Once a Potter, Always a Potter

by WarMunger98

Harry is not the only Potter left. He was lucky enough to have a little sister born just before James and Lily were murdered. Follow their journey through Hogwarts and beyond as the tackle love, mystery and a war. They will meet new friends and be reunited with lost family. M for violence, language and later sexual situations/scenes. Hinny. Slowly updating.

25. Why can't it ever be a normal Year? PT1

Hi folks, I know that once again it's been a while since the last chapter. I said originally that this would be done before Christmas but unfortunately life has taken a downturn for me. I lost my cat to cancer in November, so that's taken its toll, and I've been struggling with depression and other personal affairs for a while now. So, I haven't had a lot of energy to write. That being said, this is probably one of the largest chapters I've written and I was going to actually continue writing more but decided to split it into two parts. I don't know when the next chapter will be, I'm seeing a doctor soon to discuss how I can get myself back on track, but I've hit another roadblock with my dog now potentially having kidney failure, so I may only have a year at best with her. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this chapter, I put a lot of effort in to think about changing it up from the original source, and I've also started to include some parts of the greater story that I'm developing for this Fic. Anyway, until the next time, I hope you enjoy and give a follow if you really enjoy it! Cheers!

Why Can't It Ever Be a Normal Year (Part 1): Chapter 25

Dark blue waves crashed against pitch-black obsidian walls. There was no light, save for the flickering of lightning bolts in the distance. Not a single whisper could be heard over the roar of the whipping wind, lashing at everything that stood a mere inch above the ground. This was Azkaban, home to Wizarding Britain's most heinous criminals. Dark wizards, murderers, traitors, and all manner of ruffians called the towering structure home. There were no windows, no bars, only a single wooden door at the very base of the monolith and maybe a few cracks along the tower. Cylindrical in shape, Azkaban was said to be inescapable, that once the door of your cell was shut, there was no way for it to open until you were freed by some miracle. Save for a few holding cells at the very bottom of the ministry, Azkaban was the only place that criminals could be sent, making it a very good reminder to all wizards and witches what would happen if you broke the law.

For one Peter Pettigrew, it was a cold, stark reminder of the betrayal that he had committed against his closest friends. For over a year now, the man had resided in the cold, hard cell near the very top of the prison. It was the most formidable part of the fortress, furthest from the door with only a sharp drop down being the only escape were you to manage to breach the roof. Shivering to himself, Peter was constantly reminded of the crimes he had committed every time a guarding Auror came past his cell. Scum, traitor, rat, these were only some of the things they called him. Inside, he knew he deserved to be called every single name, but deep within his mind, Peter reasoned that his actions were justified. Why should anyone else have had James Potter, when he was clearly destined to be with him. Why should a filthy Mudblood get to claim his heart when Peter was always there for James, always there to play a prank or help Remus on the full moon. It wasn't Lily that chewed the root of the Whomping Willow, it was Wormtail. But where had his actions gotten him? Stuck in a filthy, cold, damp cell in the middle of the North Sea whilst the half blood spawn of the mudblood whore romped around the countryside thinking themselves special just because they came from the loins of his long dead friend.

Peter realised that he must have voiced that last part aloud, as he heard a throat clearing itself near him. He was about to look up from his curled-up state and apologise when he realised there was a presence in the room. There, in the corner of his cell, sat a figure dressed in a long, black robe, their face obscured by the hood.

"Wh…who are you?" Peter stammered.

"Hello Peter, I'm terribly sorry to interrupt your thoughts, I understand it's only the 902nd time you've voiced them." The figure spoke.

Sitting up against the wall, Peter scrambled to try and find his wand, only to remember that it had been snapped long ago. "What do you want!"

The figure rolled back the hood of the cloak, revealing a handsome face with dark brown eyes and pitch-black hair, like coal. "Why Peter, I'm here to set you free."

"W-What?" Peter's eyes bugged out, "F-Free? Are you mad! We're in Azkaban!"

"Ha! This dump is hardly fit to be called a stockade let alone a prison." The figure joked.

Walking up to Peter, the figure waved his hand at the shackles that tied Peter down. All at once, the metal shackles dropped to the floor with a thud, allowing Peter to flex his hands. "H-How?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets." The figure tapped his nose, "Now, you'll find that you will be able to once again use your Animagus form, I would head down and hide on the next boat that brings over supplies. It should be here in say…20 minutes."

Scrambling to his feet, Peter reached forward to shake the figures hand. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Don't thank me just yet, Peter." The figure wretched his hand away from Peter's, "I have a task for you."

"Anything!"

The figure gave Peter an evil smile. "Good man. You're to head to Malfoy Manor and speak with Lucius Malfoy. He shall aid you and give you shelter."

Peter paled. "Malfoy Manor? But that is all the way down south! I'd be caught for sure!"

"Then I suggest that you don't get caught, Peter." The figure spoke menacingly, "Otherwise what the Wizards will do to you is nothing compared to what I can do."

Swallowing hard, Peter nodded his head in understanding. "You have your mission, Peter, do not fail me."

"But who are you!"

The figure gave a laugh. "I…am your benefactor."

A flash of lightning illuminated the dark room, even though there were no windows to let the light in. Covering his eyes, Peter was astonished to see that the figure had disappeared. Looking around his cell, he quickly realised that he was alone again, he missed the sensation of company dearly. Figuring he'd see if the figure was telling the truth, he tried to turn himself into a rat. He squeaked in surprise when he felt himself shrinking down in size, the room growing before him. Peter had to quickly change back into his form though as he heard the rush of guards coming up the stairs to investigate the ball of lightning that lit up the top of the tower. Hiding in the corner, with his shackles in his hands, Peter stayed still as two Aurors rushed passed him. Biding his time, Peter counted down in seconds the time before he knew he had to depart his cell. With 10 minutes to go before the supply boat arrived, Peter changed back into his Animagus form and made a break for the stairs. Praying that he wouldn't bump into a guard, Wormtail ran as fast as he could with his tiny rat legs, bounding down the stairs like a rapid animal. As he reached the last flight, he saw the only entrance in and out of Azkaban within his sights. The door swung open, revealing a portly man bringing in a sack, followed closely by an Auror.

"Where'd you want these Potatoes' then aye lad?"

The Auror pointed with his wand to a corner near Wormtail. "Just over there, thanks Jones, I'll help you bring in the next lot."

"Cheers lad, me backs not like it was all dem years ago."

Sensing an opportunity, Wormtail rushed for the open door, as each mans back was turned on him. Running right past the Auror, Wormtail made a leaping jump from the rickety old dock to the even ricketier boat moored next to it. Thinking quickly in order to avoid being found, he found an empty sack and was quick to hide in it, burying himself deep in the back. Moments passed, and the Auror was now on the boat, searching around for the next bit of cargo to bring in. The two men made several trips back and forth to the boat and the tower, every time passing mere inches away from Wormtail. Finally, he heard the two men say departing farewells, and a weight was lifted off his tiny heart. He felt the boat pull away from the moor as the sea began to toss the boat around violently, being steered back towards the mainland by its elderly captain. It felt like a lifetime for Peter, but it couldn't have been more than an hour before the thud of the boat bashing against another pier signalled their arrival back on dry land. Zipping out of the bag as quickly as he could, Wormtail heard the old man swear as he saw the rat dash across his deck.

"Bloody mongrel! How'd you get on my boat!" There was a thud right next to Wormtail as the old man threw a boot at him.

Wormtail wasn't one to go looking for danger, so was quick to scurry out of harms way as best he could. He jumped from the boat to the pier, running as fast as his little legs could take him towards the bushes that lay just a few metres away from the pier. Once he knew he was safe, Wormtail allowed himself to relax and soak in the sense of freedom he had earned. As soon as he was sure the old man was gone, he would transform once again and begin his journey all the way down south, to Malfoy Manor.

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'Azkaban Escape! Pettigrew on the Loose!', 'Are our prisons really safe? More on pg. 3.'

'Minister opens up about escaped inmate: "He will be caught".' 'Dementors released to find missing inmate.'

It had only been a couple of days after their arrival back in England, but the Potters were already feeling the need for another holiday. Each new headline that came in with the Daily Prophet brought about another update on a very personal bit of news. The escape of Pettigrew made everyone in the house anxious, as they knew that escape from Azkaban was impossible, under normal circumstances at least. But the thing that worried them all was the dispatching of Dementors to go and recapture Pettigrew. Remus had to explain to Rose and Harry what the creatures were. He explained that they were dark creatures that guarded Azkaban and fed on the happy memories of anyone nearby, spreading misery throughout. Harry was especially concerned over the fact that Dementors had the ability to suck the very soul out of a person, leaving them a lifeless husk until death finally took them. It seemed a cruel and unnecessary punishment, when death would simply be preferable.

There was one piece of good news that graced the Potter household though, the arrival back home of their best friends, the Weasleys. Ron and Ginny had each sent a letter to the two youngest Potters, informing them that they'd be home within the week after their month-long holiday away in Egypt. Ron had attached a photo of the Weasley clan, minus Charlie, standing in front of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, waving animatedly. Harry couldn't help but notice the happiness in Ginny's eyes, feeling relieved that she at least enjoyed her holiday away with her family.

