To Hope for Happiness

To Hope for Happiness

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Be Surprised and Shocked

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5 Days

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As Harry insisted on helping Remus with the grocery shopping, Sirius pulled Ron and Hermione aside to have a serious conversation with them. Eyeing both teens seriously, he took a moment to think about what he was going to say before actually opening his mouth at all.

"Well," he said at last. "Now, at first, I'll let you know that Harry was abused at the Dursley's." Seeing the looks of complete shock on the two teens' faces, he paused for a bit before continuing, "When we took him home, he was covered with bruises and wouldn't stand any sudden touch. He still doesn't like being touched too much, and flinches if somebody surprises him." After yet another pause, he then continued, "Do not try to pressure him into talking about it; he will tell you when he is ready. However, if he seems willing to it, do encourage him to talk about it. Talking will help him in the end."

Both Ron and Hermione nodded, thus expressing their wordless agreement. Then Hermione said, "What has he done to deserve all this? Hasn't life already treated him badly enough?"

"I don't know, Hermione," said Sirius quietly, his heart aching for his son. "I honestly don't know. All I know is that I'll do everything I can to ensure that he won't ever be hurt again."

"And on that task," Ron said, a rare determination tracing his voice, "you are not alone." Hermione also nodded, her expression firm in a way Sirius had never before seen from her.

"Thank you," he said quietly in response. "It is truly good to know that Harry has such loyal friends as you two." At this, he received two firm nods. Yes, he could indeed trust these two.

*

"Harry?" asked a quiet voice, making Harry raise his head and look at the speaker. He saw his Dad, who looked very serious. This did not promise anything good, especially with his friends nowhere nearby. As soon as Remus and Harry had returned home, Sirius had headed off with Ron and Hermione in tow. Seeing how much this upset Harry, they had told that it would be a surprise for him, but this did not help much. He felt lonely and forgotten.

"Yes, Dad?" Harry replied just as quietly. He really didn't feel up to any serious conversation.

"Well..." The werewolf hesitated for a moment, seemingly trying to figure out what exactly he was going to say. At last, he said, "I know that this is a difficult question. Believe me, I truly do know it. But I absolutely need to know, so please, answer honestly. Okay?"

There were such pain and sincerity in Remus's eyes that Harry could do little but nod. Nodding back in response, his Dad drew a deep breath and then continued, "I know already that the Dursleys submitted you to verbal, emotional, and physical abuse. But, Harry... Did they ever do anything to you, anything at all, that could be described... sexual?"

For a moment, Harry was too stunned to say anything. At last, however, he forced himself to say, "No, they didn't. They never did anything of... that kind of thing to me. Ever," he then finished as he saw Remus's slightly doubtful expression.

At that, his Dad visibly relaxed. "Thank Merlin for at least that little show of mercy," he murmured. "If they had done that, I would have gone and killed them." There was a look in his eyes that told Harry that he would have indeed done that. Also, he again got the bad feeling that his Dad had firsthand experiences of the matter. He didn't question him about it, though -- he knew all too well how bad it was to always be asked about the abuse.

So, they stayed silent about the topic, and other topics as well. By the time Sirius returned with Ron and Hermione, neither of them had said a word more, about anything.

*

"That was a joke," Sirius said, staring at his husband in disbelief. "Please, tell me it was a joke."

"It was not," said Remus, and frowned. "Grow up, Sirius. Severus is not that bad in the end."

"Yes, he is," the darkhaired wizard argued. "And even if he wasn't, I still don't see any reason to invite him for Harry's party. The greasy git would probably just ruin it all on purpose! Come on, Remus. He got you sacked! What do you owe him? What has he ever done for you?"

Remus met his gaze steadily. "Severus brewed me my Wolfsbane Potion, Sirius," he said quietly. "He still does, and has promised to continue even when the War is over and Dumbledore is no more telling him to do that. And if that's not enough... he killed my father."

Now, Sirius became suddenly very interested. "What did you say? Did Snape kill your father?"

