Chapter 41: Black Dog

"Richard, grab the camera!" Helen whispered urgently.

"What's so urgent?" Richard asked as he handed her the camera. It was early morning and they were packing to head back to England.

"Look at them," Helen beamed.

On the couch were Harry and Hermione still in the same spot they fell asleep the previous night.

"Shouldn't I be bothered by this?" Richard asked. "My daughter sleeping with a boy."

"She fell asleep on him, she's not sleeping with him," Helen said. "Harry's far too honorable to try anything."

"All the same, I'll still have a conversation."

"You can be a parent later," Helen said. "For now, I want to take a photo of this!"

Helen's heart warmed as she snapped the photo, once again faced with the harsh reality that her baby girl was growing rapidly. Yet for all her growing, it still offered incredible moments like this one.

Slowly she approached the kids and shook them awake.

"Wazzamatter?" Harry's sleep-addled brain asked.

"It's morning and we're about to head out to head home," Helen whispered.

Hermione's eyes shot open and she shot up. A little embarrassed at where she fell asleep, she also noticed just how restful the sleep was.

"Merlin's pants!" She exclaimed. "I haven't even packed and I need to shower and..."

Dobby popped in.

"If Miss Hermione will pardon," Dobby squeaked. "Dobby noticed she and Master Harry."

"Dobby," Harry cut in. "Just Harry, remember?"

"Dobby noticed Miss Hermione and Just Harry had not packed," Dobby smiled at his joke. "So Dobby packed for them, just in case."

"Thank you Dobby," Hermione thanked the elf and, to the surprise of everyone, kissed him on the top of the head. That was when they discovered that house elves can and do blush. "I'm going to go shower."

Without any further comment, Hermione skipped toward her room, leaving Harry behind. Helen laughed and followed her daughter.

"Did you sleep well?" Richard asked as he approached.

"Listen," Harry put up his hands to defend himself. "I didn't intend for Hermione and I to fall asleep together. She just fell asleep and I couldn't move her. I'm sorry if it seemed improper."

"Relax. I'll admit I wasn't the most pleased but I get it. However, I do want to stress this was a one-time thing. Your relationship is new and that's great. It's an exciting time for both of you, I'm sure. However, there is a danger to pushing things too far, too fast. Let your relationship grow, keep the core elements of what made you such good friends and build off that.

"Helen and I were once in much the same place as you both are now and we made sure to have our core tenants be honesty, communication and trust. Anything we have is built upon that and that is the foundation from which we grow.

"I like you kid and I'd like for you and Hermione to work but a relationship is just that: work. People won't see the work you put in but they will see the work payoff. Now go get cleaned up, we'll be leaving within the hour."

"Did you have a good talk?" Helen asked Richard as she walked by Harry.

"It's weird, parenting to the boy who is dating our daughter. Did you talk with Hermione?"

"Yes. She's embarrassed but also partly pleased. She's happy with the relationship and with the development but her head isn't going to let her heart lead the way here, that's just not how she is. That doesn't mean a big part of her didn't enjoy waking up next to him."

"As long as they're being safe, in all facets..." Richard let the end of that statement hang.

As sad as it was to end vacation, Harry was excited to get back. They still had their summer assignments to complete and review, Hermione wanted to work more on their occlumency and, with the help of Dobby, they could quickly access any book that they needed for the upcoming year. Settled on the flight, Hermione relished the opportunity to hold his hand to help settle her nerves.

Before they knew it, they were on the final approach to Heathrow. After they deplaned, as Helen hailed a cab, Harry mused that even with the sunny weather, it just wasn't the same as Nice. It wasn't long after that that a tired but refreshed group of four traipsed over the threshold of their house.

There's no place like home, Hermione said inside her head, subconsciously clicking her heels together as she said it.

Once they were settled at home, Harry pulled out his Occlumency book that Professor McGonagall had given them.

