Harry yawned, stretching until he could feel the strain in his calves. The 31st of July. He'd stayed up specially last night to celebrate the exact moment Hagrid had first burst into that shack on the sea. On reflection, not the best of ideas, but it was satisfying to see his watch strike midnight. For just a moment he had wondered if there'd be another equally spectacular event. Maybe someone would explode out of thin air and say, 'You a ninja, Harry!' and off he'd go on another adventure. An adventure in an adventure. An advenadventureture.
He shook his head, sniggering under his breath, trying to blink the crazy out with the sleep.
The previous day had already been amazing. Longbottom Manor on its own was incredible. No matter how impressive the room he had seen through the Floo had been, it was nothing to actually being there. The scale of the place was ridiculous, and Harry would not have been at all surprised to learn that it had been built for royalty. Although, seeing as how Neville's grandmother was addressed as the Lady Longbottom, perhaps it had been built for nobility.
And the cake... Harry actually worried for the state of his health, because Mrs Weasley's cooking was more enticing than anything he'd ever known, and he was pretty sure he'd stuffed about a kilogramme of pure, delicious, mouth-watering diabetes down his throat yesterday already. Maybe wizards enchanted their cakes to make them even more irresistible.
There was a soft knock on the door.
"Come in," he said softly, so as not to wake Ron.
"Happy birthday, Harry," Ginny beamed.
She ran in and wrapped her arms around him.
"Thanks, Ginny," Harry grinned, returning the hug. "And my one year anniversary."
"Of finding out about magic?" Ginny asked.
Harry nodded into her sweet-smelling hair.
"Well, happy anniversary too."
"I'm so glad that Hagrid's coming," said Harry. "I still laugh every time I think of the first time I met him."
Ginny smiled at him. He knew she'd heard the story fifty times by now, from his mouth or Hagrid's, but she listened intently every time.
"He's the only guy in the whole world who'll smash your door down, apologise, and then put it back," Harry laughed.
"Happy birthday, Harry!" Ron said. "Hey Ginny, what are you doing in here?"
"Stealing your GameBoy," she said.
Ron almost fell out of bed in his haste. "You what?"
Laughing, Ginny raced out of the room.
"Mental, that one," said Ron. "You alright, mate?"
"I'm not doing too badly," Harry shrugged. "Expect I'll be even better soon."
"And it's your first birthday here and all," Ron said eagerly. "It'll be cake for breakfast, cake for lunch, cake for tea..."
Harry clutched at his stomach, feeling the discomfort just hearing Ron talk about it. "I think I'll settle for bacon for breakfast, to be honest."
"Can't argue with bacon and eggs," Ron grinned, "and some beans on toast. I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry, Ron," Harry laughed.
Ron gaped at him. "That's totally untrue. You think I'd sit around doing homework if I wanted to eat? Come on, Harry. Homework or food, you choose."
"Homework," Harry said. "I'd survive longer going hungry than with Hermione on my case."
"Seriously though mate," Ron laughed, "I'm starving, come on."
Suddenly suspecting a surprise of some sort, Harry followed Ron down to find... nothing. The house was genuinely still asleep. Reaching out to Ginny, he found that she was up in her room. Or he assumed it was her room.
"Morning, boys," Mrs Weasley said cheerfully from the kitchen. "And Happy birthday, Harry."
"Thanks, Mum," said Harry.
"Up bright and early," she said. "You're going to have to wait until all your friends arrive for the presents and cake though."
Ron looked far more disappointed than he felt, and he stifled a snigger. "We're just here to stop Ron's stomach rumbling. I was worried he was going to wake everyone up."
"You liar," Ron protested, only for his stomach to make its presence widely known. "That was the first one, I swear it."
"Sit, Ron," Mrs Weasley said fondly. "I'll bring you something in two ticks."
And so the day carried on. Everyone wished him a happy birthday. Bill headed in to London to get his return Portkey booked, and to help Dad clear the day's work so that he could give himself the afternoon off. Harry went to the paddock with Ginny, Ron, the twins and even Percy, and played aerial games of it, on rickety old brooms that were somehow more fun than their fully operational racing models. It might have had something to do with the fact that nobody was afraid of having their eye taken out.
"Okay," said Harry. "How about a game of bulldog? I'll be on first."
"Sounds fair," Ron laughed, having been it for the past three minutes. "But what's bulldog?"
"You guys all go to that end," Harry said, pointing at the goal hoops on one side of the pitch. "I stay in the middle. You try to get to the other end without me catching you. If I catch you, you're on with me."
"Not bad, Harry," Fred said.
"This is a Muggle one, then?" asked George.
Harry laughed. "All of these games are Muggle."
Harry sized up his five targets, as they lined up five metres off the ground. This game would be a bit more challenging for him now that he had to watch three dimensions.
Fred and George would probably be the most challenging, closely followed by Ginny. The twins already spent half their lives dancing around Bludgers, and would likely be as difficult to catch in this game as they had been in the last. On the other side of the spectrum, Percy was nonetheless surprisingly agile on a broom, seeing as he spent absolutely no time in the air.
He already had his first target marked, however. And she was smirking at him.
Fred and George burst forwards in different directions, and while Harry feinted towards Fred, he wasn't even looking at the guy. Ginny was flying next to Percy, who looked rather resigned to it. Darting at Ron, who jerked upwards in surprise, Harry launched himself into their path.
Ginny and Percy raced apart, and he flung himself off his broom, swinging it around under him so that he was facing the opposite direction. His feet found the brace with a satisfying thud.
It paid not to ride a broom with your groin resting on the handle, but whacking yourself there with an oaken pole was not a pleasant experience.
Harry launched himself forwards, drawing level with Ginny, though she was a good five metres away. Drifting slowly over to her, he brought his grip closer to his chest, letting her pull very slightly ahead. Just as he came within reach, she raced down towards the ground.
'Like a Snitch,' he mused, smiling to himself. 'Only less manoeuvrable.'
He urged his broom on. Her tail twigs were almost in reach now as he lined up over her. She couldn't go any lower, and as Harry took the shorter route down, she got closer and closer. Stretching out to give himself one final burst of speed, he noticed, almost too late, the tension in her right leg. He jerked his hands back as she kicked out, sending her tail in a sideswipe to the left.