Remus nodded in confirmation. "Three years after your imprisonment," he said quietly. "The bastard had somehow managed to avoid Azkaban, and once the worst fuss of the War had quietened down, he sent me an owl, promising to hunt me down and kill me. I told Dumbledore, hoping that he could help me, and he said that he would tell of my problem to somebody who could help." After a small pause, he finished, "It was all over the newspapers the following week: Jacques Lupin had been poisoned at his home. The murderer was never found."

Sirius raised his eyebrows in suspicion. "Then how do you even know that Snape did it?"

Remus shrugged. "That's easy," he said. "He came to me afterwards, asking whether I wanted the phial that had contained the poison. As a memento, you see." With a weak smile, he then finished, "To this day, I haven't been able to understand how Dumbledore could allow that."

"Well, of course he did," Sirius huffed. "We all knew what the bastard had done to you, and what he would do if he ever found you again. There was a reason beyond Voldemort why you had to go hiding, you know. If Dumbledore had ignored that, it would have been about the same as if he had murdered you himself! And there was no other way to stop the bastard."

Remus smirked slightly. "So you won't oppose if I invite Severus, too?" he asked innocently.

For a moment, Sirius just blinked. Then he sighed in defeat. "Go on, invite him," he grumbled. "With some luck, he won't even appear here. And anyway, I'm going to invite Kingsley and Tonks, too. Harry likes them, and they'll keep Snape from ruining the whole party."

Remus sighed and rolled his eyes. "You know that Severus wouldn't do that," he said ever so patiently. "So please, do stop whining now and continue writing the invitations..."

~*~*~

1 Week

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"Wake up, Harry!" called out a cheery voice. "It's a very special day today!"

"What the --" The messy-haired teenager blinked as somebody pulled aside the curtains on the window, letting the sun shine brightly right on his face. "What's so special about today?"

"Today is a special day because," at this, Hermione gave him a smile brighter than even the sun, "today are your birthdays!" She was practically bouncing up and down in excitement.

Now, Harry was really confused. "What do you mean?" he asked. "You know very well that my birthday's been already. And why are you talking about my birthdays, in plural?"

"Because today's not your seventeenth birthday, you daft," Hermione said, smiling affectionately at him. "Today are all those birthdays that you have missed. Starting from your second and ending to your seventeenth one!" Her smile got even broader.

Now, Harry certainly didn't get any less confused at that. Then, however, his sleep-muzzled brain finally agreed to work. "You mean that I'll get a party?" he asked a bit breathlessly. "A real birthday party? Just for me?" He was having a very hard time believing it.

"Exactly," Hermione said, grinning at him. "The guests will start to arrive at noon. And, as it's already eleven o'clock, you'd better get up and dressed rather soon!"

"I will," Harry said, "as soon as you leave!" Giggling at this, she then left the room, leaving Harry all by himself. Slowly getting out of bed and heading towards his wardrobe, Harry shook his head slowly. He had never had a birthday party before -- well, not one he could remember, anyway. Sure, he most probably had indeed had one when he'd turned one, but he hardly could remember that. He sure did hope that he could, though.

A brief smile rose to his lips as he thought about that. He should ask his fathers whether they had any photos of his first birthday, those should be fun to look at. With this in mind, he then picked simple dark blue jeans and a matching T-shirt. Sure, he did like the Gryffindor colours, and was excited to have so many clothes in red and gold now, but everything gets to be a drag after some time. Besides, he'd heard that his Dad would have otherwise been Sorted to Ravenclaw, but that he'd begged the Hat to put him into Gryffindor in fear of the Ravenclaws finding out about his Lycanthropy. Well, it certainly hadn't helped him much, now had it?

So, after getting dressed, he grabbed his glasses on the nightstand and put them on. On his second day at his new home, he had got new glasses. The gold-rimmed spectacles were, his Father had claimed with a wistful smile, almost similar to those that James had used to wear. Well, they certainly were more comfortable than his old, round glasses mended with tape. Of course he hadn't told what exactly had broken his glasses, but from the dark looks on his parents' faces he'd known that they could very well guess that. Well, that would happen no more.

