Harry made his bed and patted down the sheets for the last time. He swung his backpack on before picking up Miss trifle, carrying her to the front of the cabin. He smiled as he looked back at the bedroom he had shared with his friends for the last few weeks, and with a sad smile, he knew he was going to miss it.
Camp had been a magical experience. Between campfire stories where Minny made the fire come to life in all forms and shapes during the tale and the many adventures he and his friends had had, Harry wouldn't trade these memories for anything. He hoped that when he came back, the same group of friends would return as well, though he wouldn't mind some new friends added in.
"Come on, Harry," Draco called from outside the cabin. "You're going to make us late."
"Coming!" Harry called back. He adjusted the giant rabbit in his arms before stepping out of the cabin for the last time. He smiled at the group waiting for him outside the cabin, all the other boys and girls who spent the last few weeks at camp sharing in the great experiences. "Sorry. I didn't really want to leave so soon. I think I'll miss it here."
"Me, too," Ollie said. "But we can come back next year!"
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "But it may not be the same group."
"Probably not," Carwyn agreed, "I'll definitely be in the year up group next time I'm here. But I'm sure we'll see each other around again."
"And even if we never see each other here again," Kat added, "maybe we'll see each other in school. My parents are definitely sending me to Hogwarts."
"Ten points to Ravenclaw," Professor said from where he was perched on Kat's shoulder.
"Mine too," Carwyn said with a grin.
"My dad's still thinking it over," Draco said, adjusting his robes he had changed into that afternoon for going home. "Mum would like me to go to Hogwarts though. She usually gets her way, so . . ."
"Maybe we will all see each other again," Harry said, a big grin on his face again. "That would be great."
"I wonder where Aisling is," Ollie said, a few other kids agreeing. "She only said she was grabbing something she left in her room."
"She probably forgot to actually pack," Nia said with a frown as she crossed her arms. "Now we're stuck waiting on her."
"What's taking her so long?" Felix added, crossing his arms as well.
"Naughty bird," Professor said.
"No, Professor," Kat told her budgie. "This doesn't make her naughty."
"What a good bird," Professor said instead, and Kat chuckled and stroked his head with a finger.
"Yes, good bird," Kat said.
"Oh, here she comes," Birgit said, standing up from where she was sitting in the grass.
Aisling walked out of the cabin with her hands behind her back.
"Well, campers," she said. "I'm afraid its time we say goodbye and go our separate ways. I must say I had so much fun with all of you this summer. It was certainly one to remember. Before you go, I have a special gift for all of you. A must have for all campers and something I hope will help you all in your future camping trips."
Aisling pulled her hands forward, and in her grasp were several handheld radios of different colors. Everyone gasped excitedly and ran forward to take one from Aisling, Harry picking a green one, Ollie a blue one, and Draco a silver-grey one. They fiddled with the radios, adjusting the frequencies and speaking into them, glad to hear each other's voices even though they were standing right next to each other. Aisling explained that they had magical charms worked into their system so that their range stretched across countries.
"And perhaps," Aisling added, "no matter where you all head home to, you can stay in touch with your new friends."
"Thank you, Aisling," everyone said as they continued playing with the radios.
"Maybe we'll see each other again sooner than we think," Kat said, holding up her new pink radio and smiling at Harry. The Professor made a ringing tone sounds a couple times.
"Hello, this is bird phone," Professor added, and everyone laughed.
As they walked toward the main cabin where all the fireplaces waited, Harry, Ollie, and Draco hung in the back, watching their friends disappear into the flames one by one. They adjusted their radios so the three of them were on the same frequency alone.
"Any plans for your birthday this weekend?" Draco asked Harry. "It's on Sunday, right?"
"Yeah," Harry said, looking down at his shoes. "It's on Sunday. I'm not really expecting anything big or nothing. I'd be okay if it was just Dad and I hanging out."
"Would you, though?" Draco asked with a frown as if that was the worst thing imaginable.
"Oh, come on," Ollie said with a roll of his eyes. "It's the MacAuley Estate! Of course there will be more than just hanging out. Especially after everything you've been through? No way Severus will do nothing."
"Maybe," Harry said, though he wasn't sure what to think. He had never celebrated his birthday before, only alone in his own imagination while the Dursleys went about their day as if it were any other day. The only reason he had discovered his birthday date was because a teacher had told him when he hadn't answered it in a homework assignment. He told himself he wouldn't care if no one celebrated it, as long as someone at least acknowledged it. He would be thankful for the small wins.