Whilst the Weasley's would be back closer towards the end of the week, the Potter's still needed to debrief about the latest threat of Pettigrew. On top of that, Remus needed to prepare for a year of teaching at Hogwarts and Sirius needed to continue his application for the Aurors. And on top of all that, they still had to plan for Harry's 13th birthday which was only a few short days away.

"Honestly, I'm not fussed at all. I'm happy with a good meal, some treacle tarts and a game of quidditch with my friends and family."

Harry was trying to convince his family that he didn't need an extravagant birthday, claiming he only needed a simple gathering with friends and family.

"Harry, you've had an absolutely atrocious year at school, as has Rose. It's unfortunate that she has to have her birthday at Hogwarts but at least you can have yours here, and that means pulling out all the stops to make it a fantastic day for you." Sirius argued with Harry.

Although Rose was slightly miffed that she would once again be at Hogwarts for her birthday, her 12th in fact, she was still firmly on Sirius' side with throwing Harry a fantastic birthday. "Listen to our dogfather for once Harry, let us throw you a big party!"

Sensing he was backed into a corner; Harry chose to just give in to the demands. "Alright fine! I'll let you lot decide for me. Just…nothing too over the top yeah?"

"No promises pup!" Sirius grinned.

Groaning, Harry went off to clean his Nimbus 2000 up in his room, giving him a little alone time in a house packed to the rafters.

Dwindling down the days until the Weasleys arrived back home, the Potter siblings got into a routine of breaking down their days into three parts; meal times, homework time and free time. It kept them occupied and sane, and for Harry it was an opportunity to go over all that he had missed in his final few weeks at school. For Rose, it meant going over almost half a term worth of the fundamental basics to magic, a daunting prospect for anyone but even more so to try and achieve it in a few weeks. Thankfully, Remus was on hand to help out, using this time to train his teaching ability. Whilst nervous about starting a new job at Hogwarts, Remus was still giddy at the idea that he'd be teaching a new generation of Witches and Wizards. Dumbledore had assured him that all necessary precautions would be taken to deal with his furry little problem, as James and Sirius liked to call it, but he still worried that the students would find out and tell their parents. Who knows what would happen then, but it wouldn't end well. The most terrifying prospect of his secret being revealed though, was the reaction of his two wards. Remus was deeply afraid that both Harry and Rose would see him for the monster he really was and not the kind and loving uncle Sirius continued to claim he was.

Finally, towards the later half of June came to a close, the Evans residence was alerted to the sounds of an old Ford Anglia putting down the long, dirt driveway towards the house. The Potters immediately recognised it as they spied it from the top floor windows. Rushing down the stairs, they pushed past an investigative Sirius and bolted out the front door just in time to see the redheaded Weasley horde pile out of the car.

"Ginny!" With barely any time to prepare at all, Ginny was bull rushed by an exuberant Rose, who ploughed into her with an almighty hug, "I've missed you so much!"

Taken aback, Ginny gingerly returned the hug, melting into the embrace as she loosened up. "I've missed you too Rose."

"Where's my hug mate?" Ron was smirking at the scene between the two girls as Harry came over with a huge grin.

"I can give you one if you want." Harry teased.

Instead, the two boys embraced in a tight half hug as their hands joined in the middle. "Did you survive without me?" Ron teased back.

"Just barely. I thought another week without my sidekick would be a rather daunting endeavour."

Ron feigned aghast at Harry's comment. "Sidekick? More like partner in crime!"

"Whatever you have to tell yourself to sleep at night." Harry grinned, earning himself a slog on the arm in retaliation.

As the rest of the Weasley clan sorted themselves out, Sirius and the Evans came out to see what the commotion was all about, smiling as they saw their favourite family had returned home. "Weasleys! You're all looking jovially burnt and red!" Sirius laughed.

Indeed, the whole clan was looking worse for wear, all except Ginny who managed to take on a lovely bronze complexion to her skin. There were various patches of red skin on the other Weasleys, mostly the ears, neck and arms. "Whoever's idea it was for a family of redheads to go to the burning desert obviously needs a lesson on Geography." Percy muttered.

"Oh, hush Percy, I'll apply another soothing charm when we get home." Molly reprimanded her son.

"I do have to agree with Percy there, Molly, you all look exceptionally like lobsters." Juni had a concerned look on her face as she went over to hug her friend. Molly couldn't help but cringe a little as Juniper placed her hands on a particularly tender burnt spot on her back.

With the Weasley's thoroughly welcomed back, Juniper ushered everyone inside for a cool drink and for a chance to escape the sun. As everyone piled in, Harry hung out at the back and waited for an opportunity to speak with the one Weasley he missed the most. Ginny caught sight of what Harry was doing and smiled meekly, a shadow of her former self.

Reaching out, Harry took hold of her hand and squeezed reassuringly. "Hey…"

"Hey Harry."

There was an unspoken familiarity between them as they stood out on the porch, just staring into each-others eyes. "I missed you."

Ginny's smile widened just the extra bit at Harry's confession. "I missed you too."

Shifting on his feet awkwardly, Harry rubbed the back of his neck as he avoided the burning question he wanted to ask. Summoning up his Gryffindor courage, Harry finally ploughed on ahead. "How…how are you feeling?"

"I've been better." Ginny shrugged, "The nightmares aren't as bad as they were at the start of the summer."

"You've been having nightmares too?" Harry frowned.

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, bad ones. They always…always end with…with you dying."

Squeezing Ginny's hand just that little bit extra, Harry made sure to look her straight in the eye. "I'm right here Gin, nothings going to take me away from you."

Nodding slowly, Ginny sniffed as she felt tears begin to threaten to spill. "Come on, lets go inside before everyone starts wondering where we are."

Harry agreed, but brought Ginny into a tight hug just before they went inside. "You look beautiful by the way; the sun did wonders for you."

"I think I'm probably the only one who benefited from it." Ginny blushed, "But thank you Harry."

"You're welcome, Gin…" Harry smiled.

Separating rather reluctantly, the pair wandered inside where they found the two families sitting down in the lounge room with a couple large pitchers of freshly made icy cold lemonade. Rose was sat next to Percy, chatting animatedly about the enchantments Bill had shown them on the walls of the Pyramid of Khufu. She did look up however as her brother and best friend walked in, giving them both a sly grin and a wink that thankfully went unnoticed. Harry glared in her direction but didn't raise any other complaints.

Once everyone had a drink in hand, Arthur was kind enough to show the Potters and Evans some of their photos that they'd taken. He used a spell to project the pictures onto a mirror that was hanging above the fireplace. Various coloured images of the Weasleys all over Egypt began to scroll on the mirror. There were shots of the twins locking Percy in a tomb, before being berated by Mrs Weasley. Another showed Ginny riding on the shoulders of Bill while Ron struggled to ride a camel in the background.

"They bloody stink I tell you, no fun at all, much prefer your horses." Ron whispered to Harry, who sniggered in response.

There was the family photo that Harry had seen in the Daily Prophet, the same that Ginny had sent to Rose. Harry couldn't help but smile at the happy faces of his favourite family, knowing that they fully deserved the holiday away. While the two families enjoyed the show that the Weasley's were putting on, an alarm signalled throughout the house to alert them that someone unknown had passed through the wards. Sirius and Alex immediately got up and rushed to the door to investigate. Arthur followed suit, although he came back rather quickly and looked over at Harry and Rose.

"Harry, Rose, there's someone here to see you…" Looking flustered, Arthur went back towards the door as everyone started to scramble to the door.

Harry and Rose gave each other a shared look of curiosity and anxiousness. Peering around the corner, they saw that Sirius and Alex were looking rather unimpressed with the three newcomers at the door.

"Ah! Mr Potter, Miss Potter! If I could just have a moment of your time." One of the men smiled. The Potters recognised him as the Minister of Magic, who they had seen briefly at Sirius' 'trial'.

Giving their Godfather a look of concern, Sirius nodded at the siblings that it was okay to come out. "Now, you probably don't remember me, since our last meeting was rather…rushed, but my name is Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic."

Fudge stuck out his hand for the siblings to shake, taking Harry's hand first. "We remember you Sir. What can we do for you?" Harry asked politely, something drilled into him from a young age.

Unlike the formal robes he wore at Sirius' trial, Fudge was dressed in a much more garish variety of Muggle and wizarding clothes, with his signature lime green bowler hat contrasting nastily against his pinstriped robes. "Well Mr Potter…Harry, can I call you Harry?"

"Mr Potter will do just fine." Harry replied coolly.

Taken aback, Fudge gave an awkward laugh as the two Auror's behind him straightened their backs. "Right, Mr Potter, Miss Potter, as you may be aware, there has been a…development regarding Peter Pettigrew."

"He escaped; we know. How that happened still boggles the mind." Rose answered, "Surely a wizarding prison is just as impregnable as a Muggle prison?"

