In the early afternoon of July 31st, the newly ungrounded Melissa and her parents walked through a modern-looking neighbourhood of London, half-lost from the instructions listed on Harry's birthday invitation.

"Times like these, I wish our family had a floo." Melissa muttered as they backtracked to take the correct turn.

"That's the wizard travel that uses chimneys, right?" Her mother asked.

"Fireplaces." Melissa corrected. "You have to get one installed and it sometimes causes problems in muggle homes, so it would cost way too much money to get one installed."

"That's too bad." Her father stated. "Though it does make you wonder how Father Christmas manages to deliver presents to muggles every year?"

"Dad," Melissa rolled her eyes, "Father Christmas is not a wizard."

"Are you sure?" He teased. "Flying reindeer, travels through a fireplace. He sounds pretty magical to me."

Melissa tried to keep her face serious, but within moments a crack broke through the façade and she snorted in laughter. "Okay, you have a point."

"I think this is it." Her mother interrupted. She looked down at Sirius' instructions, then back up to a light post with a hanging basket of scarlet flowers. "It says here that there's an entrance through the statue near the light post with the red flowers."

The three of them turned to inspect their surroundings. Sure enough, there was a bronze statue at the mouth of an alley. It was a surprisingly modern statue. An abstract swirl of metallic curves that resembled a mobius strip tied in knots.

"Does it say which way through?" Her father asked as he inspected the statue. Some loops seemed large enough for an adult to step through, while others seemed only large enough for an animal to scurry passed.

"The west-most loop is what it says here." She looked up at the sky, then back at the statue. Walking carefully, she pointed to one end. "Must be this one."

The three of them looked over the loop hovering about a foot and a half off the ground. "Alright, then. Guess we'll give it a go. Need a boost, Melly-bean?" Her dad offered. The young witch took her father's hand and, after positioning Harry's present appropriately, hopped through the hoop.

Melissa felt a flutter of magic as she passed through the barrier. Catching herself on the ground, she shook off the feeling of magic from the barrier and took in her surroundings. It was mostly the same as before, with regular muggle flats muted from behind the barrier. The main difference was that, where the alley had stood before, there was now a small but stylish modern apartment building. The building was a mix of metal, white stone, and glass, some of which was coloured glass. In the corner of her eye, she spotted stained glass animals running and hopping from window to window. Melissa drank it all in as she waited for her parents to pass through.

At the sound of a male whistle, Melissa cocked her head towards where her father now stood. "I'll say, this is no Diagon."

"It's certainly impressive." Her mother added from his other side. "Usually I only see these sorts of buildings in business or home magazines."

"I wonder how it looks on the inside?"

"Only one way to find out." Her dad stated.

They walked inside through a set of glass doors. The interior was just as sleek and modern as it's outer appearance. White walls, brightened by a combination of sunlight, sleek fireplace, candles and well placed mirrors. On the right side of the lobby there was a white marble desk wherein sat a clerk minding their entrance. In the left corner a potted plant writhed and wriggled with tendrils reaching out towards the south-facing windows. Further into the left side, a set of amethyst seats and couches served as colourful punctuation to the otherwise monochrome room. In a strange sense, after two years of mostly wandering ancient castle walls, Melissa observed the building with an unusual sense of culture shock.

"Good afternoon." The clerk greeted the three with a chipper tone. The clerk, a woman with sleek brown hair and amethyst professional robes, slid a book towards them across the desk. "Please sign your names here. Who are you here to see?"

"Sirius Black." Her father answered. "We're here for a birthday party."

"Ah, yes." The woman nodded. "They'll be in the party room. It's here on the right on this floor." She pointed down the hall in a vague direction towards the room.

Melissa followed the woman's pointed finger, now further confused by the instruction. "Can I ask you something?"

"Certainly, miss." The woman smiled.

"This place, it's not exactly…" She wasn't sure what was the right word to use. Normal? That was a relative term. Wizard-like?

"...like a place out of the dark ages?" The woman answered for her with an amused expression.

Melissa blinked. "That's one way to put it."

