Aftermath - Chapter 18 - Harry's Birthday Party

After the Hogwarts Memorial service, summer in all its glory came to the Britain and the next few weeks were some of the happiest Harry had ever spent. For the first summer in his life he was not at the Dursleys, he was with people who loved him for who he was, and he was doing exactly what he wanted to do. Each weekday morning he studied with Charlie George in the classrooms of the Ministry and each afternoon he had either physical training or was on the training course in Scotland. He had a few written tests, which were easy compared to Hogwarts exams and O.W.L's, and he had quite a few practical tests, which were not so easy.

He was quite good at concealment and stealth since he had years of practice at it, but Charlie George kept taking away his Invisibility Cloak and wand and making him do it the hard way, which was not easy. They even practiced trying to find concealed people and spent one night out there, practicing night moves. Harry had to guard a building and not let anyone in, but time after time Charlie George managed to get past him. Then Harry remembered his enhanced glasses, switched them for his regular ones, and started catching Charlie George, who after the third time realized what Harry had done.

He did better with protective details practice, which was a matter of keeping someone else alive. They used a dummy, not a real person, that had been magiked into being animated and Harry had to stand guard on the moving dummy while they walked through the mock village. Charlie George and other Aurors tried to get around him and blast the dummy into pieces. Harry had also had practice at this, protecting himself and his friends over the years from real death, and throwing up shield charms and disarming enemies was easy for him.

That was until Mr. Kim suddenly appeared one day on the training ground in Scotland. He leaped from behind a door and kicked Harry's wand out of his hand, flipped a stunned Harry onto his back, and then karate chopped his dummy across the neck, laying it low. After that Harry was more on guard and the next time Mr. Kim showed up, Harry lost his wand again but was at least able to fight him until the dummy ran for cover. He would have died Charlie George said, but he had done his job and protected his VIP. This was of little comfort, Harry thought, since he would have been dead.

But magical tracking was toughest of all. It involved complex spells, and the search for traces of magic. It was very tedious and frustrating. He remembered Dumbledore telling him that magic sometimes leaves traces, some more obvious than others. The first bit of tracking he had already learned, finding alarms, which was a sure sign a wizard had been there. Other signs were not so obvious and required a bit of common sense as well as magical skill. Even wizards had to eat and sleep, said Charlie George, and that was the best way to track them. A place where a wizard had made a cooking fire using magic was one such thing that could be traced. Wizards were lazy, Charlie George reminded him, using magic to make life easy or because they didn't know any other way. Dark wizards on the run often hid in forests, making camp fires, which were easy to tell from Muggle fires if you knew how. Other dark wizards had been rich and pompous, used to a good life style, and when on the run had slept at Muggle inns and hotels, using the Imperius Curse on the innkeepers to avoid questions about identification and making payment. The curse left telltale signs on its victims, but who had done the curse could not be deduced. However, with such clues it was possible to follow a wizard's movements. Harry remembered how Moody said he tracked Karkaroff for six months before he got him.

"Yes," said Charlie George. "I was just in my fourth year as an Auror then. I went on a few of those tracking trips with old Mad-Eye. He was a like a dog on the scent. Knew Karkaroff was in England, had been summoned by Voldemort for some task or another. Then when Voldemort, well, lost his powers, Karkaroff knew the game was up and wanted to head home. He was trying to leave England, was heading to Dover, closest place to Apparate to France. We got him in his bed in an inn. Came along meekly once his wand was knocked out of his hand. Those were the days when the Ministry allowed Aurors to use Unforgivable Curses against suspected Death Eaters and Moody had a reputation even then for action first, questions later."

"Why didn't he Apparate to France from somewhere else?" Harry asked. He had Apparated hundreds of miles to the Burrow and back from London, to Hogsmeade, to Godric's Hollow, to Shell Cottage, and he was relatively new at Apparating. He imagined a wizard like Karkaroff could have Apparated to France from almost anywhere in England.

