Chapter 40: Happy Birthday

Michael sat in his chair staring at Crowley lost for words. After a moment however, he stood up and began to pace deep in thought.

"This could be bad," he muttered. "If he shows up here…."

Crowley watched the man pacing while he wondered why it would be so terrible if Lucifer got to know more about Harry, other than the quite obvious threat he could pose towards the boy.

"Talk to me Dumbledore, why is it so bad?" he finally asked.

"Because of what could happen should Lucifer show up here at Hogwarts," Michael retorted before he continued his pacing.

Crowley though was confused. Why would it be so bad if he showed up here at Hogwarts? Okay, Dumbledore was, in reality, an angel but in what way could that be a problem? The only angel he could think of that Lucifer would have a problem with was…. Wait, could that be?

"Don't tell me…you're…?" he began shell shocked but was quickly silenced by Michael's glare that clearly spoke of retribution should he speak his name, the archangel certainly didn't want others to get to know about this even with his warding that should hopefully prevent any eavesdropping. "Okay, now I see why that would be a spectacularly bad idea."

Though what he made him wonder was, why Michael was here on earth, to begin with. What his sources reported to him was that Michael absolutely despised humanity and thought it a good idea that enslaving them was an excellent way to deal with them. However, now he found that exact archangel not only on earth but also actively working to avoid fighting his brother. That didn't even put into consideration that the archangel was definitely not averse to working with demons.

Crowley certainly had expected a lot when he learned that heaven and a few from hell wanted to kick start the apocalypse, anything from the slaughter of everything on the planet to the total annihilation of absolutely everything, heaven, hell and earth. What he absolutely didn't expect was…that. All that made him wonder though how his information could be that wrong, it seemed that everything he thought he knew was turned upside down lately beginning with Loki demanding of him to make a deal with certain individuals. Since then the surprises didn't want to stop.

Michael huffed but still paced around. He went through his hair in frustration. This was a nightmare, when he left heaven, he had hoped that he could avoid all this shit, but it looked like he would have to deal with it anyway. That was when a thought came to him.

"Did you say that before that incident with Harry, Lucifer was more indifferent about whether he got out or not?" he asked for clarification.

Crowley looked at him oddly but nodded. "Yes, as far as I know, he didn't make any effort to help with getting out but simply watched. It only changed when Harry showed up."

Michael hummed lowly, this surely was interesting. Again he went through his hair with his hand before he came to a decision.

"Tell him about Harry. Take advantage of the fact that you have the knowledge that he seeks. Get to know what he really wants to do once he's out," he told the demon. He usually wasn't one to take advantage out of something like this, not to mention his brother, and yes even after their fight he still counted Lucifer as his brother, but in this case it was necessary.

"Are you out of your bloody mind?" Crowley thundered. "You said yourself that it would be a horrible idea if he shows up here and now you want to give him all the necessary information to find you?"

That finally made Michael stop his pacing and glare at the demon for how he spoke to him. "Crowley, he will find out one way or another of that I'm sure and better we take advantage out of this than anyone else. Moreover, I have the feeling that he is less inclined to restart our fight as long as I don't give him any incentive to do so," Michael explained.

"How can you be so sure of this?" Crowley inquired calmer now and not wanting to anger Michael any further but apparently still not convinced that this was a good idea.

"Because now that I think about it, it was too easy!"

"Too easy?" Crowley had to admit that the archangel lost him somewhere during the conversation.

Michael growled in frustration, this was certainly nothing he wanted to talk about, but it was necessary, he needed the corporation of the demon or he wouldn't get the required information. It was frustrating but necessary.

"My victory over Lucifer? Me throwing him in the cage? It was far too easy," he finally admitted. "You might not believe it, but Lucifer…he is more powerful and far craftier than I am, sooner or later he would have won."

Crowley looked the angel in utter shock, he had expected a lot of things but unquestionably not that.

"Explain," he just said.

Michael sighed deeply and sat down again. "Sure, I am a good fighter and a passable general, but you and I know that this means nothing when the other knows the art of deception and working from the shadows. Even a mouse can overcome a lion with the right tactics, and Lucifer is a crafty bastard, he knows how to turn the odds in his favour," he explained in a soft voice without any real bite. It was evident for Crowley that Michael still respected and loved Lucifer despite their fight.

