Chapter Forty-Five: Harry's Birthday Party

As had become usual for Daphne, the first weeks of her holiday were filled with doing her homework.

Slightly different from usual was that she was now doing it with Nyx often hanging around, playing with her quills and rolls of parchment, which formed a welcome distraction from the sometimes dull homework.

Daphne didn't really understand how topics that were so interesting could be made so boring by the people who'd written her school books.

In the case of History of Magic, even the classes themselves were lethally boring, and if she hadn't been interested in history for its own sake, she probably wouldn't have made it through at all.

Also different from usual was that she was now regularly receiving mail from all her friends, including Harry. His aunt and uncle were apparently terrified of Sirius, whom they still thought was an escaped serial killer, and so allowed Harry a lot more freedom than he'd ever had before.

It was a good thing, too, because apparently his cousin had been sentenced to a diet, and his aunt had decided that everyone in the family would join in on it. Consequently, Daphne — and likely Hermione and Ron as well — had been sending him food to make it through the summer.

Even though Daphne knew why Harry had to stay there at all, she still didn't like it. If it were up to her, she'd have asked him to stay at her place again. They could do their homework together, Harry could practice Quidditch with Mum, and they could simply hang out and relax.

As it stood, however, she'd probably have to wait for the final two weeks of the holidays, when everyone would be staying over at The Burrow for the Quidditch World Cup. Mum and Dad had, of course, already managed to get good tickets, and Dad knew for a fact that their seats were in the Top Box, near the seats of the Weasleys.

Even though Quidditch still didn't interest Daphne much, the thought of going to the World Cup really excited her. It wasn't like she knew any of the teams playing — to Mum's horror — but still she was at least mildly interested in seeing how the best Quidditch players in the world would perform. She wondered if Harry, even on his Firebolt, would be anywhere near as good.

Still, as the days went on and nothing really happened, Daphne was increasingly wishing she could just invite Harry over again so they could spend more time together. She'd apparently voiced that thought once too many, because Mum had become convinced that Daphne had a crush on Harry and was now teasing her with it nonstop. Despite this, she didn't seem against the idea, nor did Dad.

And so, Daphne came up with the idea to invite Harry and her other friends over for his birthday…and then simply ask Harry to stay over until they'd go to the Burrow together. The timing should be fine, considering the previous years he'd been extracted from his family's house around his birthday as well, and Dumbledore hadn't mentioned anything about that with regards to the enchantment. Additionally, she'd get to show her house to her other friends as well.

While Daphne was writing the letter to Harry, to ask him if he'd like to come over for a party and vacation to begin with, Nyx was watching her curiously from her by now traditional place on the desk. Maybe it was just because Daphne didn't usually write letters wearing quite such a manic grin.

After she'd sent the letter with Styx, Mum was waiting for her in the solarium.

"So, invited your boyfriend over, then?" she asked.

"Mum! Please don't say stuff like that when Harry's here," Daphne pleaded.

Mum shook her head in amusement. "Why are you so adamant on denying your own feelings anyway?" she asked.

"Because I don't have any," Daphne said quickly. "Besides, he should be with Ginny."

"Why?"

"Because…she's his best friend's sister and she's had a crush on him forever?"

Mum sighed. "You're putting way too much thought into this. It's not like every relationship is the one that fits best. Look at me and Dad. I was a Quidditch player, he was a bookworm who could duel a bit, and the only reason we really began talking at all was because we got detention together one time."

Daphne gave her a skeptical look. "One time?"

"It began as one time," Mum said. "But we liked that first time, so we tried getting detention together a bit more. He was a year higher than me, so it's not like we had any classes together."

"You were both in Slytherin, though, so why not just talk in the common room?" Daphne asked.

"Well…you know how you tried to hide the fact you were friends with the Gryffindors in your first year? It was kind of like that. See, my Aunt Eden and Grandma Maria really didn't get along at the time, so the Pyrites and Greengrass families weren't on fantastic terms. We couldn't really afford to be seen together too much."

Her expression darkened. "But then Aunt Eden joined the group that would become the Death Eaters, which went a bit too far even for my own family at the time, so Grandpa Leon reconciled with Grandma Maria, and then Dad and I could drop the act and just get together."

Daphne shook her head. "Why do Noble Houses act so stupidly anyway? Two people don't like each other, so their kids can't be together?"