"Well," the woman shrugged, "contrary to popular belief, not every wizard wants to live in stuffy old houses or drafty castles. Some of us would like to enter the new millennium with the rest of the world. Especially us muggleborns."

In a strange way, that answer both relieved and surprised her. She had never entertained the possibility that some wizards would opt for a modern lifestyle. Even if they are muggleborn. "And Sirius Black?" After all, a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight certainly didn't exactly fit that description.

"Well, his Led Zeppelin T's are a little dated, but I'd say he has the right idea." The woman chuckled lightly at her own joke. The joke was infectious as Melissa herself chuckled at the thought.

"I suppose you have a point."

"Definitely." Her father added as he finished writing in the ledger. "Clearly I need to lend him some new records next time we visit."

"Dad, it's the 90s now. Even your music is going to be dated."

"Ha! Nice try, kid, but Queen will never die."

Oh, that is a terrible choice of phrasing.

"Sure." Is all she could willingly say to reply.

With the ledger complete, the three of them walked down the hallway. On the right, they found the designated Party Room, guarded by a house elf.

"Invitation." The young house elf ordered. Her mother presented the invitation, which the elf scrutinized. "Very well, enjoy your party sir and ma'ams." The elf opened the door and they walked inside.

The party was in mid-swing. A fair amount of guests were in attendance, a few of which being adult witches and wizards that Melissa has never met. There were also a few young familiar faces. Adrian, Sierra, and Merton were all here, as were a large number of Weasleys. There was also a plump blond boy with them that she didn't recognize, along with an older Weasley boy chatting with a pink-haired teen somewhat detached from the circle of young teens. Ten sickles says who that girl is.

"Jake, Mary, so happy you could make it!" Sirius called out, walking his way over to the new arrivals. He gave each adult a warm hug before turning over to her. "Melissa, good to see you. Ah, I see you have a new friend here. Harry, come over this way!" He motioned for Harry from across the room. At the sight of the four of them, Harry bounded over.

"Melly! It's good to see you! It's been ages." He enveloped the girl into a hug.

"I know! Being grounded is the worst!" She gave a quick glance at her parents and Sirius. "Well, worst for me, anyways. Whoa! Is it just me, or have you gotten taller?" Her head bobbed down then up again, resting slightly downwards. Last she saw him, Harry had been at least a foot shorter than her. Now, though, his head reached just below her chin.

Harry grinned at the question. "It's from all of the health potions I've been taking. My healer says I'll still be growing some for the next few months before I catch up to how I'm supposed to be."

Melissa stepped back and glanced over his frame again. He was certainly right. In fact, he no longer looked super skinny like he had at the start of summer. True, he was still thin, but not in an unhealthy sort of way, anymore. He also seemed brighter in a way that Melissa couldn't quite place. Taking those observations in, she smiled broadly at him and gave him a hug. "That's so good to hear! Oh! I need to introduce you to someone!" She stepped back again so that the container wasn't banging between them. She then gently lifted up her arm to showcase her present to him, a crooning mass of white and black feathers. "Harry, meet… oh, I probably shouldn't be giving her name, but she's your new owl!"

Harry at once crouched down and took stock of the snowy owl in the cage. "She's beautiful." He awed, enraptured by the owl's proud and majestic bearing. He placed a curved finger near her cage, much like how he is when greeting Hootini. "Hello, there."

The owl tilted her head to the side curiously. Then, taking him in, moved her head closer to the bars, allowing the boy to stroke her head. Melissa beamed at the sight. Harry looked positively delighted and mesmerized as his fingers brushed through her white feathers.

"Mhmm! You two are going to get along just fine." She stated proudly.

Harry flicked his eyes over to her before rolling them. "Is that right?" His voice teased, halfway between amused and annoyed.

"Well…" She looked around, finding that her parents and Sirius were only half watching them as the three spoke to each other. "...I mean, so long as that thought doesn't get to you, does it really hurt to know?"

"I suppose not." He considered. He looked back at the owl with a smile. "I suppose I ought to come up with a name for you?" Melissa said nothing in response, which -oddly- made Harry look at her with suspicion. "What?"

