A Shared Birthday
29th of July, 1996.
Fleur couldn't join Kato when he went back home. She needed to work. She was sad she couldn't attend the party, but she hoped they would have a fun time.
Remus was sitting outside on a blanket with Leoline crawling around in the grass near him. It was amazing to see how fast little Leo was growing. Harry would have joined them, but he was setting things up for his and Neville's twenty-four-hour party extravaganza. All their classmates were invited, together with several others like Fred and George.
Harry was going to head out and pick Hermione up in half an hour then Neville would arrive not long after that so they could get everything ready. He had heard back from Nathaniel and Caroline regarding Hermione's birthday present and just like he had guessed they just wanted to be in on it. Nathaniel had been very happy that Hermione would get the chance to take driving lessons so she could get her license just after turning eighteen.
Harry walked out the door and over to Remus.
"Off to get Hermione?" Remus asked.
"Yes," Harry said. "I should be back pretty soon. Though I'm guessing Nathaniel might want to lecture me for a bit first. Hermione will tell him off."
Remus chuckled. "She is his little girl and she is leaving the country without him," he said. "I can understand why he feels the way he does."
"Me too," Harry said.
"At least he trusts both you and her to be responsible," Remus said.
"That he does," Harry said with a smile. "Well, I should be off," he said. "I'll see you two in a bit."
They said goodbye and Harry apparated out. He knew a good spot near the Granger's where he could land. He brushed his shirt off and walked through the park and over to their front door. He didn't get to ring the doorbell.
Hermione threw the door open and hugged him tightly."Don't you do things like that," she chided him.
Harry sighed. "You do realise that you only heard of it after I was already fine, right?" he said.
"Of course, but that doesn't change anything," Hermione said. She let go of him and stepped back. "I did have this strange dream though," she said. "It was a big fight and a hurt dragon. Ron's brother Bill was there and Fleur and Neville."
"Fleur said the same thing," Harry said.
"I'm guessing that a part of my magic reached out to you guys, but I can't explain it. If Rhavaniel was here maybe she could. She had a better understanding of strange phenomena than I." He followed Hermione inside and she disappeared to get her things.
"I hope I don't need to tell you to take care of her," Nathaniel said.
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Hermione is a big girl who can look after herself," she said.
Harry smiled. "I'll make sure she stays safe and she'll make sure I don't almost kill myself again," he said. "I think once a summer is plenty."
"How about once ever?" Hermione said as she came back downstairs.
"Sorry, but I can't promise that," Harry said. "Certain things need to be done and I'm one of the few who can do them. Sometimes those things are dangerous. That is just the way it is."
Hermione sighed heavily. Harry wasn't wrong. There was no point in arguing with him. All she could do was lend him her aid when she could.
"All packed?" Caroline asked. "You have everything you need?"
"I do. I triple-checked," Hermione said.
"Then I guess we won't see you again until Christmas," Caroline said with a sigh.
"Hermione can come home for weekends after she has turned seventeen. I'm teaching her how to apparate and then I'll take her to get her license. I don't see any reason why she should have to wait almost six months to learn how to do something that useful," Harry said.
Caroline smiled. "Well that sounds nice," she said. "We'll see you when we see you then," she said as she hugged Hermione.
"Don't do anything you shouldn't do," Nathaniel said as he hugged Hermione.
"Bye-bye Hermione, have fun."
"See you dear."
"Bye, mom. Bye, dad. See you once I have my apparition license."
Harry took Hermione's hand and apparated them to Ennerdale. Winky appeared and took Hermione's bags.
"I started already but there's still a bit to do," Harry told Hermione as they walked into the living room to get it set up for the party.
"I can do magic here right?" Hermione asked.
"You can. No one is going to detect that through my wards," Harry answered.
Hermione nodded. "Then I guess we should get started," she said as she drew her wand.
They walked around and hung up garlands and transfigured decorations.
"Did you ask people about allergies?" Hermione asked after a while. She had been part of the planning, but since they were having the party at Ennerdale Harry had the last say in a lot of things.
"I did and I received a few notes that I passed on to Winky. I have helped her with some of the food, but she and Dobby are doing most of the work."
"Are you going to hire Dobby?" Hermione asked.
"I honestly don't know, Hermione," Harry said. "Winky and I have spoken about finding her a mate and she is not interested in Dobby that way. There won't be enough work for three elves around here so I'd rather find Winky a mate she likes."
Hermione nodded. She could understand that. "But you are paying him now?" she asked.
"I'm going to pay him a galleon an hour," Harry said. "He doesn't want to be paid too much, what he hasn't realised is that I meant every hour he helps with the party, not just the twenty-four hours that the party takes place during."
"So he thinks you will pay him twenty-four galleons, but really it is more like…?" Hermione left her question hanging.
"Almost forty and I might round up to that though it might be more if he stays to clean after," Harry said.