Mum shrugged. "You'll find that a lot of them give a lot of importance to tradition. And in the Wizengamot, it's often useful to have as many unburnt bridges as possible, so everyone tries to stay on at least cordial terms with everyone else, and they teach their kids to do the same things.

"Dad and I are very happy you're creating your own path now, though. We should have made it clear much earlier that that's what we wanted you to do in the first place."

Daphne smiled at her.

"And that also means you get to pick your boyfriend…"

"MUM!"

To Daphne's great relief, Harry quickly replied to her letter, saying that he'd love to spend time with her. He asked her if she could make sure to send Sirius an invite as well, and then asked how they'd pick him up, considering how last time had gone.

Mum and Dad suggested that this time, she should go herself to pick up Harry and take him to the same park they'd Disapparated from last time and then use a Portkey to get home, while Finny could take his trunk directly.

"Though I'd love to see their faces if we just Apparated into their living room, it's a bit too rude even for me," Dad said.

How pretending to be from a school and then insulting not only Mr. Dursley, but his sister as well, to their faces was any less rude, Daphne would never understand, but a part of her felt thrilled to actually dress in Muggle clothes and pick Harry up that way. Now that she'd had a year of Muggle Studies, she was pretty confident she could pull it off. She told Harry that she'd be picking him up at two on his birthday, and that the rest of the guests would start arriving around four.

In preparation, she went to Gringotts to exchange some Galleons for Muggle money — looking up in catalogues how expensive Muggle clothing would be — and then exited the Leaky Cauldron into Muggle London. She felt a bit out of place in her robes, but she'd have to buy Muggle clothes somehow and her parents had given her an emergency Portkey in case she really got in trouble, so she figured she'd be able to do it.

To her great surprise, most Muggles in London didn't even give her a second look. Apparently London was the kind of city where strange people were common.

In the end, it was just as easy to buy clothing in Muggle London as it was in Diagon Alley. Now she just hoped that the things she'd bought — sneakers, jeans, and a T-shirt — would actually look Muggle enough to pass as one.

When Harry's birthday arrived, she put on her Muggle outfit and looked at herself in the mirror. Grayish-blue and white sneakers, faded light blue jeans, and a darker blue, narrow T-shirt with some incomprehensible white text on it — 'Varsity 1977 Ltd.' — that surely meant something to Muggles, but not to her. With her hair tied in the ponytail she usually wore to keep it out of the way, she felt she looked pretty decent. Her parents, at least, gave her the thumbs-up as far as Muggle dress went.

She activated the Portkey necklace she was wearing by pressing the blue stone on the pendant, and felt the familiar unpleasant pull behind her navel as it activated. She landed on one knee in the park and looked up.

A teenage boy, who looked to be a few years older than Daphne herself, looked at her in surprise.

"Whoa, man. Are you a Terminator?" he asked.

Daphne blinked. She'd heard the name 'Terminator' in Muggle Studies and knew it was a movie, but she had no idea what it was about, or how it related to Portkeys.

"Er, yes?" she said uncertainly.

"Cool, man. Sarah Connor doesn't live here, though," the boy said.

"Er, I'm here to pick up Harry Potter," Daphne said.

"Oh, that freak cousin of my brother's friend Dudley's right?" the boy asked.

Daphne frowned angrily. If this was one of Harry's bullies, she'd love to do something, but she couldn't use magic here.

The boy, however, seemed to misinterpret her angry expression a bit. "Whoa, don't get offended, Miss Terminator. I'll, er, I'll be going now."

He quickly turned around and walked away.

Daphne shook her head in wonder. And Muggles thought witches and wizards were weird? They'd clearly never looked at themselves.

She walked towards Harry's house and checked her watch. It was a minute to two, so at least she was on time. She rang the doorbell and waited.

Not much later, an incredibly fat boy opened the door and gave her a quizzical look.

"Hi. I'm Daphne. I'm here to pick up Harry?" she said.

"Why would you want to hang out with him?" the boy — presumably Dudley — asked.

Daphne sighed. "I'm one of what your father calls 'his lot'," she said.

Dudley's eyes widened in fear and he backed away. "DAD!" he shouted, before all but running into the living room.

Vernon Dursley came into the hallway. "You're going to pretend you're from his school, too?" Dursley said.