Harry cut inside her turn. But Ginny was too smart to be caught out like that. She kicked out with both legs, pulling up hard on her broom handle so that she was standing on the footrests while the broom drifted forwards, pointing vertically up into the sky. Harry lost a precious moment admiring the way she looked, silhouetted against the sun, her hair blowing about in the breeze. Kicking his own broomtail out, he raced to intercept her on her upward course.
"Come on, Harry," she laughed. Executing a perfect slingshot manoeuvre that she really should have gotten trademarked by this point, she accelerated under his flight arc. Or tried to.
Holding onto his broom by one hand, Harry caught her shoulder. "Gotcha."
"Dammit," said Ginny. They shared a laugh, which was caught suddenly short by-
"Forward!" the twins yelled, racing overhead.
Ginny tore off to intercept them, leaving Harry hanging off the old Cleansweep Two by one hand.
"Ack!" Harry cried, swinging slightly from Ginny's launch.
The broom acquiesced to his will, coming around and under him as he chased after Percy.
By the time Mrs Weasley called them to lunch, they were all flushed and satisfyingly well worn-out from their exertions.
"So Perce," Fred said.
"Would you rather be out here with us?" asked George.
"Or stuck up in your room polishing your badge?" Fred finished.
"Actually, I've been polishing my wand," Percy said.
Ginny slammed her hands over her ears and ran into the house yelling gibberish at the top of her voice. George snorted and bit his lip.
"That was clearly accidental," Fred said drily.
"I have no idea what you mean," said Percy, though he could not quite hide his smirk.
"What was?" Ron frowned, evidently having paid no attention.
Harry dreaded what George's predatory smirk was promising.
"Hey, Harry," Hermione said, embracing him briefly. "Happy birthday."
"Thanks, Hermione," he said. "How was your trip?"
"Well, it was safe, I suppose," Hermione sighed. Her father grinned. "And fast, I admit, we made good time."
"I know you enjoyed it," Mr. Granger said. "Happy birthday, Harry."
Hermione's father picked up a biscuit from the table and headed in, presumably to look for Mrs Weasley. Hermione raised her eyes to the heavens.
"Harry, I think I'd rather fly on a broomstick than go around in that thing," she said.
"Hermione..." Harry said. "Don't just say things like that, that's a serious accusation."
She rolled her eyes at him, smiling. "Yes, well. Am I the first?"
"Looks like it," Harry grinned. "You think your dad's going to try and persuade my parents to show him some magic?"
"He's already seen some," Hermione said. "The wards, remember? He was so freaked out when the Burrow just appeared out of nowhere."
"And you were perfectly calm and collected, of course," Harry teased.
"Of course," she sniffed. "Oh, those decorations are nice. Who did them?"
Over the kitchen table was a series of glowing, golden ribbons, spelling out 'Happy 12th, Harry!' Multi-coloured orbs floated by the walls, producing even more light than that which streamed in through the windows. Ginny had even gone with Percy and gotten balloons from the village. Setting all of this up was, of course, what Mrs Weasley had been busy with while they flew around the paddock. And, presumably, making all of the snacks that were now decorating the dinner table.
"Well, that was Mum and Ginny," Harry said. "The twins told me last night that they're planning something too, but I'm not sure what to expect."
"Chaos would be your safest best," said Hermione.
"Well, let's go see if anyone else is sitting at the boundary looking really confused," Harry grinned.
Nobody was — they found only Mr. Weasley waiting to key people into the wards as they came.
Harry and Hermione were soon joined by Neville, Dean, Seamus, Oliver and Hagrid, and they headed in to the kitchen. They realised that this was going to be a problem only half way through, as Hagrid got jammed in the doorway. Laughing, they tried in vain to help him through, until Mrs Weasley hurried out with Mr. Granger.
"My word, are you alright man?" Mr. Granger asked.
"Oh, don't be so foolish boys," Mrs Weasley smiled. "Cuurescium Aperus."
The doorway seemed to warp around Hagrid, becoming temporarily large enough to admit him.
"Thanks, Molly," said Hagrid. "Been a migh'y long time since I saw yeh last. 'Ow yeh been?"
"Hey, Harry, you been watching the Olympics?" Dean asked, seeing the television through the doorway.
"Of course," Harry grinned, recalling his and Ginny's resultant, poorly thought out attempt at butterfly stroke.
It hadn't turned out too badly, if you ignored the fact that a Muggle saw him swimming significantly faster than made any sense. They'd ended up continuing halfway to the next village just to avoid awkward questions. At least Ginny hadn't been caught Apparition-warping herself to keep up.
By the time Luna arrived, Ginny and the boys had come back downstairs with their presents.
"Oliver Wood," said Bill. "Hear you made captain."
"And we won too," Wood laughed, giving Harry a slap on the back. "Thanks to a swift recovery from this one. How have you been, Bill?"
"Hi, Luna," Ginny said, hugging her friend tightly. "Is your dad not coming?"
"He's very busy with the Quibbler, I'm afraid," said Luna. "Besides, it's only a fifteen minute walk. Happy birthday, Harry. I hope there aren't any nargles around..."
"Mr. Potter."
Harry turned to find a square-jawed, middle-aged woman, with short, greying copper hair kept neatly out of her face. Amelia Bones was Mr. Weasley's boss, Harry remembered, and the head of law enforcement. She certainly looked the part. She had an athletic build, and had her wand holstered at her wrist, just visible under the sleeve of her dark grey robes. Susan was standing just behind her, slightly pink in the face and keeping her eyes down.
"Err," Harry said intelligently, before blinking and catching up to himself. "Madam Bones. A pleasure to meet you."
Mrs Weasley smiled fondly at him, while Ginny stifled a giggle.
"Likewise," Madam Bones said, shaking his hand briefly. She had a very firm grip. "I am afraid that I cannot take a whole day off work to join you, but I trust you will take good care of my niece."
Madam Bones turned, kneeling in front of Susan, and muttered a few words to her which seemed to cheer Susan up a bit. Then she wished Harry a happy birthday and bade them all farewell.