In it, it talked about meditating every night to find your mental center and to bring your magical core in line with it. Most wizards have a minor disconnect between their brain and their magical core. This is the opening that a Legilimens uses to enter the mind and extract information. By meditating and bringing both into harmony with one another, you could begin to build defenses. Ever since Christmas, Harry and Hermione had been meditating and they felt ready to start building their defenses.

"Are you ready?" Harry asked. It was morning, the Grangers were off to work, leaving the couple with a quiet house within which to begin the process. They were sitting cross-legged in the main room, facing one another, making sure everything was properly aligned.

"I think so," Hermione's eyes hardened whenever she was focusing on a new spell. On three, they closed their eyes. Harry could feel his core in its proper alignment and he started to build. It started simple with a wire frame and then he laid metal plates over it. He knew the structure he wanted but the key was the detail. Layer upon layer, he added more detail until finally he felt the design was perfect. Walking through the space, he started filling his mindspace with all his information. Every subject had its own area and you had know how to get to the area. Each area had its own access code and a failure to provide the code pushed the intruder back to the beginning.

"How are you doing?" Hermione's voice cut through his meditation. "Are you ready for me to test?"

One section on the book outlined the way to perform Legilimency to allow someone to test another's mindscape. Typical for Hermione, she had mastered that one too, or at least she felt that she had. Harry was learning as well but he felt a little block keeping him from doing it properly. Green met amber as they both opened their eyes.

"1, 2, 3, Legilimens" Hermione said. She had a sensation of falling and found herself on a high-tech circular platform, with Harry standing next to her. "Really, Harry? The Enterprise?"

"Enterprise-D, actually," Harry said with a satisfied smile. "I figured it was the best idea. How many wizards know A) popular culture and B) technology?"

"Where are we specifically?"

"Transporter room. That's where everyone enters. I'm actually working on making someone start outside the ship, forcing them to get through the shields before boarding the ship itself. From there you have to navigate the ship to find the information you want. Every part of the ship is devoted to a different subject. It's nice, actually. I feel I have better recall on memories and facts."

He led her passed the brig. Walking past the door, it opened for her. In a shock, Hermione realized this was a carbon copy of Privet Drive.

"This is where all my worst memories go," Harry said. "It opens for you because I trust you, otherwise you'll need a code."

"Impressive," Hermione really was shocked and amazed at his ingenuity and detail. "Well constructed, good defenses and wizards won't even know how to navigate it."

"What is your mindscape?" Harry inquired.

"It's a library," Hermione said. "But the books don't have titles and there's a cipher on each subject that you have to know the keyword to decode it. For more sensitive information, you have to enter through a door that's locked and only I know where the keys are placed. It's also a disguised labyrinth that the person won't realize they're lost until they're in the middle."

"Typical you," Harry laughed. "You'll let them in and let them move around to get lost."

"Whereas you will test people every step of the way, waiting for them to fail and get sent back to the beginning. As you said: typical."

For Harry, summer was still an adjustment. He had all this free time but he felt he should be working. He traded letters with Neville, Greg, Vinny, Daphne and Tracey, all of whom seemed to be having interesting summers. Daphne in particular wanted to meet to discuss something from her father, while Vinny's responses were disturbingly short. He wanted to reach out to Luna but she said she would be out of the country. Harry still felt like there was more that he needed to be doing. He tended the garden, tidied up his room but years of being worked to the bone made him restless when he had nothing to do.

The first week they were back from vacation, Harry got into a friendly but heated three-way argument.

"Harry cannot be cooking," Dobby crossed his arms. "He does so much, has done so much. Dobby cannot bear to see him take more on."

"You aren't expected to cook, Harry," Helen admonished with her hands on her hips. "Don't think you have to do."

"But I want to cook!" Harry pleaded. "It was the one chore I liked. I feel useless here, honestly."

Helen's face softened but Dobby's stance didn't.

"It is Dobby's job to cook," the elf stood resolute.

