Disclaimer: I'm sure if this isn't the first fic that you have read then you know that drill. All I own here is the plot.. And maybe a character or two, but nothing from Harry Potter. I'm telling you this only because lawsuits are not my friend. So enjoy!

IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS FANFIC IS RATED "M" CHILDREN SHOULD NOT BE READING THIS. YOU ARE WARNED.

a/n: Okay it has been FOREVER since I updated! I'm so sorry! This chapter just wouldn't end. It was going to go on forever and I couldn't seem to find a way to end it. So today I was writing an English paper and watching death note and somehow the odd combination seemed to make something click in my head and the final couple of paragraphs were apparent to me. I think you're in for a surprise. enjoy!

CHAPTER 4: PARTY HARDY!

Harry woke early in the morning to the sounds of shouting, crashing, and bells. The bells were what worried him. Shouting and crashes weren't exactly uncommon in the Weasley household, but bells? He stretched and pulled himself out of bed and towards the wardrobe on the other side of the room. Once he was dressed he took a deep breath and prepared himself for anything that could be taking place beyond his bedroom door. Bravely, he opened the door.

The first thing that he saw was red and loud. Red because all Weasleys are read and loud because he was carrying a bell that was as big as he was which Harry had hit with the door.

"Ron! Is everything okay up there?" came a shout from downstairs.

"Yeah! Everything's good! Harry's awake!" Ron shouted in response.

"Oh dear," the voice said from downstairs followed by another crash and the sound of someone running up the stairs. When Mrs. Weasley appeared she looked as if she had either stuck her head in a dryer or been doing a lot of running in the past hour or so. She signaled to Ron to move on and ushered Harry back into his room.

"Why don't you stay in here and... erm... study, dear." she said with an unsure tone to her voice. It was obvious that she was up to something; and, given the date, he was sure he knew exactly what it was. Today was July 31st but he wasn't excited at all. He hadn't been in the mood for parties lately, but he would have to put on a good face for Mrs. Weasley and at least make her believe that he was having a good time. There was no way that he was going to ask the woman to cancel her plans for today, it would crush her. Because of this, he simply smiled and agreed.

Once she left Harry did realize that studying was probably a good idea, but he had very few books in here since most of them had been abandoned at the Dursley's last year. He was sure that setup for this grand event would take a while, so he grabbed his supplies list, scribbled a quick note to leave on his desk, and apparated away to Diagon alley right next to Flourish and Blott's. It was still fairly early in the summer so the place wasn't as crowded as it normally was when he saw it. There were a few Hogwart's students and a handful of others wandering the shelves. Harry joined the small group and glanced down at his list.

It didn't take him long to pick up the books that were required of him plus a few extra reference books and some parchment and quills. His other supplies could wait for later, but the books were done so he twisted into the darkness again and was immediately back at the burrow in his bedroom. It was obvious that he hadn't been gone long because the note that he had left on his bed had gone untouched. He pulled his books out of the bag that he had enchanted to hold them all and stacked them on the table closest to his desk. It was then that he realized that he had absolutely no idea where to start. As if on cue, Hermione knocked on his door.

"Hermione?" Harry said once the door was opened, "I thought that you had gone."

"I had, I'm just back for the party. I don't think you're supposed to know about the party, but if you don't know by now then you are far more dense than I thought, Harry."

"I think you may have just insulted me but I'm going to let it go, now will you help me with something real quick?"

"sure, what can I do?"

"Well, you study more than anyone I know so I thought you could help me come up with a plan of attack. I want to be as caught up as possible when I start at the academy and I have no idea where to begin, or where to go from there for that matter."

"well, what do you have to study?" she asked.

Harry indicated the stack of books that was so large the table beneath it was buckling with the pressure. Hermione thought for a moment and began to arrange the books in what seemed like arbitrary piles across his bed. She continued to work and sort occasionally stopping to think and readjusting until she finally took a deep breath and present her work.

