I do not own Harry Potter, unfortunately.

...

Harry went to sleep that night filled with wonderful emotions. Love for his mother, who he felt like he knew now. A different kind of love for Ginny, who felt the same way about him even though he couldn't properly tell her that he loved her, a fact that was really beginning to bother him.

Despite his elation, he couldn't help but wonder, "Doesn't Ginny deserve someone who can tell her what she deserves to hear?"

"Come on, Harry, wake up! Mum's already got breakfast ready!" Ron's voice pulled Harry from his dreams. Harry opened a single eye to see Ron standing over him, already fully dressed. Harry huffed and pulled his pillow over his head. He wanted to kiss Ginny again in a dream.

"Get up, Harry! We're all waiting for you! I'm starving!" Ron pleaded.

Harry huffed again, loud enough so that Ron could hear it. There was a few moments' silence and then…

"Ginny's waiting too, you know."

Harry jerked up and jumped out of bed, and then dashed into the bathroom to have a quick shower and brush his teeth. He made a new personal record for getting downstairs in the morning: three minutes.

"There you are, Harry dear! I've made pancakes with eggs and bacon and sausage, and Hermione's just buttering the toast. You go ahead and sit down; I'll get you some tea." Mrs. Weasley said as he came down the stairs.

Harry stopped in his tracks as he took in the Burrow. Streamers of red and gold decorated the door frames and windows, charmed to shimmer in the light. Gold sparks were showering down from the ceiling, disappearing before they reached the floor. A large banner across the kitchen read, "Happy Birthday Harry!"It had lions on either end of it, periodically roaring and swiping their paws through the air. A red tablecloth was laid over the kitchen table, and Mrs. Weasley had set the table with her best china set. Vases of bright summer flowers were scattered around the house, adding plenty of color and a pleasant scent. Harry stared at it all, awed by the effort the Weasleys had taken just to give him a Happy Birthday.

"Do you like the decorations, Harry?" Ginny asked him as she appeared from the kitchen. She had dressed a gold sequined skirt with an embroidered green tank top. A little jeweled clip decorated with green gems adorned her hair. Harry switched his stare from the house to her. She looked beautiful, he thought. His trepidations from the previous night returned at the sight of her.

"Yes, they're brilliant. I can't believe you guys went to all this work…how did you manage the falling sparks?"

"Fred and George figured that out. They nearly burned a hole in the ceiling!" Ginny said as she took his hand and lead him to a seat at the kitchen table. The contact made Harry want to shout for joy.

"And of course we'd do it for you, Harry. You mean a lot to all of us, you know." She continued. He couldn't help it. He was grinning stupidly now.

They reached the kitchen table. Harry smiled sheepishly as he pulled out Ginny's chair for her, then pushed it back into position so she could sit. He took the spot next to her, before anyone else could take it.

Everyone was taking their seats now, and Mrs. Weasley and Hermione were levitating or carrying the trays of food in and laying them on the table. It all looked delicious.

Everyone had finally taken their seats, but no one was speaking. Harry furrowed his brow; the silence was strange. They were all just...looking at each other and nodding. He nearly jumped out of his skin when they all suddenly shouted, "Happy Birthday, Harry!" Then they all burst out laughing at his reaction, and he smiled and laughed with them.

"To Harry! The tenth Weasley!" Mr. Weasley declared as he raised his teacup in a toast. Everyone repeated the toast and Harry felt a warm glow inside. This was his family, now. He would always love his mum and dad, but they weren't able to care for him any longer. The Weasleys, however, were; and accepted him as one of them.

...

After breakfast, Harry suggested that they all go outside to play a game of quidditch. They played for several hours, swooping through the air and trying to score goals in their make-shift goal rings. Fred and George had conjured three rings either side of their "pitch" that floated in the air, mimicking real Quidditch goal rings. They had even managed to persuade Hermione to play as well, so they had two even teams of three.

The game finished when Mrs. Weasley called them for lunch, which she had decided they would again have outside. They had finished with an even score, so they all tried to discredit several goals the other team had made as they walked to the front yard to set up the table.

Everyone made Harry relax while they helped set up lunch, so, pushed away from the table, he went and sat down by the newly weeded flower bed. He thought back to the day he had discovered he could still speak Parseltongue, and wondered if the snake he had spoken to was still around.

Only one way to find out.