"Um, yes, well you see…we're not entirely sure how he escaped." Fudge answered truthfully, "But rest assured, the finest Auror's and Hit Wizards are on the prowl, looking for him! And the Dementors are also searching for him, so there's no need to fear for your safety. In fact, I'd be more than happy to station some Dementors here on the outskirts of your home if you wish."

"That won't be necessary." Sirius growled, "I won't have those…demons anywhere near my godchildren."

Giving Sirius a dirty look, Fudge frowned. "The offer is still there should you want it. I would also like to inform you that Dementors will be stationed at Hogwarts this year, as we suspect Pettigrew will no doubt try and find a way to extract revenge on…on…well never mind."

"He wants to kill us, what's new." Harry said bluntly, "No need to act like we're innocent Minister, our parents were killed by Voldemort Afterall."

Fudge flinched at the name, as did Arthur and the Aurors behind Fudge. "Please…don't say that name Mr Potter."

"Why? Fear of the name only increases fear of the man." Harry said simply. Sirius grinned as he placed a hand on his Godsons shoulder, letting him know he was proud.

"Be it as it may, many wizards and witches still fear the name. So…perhaps some respect please." Fudge frowned, "Now, I should really be off, lots of things to do you see…"

"I'm sure." Sirius rolled his eyes, "I'll escort you to the boundaries."

"No need, my guards are more than capable." Fudge insisted. Bidding the group farewell with a tip of his hat, Fudge made a quick exit away from the house, before apparating away.

"What a ponce." Rose muttered.

Everyone murmured their agreements, it was clear that Fudge was certainly an unpopular politician. As the Potters turned away to enter back into the house, they almost barged into the group of Weasley's that were spying just around the corner.

"You sneaks!" Rose shrieked, before finding a rolled up newspaper that sat by the door, whacking the Twins and Ron rather briskly.

Molly and Juni smiled and watched as the older boys were chased around by a young girl that was half their size. "Should we save them?" Juni asked.

"No, I think this will serve them right for being eavesdroppers." Molly chuckled.

Once Ron and the Twins were thoroughly smacked around by the youngest Potter, the families reconvened to discuss what the minister had told them. So far the most shocking point of news was the posting of Dementors around Hogwarts. Everyone was rather unhinged at the idea, although Percy tried to defend the Ministers actions.

"He clearly just wants the best for you two, so why wouldn't he use whatever resources available to him?"

"Because Dementors are evil perhaps?" Ron argued, "They bloody eat your soul!"

"Ron, language!" Molly interrupted.

Ron rolled his eyes as he slouched in the chair, he was in. "He is right though dear, Dementors are horrid beasts, I'm still not sure why we use them." Arthur added.

"I don't think anyone disagrees with that statement." Sirius said, "It's not right though Percy, to be putting the same creatures that guard the worst criminals in Britain near a school…it's absurd really."

"Well, I think we could all use a nice homecooked meal to put our minds at ease. Molly, would you care to stay for dinner?" Juni distracted everyone's minds away from Dementors with their favourite subject, food.

"Absolutely dear, I'll give you a hand as well." The two matriarchs of the families hurried off to the kitchen to cook out their stress.

As dinner cooked, everyone piled outside as the weather cooled. Alex was quick to wrangle everyone into a game of football, going over the rules once more with the Weasley's. Rose managed to wrangle Percy into the match as well, tugging on his shirt until he was in the middle of the pitch and forced to fend for his life as Fred launched the ball towards his head.

The game was a chance for everyone to once again be together, swapping stories in the lulls between plays, or when Sirius got too excited and launched the ball into the woods. Sometime before sunset, Remus arrived at the house after a day at Hogwarts, preparing for his teaching position. Not wanting to spoil the surprise to the children yet. The only ones to know were Sirius, Alex and Juniper, alongside the teaching staff at Hogwarts.

When he spotted his friend, Sirius was quick to excuse himself to go and chat with Remus. Harry watched as the men sat and talked quietly, discussing things. He wondered why Remus was being so secretive again. It was often times he noticed his uncle was missing for a few days at a time. Sirius would just say that he was busy doing up Stag Run, or working, but Harry and Rose had noticed a cycle. Remus would always be away around the time of the full moon. Rose had joked one night that he was probably a werewolf, but Harry laughed it off. Maybe there was a grain of truth there though…

Harry was rudely brought out of his thoughts though as the ball collided with his face, sending him sprawling to the ground. When he looked up, he saw the rather apologetic face of Ginny blushing at him. "Sorry Harry!"

"It's okay Gin." Harry laughed as he got back up, passing the ball off to Fred who chucked it back in for a free.

Playing until the sun finally set, the group wandered back inside to the smells of a lovely homecooked meal. On the way through, Harry and Rose made sure to say hello to their other favourite uncle. Remus was more than happy to give the pair a hug, not having seen them in a couple days. As everyone sat around the dining table, Molly and Juniper brought in plate loads of food, enough to feed an army, or at least half the Weasley boys. Harry found himself comfortably next to Ginny at the table, and couldn't help but compare it to the situation he was in a few nights ago, with the horrid Esme and her wandering hands. But the feeling of having Ginny next to him was altogether different. It was a feeling of comfort, of familiarity and almost a sense of completeness. Throughout the night, the pairs legs would bump, or their hands would graze against the others as they reached for the same thing. At some point, Ginny was fed up with the dancing and intertwined her leg with Harry's, keeping it firmly pressed against him. Heat raced up his leg as he realised what Ginny was doing, bringing a goofy smile to his lips. He really did miss moments like this.

As the evening went on, and bellies got fuller, eyes began to droop. Arthur had already found himself sleeping in one of Alex's favourite reclining chairs, amusing him no end.

"Well at least I know what I'll get him for Christmas." Alex joked as Molly and Juniper chuckled over the sight.

Molly had to go and wake her husband up, shaking him lightly awake as he woke up with a startle. Laughing, Molly placed a kiss to Arthur's head and told him to get ready to leave. Rounding their horde of children up, Molly herded them into the Ford Anglia, although some of them had already passed out. Percy helped carry Ginny to the car, whilst Fred and George very sleepily escorted a half delirious Ron, who kept ranting about roast potatoes.

"This is going to be excellent blackmail material brother dearest." George grinned.

"That it is my handsome twin." Fred concurred.

Once the Weasley's had left, a very sleepy Harry slipped quietly off to bed after giving everyone a goodnight hug. Rose, who had passed out on the couch, was brought up to her room by Sirius, who made sure to tuck her in and press a gentle kiss to her head.

"Goodnight my little Rose petal." Looking down at her sleeping form, Sirius smiled as he realised that he truly had everything he wanted right here in front of him.

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With the Weasley's now back in England, summer holidays got all the more interesting for the Potters. Days were either spent at the Burrow or at the Evans home, with Ron and Ginny frequently staying the night in their friends' bedrooms. The ill-fated holiday to Normandy was soon forgotten, until Ron finally brought it up one night as he, Harry, Ginny and Rose were all sitting up on Harry's bed.

"So, mate, how was your holiday? You haven't told us hide nor hair about it!"

Harry looked a little uncomfortable in that moment, recalling the final night. "It was…good."

"Just good? What did you do?" Ron pressed on.

Rose helped her brother out, answering the questions instead. "We went to Mont Saint Michael, Remus took us to the magical community that lives there. Then we went to all the battle sites, Grandpa told us a lot about it, it was really interesting."

"Battle sites?" Ginny raised an eyebrow, "As in Muggle battles?"

"That's right. It's fascinating!" Rose smiled.

Harry, who had spent many a night discussing his grandfathers experiences, didn't quite smile as much. "We also spent plenty of time on the beach." Harry added.

"How come you didn't get burnt then!" Ron protested.

"Sunblock mate, works wonders." Harry cheekily replied.

"Sun what?" Ron looked confused, "Let me guess, Muggle thing?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, helps keep you protected against the sun. I know Rose's pale butt wouldn't of handled it otherwise."

Smacking her brother's arm, Rose looked indignant. "I would ask that you refrain from talking about my 'pale butt' otherwise I'm going to kick your scrawny butt!"

Ron and Ginny snickered at the siblings banter, earning them a death glare from the youngest and most fearsome Potter. "Anyway mate, you don't seem like you enjoyed your holiday that much." Ron noticed.

"Why aren't you this observant normally." Harry joked, although it wasn't very convincing. Giving a sigh, Harry ducked his head. "There was…an incident towards the end."

"What happened Harry?" Ginny asked, reaching out to hold his hand. Ron raised an eyebrow but didn't say a word as Harry reciprocated the gesture and held Ginny's hand.

Harry sat there for a moment in silence before speaking up. "There was a boy that Rose met, Marc. Muggle boy, who took a fancy to her."

"Oooo Rose, getting yourself a boyfriend huh?" Ron teased, "Alec is bound to be jealous!"

"Shut it Ron." Ginny growled, beating Rose.

Continuing with the story, Harry relayed how Marc invited their family to dinner with his, and how Harry had wound up sitting next to Esme, the eldest daughter.