Crowley thought about that, and even if he did not want to admit it, Michael was right. From what he knew of Lucifer, the angel had always been heaven's tactician, and he didn't doubt for one second that he would have found a way to defeat Michael over time. So it really was a good question why he allowed to be thrown into the cage. There couldn't be any other explanation for why Michael suddenly was able to overcome his brother, and it would fit why Lucifer was so apathetic when it came to the breaking of the seals. The Archangel didn't want to fight.

All this actually reduced the possibility of them starting the apocalypse. The only remaining question was, was it really a good idea to lure Lucifer to Hogwarts?

"Okay, I understand your reasoning but are you absolutely sure that it is a good idea to tell him about Harry? I'm not only talking about the possibility of Lucifer coming here but the reason for why he is interested in the boy," he asked pensively.

"I...I don't know," Michael admitted. "What I know is though, that he will learn everything about Harry one way or another hence why I told you to take advantage of it, get to know everything you can in return."

Crowley nodded slowly, he knew that Michael was correct, Lucifer would learn everything about Harry and Crowley already had ideas how to use that to his benefit.

"Very well, I'll see to some information gathering and you...keep Harry safe," Crowley finally said.

It was astonishing, but the boy had grown on him, and he didn't want him to get hurt, especially not by that prick Zachariah or worse Lucifer.

Michael again looked at him with that amused, knowing glint in his eyes. Crowley wanted to comment on it but wisely kept himself from it. With a last glare at the Archangel, he vanished from Hogwarts.

The last days and weeks flew by for Harry. Most of the time he stayed at Kali's house, but Loki regularly took him on outings all over the world which thanks to their teleporting ability was only a blink away. Other times Fenrir, who adopted him as his younger brother by now, would accompany him to trips to the city or movies. On other days, Harry teleported himself either to his parents or over to Bobby to see what Sam and Dean were up to though he always told Loki where he went and with whom he would be, lest he ran into Zachariah unprotected.

However, what made him curious was that Loki with increased frequency vanished somewhere. It made Harry extremely curious to what the pagan was up to even if he never asked.

Therefore, he was not prepared for what happened one day.

It was a normal day, quite sunny, and Harry was currently lying in the garden enjoying the sun. Kali and Fenrir had left earlier for some business. Loki also was nowhere to be seen though that didn't worry Harry because Loki had made the house angel proof the day it was decided that they would stay there. So currently nothing short of an archangel would be able to enter without Loki's approval.

Harry lay there, his little pet snitch lazily buzzing around him, while Hedwig who again had followed him was sitting in the tree sleeping when suddenly Loki appeared right next to him and emptied a bucket of water on him.

Harry jumped up spluttering indignantly.

"What in the name of sanity was that for?" He asked the pagan god.

"Wake up call," Loki said with a broad grin. "Get ready we're leaving in thirty minutes."

Without another word, Loki vanished again.

Harry shook his head spraying water everywhere around him. Luckily, he only wore some short pants, so it was no problem for him to quickly change, but that didn't mean he liked the treatment. What lightened his mood considerably though was the prospect of another outing. He loved travelling the world with Loki because the pagan knew the best places to visit. So he quickly ran up to his room and got changed. However, he hoped that they would go somewhere warm because he didn't put warm clothes on.

As promised half an hour later Loki showed up again.

Harry instantly knew that he was up to something because he was bouncing on his heels like a kid on a sugar high which could very well be the case considering how much of a sweet tooth Loki was.

"I hope you're aware that I'll hex you if you try to prank me," Harry told him, but both knew that it was only half-heartedly, Harry loved their pranking sessions far too much.

Loki on the other hand only grinned like a loon.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"As ready as one can be when having to travel with you while you're in such a mood."

Loki, before Harry could react or say anything, suddenly stood behind Harry and covered his eyes with his hands. It was a show of great trust that Harry didn't even twitch or try to get away from him when he did this.

"I promise you'll love it," Loki whispered in his ear, and they both were gone.