"Son of Nagini, are you here?" Harry hissed in the snake equivalent of a shout. It was only slightly louder that the usual hisses he made, but he supposed snakes had sensitive ears so they would pick up on the difference anyway.

"Yes. I was wondering if you would seek me out once more." came another hiss, from farther down the flower bed. Harry saw a leafy plant rustle, and then the same snake he had spoken to before emerged and slithered to him.

"If you don't mind, may I ask to know your name?" Harry asked curiously.

"I am Jyri. May I also know the name of you, speaker?"

"I am Harry Potter."

"Oh, yes, mother once spoke of you, and the great rivalry that exists between yourself and her human. But amongst the Naga the greatest tale told of you is of the slaughter of one of the Great Naga, one of the Naga Kings."

"I have killed a basilisk, but only because it was attacking students at my school. If someone hadn't stopped it, it would have killed someone, eventually." Harry hissed sharply.

"I see. I now understand your actions; you were simply protecting your nest."

"You could put it that way, I guess." Harry said. He relaxed again.

"What are the other humans doing? They have seemed very busy. One of them nearly stepped on me as I tracked a mole through the grass." Jyri seemed highly annoyed.

"It is my birthday, today. We are having a party, of sorts. This birthday is special; I am coming of age."

"You are ready to use your magic freely, then?"

"I suppose I am, now. I haven't actually done anything with it yet…I don't even know if I can."

"Why do you doubt your ability? You have performed magic before, have you not?" Jyri inquired.

"I was still able to speak English the last time I performed magic. I have not had the opportunity to attempt it silently, yet."

"Are you planning on trying this soon? I have a nest that tends to get very cold at night. I hope that you can warm it for me."

"Couldn't you just move your nest?" Harry asked, confused.

"I could, but I do not wish to. It is nearby a wonderful clump of grass that attracts the mice, and it gets a lovely wash of sunlight over it at dawn. But at night it tends to get cold, as it is not very sheltered." Harry had never known a snake could grow attached to a home, like a person, but apparently they could.

"If I manage some magic, I will find you again and you can show me to your nest. I will try to warm it for you, then." Harry offered.

"That would be most gracious of you, Speaker Harry."

"Harry! We're ready to eat, come to the table!" Hermione called. Harry glanced over his shoulder and nodded to her, then turned back to Jyri.

"I must go; my friends are waiting for me."

"It was nice talking, Speaker Harry. I hope to speak to you again soon." Jyri hissed.

"Thank you for the conversation, Jyri." Harry replied.

"Now, where did that plump-smelling vole go to…?" Jyri muttered as he slithered away through the plants of the flower bed.

"Harry! Come on!" Ron called.

"Sorry!" Harry signed as he started towards them. He saw that the table had been laid with a red cloth, and food of all different varieties had been placed down the center of the table. Most of the Weasleys were already seated, excepting Ron and Hermione.

Harry scooted into one of the last unoccupied chairs at the table, between Hermione and Ron.

"What were you doing, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I met that snake again. His name is Jyri, and he wants me to put a warming charm on his nest if I manage some magic."

"When you manage magic, Harry, not if." Hermione corrected, and Harry just stared down at his lap.

"Don't worry about it, Harry. You've been studying the bloody subject for the entire summer; you've nearly matched Hermione in the amount of time you've spent reading. You'll get it, and pretty quickly, I'm sure." Ron encouraged, sidetracked by serving a large portion of sausage dripping in gravy onto his plate. Then he saw the Yorkshire puddings, and he was no longer interested in the conversation.

"Ron's right, Harry. You don't have anything to worry about. You can't expect immediate success with silent magic, but I doubt it will take long before you accomplish something with it." Hermione continued.

"What was Harry doing?" Fred inquired from the other side of the table.

"Yeah, didn't see your explanation, Harry, sorry. I did catch something that looked suspiciously like 'snake,' though." George added.

"Harry had another conversation with Nagini's son. Apparently its name is Jyri, and it wants Harry to put a heating charm on its nest." Hermione explained.

"He, Hermione. Jyri is a he, not an it." Harry corrected.

"Sorry, Harry, but most people don't refer to strange animals with gender-specific pronouns." Hermione apologized in her knowledgeable way.

"I guess not, but snakes are different, at least for me. Jyri is sort of a friend, now, I guess."

"Wait, you're friends with a snake?" Ron asked, suddenly aware of the conversation again. The twins looked at each other and grinned.

"Wicked!"