Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Star Trek or Harry Potter. They belong to J.J Abrams, Gene Roddenberry and J.K Rowling.

Warnings: Slash (malexmale pairings), threesomes, AU, violence, angst, psychological disorders, sexual situations (maybe), badly written accents, etc.

Pairings: Established Spock/Kirk, Sulu/Chekov, Scotty/Uhura, Future Spock/Harry/Kirk

30. Tradition

Since as far back as Harry could remember, he never really celebrated his birthday with anyone. Growing up his relatives hadn't cared or bothered to throw him a party since they believed it was a waste of money and effort. He was merely their slave, a burden that had been dropped into their arms and often a waste of space in their eyes. And it didn't change no matter how much older he grew.

So Harry began a tradition of his own. Every year on the night before his birthday, he would stay up and wait counting down the hours. And then when the clock finally hit the stroke of midnight he would wish himself a happy birthday and blow out the candles of a cake that only existed in his mind, wishing for something good to happen.

When he began to attend Hogwarts, it got a little better. Harry still upheld his tradition, but he also began to look forward to his presents from his friends. For it was nice to feel loved, to feel wanted and needed, to have someone care. And for a time Harry began to love his birthday, enjoyed it and looked forward to it like a normal child. Then the war happened and everything that was good about his birthday was burned away leaving him back to square one.

As Harry became older, he became too busy to care about his birthday. He usually had his mind on work or school or raising Teddy although he still kept up the tradition of an imaginary cake and a simple wish. But it never was much else and he was fine with that, too used to the emptiness and lack of presents or cards. It was only when Teddy became older and had his own parties that he insisted that Harry have his own.

"Daddy deserves parties too!" four year old Teddy had exclaimed.

So a new tradition began which consisted of Harry taking the afternoon off on the day of his birth and spending time with Teddy. It wasn't anything too big, just a small cake, a few balloons and streamers along with a present from Teddy. It was usually a drawing or something he made at school since he didn't have money of his own to buy anything. But Harry loved his gifts, loved how much time and effort Teddy put into whatever he gave his father. They were gifts to be treasured and Harry kept them all even to this day.

But life never remains constant if there was one thing Harry learned as he grew older. Change was inevitable and it could not be stopped. And life on the Enterprise was just as unpredictable it seemed. Harry had been so busy since he stepped onto the ship that he had forgotten about his birthday. There was too much to do, too much to remember and know that it hadn't crossed his mind.

So when he had been heading to the mess hall to have dinner Harry didn't think much of it when Scotty approached him asking if he could come with him for a bit having something to show him. Harry had of course replied that he would and followed the Chief Engineer to one of the larger rec rooms the pair chatting together. As the door opened, Harry was puzzled when he realized it was dark inside and had asked Scotty if the lights were broken. The Scotsman merely smiled and said he should go in. Hesitant but curious, Harry had obliged only to jump nearly a foot in the air when the lights turned on and a shout of "Surprise! Happy Birthday Harry!" reached his ears.

Harry gapped in shock as some of the crew and most of the senior officers stood around the room wearing party hats and holding poppers. A banner displaying his name hung from the ceiling along with colorful streamers and balloons. In the middle of the room was a large table filled with food, presents and of course a cake. All of it was overwhelming and he wasn't sure what to say.

His friends gathered around him wishing him a happy 26th birthday and giving him hugs or pats on the back. Teddy clung to his waist smiling widely and it was obvious that he had been the one to tell them when his birthday was. But he couldn't be upset. Rather he was joyful and felt wanted as he had once felt when Hermione and the Weasleys were still alive. He beamed brightly as they ate and chatted; he felt pride when he blew out all the candles on his cake and savored the taste of lemon with coconut.

His presents were amazing too. From Uhura he was gifted a book in Latin, having once mentioned to her in passing that he knew the language and how he missed reading it since finding books on it was rare. He hugged her tightly and thanked her to which she smiled and kissed his cheek.

He got a small potted rose bush from Sulu since both shared a love for plants and gardening. From Chekov, he received books on Russian cuisine as well as a few of his mother's own recipes. Harry promised that their next shore leave, he would cook for Chekov.

From Scotty and McCoy (whom collaborated on his gift) he was given a rather large bottle of an expensive ale that he couldn't remember the name to. They felt it would help him loosen up a bit after a stressful day and while Harry wasn't much of a drinker, he appreciated it. Finally from Spock and Jim he received his own 3D chess set with an offer for free lessons from Spock. It was a rather exciting prospect as Harry, while he knew how to play chess, still wasn't the greatest at it even after all this time. He held his own, but he certainly wasn't up to Jim's or Spock's level.

But it was a great gift and he told them as much, hugging the pair in a moment of enthusiasm. He never noticed how they gained slight color in their faces, but the crew seemed to as they exchanged curious/knowing/smug glances between each other. Of course neither Jim nor Spock minded especially when Harry smiled at them as if they had given him the greatest gift in the world and they couldn't deny the sparks of happiness they felt at the doctor's smile.

The rest of the party went off without a hitch and Harry had never felt so carefree. He couldn't stop smiling even after the celebration was over and everyone retired. The warmth never left him even as he put Teddy to bed and then prepared for his own night of rest. Despite everything that had ever happened to him, Harry found himself constantly reminded of what he lived for, what he fought to protect. And to know that he had people that cared for him, that wished him happiness Harry would have done it all over again.

"Happy Birthday Harry," he muttered to himself as he began to drift off to sleep. Once more life had changed for him and one tradition gave way to a new one. And it was one that Harry found he wouldn't mind celebrating to the end of his days.

Please review! Thanks!

~Seth