Harry sprinted as fast as he could up the hill. The tall golden grass was thick and dragging at his ankles as if to slow him down, but he refused to be stopped. He charged up the hill so hard that he was practically hauling himself up on all fours. Behind him near the start of the rising slope was Ron, trying to keep up. He could hear him shouting at him to slow down, but Harry continued up the hill till he reached the top. At his pace, he almost tumbled over it upon stopping. At the slanted top was the perfect view of the land.

There were more hills, growing from a luminous gold to a luscious green as it went up one last slope. There were more trees on this, ranging from sizes of all sorts, from baby spuds to ones that touched the clouds. The shadows they casted were penetrated by the warm sunlight that poured over them, gently kissing their skin. Harry drowned in it as he caught his breath, loving how the slight breeze traveled through his clothes and across his skin.

"Sheesh!" Ron exclaimed as he reached the top beside him and caught his breath. "I told you to wait."

"Sorry." Harry smiled and gazed over the view again.

Ron eventually smiled and pulled the hair out of his face. "This makes me feel like we're thirteen all over again."

Harry laughed and nodded. "Remember when we traveled through here to get to that Quidditch Stadium?"

"Yeah. That was such a wild trip."

Harry nodded and said after a pause, "I'd give anything to fly on a broomstick again." He turned his smile to Ron who gave a playful suggestion.

"Hey, tell that to my brothers and they'll blast you into next week."

They shared a laugh, basking in the sweet memories their hearts recalled. They recalled spells they used every day and the ones Ron always forget. Then the topic turned from spells to classes and the ones they learned from them. They remembered the harsh ones, like Forbidden Spells, and crazy ones that always got them in trouble. The talk of such spells reminded them of Hermione.

"Remember how many times she fixed my glasses?" Harry said with a laugh.

Ron scoffed. "She was so bloody annoying, always doing better spells than us."

"That's 'cause she actually studied, Ron."

"I studied!"

"Until Hermione had to tutor you."

"That was!" Ron paused, then crossed his arms stubbornly. "Snape was being a jerk and failed me! Hermione was the only one who could help me."

Harry shook his head, then said, "Isn't that how you two started dating?"

Ron thought it over and eventually nodded. "Well, yeah…"

Harry caught the sight of a blush on his face so he teased him which, in turn, resulted in a shove from the ginger. As they laughed from the talk of dating, something stabbed at Harry's chest. Dating someone… Where was his boyfriend? He suddenly got caught up in everything he had been through. He remembered facing Draco after their 'close encounter' and coming to reality that they couldn't be apart-or keep their hands off each other. That started the secret meetings and warm kisses and beautiful nights… Now… Now, he was standing on his best's friend land, completely severed off.

Ron looked over when Harry suddenly went quiet and was surprised at what he found. Such a painful expression, one Harry hardly ever wore. A similar one when Harry had some letter in his hand. He reached for the brunette in an attempt to soothe him, but Harry quickly turned away. AT the same moment, a giant rush of wind hit them, knocking them off balance for a second. With it came a flock of birds that soared over them, chirping loudly and riding the wind like a surfer would a wave. The feathers they left behind and the attack they almost had upon them wiped away the sudden insecurities from Harry's mind.

"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed, looking back and forth at the disappearing birds and Harry. "They almost killed us! Seriously!" Harry relaxed and forced a smile upon his face. Ron looked back at him and the concern returned. He settled down and asked solemnly, "You all right?"

"Ron! Harry!" The shrill voice called from down the hill. "Lunch! Come help set the table!"

The boys turned to tread down the hill when Ron gave Harry a shove in the arm. Harry returned it which lead to running and racing. Harry thought how Ron was right; it was like they were kids a again. Inside, the entire family was there; Mr. Weasley was softly arguing with his wife, the twins suddenly appeared in the corner, scaring Ginny across the table at which they laughed from her girlish scream. Harry and Ron scattered the plates down the long table while Fred and George surrounded them.

"Hey," Fred whispered and slid something into Harry's pocket. "Open this when we're about to eat."

Harry cupped the stack of plates on one arm and pulled out the object. It was a small tube with something dense and glowing swirling inside, like some massive power waiting to explode. "What is it?" He asked.