"Nothing! I just don't want to give you ideas, that's all. She's your owl, after all."

"...You already know, don't you?" He asked accusingly.

Melissa looked apologetic. "I mean… it's not a guarantee."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Just tell me, already."

The girl snorted. "As if. What if you hate it or think it's your only option because I say so?"

He watched her a moment before shrugging his shoulders and standing up. "Alright then, how about we make a bet?" At Melissa's cautious flicker, Harry reassured her. "I have money, now. You don't have to be afraid to make bets with me anymore."

Damn it. She couldn't argue with his logic, or the exciting pull of a wager. "Alright, what's the game?"

"Write her name on a piece of paper. Later on I'll pick a name. If it's the same, you'll win. That way I won't ever come to regret it."

"Alright then." She considered. That said, she still held reservations about gambling actual money with Harry. "But I'm not waging gold with you."

Harry looked at her curiously. "With what, then?"

"If I'm right about the name of your owl then I… I get to name your second-born son."

Harry's mouth opened. Then it closed. Then he shook his head before opening it again. "Why would you want to name one of my kids? And… I'll have kids?"

"Secondly, from what I've seen, yes. Firstly, because it's one of the stupidest name choices I've ever heard."

Harry rubbed his forehead trying to take this all in. "Out of everything you've ever told me, this just might be the most bizarre. What do I name him?"

"Oh, I'm not telling you that." She said defiantly. "I don't want you to know, to even consider that combination, period."

Harry laughed despite her unusual seriousness. "Fine. But if I win I'm naming one of your kids."

"Hell, no, you're not!" Suddenly the seriousness cracked, as an odd pile of suggestions entered her mind. "Merlin, oh god, I can picture it! Spare me from the pain!"

"Alright! Alright!" Harry laughed. "Then if I win, I get to ask you one question about what you know, a really serious one that you don't want to answer, and you have to answer honestly."

Melissa chuckled. "Fine, but you better make it a good one."

Harry grinned at her. "It's a deal then!" He then looked back at the owl who was observing them with watchful amber eyes. "Until then, let's get her to the gift table. I want to introduce you to my cousin."

After placing maybe-Hedwig on the table, Melissa and Harry went off to chat with the other kids at the party. She said her hellos to each of them, including the blond boy -Neville Longbottom, to her surprise-, and turned to the eldest teens that had joined their group.

"Wotcher!" The pink-haired girl greeted her with a firm handshake. "The name's Tonks."

"Melissa Bennett, nice to meet you."

"Oh, I know you, already." Tonks grinned. "You're the accordion girl from VATIC."

"The accordion -wait- how do you know about that?" Her head perked to the side.

"I graduated this year." Tonks answered simply.

"You…" She looked to Harry for a glimmer of a moment, then back to the girl. "But last year we wrote down everyone's names, how did I miss that?"

"Oh, I- I wrote her card." Merton answered bashfully, his hand raised slightly.

"Heh, that was you, was it?" The teen grinned and nudged the boy to the side. "Right, I remember that card. Something like Beauty takes many forms, but the most beautiful is who you are on the inside. Didn't know you were such a poet, Graves."

The boy stuttered in answer as his face reddened in a blush. Tonks, though, kept on grinning. "Ha! You should see your face, it's like this." At once her hair shifted to a bright blood red.

The hair sparked a thought in Melissa's mind. "You were the redhead from last year!" She exclaimed. "Your hair was matching your flower!"

"Right, again!" Tonks replied.

"Merlin." She breathed out. "I can't believe I never noticed. I thought it was just a spell."

"Nope! I'm a metamorphmagus. I can look however I want." True to form, her shape changed to match Melissa's face. "What do you think?"

Melissa nodded slowly, slightly weirded out to have her own face and voice speaking to her. That, and her mind reeled against yet another piece of opportunity lost. "I think you and Harry could make a killing working as hair stylists."

A few of the others chuckled at the idea. One of the twins even quipped that they could have their own column in Witch Weekly for style tips.

"Not a bad thought." Tonks shook her head. "But I already have my sights on being an auror."

"That's wicked. Should be an interesting job."