"Happy birthday, Harry," Susan said quietly, pushing a small box at him and keeping her eyes resolutely fixed on it.
"Thanks, Susan," said Harry. He couldn't fathom why she was so shy.
"Hand it over, Harry," Mrs Weasley said sternly, though it was softened by her smile. "Not until everyone's here."
"Aww..." Harry groaned half-heartedly.
That got a smile out of Susan, though it began to quiver. Ginny seized her arm and Luna's and dragged them off somewhere.
"Err..." Harry muttered.
Turning around, he realised that everyone was getting on perfectly well with each other. Only, they were getting on without him. Laughing, Neville and Ron took pity on him, and they were soon eagerly speculating about what his presents might be.
"And thanks again for the Nephrexia, Harry," Neville said.
Harry had gifted Neville with seeds for one of the rarer plants used for OWL Potions ingredients. Nephrexia meretus was not the most dangerous of plants, but the careful control of conditions required for it to grow properly made it relatively expensive for such a commonly used herb.
"It was nothing, really," Harry grinned. "I-"
"Go go Gryffindor! Go go Gryffindor! Go go Gryffindor!"
The twins' eyes lit up. Fred grabbed Oliver, while George seized Harry by the upper arm, and they formed a circle with the newly arrived Chasers. Harry let himself be carried with the tide. Jumping up and down, arm in arm with his teammates, Harry felt that familiar euphoria of victory wash over him.
In his peripheral vision, he saw Dean, Seamus and Ron cheering along with them. Neville and Ginny were cheering too from where they stood with Hermione, who was just giving them a patient look. Even the adults were caught up in their fervour. Harry was sorely tempted to try to drag Hermione into the circle, but unfortunately he was too far away to try.
"So Oliver," Alicia said, as they calmed down.
"Seeing as how we're clearly in tip top condition..." Angelina grinned.
Harry gave his stomach an accusing look.
"What do you say..." said Fred.
"We ease up..." said George.
"On the old training..."
"Hmm?" the twins finished together.
Oliver turned weary eyes on them all.
"And this is why I never bothered with school Quidditch," Bill laughed.
Percy nodded sagely. "Of course not. You were far too much of a nerd, Bill."
Bill blinked, turning to the twins. "Did he...?"
"Yup," Fred grinned.
"We're still working on him..."
"But he's coming back..."
"In his own time," George finished.
"Have you lot put a Confundus on him or something?" Oliver said.
"We probably should have tried that, Fred," said Fred.
"Too right, George," said George. "Would have sped things up considerably."
"Or perhaps it would have doubled the damage," Fred mused.
"Knowing you two," Percy sighed, "a 'Confundus Charm' would have ended up requiring a bezoar."
"One time, brother!" they groaned. "One time!"
"Why would a charm need you to use a poison antidote?" Hermione asked, as if dreading the answer.
"We shouldn't say in polite company," Fred grinned.
Seamus began to chuckle, and knowing him, Harry imagined Seamus already had at least six ideas.
Just then, the girls returned. Ginny and Katie met each other's eyes, and Harry felt a sudden sense of impending doom. Alicia and Angelina were suddenly nowhere to be found, and everyone else had broken off into their own separate conversations. When Katie noticed this she seemed about ready to lose her nerve.
"Err... hey, Ginny," she said.
"I wasn't sure you were going to show up," said Ginny.
"Me either," Katie grimaced. "Look, about..."
"Ginny," Harry interrupted. "Can you please promise not to bite her head off for a couple of minutes, at least?"
Ginny narrowed her eyes at him.
"It's my birthday, remember?" Harry smiled hopefully.
It was as if a balloon had been pricked. "Fine," Ginny said.
"Look," Katie sighed. "You're a really nice guy, Harry. But it was just a stupid dare. I mean, you're taken. I'm sorry I upset you, Ginny."
Ginny squinted at her. "Well, okay, then. But if you ever try anything with Harry, just remember that I have more on the twins than all of Hogwarts put together."
Harry found himself sighing in relief along with his teammate. That could have gone a lot worse.
"Thanks, Ginny," Katie smiled.
Fred nudged Ginny, and as she turned, George pulled a knife from somewhere to mock her earlier act of slicing through the air. Harry wasn't sure whether he was more amused by the act, or worried that the twins could pull knives out of nowhere. Katie seemed to be leaning towards worried.
Ginny controlled her giggling to scold them. "Boys, I just threatened Katie. She didn't need you backing me up with a lethal weapon."
Harry decided to pull Katie aside before they could follow that train of thought. Just as they found an unoccupied part of the kitchen (a task made particularly difficult by Hagrid's presence), Alicia and Angelina made their reappearance.
"Thanks for abandoning me to the wrathful girlfriend, you two," Katie fumed.
"Oh, anytime," Alicia chuckled.
"Happy birthday, Harry," said Angelina. Alicia repeated the sentiment, giving him a brief hug.
"You been training hard?" Alicia grinned.
"Definitely," said Harry. "Every other day, just like Wood said. No doubt at all."
"Reckon I hear some sass, Seeker," said Oliver.
"Well, you are getting on a bit, Wood," Katie laughed. "My grandad hears things too."
"Getting old, am I?" Wood smirked. "What was it we overheard that time after Christmas, Harry?"
Harry smirked. "You mean-"
"Any perfectly innocent references to people's names in wildly unrelated contexts would surely not be mistaken for anything... dirty," Alicia said, blushing.
"You talking about..."
"How him being called Wood..."
"Means he's probably got a big-"
"Fred!" Katie giggled.
"Well, I am pretty big, thanks for noticing," Fred grinned, waggling his eyebrows.
Harry put his head in his hands. All his friends were mental.
"Wouldn't say he's Oliver's, though," said George.
"What do you reckon, Fred?" said Oliver. "Wanna go into Hogsmeade with me next term, see where this takes us?"
"Oh, Oliver, I don't know what to say!"
Abandoning them, Harry turned to look for less certifiably insane company and saw Luna talking to a rather lost-looking Susan.
"-the umgubular slashkilter in Minister Fudge's office?" said Luna.