When they landed, Harry instantly tried to gauge where they were even if he couldn't see anything. He heard some rustling and a few people breathing but despite that it was quiet.

Suddenly, Loki pulled his hands away, and Harry had to blink a few times to adjust his eyes to the sudden brightness. However, before he could realise what was going on, he was greeted with a song.

Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday to You

The only thing Harry could do at that time was openly gaped at the assembled people opening and closing his mouth like a fish, he was completely overwhelmed. It took a few long minutes to fully register what was happening. Once he did, tears were freely flowing down his face. Never before in his life had anyone taken the time to acknowledge his birthday properly, not to mention throwing him a party. Therefore, it was no wonder that Harry currently couldn't decide whom to hug first, his parents who stood before him smiling brightly or Loki who probably organised everything together with them.

It was Loki who took the decision from him in the end when he hugged Harry from behind.

"Happy Birthday," he whispered in his ear.

Harry turned around in the pagan's embrace and threw his arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you!" he said, his voice muffled by Loki's shirt. "Thank you all!"

"Did you think we would forget your birthday?" his father asked with amusement.

Harry leant back to look at him and shook his head. "No, but…," he began but quickly hid his face in Loki's chest, blushing in embarrassment.

"But what?" James now frowned in concern.

"I…I didn't keep track of time…I didn't know it was the 31st July already," Harry muttered.

That actually made quite a few people laughing.

"Why are we not even surprised?" one of the twins began. "Our dear Harrykin is probably the only one who manages to forget about time!" the other finished while dragging Harry out of Loki's embrace. "Come on!" "It's party time!"

Harry smiled happily and wiped the tears away, but before he followed the twins, he first hugged his parents and profusely thanked them. After that, the twins dragged him away to where Hermione and Neville were standing.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed before pulling him into a hug. "It is so nice to see you. How were your holidays so far? Did you visit interesting places? I actually was in France…well, technically I'm still on holiday there…and it is so cool there. There are so many interesting places to visit and did you know that they have a magical alley like Diagon Alley?"

"Hermione…Hermione!" Harry interrupted her with a laugh. "Take a breath!"

"I'm sorry, I'm just so excited," Hermione sheepishly admitted. "But you're right, this is your birthday party, and I can still tell you about everything once we're back at Hogwarts. Here this is for you."

Harry took the present with a thank you and opened it carefully to find, unsurprisingly, a book.

"It is a book about potions of more or less serious nature," she explained.

That let Harry's grin become more mischievous. "I don't doubt that it will come in handy. Thank you."

Next was Neville to give him a present or better yet two. One was a framed article of the NY Post, the magical American newspaper that read "Loki's Apprentice takes out the MACUSA – Who's the one behind the massive prank?" with a massive picture of the utter chaos that reigned at the MACUSA after Harry had been through with it. The other present was a jar with the dried leaves of a plant.

"I don't know what to say except thank you."

The article certainly would find a nice place in his room as a reminder of his first massive prank.

"Thought you would like it," Neville said with a snicker. "The leaves are from the plant you gifted me for Christmas. I thought it right to give you some back."

Harry grinned broadly when he remembered something. "Wait a moment, I have something for you too."

Without another comment, he vanished into thin air and left behind four confused friends.

"Did our Harrykin just disappear?" Fred asked.

"Don't worry, he'll show up again. From what I got he's only picking something up," Sam explained calmly sipping his drink, knowing by now that Harry tended to suddenly disappear only to reappear not much later.

"You know it is confusing to see you as an adult now," Hermione told him. "Even with knowing about it beforehand."

Sam just wanted to reply something when Harry reappeared.

"Ah, here we go," he said as if he hadn't done anything unusual at all. "Neville, a belated Happy Birthday to you!"

"What, no plant?" Neville asked mock shocked. "Thank you!"

No, it was not a plant Harry got his friend but a set of unique and enchanted harvesting tools that not only helped to preserve the harvest longer but also its magical properties.

"This is indeed an excellent set of tools," Severus, who just walked over, complimented.

Neville blushed heavily upon hearing the praise. "Thank you, Sir, and thank you, Harry."