"I don't need to pretend. I do go the same school. Only it isn't called St Brutus's Something-or-Other, but Hogwarts," Daphne said.

"So they're sending kids now instead of picking him up themselves?" Dursley asked suspiciously.

"I'm the one who invited him in the first place, so I figured I'd pick him up. Besides, after last time we didn't think you'd like to see my parents again," Daphne said.

"And his stuff? I'm not going to drive it to some far-off place halfway across the country just because you can't carry it," Dursley said.

"You won't have to. Finny, our House-Elf, will take Harry's things. She could've taken Harry with her as well, but it's considered quite rude to Apparate into someone's living room, which is why we don't," Daphne said. If she hadn't seen Dursley before she'd have wondered how a person could be so annoying.

Dursley blinked. "You lot can just pop into our house whenever?" he asked.

"Unless you've got anti-Apparition wards, yes. Don't worry, though, Voldemort can't get in here."

"Volde-who?"

Daphne blinked. "Voldemort? The most evil wizard in recent memory? The one who killed Harry's parents and gave him his scar?"

"I thought he died," Dursley said.

"Only mostly. But again, he can't get in here, not while Harry can still call this place home and isn't of age yet. In case you're wondering, that's why he can't go and live with his godfather yet. He needs to keep the enchantment alive. And that, in turn, keeps you alive as well.

"Just some food for thought while Harry is away. You know, maybe paint him in a bit of a different light? He's staying here for your sake as well. Now…could you please go and get him?" Daphne asked.

Dursley lumbered away, muttering something about nutters and criminals.

A few moments later, Harry arrived in the hallway.

"Hey! That's a change, seeing you in Muggle clothes," he said with a grin.

"Does it look okay?" Daphne asked, suddenly feeling a bit insecure.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, you look great! I mean, er, the Muggle outfit is– not that you don't– er, should we go?"

He was getting redder with each word he said, and judging by the heat in Daphne's face, she was glowing as well. Mum would have a field day if they arrived with bright red faces.

"Er, yeah. Finny will take your trunk from your room, so don't worry about that."

Together, they walked back to the park. "A Muggle boy saw me arrive. He asked if I was a 'Terminator'," Daphne said.

Harry chuckled. "For your sake, you should be glad you're not. In the movie, they arrive naked."

There was a moment of silence in which both of them were clearly picturing that very thing, and once again Daphne felt her face reaching temperatures usually reserved for the surface of the sun.

"So, everyone should be coming over later," Daphne said, desperately trying to get onto any subject that wouldn't make her mother draw all kinds of conclusions.

"Oh, that's great," Harry said. The pitch of his voice betrayed that he was still thinking about things he really shouldn't be, and Daphne almost wished she knew how to perform Memory Charms just so both of them could live their lives without recalling that awkward moment.

They reached the park and Daphne looked around. This time it looked empty.

"Okay, just put your finger on my necklace. It's a Portkey, an object enchanted to transport you to a fixed location. This one will take us to our dining room," Daphne said.

Harry nodded and placed one finger on the pendant. Daphne did the same and pressed the stone. Again, she was jerked forward, and a moment later she landed hard on the dining room floor.

Harry, who'd never used a Portkey before, staggered into her and they both fell to the ground.

"Well, hello, Harry. Nice of you to drop in," Mum's voice said.

Harry quickly scrambled back to his feet and held out his hand to pull Daphne up as well. Why did every single interaction with Harry today have to go paired with fierce blushing?!

Mum's expression certainly didn't make things any better.

"Not. A. Single. Word," Daphne said warningly through gritted teeth.

"I wouldn't dare," Mum said.

She looked at Harry, who was trying his best not to look too awkward.

"Hello, Coach Greengrass," he said nervously.

"Coach?" Daphne asked.

"It's what I asked him to call me," Mum said. "I mean, I am coaching him, and Mrs. Greengrass sounds so…old. I could ask him to call me Mum, of course, but maybe it's a bit too early for that…"

"MUM! Please stop!" Daphne shouted.

At that moment Nyx walked into the dining room. She seemed to recognize Harry, because she went over to him right away.

"Hello Nyx," Harry said gently, scratching her behind the ears. "Good to see you again."

He looked up at Daphne. "Hagrid had brought a few Kneazles over for me to choose from. Nyx seemed the most eager. She looks happy with her new home. Is Hagrid coming, too? He'll probably be happy to see her."