Finally ready to go, he ran a hand through his untamable hair and then headed downstairs. When he got there, he was surprised. Large, glowing letters floated in the air in the living room, forming the words, "Happy Birthdays, Harry!" Underneath he saw the numbers from two to 17. There was a large table on the other end of the room, loaded with sweets, crisps, and other traditional party foods, Wizarding and Muggle products alike. Happy music was being played in the background, and the room gave the feeling of a cheerful party that only lacked guests. And, as he stood there, gawking at the room, his parents and two best friends rounded him.

"Happy birthdays, Harry!" exclaimed Ron, drawing him into a fierce hug that he actually could survive without shuddering or flinching, although only by a great effort. "It's about the time you get all the parties you've missed through the years, mate!"

"Happy birthdays, Harry," Hermione said, too, and gave him a small peck on the cheek. "I think Ron about said it all. Oh, and you won't be mad at us for kind of ignoring you these last few days, will you? We wanted this to be a surprise to you, so we couldn't tell."

"Of course I'm not mad," Harry said, smiling at them, a small blush on his cheeks for her peck. "I mean, true, I felt lonely, but now I understand why you always seemed to be going off without me." He gave all four people in front of him a broad smile. "Thank you. Really."

"No problem, Harry," Sirius laughed, his silver eyes twinkling with excitement. "You have more than deserved this, Son. You never really had the chance to celebrate. Now, it's your chance."

"Now, come on," Remus said with his sweetest smile. "We still have time to eat something before the guests arrive. There's some wonderful chocolate cake in the kitchen..." He then gave them all a glare. "What on Earth are you laughing at?" he asked irritably.

*

"Happy birthdays, Harry!" exclaimed all Weasleys minus Ron cheerfully in unison as they stepped into the living room. Well, so Percy's shout wasn't as enthusiastic, but anyway. Soon the bespectacled boy was closed in a large group hug, one that he didn't even flinch at... much.

"Oh, my, how you have grown!" exclaimed Molly. "And you look more and more like James every day! It's amazing, really, how you two look so alike."

"Well, at least there's no doubt about his paternity," said Remus, slightly amused at this. "Not that there were many possibilities." At this, he winced for some reason. Most people didn't even notice it, but Harry certainly did, again wondering about his Dad's behaviour.

Almost instantly after the Weasleys had Flooed in, however, the flames flared high again. This time, it was Tonks and Kingsley who stepped out of the fireplace. They were followed, to most people's great surprise, by a very sullen-looking Severus Snape.

"Here," muttered Snape, tossing a green and silver parcel at Harry. "I will not cause a mass heart attack by congratulating you." Harry nodded, although he was still a bit shocked.

"Don't mind that old git, he'll come around," Tonks laughed. "Well, as much as he ever does, anyway. Whatever, happy birthdays, Harry!" And she gave him a parcel, too. Then she glanced around, her pink hair swaying in long waves. "Kingsley? Hey, Kingsley, what's up?"

The black wizard, however, did not hear her. Instead, he was staring at someone -- a very particular someone, at that. Ginny looked astonished as Kingsley at first just stared at her, then, with a couple of long strides, closed the distance between them. Her confusion, however, soon melted from her face as Kingsley lifted her up to his arms and kissed her.

"Awww, that's so sweet," Hermione said, watching with fascination as the two kissed. "It does make sense, though. Ginny's only turned sixteen a few weeks ago, and they haven't seen each other after that. Now that they did, Kingsley immediately recognized his soulmate!"

"You're in for it, Kingsley," Sirius said, grinning and shaking his head as the newly found soulmates finally broke apart. "Only you could have a soulmate who has six elder brothers!"

"Kingsley," Arthur said very seriously, "you are my friend. A good friend. However, if you ever hurt my little girl in any way, I will make you regret it. Do you understand?"

"And we will help Dad in that!" exclaimed Fred, and George added, "You'll really regret it!" Bill, Charlie, and Ron all nodded in agreement, and even Percy managed a nod.