"Funny thing about Apparating is that it is a bit tricky over water," said Charlie George. "Make a mistake and you are in the sea and not many wizards know how to swim. Azkaban is on a small island in the North Sea but you can't Apparate out there, it has protective charms like Hogwarts has, and I don't know many wizards would even want to try it if they could. Also most wizards need to know where they are going to Apparate, having been there before at least once. Some can do it just by thinking of the name of the place, but not many. From Dover on a nice day you can see France, so old Mad-Eye figured that's where he was going."

Harry didn't say so, but he had been able to Apparate just by thinking of a place, like Shell Cottage, even though he had never been there before. He knew Hermione could do the same thing.

On the weekends Harry relaxed and spent time with Ginny, Ron, and Hermione when she visited. They tested Ginny's Firebolt out and it was every bit as good as Harry's. They had a few games of Quidditch in the orchard on Sundays, with George and Bill joining in when they had time. They used an old rugby ball for the Quaffle, two softballs for Bludgers and a slightly magiked golf ball for the Snitch.

Saturday night was date night and Harry and Ginny and Ron and Hermione had many double dates. They never went back to the 10th Floor Club, but did go to some nice Muggle restaurants. They once tried to get into a Muggle dance club, but the man on the door said they had to be 18 to enter and asked for ID after one look at Ginny and Harry, who did look younger than Ron and Hermione. Since only Hermione had any ID, and Harry and Ginny weren't 18 anyway, they just turned around and left. They found a club for teens another night, but had to leave after Ron threatened to take his wand and do some harm to some local toughs who were leering at Hermione and Ginny and trying to get them to go dance with them and leave "Ginger" and the "Hobbit".

"What's a Hobbit?" Ginny asked as they walked down the street.

"A mythical person in a fantasy novel," said Hermione quickly.

"Why they call Harry one?" Ron asked. He knew he was 'Ginger', a common British nickname for a red haired person.

"Because Hobbits are very cool," Harry said quickly, having no idea what a Hobbit was either and Hermione just laughed.

"Yes, they are…cool. And…short," Hermione added, and then quickly wishing she hadn't said that as Harry turned a bit red.

"You're not that short," Ginny said to Harry after giving Hermione a glare. "Taller than I am."

"Yeah, he is…short," said Ron with a grin and then got a punch in the ribs from Harry for that one.

Best of all were Saturday nights, which were spent at Grimmauld Place. After many arguments with Kreacher, he finally agreed to remove all the elf heads and put them in storage except his mother's, which he absolutely refused to move. As for the portrait of Mrs. Black, Harry tried to ask if any elf magic could remove it but Kreacher's eyes just welled up with tears and he beat his head on the floor until Harry said the portrait could stay as long as it was covered.

Harry didn't care that much anyway, since they spent most of their time in the kitchen and bedrooms. Harry always woke up on Sunday morning with Ginny in his arms and marveled at how much he loved her. Breakfast, sometimes just the two of them, sometimes with Ron and Hermione, was slow and relaxing, with Kreacher's cooking wonderful. Hermione kept bringing up things like Kreacher getting his own room and such, but Harry just put it off. Of more importance to him was making the rest of the house more livable. The house was hundreds of years old, with old wallpaper and mildewing carpets everywhere. The baths and toilets also needed replacing and so did many other things.

Harry was put in touch with a wizard redecorating firm and they had all the latest patterns and so on. He invited one of the designers to the home one Saturday and Harry had to give him the location on a piece of parchment and then burn it. The man was slightly effeminate and dressed in robes of shocking violet. He immediately turned up his nose when he got inside and started making a list and saying this and this and that had to go and this and this and that would look lovely here and there. He showed Harry his estimate and it would cost a fortune to redo the whole house. As Harry was only earning 50 Galleons a month, less after deductions, he had to depend on his Gringotts gold to last a while. He politely told the decorator they would just be doing the main living room first and Harry and his friends would do the labor, he just needed the man to provide the design and supplies. It only took two weekends to finish, with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley helping out, but soon he had a nice living room, with lovely beige and gold wallpaper, picked out by Ginny, a new beige carpet, and a lovely sofa, two armchairs, and a coffee table. Even Kreacher seemed to like this change, and admonished them whenever they left something amiss in the new room.

