Hello everyone! Here it is, chapter three, and I'm so excited for you guys to read this one, so I'm just going to be quiet, ask you to leave a review, and see you at the bottom! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter are not mine!

Chapter Three: A Perfect Day and Twinkling Lights

HarryPOV

Harry scrambled around his room, looking for his shoes and cursing himself for not straightening up when he had the chance. He kept glancing over at the clock on his bedside table, counting down the minutes and wishing that time would go faster. Getting down on his knees, he peered underneath his bed and let out a noise of triumph as he saw his shoes tucked away. Once he grabbed them he hastily shoved them on before making sure that he had everything he would need with him, such as his wand, a small pouch that had some money in it, and the wristband that Mia's parents had gotten him when he had been entered in the Triwizard Tournament almost two years ago. He didn't think he would be needing anything else for the day, and he was sure that if he did, Sirius would mention it.

A smile came across Harrys face at the thought of his godfather, and he was more excited than ever for Sirius to pick him up. Sirius had told him that today he would take him out as a belated birthday gift, and even though he didn't tell Harry where they were going or what exactly they were doing, Harry was just glad at the thought of finally spending some time with him. Ever since Sirius had been declared innocent, Harry knew he was working to get his life back in order. The last heir to the Blacks had just filled out all the necessary paperwork at Gringotts to reclaim his ownership of his family's fortune and was finishing up old affairs that were long overdue. Despite it all, he was determined to make up for all the birthdays he had missed with Harry and told him to be ready by one o'clock this afternoon. Ever since he woke up that morning, Harry had been anxious and enthusiastic, making sure to complete whatever minor chores the Dursleys had set out for him, and they didn't push the issue of having him do more because the moment they found out that Sirius Black, the supposed mass murderer was coming to their house, they had been in a silent state of panic. Aunt Petunia was very jittery and she was constantly peeking through the curtains of the living room while Uncle Vernon repeatedly stroked his mustache as he sat in his favorite armchair, watching television without really seeing it. Dudley had gone to take solace in his room, which Harry honestly wasn't very surprised about. More than likely his cousin didn't want a repeat of the last time wizards had visited his home.

Harry had just pulled on his jumper when the sound of the doorbell ringing reached his ears and he looked over at the clock to see that it was indeed one o'clock on the dot. Right on time. The sixteen year old hurriedly left his room and made his way down the staircase just as Aunt Petunia entered the hallway, slowly making her way to the front door. Her expression one of having swallowed a sour lemon, she opened up the door to reveal Sirius Black standing on the threshold, dressed very smartly in Muggle clothes with a dark red pinstriped overcoat, a grey vest with a black shirt underneath and matching pants. There was a silver pocket watch sticking out of his vest and when he smiled at Aunt Petunia, one could see the famous Black family charm shining through.

"Hello, Mrs. Dursley," he greeted. "I'm Sirius Black. I believe Harry told you I was coming to collect him this afternoon?"

"Yes," Aunt Petunia said a bit stiffly, trying and failing to hide her fearful distaste for the man in front of her. "Please wait here, I'll fetch him—"

"I'm here, Aunt Petunia," Harry cut in, coming over to stand beside her. "Hey, Sirius."

"Hello Harry," Sirius said, his smile growing even wider. "Are you all set to go?"

"Definitely," Harry replied.

"Well, go on now, boy, and we would appreciate it if you don't have him stumbling back in the middle of the night Mr. Black," Aunt Petunia sniffed as she glared at Harry while he passed her. Sirius only continued smiling at her, and Harry—knowing Sirius pretty well by now—didn't want to linger any longer than was necessary.

"No need to fret, Mrs. Dursley, you don't have to worry about Harry arriving late," Sirius assured her. "And I would like to say something before we head out."

"Sirius, you don't need to—"

"It's all right, Harry," Sirius told him before addressing Aunt Petunia again. "I believe you and your husband had spoken with some friends of mine just last month?"

Aunt Petunia stiffened and her glare increased despite the obvious fear on her face and she crossed her arms over her chest, probably to keep her hands from shaking. She, and Harry for that matter, remembered all too well the conversation that she and Uncle Vernon had had with Lupin, Mad-Eye and Kingsley a few weeks ago at the house, and Harry was sure it wasn't going to leave her mind anytime soon. It had been the first time he had returned home since school let out and since he had started visiting Mia at the hospital. Harry had only come home because Mrs. Weasley had insisted that he needed to freshen up and rest for a while and Harry had been promised that someone would come to retrieve him to next morning to go back to the hospital. An irritated Uncle Vernon had answered the door when they arrived and he was not too happy to see any of them, especially when Moody invited themselves in. They had told the Dursley's flat out they know that Harry was miserable here and wasn't always treated well. Therefore, they would be keeping tabs on him while he was at home and if they don't hear from by a certain time they would know something was wrong and would have no problem coming to investigate the issue for themselves. Uncle Vernon had turned an ugly shade of purple at the threat and the evening ended with the wizards leaving the terrified Dursley's in their living room and Lupin saying goodbye to Harry before they left.

