Chapter Three

Really, Really Expensive Gifts

when they arrived at diagon alley later that day, having told mrs. Weasley, quite honestly that they were going for Ginny's school supplies early, because they had heard of a sale on quills at flourish and blotts on the radio. When they arrived, any apprehension Harry felt towards being in so public a place after being in hiding for so long dissolved, as he gazed into the shop windows, and saw the young children laugh as they went from shop to shop, gazing at the latest in wizarding supplies. For the first time in a very long time, a free smile settled upon his face, and he breathed a sigh of happy relief. As they walked onwards, the stares of wizards and witches who had happened to look in their direction increased in volume, and Harry, who so recently had felt relief, felt a tightness surround his chest once more. Immediately, he felt Ginny's hand slip into his own, and give a light, reassuring squeeze. He looked to her and smiled, and saw her eyes widen, as she looked towards quality quidditch supplies. It didn't take long for him to see what she was looking at. In the window was quite possibly the most amazing broom Harry had ever seen. It was sleek, black as ebony, with gold trim, and its form and function fit as fluidly as anything Harry had ever seen. Above the broom, were the words "introducing the Storm Runner – the fastest and most versatile broom ever!" Harry felt his mouth water, as he saw the broom. Forcing his eyes away from the shop window, he looked over at Ginny, and saw that she too had the look of hunger in her eyes.

They soon arrived at gringotts, where they met with Bill, to whom they had sent an owl earlier, in hopes that he could take them in to gringotts without being trapped in one of the vaults by the goblins. As they took a cart down to Harry's vault, the goblin with them keeping a sharp eye on them, a suspicious frown on his scrunched features, Bill began explaining about the relief movement for those who had lost family members to Voldemort's attacks.

"The relief fund has gained a great many contributors since You Know Who's fall, and we've raised close to two million galleons." He said, having to yell over the roar of the cart. "Ironically, some of the boldest contributors are reformed death eaters. Lucius Malfoy, for instance, went quietly to serve a term of seven months in Azkaban, and has donated a large amount to the relief fund. No doubt an attempt to remain accepted in wizarding society, but we can use all the help we can get."

They arrived at the vault, and as they prepared to enter, an envelope flew down the hallway from behind them, and landed in Bill's hands. He read over the address, and handed it to Harry, a slight smile on his badly scarred face. Harry opened the letter, and read:

To Mr. Harry Potter:

In honor of your many acts of bravery and sacrifice in the name of the good of all, the wizarding community would like to thank you, and present you with this gift.

-Tabitha Ternchly, department of honorable mentionings

As he finished reading this, the door to his vault swung open, and he saw, sitting amongst other items and gift baskets by the thousands, was the storm runner. Harry knelt before the broom, and as he passed his hand over the handle, it rose into the air, and hovered just below his fingers. This was a broom of brooms. After examining it carefully, assessing the broom's aerodynamics and sturdiness, he turned to Bill.

"I can't keep this." He said, his voice straining over the words he would give much not to have to say.

"Why not, Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah, why not?" said Ron, slightly irritated at Harry's selflessness in the face of so awesome a gift.

"The money that went to this broom should have gone to the families of those lost in the war against Voldemort. I won't take it."

"Well we can't bloody well return it, now can we? Used brooms don't tend to go for much, no matter what condition they're in, and quality quidditch supplies' policy is 'once it's out the door, it's used." Said a familiar voice coming from the passageway from which they came. As Kingsley Shacklebolt came into view, looking rather more stressed out than usual, Harry smiled brightly.

"Kingsley! Er, I mean minister— "blurted Ron, happily, but somewhat surprised,

"now don't go calling me that, after all we've been through! I've a hard enough time as it is getting used to that blasted title without friends using it." Said Kingsley, exasperatedly

"but Kingsley, why are you here?" asked Hermione, "didn't the ministry just send us this letter?"

"well, I was supposed to deliver it in person, but I just missed you at the entrance, and had to take a cart down, so I sent the letter on ahead."

"nonetheless, I told you already, I cant take this." Said Harry, regarding the broom with a wave of his hand, having to exercise most of his will to not look at it, which would surely cause him to change his mind.

"alright, alright. Look, the going price on a Nimbus 2000 these days is around a hundred and sixty galleons. Why don't you donate that to the relief fund and we'll call it even?"