"There," said Harry as they sat for tea and a snack in his new living room after the last bit of work was done. "At these rates I think I can afford one room a year. Should have the whole house shipshape in about 20 years."

Harry's birthday was coming up at the end of July and he had promised a few people he would have a party in his home. He was having second thoughts about this since it would require a lot of people to be let in on the secret of his house's whereabouts and it was in no state for a party. Mrs. Weasley came to his rescue the week before his birthday when she asked him how many people he would like to invite to the Burrow for his birthday.

"Ah…everyone?" he said around a piece of toast. He quickly swallowed. "But I'm paying for everything."

"Nonsense," said Mrs. Weasley as if that ended the matter.

"No, please," said Harry as he looked to Mr. Weasley also. "You've done enough. I've got the money, it's my party, and…just…please?"

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked at each other and then Mrs. Weasley just nodded and spoke. "All right. But you are not to lift a finger to help or do anything else."

A few days before Harry's birthday Hogwarts letters for Ginny and Mrs. Weasley arrived with the morning post while they ate breakfast. Ginny opened hers right away and squealed with delight when she saw the Gryffindor Quidditch captain's badge fall out of her letter.

"I just knew it would be you," Harry said with pride as he hugged her.

'Second captain in the family!" said Mrs. Weasley as she gave her a kiss on the cheek and a hug. Her older brother Charlie had been captain and the best Seeker in Gryffindor until Harry came alone.

"Well done, dear," said Mr. Weasley as he also gave her a hug. "Too bad you aren't returning or you could be keeper again, Ron."

Ron blanched a bit. "Think I had enough of that my fifth and sixth years."

"But you won the Quidditch Cup!" said Mr. Weasley.

"And lost his breakfast before, during, and after each match," said George as Ron threw him a dirty look. "Say Mum, why's Hogwarts writing to you? Not something from my past coming back to haunt you is it?"

"No, no, don't be silly," she said as she looked over the letter in her hand she had just opened. "It's from McGonagall, all about the things Ron needs to study for his N.E.W.T's. Oh dear, this looks difficult."

Ron looked at his mother hopefully. "Maybe we can just put it off. I'm so busy at the shop now anyways."

George laughed. "Not that busy. Caught him having a kip in the back supply room on Monday morning."

"I was dead tired," Ron said as he cut some sausages on his plate.

"Have to have a word with Hermione about you getting more rest on the weekends," George said with a big grin on his face. As Harry and Ginny giggled and Ron's ears turned red, Mrs. Weasley threw George a sharp look.

"Mind your manners in this house," she said. "And you'd do well to find yourself a nice girl instead of teasing Ron and Harry all the time."

"I have found a nice girl," George said in reply. "Got a date this weekend."

"Who's that?" Ginny said with a bit of laugh. "Pansy Parkinson?" That made Harry and Ron crack up.

"You get hit with as many Bludgers as old Ludo Bagman?" George asked his sister. "Angelina Johnson and I will be dining this weekend…."

"…at the Leakey Cauldron after work," Ron added quickly. "I heard him ask her the other day when she dropped by the shop."

"Oh, she's a lovely girl," said Mrs. Weasley. "Played Quidditch with you, didn't she?"

"Yeah," said George. "But we've got off topic here a bit. What about little Ronnie and his study schedule?"

"I'll get Hermione to make me a nice plan," said Mrs. Weasley. "She'll know just what to do because she's taking the same classes."

"Bloody hell," Ron mumbled. "She'll have me studying night and day."