"Yes," Aunt Petunia replied sharply.

"Well, I just wanted to remind you, Mrs. Dursley, that what they explained to you still stands, especially with me," Sirius said, keeping his charming demeanor but Harry could see the warning flash in his grey eyes while his hand formed a fist in his pocket. "I have been kept detained for some time now, and I'm going to be spending as much time with Harry as I can spare, so make no mistake that I will be keeping an eye on things as well. I am grateful to you for taking Harry in, in my absence, but please believe that I cannot tolerate any sort of misgivings upon him. I would advise you and your husband to make sure that my godson is treated fairly with no negligence because if he is not, I will be forced to take action. A good day to you, Mrs. Dursley, and I thank you for allowing me to take Harry for the day."

Leaving a stuttering and pale-faced Aunt Petunia in the doorway, Sirius clapped Harry on the shoulder before they turned around and started walking down the path that led out to the sidewalk, and Harry had to keep himself from chuckling at his aunt's expression.

"What was that about?" he asked Sirius as they walked.

"Nothing, just a little friendly chat," Sirius shrugged. "I just wanted to make sure they remember not to mess with my godson. When I told Remus I was coming for you he thought it would be best to come along too, but I told him I could manage on my own. You'd think he didn't trust me."

"Can't imagine why," Harry snorted with a smirk. "So what are we doing today?"

"Well, first thing's first, we're getting something to eat, and then I thought we'd take a trip into Diagon Alley after we make a quick stop down in London, in Tutter's Square. Thought it would be a good idea to get you out of your cousin's hand-me-downs."

"You don't have to do that, Sirius," Harry said, his face going a little red at his godfather's kindness.

"I want to, Harry," Sirius insisted. "I want to make good of all the time we have together, and getting you better clothes is my top priority at the moment."

No matter what Harry said, Sirius would not be persuaded, and so when the two of them reached the end of the street that was somewhat hidden by a thick clump of trees and bushes, Sirius took Harry by the arm and then Apparated them out of sight.

…..

Harry could not remember the last time he had had such a fun and exciting time for his birthday. Sirius had taken him to a Muggle placed called Abe's Corner for a delicious meal before taking him out to Tutter's Square, one of the more popular shopping strips in the city. Sirius, not used to shopping for Muggle items much, allowed Harry to lead the way through their journey with getting him some proper clothes that actually fit. While they had been in the store, Harry had tried just placing a couple shirts and a pair of pants in his arms, but Sirius wouldn't have it. By the time they left Harry had no less than two bulging bags of clothes that Sirius was able to shrink down to size when they sought seclusion in a nearby ally for him to carry around in his shirt pocket. All the while as they were out, they did nothing but talk, and Harry enjoyed every second of it. Sirius would tell him some of the crazy things that he and his father would do, including getting chased down by Muggle policemen and having to use their car as a shield against oncoming Death Eaters. He also had Harry laughing at the story of how he had strung James' underwear throughout the common room in their fourth year to get back at him for throwing him in the lake during winter, which resulted in a wrestling match in their dormitory, nearly wrecking it, and a very irritated Remus. In turn, Harry would tell Sirius stories about what he and Mia used to get into when they were small children, including how they met.

"She nearly crushed your cousin with a tree branch?" Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, he had pushed me in the dirt and started taunting me. Mia got so angry her magic made the branch fall, and they ran away screaming," Harry explained. "We were both kind of freaked out by it, but that's how I met her."

"That's some very powerful magic for someone that young," Sirius noted. "Did her parents ever suspect anything from her accidental magic?"

"I don't think so, I think they tried to find an excuse for it, like most parents do," Harry replied with a shrug. "I remember when I made my teacher's wig turn blue, and got into trouble for it, I couldn't explain how I'd done it, or if it was really me that did, but my aunt and uncle were so mad, and I was grounded."

"What? They punished you when they knew full well about magic?" Sirius asked with a frown.

"Yeah, they never liked me, or my magic," Harry admitted. "That's why whenever I could, I would always play with Mia at her house. Her mum and dad might not have understood what was going on with us, but they never treated me like I was a freak."

"Yes, I spoke with them at the hospital," Sirius said. "They seem like really good people, and I'm glad that you were able to feel happy at their home, Harry. I can see they care for you, very much."

"They might not care so much after what I put Mia through," Harry muttered.

"What do you mean?" Sirius said, turning to look over at Harry.

"It's nothing," Harry answered, stuffing his hands deep into the pockets of his jumper.