"Not to worry, Arthur," said Kingsley calmly, wrapping an arm around his younger soulmate's shoulders as Ginny pressed herself against his side. "I would never even consider hurting her."

Ron got a mischievous glint to his eyes. "Okay. I, Harry, and Hermione are all too young to find our soulmates," he said. "Mom and Dad are together, and so are Remus and Sirius. So, it would seem, are now Ginny and Kingsley. I know Bill has this Egyptian witch, Charlie's still looking, and Percy's complete by himself, not that that would be much of a surprise. Fred and George, well, who cares about them. Now, is there anybody who doesn't know about their soulmate?" He let his eyes scan the room, deliberately skipping Snape without another thought, and then stopped at Tonks. "Tonks! Do you know your soulmate, or do you even have one?"

The Metamorphmagus shrugged. "I wouldn't know," she said cheerfully. "I managed to botch that potion, like all the others, and my dear Potions Master here," she nodded towards Snape, "said that he was just doing both me and my soulmate a favour by not giving me any of his own stocks. So, I'm just hoping that if I do have a soulmate, they'll sooner or later come around."

"You're not serious!" exclaimed Hermione. "You haven't ever drunk your Soulmate Potion?"

"Very well," Sirius said with a smirk. Then he turned towards Snape. "Hey, Snape!" he said. "I know you have all kinds of potions always around. You wouldn't happen to have some Soulmate Potion as well, would you?"

The Potions Master merely scowled at him. "Whether or not I have, it is no concern of yours, Black," he said dryly. "Why should I give such a difficult potion to this freak?"

"Please, Severus?" asked Remus softly. Everybody else, too, was making puppy eyes at the Head of Slytherin, but it was the werewolf who finally became his undoing.

"Very well," Snape snapped. He reached for the bag on his hips, then took out a small phial and glanced at Tonks. "If you don't catch it, you won't get another," was all of a warning he gave before tossing it at her. Surprisingly, however, the usually so clumsy witch actually managed to catch the phial, and soon took it to her lips to drink before she managed to drop it.

Then, for a moment, she just stood still. Everybody stared at her, excited -- well, so maybe Percy couldn't be called exactly excited, and Snape still just scowled. The Potions Master's expression, however, soon changed to one of barely controlled horror as Tonks turned towards him, a rare determination showing on her face. Snape backed away a bit as the witch advanced on him, but as Fred and George stepped forward to stand behind him, he had no way out. So, he couldn't escape as Tonks reached him, grasped his head, and pulled him down for a kiss.

At last, the Metamorphmagus pulled away from the Potions Master, and they just stared at each other, not saying anything. For a moment, it was deadly quiet.

Then Ginny said, very quietly, "Eep." Then she fainted, being barely caught by Kingsley just before she hit the floor. Nobody but her soulmate, however, even noticed -- they were all too concentrated on Tonks and Snape, waiting for the man's reaction.

At last, Snape just shrugged. "I was doing us both a favour," he said. "As I'm a spy, it was better that I had nobody else to worry about. And as for you, well, your greasy git of a Potions Master hardly could be your ideal partner, right?" Hearing Ron's surprised gasp, he added dryly, "Yes, Mr. Weasley. I'm indeed well aware of what the students call me."

"But that's just the point, Severus," Tonks said, and there was an oddly sharp tone in her voice. "You are the ideal partner for me. We're soulmates. And to prove that..." And then, she drew him into another kiss. At first, Snape seemed to hesitate, but then he wrapped his arms around her waist, starting to respond the kiss. Ron gagged, while Hermione and Molly went all dreamy and sighy. Ginny probably would have, too, had she only been awake.

After these shocks, Harry's birthdays party managed to go on. Every now and then, however, somebody would steal a glance at Snape and Tonks, who were sitting in one corner of the room. They were seemingly talking excitedly about something nobody could really figure out. However, it seemed to require a lot of looking each other in the eye.

Harry just shook his head, astonished. If this soulmate thing could create such weir couples, he wasn't so sure he even wanted to take that potion. With his luck, it would be Malfoy.

...And not even Draco.

*