"You're welcome, Nev. Here, Hermione, this is for you," Harry held out a small wooden box.

Hermione carefully opened it and inside saw a silver necklace with a small pendant. The pendant was the size of a Galleon, silver and depicted a stack of books with a quill in a holder next to it.

"Wow, thank you," she whispered in awe while taking out the necklace and placed it around her neck.

"It isn't only decoration," Harry laughed. "When you hold it in your hand and push some magic into it, it activates. It is actually a translation charm that can translate most of the currently written and spoken languages."

"I…," she began but didn't know what to say, so she just threw her arms around Harry and hugged him.

"You're welcome!"

"So those are your friends?" a voice that Harry knew belonged to Fenrir said. "It is nice to finally meet you, Harry told me a lot about you. Fenrir Lokison, at your service."

Hermione carefully detangled herself from Harry and looked at the young man. "Hermione Granger, nice to meet you," she introduced herself.

"Neville Longbottom," Neville followed.

"The infamous Devils of Gryffindor," "Fred" "and George" "Weasley," the twins introduced themselves with their usual antics making Fenrir snicker.

Harry, on the other hand, had only eyes for what was currently sitting on Fenrir's shoulder. What sat there looked like a monkey with long silvery hair and a long tail. Its eyes were black orbs and it held onto Fenrir's hair for balance.

"What is that?" he finally asked.

"Huh? What is what?" Hermione asked confusedly.

"Interesting, so you can see him. This my dear Harry is your present, he's a Demiguise," he explained while holding out a hand for the monkey, which it grabbed and swung over to Harry only to swiftly land on his shoulder.

"Ah, that explains why we cannot see it," Hermione's face brightened though everyone else still looked confused, so she explained it. "Demiguise are monkey-like creatures that live in the Far East. Their silvery hair makes it possible for them to become invisible and is used in the making of invisibility cloaks."

To her surprise, the Demiguise jumped over to her and began playing with her hair much to the amusement of everyone else.

"Hey there," she said while petting the creature which let off a delighted sound.

"He's for me?" Harry asked astonished. "Does he have a name? Do I have to pay special attention to something?"

"Not really, they are herbivores and quite mischievous. I don't doubt that you two will like each other," Fenrir told him. "And no he's not named yet."

Harry hummed lowly. "How about Puck?"

The Demiguise looked at him and with a jump returned to Harry's shoulder where he wrapped his tail around his neck for better balance.

"I think he likes his new name," Fenrir commented amusedly.

After that, the Party went on with Harry receiving many more presents ranging from pranking equipment from the twins to potions equipment from Severus and an amulet designed to keep him hidden from Zachariah from Michael. Harry was actually surprised how many people had come. So he got to know Ellen and her daughter Jo for the first time as well as Loki's daughter Hel and even Alastair had accompanied Dean together with Castiel.

Funnily enough, the angel had gotten a near heart attack when he learned that the man who looked like a young Dumbledore with honey-blond hair was actually Michael. However, Michael only told him to relax and enjoy life for once and that he had no intention to follow Zachariah's plans. The only thing Michael made clear was that Castiel should never mention that he was on earth or where to find him.

Dean's reaction though was not any less amusing. He actually jumped a foot into the air when Michael introduced himself to the man and threatened the archangel that he would shove his angel blade where the sun didn't shine should he even think about asking him to become his vessel or start the fight again as it was.

Michael in return only laughed and asked him how he got the notion that if he hadn't come to him for the last year how he would suddenly come to him now. That made Dean stop and think and he had to admit that the archangel was right. After that, the two got along surprisingly well.

All in all, everyone had a good time, and the five friends agreed to go to Diagon Alley together for their shopping for the new school year. That brought them to a question though.

"Say, Sam, are you returning for the next school year?" Neville asked.

"I didn't really think about that," Sam replied surprised.

"You're always welcome to return," Michael added.

Sam looked at Dean in uncertainty.

"I think you should go and learn more about your ability, but in the end, it is your decision, I'm okay either way," his brother said with a shrug.

"I'll think about it okay?"

They all nodded and returned to their own conversations. Too soon a beautiful day ended.

A/N: 'til next chapter!