𝕸𝖔𝖓𝖔𝖈𝖍𝖗𝖔𝖒𝖊

Act I - The Trials of Summer

Chapter 32 - The Birthday Party Part 3

The sudden intrusion from Ron cut through his thoughts like one of the new knives Kreacher had gotten for the kitchen.

Harry met his oldest friend's eyes, idly noticing that the lanky redhead had gained several inches, again, he might add, crossing six feet. Most of the freckles on his face had vanished, replaced by a slight sharpening of the features, which only accentuated the scowl on his face. Harry had been looking forward to having some choice words with his two best friends for quite some time now, but none of them could be spoken in pleasant company.

"Ron, Hermione," he said, somewhat surprised by the lack of affability in his voice, "Welcome to Grimmauld Place."

"What's that slytherin doing here?" Ron repeated, proving his tunnel vision when Slytherin House was concerned. To be fair, he shared a little of that until recently. Ron turned towards Draco, whose eyes seemed to have gained a glint, no doubt enjoying the brief commotion that Ron was inadvertently about to cause. Anything that spoke poorly about him probably made for a good day in Draco's book.

"She—They're my guests. And believe it or not, my extended family."

"Extended?" Hermione asked, curious. "Harry, you don't have any magical relatives alive—" she paused at the obvious faux pas. "Sorry, you know what I mean. I checked."

Harry exhaled. "Well, you're not wrong. There are no other Potters alive. But turns out, my grandmother Euphemia Potter, was a Greengrass." He extended his hand towards Daphne. "Her grandmother's sister."

"Second cousins," Ron instantly worked out. He always was good at figuring out familial relationships. His frown dissolved… somewhat. "Still, Slytherins?"

Harry cringed, knowing this was going to turn out terrible. He really needed to shut Ron up. Drawing a deep breath, he grabbed Ron by the shoulder. "Come, let's go meet your parents."

"But—"

Harry didn't allow him to continue, sending an apologetic smile at Daphne, who nodded understandably, and walked away with Ron and Hermione to where Mr. and Mrs. Weasley was looking at him with a mix of appraisal and unless he was terribly wrong, shame.

"Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley," he greeted, "welcome to Grimmauld Place. How're—" he paused, realising that this time, he was the one making a faux pas. No wonder the Weasley parents were torn at the idea of Percy being the one responsible for all the madness. "I'm sorry. I thought about how things ended between us the last time, and I wanted to apologise—"

"Please, Harry," said Arthur Weasley, "We should be the one apologising. Merlin, I never understood where we went wrong. Percy…"

Remembering that guests surrounded them, Harry ushered them to a corner, whipped his wand and quickly cast Muffliato, another nifty spell he had learnt from Snape's book. It filled the ears of any person in the vicinity with an unidentifiable buzzing sound, preventing conversation from being overheard. He saw Hermione's eyes widen at the spell. She was probably wondering where he had found it. No doubt she would harangue him over it later.

"Please don't mind, Harry," said George from behind her. "Percy's been a sore topic for this entire summer. He and Dad had a row earlier in the summer, after the Triwizard ended. You know how he was in a really terrible place with Barty Crouch's death, and then the Minister suddenly hired him as a secretary. He expected Dad to be impressed."

"I wasn't," Arthur admitted. "I told him the Minister was using him to spy on us, on you."

"Bet he loved that!" Harry muttered, remembering his pompous attitude during the interrogation.

Ron barked out a hollow laugh. "He went completely berserk. Said loads of stuff. He said he's been having to struggle against Dad's lousy reputation ever since he joined the Ministry and that Dad's got no ambition and that's why we've always been — you know — 'not had a lot of money, I mean —"

'What?' said Harry in disbelief, as Ginny made a noise like an angry cat.

'I know,' said Ron in a low voice. 'And it got worse. He said Dad was an idiot to run around with Dumbledore, that Dumbledore was heading for big trouble and Dad was going to go down with him, and that he — Percy — knew where his loyalty lay and it was with the Ministry. And if Mum and Dad were going to become traitors to the Ministry, he was going to make sure everyone knew he didn't belong to our family anymore. And he packed his bags the same night and left."

Molly broke down.

"Mum went to his flat to try to talk to him, but that git slammed the door to her face," Ginny growled. "The next thing we know, he's arrested!"

"And Mum still won't stop crying!" George finished.