"Don't worry," Ollie said encouragingly as he stepped up to the fireplace to take his turn through the floo. "It's going to be a great birthday."
Harry grinned as he watched Ollie disappear in the flames, though he was unsure if he believed the words or not.
A hand on his shoulder gently stirred him from a peaceful sleep, and Harry groaned as he resisted at first, but the gentle shaking on his shoulder was persistent. Harry rolled over and blinked up at his father.
"Rise and shine," Severus said. "We have a few errands to run today, so I need you up and ready to go in thirty minutes."
"Really?" Harry asked, glancing at the clock near his bed. "It's so early. And it's Sunday. What do we need to do on Sunday?"
"Considering it's one of the few days I have off from work, there are many things I can accomplish. And as Nana and Papa are not present either, I can't leave you home alone."
Harry yawned as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. Severus had left the room, leaving Harry to wake up fully with the sunlight streaming through his window. After another yawn, Harry recalled that today was his birthday, and he grinned as he hopped out of bed and quickly changed. He gave Miss Trifle a kiss while she lounged in her cage nibbling on hay, then grabbed his radio and shoved it into a back pocket before he left his room. He ran downstairs to the dining hall where Severus set down two platters of easy eggs and toast.
"Would you like milk or juice of some kind?" Severus asked.
"Err, milk please," Harry answered as he slipped into his seat. He waited until Severus returned with a cup of tea and a glass of milk, the latter which he set in front of Harry. Harry uttered a small thank you, then paused and waited once more as Severus sat down across from him with his own food and cup of tea. He watched as Severus pulled the Daily Prophet closer and began reading it as he sipped his tea and ate small bites of his breakfast.
Harry wasn't entirely sure what he had been expecting, but he felt slightly disappointed, nonetheless. He thought he might have been making a bigger deal over it than was warranted, so he ate his breakfast quietly. The Dursleys had always praised and worshipped Dudley's every breath when it was his cousin's birthday, and Harry was learning that most families did not spoil their children to such extremes. He wondered what normal families did, and then wondered if magical families did the same thing or not. It was too much to think and worry about, so he decided not to push the subject.
"What do we have to do today?" Harry asked.
"Just a few small errands," Severus said, not looking up from the paper. "Nothing exciting really—a stop at the apothecary first. I need to restock the hospital supply room with the budget they gave me. Hopefully I can stretch it enough."
"Oh," Harry said. "I mean, I guess that's fine. I didn't really have plans anyway."
"Really?" Severus gave Harry an amused smile. "Glad your schedule is free to spend some time with your old man."
"You're not that old," Harry said. "You're only like thirty years older than me."
"Thirty?" Severus gave Harry an affronted look. "Do I really look a decade older than I am?"
"I mean, kind of. How old are you anyway?"
"Not thirty years older than you. Finish your breakfast so we can head out."
Harry smirked as he took another bite of his eggs.
After breakfast, Severus and Harry shared the floo and arrived at the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley. Not long after, Harry found himself chewing on his nails as he waited for Severus to gather every little item he needed for the hospital. He was tempted to ask if they could stop for ice cream at least since it was his birthday after all, but he held his tongue. He didn't want to sound rude for demanding something while Severus was trying to complete errands, nor did he want to seem like Dudley in any way. Once Severus finished gathering inventory, they walked to a quill shop to collect new quills as Severus was particular about which quills he used for prescription scripts, his journals, and for quick notes. After the quill shop, they stopped at a cauldron shop for a few specially made cauldrons.
"Alright," Severus said after he finalized the sale on a few cauldrons, "time to stop at Madam Malkin's."
"Why?" Harry asked, frowning slightly as he followed his father to the clothing store.
"I need a new formal robe," Severus answered. He looked down at his son thoughtfully before saying, "And I suppose we should get one for you as well."
"What do I need a formal robe for?"
"You never know when you when you may be invited to formal wizarding events. It's mostly precautionary, but it doesn't hurt to have a nice, formal robe on hand for happenstance occasions."
