly say that I have a family," Harry said.

"You've always been part of our family Harry, ever since that first day on the platform," Mrs. Weasley replied, eyes shining brightly.

Harry walked over to her and gave her a hug. The simple act of affection seemed to bring Mrs. Weasley to tears, and she brought Harry down with her. The tears spread faster than garroting gas, and everyone seemed to be sniffling in the background. Harry looked around at his new family. 'Wow,' Harry thought, because for once in his life, he could honestly say he understood the word family, and just everything it represented. And in that moment, Harry realized two crucial things. He loved these people, and if it meant that he would have to give his life up for them to have any chance at a happily ever after, he would do it. And the other thing was, never turn your back on a prankster. Harry was suddenly on the floor, rolling around, looking like he was on fire. His body was on fire, but from the inside out, because he was itching all over the place. Also, his hair had turned red, and he was sprouting red hair in very odd places. Like his ears. And his nose. Harry stared at the grinning faces of Fred and George, watched as they swooped down, each picking him up by the armpit, slapping him on the back, and declaring him 'a true Weasley.'

Harry had never felt that good in almost forever except maybe when he had his first kiss with Ginny. Unfortunately for Harry, he understood that in his life, when everything was perfect, it was because you overlooked something, or took something for granted. And at that precise moment, Harry found out what he took for granted. He hit the ground and began rolling again, but not because the Weasley twins had hit him with a spell that made him itch all over the place, but because of the almost unbearable pain on his forehead.

You did the reading, now review.