Ron snatched it from him and put it on a plate which he set on the table. "We're not taking part in one of your pranks."

"Did I hear 'pranks'?" Mrs. Weasley said tensely.

"Uh, no, ma'am." Harry said quickly to play it safe and set the rest of the plates.

As the other kids did the silverware and glasses, everyone finally found a chair and stood tall behind it. At the end of the table, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley raised their wands and flicked it gently. A wave of magic carried a huge tray of turkey, bowls of salad and mash potatoes, and pitchers of something to drink. They all floated and rested before the plates, the pitcher also filling every cup on the table on its way down. Once the food was ready, everyone took their seats, finally going into an uproar of chatter after being quiet for so long.

Harry sat beside Ron and Ginny as they all started to eat. Molly and Arthur sat on separate ends of the table and the twins sat across from him. Immediately, the conversion meshed together into different topics. Arthur discussed problems at his work where something exploded and almost took off a co-worker's eyebrows. The twins quickly noted that as an idea for an invention which their mother quickly denied. Ginny told everyone about a new spell she was practicing.

"Well, show us," Arthur said.

"All right." Ginny set down her food, wiped her hands, and pulled out her wand. She cleared her throat and gave Harry a quick glance before smiling and starting. She swiftly crossed her wand across her chest twice and clearly said, "Pus-squirting hex." As soon as she said it, her wand flashed….and nothing happened. She proudly put her wand away and started to eat again. "I haven't been able to practice it on someone so I don't know how long it will take."

Her father glanced at everyone around the table and asked, "Well, what is it-"

"Ahh!" Ron sneezed harshly at which a thick yellow goo hung from his nose. It was unlike any other sneeze, one that was clearly from a spell. It was like a never ending faucet of goo that continued to pour from his nose. "Ah, gross, Ginny! I'm gonna kill you!"

The twins, Ginny, and also Harry laughed until Ron gave them separate glares. Molly gasped and rushed to her son. "Ginny Weasley, you apologize to your brother and remove this hex!"

"Oh, all right. I'm sorry." She undid it easily at which the goo stopped pouring.

The mess was all over his lap and somewhat on his plate. Harry was smirking mockingly as Ron wiped it off. The ginger lunged the stained napkin at him, but Harry easily knocked it away. After their wrestling, they returned to eating.

"So, Harry," Arthur said, wiping his mouth clean. "I hear your birthday's coming up."

"Dad!" Ron instantly snapped.

Harry gave him a confused look and nodded. "Uh, yeah, but it's no big deal."

"No big deal?" Molly almost tipped over her glass from her over exaggerating hand gestures. "Why, Harry, it's your inheritance! Of course it's a big deal! Ginny and I will make you a cake shortly to celebrate, okay?"

"Okay, thanks," Harry said with a short laugh. He felt a little overwhelmed with all the attention on him.

Ron for some reason, seemed irritated. He was silent until Harry bumped him with his elbow. He looked around, sat quiet for a minute, then quickly said, "We'll do a spell together, okay, mate? You and me as soon as we can." Harry smiled and gave him a nod.

Ginny looked over Harry to her brother. "But, Ron, what about the-"

"Ginny!" Fred, or George, said quickly. "Where did you learn about that spell?"

"Yes, the gooey one."

"It would be an awesome prank."

"You know, one that is like a tiny packaged gift-"

"-and when someone opens it-"

"-they get a whiff of that spell-"

"-and it's a goo fountain!"

"No, no!" Molly said, waving her fork at the boys. "Ginny, you keep your prank-inspiring spells away from those boys."

Ron leaned over and whispered, "Please." Harry chuckled and drank some of his juice.

"Anyway," Arthur continued, "What would you like, Harry? I think I can get you a good present down at the company."

"Oh, I don't need anything."

"No, don't argue, just name something."

"Really, it's all right…" Harry went to explain, but came up short. How could he explain it? How could he explain that he was just fine with being here? That he was unbelievably happy with just knowing them? Being able to experience what a real family was like and just had the tiniest attention turned his way was more than his heart could take? It was something he couldn't resist nor live without. Still, it was something he couldn't put into words.