"I'm telling you all," Molly whimpered, "there's something wrong. Someone's framed Percy. Someone's framed Percy!" She grabbed Harry's shirt. "Harry! You believe me, right? Someone must have done something! Percy was working for Barty when the deaths happened. He wasn't even involved! You believe me, someone's done something! My son's no criminal!"

Harry had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had talked to Joshua and Sirius, and knew the truth about the Percy situation. But both of them had asked him to keep it a secret. Until it was time.

"Listen," he said, stressing a bit, "I understand what happened was terribly unfair. I'll ask Sirius and Madam Bones, she's the Head of the DMLE. We'll see what can be done. But this has to stop now, alright? Lots of people here, even the Daily Prophet!"

He held Mrs. Weasley's arm. "Trust me, Mrs. Weasley. If there's anything I can do for Percy, I will. But you'll have to be strong. You giving up like this is not gonna work!"

"You... You trust me?" Molly asked, somewhat mollified by his words.

Harry bit his lip. "I believe Percy's got himself implicated in the mess. I believe he's an arrogant arselicker that loves the idea of being the Minister's secretary too much, and that bit him. But you've got to understand this, Mrs. Weasley. This is the office of the freakin' Minister. You crying about this in public? That's not gonna help."

"Harry, when did you get so…?" Hermione began.

"So?"

"Mature? Diplomatic?"

He shrugged. "Had to. Part of preparing myself for the trial."

Hermione flushed and looked away. "I'm really sorry for that, Harry. Dumbledore—"

Harry grabbed her arm. "You let Dumbledore come between our friendship, Hermione. I understand why you did it, but I don't have to like it." He swerved at Ron. " Same for you. And that means keeping this Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry for school!"

"But she's a—"

"Witch. Just like Hermione and Ginny. And a superb one," Harry shot back. "Her father fought as my freakin' attorney in my trial, and she helped me prepare for it. Unlike my best friends."

Ron looked away.

"Bloody hell, mate!" Fred cajoled, "Look at you, all grown-up!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Now you'll have to excuse me. I'll have to attend to the other guests. Please make yourself comfortable."

Molly grabbed his hand, her tears somewhat receded.

"Mrs. Weasley?"

"We—we brought a gift for you," she sniffed, pulling out a gold watch and tying it around his wrist. "It's traditional, you know, giving a wizard a watch when he comes of age." Mrs. Weasley anxiously looked at his face, "I'm afraid this one isn't new, it was actually my brother Fabian's and he wasn't terribly careful with his possessions. It's dented on the back, but—"

The rest of her speech was lost; Harry had moved forward and hugged her. Between his inner turmoil over Percy's fate and Mrs. Weasley's condition, he wasn't exactly sure what to say to her, but perhaps she understood his feelings, because she patted his cheek clumsily when he released her, and gave him a teary smile.

"Happy birthday, Harry," she said, "I know you've got Sirius and your new relatives, but you're always welcome at our home. You are, and will always be an honorary Weasley!"

"What about Hermione?" He teased, "or is she a full Weasley already?"

Hemione's face went red, and she slapped him playfully. "Prat!"

Ron just snorted.

Harry grinned. Saved by an inch.

About another half an hour later, Harry was standing by the punch bowl, watching everyone talk to everyone else. Sirius's attention was focussed on Rufus Scrimgeour, Augusta Longbottom and Lord Burke. He could see Malfoy trying to chat up a conversation with Astoria, who looked like she was going to explode any moment. He had thought of trying to interfere, but Susan ran interference just in time. Minister Fudge, the pompous arse, actually had the audacity to bring him a bottle of Ogden's Finest, and pretend to be his best friend. Knowing the man, he probably filled the bottle with Gregory's Unctuous Unction, and Harry would not touch it with a nine-foot-long pole.

Albus Dumbledore had cornered him a second time, talking about the Peverell family magic, and most interestingly, if his scar had given him any problems during the summer. Harry admitted he had almost forgotten about it. Upon closer inspection, he had found that the scar had faded away. He had not missed the victorious look flash on the old man's face, who had quickly followed by asking if he was studying the book Snape had given him. Harry had told him that Sirius had promised him an entire month of spell-training, focussing exclusively on the Dark Arts and its defence. Dumbledore had commented on Sirius's history as a formidable Hit-Wizard and advised him to use this opportunity to his fullest. Harry was most surprised when the man had gifted him a Deluminator — his personal invention. It looked like a silver cigarette lighter and could insta-remove light sources from the immediate surroundings. Winking, he had told him that the object had several other uses, but he was going to allow Harry to discover them at his own leisure.

