Next nanosecond, a bell rang.
Lily was staring off into space and looked as though she hadn't even heard the bell.
Meanwhile, Fred, George, Colin, Dennis, and Oliver all grinned.
"Harry, " said Fred seriously, "The five of us, that is to say, myself, George, Colin, Dennis, and Oliver did not bring you presents today for a very specific reason."
"We brought lunch, " explained Dennis, "The bubble cannot conjure food, although it can heat, cool, and preserve it."
"And even multiply it, " added Colin.
"Our mom, " said Fred happily, "Did the cooking for the meal part of lunch."
"And our mom made dessert, " said Colin proudly.
"I brought the drinks, " piped up Oliver.
"We decided to go with a big Thanksgiving themed meal, " explained Oliver.
"Our mom, " said George eagerly, "Made turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and corn for Harry's birthday lunch. "
"While our mom, " said Colin excitedly, "Made pumpkin pie and apple pie for dessert."
"Molly Weasley and Tina Creevey are sweet and kind, " piped up Lily, "Taking the time and effort to cook a great lunch for a birthday that isn't even their child's! Wow!"
"And Molly's and Tina's cooking is just so wonderful and delicious, " said Harry gratefully, "Lily is EXACTLY RIGHT. Molly and Tina didn't have to do this. Molly and Tina putting in the time and effort to cook for my birthday party when I'm not even their son? So, Tina makes my cake and our desserts while Molly makes our meal. God bless Molly Weasley and Tina Creevey."
Harry felt tears coming down his cheeks, which the others could see.
Lily, who still seemed to be staring off into space a bit, exclaimed, "There may not be another person on planet earth with a higher gratitude coefficient than Harry Potter. I find how much he appreciates it when people do things for him to be inspirational."
"I brought Budweiser to be our drink, " revealed Oliver.
"You have good taste, Oliver Wood, " said Lily cheerfully,
"Well, bubble?' chroused Fred and George.
Harry, Colin, Dennis, Fred, George, Lee, Oliver, Ernie, Hannah, Susan, Luna, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, Astoria, Daphne, Tracey, Lily, Hermione and Ginny suddenly all had loaded plates and glasses zoom towards them while the bubble conjured a table for them to sit down at.
""Dig in, " called Fred.
So, Harry, Colin, Dennis, Fred, George, Lee, Oliver, Ernie, Hannah, Susan, Luna, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, Astoria, Daphne, Tracey, Lily, Hermione and Ginny started to feast on Molly's excellent turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and corn while happily sipping away on the Budweisers that Oliver had provided.
"Oh man, " said Harry glowingly as he took his first bite of turkey, "This turkey is TOTALLY AWESOME BABY! It LITERALLY tastes like it was specifically made for Thanksgiving. "
"I've always loved mom's turkeys on Thanksgiving, " said Ginny brightly, "This is a real treat for me to get to taste mom's turkey a second time this year, well, first as Thanksgiving hasn't happened yet this year, but you get the point. Mom is a great meat cook, but she usually saves turkey only for Thanksgiving to make it special but man, this is an eleven on a scale of one to ten."
"That Molly would cook like this for my birthday party when I'm not even her son. I'm touched and it's just so tasty. Juicy, flavorful, hot, everything about it is on the nose. It's absolutely splendid, " said Harry glowingly.
""It's the only turkey I've ever had that compares with my mom's, " said Colin respectfully, "I wouldn't say it's better than my mom's, but it's just as good."
"That is the ultimate compliment, " said Dennis, "And it's true."
"The corn is just as good, "said Ernie and Hannah together.
"Hannah and I are big fans of corn, " explained Ernie, "This corn is perfect."
"As a corn girl myself, I agree, " said Luna happily.
"As a mashed potato lover, the same is absolutely true of the mashed potatoes, " said Katie cheerfully.