Harry sighed but he allowed himself to be measured before several robes flew at him. He didn't care for most of them, as they were all simple black robes, some with a little more shimmer than the next, but he did like the green hem of one of the black velvet robes, so he selected a robe to be made in its likeness. The robes would be delivered to MacAuley Estate once they were finished.
Finally, they arrived back at the Leaky Cauldron where Severus chose to apparate this time to a secluded place in their hometown. Harry kicked a loose stone down the sidewalk as he followed Severus to a muggle stationary store. He had to abandon his new amusement when he entered the store after his father. He resorted to chewing his nails once more while he waited for Severus to browse the selection of journals.
"Are we almost done?" he asked when Severus opened a fifth journal to judge the inside.
"Why?" Severus asked absently. "Do you have something more important to be doing right now?"
"Well, not really."
Severus glanced up from the journal to flash his son with a small, amused smile before he looked back down at the journal.
"Just a couple more shops, son. Feel free to find something for yourself if you are in need of a new journal or sketchbook or what have you."
Harry huffed before he ventured off to scan the shelves for anything interesting, but his heart wasn't really into it. Today was passing by like any other day, and it made Harry feel several emotions at once, and the flood of those feelings weighed heavily on his chest. One, he was sad that no one today had even acknowledged that it was his birthday, especially his father. Two, he felt selfish for wanting anyone to make the day about him, even if just a little bit. He didn't want to be anything like Dudley who could never have enough presents and cake on his birthday. And three, he felt even worse for wanting cake and presents on his birthday. For wanting attention and a party when he had never had it before. He felt awful for wanting to be a little selfish on his birthday.
However, today was clearly no different than any other day. Everyone was going about their world as if nothing extraordinary had happened eight years ago, even Severus. And that hurt for a very selfish reason. But he couldn't tell anyone that. He would sound very ungrateful for everything everyone had done for him. He should be happy that he had such a loving family that bothered to feed and house him. It was not their obligation to cater to his childish wish for birthday events.
The store was a blur around him, and after an unknown number of minutes, a hand on his shoulder pulled Harry from his brooding thoughts, and he looked up at his father. Severus glanced at his watch, then gestured for Harry to follow him out of the store.
"I promise we are almost finished with errands," Severus said. "I can't imagine how bored you must be, but you've been very well behaved so far."
"I'm not bored," Harry lied, forcing a smile which quickly vanished as they approached a muggle clothing store. Harry sighed as they walked into the new department.
"Now what are we doing, Dad?" Harry asked.
"New clothes," Severus said, quirking a brow at his son. "I thought that much was obvious."
"For what? I have a whole wardrobe of clothes. Mostly new stuff, too."
"I know. But I'd like to find you a few more things. And myself as well. Why don't you check out these options over here and find a few outfits while I browse for myself for just a few minutes."
"Okay," Harry said reluctantly. He walked slowly through the aisles of clothes, brushing his hands over the hanging material. There was no one else in the store, which was no surprise given that it was Sunday. Harry was surprised Severus had even managed to find a few stores that were opened today. He worked his way through the maze of the children's section, not really looking at anything as he moved toward the back of the store, finding the fitting rooms.
He pushed the door open to one of the fitting rooms. It was empty, so he slipped inside and closed the door behind him. Sitting down on the padded cushion inside, he pulled out his radio and pushed the talk button.
"Ollie, Draco, are you there?"
There was silence for several seconds, then he smiled as the radio talked back.
"Harry?" Ollie's voice greeted. "Hey, happy birthday!"
"Thanks, Ollie," Harry said, a warmth filling his chest.
"What are you doing on the radio?" Draco asked. "Shouldn't you be ruling the world for your one day of kingship?"
"I don't think that's included in most birthday celebrations, Draco," Harry said, smirking.
"That's what I always do," Draco said. "What are you up to anyway?"
"Running errands with Dad," Harry said truthfully.
"Really?" Ollie said. "That doesn't sound very exciting."
"Some birthday," Draco added.
"Yeah. Honestly, I think he forgot today was my birthday."
"Severus?" Ollie fired in disbelief. "No way! He wouldn't forget. Oh, coming Mam! I have to go Harry."
"Oh, okay." Harry tried to hide the disappointment in his voice. "Bye Ollie."
"I have to go, too," Draco said, and Harry could hear Lucius yelling something inaudible in the background. "I heard you, Dad! Bye, Harry."