"Harry," Sirius said, giving him a look.

"All right, it's just—I overheard them arguing one time at St. Mungo's," Harry admitted, his face becoming downcast and sadness filling him. "They were so upset, about everything—what happened to Mia, what's been going on at school, and when they found out about Mia's scars…I'd never seen Mr. Thatcher so angry and he didn't even say anything. I'm just worried that they won't let Mia come back, that…that they won't let me see her anymore."

It was quiet for a minute after Harry said this, his thoughts consuming him. He didn't know what he would do if he wasn't allowed to see Mia anymore, if he wasn't allowed to go out with her. He knew that there was nothing he could do about it if the Thatchers were to decide that. If she couldn't go back to Hogwarts, it would hurt him not to see her almost every day as he had gotten used to doing, to being with her, holding her hand. If there was a possibility that he couldn't be with her even during times when he came back home, he wasn't sure how he would handle that. He understood the Thatcher's concern for their daughter, but she was too precious for him to lose. More than once he had thought about what would happen if things did end between them. Would Mia be safer? He almost lost her this time, but what would happen next time? Any logical or sensible part of him was arguing that keeping her away would help, but the mere thought of it was enough to make his heart constrict painfully. He didn't think he could ever be without her, and besides, he had a strong feeling she would punch him for ever thinking such a stupid thing.

"Her parents are scared, Harry," Sirius said to him. "And they have every right to be. Mia went through a terrible ordeal and they are probably wondering if sending her back to Hogwarts is the right thing to do. This happened the last time Voldemort gained power as well. Many Muggleborns were being pulled out of Hogwarts as time went by and the threat grew even higher, or they would confront Dumbledore as well as the Ministry for the assurance that their children will be safe. Just give it some time, I'm sure they'll understand that she will safe at Hogwarts, especially with all the safety measures we've taken. It'll work out, you'll see."

Harry wasn't so sure of this and his face must have showed it, because Sirius gave him an encouraging smile before taking his shoulder and giving it a squeeze. The two of them visited a couple more stores in Tutter's Square before making their way to the Leaky Cauldron. Once they entered, there were instant stares and whispers about the Boy-Who-Lived who was out and about with the ex-convict, Sirius Black. Harry followed Sirius out to the back courtyard where he used his wand to open up the entrance to Diagon Alley and Harry smiled at the familiar sight of the colorful shops of all sizes, with people going this way and that way, some with their young children who were starting their school shopping a bit early. The two of them strolled down the cobblestone path, continuing to talk about this and that, laughing and joking with each other. It wasn't until they had passed by Madame Malkins that Harry had remembered something he had wanted to ask Sirius.

"Hey Sirius, what happened with Kreacher?" Harry asked.

"Oh, that. I sent him to work at Hogwarts with all the other elves so they can keep an eye on him," Sirius replied, a steely glint in his eye at the mention of the house elf. "Dumbledore thought it would be a good idea, and the less I have to see of him, the better."

Harry sort of wished he never mentioned Kreacher—the anger on Sirius' face was growing, and he had every right to be angry in this case. As it turns out, over the Christmas holiday last year when they were staying at Grimmauld Place, Sirius had given Kreacher the order of "Get out," to make him leave the room, and the house elf took it quite literally. Finding a loophole in the order, Kreacher had left Grimmauld Place for the first time in years and went straight to the closest living Black family member, which was Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother. Kreacher was more than delighted to tell them things he knew about the Order so far, especially informing a certain Dark Lord that Sirius Black was someone cared for deeply and would go to any lengths to save if his life was in danger. Kreacher had given them so much information, and it was then that the plans for tricking Harry into going to the Ministry was made. When Harry had used Umbridge's fireplace to contact Sirius, the man was upstairs with Buckbeak, who had been injured by Kreacher to keep Sirius out of the way when Harry would come calling. The little elf had been a part of it, and when Sirius found out, he was furious to a point where he was right in the middle of fetching clothes for the elf when Remus and Dumbledore convinced him not to. No matter what Kreacher told the Death Eaters, there's so much more he could divulge and if Sirius fired him then he would straight back to Narcissa and her sister, Bellatrix Lestrange. Therefore Sirius distastefully and reluctantly kept Kreacher against his better judgment and one could see how his disgust for the elf had grown.

"And while we're on that subject, I have arranged it so that Kreacher is to obey your commands as well," Sirius noted casually, a smirk on his lips.

"Wait, what?" Harry asked in shock, nearly walking straight into a cart that was carrying magical gardening tools. "Me?"

"Yes," Sirius replied. "I may as well tell you this part while we're out. I've named you as my rightful heir, Harry, so if anything were to happen to me, you would get everything. I've written out a will while I was at Gringotts and you'll have ownership of all my possessions, including the money in my vault, Grimmauld Place, as well as Kreacher."