"She um…she was probably closer to Percy's age, but she was very flirtatious with me, which made me very uncomfortable." Harry explained. Ginny clenched her jaw and held Harry's hand just that little bit extra as anger began to flow through her. "What she did next though…she kept touching my leg, my thigh to be exact."

"Near your…?"

"Yes Ron, near there." Harry blushed furiously, "Then she tricked me into ordering snails, which were disgusting. I ended up running to the bathrooms and crying my eyes out. After that, Sirius took me home to the cottage we were staying at."

Harry was pushed onto his back as Ginny launched forward and grabbed him in a fearsome hug. Overcoming his shock, Harry wrapped his arms around her, feeling her hot breath against his neck as she held him close. "Oh Harry…I'm so sorry."

"It's okay Gin…It's all in the past."

"I would've ripped her to shreds, how dare she!" Ginny's anger began to flow out of her now, gripping Harry tighter.

"That's exactly what Rose said." Harry chuckled lightly. After a moment, Ginny allowed Harry to get back up again as she extracted herself from his arms. Feeling rather embarrassed, Ginny buried her face in one of Harry's pillows, only realising moments afterwards that it was filled with his scent, making her blush even harder.

Looking over at his best friend, Harry was surprised that Ron's eyes were glistening. "I'm, really sorry mate…that's truly terrible." Reaching out, Ron placed his hand on Harry's shoulder, offering up support, "What that girl did was outright horrid."

"Yeah, tell me about it. Harry should've ripped her arm off and fed it to the snails." Rose said.

"How the hell would snails manage that?" Harry asked.

Rose's question sparked off a debate on the lethality of snails, leading down the path of poisonous sea snails and the harm stepping on one could do. By the time Juniper came up to send the Weasley's home, their conversation had become rather morbid, discussing how fast it would take for a colony of snails to devour a human body.

Finally, Harry's birthday week came around, meaning plans were in full swing to give him the best birthday party possible. Harry had already told his family not to make a big deal, but he did want one request, and that was to have some of his other friends at his birthday. Namely among them was Neville, Dean, Seamus and Luna. He figured Alec would be busy but sent him an invitation anyway, just in case he could make it.

Rose was acting rather suspicious in the lead up to his birthday, making all sorts of references to how he'd love his birthday present, and then saying that she only got him something small. Harry wasn't buying any of it, choosing to believe that Rose had something up her sleeve that would either embarrass him or he'd love it.

Finally, the day of Harry's 13th birthday arrived. He'd received replies from almost everyone he'd invited, with only Seamus being unavailable due to being away in Ireland. He hadn't heard anything from Alec which was confusing, but chalked it up to the international travel that the owls would need to take.

One of the main things Harry enjoyed about his birthday was the ability to sleep in, or at least sleep in a little longer than usual. This time around though, he was rudely awoken by the sound of a Muggle airhorn blaring into his room.

"Wassappening!" Falling out of bed in fright, Harry took a second to reorientate himself, finding his glasses so he could find the source of his rude awakening.

He found both Rose and Sirius cracking up with laughter by his door, an airhorn in Rose's hand. "You bloody brat! I'm so going to get you for this!"

"Nwah Harry, you won't be saying that once you see the present I got you!" Rose countered.

Doubting that very much, Harry scrambled to his feet in an effort to chase his sister and Godfather, who promptly escaped, cackling to themselves. Feeling annoyed now, Harry thundered downstairs, wand in hand, ready to hex somebody. As he got into the kitchen though, he was greeted with a thunderous shout of celebration. Around the table sat his entire family, including Remus and Sirius. What surprised him however were the grinning faces of Ron and Ginny, who both sat there with a present in their hands.

"Happy birthday mate!"

"Ron! What're you doing here?" Harry asked.

"Here to celebrate another day of you aging of course." Ron grinned.

Rolling his eyes, Harry took a seat beside Ginny. "No, I meant why are you here so early. Party isn't until later."

"Rose organised an entire day for all four of us before the party starts later on." Ginny provided some much-needed context, "Something about 'painting the town red' or along the lines of."

"Rose!" Sirius choked on his coffee, "How do you even know that phrase!"

"Television." Rose said simply.

The adults shook their heads as they realised the bad influence the Muggle piece of technology had on young children. "Honestly young lady…" Juni sighed, "Almost as bad as your mother."

"So, what's the first part of your master plan, sister dearest?" Harry asked, sitting down between Ron and Rose.

Rose waggled her eyebrows. "Well first off, some yummy breakfast of course! Grandma and I cooked up your favourite!"

"I didn't realise I had a favourite breakfast meal." Harry was surprised when his grandmother set in front of him a plate of piping hot pancakes with a treacle glaze, topped with crispy bacon. "Oh, okay…I could get use to this!"

Rose grinned as she watched her brother tuck into his breakfast. Juni had set down a plate in front of all four of the children, and even one for Sirius after he complained that it was unfair since he had the mentality of a child. Once everyone was stuffed, Rose hurried everyone up outside towards the Evans family car.

"Blimey, are we going in that?" Ron looked ecstatic as he hovered around the car, peering into the windows. The Impala was certainly a lot more graceful looking than the old Ford Anglia that Mr Weasley owned.

"That we are." Sirius had come out as well, spinning the car keys on his finger, "Since none of you munchkins can get around on your own, I'm your chauffeur and Chaperone."

Rose rolled her eyes as she leaned up against her godfather. "As if you're anywhere near responsible enough."

"Hey! I can be responsible…when I want to be." Sirius grinned, "Alright you lot, pile in. First stop, Exeter!"

Piling into the Evans old Impala, Sirius had fun spinning the tires before taking off down the driveway. It wasn't a long drive to Exeter, but Sirius made sure to take a few scenic routes, when possible, just to give them some extra time to jam out to the songs that Sirius had chucked on a cassette case.

"I'm surprised you know how to operate all these Muggle tools Mr Black." Ginny commented when he showed them the cassette tape.

"Lily, Harry and Rose's mum, taught me a lot about how Muggles live. She always said that it was important that Wizards and Witches understand how the other side live. I've tried to uphold that ideal." Sirius explained.

"That's very thoughtful Sirius." Rose added, "I'm sure mum would be very proud of you."

Sirius smiled as he looked back at his goddaughter through the rear-view mirror, the smile only widening as he saw the great big grin on her face. Continuing to drive for another hour of so, the group finally pulled into the outskirts of Exeter. Harry was still curious as to where they were going, having no idea what Rose and Sirius had in store for him. His questions were finally answered when Sirius pulled that car into the carpark of a local games arcade.

"No way! Please tell me we're going in there?" Harry looked enthusiastically out the window at the shiny neon lights that illuminated the arcades name 'Super Fun Zone Game Arcade'.

Giggling to herself, Rose nodded her head as she took her brothers hand and pulled him out the car. "Happy birthday Harry! This is your first surprise!"

Feeling giddy all of a sudden, Harry dashed for the entrance, followed closely behind by Ron, Rose and Ginny. The two Purebloods had no idea what a 'Game Arcade' was, but judging from Harry's excitement it was clearly fun.

"What exactly is this place." Ron whispered to Sirius, who followed close behind.

"It's a place where Muggles go and play games, except they're electric games, like on a television."

Ron and Ginny looked in awe as they entered the building, dazzled by the flashing lights and loud noises. "Wicked…" They both said in unison.

Before they could all run off, Sirius rounded them up and handed out some ground rules. "Stay in eyesight of one another at all times, and just use your common sense. I obviously don't need to tell you about the major rule of no .M.A.G.I.C…right?" The kids all nodded, "Good. Now, here's 50 pounds each, you can convert it too tokens up at the desk there."

Harry and Rose led the way, exchanging their Muggle money, and Ron and Ginny's, for instore game tokens that could be used to play the games. Once they had a full bag worth of tokens, they went searching for a game they could all play. Ron was particularly fascinated with the basketball hoop game and challenged Harry to a game. Everyone was surprised when Ron managed to beat Harry soundly, earning himself a row of paper tickets.

"What's this that just came out?" Ron asked.

"They're winning tickets. Some games give you tickets when you win and you can exchange them for prizes up at the counter." Rose explained.

The Weasley siblings looked back at the counter where along the back wall there were an assortment of various goodies just waiting to be won. "That's it, now it's a competition!" Ginny grinned.

For the next couple of hours or so, the pair of siblings battled their way throughout the arcade, versing each other on various different games. There was also a claw machine which Harry used his nimble fingers to win a small plush dragon toy for Ginny, earning himself a blush and smile from the latter. They also learned the hard way that some games didn't give you tickets at all, like the fighting games, which was unfortunate as Ron and Harry seemed to enjoy watching their characters beating the snot out of each other.

"Very therapeutic." Ron explained, "I just picture Malfoy's face when I use the special attack."

Harry couldn't help but laugh, and be thankful that Hermione wasn't there to chastise them all.