Susan shook her head uncertainly.
"Well I suppose it was always an unlikely scenario," Luna shrugged. "He wouldn't want it discovered, even if he thought its bladed legs would make it a fearsome guard animal."
"Oh, hi Harry!" said Susan, turning pleading eyes on him.
"Hey girls," Harry grinned. "How've you been?"
Susan suddenly seemed to remember to be shy, and averted her eyes hurriedly, blushing. "Err, good... thanks Harry."
"Very well, thank you Harry Potter," Luna said. "I was just telling Susan Bones here about the cover article for the last issue of the Quibbler. One of the best selling issues to date - Daddy was so pleased."
"That's great, Luna," said Harry. "Do you work on the Quibbler with him?"
"Not really, but I'd like to write for it," Luna shrugged.
"Ginny's got a bit of an axe to grind with journalists," Harry smirked.
"No," said Luna, "only with idiots."
Susan sniggered.
"Fair point," Harry agreed. "So Susan, you got any pets?"
"Not exactly," Susan said. "Why?"
"Err," said Harry. "I... don't really know you that well. But you said how you have a way with animals, so I thought maybe you'd have a pet or two?"
"Oh," Susan said, blushing again. "Well, no, I mean, there's the animals on the grounds, but I wouldn't call them pets."
A few minutes later, Luna left to go and find Ginny. It took Susan a moment to realise she was alone with Harry. Then Harry lost all progress he'd made, as her face went bright red again and she looked at the floor.
"I thought usually it was girls that complained about boys not looking at their faces," Harry said, trying for a laugh. He got one, and he also got eye contact, but then her expression turned rather serious and sullen.
"Harry..." Susan said nervously. "Why... why did you invite me?"
Harry blinked at her. "I... what, sorry?"
"To your birthday party," Susan elaborated. "We've... we've only really talked once or twice all year."
"A couple of reasons," Harry shrugged. "I mean, you seem nice, and I'd like to be friends with you. I know you're friendly with Ginny. I... why wouldn't I invite you?"
"There's loads of people Ginny's friends with," Susan said. "And I'm sure loads of people in our year are nice. And apart from Ginny, there's only one thing we've already got in common."
Harry found a bright fire in her eyes as she said it, and he wondered what kind of answer she was looking for. Even the blush had faded, for the most part.
"Susan, you're not here so anyone can comfort you," said Harry. "Have you seen a pity party?"
"Well, no," said Susan. "Actually, your... mum?" At his nod she carried on. "Well, she keeps giving me sad eyes, but nothing else."
"Mum's a really kind, compassionate kind of person," Harry smiled, remembering how she'd exploded in front of the headmaster. "But I promise, I-"
Susan put a hand on his arm to stop him. "Thank you."
He gave her a lopsided little grin and, blushing madly, she smiled back.
Harry was most pleased by the Weasley boys' gift for him - a shield lock for his broom. It could be secured at the base, and as long as it was kept charged it would turn many hexes and curses into light and sound, making it very clear that someone was trying to tamper with the broom. The downside was that it would melt or explode when overloaded, but it gave Harry a much better chance than relying on a bitter, hateful Potions professor to protect him. Ron said that he, Fred, George and Percy had saved up for months to get one for him, and he made sure to tell them that he couldn't be more grateful.
"You, err, haven't enchanted it to heckle me or something when it's set off, have you?" Harry asked the twins warily.
"Why would it heckle you, Harry?" Fred grinned.
Harry found himself, if possible, even happier with their present.
"But that's got to be NEWT level charms!" Hermione gasped. "Not to mention the Rune-work involved in the warding!"
"You know quite a bit for a first-year," said Bill. Hermione positively glowed at the praise. "Yeah, that's where I came into it. Added a couple more layers of protection and turned their little idea into reality. Not the most complicated job I've done, but hopefully it'll keep you in one piece, Harry."
"Thanks, Bill," Harry grinned.
Bill shrugged, smirking. "Sounds like you get into enough trouble as it is. Another little feature I've put on that means if you have a high speed collision, it'll discharge into a kinetic shield bubble. Heard you like suicide manoeuvres, so..."
"Well, then you've got all our gratitude, Bill," Hermione grinned.
"Hush, I've never crashed," said Harry.
Oliver laughed. "That's the spirit."
"Happy birthday, Harry," Neville said. "Hope you'll like it."
"Neville, it's a birthday present from one of my best mates," Harry grinned. "I'm already happy. That being said, I do hope it's not a picture of Snape in the shower."
"Thanks for the image," said Ginny.
The twins looked rather more pleased, and Harry wondered what fresh new hell they would unleash upon the school next year.
"Anyway, I know flying is the only kind of magical transport you're happy with," Neville said, handing him a present wrapped up in animated golden wrapping parchment. "So it seemed pretty obvious what to get you."
Harry tore through the parchment to find a box engraved with the words:
Long Distance Flight Kit For the intrepid broomstick travellerWithin was a saddle, compass and yet another warding device, this one intended to keep him warm and shielded from the elements.
"Might end up using this for some of our midwinter Quidditch practises," Harry grinned.
"Just so long as you mean the weather shield and not the compass," Alicia laughed.
His parents had gotten him Quidditch goggles, and when the Chasers got him his own Golden Snitch, he began to chuckle.
"Looks like I'm not getting any Quidditch stuff next year then," Harry grinned.
"The way you fly, you'll probably need everything replaced," Hermione said drily.
Harry shook his head mournfully. "You'll learn to enjoy flying someday, Hermione."
"Flying, perhaps," said Hermione. "Not whatever it is you do."
Harry opened his mouth for an indignant retort, but his brain couldn't keep up with his mouth. Hermione just smirked at him.
"Anyway, it's second hand, I'm afraid," said Alicia. "They cost a fortune, so even with three of us it was a bit much."
"Hey, girls, I don't care if it's fifth hand," Harry said. "Thanks."
By the time it came back to Ginny, he'd gotten a Fanged Frisbee from Oliver, a book on Seeker moves from Hermione, a pair of fingerless Quidditch gloves from Seamus, and a Super Soaker from Dean.