"Sirius—what—I—" Harry stuttered incredulously, hardly daring to believe what it was that he was hearing. "You shouldn't have…I—I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, Harry," Sirius said, giving Harry an affectionate smile. "No matter what, I want to make sure that you're taken care of."

Harry just stared at him for a moment before he stepped over and gave Sirius a hug, putting all his gratitude and care into it, letting the man know just how much this gesture meant to him. Sirius returned the hug with equal force, chuckling softly as he stroked the back of Harry's unruly hair. Nothing was said between the two but nothing really needed to be said. About a minute passed before they released each other and Sirius patted Harry's face once before he led him down the down the path over to Quality Quidditch Supplies. As another birthday gift, Sirius said that Harry can choose whatever he'd like from the store. As they searched, Sirius told Harry of how he had been a Beater on the Gryffindor team back when he was in school, and some of the practices he'd have with James when he would visit over the summer holiday. After spending some time browsing, Harry eventually settled on a personalized Quidditch robes made for the rain with his last name and number on the back in Gryffindor colors, along with a new pair of gloves and polish for his Firebolt. Once they were finished there, they made a couple more stops in which Harry bought himself a new cauldron (since he really needed a new one), along with a new school bag since his old one was getting a bit too worn. Sirius also bought him some funny little trinkets that made Harry chuckle, such as a mechanical frog that sang opera music when you wound it up, and some sweets as well. They spent around an hour wandering around until Sirius suggested it was time they set off.

"Do we really have to leave?" Harry asked him, disappointed at the thought of having to go back to Privet Drive.

"I'm afraid so Harry, but there's one more thing I would like to show you," Sirius stated with a smile. "How would you like to see my new house?"

"Your house? You found a new one?" Harry asked.

"Yes, and I had everything moved in and furnished as of yesterday," Sirius told him. "It's in Carriage, Devon, not that far away from the Burrow, actually. A nice, quiet little town which is just what I could do with right now. I can give you quick tour."

Harry eagerly agreed to this and so Sirius gripped his shoulder tightly before making the two of them disappear with a loud crack! The ever-annoying feeling of the air compressing around him caused Harry to make a face and even though it only lasted mere seconds before their feet slammed into solid ground again, Harry still stumbled a bit, taking in a large gulp of air.

"I don't know what's worse," Harry muttered to Sirius. "Traveling by Apparation or Portkey."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it, I believe this year you'll be taking Apparation tests anyway," Sirius told him as he turned and held out an arm. "Welcome Harry, to the new House of Black."

Harry turned around, realizing that they were on one side of a street that winded itself up along a hill and down towards what appeared to be a quaint little village set not too far, surrounded by lush green hills, nestled in a charming valley, with blue skies stretching for miles and miles. The air itself felt fresh and crisp, with a gentle summer breeze to go along with it, and Harry could definitely see why Sirius chose to settle here. Harry could see the street head down towards houses that were scattered here and there on either side of the road. Once he drew his attention away from their surroundings and fully turned around, he was met with the sight of a decent sized tudor-style house that looked to have to floors, with clumps of bushes and a large tree towering in the backyard, its branches draping over the left side of the house like a veil or curtain. There was a stone path that led to stone steps in front of the door, with the walls made out of brick, and Harry saw that there were many windows along the sides as well as on the top floor. Some of the surrounding bushes had flowers in them, and to top it off, there was a chimney sticking out of the roof.

"It looks great, Sirius," Harry stated with a smile.

"Just wait until you see the inside," Sirius said as he started walking them along the stone path. He opened the front door and allowed Harry inside, and as soon as the young wizard stepped in, he was instantly impressed by the sight that met his eyes. The first thing he took notice of was the bright green color of the front hall, which held photographs and a couple portraits on the walls, waving and greeting them as they entered. Directly in front of him was a doorway that seemed to lead into the living room, and Harry walked in to see more green in this room, with new furniture made of the finest cheery wood and comfortable looking beige cushions. There were the basics, such as a couple bookcases, a TV, and a long coffee table set in the middle, with a large bay window that had a nice view of the right side of the house. On the other side of the room was a doorway that seemed to head straight into the kitchen, for Harry could see what seemed to be an island made with a marble surface, and he thought he could see a couple cooking pots floating from the ceiling. After taking a couple minutes to appreciate the simple yet elegant style of the room, Harry followed Sirius down the hall and up a staircase that led to the upper floor of the house.

"My room is the one set in the middle," Sirius pointed out as they passed it. "Still has some work to do, but it's getting there. There's a smaller one right here that will be used as a lunging area, I have some magical and muggle games set up in there—I learned about them when I took Muggle Studies at Hogwarts—and the bathroom is here on the left, with a guest bedroom next to it."