At one point, Sirius showed them how to play a dance rhythm game where one had to move their feet so it landed on the correct movement. Almost every failed spectacularly, except for Ginny, who's nimble footing led her to having a dance off with Sirius. He even went as far as to buy his own tokens so they could have a rematch when she beat him soundly with Michael Jacksons Beat It.

Finally, though, Sirius gave them a 10-minute warning that they had to leave soon to get to their next destination. Rounding up all their tickets, they found that they had amounted quite a significant hoard. Harry bought himself a load of sweets and a pair of toy soldiers with parachutes attached at the top so you could drop them from a height. Rose bought a set of pretend jewellery and a plastic crown that she proudly declared she'd wear for the rest of the day. Ginny decided on a bunch of Muggle firecrackers, with Sirius' permission, so that she could prank the twins at some stage. And finally, Ron went the wackiest of them all and bought a Muggle cap gun.

"What on Earth are you going to do with that?" Harry asked.

"Dunno, probably scare the Twins I imagine. Imagine the faces on them if I woke them up with it in the morning!" Ron grinned rather evilly.

Shaking his head, Harry bagged up his winnings and joined the others by the entrance. Jumping back into the car, the group set off towards their next destination, which was a mystery to everyone but Sirius and Rose. Heading away from the city centre, Sirius took the group through the suburbs of Exeter, past an industrial estate before they reached a commercial strip that was lined with car dealerships and other larger wholesale depots. One building stood out though, and that was a large warehouse like structure that was decorated with painted on chequered racing flags and a helmet. The sign advertising what they were was written in bright red paint, 'Go-Kart Mania'. Harry had only heard about Go-Karts in passing from other children at the Muggle Primary School he attended, so he had a rough idea what they were but wasn't quite sure.

Ron and Ginny on the other hand had no idea what a 'Go-Kart' was. "Um, Rose? What's a Go-Kart?" Ginny asked.

"Think of it as a mini car, and you have to race around a track against other people." Rose explained, "It'll be fun! Trust me!"

"A car? Like a Muggle Car?" Ron looked worried.

Rose nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly!"

The two purebloods looked slightly worried but were relieved when Sirius told them that it was perfectly safe. "It's just like flying a broom, there's lots of safety equipment and the cars don't go fast enough to do any damage."

"Guess we'll have to make a friendly wager then hey Ron?" Harry grinned.

"What's the bet?" Ron asked.

Thinking for a moment, Harry pondered what he'd like from Ron as Sirius pulled them into the carpark. "How about you let me beat you at chess for the next 5 games."

Looking gobsmacked, everyone couldn't help but laugh at Harry request, while wondering if Ron would accept. "Alright, deal! But if I win, I get to use your broom for a month."

"Deal, I'll let you use it for the rest of the holidays so long as I get it back by the time school starts again."

Shaking on the bet, the two best friends were eager now to see just who would be the better Muggle racer out of the pair of them. Sirius led them into the building, followed closely behind by Rose who was once more dragging her brother around like a stuffed toy. One would almost think it was her birthday they were celebrating. The lady who was manning the front desk confirmed their reservation and led them through to a side room where an older Muggle instructor joined them.

He explained to them the ins and outs of how to operate the Kart with a demonstration model, teaching them how to break and how to accelerate. He then informed them how to handle the track, where to break and to not hit the corners. Lastly, he went over the rules and the safety guidelines they had, including no bumping into other Karts and never removing your helmet until you were away from the Kart. Once the instructor was satisfied that the four teenagers understood the rules, he led them through a side door that led to a big open air shed, full of different Karts and half of the track. The mob spent the next few minutes picking out their gear and which Kart they were going to take, before pushing them onto the track by the starting line. Sirius sat on the sidelines with a Muggle camera in hand, grinning like mad as he kept taking shots of the group.

"Smile you lot!" Sirius called out.

Everyone but Ron was ready for the shot, the former looking quite dopey as he was caught mid turn to try and face the camera. The instructor gave the four of them another once over, fastening straps and making sure engines were running perfect before he got them ready for the race. They would have to complete 5 laps around the course, which he told them was about 3 miles long. Once everyone was set up just behind the starting line, the instructor held out a chequered black and white flag, holding his fingers out and counting down to 3 before he waved the flag, marking the start of the race. Ginny surprised everyone by taking off first, getting a good head start as Harry and Rose followed close. Ron was slow to start but quickly got the hang of the machine. What he couldn't handle however were the corners of the track, which he soon learned were not as soft as they looked when he crashed into a side after taking a corner a bit too quickly. Harry meanwhile was in a struggle for second as he was almost neck and neck with his sister, but he managed to get ahead of both the girls when Ginny accidently grazed her kart against a barrier, causing her to slow down to try and control the vehicle, which meant Rose had to swerve out the way to avoid rear-ending Ginny. Now in the lead, Harry quickly gained a good amount of ground between himself and Ginny, but was surprised when he saw Ron trying to overtake him on one of the straighter sections. Cutting him off, Harry managed to keep his lead as they passed through the first checkpoint that marked the end of the first lap. But he soon lost his lead when Rose came screaming up behind him, swerving between Ron and Harry as they slowed down around the corners. Shaking his fist in annoyance, Harry had to quickly grip his wheel again as Ginny came roaring past, scaring the life out of him. The boys were now stuck in 3rd and 4th, shaming them both as their previous performance was undone thanks to their more nimble sisters. Rose and Ginny continued to overtake each other for the next lap, leading Ron and Harry to try and use each other to get passed the girls, but failed to reach them until the 3rd lap when Harry used one of the straight sections to overtake Rose. Now vying for first place with Ginny, Harry made sure to get as close as he could without hitting her kart, which was probably the worst idea he could have. Seeing how close Harry was in her side mirror, Ginny break checked him, forcing him to slam on his breaks and go careening into the barrier with a bang. Sirius managed to get the scene on camera, laughing to himself thoroughly as the instructor commented on Ginny's driving skills.

As Harry righted himself, Rose managed to slip passed him, causing him to curse under his breath. Thankfully he managed to pull out in front of Ron and gain a lead as Ron had to break. Racing against time as they entered the last lap, Harry concentrated on the track ahead of him, ignoring all distractions behind and around him. Slipping past his sister, Harry allowed himself to look back to see his sister shaking her fist. With now only Ginny to contend with, Harry was confident he could win. Harry approached from behind quickly as he swerved around a corner with a marker that signalled the last stretch of the race. Just as Harry was about to overtake Ginny, both drivers failed to notice the bend that was coming up quickly, forcing them to break to avoid hitting the barrier. With their momentum now broken, Rose and Ron slipped past their siblings, finishing in 1st and 2nd respectively. Ginny also managed to slip in front scoring 3rd place whilst Harry finished in a miserable 4th and last place. As the group pulled their kart to a stop just in front of the finish line, the instructor came out to help turn off the Karts engines and get them out of their safety straps.

"Well done guys, that was well raced. And you two lasses were fantastic, real naturals!" The instructor shook their hands in congratulations.

Sirius came over as well, grinning as he rustled Rose's hair. "Couldn't let your brother win even on his birthday huh? Cheeky!"

Smiling from ear to ear, Rose beamed with pride as she puffed out her chest. Harry gave a mock glare as he came over and noogied his sisters head. "Brat! Can't believe you beat me!"

"What can I say Harry, I guess I'm just the better Potter."

"You're so asking for it..." Harry threatened jokingly.

As the kids stripped the safety gear from their bodies, Ron came over and nudged Harry's shoulder. "So about that broom..."

"Yes, yes...it's yours for the rest of the summer. Can't believe you beat me."

Ron grinned and slapped Harry on the back. "Thanks mate! I promise I won't break it!"

"I know you won't." Harry grinned, "Just don't push her too hard."

Shaking his head, Ron just chuckled. "Don't worry, your Nimbus is in good hands."

Harry rolled his eyes, about to respond as Ginny came over with a sorrowful look on her face. "I'm sorry Harry, that break was my fault...I wasn't paying attention."

"Ginny, honestly it's okay! I didn't see it either I was just that focused on the road." Harry slipped his arm around Ginny's shoulder, "Besides, you did fantastic for a first time."

Ginny tried to smile but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Really? I didn't ruin your birthday then?"

Harry looked taken aback. "What? Of course not! This is the best birthday I've ever had!"

Feeling a little relieved, Ginny leaned into Harry's embrace, smiling softly. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Rose has been talking about this plan for ages now."

"Oh really?" Harry looked at his sister and smiled, "You've got a sneaky side to you sis."

Giving her brother a devious grin, Rose just slipped in on the other side of Harry's arm. "Of course, after all we can't all be goody tooshoos. some of us have to be devious."

"Need I remind you that Tis I, your brother, that inherited dads invisibility cloak. Clearly he meant for me to be the prankster!" Harry argued.

"That's only because Dumbledore gave it to you!" Rose huffed, "And had he known about my devious streak, he'd have given it to me no doubt!"

"You keep telling yourself that sis." Harry grinned.

