Summary: On 31 July 2026, Harry's birthday celebrations are a bit different than normal.
This is AidaLuthien writing for Round 2 of the Character Clinic Triathlon.
Categories: Next Generation Characters: None
Warnings: Character Death
Challenges: Series: None
Chapters: 1
Completed: Yes
Word count: 1806
Read: 1865
Published: 07/05/12
Updated: 07/14/12
Story Notes:
Thank you to my beta Peppermint Toads for her suggestions with title, summary and tightening the grammar.
1. Happy Birthday, Dad by AidaLuthien
Happy Birthday, Dad by AidaLuthien
Albus Severus Potter got up early on 31 July. Today was Dad’s birthday. Mum was downstairs already cooking. He could smell the bacon, ham and eggs and hear Mum’s off-key singing. She was making all the things that were Dad’s favorites. He walked downstairs, feeling a bit sentimental as he examined the photos hanging on the wall. Dad helping James on his first broomstick. Mum and Dad at their wedding. A huge family portrait of the Weasley-Potter clan. Him, James and Lily sitting on Dad’s desk at the Aurors’ Office waving furiously. So many of his precious memories were on that wall.
His stomach growled, and he quirked half a smile to himself. Time to eat breakfast before James got up and ate it all.
Lily was helping Mum cook, carefully stirring a batter with twirls of her wand. –Are you planning on feeding an army, Mum?†he asked, kissing Ginny’s cheek before he sat down at the table. Albus was almost positive he could hear the table groaning under the weight of all the food that Ginny and Lily had cooked. It was like a feast at Hogwarts, but all breakfast food.
–No, just your brother,†she responded with a small laugh.
Albus nodded around a bite of buttered muffin. James was trying to make it off the second string for the Pride of Portree. As a Beater, James needed more muscle to make sure that he hit the Bludgers far away from his teammates. He had been Captain of Gryffindor’s House Team and been drafted, but he looked downright scrawny compared to the first string Beaters. James had made it his goal to bulk up as much as he possibly could, which meant for the past six months he had done little else besides fly, eat, work out and sleep.
He finished his muffin. –Do you need any help with the cooking?â€
Lily shook her head. –I think Mum and I have it well handled.†She was pouring the batter onto the griddle.
–Dad would be shocked to see you cooking,†Albus said quietly.
Lily finished pouring. –It’s Dad’s birthday,†she responded. –If I can’t cook for Dad, then...†she trailed off.
James barreled down the stairs. –Breakfast!†He shouted. –You’re the best, Mum,†he said, pressing a kiss to Ginny’s cheek. –Blimey, Lily, you’re cooking?†He sat down and proceeded to devour a muffin.
–You do remember what day it is?†Albus inquired mildly, as he stole the last muffin from his brother.
–Of course, I do,†James retorted. –Today’s Dad’s birthday.†He managed to speak between huge bites of bacon and eggs.
Albus winced. –Save some for Mum and Lily, will you?â€
James poured himself a large glass of whole milk and guzzled it in one long breath.
–It’s quite alright, Albus. Me and Lily have been eating while we’ve been cooking,†Ginny responded mildly.
James grinned winningly over at his brother, before pouring himself another glass of milk and drinking it.
Albus snagged a piece of bacon before James could finish the rasher alone. He chewed on the bacon, enjoying the crispy texture of the fried fat. For a long moment, there was a peaceful silence broken only by James occasionally pouring or chewing something, and Mum and Lily cooking.
–Do I have to make more bacon?†Mum asked, glancing over at the table.
–Yes,†James exclaimed.
–No!†Albus responded.
The brothers glared at each other.
–I’d like a bit more bacon,†Lily chimed in, smiling over at her brothers.
Ginny shrugged. –More bacon for the still growing children it is,†she commented with a smile.
–You’re going to end up all fat instead of muscle,†Albus informed his brother.
James rolled his eyes and finished his third glass of milk. –You need the mass before you can turn it into muscle. If all you have is skin and bones, Al, you can’t get muscles at all.â€
Albus rubbed his arm involuntarily. He was a lot thinner than his brother, but he had taken after their father more. Where James had thrown himself wholeheartedly into sports, particularly Quidditch and enjoyed being a Beater and made Gryffindor’s House Team as a second year, Albus had only very reluctantly played Seeker for family friendlies. Albus had also played for Gryffindor’s House Team, but as their backup Seeker, and only then at James’s insistence: –I know Scorpius is a great Seeker, but what if he gets injured? We’ll lose the match without a backup Seeker!â€
–I wish Dad were here,†Lily said quietly, staring at the bacon sizzling in a cast iron pan.
–We’ll be going to see him after breakfast,†Ginny responded, rubbing Lily’s shoulder. –I think the whole family is coming.â€
–The whole family?†Albus asked.