"And what about this one?" Harry asked as they came to a stop at the last door at the end of the hall, right next to another window that had brilliant sunlight streaming through it. Sirius smiled at him with a mixture of excitement and nervousness on his face as he took the door handled, twisted it, and pushed it open.

"This is your room," he replied. Harry gaped at Sirius for a moment, not quite sure he heard him right, before turning his head and, trying to calm the fast-growing enthusiasm in his stomach, stepped inside the room.

Harry was met with a brilliant shade of red that bounced off the four walls of the room, not very dark like crimson, but not the bright scarlet that reminded him of the Gryffindor house colors. It was a perfect balance of the two, with a soft grey carpet beneath his feet and matching curtains pulled back to reveal a double window that allowed plenty of light to come through. His bed was fairly simple, with thick blankets and pillows that looked as though they could engulf him in mere seconds. There were some bookcases in here as well, along with a tall dresser, a couple end tables with lamps, a work desk, closet, and two armchairs facing each other near the window. The sixteen year old stood utterly still and speechless, hardly daring to believe that this is all for him. When he was young he had always wanted his own room, especially when he had still been sleeping in the cupboard under the stairs. In time he had grown to get used to it, even so when he moved into Dudley's second bedroom. But this…this was better than anything he could have imagined. Looking over towards the closet, Harry was shocked to find that his school trunk was there, along with what appeared to be an overnight bag, his cauldron, Firebolt. And Hedwig's empty cage. He turned back to Sirius, who was standing in the doorway with his hand in his vest pocket, smiling.

"H-How…wha…"

"I had Remus and Arthur grab your things from your aunt and uncle's house after we left," Sirius explained. "It wasn't easy, trust me. I talked it over with Dumbledore already, and he's agreed it would be all right for you to spend the rest of your summer holiday here, with me. That is, if you want to. I had this room made for you, I know it's not much as of right now, but I thought in time you can put your own personal tough to it. That's one reason why we went to London today, to help make this room officially yours. I know you can't call this place home, not yet anyway, but I thought this would be a good place to start."

Harry could only nod at this, understanding what Sirius meant. Along with telling Harry the prophecy between him and Voldemort, he also explained the reason why Harry was left at Privet Drive with the Dursleys to begin with. When Harry still had the protection from his mother's sacrifice, there was a charm placed where Harry would stay protected from harm as long as he stayed with a living relative that shared his mother's blood, and the only living relative had had on his mother's side was his Aunt Petunia. As long as he went back to Privet Drive each year, at least for a little while, the charm would still be effective, and no one—not Voldemort or his Death Eaters—could get to him while he was there. The charm would be done once Harry became of age at seventeen or he stopped calling Privet Drive his home, so even when Sirius was declared innocent, Harry knew, with a heavy heart, that he cannot officially live with Sirius. Yet seeing what his godfather had done for him, seeing the lengths he made to make Harry feel welcome, to invite him for the rest of the summer and make him feel comfortable in a place that was as close to home as he could get…it meant more to him than anything.

"So what do you think, Harry?" Sirius asked.

"It's incredible," Harry said quietly, but with a huge smile breaking out onto his face and his voice full of strong emotion. "Sirius, I…thank you."

"You're welcome," Sirius said, clapping Harry on the shoulder. "Having you here will makes things a lot better. Let's leave the things we bought today in here for now, there's one last thing I want to show you."

"I'm not sure if I can take another surprise," Harry said with a chuckle.

"Don't worry, I just need your opinion on something," Sirius reassured him with a chuckle of his own. "There's a fairly big backyard we have, and it's covered by a lot of trees, and I think it could be just right to set up a small practice field for Quidditch. Remus thinks I'm overdoing it, but I want you to take a look at it and prove I'm right about this."

Harry just grinned at Sirius and after they brought their parcels to their proper size, they left them on the bed and then left the room together, going back down the hall and down the staircase. They walked through the hall and into the kitchen, where Harry saw there was indeed an island set in the middle, with a table off to the side and pots and pans floating by themselves from the ceiling. The kitchen itself was a pleasant mixture of yellow and white, with some potted plants in the windowsill and complete with a cabinet with glass doors that seemed to hold old bottle of elf wine and fire whiskey. There was a double door that led outside and Harry, eager to see just how big the backyard was, took hold of the handled and pulled it open.

"SURPRISE!"