That week was also the scheduled O.W.L and N.E.W.T exams at Hogwarts. Through the grapevine Harry and the others heard that Dean, Seamus, Neville, and several other seventh year students were not taking their exams but were returning to Hogwarts next year. Dean hadn't gone at all last year since he was believed to be Muggle born. Seamus and Neville never finished since they had been leaders of the Hogwarts resistance and McGonagall said they had spent so much time in detention and on the run last year that it was best they start over. Luna and Ginny hadn't finished their sixth year studies, but under the circumstances McGonagall used their scores at Christmas time and made sure they entered the seventh year. Hermione, of course, had already finished the sixth year, and had even asked McGonagall if she could try the N.E.W.T's just for practice for next year but McGonagall said no.

They later heard that Draco Malfoy had showed up for his N.E.W.T's and managed to do well, passing all his N.E.W.T's despite the hostility of the staff and other students toward him. Some seventh year students called him murderer to his face and others had bumped him in the hallways while they waited to take practical tests. Malfoy endured it with a sneer on his lip, knowing if he hexed anyone he'd be in deep trouble, his protector Snape now dead, and the fear of Azkaban and Dementors foremost in his mind Harry guessed. Goyle was there, Harry heard, but did nothing to protect his house mate, for Malfoy had lost all power he had ever held over Goyle when he turned into a simpering mess in his sixth year after forcing Goyle and Crabbe to go around as girls for half of the year. Harry later heard Goyle had failed over half of the practical tests and only managed to get one N.E.W.T, in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Harry's 18th birthday party was on a Friday night. It was not as grand as Ginny's 17th birthday, but it was still a big affair, with everyone dressed up. All of his Hogwarts friends came to the Burrow, and Hagrid of course, and Charlie George and Lucy came from the office, which caused Ginny to scowl a bit, but she quickly put on a pleasant face and greeted Lucy warmly. Harry got a load of gifts, including clothes, spell books, new robes, a new broom care kit, and many other things. Ginny had gotten him a heavy silver ring with the Hogwarts emblem engraved on it and "With Love, Ginny" inscribed inside it. Harry thought it was the best gift of all and she just whispered in his ear that she would show him the rest of his present tomorrow night in Grimmauld Place, causing Harry to blush furiously.

Bill and Fleur were there and they gave Harry a set of tickets to see a Chudley Cannons Quidditch match in the fall. "Take Ron," Bill hinted. "The team is dead awful, but he still loves them." Harry also noticed Fleur giving a package to Ginny, a flat white box, and the two of them were giggling and then Ginny ran inside with the box. He had no time to ask what it was because then Hagrid showed up, a bit late he said because his thestral was acting a little wild and almost knocked him off over Manchester. In his hands he had a big bird cage and inside was a large snowy owl which could have been a brother to Hedwig.

"Thought yeh might like ter have a new one," said Hagrid. Harry was not surprised since Ginny had mentioned this might happen, but he was delighted and did his best to look shocked and amazed.

"Oh, Hagrid, it's just what I wanted. It's the best present of all."

"Really? 'S'nothin' at all," Hagrid said bashfully. "It's a male, only a year and half old. Got him in Diagon Alley, of course. What yeh gonna call him?"

Harry was stumped. He couldn't call it Hedwig because there had only been one Hedwig. He decided to make a game of it and asked everyone's opinion and then they would vote on each name. Seamus suggested Merlin and that name received the most votes, just ahead of Neville's suggestion of Snowy, and everyone thought that was grand. As soon as Harry called the owl Merlin, it looked at him and perked up and Harry opened its cage and it flew away into the night. Merlin arrived back an hour later with a vole in its mouth looking very please with himself.

Tables had been set up outside with food and drinks and Mrs. Weasley had baked a big cake as usual and all sang happy birthday and drank and danced the night away. Later, Harry was sitting and talking with Hagrid and Ginny at a table outside. They were also listening to the music coming from the radio and watching people dance on a wooden dance floor Mr. Weasley had conjured. Hermione came out of the crowd and sat down breathless, Ron right behind her.