"You're already cleaning the house, doing the laundry on top of grabbing books for Hermione and me," Harry argued. "I don't want you to overexert yourself, my friend."

"It is Dobby's pleasure to serve his friend," Dobby emphasized that last word. "How Dobby can ever do that, Dobby will."

"But that doesn't mean you have to do it all the time," Helen saw an avenue for resolution and took it. "What if we took turns cooking? That way each of us gets to do something we like for the people we love?"

"That... seems fair," Harry accepted. "Would that be amenable, Dobby? And when I am cooking, you can help me prepare?"

"That would work," Dobby offered his hand for Harry take. Harry took it and Helen laid her hand on top.

"Now that that's settled," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Can we move on to cooking dinner? I'm starting to get hungry."

"Yes Miss Hermione," Dobby nodded and started popping around the kitchen.

That settled, Harry fell into a daily routine with Hermione. Every afternoon, he and Hermione would walk hand-in-hand to the park by the house. With Tonks disguised and watching over them, they'd lay by a tree and read until it got too warm. After a few walks, they noticed a shaggy black dog wandering around the park. Harry paid him no mind until the dog snuck up on him as he was reading and licked his face.

"Oi!" Harry tried to push the dog away but the dog was stronger than he looked. Hermione looked up from her book and laughed at Harry's predicament. "Geroff me!"

Harry finally pushed the hound away but that just seemed to communicate that he wanted to play. The dog crouched down and mimicked a pouncing pose, his tail wagging.

"Oh are you lonely, boy?" Harry asked. "Fine. Go fetch!"

Harry picked up a stick and played fetch with the dog until the dog got tired and decided to lay next to Harry. Harry returned to reading, absent mindedly rubbing the dog's ears. Looking over, Hermione basked in the image.

"You're such a softie," she teased him. "And it's just so super adorable."

She leaned in to kiss him. As would happen every time, their kiss deepened and fireworks went off in her brain. Next thing she knew the dog gave a booming bark. Opening her eyes, she saw the dog wagging his tail.

"Seems fluffy here approves," Harry said as both of them started to laugh. Hermione dropped her head onto his chest, laughing at the ridiculousness of a dog approving of their relationship.

"That's good," Hermione said. "Though we should probably not call him Fluffy."

"Good point," Harry hesitated in thought. "How about we name him after one of your favorite characters growing up, why don't we call him Paddy?"

"Would you like that?" Hermione cooed at the dog. "Do you like Paddy?"

Wagging his tail, the newly-minted Paddy took to the idea.

"It's nice to meet you, Paddy," Harry held out his hand and Paddy held up his paw for Harry to shake it. "Maybe with someone big and strong like you, Sirius Black will think twice about coming near."

Paddy whined and laid down with his paws over his head.

"It's okay," Harry hugged the dog and scratched his ears. "He's not going to come around here. We'll be safe, I promise."

As they stood to walk home, Paddy followed them.

"Sorry, Paddy," Hermione said. "My parents don't like the idea of pets. I've been asking for years to get a cat. After Tybalt, I've got them at least considering the idea. I doubt they'd be keen on a stray dog invading their home."

She pat him on the head and rubbed behind his ears.

"We'll be back tomorrow," Hermione reassured him.

"And when we do," Harry added, noticing the malnourishment of the dog. "We'll bring you some leftovers. You're a little thin for my liking, Paddy. We'll see you tomorrow."

True to their word, they returned every day with a little food. Though he wasn't their dog, he became a constant companion in the park.

They only missed a single day at the end of July when Harry and Neville threw a joint birthday party. Keeping it small for both security and space, the party was a small one. Susan came with Amelia and they had brought Hannah along with them, a request by Neville. Lavender was also able to come, although Colin and Parvati were unable to attend. Luna was still out of town, as were Daphne and Tracey. Due to the suspect allegiances of their fathers, Harry opted not to send an invite to Greg and Vinny. Surprisingly, everyone looked thoroughly muggle in their dress, though Augusta still wore the stuffed vulture hat.