"The best part of the meal by far is the stuffing, " said Lily in a content voice, "I love me some stuffing. This is the best stuffing I've ever had. Hot, juicy, flavorful, the perfect consistency. God bless Molly Weasley."
Lily obviously really loved the stuffing as her portion of the stuffing was the thing that vanished quickest from anyone's plate and she performed a multiplying spell on the last bit of her stuffing to reset her stuffing portion at full.
"Man, this stuffing is nine hundred octillion to the nine hundred octillionth power better than O in N.E.W.T., " said Lily contently.
Lunch took longer than expected because Harry, Colin, Dennis, Fred, George, Lee, Oliver, Ernie, Hannah, Susan, Luna, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, Astoria, Daphne, Tracey, Lily, Hermione and Ginny all ate somewhat slowly to truly savor it. After the first few minutes of praising Molly's work, the talking mostly ceased as Harry, Colin, Dennis, Fred, George, Lee, Oliver, Ernie, Hannah, Susan, Luna, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, Astoria, Daphne, Tracey, Lily, Hermione and Ginny were truly taken in by the excellent feast.
Most stuck to one large glass of Budweiser to drink, though Harry, Lily, and Luna all drank second glasses.
When the meal was finally over, Colin and Dennis eagerly asked, "Bubble, bring dessert!"
And the plates cleaned themselves and a nanosecond later, everybody had one piece of apple pie and one piece of pumpkin pie in his or her plate.
"Oh, this is the GOAT apple pie for sure, " said Harry as soon as he had taken his first bite, "If there was an Olympics for dessert cooking, Tina Creevey would have herself a gold medal every four years!"
"It's the best pie in the world, " agreed Tracey, 'Though I prefer the pumpkin."
"That's why mom made both, " said Colin briskly, "She knows people tend to have divided tastes between pumpkin pie and apple pie."
"I'd have preferred pudding, " admitted Luna, "But the pie was still good."
"I'd have preferred pudding too, I'm a pudding girl through and through, " said Lily dreamily.
"if we ever have a gathering like this again that involves a meal, " said Harry firmly, "Let's make sure that we provide some pudding for Luna and Lily."
"Thank you, Harry, " chroused Luna and Lily in content voices.
"Instead of a present, " said Lee eagerly, "I've brought you a show."
"Let's see it them. " said Harry excitedly, "I have to imagine anyone whose BFFs are Fred and George has probably learned to do some pretty brilliant things."
"Indeed, " grinned Lee.
Lee took a packet of fireworks out of his left hand pocket and his wand out of his right hand pocket.
Lee prodded the fireworks with his hand, and they soared into the air.
Before anyone had time to see how it had happened, a small section of the sky was dark and the fireworks read out the words: Happy 14th Birthday, Harry Potter! in red, white, and blue lettering.
On the spur of the moment, Colin, Dennis, Fred, George, Lee, Oliver, Ernie, Hannah, Susan, Luna, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, Astoria, Daphne, Tracey, Lily, Hermione and Ginny all burst into sing:
"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Harry Potter. Happy birthday to you."
"Aw, that was beauftul, " choked up Harry, "Having you all sing together was priceless. I'm the luckiest boy in the world to have such a wonderful group of friends. "
Finally, the fireworks all exploded, and the dark piece of sky was home to a fantastic and amazing display of loud and bright red, white, and blue fireworks going off.
"You are brilliant and clever, Lee Jordan, said Lily happily.
The table suddenly vanished.
"This is the bubble, we need to pick up the pace a bit, Katie, Angelina, and Alicia, you three present your presents to Harry."
Katie, Angelina, and Alicia walked up to Harry with Katie carrying a crate, Angelina carrying a set of Quidditch hoops, and Alicia carrying what looked like a gift card.
"We decided to get you a set of Quidditch supplies for your birthday, " Katie told Harry.
"Good choice, Katie, Angelina, and Alicia, " said Oliver approvingly.