Hermione chuckled. When Harry had first hired Winky she had been very disappointed in him, but seeing how he treated Winky and all other elves he came in contact with was astounding. He was kind and respectful and, in many cases, better at handling them than she was no matter how much she wanted to treat them well. Winky was probably treated better than many nannies or housekeepers who were paid to do their jobs.
"I see Fred and George haven't arrived yet," Neville said as he entered the living room. He held a crate out to Harry. "Where do you want these?" he asked. The crate was filled with flowers and Neville had even managed to cultivate a devil's snare and ivy hybrid that thankfully didn't try to kill people. It did however move and was quite beautiful to look at.
"Oh, those we want out back," Harry said. "I'll show you." He looked at Hermione. "Can you finish up here?" he asked.
"No problem," Hermione said.
Harry walked Neville out back and led him to spots where he had already prepared for the flowers and ivy.
"It's going to climb all over this wall if you let it," Neville said. "Or we could place nodes for it and guide it. Then it will grow in patterns if you would rather like that. I figured out how to do that a few weeks ago and it looks amazing."
"Teach me and I'll get nodes up," Harry said.
When Hermione got outside she could see Harry and Neville deep in a discussion. Every once in a while Harry would motion to the manor. Neville would say something and Harry nodded. Instead of joining them, Hermione walked over to Remus and Leoline. "Hello Professor Lupin. How are the two of you doing?" she asked as she sat down.
"We are doing quite well thank you for asking, and it is Remus. I'm not your Professor anymore, Hermione," Remus said with a glint in his eyes. "How about you? Have you received your OWL.s yet?"
"Not yet no," Hermione said. "I certainly hope it went well though."
"I'm sure it did," Remus said reassuringly. Leoline crawled up to Hermione and grabbed onto her. Hermione reached out to support him as he tried to stand up. "Hey little guy," she said. She chuckled as Leoline reached for her hair and pulled at a strand.
Fred and George showed up and started setting up their fireworks before joining Hermione and Remus. "What are Harry and Neville doing?" Fred asked.
"I believe they are discussing how to best plant some flowers and vines that Neville brought with him," Hermione answered.
"I guess we'll leave them to it then," George said. He lay down and Leoline crawled up to him and grabbed at his hair. "Hey little guy you shouldn't eat that," he said before grabbing Leoline. "Wanna go flying?" he asked before he tossed Leoline into the air gently.
Leoline giggled and drooled all over George.
Harry and Neville started heading over to the others. They were finally happy with the image that the vines would come to present as they grew. Neville flopped down next to Hermione, while Harry looked over at Leoline who was sucking on one of George's knuckles. "I think someone is hungry," he said. Knowing that Winky was very busy at the moment preparing for the party, he headed inside and got a bottle ready for Leoline. He grabbed a banana and mushed it to a paste. Remus had said he had started giving Leoline food with some meals, but they always needed the bottle or he wouldn't get enough to eat.
"Oh, can I?" George asked as Harry returned. He lifted Leoline up so he was sitting properly and then he accepted the bowl with mushed banana from Harry.
Remus smiled. He was glad that Harry had built up friendships despite everything that had happened to him. He had good friends. He felt a hand on his shoulder as Harry sat down next to him. "In a different universe this could have been what having a child around the marauders was like," he said.
"It was a lot like this when you were a baby," Remus said.
"You better not die on us," Harry said seriously.
"At least I know that Leoline will be well cared for if I die," Remus said. "You are so much more mature than we were." He smiled ruefully. "Even the twins are more mature than Sirius was and they resemble him the most."
"I think that based on stories you have told me that Fred and George are a little like each one of you," Harry said. "They are more balanced than you were."
"They had a better childhood than most of us," Remus agreed. "Molly might be a little overbearing but there is no question that she cares about her children."
"You are just going to have to borrow us, you know," Harry said. "Then when Leoline is six he'll ask you why you are so old in comparison to Uncle Harry and Aunt Hermione." He grinned teasingly and rolled backwards as Remus swatted at him.
Remus chuckled. This was not what he had imagined his life would be like, but now that he was living it, he was quite happy this was the way it had worked out all things considered. He had lost a lot of people that mattered to him along the way. He would miss them. He wouldn't trade what could have been for what he had though. Harry was happy and he had little Leoline. The only thing that could be better was Sirius' situation. At least he was doing alright for now. Albus was trying to help; it was just a difficult situation. No one wanted to revisit Sirius' case. He wasn't sure things would be better with a free Sirius though. Sirius was his oldest friend, but he had spent thirteen years in prison. He wasn't quite right in the head and he might never be. That didn't mean Remus didn't want him to get better, but he was glad to have Harry.
Leoline slammed the spoon out of George's hand and sent a blob of banana flying. He reached out for his bottle.
"Alright, little guy," George said as Fred whipped the banana off his face. "Little rascal," Fred said.