Ron saw that and pushed the topic aside. "Dad, no more talk about it. It's not important."

That put the table in an uproar. Molly and Arthur argued, at which the twins butted in to save their brother. Harry glanced back and forth between the family, wondering why they were always like this, why they always made him smile, and why Ron didn't want to talk about his birthday? Just as the conversation was reaching its climax, a loud pop echoed into the room, followed by Ginny's scream. Everyone, besides the twins, nearly jumped out of their seats as a ray of sparks hovered over the table. As they exploded, bits of confetti swirled around the room and morphed into multiple groups. Mini dragons and birds formed from the paper and started swirling around everyone at the table. Harry and Ron laughed at the show while the twins stood up and high-fived each other in accomplishment. Ginny sat stunned and panting with the small tube that Harry had earlier in her hand and the lid in the other. Her surprised face had regretted opening it. Molly tried to calm the paper storm, but was complaining too much so Arthur had to solve it. The dinner quickly became a party and Harry found himself smiling until his cheeks hurt.

…...

When Harry awoke that specific morning, he felt instantly awake. Yet, he laid there, staring at the ceiling with a blurred vision. For some reason, he didn't really want to get up. Of course, he was excited; it was his birthday for Magic's sake, but he still couldn't shake something. A distant feeling told him to stay in bed otherwise he'd regret it. Maybe if he closed his eyes, the day would pass like normal.

Almost as soon as he did, it was like he fell back into a dream. He immediately saw the ceiling of a Hogwarts dorm room. The green and white blankets seemed to be perfectly wrapped around him from recently being covered. Everything was clear, telling him his glasses were on. The bed tilted and he looked to the right to see a large warm hand that smoothly caressed his cheek. The white haired boy placed his lips softly against Harry's forehead, whispering almost inaudibly, "I love you, Harry…"

Harry didn't want to, but he had to. If he didn't open his eyes now he would be forever lost in the memory. The way Draco's lips felt against his skin was so real and he didn't want to let go. It was as if he let go now that he would forget what his touch felt like altogether. Yet, his eyes opened and he was staring into an empty pillow. He was in Ron's room, in a regular bed, alone. Not at Hogwarts, nor in a Slytherin bed with the one person he longed for. Harry forced his heavy, tired body out of bed. He was wrong. He knew that if he stayed in bed, he would regret it.

Putting on a decent shirt, he slipped down the stairs, but didn't reach the bottom. Ginny and Ron beat him to it and pointed back upstairs. "Sorry, mate," Ron said as he grabbed his shoulders and shoved him up the stairs. "You can't come down yet."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Ron. I said I didn't want anything special."

"It's not for your birthday." He hesitated, then looked around and lowered his voice. "My mom's half naked! Save yourself!"

Harry laughed and pushed past Ron. He wasn't going to play with their games until Ginny stepped firmly in his path. She gave him that warm smile, then her eyes flashed fiercely and she pointed upstairs. "Go!" That was all she had to say before Harry was back pedaling up the stairs.

Yet, half way up, Mrs. Weasley appeared with a spatula in her hand and a dirty apron-fully clothed. "Oh, what are you two up to?" She snatched Harry's arm and dragged him down. "We're not going to keep him locked up in his room on his birthday! Now, Harry, I bet you're hungry. I made pancakes special for you!"

"Uh, thanks, but you didn't have-"

His body jolted back as something exploded in his face. Well, it was fast like an explosion, but nothing really blew up. The twins merely poofed before them, turning visible from a spell and scaring all four of them. "Happy birthday, Harry!"

While everyone else relearned how to breathe, Harry smiled and said, "Thanks."

Ginny grabbed his hand and dragged him to the kitchen. "Here, Harry, sit down."

As he was in the process of sitting down, Ron yanked him back up and forced him further down the table. "Gosh, Ginny. Harry should at least sit at the head of the table."

Harry fell into the seat where Mrs. Weasley brought him some pancakes, syrup, and orange juice. Ron sat beside him to eat as well, but he was the only one. Ginny disappeared with Mrs. Weasley behind them and he hadn't seen any sign of the others. Harry finished a bit and asked in a low voice, "Where is everyone?"