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin as the loud ensemble of voices reached his ears and his mouth dropped open at the crowd that was gathered around on the grass, all smiling and clapping, with a large banner above their heads hanging between two trees with the words Happy Birthday Harry written in bold, gold letters. Among the crowd of guests were, of course, the Weasleys, which included Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, their parents, and surprisingly Bill as well, all grinning at him. Lupin and Tonks were there as well, with Lupin looking pale and tired, yet still happy, while Tonks was beaming and clapping her hands the hardest, her hair spiky and a bright shade of green. To his surprise, he caught sight of Neville as well as Luna, with her blonde hair more profound in the sun, her radish earrings swinging and her frilly pink dress suiting her very well. Harry caught sight of a woman on Bill's arm that he definitely did not expect to see—standing with her arm looped through Bill's, with bright blue eyes, a petite figure and silvery blonde hair that fell around her face in waves was none other than Fleur Delacour, the girl who had been the champion from Beaxbatons during the Triwizard Tournament. Also, Bill was not the only one with a girl on his arm, as Fred currently had his hand on Jenna Sterling's waist, and she waved merrily at Harry. Hermione and her parents were here as well, with Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher standing alongside them, giving him loving stares with Brian set in between them. And there, in the front of the party, wearing a beautiful blue printed sundress with her dark hair cascading around her and a smile on her lips, was Mia.

"Happy Belated Birthday, Harry," she said warmly as she came forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, encasing him in her lovely scent.

"Mia?" Harry said, completed stunned as he returned her hug fiercely. "When did you get out of St. Mungos?"

"This morning," she replied easily as they released each other. "I've made exceptional progress, according to Healer Bloom, and he finally gave me the okay to leave. And there was no way I was missing your party."

"As if we had any choice but to bring her here," Mrs. Thatcher said with a small laugh. "I hope you don't mind, Harry, but we've been in cahoots with Sirius for the past few days about this party."

"You have?" Harry asked, looking around at Sirius, who gave a small shrug as he sent an appreciative and friendly smile at the Thatchers.

"I wanted to make this birthday a special one, and I figured who better to help than the people that know you best?" he said.

"Happy Birthday, mate," Ron greeted with a thump on the back while his other friends came over with smiles.

"Thank you for having us Harry, even though you had no idea we would be here," Luna said in her soft, dreamlike voice.

"I hope you like my present Harry, it should help a lot with school this year," Neville told him.

"Happy Birthday, dear," Mrs. Weasley said as she came over and gave Harry a hug. "Catherine and I are going to take care of dinner and dessert, so you kid just focus on having fun today."

Harry just stared around from one person to the other, no words ever expressing how much this all meant to him—how much they all meant to him. He took Mia's hand in his and squeezed it, his eyes burning.

"Thank you," he said to them all. "Thank you."

…

Harry could not remember the last time he had had such a fun and exciting birthday. Once he had gone around and thanked everyone for coming, Mrs. Weasley and Catherine set about to start cooking dinner in the kitchen, with Sirius going along to let them know where everything was. Mr. Weasley brought out some butterbeer for everyone and the beginning of the party was spent sitting at the long picnic tables set underneath the shades of the trees, just talking and laughing. They spoke nothing of the latest terrible news in the Daily Prophet, or the lingering threat that lurked in the outside world, or the ever-present danger of Voldemort and the mercilessness of his followers. No, this evening they spoke of plans for the rest of the summer, the new schedules they would be facing once school starts, as well as the excitement—and anxiety—of receiving the results of their O.W.L exams. George was currently trying to convince Neville to try a bite of their new candy for their joke shop, and Neville refused, probably remembering the canary-custard incident back in fourth year all too well. Luna was speaking with Mia about a new story her father had printed in the Quibbler and asked her if she would like a copy. Mia replied that she would love one, genuine interest shining in her eyes, and Harry could see Hermione shaking her head at her from behind Luna.

The whole time they sat there, Harry had kept an arm around Mia's waist, holding her to his side on the bench. She didn't seem to mind, for she leaned into him comfortably, laughing as Ginny whacked Ron upside the head for saying something tactless about the Holyhead Harpies, her favorite Quidditch team, and Harry loved the sound of it. It was one of his favorite things, hearing Mia laugh, listening as the soft, yet lively sound filled his ears and he couldn't help but smile in content as he held her closer. It's hard to believe that a little over a week ago he was faced with the possibility that he would never hold her like this again. Now here they were, on a beautiful summer's day, with her feeling just as good as ever, which Harry was extremely thank full for since it could have turned out worse. Much worse. It made him very happy to have Mia out of the hospital and back with their friends and family where she belonged.

"Doz anyone want more butterbeer?" Fleur asked as she came over with a couple more bottles.

"No thank you Fleur," Mia replied with Hermione and Ginny avoided looking at her, both with a bit of a scowl on her face.

"Et is very good to see you again, 'Arry," Fleur said with a bright smile. "You remember my seester, Gabrielle? She never stops talking about 'Arry Potter. She will be delighted to see you again."

"Oh, is she here as well?" Harry asked.