"Don't sit in the blast zone," Harry said. He leaned over Fred's shoulders. "Leoline can get really messy when he eats sometimes."
Fred looked up at Harry, and Harry drew his wand and cleaned him off.
"And everything around him," Remus added. "Winky is a blessing."
"Are you sticking around tomorrow?" Fred asked Remus.
"No, we'll be heading to a friend of mine to have a sleepover," Remus said. "We might do a bit of a cameo on Wednesday though. Just before people head home."
"You can come here and drive everyone off," Harry said. "Big scary grown-up you know."
Remus rolled his eyes. He knew better than to take that tone of voice seriously.
"Is there anything else we need to get ready today?" Fred asked.
"Nope, now we can take it easy. Want to take a swim? My wards extend into the water," Harry said.
"Sweet, let's do that," George said. He handed Leoline over to Remus for burping and they relocated closer to the water.
30th of July, 1996.
Neville was nervous. He hadn't seen his parents since before his mother had entered her teen stage as Harry called it. According to Harry, there was a rather big chance that she would realise who he was this time. He had brought a flower that he had cultivated for her with him. He really hoped that she would like it.
Kato smiled reassuringly at Neville as he opened the door to the Janus' Ward. They walked inside together and Kato greeted one of the nurses.
Alice was sitting in her bed with pieces of paper strewn all around her. She was writing something, but she seemed displeased with how it turned out. She ripped out another page from her book and threw it to the side.
"Good morning Alice," Kato said as he sat down next to her.
"You're back," Alice said happily as she looked up. "How was Egypt?"
"Well enough if you don't count the Hist and almost dying," Kato said truthfully.
"You didn't!" Alice said horrified. "You can't die, Kato."
"I know," Kato said. "I'll be more careful."
Alice looked past Kato to the younger man behind him. He was holding a pot with a colourful plant in his hands and he seemed almost frightened. Then he looked up at her and their eyes met for only a moment. Her eyebrows furrowed. Kato had told her that she was in her late thirties and that Frank and her had been attacked when they were in their twenties. Had they…? She looked at Kato searching for answers.
"This is Neville Longbottom," Kato said. "I've brought him before."
Alice nodded slowly. She could recall that. He had been nice. "You said he was a friend of yours," she said.
"That is right," Kato said. "Neville and I are friends."
"You are helping us because of him aren't you," Alice said.
"It started out that way," Kato said. "Now I'm helping you for you and no one else."
Alice got out of bed slowly and walked up to Neville. She reached out and hugged him tightly. "This can't have been easy," she said.
Neville was crying as Alice let go of him. He held the flower out to her. "This is for you," he said.
Alice smiled softly. "Thank you," she said. She backed off a little and looked at him. He truly looked like he could be her and Frank's son. "I… I'm not your mother… yet," she said. "I can't remember that, but we'll get there eventually."
"Kato thinks that maybe he can get you restored before I graduate," Neville said.
Alice nodded slowly. She guessed that would be nice. It was strange to stand in front of the person who had probably been the most affected by what had happened to her and Frank.
"How about we just talk about what is going on in our lives now," Kato said. "I know that Neville wants to get to know you better and it doesn't hurt for you to get to know him. Right now Neville is just my friend, don't worry about the rest it will come to you."
Alice looked relieved as she sat back down on the bed. Now it could be more like a regular session with Kato except Neville was there too. That was easier on her.
…
Neville was smiling as he and Kato left the Hospital. Alice wasn't fully healed, but it was great to just hear her talk. He knew more about his mother now than he ever had before. It felt amazing. "Will you show mom all the years of her lying in that hospital bed too?" he asked Kato.
"I was thinking maybe you and Augusta might be willing to help me put together a compilation of you growing up instead. Sure we might show her a few times when you went and visited just so she knows that you did, but I think it is better to show her your childhood. That way she'll feel less like she has missed out. If I could just get Frank a bit better I would have them moved to Ennerdale. It would be better for both of them."
"I think mom would like that," Neville said.
"Don't worry though I have ideas for how to help Frank I just need some help and the only one I trust to do that is a little tied up in another project right now," Kato said. He grabbed Neville's arm and apparated them back to the Estate. He dropped the Kato glamour and they headed over to where Hermione was sitting and reading. Remus had left already. In a bit, they would eat lunch and then it was time to get into their outfits.
They sat down next to Hermione. "Fred and George left?" Harry asked.
"They said they had something they needed to fix at the shop," Hermione said. "Are they opening soon?"
"Day after tomorrow," Harry said. "That's why we're not leaving for Bulgaria until the second. We'll help them with their opening day first. Or at least I will. It is optional for you of course."
"I don't mind helping out," Hermione said.
"Me neither," Neville added.
"Sweet then I'll let them know," Harry said. He lay down in the grass and closed his eyes. Sometimes it was nice to do nothing.