Ron pointed to the bathroom. "The twfins phlew up the downsphairs toilket so 'veryone's tryin' to fish it."

Harry shook his head at his best friend's full mouth and then nearly jumped out of his seat when a loud boom echoed through the house, causing everything to tremble for a second and the lights to flicker. Ron seemed to surprise, but he spoke in a calm voice. "See?"

As they got closer to finishing, the others returned. Mr. Weasley returned with a missing sleeve from his fancy dress coat. Molly removed her scorched apron to reveal an appropriate violet skirt and black blouse. She was patting the smoking parts of her husbands jacket when the twins entered. They staggered in, completely unscathed and wearing matching blue and white suits, except one suit was reversed to look different from the other brother. Ginny came rushing in, fixing her liquid fire hair, trying to fix the crisp edges. She wore a red china dress that brought out her curves nicely. As Harry gazed around at everyone, he realized he was way underdressed. Even Ron wore a nice dress shirt and pants.

Harry was heading for the kitchen when molly snatched the plates from him. "Oh, I'll take those, dear."

"Okay, thanks. Um… I'm gonna go up stairs and get dressed."

"Oh, yes. Go, go!" She rushed him and threw the dishes in the sink.

Harry hurried up the steps and shut the door slightly, leaving only a crack open since he would hear someone if they came upstairs. He threw off his shirt and dirty shorts and quickly got dressed. He started to rip clothes out of the drawers when he came across a problem. What fancy clothes did he have? He threw on a nice pair of jeans and a button up silk shirt, but that was nothing compared to what the others were wearing. He could ask Ron to borrow some nice clothes since everyone was getting dolled up, but he was sure he was wearing some of his dad's clothes. It would be weird to ask Arthur for some nice clothes. Just as he was digging deeper into the dresser, tearing out old clothes and pajamas, he suddenly ripped out a green and white scarf.

"Here, take it," he remembered Draco saying. He could practically see the white haired fiend wrapping the scarf around his neck from behind as they gazed in front of his mirror. His snake-like arms wrapped around him and his lips brushed his ear as he whispered, "This can be your collar. When people see it, they'll know exactly who you belong to." Harry remembered watching himself blush in the mirror. The words were embarrassing, but so comforting and warm that he had melted into them long before he knew it. He stared at their reflection, of the white hair meshing into his brown locks, of the gold pools blending, burning into his silver ones, of the warmth that enveloped him, surrounding him, capturing him into the deadliest trap that he wanted to fall in to.

When Harry blinked again, he was standing in front of Ron's mirror, holding the scarf limply in his palms. He stared at his own reflection, looking how messy and lost he was currently. He seemed so….empty. Here he was, getting dressed in his best friend's room, in his 'family's' home, on his birthday and all he could feel was a twinge of pain in his chest.

Something in the reflection moved, catching his eye, and he realized he wasn't the only one in the room.

"He hasn't written back, huh?" The sweet voice said.

Harry's eyes adjusted on the reflection, then he whirled around. "Hermione!" He charged at her as she did to him and fell into a full embrace. Just like with Ron, he was overwhelmed with too many feelings to count.

"It's so good to see you, Harry. Oh, and Happy Birthday."

"Thanks…" Harry paused then his eyes hit the scarf still in his hands. He met Hermione's lingering gaze, then he quickly ran to the dresser and threw it inside, hiding it for the next time he'd open it.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Hermione's innocent voice spoke behind him. "He… must be busy. You know, with his family and all…"

Harry tried, but couldn't shove the slight frustration building up inside it. "Yeah, for an entire month?" He snapped, dropping to pick up the clothes he had thrown on the floor.

Hermione got beside him and said clearer, more reasonable than he could think at the moment. "You don't know what he has going on at home, Harry. He even said it was a little difficult to make time to see you, but he did, didn't he? So he's trying." Harry stopped momentarily and Hermione knelt beside him, which was a little difficult from her black cotton dress that went past her knees. "I'm sure he wants to see you as much as you want to see him. Give him some time. He'll work things out." Harry still seemed lost until her warm hand touched his shoulder.

