This Dance We Do

Chapter 15: Sirius' Wishes

They took their seats at the table again and waited for Harry to open his presents. Ron tried to ignore how his brothers and Seamus were giving him and Hermione pointed looks between snickers.

"Well, Harry," Ron heard his mother say, "why don't you open these first?"

Harry did as he was told, and seemed pleased with what he opened. Professor Dumbledore had given him a large box of lemon drops, Professor Moody had given him another Sneakoscope, and Professor McGonagall had given him a book about Animagi that she said was one of James' favorites.

Next Harry opened a book given to him by Shacklebolt on the finer points of being an Auror, and one of the Quidditch sets that Bill had suggested, given to him by Tonks.

"You just call the plays out to the different teams, and they'll play," Tonks explained excitedly.

Harry thanked them all as Hagrid handed him his next gift, which Harry looked at warily before opening. It turned out to be another book.

"Teaching Foreign Friends to Speak English? Why would he need that?" Seamus asked.

Ron looked at Hermione and had to stifle a laugh. Apparently Hagrid still wanted their help to teach Grawp how to speak English.

Mundungus handed Harry a rather shabby looking card, and Seamus gave him a book on the best Quidditch players of the century. Dean made Harry a very humorous comic book about Umbridge's time at Hogwarts, and Neville gave him a small plant, with long leaves that floated eerily. It looked a little like seaweed.

"Um, Neville," Harry asked as he looked at the plant, "what is this, exactly?"

"Oh, it's called Nullus sominum, you set it next to your bed and it helps you have a dreamless sleep. They actually use the plant's roots in the Dreamless Draughts that Madam Pomfrey gives."

Harry looked at the plant with awe, then looked up at Neville. "Thank you. Really."

Hermione's gift was next. She, of course, gave Harry another book, Mastering Occlumency.

"I just figured it might help if you, you know, mastered the theory first."

Harry smiled at her, then opened Ron's gift. It was a Chudley Cannons poster that scrolled the details of their latest game. Harry thanked Ron as he read the statistics that were scrolling past.

"This isn't just from me," Lupin said as he passed Harry a package. "Your godfather and I worked on it together last year; we thought you would enjoy it."

The table grew very quite. Harry carefully removed the paper from the gift that Lupin had handed him to reveal a small photo album. He looked questioningly at Lupin, who merely nodded for him to continue. Harry opened the album, and began to look through. Ron craned his neck to see what was inside. Before he sat back down, he caught glimpses of Harry's parents when they were younger. This was not the sort of thing that Ron should intrude on. If Harry wanted him to see those pictures, he would offer to show him.

Harry cleared his throat and closed the album.

"Thank you," he barely whispered.

Finally, Ginny handed Harry the gift from their family. Harry opened it to find another album, this one with "The Weasleys" scrawled in gold lettering on the front. Harry gave Ginny a confused look.

"Look inside, you'll understand."

Harry did, and judging by the look on his face, Ginny had hit the mark with her suggestion of a gift.

Ron had memorized what was inside the album; he and his sister had spent three days putting it together. The first picture was one taken just before the World Cup the summer before their fourth year. Ron's entire family were waving at the camera, and Harry, Hermione, and Ron himself were standing together, smiling happily. The caption above the picture was "Meet the Weasleys."

On the next page was a picture of Ron's mum and dad, dancing in the kitchen, that was captioned "Molly and Arthur." Next came the picture captioned "Bill and Charlie," featuring his brothers dueling with the picnic tables. Fred and George's picture was next, and in theirs they were pretending to be something Muggles referred to as "mad scientists." In any event, they were wearing long white coats and laughing maniacally over a bubbling cauldron. For her picture, Ginny chose one where she was alternately waving and doing cartwheels in their front yard. Finally was Ron's favorite picture. It was of Harry, Hermione, and himself under the birch tree at Hogwarts, smiling and laughing happily. Mrs. Weasley had wanted them to include a picture of Percy, but he had walked out on all of them, and it did not make sense to include an empty frame.

Harry looked around at all the Weasleys sitting before him, and Ron had the distinct impression that his friend was about to cry.

"Thank you, all of you, so much. This has been the best birthday ever, really."

Beside him, Hermione sniffed. He looked at her.

"Why are you crying?" Ron was starting to worry that someone had switched Hermione with Cho Chang.

"I didn't think that Harry would have this good a time. It's just so great to finally see him really happy, you know?"

Ron simply nodded and took Hermione's hand in his.

After all the paper had been cleaned up, people started mingling again. Ron looked around for Harry so he could wish him "happy birthday," but he was no where to be seen. He decided he might like to pull Hermione away again, ask her to the Winter Ball and maybe finish what they had started earlier, but she was in deep conversation with McGonagall. Ron was trying to think of a way to pull Hermione aside, when he heard Seamus call him.