"Bye," Harry said softly. He stared at the radio silently, not leaving the fitting room as he fought with a few tears welling in his eyes.
He had never felt more alone. He was sure his friends had more important things to do than to talk to him on his birthday. He was being overly selfish. Maybe Dudley's influence on him growing up was greater than he had imagined. He felt awful for making a bigger deal out of this than was warranted, and he tried to stop the tears, but they were flowing now, and he dropped his radio and cried into his hands.
This was the worst birthday ever—beating out any he had had with his relatives.
He heard a gentle knock on the door.
"Harry?" Severus called out. "Are you in here?"
Harry only sobbed harder, pushing the heel of his hands into his eyes as he leaned over his knees. The door opened and closed, and he sensed rather than saw his father kneel in front of him, and gentle hands tried pulling his hands away from his eyes.
"Hey," Severus began softly, "what's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm sorry, I'm being a brat."
"No, you are not. Be honest with me, what's the matter? Why are you crying?"
"I am being a brat," Harry insisted, forcing the words out between his teeth. "You have more important errands to run than to remember that it's my birthday, and it's not like it's that important but I guess I thought . . ."
"You think I forgot today was your birthday?" Severus interrupted as he finally managed to pull Harry's hands away from his face.
"Well . . . you never said anything." Harry frowned at his father, finally opening his eyes and staring into Severus's dark ones, as if searching for any hint of a lie. He did not see any, instead, Severus sighed and rested his head against Harry', letting go of his son's wrists to drag his thumbs across Harry's cheeks, wiping away the tears.
"Honey, I did not forget today was your birthday," he said. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way."
"Really?" Harry asked. "Why didn't you say anything about it? You didn't even wish me a happy birthday."
"An error on my part, clearly," Severus said as he sat back on his heels, giving his son a serious look. "Honestly, I didn't say anything because I wanted to surprise you."
"Surprise me with what?"
"Well, then it wouldn't be a surprise anymore, would it?" Severus smirked, ruffling his son's head. Harry laughed despite his tears. Severus picked up his son and held him to his chest, and Harry wrapped his arms and legs around his father, feeling a lot better already, even as Severus murmured to him, "My poor, sensitive boy. You really thought that I would forget your birthday, after everything you've been through."
"Sorry," Harry said automatically.
"You have nothing to apologize for. I am sorry for misleading you. And if I still may, we have one more errand before I need to make a quick stop at the house for something, then I can give you my surprise. Do you think you can survive one more errand?"
Harry nodded his head, wiping away the last of his tears.
Severus set Harry down and took his hand, leading him out of the fitting room once Harry grabbed his radio and shoved it in his pocket. Harry still wasn't in the mood for shopping, so he allowed Severus to pick out a few outfits, though why he needed more clothes was beyond Harry. He did like the look of the summery picks Severus found though. Once everything was paid for, Severus kept a hold of Harry's hand and led the way down the street to a small sweets shop, and he let Harry pick out any dessert he wanted.
"It wasn't actually in my list of things to do," Severus confessed as he watched Harry inhale a small chocolate mousse across the table, "but you looked like you could use a little treat."
Harry gave his father a chocolatey smile.
Once the treat was finished, they apparated back to the gates of the MacAuley estate, and Severus took Harry's hand once more as they headed back to the house, the gates slowly opening for them.
"I hope you can forgive me for trying to surprise you," Severus said as they walked down the path.
"Yes," Harry said. "I'm sorry for thinking you forgot."
"Don't be. This is all new to you—all this . . . family shenanigans, should I say?"
"What do you mean?" Harry asked with a frown.
"Well . . ." Severus said as he opened the door to their house.
"Surprise!" Severus people yelled at once.
Harry gasped excitedly as a grin stretched across his face.
The house was decorated with balloons, streamers, confetti, and a large banner that read "Happy Birthday, Harry" hanging on the mantle over the fireplace. There was a large cake with eight burning candles sitting on a foldable table that was in the center of the living room surrounded by Eileen, Peadar, Minny, Ollie and his family, Draco, and even Aisling and his entire camp group. Severus pushed Harry into the house and closed the door behind them. Harry felt tears well in his eyes, but he was able to control himself better with the happy tears, and he laughed at all the party hats everyone was wearing.
"Don't worry," Ollie said, grabbing a very large party hat with a mischievous smirk. "There's one for you, too."
