"I'm coming home,
I'm coming home
Tell the world, I'm coming home
Let the rain…
Wash away
All the pain of yesterday"
-Coming Home
Chapter 10: An Unexpected Gift
Disclaimer: I own the plotline, nothing else.
The remaining weeks spent at the Burrow had been good to Harry. He wasn't neglected or forced to do any sort of chore. The boy was surrounded by those who genuinely cared for him, and it helped him cope with the loss of his best friend quite nicely.
Sirius had been somewhat disappointed when his godson declined his invitation of spending the rest of the summer with him. Harry apologized, of course, and informed him that he was needed amongst the Weasleys. They were all still grieving and having small teen with them helped with the healing process.
Harry was definitely not being used as some sort of substitute for Ron no longer living there. He had made sure of that from the start. It was the twins, along with Ginny, that had begged him to stay. Harry provided a good distraction from thinking about their late brother, just as the Weasleys did the same for him. Besides, Harry balanced the quidditch teams whenever the teens decided to go out and play, as well.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had also reassured Harry that being amongst his friends would be best at the time. Even Sirius agreed that having the social interaction of kids his own age would benefit Harry after what had happened. Still, that didn't stop his godfather from visiting every weekend.
Now, with only one day left until it was time to return to school, everybody who was there when Harry arrived had come back. Sirius, Hermione, Neville, and Luna all returned for a very special occasion. The only new faces at the Burrow were Dean Thomas (much to Ginny's delight) and Seamus Finnegan. They had all gathered around, despite his many protests, to celebrate Harry's sixteenth birthday.
"Happy Birthday, Harry!" his friends finished singing just moments before the now sixteen year old wizard blew out the candles on his enormous snitch-shaped birthday cake.
"What'd ya wish for?" Seamus asked him.
"He can't tell you," Luna interrupted before Harry could say anything. "If he does, it won't come true," she explained to the older Gryffindor.
Hermione just beamed at her friend who looked rather amused watching Luna and Seamus awkwardly communicate. She hadn't seen him this happy in a long time. With all of his friends and adoptive family celebrating him, Harry momentarily let go of every burden and bad feeling he'd been holding onto.
…
"Alright," Mrs. Weasley announced once she had finished washing the last of the dishes. Cake had been served long ago and she now felt it was time to keep the party going. "Everybody, gather around," she told them loudly enough so everybody would hear. "Time to open presents!"
At this, all of them immediately cheered and ran over to the dining table where the gifts were strewn out. Harry, however, became embarrassed once again and walked slower than the others on his way to the other room. Whenever he was the center of attention, he couldn't help but to become slightly nervous. Noticing this for the second time since her friend had arrived at the Burrow, Hermione walked back over to him.
"Come on, Harry," she took his hand in reassurance before bribing him to follow her, "If you hurry up I might consider joining the rest of you in a quidditch match this evening." Hermione absolutely hated flying, but figured since it was her only best friend's birthday it wouldn't hurt to get on a broom just this once.
And knowing just how much the other girl feared heights, Harry literally ran into the room and joined the others. He had been trying to get Hermione to fly with him since his second year. Each time he asked, however, she had turned him down, saying that she had flown quite enough throughout her first year at Hogwarts with Madam Hooch. Even then, the Gryffindor was basically being forced to fly against her will. If she wasn't being graded on it, Hermione most likely wouldn't have even touched the thing she'd rather use to sweep the floor with.
Slightly regretting the promise she made, the brunette still laughed and took off after her friend to see what he received for his birthday.
…
"Wow," Harry said as he pulled out an extremely large book about everything quidditch. He had never seen or even held such a heavy text before. And after spending countless days and nights with Hermione in the library doing homework, that was definitely saying something.
"Thanks 'Mione," Harry beamed at her. Despite the fact that he generally hated having to read, he knew it wouldn't be the case with this book. Anything having to do with flying fascinated him. Not once had he even thought about looking for books on the matter, though.
"I love it," he reassured Hermione before getting up to thank her with a hug.
It was obvious that her friend was genuinely pleased with the gift she selected, and she couldn't have been more relieved. "You're welcome, Harry," Hermione said softly upon returning his embrace.
After that, the teen resumed opening the remaining presents.
From Seamus, he had received a broom-servicing kit for which he was most grateful. He had been in desperate need of a new one.
Dean had given him a gift certificate for Eyelops Owl Emporium so that he could pick up some new treats amongst other things for Hedwig. Harry found this to be most thoughtful being that hardly anybody had ever thought to give anything that would also benefit his familiar.