Harry turned an evil grin on Ginny and Ron, who groaned when they saw the picture on the front of the box.
"Cheers, Dean," said Ron.
"No problem."
Hagrid gave him a large tin of treacle toffee, but he wasn't exactly sure what Luna had given him. Neither, apparently, were many of his friends. It was some sort of crystal ball with a shifting, colourless fluid inside.
"An everlight," Luna said.
There were some approving noises from the adults.
"It doesn't burn wax or oil," said Luna. "If you are lost, or scared, hold onto it, and it will burn brighter than the Sun."
Harry was rather impressed. In spite of himself, he'd been expecting something a little more... strange. The orb was a comfortable fit in his hand, perhaps a little smaller than a tennis ball, and he saw that he'd be able to block the light from blinding him if she wasn't exaggerating its brightness.
"Thanks, Luna," Harry grinned. "I'll keep it for the next time Voldemort shows his ugly face."
There were several sharp intakes of breath.
"Harry..." Mrs Weasley said.
Harry sighed. "I won't fear him."
"Some people do," said Bill. "It's good that you don't, but show others that kindness, Harry."
"Fine," said Harry. "Sorry."
Mr. Granger was looking around with some measure of confusion, until Mr. Weasley took him aside to explain the taboo.
"Well, that killed the mood a bit," Ginny grinned. "Here."
Harry took the gift eagerly. It had been so strange to him at Christmas, the idea of receiving gifts. The fact that everyone had been receiving gifts at the time made it less awkward, but this situation of people taking turns to give just him, and only him, presents, was rather nerve-wracking. But once he'd sat down with everyone in the living room with all their gifts, he'd rapidly been drawn in, and forgot his anxiety.
Ginny's gift was a thick, green, woollen scarf.
"Made it myself," Ginny said.
"It's great, Ginny," Harry grinned, pulling her in for a brief kiss. "Thanks."
"Saved the best till last," Ginny smirked, inclining her head towards Susan.
"I..." Susan began, looking terribly embarrassed that the whole room was looking at her. "I asked my aunt if I could have a look through the old records..."
Mrs Weasley gasped. Harry turned, alarmed, but she was looking between the two of them with her hand over her mouth, a kind of anxious happiness on her face.
"And when I found this, I knew I had to have a copy made for you," said Susan.
Now filled with both curiosity and a small amount of trepidation, Harry unwrapped the gift to find a leather folder. His heart clenched as tightly as his teeth. On the right hand side, a little north of centre, in perfectly regular handwriting, were the words:
Auror Training RecordsPotter, James Albert
1978-1980
Towards the top left corner was a large red stamp that read:
GraduatedDistinction
Harry gaped at her. Then he stared back down at the folder. Them he stared at her some more.
"I don't know what to say..." Harry croaked. "I... Thank you. So much."
"It was my pleasure, really," Susan said, blushing again.
Harry broke out into a massive grin.
"Cake!" Mrs Weasley announced.
It was like a starting pistol had been fired. Everyone shot to their feet, hurrying into the kitchen, leaving Harry alone with Susan.
"I don't know anyone at St. Mungo's to get your mum's Healer training records..." Susan said.
"Hey," Harry said, taking her hand. "This is... this is really precious to me."
Susan smiled. "Cake?"
"Cake."
There were definitely enchantments involved somewhere. Harry couldn't get over how delicious the cake looked. There must have been some kind of charm on the door to keep the smells from spreading, because once he stepped over the threshold and he got a nose full of its sweet aromas, he was filled with an incredible hunger. It was a craving that only cake could satisfy. Only this cake.
On the table was a cake about half a metre across and twenty centimetres high, baked in the shape and colours of a golden snitch, carefully decorated with the same beautiful, intricate surface carvings and raised patterns. Embedded in it were twelve red candles, with bright golden flames. It was a true Gryffindor Seeker's cake. Harry supposed that Mrs Weasley had perfected it with Charlie. His mouth was already watering.
"Happy birthday to you," Hermione, Ginny, Katie and Mr. Weasley began.
The others cottoned on quickly, as if they'd forgotten the song, which Harry supposed was entirely possible considering how few wizard-born seemed to know it.
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Harry! Happy birthday to you!"
"Make a wish, Harry," Mrs Weasley said.
'I wish for the power to kick Voldemort's rotting arse, so that I'll never allow him to hurt me or my friends and family ever again.'
With that thought in mind, Harry blew out all twelve candles with one big breath that made Hermione's hair flutter on the other side of the table.
"Hooray!"
It was late in the afternoon by the time Neville left. Harry stood at the ward boundary with Ginny and Ron, watching the shadows grow slowly longer. It had been a perfect, beautiful day all told. But there was only one thing on his mind. He walked back into the house, leaving Ginny to keep Ron occupied. He didn't have to tell her what he needed.
He grinned at his brothers, picked up the folder, and headed straight up to Ron's room. There, he collapsed onto his bed.
Opening the tan leather folder, the first thing Harry found was an animated picture of his father. James Potter was smiling slightly as he looked at the camera, but this wasn't the smile of a mischievous schoolboy, nor the smile of a happy father, as Harry had seen before. There was a hard look in his eyes, and his jaw was clenched slightly. At the bottom of the picture was written his name, and the date — 01/07/1978. He hadn't even taken time off after his NEWTS.
Behind that was another photo, this one dated 31/05/1980. His father stood in dark grey Auror robes, wand holstered at his wrist and an even darker look in his eyes. His parents were dead, his wife was heavily pregnant, and his world was in disarray. He was being sent out under orders to use Unforgivable Curses such as the Killing Curse on the Death Eaters they encountered. The Killing Curse that would eventually kill him.
Harry clenched his jaw, a breath coming shakily through his nose.
Blinking, Harry almost missed what came next. James almost blurred into motion, pulling a large, silver heater shield Harry hadn't noticed off his back and onto his left arm, while his wand shot out into his hand. The shield was emblazoned with a crest that Harry realised must be his own. It was a little small, but he saw the rearing lion on the family shield itself, with a griffin pouncing over the top of the shield, and longswords crossed diagonally behind. He couldn't quite make out the motto at the bottom, but he knew from his lessons with Mrs Weasley that it was 'novissima autem inimica destruetur mors'. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Another thing Harry picked up on was the change in his father's build through Auror training. He'd had an athletic, slim physique at Hogwarts, but military training had given him a build more like Charlie's, muscled like a maiden's dream.