"Are those owls?" Neville asked.
Harry opened his eyes and looked over at Neville. Neville was pointing up in the sky. "I should say so," he said. "Looks like five of them so two are probably for Fred and George. They probably know they are staying here for tonight."
"It is fascinating isn't it," Hermione said. "How owls know where to deliver your mail even when you are going back and forth a lot."
Harry and Neville nodded. They accepted their letters from the owls and Harry guided them to his owlery in case any of them wanted a bit of a rest. He turned the envelope around in his hands before opening it. He pulled the contents out and looked down at his grades.
ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS
Pass Grades: Outstanding (O)
Exceeds Expectations (E)
Acceptable (A)
Fail Grades: Poor (P)
Dreadful (D)
Troll (T)
HARRY JAMES POTTER HAS ACHIEVED:
Arithmancy: E
Astronomy: E
Care of Magical Creatures: O
Charms: O
Defence Against the Dark Arts: O
Herbology: O
History of Magic: O
Muggle Studies: A
Potions: O
Study of Ancient Runes: O
Transfiguration: O
He was pretty happy with his performance. He had gotten eleven OWL.s which was good. He was certainly pleased with the eight outstanding he had received. He held the slip out to Hermione. "Before you open your own," he said. "I doubt you did worse than me."
Hermione looked at Harry's grades with a smile. He had done really well. She placed his grades down next to her and opened her own letter with shaky fingers. She pulled the slip out and looked at it. Then she looked down at Harry's grades again. "Wait, you took Muggle Studies?" she said.
"I did," Harry confirmed.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Hermione asked.
"Because you were stressed enough without adding something to your plate," Harry said. "I didn't study for it, I just took the test, hence the Acceptable grade." He moved over so he could look at her grades. "Ten O.W.L.s and nine of them are Outstanding," he said. "You did really well."
"I wonder what I didn't get quite right in Defence?" Hermione said.
"Oh, don't worry about that now," Harry said. "We'll just do better for our NEWTs." He pushed her playfully.
Neville watched as Harry and Hermione started to play fight before he took a deep breath and opened his own letter. He let out a relieved breath. He had received eight OWLs three of which were Outstanding and four Exceeded Expectations. His grandmother would be proud of him. Harry untangled himself from Hermione and moved over to Neville. "Good job mate," he said.
"Wouldn't have been able to do it without you," Neville said.
Harry shrugged. Neville might be right, but what Harry had really done for him was help him build his confidence. There was nothing wrong with his brain. He was certainly smart enough to get the grades he had received. "I should let Grandmother know," Neville said.
"How about you two go write to your parental units about how well you did and then we have some lunch," Harry said.
"Sounds good," Hermione said.
Harry headed into the kitchen with Fred and George's letters. He was curious but he wasn't about to open someone else's mail.
"Heya, Harry," Fred said as he walked into the kitchen with George right behind him. They sat down by the table and Harry pushed the envelopes over slowly. Fred grabbed his envelope and ripped it open. He looked his grades over and handed them to Harry. "For not taking most of those classes I think we did alright," he said.
Harry chuckled. Six NEWTs wasn't bad. George handed his grades over too. And it was the same for him. They hadn't taken the same classes but their grades were basically the same. With several Outstanding. The teachers had to be shocked they had done this well.
"That's a fair profit wouldn't you say gentlemen," Harry said.
"You don't have to…"
"It was part of our contract. It isn't like I mind. You should have seen my latest paycheck," Harry said. He showed the grades to Hermione as she walked in. She smiled as she saw the results. She might find the twins annoying at times, but at least they had taken this seriously. All it had taken was Harry.
"Good thing we are already planning on celebrating," Fred said. "Because this is certainly cause for celebration."
"You should let your dear old mom know that you aren't complete failures," Harry said. "It might calm her overbearing heart somewhat."
"Will do," Fred said.
George chuckled and leaned back. He knew he would have to write that letter. Fred wasn't overly interested in speaking to their mother if he could help it. He reached out and grabbed a plate filled with food. At least he could feel proud of himself and Bill would be proud too. Between Fred, Bill and Harry, he had the people that mattered to him. He looked down at the food. He would probably never say it out loud, but Harry's cooking was better than his mother's. He used less butter.
Neville and Hermione returned and they ate lunch.
"So are we ready to get started?" Fred asked.
"Guests will start arriving in two hours," Harry said.
"You said you had ideas for our outfits," George said.
Harry nodded. He held his hands out and summoned two shapes. "For you and Fred," he said.
"That looks awesome," Fred said. "I want to be the red one."
George chuckled. "I can be blue," he said.
"I'll start with you two then," Harry said. "We can all change into the clothes that I have picked for this just so the illusions will be easier to hold. Come on." He led them to the living room that connected the family bedrooms and handed them clothes before ushering them into a bedroom each. A few minutes later they came back out dressed in similar tight tank tops and track pants.