With the permission of the adults, the kids were all taken to an amusement park. Taking turns, Amelia, Neville's Gran, Tonks and Dobby apparated everyone to a safe point near the park.

"Are you okay?" Amelia asked Harry after apparating him and Hermione to the amusement park.

"Don't think I enjoyed that," Harry said. "I still feel like my intestines are squeezed together."

"Nobody likes it at first," Amelia said. "But they get used to it over time. There's really no safer way to travel once you learn how."

Once they were all safely gathered, the group exited the apparition point and made their way into the park.

"Is this safe?" Augusta asked as she looked up at the monstrosity that was the roller coaster, its wood frame rattling as the trains sped a host of screaming humans along the track.

"Perfectly safe, Augusta," Helen said. "Do you want to ride it?"

Augusta shook her head violently.

"I don't think so. I'll just sit on the bench over there."

"I'll join you," Hermione moved to follow but found herself held back by Harry.

"Oh no," Harry said with a smile. "You're coming with me."

"But..." Hermione gestured between the wooden monolith and the perfectly safe bench.

"Please?" Harry's eyes were pleading. He held out his hand. "Do you trust me?"

Hermione looked at him skeptically. He asked again.

"Do you trust me?"

"Leave it to you to quote Aladdin," Hermione huffed. "Okay, fine. But you owe me."

"Oh that looks fun!" Susan shrieked. "Let's go!"

Susan and Hannah pulled a thoroughly reluctant Neville with her. They wound their way through the queue and were astonished when I blonde head of hair was already in line.

"Took you long enough," Lavender joked. "I thought I'd have to ride this by myself."

"Not in your life," Harry smiled gleefully. As the line moved closer and closer to the loading house, Hermione started to shake in nervousness and, if she was being honest, a little bit of excitement too.

Harry saw her shaking and decided to grab her hand and pull her in closer, giving her cheek a quick kiss, as he often did to calm her down.

"Wait!" Lavender's voice cut through. "Are you two dating?"

Harry groaned as he had completely forgotten their audience in favor calming Hermione down.

"Yes," Hermione said, trying to sound sheepish even with a smile that was anything but. Lavender clapped her hands and screamed.

"I knew it!" She squealed. "Oh I was hoping he would wise up sooner than later. You're so, soooo cute together!"

"Congratulations," Susan's forced reply came.

"I'm sorry, Susan," Hermione reached toward the young redhead. "We wanted to tell you but someone obviously forgot."

"It's okay," Susan said as she stepped back from Hermione's attempt at physical contact. "I can't say I didn't have a hope but the two of you have a chemistry that's undeniable. I'll get over it, with a little time."

"So how did it happen?" Lavender's curious, gossipy nature couldn't be denied. Hermione looked to Harry who nodded. At his permission, she told them about their trip to Paris and how they almost kissed before finally admitting their feelings. "So your first kiss was in Paris? Oh girl that's so romantic!"

"Well done, mate," Neville clapped a blushing Harry on the shoulder. The girls were deep in conversation so they didn't hear. "Do you have any tips for the rest of us mortals?"

"Just be honest with how you feel and take your shot," Harry said, looking from Neville to Hannah. "It's never as perfect as it sounds but you'll remember it the rest of your life."

"Well not all of us can take the girl to France," Neville ribbed Harry. "But I'm sure I'll find something."

"But this is something we'd like to keep secret," Hermione's voice cut through. "Harry gets enough attention for his unfortunate celebrity. We'd like to enjoy being a couple without everyone butting in to give us their opinion."

"Can I at least tell Parvati?" Lavender pouted slightly, her blue eyes trying their best to be pleading. "We've been wondering when you would get together."

"Yes, you can tell Parvati," Hermione said. "We'll probably tell Luna and that's the extent of it."