Though Oliver had now graduated from Hogwarts and was going to play for Puddlemore United, he still cared profoundly and deeply about Gryffindor Quidditch and felt that Harry being able to practice Quidditch at home would help him become a better player.
"Alicia and Angelina wanted to get you a new broom for your birthday because they thought it would be a really nice birthday surprise, " revealed Katie, "But I talked them out of it. I told them that no new broom could be better than your Firebolt."
"True, " agreed Harry at once, "Also, as my Firebolt was a gift from my own godfather, it has emotional significance to me that would have caused me to keep using it even if I did get a new broom. The Firebolt IS the top of the line model so there's certainly no need for me to get a new broom."
"My thoughts exactly, " said Katie crisply.
"You are wise and thoughtful, Katie Bell, " piped up Lily.
"So, " Harry asked Katie, "Since you are carrying a crate, I'm guessing a quaffle, two bludgers, and a golden snitch?"
"Right you are, Harry, " grinned Katie.
"As you can see, I got you the hoops, " smiled Angelina.
"I got you a ten galleon gift card to Quality Quidditch Supplies, " explained Alicia, "In that way, down the road, you can replace whatever specific Quidditch supply you feel needs replacing."
"Thank you, Katie, Angelina, and Alicia. I look forward to being able to practice at home, " said Harry appreciatively.
"Harry, " Oliver advised, "Don't just practice seeking, practice, keeping, beating, and chasing, both passing and goal scoring, as well. Take it from me, being able to play multiple positions is invaluable."
"Before we go back to our places, " said Katie matter of factly, "Though she isn't here because she went to Neville's party instead, Leanne did get you a gift, albeit a small and temporary one, though I think you'll enjoy it."
Harry placed the Quidditch supplies in his basket of presents and returned to where Katie, Angelina, and Alicia were standing.
Katie dug her hand into her left hand pocket and pulled out a bag of 4th of July themed Skittles and handed it to Harry.
"Leanne thought you might like to try these, so she picked up an extra pack at the 4th of July Fireworks show she attended and saved them for you."
"Leanne is sweet and kind, " smiled Lily.
Harry looked at the flavors guide and saw the pack contained two red flavors, a strawberry and a slighter darker raspberry, a light blue wild berry, a dark blue blackberry, and a white yumberry.
"So, the 4th of July Skittles are basically a berry pack, " observed Harry, "The flavors sound pretty good."
Harry took some time to enjoy the 4th of July Skittles and said cheerfully, "That was a really good pack. All the flavors were outstanding. Raspberry was my favorite."
"Leanne will be happy to hear you liked them, " smiled Katie, "Though her favorite is the white yumberry."
"Be sure to tell Leanne I said thank you to her for this awesome 4th of July Skittles pack, " Harry asked Katie.
"I will, " promised Katie.
"Susan, your turn!" cried out the bubble suddenly and Susan sprinted up to Harry as though she was running a track meet with a somewhat but not entirely small wrapped present with bright yellow wrapping paper with images of multicolored ribbons and confetti on it.
Harry eagerly tore the wrapping paper off the present to find a spiffy looking hot pink camera.
"I know witches and wizards can watch memories with pensives and such, but sometimes it's nice to actually have pictures of things. This will be a bigger deal to some people than others, especially amongst witches and wizards, but by getting you a camera, I'm giving the option to take pictures of things if you choose to do so., " explained Susan in a businesslike voice.
"You are sweet and kind, Susan Bones, " said Lily in a dreamy voice.
"Thank you, Susan, said Harry gratefully, "I plan on using it at the Quidditch World Cup!"
"That's exactly the type of thing I was thinking of, " said Susan in a satisfied voice, "The pictures you take at an event like that are great for collecting and storing memories."
"Susan, " said Angelina rudely, "You are a forgetful bitch! Hot pink? You couldn't even remember that Harry is a boy?!"
Before anyone else could respond, Harry practically galloped up to Angelina and punched her in the face.