"These clothes are pretty revealing," Neville said.
"You could be shirtless Neville since your costume doesn't wear a shirt," Harry pointed out.
"You know what, I'm happy knowing that I'm wearing something even if others won't be able to see it," Neville said.
Fred walked up to Harry. "Do your worst," he said.
Harry reached out and placed his hands on Fred's shoulders. He started working his magic slowly. Fred's features changed and fire danced along his face.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Fred," George exclaimed, causing Hermione to giggle and Neville to blush uncomfortably.
"Oh, shut it, George," Fred said as Harry ran his hands down his sides and knelt in front of him.
"Neville is right," Hermione said. "Maybe these clothes are a bit too revealing."
"I got them for comfort and practicality, not modesty," Harry said as he stood back up.
Fred didn't look human anymore. All he needed was a way to float and he'd be all done.
"That looks amazing," Hermione said.
"My turn," George said. He walked into the middle of the room.
Harry placed his hands on either side of George's face. His magic spread out so the illusion could take hold.
"That was intense," George said. He could understand Fred's reaction better now. Harry's magic was very comforting and gentle. If he was so inclined, he might have reacted similarly. "Your turn," he told Hermione as he walked away from Harry.
Hermione rolled her eyes and joined Harry in the centre of the room. "Are you doing alright?" she asked.
"I'm fine," Harry said. "I've been using a lot of their magic to help me. Just don't get alarmed if it feels like I'm tugging a bit."
Hermione nodded. She felt his warm hands against her face. The magic washing over her felt like a comforting blanket. She leaned into his touch. His hands travelled down her sides. At some point, her eyes had fallen closed. When she opened them again and looked in the mirror they widened.
She looked both beautiful and frightening. She looked almost naked but she didn't feel self-conscious about it since she knew that wasn't the case. She walked up to the mirror. She could still see her own features in the alien face looking back at her, but it felt a little eerie.
Neville walked up to Harry next. Most of his costume could have been made in real life since it was mostly clothes, but he had figured it would be easier to just use illusions. He wasn't sure he felt that way anymore. He wasn't going to back out now though. It wasn't like Harry had groped the others. As a matter of fact, Harry hadn't really shown any reaction no matter what reaction the person he was applying the illusion to had.
Neville was nervous at first, but he soon relaxed. It actually felt kind of nice to be surrounded by Harry's magic.
"Is it supposed to look like that?" Hermione asked.
Neville looked over to the mirror. He had a nasty wound right over his heart and he looked kind of grimy. Maybe using the illusion hadn't been such a bad idea after all. It certainly made him look more believable. Armour appeared on his body and Harry created a horned headpiece for him. He certainly looked intimidating. "Can we make it so I can take the headgear off?" he asked.
Harry nodded. He was a little preoccupied with getting the briar heart just right, but he would get right on it. He could see why Neville might want to be able to remove the horns. "Give me two seconds and I'll find something to bind that illusion to," he said before heading into his room. He came back with a hat and placed it on Neville's head before binding the illusion in. "There. Now you should be able to take that off," he said.
Neville grabbed the headpiece and pulled it off as he walked up to the mirror. He looked terrifying. The wound over his heart looked like it hadn't quite healed. The strange plant that Harry had illusioned there felt like a real plant when he touched it. The whole illusion both looked and felt real. It was a little creepy.
"Now," Fred said. "What will you look like Harry?"
Harry chuckled and held his hands out palms up. He was draped in a long black cloak that tore to look old. Underneath the cloak, it looked like he wore dulled armour with an intricate design. His eyes sunk into his head. His skin greyed and his eyes turned fully black. His limbs looked skeletal. His hair lengthened a bit. He was floating a foot or so off the ground much like Fred, George and Hermione were supposed to do as well. He just needed to make that happen. He summoned the last piece of his outfit. It was Morokei's mask.
"What are you?" Fred asked.
"Zu'u Dovah-Sonaak… I am a Dragon Priest," Harry said eerily. He summoned three thin bracelets and handed them out to the ones that should be floating then he looked at the time. "People will start arriving in about twenty minutes," he said.
"We'll welcome them," "and send them to the backyard," Fred and George said.
"We'll sit down out back. We're looking to split the guests into five groups so we should encourage that, but we want mixed groups," Harry said.
"Then the games begin," Hermione said.
It was a little tricky to float, but they had twenty minutes to practice.
…
Harry smiled as their first few guests arrived from the house. He had set up five beacons, a blue one for George. An orange one for Fred. White for Hermione. Red for Neville and purple for him.
"Please pick a colour," he said. "And welcome."
"That looks friggin scary," Ron said as he walked up to Harry. "And Neville looks like he collects heads. What is he?"