The argument was settled, or at least out on hold, once Sirius decided to break it up and get them to return their gear back to the racks where they'd got them in the first place. Sirius had to promise the group of friends that he'd take them back another day after there was an outcry, begging for another race. Making it clear that they were expected home in order to greet their other guests, Sirius rounded the kids up and piled them back in the Evans family car. On the way home, Harry couldn't help but mention that Sirius could be taking the corners at a much faster pace, earning him a mock glare in the rear view mirror from Sirius.

"Just because you got to use a Go-Kart doesn't make you an expert driver pup. You'll have to wait until you're older to get behind the wheel of an actual car."

Giving his best pout, Harry huffed as the others sniggered at his expense. "You're being awfully mean to the birthday boy." He pouted.

"Only because we love you Harry, you big dingus." Rose countered.

"Odd way of showing love." Harry said.

Ron and Ginny looked at each other and laughed. "You obviously aren't familiar with the twins way of showing love." Ron said.

"I don't know if I ever want to see that." Harry grimaced, "Especially if it's anything like how they treat Percy."

"Oh no, Percy gets a special treatment for being a ponce." Ginny explained.

"Poor Percy, you lot treat him horribly sometimes." Rose spoke up.

Ron and Ginny gave each other a sideways glance. "Trust me Rose; if you saw how bad he was at home, you'd think differently." Ginny said.

The discussion around what constituted as sibling bullying and love continued all the way back home, to the Evans residence. Towards the end, it was agreed that Harry was by far the best sibling, although only just nudging Bill and Charlie out of the way by fact that Harry had saved Rose's life. There was a moment of silence when Rose mentioned that tidbit of information. Ron wanted to press the issue but Ginny silenced him, having heard about the experience from Rose herself and not wanting to spoil the mood anymore. Harry for his part, looked rather somber at the mention of the night they finally escaped from the Dursleys. He hadn't given it much thought at all over the last couple of years, but it still popped up occasionally in his mind; what would've happened it Dumbledore didn't show up, would he be buried in some unknown grave next to his sister.

There was a gentle squeeze on his hand, breaking Harry out of his thoughts as he looked up and met the sparkling brown eyes of Ginny. "You okay?"

Nodding, Harry returned the squeeze. "Yeah, just thinking."

"That's dangerous mate." Ron pipped up, although he looked rather distressed at the thought of his mate dying.

"Maybe you should give it a try sometime." Harry quipped back jokingly.

Ron looked rather offended, but still smiled at the joke. The group spent the rest of the drive home in comfortable silence, although Ron would make the occasion comment on someone they drove past. Finally, they arrived back at the Evans residence, where they saw the silhouettes of even more guests, plus two additional vehicles in the driveway, a recognisable Ford Anglia and a bike with a sidecar that was less familiar. Harry had a huge grin on his face when he saw that it was the rest of the Weasleys, plus Hermione and Luna. Rose was the first to spring out of the car, making a beeline for Luna and wrapping her arms around the girl's waist.

"Luna! I've missed you!"

Luna smiled in her airy like way, petting Rose on the head as she returned the hug. "I've missed you too Rose. I'm glad to see that you're still Nargle free."

Shaking her head, Rose just tightened the hug before standing aside for Ginny to greet her friend as well. "Hey Luna."

"Ginny, I would ask how you are but I think I could guess the answer." Luna sagely responded.

Blushing, Ginny stepped forward to give Luna a hug herself to try and stave off some of the embarrassment that was starting to spread in her mind. Whilst the girls said hello to their other friend, Harry and Ron were busily fighting off an ecstatic Hermione who was gushing about how much she'd missed them.

"My boys! I've missed you both so much!" Hermione dragged them into a hug all together, sandwiching herself between Harry and Ron.

"Relax 'Mione! You're gonna break our ribs!" Ron protested, even as his face went bright red with a flush.

Harry felt awkward as well, but humoured his other best friend by reciprocating the hug. "How was your holiday Hermione? Did you end up skiing?"

The bushy haired witch shook her head. "Not really. We went to some of the higher peaks which still had snow, but this year it was rather hot I'm afraid, so not a lot of snow. But we shouldn't talk about my holiday, it's your birthday after all! Happy birthday Harry!"

Hermione leaned up and gave Harry a kiss on the cheek, causing further embarrassment from Harry. "Um, thanks Hermione. Shall we go inside?"

Everyone seemed to approve of the decision, filing past an awkward looking Harry you welcomed everyone inside. As Ginny passed Hermione, she gave the older girl a glare which troubled Hermione, not realising why she'd be upset until she realised her actions a moment before which brought a blush to her face as well. As everyone had escaped inside, Luna pulled Harry aside and gave him a hug in greeting as well, pulling him aside to privately chat for a moment.

"How are you Harry, you seem rather tired."

Harry shrugged. "It's been a busy day, Rose has dragged me around, but its been fun."

Luna's eyes narrowed in disbelief. "I don't mean tired from just today. You're not sleeping, are you."

A little put off that Luna was confronting him; Harry just crossed his arms. "I'm fine thank you Luna."

"You're not." She interrupted, "You're not fine, and neither is Ginny, I can see it in you both."

Harry sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck in awkwardness. "You're right, I'm having nightmares almost every other night. And I'm constantly having fluctuations in emotions that don't seem like my own."

Luna gave out a thoughtful hum as she thought about what Harry had said. "I think you and Ginny need to have another conversation."

"About what?"

Luna bonked him on the head with a magazine she'd been holding. "About what happened in the chamber, silly! You both suffered a joint trauma, that leaves an impact on people's relationships."

Blushing, Harry rubbed his head but nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll have a chat with her. Come on inside anyway, I'm sure Rose is already gossiping about us."

"She wouldn't, she saves that exclusively for when yourself and Ginny disappear."

Harry's eyes bugged out as he spluttered, retreating from the conversation by disappearing inside. When he entered the loungeroom though, all of Luna's ideas were blasted from his mind as a deafening roar greeted him.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!"

Not only was the entirety of his family there, including Remus and Sirius, but all the Weasley's minus Charlie and Bill were also present. What Harry didn't expect were the other guests, like Neville, Dean, Hagrid and even Professor Dumbledore. Even the Henderson's managed to make it, with Alec and Lennox grinning like idiots at Harry's surprised look.

"Wha…What? How did this happen!"

"Rose and Sirius organised this little shindig to surprise you! I'd say it worked." Lennox grinned, "Made it just in time too, international Portkey was a little wonky, landed in Frankfurt so had to hightail it here by Apparating."

"Only just got here as you pulled in the driveway! But couldn't let you go without a proper birthday get together!" Alec added.

Astounded by all the people that were there to celebrate his birthday, Harry was overwhelmed by emotions. Feeling himself tear up a little, he was brought back to reality when he felt the slight hand of his sister slip into his own and give a little squeeze. "People love you, Harry. They're here for you."

Smiling, Harry nodded at his sister before squeezing back, breaking off to greet the rest of his guests. Arthur, Alex, Sirius and Remus had spent most of the afternoon putting up a large pavilion in the back garden, with plenty of space for the various guests who'd come to wish Harry a happy birthday. Whilst the adults finished off the last of the prep, including a birthday feast fit for a king, the teens managed to conscript Hagrid into an impromptu game of football, after discussing the rules with those not familiar with the sport, namely Neville, Hagrid and Luna. Dean volunteered to explain how to play the game to those not familiar, his enthusiasm over the game showing as he explained in great vibrancy how to kick the ball and how to score a goal.

It wasn't until the final beams of sunlight danced across the tree tops that the group of friends stopped playing. Hagrid was rather relieved, as even though he was an excellent goalkeeper due to his size, he was still worn out from the over exertion that he wasn't use too. As the teens filed off the field, Harry found himself walking into an expectant looking Dumbledore.

"Harry my dear boy, I was hoping that perhaps we could have a quick chat before the food arrives?"

Looking a little confused, Harry agreed and followed as Dumbledore led him off to the side away from prying ears. "I hope you've had a most enjoyable birthday so far. Sirius was just informing me that young Rose planned a rather muggle birthday celebration for you."

"It was fantastic Sir, I've always wanted to try some of the things Rose organised and… well I guess I finally got a chance too."

Dumbledore smiled. "I'm glad you had the opportunity. It's important that we keep an open mind when It comes to the muggle world. We are all, Afterall, human. But that's not what I wished to discuss." Pausing for a moment, Dumbledore seemed to think about what he was going to say next, "Peter Pettigrew will come after you Harry, you need to be prepared for that."

Harry nodded. "I've already accepted that Sir, it's been a topic of much discussion in our household these last few weeks. We even had the Minister of Magic come and offer us protection."

"Offering his Dementors no doubt." Dumbledore asked. When Harry nodded, Dumbledore just shook his head. "Foul creatures, I still do not understand why we resorted to using them. But that is a discussion for another time. No, Harry, I wanted to warn…no, inform you that once you come back to school, things will be very different for you."

"How so Sir?" Harry cocked an eyebrow.

"For starters, we're going to have a very long overdue conversation about the night your parents died." Dumbledore said. Harry's eyes widened but he remained silent, waiting for the next part. "I'm also going to be taking you aside once a week for private lessons…only for an hour or so but I think that given your circumstances that you will soon understand, I think it's only best you're prepared."