Ginny presented him with a Pygmy Puff like the one she had, except this one was purple and female. To say it caught Harry off guard would have been an understatement. These creatures were far too girly for his tastes and he had absolutely no idea how to take care of it. Still, he thanked the younger girl and pretended to appreciate the thing. Even though he wasn't fond of the puff ball and regardless of the fact that it hadn't cost the red-head a single sickle since it was from her brother's shop, Harry didn't show any signs of dislike.
The twins, knowing all about their sister's ridiculous gift, gave Harry a small handbook as to how to take care of his new pet. Fred and George also supplied him with a gracious amount of products from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.
"It's not much," Fred told him after Harry had unwrapped their present, "Seeing as you practically paid for it all," George admitted. With the younger Gryffindor having given all of his Triwizard winnings to them, the products, along with most of the store, was really his in a way.
"True," Harry shrugged, "But it wasn't me who created these awesome things," he then smiled thankfully at the two before giving them each a brotherly hug.
Not being able to deny that, the twins just laughed and encouraged him to keep on with the unwrapping of his new belongings.
Harry then decided to go after the largest package at the far end of the table. He had been trying his best to it save for last, but his curiosity managed to get the better of him. And he soon after found himself opening a beautifully decorated trunk that contained everything needed to hold a quidditch match with. The wooden crate held a quaffle, bludger, snitch, and several beater bats.
"Thank you, Sirius!" the boy practically shouted from the excitement of finally owning such wonderful items. He could now play quidditch whenever he wanted instead of having to wait for either the practices or matches at Hogwarts.
"Don't mention it, kiddo," his godfather replied with a look of pride across his face. Sirius had quite clearly managed to select the best gift so far.
After admiring the trunk for a few more moments, Harry then reached for the much smaller box to his left. It was placed right before Hermione, who had been eying it with a great deal of wonder since she had noticed it. There was no nametag or card of any sort to tell them who it came from. And having asked the others if they knew, Hermione was just left with more confusion. How'd the anonymous gift even manage to get there?
But before she could think further into it, Harry had torn the paper apart, revealing a gorgeous snake-shaped pendant attached to a silver chain.
"It's lovely," said Luna who was sitting at Harry's right. As odd as the gift was, he had to agree with the blonde. The necklace was breathtaking and had obviously cost whoever had bought it for him a great deal of money. "So, that would definitely rule out any of the Weasleys," Harry thought to himself. He felt somewhat bad for thinking like that, but it was the truth, nonetheless.
The snake was a dark shade of green with stripes made of small diamonds across its body. The eyes were also green. Each eye hole contained two emeralds that sparkled so much it nearly put Harry into a trance. The size of the snake was, over all, not much larger than that of his pinky finger. And the chain latched onto it couldn't have been anything other than genuine silver by the looks of it.
"I would have it checked for any curses before wearing it, Harry," Hermione suggested with a hint of bitterness laced through her voice. She wouldn't say it aloud, but the brunette felt slightly jealous at whoever thought to get her friend such a remarkable gift. They had obviously put a great deal of thought into it. Hermione inwardly hoped it was a trick from a Death Eater instead of a token from another girl. It was entirely wrong to think so, but she just couldn't help it.
"Don't worry," Harry reassured her, "I'll take it straight to Dumbledore once we get back." He then re-wrapped the piece of jewelry before returning to the task at hand.
It wasn't much of a surprise when Harry received a pair of socks from the Headmaster and a knitted jumper from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. He also wasn't shocked to find that Neville had purchased him a book about unusual plants. He was caught off guard, however, by the item Luna had brought for him.
"A mood ring?" he asked the Ravenclaw, making sure he was seeing correctly. It was, after all, a muggle invention.
"Yes," Luna confirmed. "I came across it whilst shopping in muggle-London with my father." She smiled, "We even bought a few for ourselves." The younger girl then showed Harry the ring identical to his new one upon her finger.
Hermione couldn't help but notice the light shade of pink Neville's face had turned. He didn't seem pleased with the fact that Luna and Harry now had matching accessories like some couples tended to.
"So, what's your mood?" Seamus asked, quite intrigued with the foreign item.
Harry laughed when it quickly turned yellow. "Happy, apparently," he told his friend. The others became amused as well, and even Neville managed to crack a smile.
…
Later on that evening, after Seamus, Dean, Luna, and Neville went home, Harry decided to partake in a round of quidditch before it got too dark out.
"Hey," he greeted the twins after walking into their bedroom. "Want to play some quidditch?" Harry asked with his broom in hand.
"We were wondering when you'd finally ask," Fred replied. "Took you long enough," George said at the same time.
Harry just laughed while the twins grabbed their individual brooms and went downstairs.
"You game, Ginny?" He asked the younger red-head upon meeting her at the bottom of the stairwell.