"Gee, thanks," Harry said as Ollie fitted the hat on his head.
"There's so many candles on here, it's a fire hazard," Draco said, swiveling his head between the cake and Harry. "You better come blow these out before something catches on fire."
Harry laughed again, then ran over to the cake, ready to blow it out, but Eileen stopped him before he could.
"Hold it," she said. "We must first sing Happy Birthday."
Everyone cheered while Draco groaned, then Harry waited while everyone sang happy birthday, even Professor in his little budgie voice, which the kids could not help but laugh at. At last, Harry blew out the candles, making his first birthday wish: that he would have his family to love forever. While Eileen cut the cake into slices, Harry glared at Ollie and Draco.
"You knew all along that Dad didn't forget," he said accusingly.
"We didn't want to ruin the surprise," Ollie said.
"I did," Draco said. "But Father said that would be "low-brow.""
"How did you all get here?" Harry asked his fellow campers.
"Aisling," everyone said at once, pointing to the leader who shrugged her shoulders innocently.
"Aisling gave us invites at the start of our last week," Kat explained. "We all knew about your party. It was really hard to keep it secret. I had to make sure Professor didn't hear anything in case he accidentally spoiled it. Budgies aren't exactly known for keeping secrets."
"Happy birthday," Professor said for the seventh time.
"Thanks, Professor," Harry said.
"Nice house," Carwyn commented as he stroked Shandy and Finn, who were wriggling away in excitement with all the new guests. Carwyn's eyes lit up as one of the hen harriers landed in the windowsill, checking out the guests before preening its feathers. "Fire ghosts! Legendary creatures only known to exist here—Mum and Dad will be so jealous!"
Carwyn ran over to the window but the bird flew off, and he watched with a disappointed look. Harry walked over to him, staring out the window before he said, "Want to see where they all sleep?"
"Do I ever!" Carwyn agreed, and he chased after Harry as he led the way upstairs to the high tower where the fire ghosts nested, all the other kids following.
Time was spent checking out the fire ghosts, then brushing one of the horses in the barn before playing with Shel, who enjoyed all the attention from the kids. Shandy and Finn provided some entertainment with games of fetch, though Shandy preferred to lead the kids in a game of chase as he refused to give the tennis balls back. After playing outside for much of the afternoon, the kids all enjoyed a slice of cake while playing games inside, including charades and hot potato with a small, deflating balloon before Professor saw an opportunity to pop the balloon with his beak.
Eileen decided it was present time, and Harry opened a gift from everyone who attended, taking his time to appreciate each new gift and thanking whoever it was that gave it to him. It was nowhere near like Dudley's mountains of gifts each year, but it was the world to Harry. Everyone had thought of their gift carefully, and he could see that each gift he received had made someone think of him, and that really touched him.
After presents, everyone settled in for a late lunch, early dinner, savoring every bite of the Sunday roast with roasted potatoes, roasted carrots, Yorkshire pudding, and savory gravy. Small talk filled in the rest of the evening before everyone started to take their leave, heading out through the floo, Aisling coming and going to collect each child and take them home. Finally, Draco left on his own, and Ollie and his family headed out to their car parked outside the estate. Minny wished Harry a happy birthday one last time before leaving, and Harry felt today could not have been more perfect.
Harry found his father assisting Eileen and Peadar with cleaning up the kitchen, and he hugged his father tightly.
"Thank you so much, Daddy. I loved today."
"You did not love the secrecy," Severus corrected, putting down the pan to return the hug. "But I am pleased that you loved your party."
"I really did. And thanks for the sunglasses. I really like them."
"Good, cause you'll need them." Severus reached into an inner robe pocket and pulled out two slips. "This is my present to you."
Harry accepted the slips and frowned at them.
"They're tickets. To . . . The Sorcerer's Windjammer?"
"Yes. A cruise ship. Five nights to different destinations, just you and I. Unfortunately, the only had a room with one bed left, but I figured that would be the least of our concerns seeing as you often find yourself into my bed anyway."
"Is this why you wanted to get new clothes?" Harry asked.
"Yes. And a formal robe as dinners are formal events. We must wear our best."
"I can't believe we are going on a cruise!"
"Even better," Severus said. "We are going on a cruise designed for witches and wizards only. It's a magic cruise ship."
This was the best birthday ever in Harry's books.