"So, Weasley," Seamus said through a huge grin, "what's going on with you and Granger?"

"What do you mean?" Ron was trying to fight off the blush that was attempting to spread across his face.

"Oh, only that you two have been touching each other all night. And then you run off out of sight for quite a while. You came back looking very guilty, while Hermione looked quite flushed. I've made a girl look that way enough times to know what happened, so why don't you tell us?"

Dean raised an eyebrow at Seamus. "Just who have you snogged?"

"I am a gentleman who does not kiss and tell," Seamus said as he drew himself up, looking entirely too smug for his own good. That was not what Ron was worried about, however.

"Hermione and I were not snogging!" he said while trying to keep his voice even. The last thing Ron needed was for Hermione to hear this and think he started it. She would never speak to him again.

Seamus looked at Dean. "Well, you walked in on it, were they?"

Dean smiled. "I wouldn't say they were in the middle of snogging, but they were definitely about to start."

"We were not!" Ron's voice was starting to shake and he could feel his face burn as his temper rose. "If you must know, I was trying to ask her to the Winter Ball."

"You haven't asked her yet? Merlin, man, what's taking you so long? I asked Lavender ages ago, and we aren't even under the same roof."

Ron knew that he had to get away from Seamus immediately before he hit him. He spotted Neville and Harry coming out of the woods. Harry looked grave and Neville looked very pale.

"I'm going to go talk to Harry and Neville, see you two later."

As Ron made his way towards Harry and Neville, Hermione walked up to him, putting a hand on his arm and whispering in his ear.

"Everyone's leaving in a minute, then Dumbledore wants to talk to us in the sitting room."

"Why?"

"I don't know. He just asked me to let you know."

Ron looked up and watched as people began filing into the house. He looked and saw that Harry was standing alone near the woods, looking up into the sky. Ron was about to approach him when he noticed that Kingsly Shacklebolt was carefully watching him. Suddenly, something hit Ron. He turned to Hermione.

"Hermione, how come Harry was allowed to come here this summer? I mean, it's not like Hogwarts, Grimmauld Place, or his aunt and uncle's house, where he's protected. Why did Dumbledore suddenly let him go somewhere that wasn't safe, especially after what happened in the Department of Mysteries?"

A thin smile slowly spread across Hermione's face. Ron could not find anything remotely funny about the situation.

"Do you remember when I said that I went through a lot of trouble to get Harry here? Well, that was it. I spent a lot of time trying to find a way that I could get Dumbledore to allow Harry to visit, and then I thought about the Mirror of Erised, from our first year, you know, and what Dumbledore said he did with it and the Stone. I figured, if you can hide a stone like that, you should be able to do it with a person. So Dumbledore and I thought about it, and a few days before I picked Harry up, Dumbledore visited him and charmed him. Since Harry's more complex than a stone, it won't last forever, only a few months, and Dumbledore doesn't think that it will work again for a while, but we'll be in school by then, so it won't matter, really."

What in the name of Quidditch was she talking about? Ron's confusion must have shown on his face, because Hermione sighed heavily and began to explain.

"Do you remember how Dumbledore hid the Philosopher's Stone, Ron?" Ron shook his head. "Well, you looked into the Mirror of Erised, and only the person who saw themselves wanting to find the Stone but not use it would actually find it. Well, apply that same theory to Harry. The charm Dumbledore used on Harry hides him from everyone who wants to harm him; they can't even see him. But, since you and I and everyone else here has no intention of ever harming Harry, we can see him and interact with him. Does that make sense?"

It really did not make sense at all, but Ron nodded his head anyway.

"Great. Now, we should probably go inside, we're the last ones left."

Ron and Hermione entered the sitting room to find his family, Harry, and Lupin all gathered around Professor Dumbldore.

"Ah, and here they are now. Good, good. If you two will take a seat, we will begin."

Ron and Hermione sat on the sofa next to Harry and looked at Dumbldore expectantly.

"Yes," Dumbledore seemed to sadden slightly before he spoke again. "Now, I'm not sure if any of you know this, but Sirius left me in charge of his estate a short while before he died. He thought that since we were entering a war, it might be wise for him to let someone know how he wanted his assets divided."

Whatever Ron had been expecting, this was not it. He looked over at Harry, who was very quite and stony. Wow, what a great birthday gift, talking about your recently deceased godfather.

Dumbledore pulled a piece of parchment out of his robes.

"Sirius wanted me to read this to all of you, it is a list of his wishes, as well as instructions as to how his estate should be divided. He wrote it shortly after this past Christmas."

Dumbledore cleared his throat, then began to read what was written.

"'Remus, words cannot describe the years we've shared. Well, my words can't, I'm sure you could come up with something, that was always your specialty. I want you to have everything that is in our vault, it is yours now, use it. Also, always know that you will have a home at Grimmauld Place, no matter what happens.