"Not tonight, Harry," she told him, shaking her head. "Sorry," Ginny then added after seeing the disappointed look on her friend's face. "I'm just tired," she yawned as if to prove her point.
"No worries," he smiled to lighten the mood. "Would you mind keeping Lyra in your room for the night, though?" Harry asked, hopefully. "I can't get her to stop singing," he complained about his new pet.
Ginny stifled a laugh, "That's because she likes you, Harry," she informed him. "She thinks singing will please you. I remember not being able to get Arnold to shut up for the longest time."
"But I thought Pygmy Puffs only sang on Boxing Day?" he asked, remembering what Luna had said last year.
"That's what we thought," the twins interrupted. "But we were obviously wrong," Fred and George starting laughing. They could still hear both pets singing from upstairs.
"Hey!" Harry huffed, "You won't be laughing later when Lyra keeps you from sleeping all night," he pointed out.
Being that he currently shared a room with Fred and George, they knew the other Gryffindor was right. Harry had refused to sleep in his late friend's bedroom despite the fact that it was also once his. That being said, if his new pet was made to spend the night in the same room as her owner, the boys would be up all night. There was no question about it.
"Fine," Ginny agreed, putting an end to the twin's worrying. "But just this one night," she told Harry. "I should be able to get her to stop singing by tomorrow anyways."
"Thanks, Gin," Harry said, using his old nickname for her.
"Well, it is your birthday," she pointed out.
"Yes, it is," her brothers interrupted once more. "So, let's spend what's rest of it outside playing quidditch," George said. "It's already starting to get dark out," Fred warned.
"Alright," Harry laughed, "Thanks again!" he half-shouted as he was being pulled away from Ginny and out the back door of the Burrow by the twins.
"Wait," Harry stopped them. "We need another player to make the teams even," he stated the obvious.
"You're right," Fred agreed. "Do you think we could get Sirius to join us?" George asked. Both Harry's godfather and Hermione had decided to spend the night since they were all heading off the Hogwarts tomorrow. Sirius wanted to see his godson off while staying over simply made getting to the platform easier for their other friend.
Wondering if they could get Sirius to play with them, Harry walked back inside only to find the older man in his Animagus form, curled up and fast asleep on the couch.
"I don't think so," he sighed before remembering they actually already had another player, "Hermione!" Harry called after running back up the stairs towards the room she shared with Ginny.
"I thought you guys were going outside?" Ginny asked the boys who had suddenly barged into her room.
"We still are," Harry reassured her. He then turned to face his best friend, noticing that Lyra was sitting on her shoulder. "You ready?" he asked the brunette.
Hermione's heart began to race. She had hoped Harry would have forgotten all about her earlier promise.
"Oh, calm down 'Mione," Ginny walked over and took the Pygmy Puff off of the other girl. "You'll have fun."
"I don't-" Hermione began to protest, but the twins prevented her from doing so.
"A promise is a promise, our dear friend," George told her. "Yes," Fred responded to her look of confusion, "We overheard your deal with Harry this afternoon." The two boys then made their way over to Hermione and each grabbed one of her arms tightly, but not hard enough to cause any harm."So, let's go," they said in unison before carefully carrying her out.
Hermione had tried to put up a fight when the twins surprised her by lifting her off the ground and out of the room against her will, but soon gave up once she realized it was pointless.
Harry and Ginny, on the other hand, merely laughed the entire time. Neither one of them had any intentions of stopping them.
…
"Okay," Hermione huffed, crossing her arms in the process. "You've dragged me outside," she stated, "Now what?"
"We fly," Fred replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "First, though," George went on. "You need to pick a team," he told her. "You can either be with one of us," Fred said, "Or you can join Harry."
Hermione didn't so much as hesitate before choosing to side with her best friend. She hardly trusted either Weasley when it came to flying…or anything else for that matter.
"Alright then," Harry said, smiling at the distressed girl. "Do you want to start off sharing a broom until you get used to being up in the air?" he offered. He knew it had been years since she had flown.
Hermione only nodded her head in response, too petrified to speak at the moment. She was dreading what was about to take place.
The boys laughed, "Let's start the game then, shall we?" George broke the silence.
And before Hermione could prolong her fate any further, Harry had taken her hand and walked her over towards his Firebolt. Seconds later, the two were up in the air, gliding amongst the summer sky.
It would have been quite peaceful if Hermione hadn't been screaming and holding onto Harry's waist as if her life had depended on it.
Still, all Harry could do was laugh and enjoy the rare moment he got to share with her.
A/N:Review! I love it when you do that!
Next: It's time to go back to Hogwarts where many surprises await.
Until then…