"We would tell Greg, Vinny, Daphne and Tracey but we can't risk Malfoy finding out," Harry said.

They were so engrossed in their conversation, they never realized they were almost to the front of the line. They all divided into rows for the coaster. Since it was promised to be the milder ride, they chose to ride in the middle versus the front or the back. Neville and Hannah were the most forward with Harry and Hermione the row behind them. Lavender hooked her arm into Susan's and pulled her into the row with her. Harry looked around the loading station and noticed that in line behind them were Helen and Richard, as well as Tonks and...

"Auntie Amelia?" Susan asked, aghast at seeing her guardian right behind the Grangers.

"What?" Amelia gave her niece a rare smile. "You don't think your old aunt can handle it?"

"That's not... no," Susan turned away in embarrassment, prompting laughter to ring from the rest of the group.

The train rolled into the station, looking a little like a string of red bobsleds hooked to one another. Harry guided Hermione onto the ride. Hermione sat down with Harry and brought the seat belt around, cinching it as tight as possible. While she did that, Harry pulled down the padded lap bar.

"We're safe, Hermione," Harry took her hand once again to calm her breathing. The park workers came around to inspect every row and before they knew it, the train was departing the station, rolling around a bend before the chain lift took them up the hill. Harry looked out across the horizon as the coaster reached the apex.

"Look, Hermione!" Harry pointed to something but Hermione could only see her feet at the moment. "Here we goooo!"

Hermione screamed as the coaster dropped down the first hill before banking up and over the next. The train rocked and rumbled across the track and Hermione continued to scream, though what was initially screams of terror morphed in shouts of glee. Behind him, Harry could hear Lavender giggling, Richard laughing and, most amazing of all, he heard Amelia whooping through every banked turn while Tonks laughed her heart out. Winding its way through the last turns, the brakes slowed the coaster before rolling the train harmlessly into the station.

"What'd you think?" Harry tried to stifle his laughter as Hermione's hair was a wind-blown mess.

"That was... fun!" Hermione said as they stood up from the coaster. She sounded like she surprised herself with her answer. "Not my favorite thing but I liked it!"

"Atta girl!" Richard hugged his daughter. "I think your mum even had fun."

"Yeah but look at Tonks!" Helen called attention to the Metamorph whose hair was snow white and sticking out in all directions, making her look like a mad scientist. Tonks shook her head and let her hair return back to its usual pink.

"We're not going to get in trouble, are we?" Harry asked. "Muggles might notice the hair changing."

"I cast a notice-me-not on her before we entered the queue," Amelia said. "Just in case."

"Did you have fun, grandson?" Augusta stood up when she saw them walk out the exit. Neville was grinning like a loon as he supported a quiet Hannah.

"You okay, Hannah?" Susan asked.

"Yes," Hannah smiled. "That was... fun."

"Oh so you want to go again?" Lavender asked to which Hannah vehemently shook her head, making the Gryffindor blonde laugh. "Where to next?"

"Teacups!" Hermione exclaimed. This time, it was Harry's turn to hesitate. Noticing this, Hermione slid her arm around him and guided him toward the ride. "Come on, you dragged me onto a ride; now it is my turn."

Hermione, it turned out, was vicious when it came to teacups and she found a sorority of girls who shared her passion. Placed in a teacup with Hermione, Tonks, Susan and Lavender, Harry found out they could whip the cup around with enough speed to make him dizzy. A while later, Harry stumbled his way to the ride's exit while Hermione and Lavender laughed at his plight.

"That was fun!" Tonks raucous laughter filled the air while Harry was walking like a drunken sailor.

"You guys are cruel," Harry said with a smile.

"But you love us," Susan bumped him.

"Just as we love you," Lavender added as she bumped him from the other side.

They rejoined the group when they all noticed themselves getting hungry. After a trip to a kiosk for food, Neville only had questions.

"What is this?" He asked about his meal on a stick.