"Forsworn Briarheart," Harry said. "We're a bunch of creatures that my cousin Kato told me about. They either don't exist anymore or they are really rare so almost no one has seen one of them."
"Kato huh? Is this his house too?" Ron asked.
"It is, yes," Harry said. "He gave me a couple of rules but he doesn't mind me having this party here."
"He sounds like a cool dude," Ron said. He looked down at himself. "I feel kind of underdressed," he said.
"Don't worry. Cousin Kato helped with our costumes. You'll fit in fine when everyone else shows up."
"Charlie helped me. I figured that a ghoul would be pretty neat," Ron said.
"I think you look cool," Harry said. He wasn't lying either. Charlie had done a good job.
Ron smiled.
Slowly people showed up and they spread out and talked to each other. Oliver Wood dressed as a naga joined them after a bit. Alicia showed up not long after that in a beautiful mermaid outfit.
Harry looked around and ticked people off against the guestlist as he recognised his and Neville's friends.
Blaise Zabini walked up to Harry. His eyes were glowing red and he was spotting long sharp teeth. He looked rather intimidating. "I believe I'll join you," he said.
"As you wish, Master Vampire," Harry said. "How has your summer been so far?"
"Quite good," Blaise said. "Mother and I went to Italy to visit some of my cousins. We have a beautiful beach house. You should come to visit sometime."
"Maybe I will," Harry said.
"Wait," Ron butted in. "You invited Slytherins?"
"We invited everyone in our year," Harry said. "And some older students. Neville knows some that he has spent time in the greenhouses with and Cedric is here somewhere."
"But they are snakes," Ron said.
Harry sighed. "Do you still want to be an Auror?" he asked. "You cannot put people in boxes. Are you not going to help people based on what Hogwarts house they were sorted into when they were eleven."
Ron opened and closed his mouth. What he wanted to say wouldn't be appreciated and he knew it. Maybe for now he could keep his mouth shut. It was a party after all.
Fred and George floated out back once everyone had arrived. They waved over to Harry and joined their colours.
Neville stood up. "Welcome everyone to my sixteenth birthday celebration," he said.
"Happy Birthday!" everyone called back.
"We have a bunch of games planned for tonight and a grand feast. But first, you have noticed the lights. We need you to split up into teams. The lights will go out once enough people have joined them. Please spread out," Neville said.
"We're warming tonight up with some charades," Harry said. "We have a timer and each team is just trying to guess as many words as possible. Incorrect guesses will however dock you points so think before you speak. The one doing the charade isn't allowed to talk."
"With that," Neville said. "Let's get started."
Giant glowing numbers appeared in the middle of the field. The team captains would start mimicking words just to get the idea out there. A scoreboard with coloured numbers had appeared and soon enough points started tickling in.
A big bell chimed and everyone turned to the centre. A mixture of cheers and groans could be heard as people saw their team's score.
"Don't worry about the score guys," Neville said. "There are many more games to play."
"Next is giant twister," Harry said as he removed his bracelet and stopped floating. "Our teams will receive points in intervals. The longer you last the more points you make. We go until the last person standing."
"Please stand on two spots of light," Fred called out.
"We will begin in, three, two, one," George counted down.
"Left leg on green," a voice called out and everyone moved.
Ron groaned as he collapsed. He had at least made it to the first point bracket and won a few points for their team. He moved off the board. Some people were really good at this. His eyes landed on Lavender. She was really pretty and her outfit was quite revealing. Ron certainly didn't mind.
"Checking the girls out?" Fred asked as he floated up to his little brother.
"That's none of your business," Ron said defensively.
Fred snorted. "I'm part of security little brother. A lot of things are my business right now," he said.
Ron rolled his eyes and looked back at the people still playing. "Harry is really good at this," he commented.
"He usually wins," Fred said. "Though I don't think he has ever played Lavender and Hannah before. They are pretty darn good too."
The playing field had shrunk as the number of participants had lessened.
"Not a word Potter," Lavender said as she moved so she was straddling him.
"Left leg on red. Right hand on yellow," the voice called out.
Hannah collapsed as she tried to move. Lavender moved off Harry, and Harry moved into place. They got less and less space to move and less and less time to do it in until they collapsed in a pile on the grass. Lavender laughed as she sat up. She was sitting on top of Harry. "That was fun," she said.
"A great challenge," Harry said. "My Twister Queen." He got off the ground and set Lavender down on her feet in a single move before reactivating his floating ability
"Next game," George called out.
"Time for Blind man's bluff," Fred said.
"If you can't see then you are it. You get points for tagging people from the other teams. You lose points if you tag your own team and you will gain points the longer you stay free," Hermione said.
"But watch out, it spreads, and stay within the perimeter or you will start losing points," Neville said.
The countdown started and then they were off.