"Oh no, silly boy, I mean next summer when we—do you not know?" Fleur asked in surprise.

"We haven't really got around to telling him yet," Hermione said.

"Bill and I are getting married!" Fleur said, positively beaming with happiness.

"Wow, that's—that's great," Harry said. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Bill is very busy lately, working very 'ard, and I only work part-time at Gringotts for my Eenglish, so he brought me to ze Burrow for a few days to get to know 'is family properly. I was so pleased to come to your party, et iz very delightful. Well, I'll see you around, 'Arry!"

"Honestly, I can't stand her," Ginny mumbled grumpily as Fleur walked back over to Bill. "Mum can't either, though she won't admit it. I'll bet anything she'll try to put a stop to this."

"What makes you say that?" Ron asked.

"She keeps inviting Tonks around for dinner, probably hoping her and Bill will notice each other," Ginny replied. "I'd rather have Tonks in the family anyway, at least she's good for a laugh."

"Why can't you just lay off her?" Ron said.

"Why do you always have to defend her?" Ginny countered back.

"It's just like her to bring up her engagement at Harry's birthday party," Hermione said with a roll of her eyes.

"Come on guys, I'm sure she's not as bad as she used to be," Mia put in. "If anything it would be nice to see Gabrielle again."

"That's the spirit Mia darling, always look to the bright side of things, like we do," George said, gesturing between him and Fred. "Of course, Freddie's already got his bright side nestled in his arms, so that just leaves me in the gutter."

Fred just rolled his eyes playfully at his twin while Jenna giggled and pressed a tender kiss to Fred's cheek. Their group continued talking for a little while as they played a couple rounds of Exploding Snap before Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Thatcher came out of the house, with platters of steaming food levitating before them, announcing dinner was ready. Sirius and Lupin waved their wands and connected all three tables so everyone could sit confortable and within minutes plates were being passed, glasses were filled with juice and lemonade, and the pleasant noise of chatter could be heard well into the next hour. When the sky above them started getting darker, Fleur and Jenna worked together to place fairy lights in the tree branches so they could still see. It wasn't too long before dinner was through and thick slices of cake were passed around as well, and as soon as everyone's stomachs were filled to the brink, it was time for everyone to thrust their gifts upon Harry, who couldn't even take a second to protest. He received wonderful and thoughtful gifts from everyone, including some sort of cologne from Fleur, an acorn charm necklace from Luna, and a box of chocolate frogs from Neville. From Ron, Harry got a new wizard's hat from Quality Quidditch Supplies that turned the color of whichever team Harry was supporting at the time, while Hermione bought him a new traveling cloak as well as new quills with the feathers of bald eagles that she had ordered from America. His last gift came from Mia, and she had a nervous smile as she passed him a fairly large, rectangular parcel wrapped in bright paper that was light in weight, making him curious as to what it could be. When Harry tore off the paper he was stunned at what was underneath and her heard a couple people gasp in amazement.

Sitting in his hands was a beautiful, well-detailed portrait of him, Mia, Ron and Hermione, resting by their favorite spot under the willow tree at Hogwarts. The picture versions of themselves were laughing with one another, with Ron leaning back on his elbows, Hermione with an open book drawn on her knees, and Mia sticking leaves and small twigs in Harry's hair, making him glare at her playfully. The colors were so vibrant you'd think it was real. The movements of the branches were so lifelike, the hidden sun shining its light upon their faces, and the ripples of the water rolled across their reflections in it, and even Hagrid's hut was slightly visible, no more than a small spot outside of the surrounding forest. Speechless, Harry could only look up to gap at his girlfriend for a minute.

"Mia, this is…" he said, not quite sure how to describe it. "When did you do this?"

"Last Christmas holiday," Mia replied. "After our fight, I went home with this idea in my head, and after Mrs. Brugger passed away I spent nearly all of my time working on it. I must have started over three different times, but I finally had it laid out by the time we went back to school. Once I decided I wanted it to be a birthday gift I had to sneak around to make sure it got done on time."

"Mia dear, this is absolutely breathtaking!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.

"Remarkable, definitely one of the best portraits I've ever seen," Lupin commented with an appreciative eye. "And you did this all from memory?"

"Mia's been drawing pictures ever since she was three," Mrs. Thatcher said with a loving look at her daughter. "When we moved to Surry she insisted we let her paint her bedrooms walls with flowers."

"All that practice has certainly paid off," Neville stated. "It's wonderful work, Mia."

"Thanks," Mia said, her cheeks going a little pink at all the praise. "Do you like it, Harry?"

"I love it," Harry said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll probably have to keep it in my room here so nothing happens to it when we go back to Hogwarts."

At his words, Mia's face suddenly fell and for half a second a great sadness took hold, making her eyes lose some of their shine. She bit her lips, and Harry could tell something was very wrong.