"done," she said, "allow me to explain the system here. This pile," she indicated the shortest of the stacks, "includes the texts that I feel you can get away with a quick overview of the first chapter just to prepare for your first day of class. This pile," she pointed a a stack that was near toppling, "is the pile that includes the texts that I feel you should read in order to ensure that you are at least a seventh year level."

"That's a pretty big stack," Harry replied, bemused.

"Well, you missed a full year of school. What do you expect?"

"What's the other stack for?"

"Those are reference books. If you have any trouble understanding something completely you should use those to find more information on the topic so you can become an expert."

"It looks like I have my work cut out for me."

"You sure do. I should probably leave you alone so that you can get started. Good luck, Harry"

With that she bounced out of the room and clicked the door closed behind her. After a quick glance at the toppling stack of books which Hermione had dubbed as required to study in order to bring himself up to par, he chose one that looked mildly interesting. It turned out that it was a potions book. A sigh escaped his lips, but he cracked it open and picked up a quill and parchment.

Several hours later he looked up from a chapter on the discovery of the bezoar and it's early usages. The sun was high in the sky and his stomach was beginning to rebel. He decided that it was time for a break and decided that it was time to search for some nourishment. The sound of bells had died down, and the house was relatively quiet. He hoped that this indicated that he wouldn't be ambushed by a rabid looking Mrs. Weasley the moment he stepped out the door. Just in case, he paused at the door for a moment and listened closely. Satisfied that the hall was completely silent, he carefully opened the door and slipped out. As quietly as possible, Harry tiptoed toward the kitchen in hopes of finding some leftover breakfast. It wasn't often that Mrs. Weasley would forget to feed someone. In fact, in Harry's memory this was the first meal that he had unwillingly skipped when in Mrs. Weasley's care. Whatever she was planning, it was a big deal. Harry could only hope that he could scavenge something edible to quell his hunger.

Surprised that he had even managed to make it as far as the kitchen, Harry commenced the search as quickly as he could without drawing too much attention to the side of the house which he was inspecting. The first things he found were the standard rolls and jam that were almost always present on the Weasley table. After a moment or two more of searching, he came across a pitcher of juice and a glass. He carefully poured himself a glass of juice and juggled it with several rolls, knife, and the jar of jam then attempted to return to his bedroom. He had almost made it when he was ambushed.

"Harry! What are you doing down here? I thought that you were upstairs studying for the academy."

It was a frazzled looking Mrs. Weasley who had caught him. Harry grimaced and turned around, unable to speak due to the biscuit that was shoved in his mouth. Realization overcame the exhausted woman immediately and she shifted from frazzled to panicked in a moment.

"Oh, Harry! I'm so sorry. I just cannot believe myself. Here I am not allowing you to leave your room, and I didn't even bother to feed you. My lord, you must be starved." At this point she was hustling around the kitchen pulling food and frying pans out of place that Harry never would have thought to have looked. He clumsily pulled the bread from his mouth so he could speak.

"Mrs. Weasley, it's okay really. I have plenty here. You don't have to cook, it's alright."

He quickly realized that his protests were futile and gave up. He was careful not to spill the jam as he replaced everything on the table to await one of Mrs. Weasley's wonderful home cooked meals. It wasn't a long wait. She whipped up food in ways that Harry didn't think were possible even with magic. It seemed like it was just minutes when a plate was in front of him piled higher than seemed possible with steaming food coupled with a glass of fogging butterbeer that Mrs. Weasley poured from her wand. She didn't even stay in the room long enough for Harry to properly thank her before she was gone somewhere.

Harry ate quickly then went directly back to his room to tackle more of the books that he had just purchased. The stack didn't seem to be getting any shorter, though he hadn't taken even a momentary break all day. He sat determinedly in his previous position and resumed his work.

The sun was beginning to set before there was finally a knock on his door. It had been so utterly quiet for so long that the sudden noise startled him and caused him to reach for his wand before he heard the voice that was calling from the other side of the door. It was Ginny's sweet, soft tone that called to him.

"Harry, can I come in?"

