Happy Birthday Harry!
Walking into the Burrow for his sixteenth birthday party was like a dream come true to Harry. Everything he had ever wanted in a birthday party was there, and then some. The room was decorated in Gryffindor colors, so that it looked like a scarlet and gold explosion. Streamers hung from the ceiling, fairy lights were nestled in corners and in the chandelier. And finally there was a table brimming with gifts. The cake Aunt Petunia had made was in the middle of the gift table, but had been magically enlarged. Salt shakers were bewitched to shake confetti over the partygoers, and Harry could just make out the Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes logo emblazoned on them.
“Surprise! Happy birthday Harry!” yelled everyone in the room.
Fred and George chose that moment to light off fireworks that began to circle Harry’s head. They alternately flashed “Birthday Boy” and “Snog Me!”.
Ginny kissed him on the cheek and whispered, “Wait until later. I’ll have an even better kiss for you.”
Harry blushed, hoping no one had overheard her comment. He walked into the room and hugged Mrs. Weasley. “Thank you. I’ve never had a birthday party before.”
Mrs. Weasley shot a sharp look at Petunia before replying, “Your aunt helped Harry. You should thank her as well.”
Harry hugged Aunt Petunia, and softly spoke, “Thank you. This means a lot to me that you helped.”
“I’m happy to be celebrating your birthday Harry. My sixteenth birthday party was my favorite, and I wanted to make sure yours was extra special, at least until next year.”
Harry grinned. He was beginning to like his aunt more and more. Feeling a tug on his shirt, he looked down. “Dobby!” he exclaimed in surprise.
Dobby bowed, and cried, “Dobby is coming downstairs to wish the noble Harry Potter a very happy birthday. Dobby is hiding from Harry Potter until just now because Mrs. Wheezy is telling Dobby to surprise Harry Potter. Dobby was trying very hard to behave, because Dobby wanted to see Harry Potter. Dobby had to lock himself in the attic with the ghoul.” Dobby shivered.
“Dobby, are you working here now? Are the Weasleys paying you? Do you get holidays? How is Winky?” asked Hermione as she rushed over.
“Yes Miss Hermy. Master Dumbledore was asking if Dobby wanted to work at the Wheezy’s house this summer. Dobby said yes in hopes that the great Harry Potter would come and Dobby has gotten his wish. Dobby gets one galleon a week, and two days off. It is too much, but the Wheezy’s said Dobby had to take it or Miss Hermy would be mad. Winky is here, but she won’t come downstairs. Winky is still drinking Butterbeer.” Dobby shook his head sadly.
“It’s too bad that she won’t come to the party. We would have liked to have Winky here,” Hermione smiled, considerably relieved, and continued, “But we are very happy you are here Dobby.”
Dobby’s eyes welled with tears, and he choked out, “Thank you, Miss Hermy.”
Harry was startled as Remus patted him on the shoulder to wish him a happy birthday. The room was full of well-wishers who were waiting to eat. Ron had already snuck several mouthfuls of mince pie. Glancing around the room once more, Harry shouted, “Let’s eat!”
The guests formed a line and began filling their plates. Harry scooped all of his favorites onto his plate, and had to grab a second dish so he had room for more food. He noticed Aunt Petunia had taken all of the same things, but in smaller portions. If they had nothing else in common, they shared the same taste in food. Harry walked to an open spot at the table, and set his plates down. Ginny quickly sat down next to him, and Hermione joined them. Ron appeared from behind a towering stack of food with a grin on his face. The room was filled with sounds of people enjoying a well cooked meal, punctuated with sighs of content, and the occasional burp from either Fred or George.
Soon, the meal was over, and the twins began chanting, “Cake! Cake! Cake!”
Molly sighed, “Those two will never grow up. Every birthday party we have they have to behave like three year olds who need a nap.” She levitated the cake and placed it down in front of Harry. With a flick of her wand she lit the candles.
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Harry
Happy birthday to you
“Make a wish Harry!” whispered Ginny.
Harry scrunched his eyes, thought I wish that no one else I love will be hurt by Voldemort, then quickly blew out his candles. Opening his eyes, Harry grinned.
The cake magically sliced itself, and began floating to everyone in the room. Harry spied Mrs. Weasley conducting her wand, and his grin widened.
When the last crumb of cake had been eaten, George and Fred began chanting once again. Surprisingly, they were joined by Hermione, Ginny, and Ron, who was banging his fists on the table.
“Presents! Presents! Presents!” was being shouted all over the room.
Harry blushed, knowing that everyone was making a fuss for him. Deciding to comply, he asked, “Well, which one should I open first?”
Dobby began jumping up and down excitedly. He squeaked, “Dobby would be most honored if Harry Potter opened Dobby’s present first.”
“All right Dobby. Which one is it?” questioned Harry, who knew that it had to be the oddly shaped gift wrapped in paper with his face on it.
Dobby levitated the gift to Harry, who was surprised at its weight. For such a large package, it weighed next to nothing. Curious, Harry began to carefully peel the paper off, knowing Dobby would be ecstatic that he was preserving it. Bubbles began to drift out, reminding Harry of the bubble wrap that his cousin had been so fond of popping. Poking one, Harry discovered that he couldn’t burst the bubble. Harry grinned in amusement, as he had unearthed at least twenty pairs of socks. “Thank you Dobby.”
“Open ours next Harry,” instructed Fred, who also levitated the present to Harry.
“We thought you could use it, especially now that you’re dating our sister.” added George.