Before he could answer, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny called out simultaneously.

"deal!"

Harry smiled, slightly relieved. "well, I cant argue with those odds."

When they arrived back on the surface, they said their goodbyes to Kingsley and Bill, and walked up the street, towards flourish and blotts, mostly because they would feel guilty if they went back on their word to Mrs. Weasley, but also because Hermione always ran through quills like a cheetah on the savanna. After some time idling in the store, Harry, looking down at the broom shaped packaged now held in his fist, had a tremendous thought. Having been bored and insomnious the night prior, he had idly read the first chapter in "twelve fail-safe ways to charm witches", which explained different categories of gift giving, the three being as follows:

1: really expensive gifts

2: inexpensive gifts she'll really like

3: really, really expensive gifts which she'll really like

Still lost in thought, he had failed to notice the others moving on ahead of him, until Ginny called his name.

"you guys go on ahead, I just realized I need to get something from another store." They nodded, and he disappeared out of sight behind a bookshelf, before exiting the store, a wide grin on his face.

As he entered quality quidditch supplies, and noticed the price on the Storm Runner, he was immediately taken aback by how much of a deal Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Kingsley had gotten him. nonetheless, he had counted out a large sum at gringotts, and possessed just enough for the broom, and whatever else he needed, even with the added engraving he had done on the handle (his already said "property of Harry Potter" on it, so, with the extra money, he decided, why not?), which now said "Property of Ginny", having, on a whim of the crazy, hopeful, lovestruck kind, left out Weasley in hopes of further modification.

When at last he met up with Ginny, Hermione, and Ron, he was carrying the second broom under the invisibility cloak behind his back. To his surprise, it appeared that Ginny was carrying something behind her back as well.

"hi." Said Harry.

"hi." Ginny replied. It took only a second for Ron and Hermione to get the hint, and wander off, to do "that thing we forgot".

As they walked closer to each other, Harry could see that Ginny had, in addition to whatever she held behind her back, purchased some lilac scented perfume which, Harry thought, smelled absolutely spectacular on her.

"on three?" he asked. Ginny nodded.

"one, two, three.", and they displayed their respective gifts. Ginny was so taken off her feet by the sight of the broom that she nearly dropped her own gift in surprise. Then Harry saw it – a small golden egg, with a gleam that seamed to writhe like fire. Though he had never in his life seen anything remotely close to it in appearance, he knew exactly what it was.

"is that…"

"it's not a dragon's egg, no." said Ginny.

"no, it's the egg of a phoenix, isn't it?" she nodded.

"where did you find this?" Harry said, greatly astounded – this gift dwarfed his a thousand times over.

"Aberforth gave it to me after the battle, and I've been keeping it in my pocket ever since. Apparently, phoenixes only lay eggs once every six hundred years, and the Dumbledores had a phoenix, one that disappeared when Dumbledore's father died in Azkaban, but before it went, it laid two eggs. One was Fawks, and the other was this—" he held out the egg to him.

"Ab said it would never hatch for him, and told me maybe it would for me. Anyway, I don't think it's meant for me, either way." She said, rotating the egg, which gleamed in the sunlight, to a point where the flame like pattern converged in the shape of a lightning bolt. Harry reached out tentatively, and lay his hand over the egg. Immediately, he felt the warm beat of a heart within. The beat matched his own. Harry took Ginny's other hand in his, raised it to his lips, kissed her delicate fingers, before laying her hand upon the egg. Now he felt a third heartbeat, and this, too matched. Then, he felt the tremor within the egg, and a flash of light emanated from between their hands. When the light subsided, they moved their hands, and between them lay a baby phoenix; the tiniest tuft of downy soft purple, crimson and gold feathers. The baby bird chirped and whistled at them gaily, and Harry and Ginny smiled down at it, before looking up at each other.

"what shall we name him?" asked Ginny,

Harry thought a moment, gazing intently at Ginny, whose smile radiated a profound serenity – a smile which Harry felt he could hold in his eyes forever, yet the smile did not possess the name for which he searched. Then he looked to her deep brown eyes, and though he felt himself begin to slip into them, the name he sought was not hidden there either. Finally, he glanced at her fiery hair, which so uniquely matched her sense of determination and unfaltering bravery. That was it. He was sure of it.

"Vermillion." He said. "the bird's name is Vermillion."