"That's a corndog," Hermione said which, judging by Neville's face, explained nothing. "It is a hot dog covered in cornmeal and fried. Try it."

Hesitantly, Neville bit off a piece and absorbed the flavor. His eyes widened and he swallowed.

"This is amazing!" He exclaimed as he ravenously went in for another bite. "This whole day has been amazing. Thank you for thinking of it, Harry."

"You're welcome," Harry's eyes sparkled as he took in his friend. His sandy blonde hair was starting to grow out and the scrawny boy was being replaced by statuesque figure. He was already a head taller than Harry with a thicker frame around the shoulders. "Happy Birthday."

Once the kids had ridden all the rides and eaten their fill, culminating in everyone getting ice cream cones, they were popped back to the Granger home to exchange gifts.

For Neville, Harry had given him a rune stone he had found in Diagon Alley last year. Thanks to Dobby, he was able to pick it up in time for the party today.

"This will sense when the water levels in the soil are low and set off a low beep to let you know to water them or, if you have a sprinkler system, will link to that and start watering them."

"What's a sprinkler system?" Neville asked as he turned the stone over in his hand.

"It is a system that delivers water to an area on a schedule," Richard said. "Saving you the time of watering everything,"

"We could easily set one up at a house," Harry said. "You'd just need some pipes setup overhead with a sprinkler that would dispense the water."

"That sounds like fun!" Neville's brain whirred at the possibility this system offered. "Thank you, Harry."

"Happy Birthday, Neville," Harry beamed at his friends exuberance.

"This is from me," a blushing Hannah gave Neville a parcel. Hands shaking slightly, he opened it to find an expertly crafted, light blue tunic. "Mum and I found this in Switzerland. It's made of acromantulan silk, imbued with charms to make it impossible to stain. I thought the color would go with your eyes."

"Thank you, Hannah," Neville returned her blush.

From Hermione, Neville got a book on muggle gardening techniques, Susan gifted him a new pair of gardening gloves and Lavender gave both Harry and Neville a bottle of cologne.

"It's a special cologne. It will adapt its scent as it sinks in, crafting itself to each wearer individually."

"Thank you, Lavender." Harry sprayed a little on his wrist and let it set in. "What do you think, Hermione?"

Hermione sniffed Harry's wrist and sighed on her exhale.

"No. I should be thanking you, Lavender," Hermione's eyes dilated. "That's incredible."

"You're welcome. Happy birthday," Lavender didn't tell them it was something she had developed this summer.

Hedwig delivered his gifts from the Weasleys. Fred and George sent him a firework which they labeled "experimental, do not light off indoors." Setting it aside gently, Harry opened a gift from Ginny was a green shirt made of Egyptian silk. Last, Ron sent him a pocket Sneakoscope and at clipping that had their picture in the Daily Prophet. Harry noticed it also had the article about his relatives' murder, which inspired him to ask the question that he was afraid to ask.

"Do you know what happened to Dudley?" Harry asked Amelia.

"He was given custody to your Aunt Marge," Harry flinched at Marge's name. "Do you know her?"

"Unfortunately," Harry said. "She raises Pit Bulls and, in my experience, raises them to be nasty toward dark-haired boys wearing glasses. Hopefully Dudley enjoys his time with her."

"Marge will receive money for his care," Amelia concluded. "He will be fine. He's already talking about joining the military when he comes of age.

"Thank you," Harry told her and returned to his gifts, pocketing the Sneakoscope and set the article aside.

The real entertainment of the evening came with Hagrid's gift. Harry picked it up and felt like it was vibrating. Removing the wrapping paper, Harry saw the title Monster Book of Monsters before the book snapped open and nipped his finger.

"Ouch!" Harry exclaimed as he dropped the book. The other kids screamed as the book flipped up on its edge and charged for each of them. As it was heading for Hermione, Harry stomped on top of it and, as he went to pick it up, rubbed his hand over the binding. The book relaxed and splayed open. "Guess that's Hagrid idea of a good book?"