Hermione bobbed and weaved. Neville was it and if she wasn't wrong so was Harry. She moved past Fred and brushed the barrier. A hand grabbed at her and her vision went black. The only thing she could see now was the barrier. She wasn't sure how Harry was doing this, but it was pretty cool. She had moved away from the rest of her team in case she was tagged. Now she should be okay to tag anyone around her.
People laughed as they got away. But no one disliked being tagged either. The game went on until only Dean could see. The white team received extra points and everyone was handed their eyesight back.
"And now it is time to feast!" Harry called out and the tables were filled with food. "If you have a dietary need, that food is on the smaller table to the right. We made everything lactose free so you don't need to worry about that at all."
"Everyone, please dig in," Neville said.
Harry mingled as they ate. All of the food was hand-held. They wanted to make sure that they didn't need to sit down by a table to eat.
"This is cool," Cedric said as Harry walked up to him. "I don't think I can stay the full time though. Work you know."
"That's fine," Harry said. "Enjoy yourself and let one of us know when you leave so we know in case something happens."
"Sure will do," Cedric said.
Hermione left the food table with a bowl. She joined a group of guests. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. That was good.
"I wonder what the next game is," Seamus said.
"With this crowd it could be anything," Ernie said. "I just hope it's nothing childish."
"Oh, shut it Ernie," Padma said. "As long as everyone is having fun, what does it matter? We're all participating after all."
Justin nodded. "I'm with Padma," he said. "As long as we're all childish together it doesn't matter."
"What is going to happen next, Hermione?" Lisa asked.
"That is for me to know and for you to find out," Hermione said. "Literally," she held out several pieces of parchment, "the hunt begins."
"Is this a team thing?" Ernie asked.
"No it isn't," Hermione said. "Everyone for themselves and you get to keep the treasure." She chuckled as everyone grabbed a slip and scurried off. There were several treasures to be found and quite a few clues to gather. Most of the house was available in the search and a good bit of the grounds. They had set the hunt up as a good in-between thing. She doubted anyone would find a treasure before the next game.
…
"Gather back!" Fred called out.
"Put your search to the side, there will be plenty of time later for that!" George said.
"Gather around in your teams because it is time for spellbound Jenga," Harry called out. "One member from each team will go up at a time to pull a Jenga piece out of the castle. If the castle collapses, your team lose the game. But watch out, some pieces hold a spell."
"Let's get started!" Neville shouted. A barrier fell and a replica of Hogwarts built out of Jenga pieces appeared in the middle of the field.
"Send out your first participant," Hermione said. "Please take a stick. We don't want you to step into the castle in case it falls."
Lavender walked up to the castle. She had played Jenga before, but it was usually a tower, not a whole castle. She reached out and tapped at pieces until she found a good one. She placed the stick against it and pushed. The piece came out and a puff of glitter hit her. Lavender laughed and headed back to her team to hand the stick over to the next person.
Piece after piece was taken out of the castle.
"Let's hurry the pace up," Harry called out once the first round was up. "You better pick a piece within fifteen seconds or face the consequences."
Lavender headed down again and worked through pieces quickly. The countdown started and she placed the stick against a piece and pushed it out. She was hit with a cloud of yellow smoke that followed her as she headed back to the others. "This better go away," she told Hermione.
"Once the game is over," Hermione reassured her.
Lavender nodded and watched as Padma headed down and got them another piece.
Two rounds later the rules changed again.
"The whole team is going in now," Harry said. If it falls we lose. It's as simple as that. It is one team at a time starting with White."
Hermione led her team down and they spread out. They had a minute to position everyone and get their pieces out. She grabbed a piece by the entrance and looked around. Lavender signalled that they were done on her side and Ernie signalled that the people on his side were done too.
"Three. Two. One," Hermione counted down and they got their pieces in a cloud of glitter and rainbow smoke.
Then it was Fred's team.
They cleared it but the castle shook threateningly.
Neville went in with his team and coloured smoke exploded out but the castle stood steady.
"Our turn then," Harry said. He walked down ahead of the rest of his team.
Ron's hands were shaking as he touched the Jenga pieces. He found a good one and placed his stick on it. He heard Harry's countdown and he pushed his piece out.
The castle swayed.
It collapsed with an ear-deafening crash pushing everyone back.
They had lost.
Ron sighed and got up as the Jenga was cleared away.
At least everyone else seemed happy.
"That was intense," Oliver said. He was smiling brightly.
"But we lost," Ron said.
"This is a party. It isn't about winning or losing. You're supposed to have fun," Oliver said as he slapped Ron on the shoulder.
Ron nodded slowly. He really needed to relax or something. Music started playing and dancing lights appeared.
Harry, Fred and George walked out to where the castle had stood only moments earlier and started dancing.
Lavender whistled and Padma whooped to encourage them. Others headed out and started dancing while some picked up the treasure hunt.