"Prepared for Voldemort…"

Dumbledore nodded silently. "He's coming back…isn't he."

"Almost certainly Harry." Dumbledore sighed, "A powerful dark wizard such as Voldemort would not have made himself so easily vanquished. No, I believe that at the moment we are in a state of limbo, waiting for the next spark that lights the fuse."

Letting out his own sign, Harry nodded thoughtfully. "Is that the only difference Sir?"

"No Harry, our new Defence teacher will also be taking you for lessons, as will Professor McGonagall. She was included after much uproar from not being included in your…private tutelage."

Feeling rather touched that McGonagall was so invested in his wellbeing, Harry felt his throat constrict a little. "Who's our new Defence teacher Sir?"

"Ah Harry, now that's a surprise that I'm not allowed to share yet. You'll find out, all in due time."

Harry pouted but accepted the answer. A thought crossed his mind though. "What about Rose? And my friends? Won't they be in danger too?"

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "They will be, without a doubt. Your sister will join you in due time, however as she is only a second year, she still needs to grasp the fundamentals of magic first. As for your friends, perhaps you can work out amongst yourselves a day in which you can share what you have learnt, as I would personally like to keep our lessons between yourself and your sister."

"Well…I'll certainly think about it. You've given me a lot to think about, so I think I might need to go stuff myself full of cake to try and distract myself." Harry laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

Dumbledore was not immune to his humour, chuckling along to the young mans joke. "That sounds like a rather marvellous idea, although I would've thought that perhaps the treacle tarts would be more to your liking?"

Blushing, Harry nodded. "Well, I wouldn't say no to a treacle tart either!"

"That's the spirit lad, sweets make the world a better place."

"Is that why you always offer people lemon sherbets Professor?" Harry queried as they began to walk back over to the other guests.

Dumbledore laughed and shook his head. "Oh no Harry, I must admit that I truly do just enjoy a nice acidic lemon sherbet, probably more often that I should."

"Maybe you should have a chat to the Grangers Sir, they should check your teeth for cavities!"

Another laugh came bellowing out of Dumbledores insides as he had to stop himself in his tracks. "I daresay Harry, that If I were to go to a muggle dentist, they would more than likely want to rip half my teeth out."

Harry laughed along with his professor, enjoying the moment they had between master and apprentice. Finally, dinner was called to service, leading everyone to flock around the table. Harry was guided to the middle of the table, seated beside Ginny and Rose, in typical fashion, as Ron, Hermione and Alec sat across from him. On either end of the table sat Hagrid and Dumbledore, whilst everyone else sat themselves wherever they pleased. This of course led Arthur to sit himself next to Alex so they could have a rather animated discussion on combustion engines and how they worked, giving Molly heart palpitations when Arthur suggested that perhaps he could modify the Ford Anglia to work underwater. Discussion amongst the children included talk of who the new Defence teacher could be, with no one thankfully noticing the little looks Remus would send their way every time they brought it back up. Hermione was also discussing with Harry their Ancient Runes and Arithmancy classes that they'd be taking, although Ron was less than thrilled to be talking about school work.

Throughout the evening though, one thing kept distracting Harry, and that was the presence of Ginny's leg wound around his own, keeping her fully within his touch. It was comforting, and Harry would also tell that Ginny found it comforting as well. He recalled how attached she was just after the Chamber, how she clung to his arm the entirety of the day afterwards. He found himself reaching down and gripping her hand more than once, symbolising that he knew what she was doing and thoroughly approved of it. No one was none the wiser though, although Harry had suspicions that the looks Luna was sending the pair of them was her way, I saying that she knew what they were doing. Their conversation at the beginning of the night kept going around in Harry's head, thinking about how to broach the subject with Ginny.

Harry's thoughts were distracted once again though as his grandmother came out with a large platter carrying a cake that was more than enough to serve at leas the entirety of Gryffindor house, if not half of Hufflepuff as well. Ron's eyes went wide and Harry swore he could see a trail of drool come down from his mouth. That was of course until Hermione wacked him over the knuckles with her knife, causing him to shut his mouth. Rose got up to help Juni, before leading them all into a very ragtag rendition of Happy birthday. It was only the third time in his life that Harry had experienced such a tradition, but he didn't think he'd ever get over it. Once the round of applause was finished and Harry had blown out his candles to make his wish, Juniper, Molly and Rose all helped dish out plates of cake to the guests, serving Harry the largest. He was surprised to find that it had a jelly filling in the middle that consisted of Raspberry and Boysenberry, which made his mouth drool. He was suddenly feeling very sorry for Ron, who he couldn't blame for reacting to such a cake.

Once everyone had stuffed themselves full of cake, Juni wrangled their guests inside where Harry could open his presents, and everyone could get a little snifter of after dinner liquor, in particular a homemade plum brandy that Juni had just finished fermenting. Gathered around in the loungeroom, the kids sat themselves down on the floor in front of the impressive pile of presents for Harry, that he hadn't even noticed as he returned home. Everyone grabbed their separate presents, ready to present them to Harry. Dean chipped in for a present between himself and Seamus, getting Harry a brand new football and a set of keeper gloves so they could play a proper match next time they visited. Luna gave Harry a homemade dream catcher which she claimed would help keep bad dreams away, something that Harry was curious but sceptical to see if it worked. Juni and Alex gave Harry a brand-new suede jacket that was coloured in a deep emerald green, to match his eyes. Hagrid had gifted him a rather monstrous book that tried to take his fingers off when he touched it, until Hagrid told him to stroke its spine.

"It's teh new book for Magical Creatures! I thought I'd ought te get yah one seeing that I'm to be the new teacher." This newfound knowledge was met with jubilation from the Gryffindors present, and the adults all gave their support for the endeavour, Afterall, most of them were aware of the circumstances surrounding the snapping of his wand.

Hagrid had also passed along a book from McGonagall, with instructions that she'd be testing his knowledge at their first meeting, causing various curious glances towards Harry. The book itself looking incredibly old and fragile, and when Dumbledore peered over Harry's shoulder to gain a look, his eyebrows rose a good centimetre.

"I can't believe she found it!"

Harry examined the book, trying to figure out the title. "The Sworn Book of Honorius? Who's Honorius?"

"He was a very famous and powerful conjurer that lived around 700 years ago. He was a master in conjuring and transfiguration, even Muggles believed he possessed some form of power. For years, it was thought that his grimoire was lost, but apparently not…" Dumbledore reached out and touched the book almost reverently, "I would look after this book Harry. If Professor McGonagall has gifted it to you, it shows that she has unquestionable faith in your abilities."

Blushing, Harry gently flipped through the pages, finding himself shocked that he could understand most of the words inside, even though they were written in Latin. All the years of reading Latin in spell books were finally proving themselves useful.

Putting the priceless artifact aside, Harry grabbed his gift from the Henderson's, a box of Lamingtons which they explained were a delicacy back home in Australia. Neville also got Harry a box full of seed packets of various different magical and muggle plants that had medicinal and potion related uses, informing Harry that it was cheaper to plant is own and harvest them then to buy store-bought ingredients.

The eldest Weasleys, Molly, Arthur, Bill, Charlie and Percy, had all chipped in and bought Harry a new satchel after the Dwarf split his open during the fiasco at Valentine's Day. The Twins once more gave a pack of tricks and pranking lollies, including pastilles that changed your voice into various animals. Ron bought Harry his customary sweets, but also added a surprise in the form of a collector's book for Chocolate Frog cards, in which one could keep all their cards.

When it got to Ginny, there was a rather expectant look in everyone's eyes as they watched her hand over her package. Accepting it with a slight amount of reverence, Harry made sure his hand brushed hers as he smiled and thanked her for the gift. Ripping open the layers of wrapping paper, Harry's eyes widened as he looked inside. A magical picture stared up at him of himself and Ginny sleeping on the couch at the Burrow one night after a particularly gruesome game of scratch Quidditch. What made the photo special though, was the way that Ginny laid her head on his shoulder, with Harry leaning against her as well. In typical wizarding photo fashion, the image moved, and in this one it showed Ginny's hand reaching out mid slumber to grip Harry's own hand.

Harry felt his heart constrict for a moment as he ran a finger along the image. "Oh Gin…It's beautiful."

Ginny blushed but smiled nonetheless. "Mum showed it to me when I told her I was struggling to find you a present. I thought you might like to put it somewhere in your room."

"I know exactly where I'll put it." Harry smiled. He'd already decided that it was going to go on his bedside table, where he could always make sure to reach over and stroke the frame if ever, he needed to.

Putting Ginny's present to the side, Harry was surprised to get one jointly from Remus and Sirius. "Open it up pup, you're gonna love this." Sirius grinned.

Tearing open the wrapping, Harry found a muggle pair of riding gloves, a leather jacket and a motorcycle helmet with goggles included. "Um, thank you, but why do I need a helmet?"