And then the doorbell rang.

Smiling, Harry had headed for the main door, knowing very well the one person who would, and could, come directly through the door. Dressed in robes of midnight blue, with low heels and delicate jewellery, she looked every bit of an aristocratic princess. Her hair had been neatly tied in a bun, with large opals for earrings hanging on either side. She graced him with a smile and held out her hand.

Dutifully, he held it and kissed her knuckles, idly noting the brief shiver when his lips touched her hand. She inhaled sharply, and her skin suddenly went taut, excited. He looked up at her, and the sight of the raw need in her eyes shocked him. It was distinct from her gaze, from the rigidity in her posture, and the slight clenching of her jaw as she stood still and gave him a demure smile.

Contrary to what others thought, Harry was not blind to such body languages. He had been getting such reactions out of Fleur lately. It was a stark contrast to the composed, collected, sceptical young woman he had met at Gringotts. He knew what it meant, but it left him wondering. He had always taken her teasing as just that — teasing. But as time went on, he was thinking there just might be more to it.

But… why?

"Welcome," he said, "to Grimmauld Place."

Fleur laughed. "I'm not late. Am I?"

"No more than is fashionable, I think. Then again, you knew that already. Just like you to steal the show with your arrival. This is like the Yule Ball all over again."

Fleur laughed. "You're wrong there, Monsieur Potter. It doesn't matter when I arrive. The eyes are always on me."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Come in. It's a giant circus inside."

"You invited them."

"Can't argue there."

He took her past the ante-chamber into the main hall, noticing how she maintained her grip on his arm all the time.

"Ah, Fleur," Sirius called out, nodding at her with his glass of firewhiskey, "wonderful timing. We were just about to begin."

Harry handed Fleur a glass of cold coffee, knowing her abstinence from anything with the word 'whiskey' in public, and found her smiling at him in acknowledgement. He then grabbed a glass of punch for himself and stood against one pillar. Everyone had arrived by now, and it was time for the party to formally begin.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," said Sirius, gingerly holding the glass of firewhiskey in one hand as he sauntered his way to the centre of the large hall. Almost all guests moved towards the periphery, allowing room in the centre.

"Thank you, everyone," said Sirius, not having to raise his voice thanks to a soft Sonorous charm, "for coming here this afternoon. This day's celebration is for my godson, my heir, Harry James Potter." There was a round of loud cheering and applause, which he waited out with a wide smile. "My dear godson turned fifteen today, and as everyone knows, came of age, by accepting the mantle of Lord Potter. So before I welcome you to enjoy the food and drink all my booze," several among the audience laughed, "I'd ask my godson, Lord Harry James Potter, to come up and share a few words. But yeah, Harry's not much of a talker, so we need to coax him into giving a speech! Come on, Harry!"

"Sirius! Come on! No!"

"Harry! Harry!" the cheers rang.

"Go!" said Fleur, pushing him from behind.

Harry met Daphne's eyes and found her gesturing for him to move on. Ron, the traitor, literally grabbed his hand and pushed him ahead, and the twins and Nymphadora built on that, amidst the cheers, and he stood in the centre. Sirius, typical of him, had slid away to stand next to Amelia Bones, leaving him all alone in the centre.

"What do I say?" he mouthed to his godfather.

Sirius just touched his own chest, right above the heart.

Harry froze, suddenly unsure about it all. Speak from the heart? When had he ever done that? But the crowd was waiting. Casting a quick sonorous on himself, he continued to smile as the crowd clapped widely. It wasn't very different from the victory celebration after the First Task, so he had something to relate. Merlin knew he was hopeless otherwise.

"Thank you, everyone, but err… I can't really speak without you settling down."

The crowd did so with some chuckles at his comment.

"Wow. I don't know if you can tell, but I've no clue what to say."

"That's the Harry we know!" The twins yelled.

Harry grinned. "My godfather tells me to speak from the heart, and that's… terrifying. I'd honestly face another horntail right now." More chuckles. "So… from the heart. Honestly, this takes me back to my first year. In Hogwarts. There was this… mirror."

Daphne's eyes flashed.