Daphne nodded. "I told you, everyone is coming. Dad is going to pick up Hermione and her parents by Floo. The Weasleys will arrive by Floo as well. Sirius will probably Apparate to a nearby spot and walk. Hagrid will come here by Portkey; our fireplace isn't big enough for him to Floo in."

Harry grinned widely. "I can't believe you actually organized a massive birthday party for me," he said.

"Well, I did kind of…forget about it, last year," Daphne said sheepishly.

"Did you, though?" Harry asked, pulling up the sleeve of his oversized sweater to show the leather bracelet she'd given him.

"You're still wearing that? It's July," Daphne said.

"So? I like the look," Harry said, before becoming preoccupied with petting Nyx again.

Mum gave Daphne a silent, but huge grin and Daphne scowled at her. Sadly that only had the effect of making Mum's grin much bigger.

They spent the next two hours talking about everything that had happened during the school year. Even though Daphne had told her parents basically everything, Harry had a couple of things to add to it, like the experience of Trelawney's prediction and learning how to cast the Patronus Charm.

Then, people began to arrive. Dad was first, followed by Hermione and her parents. Hermione was able to get out of the fireplace without much difficulty, but for her parents it had been the first time using Floo powder, and they seemed quite disoriented.

Not much later, the Weasleys arrived, and even for Daphne's large dining room, six additional people were quite many. Percy had elected to remain at home to continue on a report for his new job, though he sent his regards and said he would see Harry at the Burrow later. Bill and Charlie would only arrive shortly before the cup, so they weren't at the party, either.

They moved to the garden, and were just in time to see Hagrid arriving, clutching his Portkey, a large rock.

It was almost painfully Muggle when there was a knock on the front door, announcing the arrival of Sirius…and Professor Lupin. Daphne was delighted to see them both. She'd sent the invite to Sirius, but had extended it to Lupin as well if he wanted to come, and he'd apparently taken her up on it.

Sirius looked a lot better than he had the night of his pardon. His hair had been cut and he'd been eating properly, and though he was still thin he at least looked like a person again.

Harry was particularly happy to see the two of them. "Sirius, Professor Lupin!" he said, grinning at them both.

"I'm no longer a Professor, Harry, so you can just call me Remus now," Lupin said with a smile.

"You seem to have friends in high places these days," Sirius said, looking around the garden.

"Oh, please, Black, as if your family was poor," Mum said with a smirk.

"My family wasn't, but they definitely didn't like me, Pyrites, so I had nothing. James's parents took me in," Sirius said.

"He was a damn good flyer. He'd be proud of his son, I'm sure. You've seen him fly, haven't you? I heard you gave him that Firebolt," Mum said.

Sirius nodded. "He's definitely got talent. I noticed he was using some of your tricks, too. Trying to get him signed to your club?" he asked.

Mum shook her head. "I'd love to get him, of course, but Harry should choose his own team when the time comes. All of them are going to want him, I'm sure."

She grinned. "I'm just happy I've got someone to talk Quidditch with around here again now. Edmund and Daphne just don't get it."

Daphne sighed and looked at Harry, who grinned. The happiness he radiated from being surrounded by his friends and what was left of his family was infectious, and Daphne realized this might be the first time he had a birthday this big.

She saw Fred and George eagerly going over to Sirius and Remus, and she could guess why. Ron had probably told them the identities of the Marauders, meaning Sirius and Remus were two of their real-life heroes. Remus seemed a bit embarrassed by the attention, but Sirius's face lit up, and he looked a decade younger when he got involved in a deep conversation with the two of them. Mrs. Weasley, regarding them from a distance, didn't look quite as thrilled.

"Hey," someone next to Daphne said, and she turned around to see Ginny. "Thanks for inviting us all," she said.

Daphne waved it away. "Of course. You're all my friends too, you know," she said with a smirk.

"I know. I'm just surprised you want me around when you and Harry seem to be…close," she said, with a somewhat guarded expression.

Daphne quickly shook her head. "It's not like that! That's just Mum's imagination going wild," she said.

Ginny nodded. "Uh-huh. And I'm a garden gnome."

"Look, I don't want to get between you two…" Daphne said uncomfortably.

Ginny cocked her head. "Us?" she asked. Then she smiled a bit ruefully. "I admit I would love it if that happened, but…Daphne, are you sure you're not sacrificing yourself again for some unfathomable reason? Because you'd think you would get our message of 'stop doing that' after the first few times."