"You bet!" Tonks grinned, her face shifting back to her pink-haired form. She then turned her attention over to Harry. "So, little cousin, how are you liking your first real birthday party?"

"I'm loving it!" Harry praised. He glanced around quickly. "Though I had expected it to be a bit more, 'magical'."

"If magic is what you're looking for, I can whip up some ideas." Tonks replied, pulling out her wand for emphasis.

At that move, the twins gave each other a look. "We can help with that." They added in unison.

"Don't take their help." Sierra retorted with a small snort.

"Why not?" They asked.

"Last time you offered to celebrate a birthday, you put belching powder in my cake!"

"Who, us?" One said. "Does that sound like us, Fred?"

"Certainly not, George."

"Last year you catapulted my cake into my face." Percy pointed out with muted ire.

"And put fireworks in mine." Ginny added.

As the twins attempted to make light of the accusations, Harry turned over to Ron. "What did they do for yours?"

"Mine?" The boy shrugged. "My birthday is in March, so I haven't had any trouble for the last couple of years."

Hearing that, the twins gained a wicked glee. "No trouble, eh? Looks like we'll need to celebrate your birthday in triple this year!"

"Hey, now," Ron stepped back, "no need to make a big fuss about it. Can't we just have things… simple?"

"Simple? Us? Never!" The boys gleamed with mischief.

As the twins went on taunting their little brother, Merton tried to pass off his blushing for conversation. "So, Giggles, are you joining us at the recording studio?"

"Uh, I hadn't thought about it. It's not like I know how to use dad's sound mixing equipment."

Merton quirked his head at the idea. "Sound mixing? Is that a muggle thing?"

Melissa nodded. "It's how muggle musicians make the most of their music and sound. Adding more bass or echoes, things like that."

"Oh." Merton brightened at the thought. "That will be neat. I bet there aren't other wizard bands that will have music like that."

"Definitely not." She grinned.

"Still, you should come. Maybe we'll need an accordion or piano?" Merton suggested. "It would be nice not being the only third year there."

"Ya, I was a little surprised about that." Melissa nodded. "Though I'm pretty sure Barbary would have an aneurysm if I tried."

"True." Merton nodded. The boy then flashed her a smile, one which conveyed a thought Melissa verbally agreed to with a grin.

"It would be worth it, wouldn't it?"

The party moved into full swing as the afternoon went on. Her extended family had arrived late, though Jeff and Maggie were quickly swept into the fold of excited talk and cheers whenever Tonks or Charlie Weasley showed them some charms. Melissa was also introduced to Edward Tonks' wife, Andromeda, and a few people who seemed half familiar or were entirely new to her memory. There weren't any big names around. There was no way Dumbledore would have been invited to this event, not after his protests at the trial. Other potentials like Moody or Remus were absent as well. Whether it was because they were busy or not in public life at this point outside of the books, she couldn't say.

The gift giving was a fun affair, as well. Harry seemed overwhelmed as he worked through a pile of books, clothes, and charmed toys. He never seemed quite sure how to respond to each one beyond a quiet and awed thank you. Even Arcturus, though absent, had delivered a gift to him. Sure, it had been a book on wizarding traditions, but it was accepted without comment …aside from Sirius and Andromeda, that is. The last gift to be given was a hand-made card from Maggie. Melissa wasn't sure what the card said. Whatever it was, it prompted Harry to lift the six year old into a strong hug.

"Thanks, Maggie." She heard Harry murmur into the little girl's shoulder.

"You're welcome." She giggled back. "You got a bird, too!" She gasped, eyes now high enough to see farther into the table.

Harry followed her gaze and nodded. "Melly gave her to me."

"She's really pretty! What's her name?"

"Not sure yet. I've been thinking about it." He paused for a moment and looked back at his honorary cousin. "How about Magdalene? Maggie, for short."

Maggie gasped. "After me?"

"Why not?" Harry grinned. At that, Harry was immediately enveloped in a hard, squealing hug by the happy little girl.

Off to the side, Melissa stared at the scene dumbly. Of all the bets she's ever placed, this was one she never expected to lose.