…
Blaise walked into the house around midnight. People were still dancing out back, but Harry had left at some point and Blaise wanted to find him. A whole pile of people lay snoozing in the upstairs living room. Harry lay in the middle of that crowd with George next to him if Blaise wasn't mistaken. At least he thought George was the blue one.
"Want to join us?" Harry said calmly as a dark eye opened to look at Blaise.
"Are you taking a nap?" Blaise asked. "I thought the party was supposed to be twenty-four hours."
"It will be but that doesn't mean we can't take a nap," Harry said. "We'll just switch off during the night."
Blaise considered the invitation for a moment before deciding that he probably wouldn't be able to get Harry alone during the party so this was as good as he was going to get. He stepped over Tracy and laid down next to Harry. A nap didn't sound too bad.
31st of July, 1996.
Theo looked down at his clues. He was sure he was close. He turned down a corridor and opened the door to the library. He was looking for a book with strange markings on it. He found more of them than he would have guessed. This Kato guy had to be pretty into old forgotten things. He looked down at the clue again and held it up against the back of one of the books on the shelf. He was worried this was going to take forever before his eyes fell on a book much larger than the others. He pulled it out and a key clattered as it hit the floor.
Theo put the book back and grabbed the key. Suddenly he was standing in a room filled with boxes. "Pick your treasure," Theo read from a sign. He looked around. Did all of these hold treasure or were some empty? He studied the key. It was older and made out of bronze. The design was unusual. He looked around for something that matched. Two chests seemed to fit. One was rather large and the other fit in the palm of his hand. A lot of people would go for the bigger chest, but Theo was more intrigued by what could hide within the small one. He opened the chest. Just as suddenly as he had left the library he was back. He still had the chest in his hand. He pushed the lid open. Inside the chest sat a beautiful metal spider.
"So you got the spider," Harry said.
Theo turned towards the door. "Is that a problem?" he asked defensively.
"Of course not," Harry said. "But I figured I could teach you how they work." He held his skeletal hand out and a spider scurried out and stood on his palm.
"All you need to do is add a drop of blood to the top crystal. Then the spider will protect you from spells thrown at you. It will even sacrifice itself in case someone throws a killing curse at you," Harry said.
"That is quite advanced magic," Theo said.
"Cousin Kato makes them," Harry said.
"Your cousin does a lot of different things," Theo said.
"That he does," Harry confirmed. He drew a knife and offered it to Theo.
"So adding my blood to the crystal will bind it to me?" Theo asked.
"Yes, it will," Harry said. "And you activate it by pressing the top. Deactivating it is done by holding out both your palms and waiting for it to walk out on one of them then you can press the top again." He showed how to do it with his own spider.
Theo handed the knife back and activated the spider. It climbed up his arm and settled on his shoulder. "I have a feeling I got the grand prize," he said with a small smile on his face. Then he glared at Harry. "Don't think this makes us friends Potter," he said. "It wouldn't be preferable for either of us."
"Maybe someday you can explain that to me," Harry said as he turned to leave the library.
"Yeah, maybe someday," he heard Theo mumble. The tone of Theo's voice was alarming. Harry knew that Theo's father was a Death Eater, a follower of the Dark Lord, but maybe there was more going on behind closed doors. Either way that was none of his business unless Theo wanted help.
…
Breakfast was a rowdy affair. The people who had stayed up all night were either hyped up or slowly falling asleep one by one.
At some point, someone threw a handful of yoghurt across the table and the food war was quickly underway. It turned from throwing food to firing water at each other as the sun warmed them up.
Harry managed to guide the party down to the beach eventually so the poor elves could clean up. He dropped his illusions and did the same for the others before they jumped in the water. Some of the guests took their costumes off carefully while others just jumped in the water.
Harry floated along serenely. The sun was shrouded in clouds. All around him, people were having fun. They had several floating balls and a myriad of other games for people to play. Or they could just do what he was doing and relax.
Suddenly, Harry was pushed down under the water. He applied a water-breathing spell and looked around. Long brown hair floated in front of him. He grabbed onto the person that he assumed was Hermione. He turned them over and swam down while applying a water-breathing spell to her as well. He swam them down deeper and deeper. Once it got dark Harry summoned a ball of light to accompany him. His eyes widened as a small underwater village came into view. They moved into the village. It looked like it had been abandoned for quite some time.
They moved around the village for a bit, checking it out. Harry met Hermione's gaze and pointed up. He headed up to the surface and pulled himself up so he was sitting on the surface of the lake. He helped Hermione up as she reached him.
"I really hope that was abandoned before my wards went up," Harry said.
"You'll look into it right?" Hermione asked.
"I'll send a note to Dumac and have him check on it," Harry said. "I'm pretty sure they would have told me if an intelligent lifeform lived within my ward perimeter, but I will extra check."
Hermione smiled at him. She looked back towards the shore. "I think it might be time for lunch and then we should round this party up," she said.
"Let's swim back then," Harry said.