"I still remember looking into it for the first time, and seeing myself standing next to my parents. There were these… shadows next to them, surrounding us, but I never understood what they were. Professor Dumbledore told me, that it shows you your deepest desire, what… what you truly wanted. But I was a dumb kid. I didn't get what those shadows represented. I sat for hours and hours, but never really understood what those shadows meant. Why were they there? I often wondered, but found no answer."

He did not need to look at the Headmaster to feel his blue-eyed gaze on him.

"Then I was kidnapped by Ron and the twins during the summer after that."

"We'd do it again!" Fred yelled.

"Only time, Dad let us have the car!" said George.

Harry grinned. "I don't know how to explain it, but… I had never really been part of a family before. Wizarding or not. So, watching Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Ginny, the twins, even Percy… They were laughing together. It didn't matter how mundane the topic was, they were in it together. It was… surreal. I felt... I felt jealous. Like, insanely. I thought, I thought maybe if I could have just a tiny part of it, just a little, my life would be complete."

He could hear Mrs. Weasley breaking into a sob on Mr. Weasley's shoulder.

Harry looked down. "Suddenly I understood it. Understood what those shadows meant."

He looked up and met Sirius's glistening eyes. "Family."

"Today, I have it. I have a family. My godfather, Sirius. Andi. And while this is the first time we've met, Tonks. People to call my own. A house to come home to."

The whispers among the audience had died completely.

"This summer has changed a lot of things for me. I learned about my heritage, my parents, and what they stood for. I gained a new perspective on life, on society and a new way to look at myself, beyond just being Harry Potter, the so-called Boy-Who-Lived. I could do without those excruciating formal writing sessions though…" People snorted. "And I want to thank the people without whom this would remain a dream. If anyone deserves an applause, it is them. So please, applaud my godfather, Sirius Black, for being the best thing to ever happen to me. For…" His words died in his throat as the urge to cry threatened to overwhelm him, "for being the man that offered to give a home to an orphan that never had one."

The audience exhorted, while Sirius stood there, the glass of whiskey in his hand, and glistening tears in his eyes.

"I have two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. They've been with me through thick and thin. Merlin knows I'd be dead thrice over without them, especially you, Hermione. I'm sure Ron would agree."

Ron barked out a laugh. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"But on this day, I wish to talk about a special someone. A person who I never thought would be a part of my life, and I believe she didn't think that either, but here we are. She's my friend, and the person who has seen me at my lowest this summer, and smacked me with the truth when I had believed in my own bullshitting. Without whom, I'd probably be dead or worse by now."

His eyes shifted towards her.

"Miss Fleur Delacour."

Loud cheering washed over the room. It was a known fact that Fleur had been a major witness at his trial. Not just that, the way she had triumphed over Umbridge's racist comments, and refuted her in a way that shut the vile woman up. It had been instrumental in Joshua leading the trial in a favourable direction. Even the man himself acknowledged that.

Fleur flushed at their approval and nodded.

"The third person I wish to name is the man that, to put things crudely, saved my sorry arse from being carted off to Azkaban."

Sniggers ran among the audience.

"Mr. Joshua Greengrass."

As the claps and cheers ended, Harry continued, "I'm grateful for his efforts, for his tireless patience, I mean, it must've been a nightmare teaching a dumb Gryffindor how to speak to the Wizengamot in a week—"

More sniggering.

"—but he did it. And no, Sirius, you don't get any acknowledgement. You only made fun of me."

His godfather snorted.

"Joshua was the one who extended me a hand, recognizing me as a Greengrass descendant. I admire him for all of that, but if there is something I'd mention, it'd be this. Thank you, Joshua, for showing me just what a parent can do, for the sake of his child."

Whispers ran across the audience at his vague words, but Joshua, who knew very well what he was talking about, nodded in acknowledgement.

"The list wouldn't be complete without including one last person."

Green eyes met blue ones.

"Miss Daphne Greengrass. There are a lot of things I can say about her, but I'll only say this. Thank you for showing me what being strong really means."

The crowd broke into a cacophony of incoherent cheering. Harry met Daphne's eyes with a radiant smile, and was suddenly stumped. That girl, who was always certain of her choices. That girl, who knew him to a level that positively frightened him, was staring at him as if seeing him for the first time. Emotions that had stayed dormant within her for far too long rippled through her. And then, when she couldn't bear it any longer, she shut her eyes.

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