Harry woke up on his birthday and sat in his bed, contemplating the last two months. Snape had revealed Remus's condition to the school. Harry speculated he did it as a reaction to his disappointment in Harry not getting kissed. Ben had agreed with Hermione that was a horrible thing to say, but didn't dismiss the possibility. Ben stayed with Sirius this summer as Ben calculated how expensive it would be for him to stay with his mother and decided it'd be too expensive for him to stay longer than a week. He had spent the first week of summer break in America with his mother before returning to Grimmauld Place. Sirius had recently gotten some tickets for the Quidditch World Cup, enough for the four residents of Grimmauld Place. He had been about to purchase some tickets for the Weasleys as well, but Mr. Weasley told him he managed to get some tickets from Ludo Bagman.
Harry spent many days going to the Burrow. He would play Quidditch and talk with the Weasleys. Ben would come with a few times, but spent more time at the Greengrass's or Lovegood's house, much to Sirius's enjoyment. Ben diverted Sirius's attention to Harry as he had been talking to Ginny more over this summer. Harry had denied it at the time, but as he thought about, even now, he felt his face heat up in embarrassment. He won't deny that Ginny is attractive, but he doesn't feel ready to be in a relationship yet. Ben had been the one to talk to Harry about dating. Ben had, rather bluntly if delicately, admitted that he hadn't thought he'd been ready to date last year, even though most people tended to start dating around their age. He wanted to be a bit more mature before he started dating, as he had felt disconnected from his own body last year.
Harry was pulled from his thoughts by a knock on his bedroom door. Harry walked to the door and opened it to find Ben on the other side. "Happy Birthday, Harry," Ben whispered quietly. "I hope you enjoy the day."
"Considering Sirius is taking us to the movies later today, I think it'll be good."
Ben nodded. "It'll be an experience, since the Weasleys' will be with us."
Harry snorted, already imagining the Weasleys' reaction. Mr. Weasley's fascination, Fred and George's jokes, Ron's confusion, and Ginny's wonder. Each would be amusing in its own way, but all together, well…
"This'll be hilarious, if only for their reactions," Harry said.
"The movie should be good, too," Ben said. "Mum told me that my sisters nearly fell out of their seats in the theater."
Harry nodded in response. The pair headed to the dining room. Kreature put breakfast on the table, and the pair thanked him. They ate in silence, waiting for Sirius and Remus to wake up.
-Break-
Harry, Ben, Sirius, and Remus flooed over to the Burrow a couple hours before the movie to spend some time with the Weasleys. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were the only ones in the house.
"Happy Birthday, Harry," Mr. Weasley said, spotting the quartet first.
"Thank you, Mr. Weasley," Harry replied.
Mrs. Weasley came over and hugged him, "Happy Birthday, Harry."
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, slightly breathlessly.
"The boys and Ginny out back?" Ben asked, smiling at the scene.
"Yes, head on out."
Harry and Ben went out to the paddock to watch the boys play Quidditch. Ginny was already watching them when the pair walked over. Harry and Ben waved at the Weasleys before sitting on either side of Ginny. Ginny blushed prettily at Harry as he sat beside her.
The trio on the ground chatted as they watched the twins take turns trying to get the ball past Ron. After a bit, Mrs. Weasley called them in for lunch. Lunch was a raucous affair, as the twins were exchanging stories with Sirius and Remus. Percy was talking with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley about his work. Ben, seated to Harry's side, was talking to Ginny.
Ron, who was sitting on Harry's other side, asked, "We're picking up before we get to the theater, right?"
Harry nodded. Ron, satisfied, refocused on his plate. After everyone was finished, the group going to the movie gathered itself and left the Burrow.
"Alright we're off," Ben stated, pointing in a random direction, "to watch Robin Hood: Men in Tights."
AN: Well, this took longer than I thought. Work picked up and I had a bit of writer's block, so I'm not the happiest with this chapter. I'll hopefully have another chapter out within a month.
Uploaded Mar. 13th, 2022, Edited Jan 10th, 2025