Sirius and Remus gave each other a look and chuckled. "Did you see that bike out front when you got in?" Harry nodded, "Well that belongs to me. Hagrid has been keeping it for me whilst I…whilst I was put away, and finally decided to hand it back. So I thought I'd take you for a ride sometime!"

Harry's eyes widened and a face splitting grin cracked his face. "Seriously?!"

"No, I'm Sirius."

Sirius' comment earnt a smack upside the head from Remus. "That was old 20 years ago Padfoot. But yes, he's serious Harry."

Rushing over to his uncles, Harry gave them each a massive hug as he started blabbering about how much fun it'll be to ride on a muggle motorcycle. "Should I tell him it flies…" Sirius whispered to Remus once Harry sat back down.

"Let it be a surprise, but just make sure you show me the memory afterwards." Remus chuckled.

Finally, it came to Rose's present. She was looking rather smug at herself as she handed a thin, rectangular package to Harry. "I know you've gotten a lot of books this year but I think you'll enjoy this one the most…"

Raising his eyebrow in suspicion, Harry tore open the package and found a rather brightly coloured book looking up at him. The front cover was adorned with various wand stances and moved and shot spells across the cover, before hitting the golden edged title, lighting it up. "Pugnatores Script? What does that mean?" Harry asked his sister.

"It means The Fighters book. It's a book on how to duel, how to defend yourself and how to attack." Rose grinned, "It's very well-known apparently, Sirius helped me choose it out."

Harry flipped through the pages and found some rather well illustrated moving images that showed him the various stances and wand movements for spells he had heard of and some that he'd never even thought were possible. One of them included a spell that fused the hair from somebody's head to the hair in their armpits and then tightened it, stopping them from moving their arms or being able to see as their head was forced back. "Wicked!" Harry grinned as he pulled his sister into a hug and kiss, "Thanks Rose, we can look through this together later."

"Oh now Harry, is that really wise?" Rose grinned maniacally

"So long as you promise not to use them on me…" Harry countered.

With the last of the presents sorted and Harry thanking each and every one of his guests, it was time to call it a night and head back to the various abodes they resided in. Arthur made sure to escort Dean back to his home using the floo network and then walking him home, whilst Luna and Neville took the floo directly back to their homes. Sirius took Hermione home by Apparating, just as the Hendersons side along Apparated back to their own home. Finally, the last to leave were the Weasley's, who piled into their family Ford Anglia like a scene from a circus.

Ron and Ginny hung back to say more personal goodbyes to their friends, with Ron giving Harry a one-armed hug. "I hope that hade up for the rather shit year we had mate."

"Definitely." Harry grinned, "I'll come over tomorrow with my broom and you can have a go before keeping it."

Ron's eyes lit up. "You're actually serious about that? I was only joking."

Shaking his head, Harry just smiled. "Of course, I'm serious. I don't break promises."

"I…thank you mate! I'll make sure to look after her!" Ron gushed.

"I know you will." Harry said, "Just make sure I get her back before Woods finds out I lent her."

Nodding, Ron left with a great big grin on his face, picturing just how fast he could go on the Nimbus. Finally, it was down to just Harry, Ginny and Rose, the latter of which was wrapping up saying goodbye to her best friend before heading inside, but not before sending a wink over to Harry. Even though the beady eyes of the Weasley's were watching them from the car, Harry still felt as though everything in the world was drowned out as he looked over into Ginny's eyes.

"Thank you, for helping give me such a fantastic birthday." Harry smiled lightly, finding the tips of his shoes all the more interesting.

Ginny just shrugged nonchalantly. "It was Rose's idea; I just came along."

"You still helped make it a fantastic day…"

Blushing, Ginny reached forward and grabbed a hold of Harry's hand. "You deserved it. Out of all of us, you deserved it the most."

"I don't know about that…"

"Of course, you do Harry." Ginny growled, "You're a bloody hero and you almost died saving a stupid little girl from her own faults. You deserve a year off if I'm honest."

Harry hadn't seen Ginny get fired up in quite some time, surprising him. "I've said it before and I'll say it again…it wasn't your fault."

Ginny bowed her head and stepped closer to Harry. "I'm sorry…it's hard to accept, that's all."

Bringing her forward into a hug, Harry slotted Ginny just underneath his chin, rubbing circles in her back. "We'll talk about it soon, I promise. But remember, no one blames you…and I would've done anything to save you."

"Harry…"

"I'm serious." Harry let out his own growl, "There was no way I was leaving you down there, whether a teacher was going to save you or not, I was going down there."

Pulling back from their embrace, Ginny nodded, a tear coming to her eye which she furiously swiped away. "Harry…you're too good to me…"

"No, I'm not." Harry said simply, "You're my Gin."

The phrase still made Ginny smile, making her wish her family wasn't watching so she could give Harry a kiss. She decided against it though, knowing that her family wouldn't stop bothering her about it for months if she did. Instead, she reached out and squeezed his hand one last time before dashing off to the car. Just before she hopped in, she paused and gave one final look back towards Harry, smiling as her heartrate skyrocketed. There was one thing Ginny Weasley understood more than anything in the world, her crush was gone, and she was more than just smitten with Harry James Potter.

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Wiltshire

Darkness covered the land once again as summer storms broke to show a clear sky, full of twinkling stars. Lucius Malfoy always enjoyed looking up at the stars at night, picking out the constellations, finding new ones and even trying to remember which of his wife's cousins were named after stars. As he sat out on his balcony, overlooking his estate, Lucius noticed a commotion just past the gate. A pair of bushes were acting rather erratically, moving from side to side as if possessed by some spirit. Knowing better than to believe some hogwash such as possession of a bush, Lucius was more concerned that it was an intruder, especially after his run in with his home invader a few weeks previously.

Grabbing his wand, Lucius made his way downstairs and out onto the grounds, lighting his path before coming to a stop at the bush. He could swear he heard whimpering the closer he got, almost as if there was a man crying in his bush.

"I'll warn you once you louse, if you don't show yourself, I'll blow this bush apart and everything inside it too!" Lucius raised his wand in warning.

"Don't! Please! It's me Lucius!"

Lucius' eyes widened as a dishevelled looking Peter Pettigrew emerged from the bushes, cowering on the ground. "Pettigrew." He spat, "I didn't think you'd actually come."

"Y-you knew I was coming?" Peter stuttered.

Lucius nodded. "Yes, I was…informed of your coming from a 'benefactor'."

Peters' eyes widened at the name. "A benefactor! That's who released me from Prison!"

It was Lucius' turn to be surprised. "He came to you?"

"Yes! In my cell! I don't know how he even got in, or how he left, but he helped free me."

"I too was visited by this 'benefactor', a few weeks ago." Lucius explained, "He informed me that you'd be coming. I thought it was a delusion though, that I had too much Firewhisky. Apparently not."

Peter got to his feet as Lucius explained his meeting, shivering either out of fright or cold. "Do you…do you know who he is Lucius?"

"I do not. I don't believe we should trust him either way."

Peter was about to respond when a great ball of lighting lit up the night sky. There was no roar of thunder to accompany it though, instead there was the sound of a throat clearing itself. "Gentlemen. I'm glad we're all back together."

Lucius' spine tingled as he turned around to face the figure. There, smiling, was the Benefactor. "What do you want…"

"Why Lucius, that's no way to greet the man who rid you of your charges, or gave you back your gold." The Benefactor tutted, "You of all people should know what happens next."

"I'm afraid that you've mistaken my cognitive foresight." Lucius snidely remarked.

The Benefactor smirked as he walked over and examined Peter. "I must admit, I am surprised you made it out alive. Then again, you are particularly good at being a cockroach."

Peter stuttered and tried to defend himself, but found himself too weak to do so. "Now that we're all here Gentlemen, it's time to discuss the next part of our plan."

"Look, I don't know what you want, but both of you can get off my property right now before I blast you off it!" Lucius was getting frustrated now, mainly over the fact that he was losing power in the conversation.

"Hush Lucius." The Benefactor waved a hand over Malfoy Senior, you suddenly began to panic when he found he could no longer talk, "There, that's better. Once I'm done explaining, then you may have your voice back."

Staring at the figure with pure hatred, Lucius waited as The Benefactor explained his plan. "It's quite simple really gentlemen…we're going to either kill Harry Potter, or extract his blood."

Peter looked at the man in shock. "But, why? And how! He's always guarded by those…those…blood traitors!"

The Benefactor chuckled. "You were a blood traitor too Peter, so I would choose your words wisely. No, we need the blood in order to help your master rise back to his full strength."

Lucius' eyes widened as he heard the Benefactors main goal. "For that to happen, we need Potters blood. Now, Peter, you're going to be the one to do it."

"M-me? Why?"

"Because you're a rat Peter." The Benefactor deadpanned, "And Lucius here has other tasks that I'll set him. Is that clear?"

Both of them nodded. "Good. Now, lets go inside and have a little chat. Lucius, do you still have that Firewhisky I like?"

Lucius glared at the man but nodded nonetheless. "Ah good! I'll need one. Now gentlemen…lets go discuss how we're going to end the House of Potter…"