Alarmed at what Fred and George thought he might find useful, Harry opened the gift. It was a spell book, entitled Learn to Dance with Mrs. G.. Harry flipped it over, sure it was a trick. The back cover was filled with recommendations by Wizards who had used the spells. Opening the book, Harry saw instructions for various Wizard dance moves, such as the cauldron, the broomstick, and the troll. There was also a section on Muggle dances, including one called the Macarena. Handing the book to Ginny, Harry chuckled, “Fancy learning a dance Ginny? How about this Macarena one?”
Ginny retorted, “As soon as you learn the cauldron, I’ll learn the Macadamia.”
Fred grinned, then pointed his wand at Harry, “Tripudio Macarena!”
Harry stood up and began dancing, shaking his hips, and wrapping his arms around his body. Grabbing his wand, he pointed it at himself, “Finite Incantatem.”
“Mrs. G. just happens to be one of our favorite customers, as well as the creator of over 30 different Wizard dance moves. It’s too bad she lost her husband,” said George with a lovesick look.
Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat, “Perhaps you should finish opening your presents dear.”
Hermione brought him the next present. “This is from Ron, Ginny, and I. We worked on it together.”
Opening the box, Harry saw a scrapbook. Turning to the first page, he saw a picture of himself and his three friends waving back at him. It had been taken right before the Quidditch World Cup two years ago. There was also a program with statistics about the players, and a green rosette. Flipping through the pages, Harry saw all of their adventures documented in the pages of the scrapbook. There was a page for everything, from Christmas to Dumbledore’s Army.
“Hermione and Ginny did all of the decorating, I just got all the pictures for them. Those two were going crazy with all the stuff Hermione brought from home.” Ron gazed at Hermione, looking as if he wanted to snog her.
“Did you see the last page?” asked Ginny.
Harry shook his head, then turned to the last page. It was a picture of Ginny and himself that had to have been taken earlier that day. Harry asked, “When was this picture taken?”
Ginny turned pink, “Well, actually Fred took it to use as blackmail, but bat-bogey hexes tend to make him think twice about that sort of thing.”
“Ginny! What are you doing threatening your brother! And you Fred, don’t let me catch you taking pictures of private moments again! I already warned you once about that sort of thing!”
“Who was he taking pictures of Mum?” pestered Ron.
“Never you mind Ronald Weasley! Now Harry, why don’t you open the present from Arthur and myself, before my sons cause any more trouble. Accio present.” She handed the gift to Harry, who opened it quickly. The box was filled with clothes. “You needed some clothes that fit your dear. Ron is too tall for Bill and Charlie’s cast-offs, so they are practically new. I wish we could get you new, but at least these will fit. We’ll get rid of those blankets you’ve been wearing.”
Aunt Petunia turned beet red. She was ashamed by Molly’s comments, knowing full well that she could have bought Harry clothes that fit him properly. To redeem herself, she handed Harry a small box. “Go ahead and open it. Your mother gave it to me years ago.”
Harry untied the ribbon that held the box shut. Lifting the lid, he was taken aback to see a locket inside. He opened it, and looked at his aunt with a look of bewilderment on his face. “Is this my mum and you in the picture?”
“Yes, that photo was taken when she came back from school her first year. That was the last summer we got along. I was still under the impression that I would get into Hogwarts as well. It wasn’t until she left for school I realized that I wasn’t special, or I would have been riding the train to school with her.” A tear trickled from her eye, and Harry hugged his aunt.
“I know this must have meant a lot to you. Thank you Aunt Petunia.” Harry comforted his aunt.
“One more present Harry. This one is from Sirius and me, but in a way, you could say your dad had a hand in picking it out.” Remus handed Harry a small box.
Nervously unwrapping the present at the mention of his father’s and godfather’s names, Harry peered at the contents. It was a tarnished silver ring with an insignia engraved on it. He had seen this ring before, but couldn’t think where. Looking up at Remus he realized Remus wore its twin. “Was this my dad’s ring?”
“Yes, that was your father’s ring. Sirius took it the night he was murdered to give to you one day. We all got the same ring when we finished our N.E.W.T.s to celebrate. Did you notice it is engraved with an “M” to stand for the Marauders?”
Harry realized that if his father, Sirius and Remus all had a ring, there was one more ring. “What about the filthy rat? Did he get a ring?”
Remus chuckled, “Funny you should ask that Harry. When Peter and Sirius dueled fifteen years ago, Peter cut off the finger he wore the ring on. If only we had realized then that he was the traitor. His mother gave me the ring as a memento, but when Sirius came back to London, we destroyed the ring. Now there are only two, as Sirius was wearing his during…” Remus trailed off, not wanting to relive that unhappy day. This was supposed to be a birthday party not a memorial.
Harry choked up. He took a deep breath and finally managed, “Thank you.”
After all of the festivities had ended, Harry sat on a bench in the garden with Ginny, gazing at the stars glowing overhead. Covered by the Invisibility Cloak, they leaned into each other, and Harry occasionally kissed the top of Ginny’s head, inhaling her sweet perfume.
“Harry, I wanted to give you something in private.” Ginny pulled a tiny box from her pocket and placed it in Harry’s hand.
Looking from the delicately wrapped present to Ginny, and seeing the hopeful expression in her eyes, Harry opened the box. A shiny gold key gleamed in the darkness. He picked it up out of the box, and gold letters swirled into the air.
“I have given you the key to my heart. ”
A/N: Up next, a trip to Diagon Alley, and a meeting!