"That's what you get for insulting my friend, " said Harry fiercely, "No one had better EVER insult one of my friends EVER again. Susan gives me a very thoughtful gift and you call her a derogatory name because of what color it is? That was a very nasty and cold hearted thing of you to say about Susan. It's a very nice camera, and yes, a very nice looking camera too. Besides, it's the thought that counts."
"But, " said Angelina uncertainly, "Isn't hot pink a girls color?"
"There are no boys or girls, only people, " said Harry fiercely, "The only difference between a boy and a girl is the pronouns used to refer to them!"
"Exactly!" agreed Lily and Luna together.
Now coming to her senses, Angelina walked up to Susan and said, "Susan, I was in the wrong to say what I said about you and I apologize for it. I was just surprised."
"I accept your apology, Angelina, " said Susan forgivingly, "I just picked what I thought was the best camera in the shop at the time. Color was never a consideration."
"Let's move on, " said Harry wisely, placing the camera in his basket of presents.
"Luna Lovegood's turn!" exclaimed the bubble.
The bubble shot what looked like a large stack of painted portraits into Luna's hands as she made her way up to Harry.
"Hello, Harry Potter, " said Luna in a dreamy voice, "Unfortunately, I lost my mom when I was nine, but, when she was alive, she taught me how to paint. My mom and I shared a strong bond over our common love of painting. I feel like one of the best ways for me to honor her is to continue to use what she taught me and continue to paint. I painted some portatifs for you."
Luna handed the portraits to Harry, who flipped through them to find a portrait of just himself, portraits of himself with Hermione, himself with Ginny, and himself with Hermione and Ginny, as well as a portrait of the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team and one of Harry with his meal buddies.
Harry was overcome with emotion.
"L-Luna, " choked up Harry, "Y-You did this for m-me? I can't even begin to te-tell you how much this means to m-me."
:"You can hang these portraits up in your dorm room at Hogwarts, " suggested Luna, "And in your bedroom at home."
That's exactly what's happening to them, " promised Harry, "Oh, Luna, you put all that time and effort into doing this for ME?"
"I know your friends are the most important thing to you, Harry Potter, " said Luna gently, "I wanted to make a gift for you that reflected that."
"You are sweet, kind, and thoughtful, Luna Lovegood, " said Lily gently.
"Luna, " said Harry genuinely, "These portraits are so beautiful and perfect. The detail. The accuracy. The warmth. I can't tell you how much these portraits mean to me. There's just no proper way to express it."
Harry looked slowly and fondly at Luna's portraits for several minutes and several nanoseconds before finally putting them into his basket of presents.
"Now, it's time for the big moment, " called out the bubble, "Lily and Luna have an announcement."
Lily and Luna stepped forward.
"Harry Potter, we are ending your birthday party here, " explained Luna, "And Hermione and Ginny will go to Godric's Hollow with you as you go home."
"We know Hermione and Ginny are your BFFs, " explained Lily, "And we thought it might be more meaningful if you could receive your gifts from Hermione and Ginny in only their and your godfather's company as opposed to amongst a mass gathering."
"We all know what the gifts are, " said Luna calmly, "We all discussed our gifts to you beforehand, so we knew what you're getting."
"And Hermione and Ginny will stay at your place for dinner and dessert tonight, " Lily told Harry happily, "So you can receive you gifts from Hermione and Ginny in only their and your godfather's company AND get to spend some quality birthday time with your two besties afterward."
"I have to admit that will be nice, " said Harry honestly, "Getting to receive Hermione's and Ginny's gifts in more private company with them and getting to spend some quality time with them on my birthday is a big plus."
"Thank Lily and Luna for that, " Hermione told Harry clearly.
"Yes, that was Lily's and Luna's idea, " confirmed Ginny.
"Thank you, Lily and Luna-" began Harry.
At that, the bubble reclothed everybody and then burst. Next thing Harry, Hermione, and Ginny knew, Sirius had taken them back to Godric's Hollow by Side Along Apparition.