"Of course," he answered immediately. She entered quietly and with a great smile on her face.

"Mom says that you should come downstairs now. I'm sure that we haven't fooled you a bit, but it would probably do her a lot of good if you at least pretend to be a little surprised."

"I wouldn't have thought to do it any other way," Harry responded.

Ginny took his hand and they left the room into the hallway. Having not seen her all day, he followed her more than willingly. She was grinning and giggling all the way downstairs and out into the garden behind which was privately positioned behind the burrow. There, in the middle of the luscious field, was a long table adorned with sparkling gold and green clothes and ribbons. Floating above the table were the gold bells that had confused Harry earlier that morning sending green sparks every time they rang. The sound of the bells had obviously been magically decreased, because the sound wasn't nearly as overwhelming as it was that morning.

Every chair at the table was full save two, presumably for him and Ginny. Harry gladly took his seat and scanned the witches and wizards in attendance. Of course all of the Weasley were present, though at this thought there was a pull at his stomach that reminded him that one was still missing. Also present were Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hermione, and a man Harry had never met. Before Harry could even express that he did not recognize this man, he stood and put his hand out toward Harry.

"Hello, Harry," he said, "my name is Henry Moody. I head the Auror's Academy. I hope you don't mind me intruding on your party like this. I simply wanted to touch bases with you and Molly recommended this little social gathering."

Harry took his hand with a small smile.

"No, sir," he said politely, "I don't mind at all. You are perfectly welcome."

After those formalities, they sat in their seats. All of the Weasley children plus Hermione were obviously exhausted from Mrs. Weasley's ventures that day, but they looked pleased nonetheless. Harry gave sincere thanks all around and soon Ginny disappeared to the kitchen and returned with the single largest cake Harry had ever seen. Harry's jaw dropped. Mrs. Weasley had topped herself yet again.

Not only was the cake beautiful, it tasted wonderful too. Each layer was a different flavor and they melded together to create the most amazing thing that had ever entered Harry's mouth. The whit frosting changed flavor with every bite too. Harry was sure that this was some sort of charm and it made the cake all the better. Mrs. Weasley received more comments that night than she ever had, and every one of them was deserved.

The party itself went smoothly and everyone had a great time, something that had been much needed in the household. Ginny kept making sly glances at Harry out of the corner of her eye that sent chills up his spine not only because of intentions behind her eyes but also because all of the Weasley men plus her mother were sitting at the table with them. Not many people seemed aware that they were dating and he was sure that she had told hardly anyone. He could only imagine the consequences when they found out exactly how close the two young people were.

After the dinner portion of the party the group made its way to the house. It was soon realized that though many people made residence in the Weasley home, it was clear that they were rarely all in the living room together because it was entirely too cramped for comfort. Harry was glad for this, though. It didn't seem to take long lately for him to become tired of being around large numbers of people.

Thankfully, it didn't take long for people to start politely saying their goodbyes or just discretely finding their ways upstairs. After just a short time, only Harry, Ginny and Moody remained. Moody rose from his chair and Harry hoped that he was leaving but somehow he knew that no such action was taking place so it wasn't a bit surprising when the middle-aged man wandered across the room and found a seat closer to Harry.

They sat quietly for a few moments until the new Moody was sure that no one was going to interrupt them.

"Harry, I'm sure that it isn't news to you that what we are doing with you is something that has never been done before. We have strict guidelines at the academy and we like to stick to them. You are the first exception to the rule. I hope that doesn't bother you, Harry."

It suddenly became apparent that this man was not as much on Harry's side as he had thought. He was trying to get a rise out of Harry and to be honest it was working. The truth is, it did bother Harry a bit that he hadn't been admitted on the same grounds as everyone else there, but he knew that he would one day be a great auror, perhaps even one of the best. It was Harry's primary goal to hunt down and kill anyone who had ever helped Voldemort and anyone who shared his beliefs and acted upon them. Fists clenched and lips tight, Harry lied.

"No." he said and then stood and walked away without a word.