"Mia? What's wrong?" Harry asked her.

"Harry, um…I have to tell you something," she said softly, looking extremely down and upset. "About Hogwarts…I—I don't think I'm going—"

"Don't worry Mia, everything's fine," Mr. Thatcher said, gazing at her with a soft look, with something in his eyes Harry couldn't quite describe. "You'll still be able to go."

"What?" Hermione said, her eyes wide as Mrs. Thatcher turned to look at her husband. "You weren't going to go back, Mia?"

"We were concerned she wouldn't have progressed far enough to go back at the same time all of you were, but Healer Bloom assured us she would be fine," Mr. Thatcher explained. "I'd much rather have her home a little longer but we know she'll be fine, as long as she has all of you to help her."

Mia stared open mouth at her father for a moment before her eyes started welling with unshed tears and she smiled at him, her entire posture sagging with relief. Harry gave her a look but she returned one that plainly said she would tell him about what really just happened later. He let it go with a nod, his stomach beginning to unwind from the tight knot that had formed when Hermione asked if Mia was not going back to Hogwarts with them. His mind didn't want to process the fact that she wouldn't be returning but now that he knew she was, he could relax a bit more. Soon enough, their night of fun came to an end, and people were starting to bid their goodbyes before leaving the yard or disappearing from sight. When it was time for Ron and Hermione to go, they promised that they would be over to visit soon. Harry said goodbye to all of his friends and their families and they departed, shaking hands with Neville and waving to Luna as they passed by the gate with Tonks, who was taking them both home. Sirius and Lupin were putting the last of the decorations away, while the Thatchers were carrying a sleeping Brian out to their car, while Harry and Mia were taking some time to themselves, walking around the backyard hand-in-hand.

"So did you really like your party?" Mia asked him.

"Absolutely," Harry replied with a grin. "One of the best ones I've ever had."

"Even better than then the one we threw when we were ten? When we camped out in my living room and had nothing but hot cocoa and popcorn all night?"

"Well, nothing can top that," Harry chuckled. "I just can't believe so many people came over."

"Of course they did," Mia said, smiling at him. "Whether you realize it or not Harry, there are so many people who care for you very much. I'm just sorry I could only get you one present, I didn't exactly have the time to get another one."

"That's okay, because there's only one thing I needed to make today perfect," Harry told her as they came to stand beside the tall sycamore in the corner of the yard.

"And what's that?" Mia asked curiously.

"You," Harry answered simply. "When I saw you today, out of the hospital and standing there smiling, I was more happy than I ever could have been. You were the best present I got today. I'm so happy you're doing better, love."

Even under the glow of the fairy lights above them, Harry could see Mia's face turn a lovely shade of pink and she gave him a shy smile, making her even more beautiful. The lights were dancing in her blue eyes and he was captivated, taking this moment to drink her in, reminding him of everything that made her so special to him. Her wit, her stubbornness, her compassion, her strength, her kindness, even her bad habit of taking on the troubles and strife of others as she did with her detentions this past year. Everything about her he adored, even when they were children, and he couldn't imagine how he had gotten so lucky to have met her, to get to know her—to love her. Harry leaned his head down and gently pulled her in for a kiss, his lips melding together perfectly with hers. He heard her sigh into the kiss as he deepened it, locking her wrists around his neck as he drew his arms around her waist, holding her close. Her lips tasted like berries and he mentally decided berries were his new favorite flavor. When they broke apart he placed his forehead against hers and stared at her in awe, even though she had her eyes closed.

"I love you," he whispered, putting as much meaning into his tone as he could, to let her know just how much. Mia's eyes slowly opened and she held his gaze, her face expressing shock at what he just said. They had played around with each other in the past, saying they loved each other so simply, but he could tell she understood this time was different, and it was true. He had uttered the same words when she had been in her coma, begging her to wake up and come back to him. When he had said those words then, they felt different and he knew he meant them with all his heart.

"What?" Mia breathed.

"I love you," Harry repeated. It was silent for a moment between them until Mia smiled at him, and the sight of it made his heart flutter.

"I love you, too."

His happiness consuming him, Harry kissed her again, forgetting all about the outside world and its dangers. Right now it was only him and Mia, and that was all he needed.

Ahhh, young love. I know this scene was a bit sappy and cheesy, but I love it all the same, and I have been planning it since FOREVER! These two have gone through so much, especially Harry, I think a hopelessly romantic "I love you" moment was needed before they go back to all the drama that awaits them at school. I hope you guys liked this chapter, I tried my best to make it a good one with Harry spending some long overdue time with Sirius, and having a nice family birthday party to top it off. Please review to let me know what you guys think and any questions/concerns let me know. See you in chapter four!