"I need a break, Ron," she said, "My feet are killing me."

"Mine too," he said in pain. "George stepped on my toes. On purpose I think."

"You're of Muggle age now Harry," Hermione said after a sip of wine, as if suddenly remembering something. "You can take ownership of your house."

"First thing tomorrow afternoon," Harry said. "Come with us?"

"Of course," she said, but Ron shrugged and said. "Not with George calling the shots. I'm so close to the end of my three months apprenticeship I don't want to screw it up now."

George had just arrived holding a bottle of butterbeer and heard this last bit. "You'll have to pass your test first."

Ron looked at him in surprise. "Test? What test? You never said anything about a test."

"That's because I just thought of it. You have to invent something for the shop," George said. "I'm not taking you on as partner if you're going to be dead weight."

"Invent something? You mean like a joke product?"

"Of course, dimwit. It is a joke shop after all."

Ron looked at a loss and turned to Hermione. "Know any good joke spells?"

"Hardly," she said with a shake of her head.

"Go on, ask anyone you like," George said as he drank his butterbeer. "Just as long as it's a new idea, it's cheap to make, and it gives everyone a laugh."

"Bloody hell," Ron said, shaking his head. "Maybe I'll just go back to Hogwarts."

"That's what I've been saying all along," said Hermione.

"Now, now," George started. "Just because you've got a head for books, doesn't mean Ron belongs in a library the rest of his life. You don't think Fred and I thought up all that stuff on our own, did you? We took our ideas from everywhere. Go on, what makes you lot laugh?"

Ginny giggled. "Watching Mum shout at you."

"Seen that few times, haven't we?" Harry chimed in, then he had a brain wave. "Maybe you could make a Howler that laughs instead of shouts?"

Ron brightened. "Yeah. Joke Howlers!"

George looked at Harry and Ron in wonder. "Say, that's not bad. Send one to your friend at breakfast and watch him squirm and then it explodes and insults him. Ha! Brilliant!"

"It sounds awful," said Hermione with a huff as she drank some wine.

"Well, you have to have a sense of humor to get it," said George and for a second Hermione didn't get that he had just made a joke at her expense and then turned a bit pink as everyone laughed, even Ron.

"So, do I pass the test?" Ron asked hopefully.

George snorted. "Course not. Now you have to invent the thing and test it."

"Help me?" he asked Hermione who just glared at him and walked away.

"Guess I shouldn't have laughed at her," said Ron as he got up to follow.

"No kidding," said Harry, shaking his head and laughing with Ginny.

"I'll tell yeh what tickles me fancy," said Hagrid suddenly, after a big drink from his big mug he had brought along. "Yeh bunch of misfits. Bin at Hogwarts more than fifty years, and I never seen a bunch like yeh lot."

"Fifty years?' said George, with a sly look in his eye. "Suppose you were there when Mum and Dad were there, yeah?"

"Too right, I was," said Hagrid as he drank again. "I remember them, sneakin' around everywhere, trying ter find a place to sno…"

"Hagrid!" Harry said suddenly. "I think you've had too much to drink." Hagrid tended to forget he was supposed to keep some things secret when he was in his cups.

Hagrid blinked as if just waking up. "Suppose I have, at that. What was I sayin'?"

"Come on, Harry, let him be," said George sharply as he brought a bottle of mead over and filled Hagrid's cup to the brim, emptying the bottle. "Now, you were saying Hagrid?"

Harry and Ginny just got up and left and went back into the house, Ginny shaking her head as they could hear George laughing away behind them. "Last thing I want to hear about is my parents snogging," Ginny said with a shudder.

"What's that dear?" Mrs. Weasley said as she took a baking pan of cookies out of the oven.

"Nothing," Ginny said quickly. "Have you seen Ron and Hermione?"

"Upstairs," Mrs. Weasley said. "They're having a row about him going back to Hogwarts full time."