"'Molly and Arthur,'" Dumbledore turned to face Ron's parents. "'I cannot thank you enough for all that the two of you have done for me. Molly, I know that we drove each other crazy, and that we never saw eye to eye on certain matters, but I want you to know that you and your constant company are the only things that kept me sane. It means so much to me that you spend more time here than at your own home, which I'm sure is hard for you. Arthur, I don't think I have ever met another wizard with a greater love of Muggles. That and your hard work is something that I respect you for. You both are wonderful people, and I am honored to have gotten the chance to get to know you and your wonderful children.' He left you a vault at Gringotts containing an undisclosed sum of money."

Dumbledore reached out and handed Ron's parents a small key. Ron noticed that his mother was crying.

"'Fred and George,'" Ron's brothers sat up a little straighter as Dumbledore turned to them. "'I don't think I have ever met anyone with the sense of humor that you two possess. The Maurders would have been proud of you.'" Mrs. Weasley looked confused, but it was clear that the twins understood what was said. "'Make sure you get that joke shop of yours up and running so that others will have the opportunity to laugh as much as I have in the time I've known you.' He left the two of you an vault in Gringotts containing one thousand Galleons and the instructions to use them for your shop."

Dumbledore gave another key to George, who took it as Fred nodded somberly. He then turned to Ginny.

"'Ginny, I must say that I have always been very fond of you. I have always respected how you are always yourself and never strive to be anything more than that; this is a quality wizards many times your age have never mastered. Never settle for less than you are worth; even when things seem unobtainable, you have the strength to achieve them. About what we talked about that day in the drawing room, things will come around and every thing will turn out for the best, trust me.' He wanted to leave you a vault as well, so that you would have the means to start your life after Hogwarts."

Dumbledore passed Ginny her key as she wiped the tears from her eyes, then turned to Hermione.

"'Hermione, I'm sure that you are often told that you are the brightest witch of your year, so I won't repeat what you already know. Instead, I want to tell you that you are the brightest witch I have ever met. I know you will go far in life, and one day soon, the whole of the wizarding world will know your name. But you need to know that you have many wonderful qualities beyond your intelligence: most importantly, you are a wonderful friend, something I realized the first time I met you.'"

Dumbledore did not bother explaining what the key was for this time, he simply handed it to Hermione. Ron turned to look at her, and noticed she, like Ginny, was crying. Ron took her hand in both of his, kissing the back before resting it on his leg.

"'Ron.'" Ron jumped slightly when he heard Dumbledore say his name, he had not been expecting anything. "I could not be happier that you are Harry's best mate. I see some of myself in you, and this is how I know that you would do anything to protect Harry, as I know Harry would do for you. Just remember that, in the end, it is not what we have, but what we do that matters.' Like the others, he left you a vault in Gringotts with the sum of one thousand Galleons to start your life after Hogwarts with."

Ron thought he was going to fall off the sofa. One thousand Galleons? Sirius left him one thousand Galleons? Ron pushed the idea of the money aside and concentrated on what Sirius had said about him. Ron squeezed Hermione's hand as Dumbledore turned to Harry.

"Harry, Sirius made it clear that you were to receive all his remaining worldly possessions, including Grimmauld Place, and everything in it. Since your last visit, the cleaning has been finished and all the undesirable items removed. What is left is most of the furniture and some of Sirius' things from childhood and his years at Hogwarts." Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued reading from the parchment. "'Harry, I am leaving you everything I own, including Grimmauld Place. I'm sure that you will continue to allow the Order to use it as headquarters because that is who you are. I don't know if I ever got to tell you this--and if I did, I didn't say it nearly enough--but I could never wish for a better godson. I know our time together was brief, but I enjoyed every minute of it and I wouldn't have traded it for the world. You are a truly wonderful person, and I am certain that you will grow to become a great wizard; you are already well on your way. If you mother and father could see you, they would be very proud. I don't know if I ever told you, and it is certainly another thing that I should say more often, but I love you Harry, and, wherever I am when you are reading this, I love you still.

Almost everyone in the room was crying when Dumbledore finished. He softly excused himself, explaining that he had important business back at the school, wished Harry a happy birthday, and Disapparated. Ron's family left shortly afterward, leaving only Ron, Harry, and Hermione in the sitting room.

"I," Harry cleared his throat. "I think I'm going to go up to bed. Good night."

"Good night, Harry. Happy birthday."

"Night, mate. Happy birthday."

When Harry had disappeared up the stairs, Hermione stood up.

"I think I'm going to go to bed as well," she said thickly.

"Yeah, me too," Ron agreed.

They walked up the stairs in silence. Hermione paused at the top of the stairs and turned around. Ron was standing down enough steps that they were almost at eye level. He looked at her, trying to interpret the look of determination on her face, when she leaned in and kissed him softly.

Ron gasped in surprise as their lips made contact for the second time that day.