'I didn't know Aurors were issued with shields...'
Harry put the two pictures aside, looking through the remaining documents. There was an application with his academic records, a personal statement and a physical, psychological and magical examination; then there was a series of weekly progress reports, mission reports and monthly medical reports. Susan had given him two years of his father's life.
He began flicking through the documents, noting the odd fact as he went. His father had been six feet and one inch tall, and had a magical channelling capacity of 34 Mansels at a maximum duration of 51 seconds, generating a distortion field of 1.4 times standard. Harry tried to make sense of those figures, but after a minute of scratching his head, all he knew was how tall his father had been. Perhaps Hermione could help.
The progress reports were equal parts amusing and painful to read. Auror training was grueling. From the looks of things, the Academy would either make or break its initiates in those first couple of months. It might have had something to do with the accelerated training regime during the war - the usually three year course was condensed into an intensive two year programme that saw trainees in the line of fire from a single year in.
The death tolls were horrific, but they were at least better than the Death Eaters'. While even the Aurors put little emphasis on physical training, they at least included it. You could last longer before going hypervitasic if you interspersed spells with punching people in the face. His father seemed to have realised this, and gone above and beyond the standard physical conditioning.
The Death Eaters, on the other hand, didn't seem to have much in the way of formal training. There was passing mention of the Dark secrets Voldemort shared with his 'inner circle', but records from deserters spoke of how the only real training the recruits got was practising spells on Muggle victims and duels with their peers. Harry grimaced, recalling what was said in the 'books about him' that Hermione had pointed him towards to pass the time when he wanted to hang out with the girls. The recruits that lost those duels tended to become targets for the others to practise their torture curses on. The bulk of the Death Eaters, he'd realised, were like wild animals. The people who didn't feel like living in civilised society, because the kinds of things they wanted to do with their time had consequences.
Harry had read admittedly little about the War in the last year at Hogwarts. The book he'd chosen to read while sitting in the library told of innumerable horrors, and he really took it off the shelf more to hold than to read, so he had only read three chapters in about six months. But with this new, more personal insight, he knew he'd be digging deeper. With all the books about the War, and all the fuss about his part in it, there had to be more information about his parents. From what little he'd heard of them, they'd been a major thorn in Voldemort's side even before their son blasted him out of his body.
Grinning darkly to himself, Harry went back to flicking through the dossier.
Right at the back was a document confirming James Potter's graduation from the Auror Academy. It commented on his exceptional physical abilities, including reflexes that had allowed him to use his shield to deflect multiple Killing Curses on missions.
Harry stared at the parchment.
James Potter's physical and magical strength and stamina make him a valuable shock trooper. In particular, his demonstrated ability to deflect curses, including the Killing Curse, with his family shield may prove vital on the front lines. Recommend deployment with Sirius Orion Black.Harry stopped reading, feeling a cold hand grip his heart. Best friends at school, and squadmates in the war, and Black still betrayed him. For a moment, Harry just stared blankly at the parchment. He was so angry he didn't even want to think. But then he turned back to the photos of his father. One had wandered off-camera, while the other stretched his neck. The anger condensed from hot, volatile vapour into a cold fury that settled in his gut.
"I'll avenge you, Dad," said Harry. "I promise."
Harry spent the following days poring over the dossier. Occasionally Ginny or Ron would join him, but Harry spent a good deal of the following few days alone with his father's records. He didn't feel depressed, so much as he felt that he needed to be alone. His family gave him that time, and by Wednesday he had read every word.
James Potter, apparently, had been quite the impressive fighter. According to Mr. Weasley, the average channelling capacity was more like 25 Mansels over 30 to 40 seconds, but raw power wasn't the only edge his father had. The overseers had noted his ability to deflect curses with reliability and even accuracy at times, redirecting incoming spells at other opponents. But he had also boasted great casting accuracy, and an uncanny ability to aim while flying.
His father cocked his head at Harry from within the photo.
"Your parents were both symbols for the resistance," Madam Pomfrey said. "Three times He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named attacked them personally, and three times they... well, they escaped at the very least. It was one of the most terrifying things about him, Harry. Nobody could really stop him. Even Albus Dumbledore himself never truly defeated him."
"Why didn't he use his shield that night?" Harry asked. "The records say he used a silver shield, his family shield, to deflect Killing Curses. Why didn't he have it with him?"
"That shield was almost legendary," the nurse smiled. "Most inanimate objects are destroyed when the Killing Curse hit them, but that thing was about ten stone worth of goblin-made, wizard-enchanted silver. Probably had Featherweight Charms on it for him to swing it around the way he did, but there were none others like it. I don't know why he didn't use it that night, Harry. But you should have been safe at Godric's Hollow for all eternity, and I expect that he believed that."
"If we weren't betrayed," Harry muttered.
"Yes," said Madam Pomfrey. "But he's been punished, Harry."
Harry nodded, trying to keep his mind from that dark place.
"Come, let us remember your father's strength, not his death. What else does the record have to say?"
"I imagine you'll want more recent history today," Mrs Weasley said.
Harry blushed. He hadn't been spending all his time looking over Susan's gift, but he had to admit he'd been locked up in Ron's room almost as much as Percy had been in his.
"Oh, don't be embarrassed dear," Mrs Weasley smiled. "I would have been surprised if you were much less interested. Now I must admit that I wasn't very close to either of them. I mean I'm about ten years older. Married by the time they started at Hogwarts..."
Harry was just trying to compile a response when she recovered herself.
"Anyway, yes, they were very pleasant people. James was charming as you like, made me feel like a teenager again whenever he talked to me. And Lily was just the most generous soul... The only thing that kept her from Healer training was brewing healing potions for St. Mungo's or for the Aurors, and the only thing that kept her from that was going out herself to help the wounded, and the only thing that kept her from that was backing up her husband on missions. The woman took no time for herself, Harry, and neither did James until you arrived."