"Oh, dear," said Ginny and then as her mother's back was turned, busy putting icing on the cookies, she grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him down the hall and up the stairs.

"What are you doing?" he asked in a whisper as they reach the door outside her bedroom.

"Want to give you the rest of your present now," she said and then as she started to kiss him she opened the door to her room.

"Oy!" shouted Ron, from behind them. "Close the door!" He and Hermione were sitting on her bed she slept in when she stayed over, in an embrace, obviously just kissing.

"Having a row Mum said," Ginny teased. "Not bloody likely."

Hermione blushed. "We were…and then we weren't."

"This is my room, Ron. So do your fighting or snogging or whatever elsewhere," Ginny said, looking and pointing at the open door where Harry was still standing with a grin on his face. Just then they heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Harry!" said Mrs. Weasley. "Some guests are leaving and would like to say goodnight."

"Mum," said Ginny and in a flash Ron and Hermione stood, she grabbed Ron's arm, twirled and they were gone with a small pop. Harry quickly stepped outside and closed the door.

"Oh, there you are," said Mrs. Weasley. "Where's Ginny?"

"Wanted to change out of her dress," Harry said quickly and loudly so Ginny could hear him.

"She doesn't need you to stand guard. Now come down and say goodbye to some people."

Harry said goodnight and then more people were leaving and then Mr. and Mrs. Weasley said Hagrid was too drunk to fly his thestral home so they set up one of the magical camping tents in the yard and he crawled in and soon the tent canvas was moving in time with his snores. Finally, Neville and Seamus were the last to leave, a little bit drunk, but not too bad, and they Apparated back to Neville's place, from which Seamus would take a Port Key back to his home in Ireland in the morning.

Harry thanked Mrs. Weasley for everything, said goodnight, and then slowly walked upstairs. He knocked on Ginny's door, wondering why she hadn't come back downstairs, and then she opened the door a crack, saw who it was, smiled, and then dragged him inside. Harry's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw what she was wearing. Now he knew what had been in the package Fleur had given her.

Ginny had on a silky see through black negligee, with black bra, knickers and a garter belt attached to black seamed stockings, with black high heels. Harry was speechless as she twirled and then stood there, her red hair down on her shoulders and a smoldering blazing look in her brown eyes.

"Like it?" she purred.

"Ah,…ah…yeah," he stammered. He had never seen anything so lovely in his life. What ever happened to the shy girl who used to turn red in the face and run from the room when she saw him?

She grinned. "Good, because this is what I want you to think about all day tomorrow. Good night."

"What?" he gasped. "Good night? After seeing this I am never going to sleep and…" Then he just took two steps and she was in his arms and he was kissing her. After a long while Ginny broke the kiss. "Oh, Harry," she gasped. "I'm sorry, I truly am…but the rules…and…"

"Those are only for your parent's house, not mine," he said and then Harry let go of her, he grabbed her bathrobe and put it around her and tied the belt and then he picked up her dress off the bed, put it over his arm and then he found her wand, put it in her hand, and then remembered her extra toothbrush was already there.

"Ready?" he asked her and she understood and just beamed and said yes. And Harry took her in his arms and spun and in a flash they were in Grimmauld Place square and in a second they dashed to the door and were inside. Kreacher appeared suddenly with a loud crack, giving them a fright.

"Master Harry, Kreacher wasn't expecting you," he said bowing low.

"Short notice," Harry said quickly.

"Good evening, Miss Weasley," Kreacher said bowing to her. "You might get a chill wearing so little. Should Kreacher start a fire, Master?"

"No," Harry said. "We're off to bed. Breakfast for two at about 11 AM should do nicely, Kreacher. Good night."

"Good night, Master," he said and then as he bowed Harry and Ginny just ran upstairs. In seconds they were into their bedroom and he took off her robe and kissed her and told her he loved her and then they had a night they both long remembered even into their old age. As far as Harry was concerned, this was the best birthday ever.