Everyone laughed at Harry's dark humor attempt while Harry read the note that the book would come in useful this year. He was wondering what that meant when the doorbell rang. Richard went to see who it was only to return with Professor McGonagall in tow.

"Good evening," she addressed the amassed group. "I just came to offer my birthday wishes and deliver this."

Hermione sprinted from her seat when she saw the Hogwarts letters for her and Harry.

"I apologize for not bringing the others. I did not realize you'd have so many of your yearmates here," she smiled warmly at the gathered teens. She withdrew a package and handed it to Harry. "Happy birthday, Harry. You too, Mr. Longbottom."

"Thank you, ma'am," they both said as Harry grabbed the parcel. Tearing into it, he found a wristwatch.

"This is a special watch," McGonagall said. "It is connected with one that I am wearing. If you should run into any trouble this year, just tap it twice and mine will heat up. Launch sparks and I will head over to assist you. Just in case Sirius Black or any other interested party decides to try anything. You can also say where you are and the words will show up on mine.

"Inside your letters, you will find permission slips to visit the village of Hogsmeade. Know that as long as your muggle guardians sign off, you will have my permission as well."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry hurriedly put the watch on, discovering that it automatically cinched itself to his wrist. She departed and the other guests did the same, noticing time was getting on. Harry thanked each guest for coming until it was just Neville, his Gran and the Grangers left.

"Thank you for sharing your birthday celebration," Harry embraced him as a brother. "And thank you for the Seeker armor."

"I don't know if it'll survive a Rogue Bludger but it should help," Neville said before hesitating to say what he really wanted to say. "You know, I always wanted to have a brother. Turns out, family isn't always blood."

"Here, here," Richard lifted a mock drink.

"I feel the same, Neville," Harry said. "We might not be blood brothers but we'll always be godbrothers."

"Such a good boy," Augusta moseyed up to her grandson. "You remind me so much of Frank and you've got a good bit of James in you too, Harry."

As they departed, Harry turned and saw three more gifts. Standing in front of them were Dobby, Hermione and the Granger parents.

"You guys didn't have to," Harry was starting to feel overwhelmed by the love and care he was receiving.

"It's your birthday," Hermione pointed out and the other three nodded.

Opening the smallest one first, he found a pair of socks with the Eiffel Tower stitched in. In the next one, he found a poster of France with the Tower, Seine and Notre Dame all readily noticeable.

"So you can always remember France," Helen said. "There's one more from us."

The next one was considerably smaller and turned out to be a photo book. Page upon page held a picture of their vacation, including a special one of Hermione and Harry silhouetted on the top level of the Tower with the city lit up below. They were in the process of leaning into one another.

"How did you do this?" Harry asked.

"We asked Dobby if he wouldn't mind taking the occasional picture," Richard explained. "He made a copy of this book for each of us."

"Thank you," Harry gently set the book aside for Hermione's gift. Noticing her nervousness, Harry took his time opening this one. The wrapping paper fell away and a leather satchel fell into his lap. It was a top-of-the-line broomstick servicing kit.

"Wow!" Harry's eyes roamed across every product inside. "This is incredible, Hermione! Thank you!"

"Happy Birthday, Harry," Hermione sat next to him. She leaned into him as he moved his arm around her shoulder.

"Thank you, Hermione," Harry leaned in to kiss her. "Thank you to all for all you did today."

"You deserve it, kid," Richard supported his wife who had silent tears of happiness falling down her face. As Harry lay down to sleep that night, his last thought was so this is what it is like, having a family. The happy feeling buzzing around his head, Harry dropped off into a peaceful slumber.

(A/N: I noticed in my editing of this chapter, I got the spelling wrong on Tybalt for the Granger's Owl. Wanted to keep the Shakespeare theme going for the Grangers but I never realized I spelled it Thibault. Wanted to clear any confusion there.)