Harry was surprised to find his eyes watery. The passion in Mrs Weasley's voice...
"She was an example to all of us," Mrs Weasley sniffed. "Just a young girl, Harry. She and James were an army unto themselves. Three times, You-Know-Who tried to kill them personally, and it took a fourth for him to beat them."
"A blood traitor and a Muggleborn," Harry grinned.
Mrs Weasley smiled with him. "It was your parents and the Longbottoms. Heroes. Professor Dumbledore was the one You-Know-Who was supposed to be afraid of, but he's Professor Dumbledore. James and Lily, and Frank and Alice, they were ordinary people. Exceptional sorcerers, but people had gone to school with them, Harry. And they were proof that You-Know-Who didn't have to win."
"Where are Neville's parents?" Harry asked.
"Gone," Mrs Weasley shuddered. "We lost them, Harry."
Harry grimaced. That at least explained why Neville never mentioned them.
"But back to your parents," Mrs Weasley sighed. "If I ever heard one thing about your father, Harry, it's that he was trouble."
"I'm sorry?" said Harry.
An amused smile removed all traces of her prior grief. "He and his friends were the most infamous of trouble makers at school. They even had a name for their little band, though the name... I think it began with an 'm'. Either way, they caused utter havoc. They say that your father and his friends were the only people Peeves paid any attention to."
Peeves. The school poltergeist. Mr. Filch's mortal enemy, and public enemy number one. A creature whose only purpose in life was to derive maximum pleasure from really messing up other people's days. While he showed a modicum of respect towards the professors, Harry knew that the only person he actually listened to was the Slytherin House Ghost, the Bloody Baron, who apparently terrified Peeves.
"Your mother, on the other hand," Mrs Weasley smiled, "got almost universal praise. The others, my dear, were jealous. Both she and your father were good at almost everything they did. Head Boy and Girl. And your mother's academic record was spotless. My, how people raved about her charmwork."
Mr. Weasley soon joined them. They talked into the night of the Potters' more well-known accomplishments and a few war stories. While neither of them had a wealth of personal information, Harry appreciated it more than he could say.
Of course, Mrs Weasley chased them both to bed soon enough. Harry ended up needing his sleep.
Harry woke up on the eleventh of August feeling no small measure of trepidation. Looking around and listening carefully, he sighed with relief when he realised that there were no explosions.
"I'm eleven!" Ginny's voice cried, muffled, from her room four floors down.
Harry buried his exasperated grin in his pillow. Maybe not. It had started the day before.
Harry woke up on the tenth of August to the sound of a faint, infrequent popping. For a moment he wasn't sure what it was. Then, as he sat up in bed, he saw a massively wound up Ginny appear by the door.
"Hey," he whispered.
"Eee," she replied, her fists clenched up by her shoulders.
"Report, oh-seven-thirty-six," said Harry. "Target seems to have remained in control of her bladder, but it may be any second now."
"You!"
"Seriously, Ginny, it's tomorrow," Harry smirked. "Calm down."
"Calm down?" She Apparated over to him. "I'm going to be eleven, Harry! That's like, the second most important birthday ever!"
"Why?"
"Why. When you're eleven you go to school!"
"You already go to school," Harry grinned, bewildered.
"Yeeaaahhh..." Ginny said. "But this is the proper birthday that I've been waiting for forever."
She'd been impossible the entire day, Disapparating randomly and falling out of chairs. At least it was amusing. But now it was the day itself, and Harry worried whether she could get any more excited and not start burning the house down.
"Okay, thanks for letting us know!" Fred or George called back.
Harry let out a soft sigh, but he couldn't help grinning.
"Go back to sleep!" said Percy.
"Ouuuooouuu!" said the ghoul in the attic.
"Ginny dear, did you really have to..." Mrs Weasley sighed.
"Sorry, Mum," Ginny said, much clearer this time. She must have taken to Apparating again. "But I'm eleven!"
Harry heard Mr. Weasley chuckling, even when his wife hushed him. There was a faint pop and a knock on the door. Ron snorted in his sleep.
"Yeah," said Harry.
Ginny Apparated right through. "Eleven."
Sliding out of bed and dashing over, Harry grabbed her around the waist before she could move again.
"Happy birthday," said Harry. And he kissed her, tenderly, savouring the softness of her cheek under his fingers. Ginny smiled up at him beatifically.
There was a retching noise behind him, and they turned to see Ron pretending to heave up his dinner. Smirking at Harry, she pinned him to the door and kissed him rather thoroughly.
"Oh, Merlin," Ron groaned, hiding his head under his pillow.
"So," Ginny grinned, pulling away. "What am I getting today?"
"Birthday presents, I'd assume," said Harry.
Ginny made a face at him and disappeared.
Harry turned to a hesitantly resurfacing Ron. "Yeah, I think 'oh Merlin' covers it."
By the time everyone was sitting at the breakfast table, Ginny was literally on fire, much to Mrs Weasley's alarm. Mr. Weasley took to regularly applying Flame Freezing Charms to keep her from setting the table ablaze. Bill and the twins were just laughing themselves silly.
"Would you like to use the bathroom, Ginny?" Percy asked as she pulsed with light.
The flames died in an instant, and Ginny planted her face straight into her beans on toast.
"Err..." Harry said, looking on helplessly.
"How long until the guests start arriving?" said Bill.
"Far, far too long," said Mr. Weasley.
Ginny did at least calm down after that, and they finished their breakfast in peace. Heading up to her room, Harry and Ginny grinned at each other, Ginny's being markedly more sheepish.
"It's a big deal, okay?" she huffed.
Harry rolled his eyes at her. "How's the summer project going?"
"Which one?" said Ginny. "I've been reading up on wards... talking to Bill about a ward to clean the river, but it looks really complicated."
"We'll figure it out in Ancient Runes," Harry shrugged.
Ginny scrunched up her nose in distaste. "That's at least a year off!"
"Patience, you must have, hmm?" Harry said, poking at her nose.
Ginny's whole face scrunched up and she shied away, grinning.
"You're so cute," Harry smiled.
Ginny stared insolently up at him even as she began to blush.