"No, no, not at all," Daphne quickly assured her. "You've had a crush on him for ages, and you're talking now! So…"

Ginny smiled at her. "Thanks, but…it's okay to think about yourself too, you know. Anyway, you're coming with us to the World Cup, right?" she said, changing the subject.

Even though the subject itself was one Daphne didn't really care about, she was glad for the opportunity and for a few minutes, she talked with Ginny about the tournament, and found that, despite the topic, talking with Ginny was a lot of fun. She made a mental note to spend more time with her at school next year as well.

The party went on until well into the evening, and it was only close to midnight that everyone began to think about going home.

"See you for the World Cup! Thanks for the party!" Ron said.

"Yeah, see you then. Try to at least know some player names by then, okay?" Ginny asked.

Daphne promised her she would, and actually intended to keep that promise, too. Shouldn't be hard with both Mum and Harry in the house, anyway.

"Thanks a lot for inviting both of us," Sirius said, indicating himself and Remus. "It's been hard work, getting back on our feet. It was nice to have a day off. I'll see you at the World Cup as well, of course."

"You both deserve a day off, I'd say," Daphne said.

"And it was great to see you both," Harry added. "If your house is ready by Christmas, Sirius, I'll stay over."

Sirius grinned. "Should be fine," he said. "Bring your friends, too. It's big enough for all of them."

"I won't be at the World Cup — too close to the full moon — but perhaps I'll visit at Sirius's place, should you come over for Christmas," Remus said. "You may always write if something comes up, of course."

"Thanks, Remus," Harry said with a grin.

Eventually, only Daphne, Harry, and Mum and Dad remained in the dining room. It seemed oddly empty now that everyone had left.

"You two should probably get to bed," Mum said. "I've got some practice drills for Harry in the morning…but I'll let you sleep in, so don't worry. I'm not that cruel."

Harry smiled. "Thanks, Coach," he said.

Daphne shook her head in amusement. It was going to take some getting used to, hearing Harry call Mum 'Coach'.

They went upstairs, and Daphne said, "Oh, by the way…I haven't given you your present yet."

"You mean that massive party wasn't the present?" Harry asked.

"Nah, it wouldn't feel right if I didn't give you something tangible, at least," Daphne said. "Come on, I've got it in my room…"

"Er…can I go in there? Won't your parents…start thinking things?" Harry asked.

Daphne rolled her eyes. "It's just a room, and you won't be there long. Besides, Mum's 'thinking things' already anyway. Not like it can get much worse…"

Harry followed her into her room a bit uncertainly. Daphne walked over to her desk and grabbed the package that lay on it.

"Hey, why'd you stay in your Muggle clothes, anyway?" Harry asked.

Daphne shrugged. "It's pretty comfortable. Besides, you seemed to like it…"

Oh, sweet Merlin, why did she say that?!

She quickly handed him his present.

"Happy birthday, Harry," she said, still feeling her face glow.

He took the present, his face just as red as hers probably was, and unwrapped it.

He saw what it was and smiled. "Thank you, Daphne. With how crazy my years tend to be, I think I'll be able to use this," he said.

She'd given him a wand holster, which would allow him to draw his wand at a moment's notice.

"You should probably switch your bracelet to your left arm, though. I don't think they'd both fit on your right," she said.

He grinned at her and immediately switched the bracelet to try on the wand holster.

"It fits perfectly," he said.

For a moment they both just stood there a bit awkwardly.

"Er, I should, er, go to my room," Harry said, and he made to turn around.

"Harry," Daphne said, and he paused, giving her a questioning look.

She gave him a quick hug and whispered, "I'm glad you're here."

Then she let go of him and, in a weirdly high voice, said, "Well, good night then!"

Harry left her room with a quick, "Good night," of his own, and Daphne sat down on her bed.

"What is wrong with me?" she whispered.

Maybe you do like him, a voice in her head said.

"Shut up," she said, a bit louder than before.

But the voice seemed to be just as smug in its silence as Mum's smile had been.

It's just like me to write a massive, slice-of-lifey chapter where Daphne and Harry are teenage disasters, but I feel no guilt about this. We all know things are going to go to hell starting this year, so might as well get some light-hearted stuff out now.