Ginny slowly turned the bacon over to cook the other side. –Well, Dudley and his family might not be able make it. But I think just about everyone else is coming.â€
Albus was staggered. –But... aren’t people... busy?†It was difficult to get the entire family together outside of major holidays like Christmas. They were so very many, especially now that Teddy and Victoire had gotten married and had their first child. Now that they were mostly grown, with just Hugo and Lily still studying at Hogwarts, most of his cousins had work, a few were married and starting families and a few like Dominique had moved abroad.
–Teddy and Victoire will be stopping by briefly, though with the baby, they won’t be able to stay for long,†Ginny said. –Hmm... Bill and Fleur are definitely coming. Dominique said she would take the Floo from Marseilles to Shell Cottage and go with her parents. Louis couldn’t make it back from Australia, unfortunately. Charlie’s coming back from Romania for a few days.â€
Ginny fished the bacon out and put it on a plate. She offered her daughter the plate. Lily took two pieces and gave the rest to James. He rubbed his hands together and started on the bacon.
–Percy is taking a half-day from the Ministry so that he and Audrey can come. Molly took the day off from Gringott’s. Lucy...†Ginny trailed off. –What is Lucy doing now?â€
Albus sipped his tea. –Working for the Ministry’s diplomatic corps in Germany, I thought. Last time we talked, she described the Muggle Bundestag. It has a big glass dome and people can look down at their politicians from there. It’s to remind them that people are really in charge.â€
Lily frowned. –Wasn’t Lucy moving to Romania? She said it would be great to be able to visit Uncle Charlie more.â€
–I thought she said Russia,†James interjected. –She told me it would be good to see that Muggle place in real life... St Basil’s Square?â€
They looked at one another. Typical Lucy. She was constantly on the go. For all they knew, she wasn’t in Europe any longer. It had happened before.
–Anyway,†Ginny continued. –I’m not sure about your cousin, Lily. We’ll have to ask Percy and Audrey where she is right now if she doesn’t come. George is closing the shop early, so he and Angelina are coming. Roxanne has practice with the Holyhead Harpies in the morning, so she’ll be a bit late. Fred made sure to get the day off from St Mungo’s. And you know that your Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione would never miss your father’s birthday.â€
Ginny and Lily finally sat down at the table with steaming cups of tea. –Also Grandma and Grandpa are coming from the Burrow. Now, I didn’t miss anyone did I?â€
The whole family really was coming. Albus blinked a few times. –I don’t think so,†he said, trying to mentally draw the family tree.
–Are Aunt Luna and Uncle Rolf still traveling?†Lily asked. Lily never forgot her namesake, who was also her favorite aunt.
Ginny sighed. –I haven’t been able to get in contact with them. The Scamanders said they thought Luna and Rolf might be in the Amazon, but they weren’t sure.†She sipped her tea. –But I’m sure they remember what day it is. If they can, they’ll be here.â€
Albus turned his attention to The Daily Prophet. It was a slow news day. One of the stories suggested that a member of the French Ministry and a member of the British Ministry had been flirting during a press conference. What rubbish, Albus thought.
Albus had finished the The Daily Prophet and The Quibbler and was moving on to The Times of London when Ginny stood up from the table.
–Go get ready,†she urged them, shooing them away from the table. –We ought to get there a bit early, so we can have some peace and quiet with your Dad.â€
Albus let James and Lily go upstairs ahead of him. Years of fighting his way up the staircase before his siblings taught him that it was usually better to just wait. When he entered his room, he frowned at his clothing before deciding on a simple green robe.
He brushed his teeth, and combed out his hair, trying to make it as neat as possible. Then he trooped back downstairs.
Mum was waiting for him in the sitting room with a large bouquet of flowers in her arms. Ginny smiled at him, before her eyes filled with tears. –Mum?†Albus wavered.
–Ah, you just look so much like your father in those green robes.†She wiped her eyes roughly. –Now where are your brother and sister?â€
Lily came down next, dressed in a bright blue robe. –Of course, James would take the longest,†she commented.
A moment later, James slid down the bannister, dressed in a Muggle leather jacket and black jeans. Ginny eyed his outfit without comment.
–Well, let’s go then,†she said. They closed their eyes and as one Apparated to Godric’s Hollow.
–I’m glad that Dad’s here... with his parents,†Albus said quietly, as they walked through the gates of the cemetery.
–He would have wanted to be here,†Ginny responded. They walked through the cemetery quietly until they reached their grandparents headstones. Silently, they divided half the flowers between the first Lily and James. Then they reached their father’s headstone.
Wand True.
Always Loved.
Harry James Potter. 31 July 1980-31 July 2025.
Auror.
Father. Husband. Son. Friend.
Saviour of the Wizarding World.
On silent agreement, they took turns kneeling by his headstone and whispering to him. Albus went after James but before Lily. –I miss you, Daddy,†he murmured. –I miss you so much.â€
End Notes:
Also thank you to Will for helping with Harry's epitaph, which was inspired in part by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.