"What about the school one?" Harry asked.
"Pfff..." Ginny grinned. The grin faded. "No."
"Whaaaat?" said Harry. "There's something you can't do?"
"Shut up, Harry," Ginny laughed, shoving at his shoulder. "I can make something float from one place to another, but not just disappear and reappear..."
"Well, what have you tried?" said Harry.
Ginny sighed and dropped onto her bed. "I tried focusing on how much I wanted it to be in the other place, y'know, like when I Apparate, but that just sort of works like a Summoning Charm."
Harry sat with her, talking through the various methods she'd tried until finally...
"Ugh! I give up!" Ginny said, throwing her hand up in disgust. "I'll just ask Dad about the wand movements, maybe if I twiddle my fingers the right way..."
Harry snorted and wrapped his arms around Ginny, who was still staring furiously at her wiggling digits. "That's not like you, come on."
"Have you got any ideas?" she sighed.
"Err..."
Harry wracked his brain, turning over all the surface thoughts she was throwing his way. What did all her methods have in common? Wanting it to be in another place, wanting it to disappear and reappear, wanting it to move infinitely fast...
"You're trying to move it," Harry muttered.
Ginny, being in contact with him, had already seen where his thought process was going. "You genius, Harry!"
Harry blushed. "Wouldn't go that far, I mean..."
Ginny wasn't paying him any mind though. Staring with burning intent, Ginny reached out to a jumper that had been casually draped over her chair.
The issue, Harry thought, had been Ginny's desire to make the object move. If all she wanted was for the object itself to move, to be in a different place, the object would move, but not teleport. What Harry had suggested was to change the space around it instead.
As he watched, the air around the jumper began to distort. Ginny was grinning tersely. Eyes aglow with power, red aether burned around Ginny as she cast the spell, gasping as the enchantment set.
"You okay?" Harry said, reaching out to her.
Ginny only smirked at him. "Activate."
With a muted flash, the jumper vanished.
"Yeah!" Harry cheered, pumping his fist into the air.
Ginny's reaction was more exuberant. Harry grunted as she bowled him over, knocking the wind clean out of him.
"Ungh," Harry grunted under thirty kilogrammes of ecstatic Ginny. "Help."
When Luna arrived wearing Ginny's jumper, Ginny kissed Harry as though the world was about to end, leaving him to stagger dazedly while she went to hug her friend. Luckily, Neville was there to laugh at him, as were Parvati and Lavender.
"I decided it must be important," said Luna.
Ginny was like a firecracker contained within a human shell. "It was a Portkey!"
"You did it!" Neville grinned, as Hermione arrived. "Congratulations."
"What did I miss?" said Hermione, contrite.
"I can't really demonstrate because the wards won't let me," Ginny said.
"At least we haven't gotten a letter from the Ministry," Bill grinned.
Ginny turned a smirk on her roommates. "I made that jumper into a Portkey."
Their eyes went wide, and Fay and Rionach arrived to see Lavender and Parvati each clutching one of Ginny's arms, bombarding her with questions.
"And how are you even allowed to do magic over the holidays?" Lavender pouted.
By the time Susan, Su and Padma arrived, Harry was left wondering why on Earth Ginny had been so upset last week about only being allowed twelve guests. It seemed she'd been set on inviting their whole year group. Ginny was popular, without a doubt, but twelve people plus him and her brothers seemed like plenty.
On the topic of her guest list, Harry had the sneaking suspicion that Dean and Seamus were only there because Tracey and Daphne wouldn't be able to come. If word got out that they were friendly with a Weasley, life would get pretty difficult for them in Slytherin, and that wasn't counting what issues their families might take.
Gritting his teeth, Harry grinned at one of Seamus's endless supply of crass jokes. He didn't know the Slytherin girls all that well, or the less thug-like boys, Nott and Zabini, and the reason why was an incredibly irritating inconvenience. But it wasn't fair that Ginny should have to keep her friendships secret. She wasn't something dirty to be hidden away...
Harry felt his increasingly vexed train of thought break down as soft lips brushed against his cheek.
"Hey," Ginny grinned.
"Hey yourself," said Harry.
"You're right," she shrugged. "But it's not so bad. It's kind of fun, really."
Harry was about to express his disbelief when she grabbed his hand, and Harry felt the truth to her words. She grinned at him.
'Really, it's fine,' she said. 'Promise.'
'I'll fix it,' said Harry. 'I don't know how, but I will.'
'I know,' Ginny smirked.
Ginny's birthday went by, for the most part, in similar fashion to Harry's. There was a bit more girlish squealing, and more pink in the decorations, but apart from that it was quite a familiar affair. And when it came time to give Ginny her presents, Harry felt the exact same terrifying awkwardness as when he'd been receiving them. If anything it was worse, because while his fear and discomfort had given way to glee and enthusiasm as he'd received gift after gift, now his terror only built as he worried whether his present was good enough. Or their gift, rather. And therein lay the problem. Was she expecting him to get her something special, as her boyfriend?
"Well, midget," said Fred.
"You're in for a treat with this one," said George.
Ginny narrowed her eyes at them in suspicion. Harry had barely even noticed the other gifts being given.
"It's a communal gift," said Percy.
"From all of us," said Ron.
"And Charlie," Bill added.
"And me," said Harry.
"Ginny, you have a gift," said Percy.
Bill grinned. "We only want to see you make the most of it."
"Everyone knows a wand works best," said George.
"... for a sorcerer it chose," finished Fred.
"We want you to have that opportunity," said Percy.
Ginny was staring at them, her eyes so wide as to threaten popping out of her head. "Unk?"
Fay snorted quietly.
"When we all visit Diagon Alley for the school shopping trip," said Percy, "you will be going to Ollivander's. There, a wand will choose you. And then, you will pay for that wand with this money, and it will accompany you, hopefully, for the rest of your days."
A lonely little tear rolled down Ginny's cheek as she stared at each of them in turn. Then, with nary a sound from her, she began phasing rapidly in and out of being, hugging each of them tightly enough to fracture ribs before teleporting to her next target.
"You go get 'em, Firefly," Bill smiled.