Softly, her words echoed around him. "You love him…don't you?" For the first time all month, Harry finally felt better-like he found the missing puzzle piece. Yet, he couldn't exactly fit it back into the puzzle. He was merely holding it, wavering, hesitating, unsure of what to do with it. He slowly nodded and Hermione gave his shoulder a squeeze. "And he loves you. Trust him, Harry… You'll see him before you know it. I'm sure of it."

And Harry believe her. She was so confident in her words, it made Harry feel like he could do anything, no matter what the cost. He even got the strength to smile earnestly at her and nod again. "Thank you, Hermione."

She smiled and patted his arm. "Now, let's get you dressed. If you think that passes for nicely dressed then we have a huge problem."

After some clothes exchanging and appearing out of nowhere, Harry finally wore black suit pants, a blue dress shirt with a white folded over collar and a black tie hanging down his chest. Hermione combed his hair back as an extra touch, but he pushed it back down the moment she turned away. Soon she was dragging him down the stairs where everyone was busy chatting and waiting.

"Here he is!" She said loudly and everyone smiled.

Harry tugged at his collar uncomfortably at which Ron laughed. "I know, man, I know," he said and tugged at his as well.

As Harry looked around, he noticed everyone's burnt or ripped clothes were fixed and everyone looked as nice as some business group. He should be expecting something, a voice in the back of his head told him, but he couldn't name it. He finally got the urge to ask, as everyone was merely standing around excitedly. "What are we doing?"

"We're waiting," Fred and George answered in unison.

"For what?"

As soon as he said it, he knew the answer was behind him. Something flashed; it wasn't visible nor had a specific shape or name. Just the air itself, grew dense for a second and snapped at everyone's senses. A glow illuminated from behind him, making rays of light bounce off everyone's faces. Their wide smiles told him this is what they were waiting for and they all watched Harry. He could feel it in the other room, something hovering as light as a feather but as powerful as the greatest wizard on the planet. Immediately, he knew what it was-or, in this case, who.

Harry spun into the other room, stopping just as fast in the doorway upon seeing him. "Dumbledore!"

The old man was smiling from a far in the middle of the room. He looked just as great as he ever did, standing tall and wise. His long beard hung down his chest and long grey robes. His dark eyes gazed warmly at Harry with an honest smile. Harry wanted to run to him and hug him the moment he saw him, but something held him back. The light glimmering off his skin and hair, outlining his entire body like some kind of God, slowly but surely reminded him that it was just a spell.

"Hello, Harry," Dumbledore's voice said, sounding as deep and powerful as always.

Harry knew it was just a hologram spell where his soul was with him, but not his body, but it was better than nothing. He felt like he was going back to Hogwarts so soon-in fact too soon. Yet, he felt so breathless at the sight of him that he couldn't respond.

"I shouldn't have to tell you this," the old man said, "but I've been far too busy with stuff that's no concern to you. So I apologize for not being able to greet you in person."

Harry paused and then came back to reality in a quick snap. "Oh… Oh! No, it's all right."

Dumbledore nodded. "I just came to say Happy Birthday and I hope you enjoy all of your surprises. Even the ones you've already received." There was that twinge in his voice, that rise in pitch that he always gave him. It was one of those moments where he knew exactly what Dumbledore was saying, but not at the same. Yet, the plan would play out and he would realize it eventually. Dumbledore finally smiled and said, "Have fun." He moved like he was going to leave, but turned back. "Oh and Harry, not too much fun like Ms. Weasley and Ms. Granger over here."

Harry glanced back and saw Hermione and Ginny blush and giggle a little. He turned back just in time to see Dumbledore nod and then, with a quickly blink and a flash, he was gone. He didn't have time to recompose himself from all the lightness he was feeling in his body, because Ginny and Hermione snatched his hands and dragged him for the front door.

"Hurry up, Dad!" Ginny cried as Mr. Weasley pushed his way to the front of the crowd. "All right, all right, hold on."

Harry watched everyone crowd around the door like a busy train station trying to get on all at once. Arthur snapped his wand out and tapped it on the surface of the door. He mumbled a spell Harry couldn't recognize and the door flashed brightly that it hurt his eyes. As he blinked to see straight again, Arthur faced the group, met all of their eyes, and finally smiled to Harry.

"Happy Birthday, Harry," he said smoothly and turned the handle.