Harry Potter and the Dawn of a New Age

Chapter 3: The Party

By fbline

Harry woke up a little later than normal that next morning. The main reason was probably due to the fact that it was a lot more peaceful at the Burrow than on Privet Drive. By the time his feet hit the floor it was already a little past eight. Putting his glasses on he looked over to see if Ron was awake yet.

Harry quickly discovered that he was alone in the room. Ron's bed looked hastily made, and there was a note on the side table. Picking it up, Harry recognized Ron's chicken scratch writing immediately.

Harry-

We've all gone out to get our school stuff in Diagon Alley. Hermione wasn't awake yet either, so she's staying home as well. Mum said she'd leave some breakfast on the table for you. We'll be back by lunch. Your party will start at about five. Ginny said she and Hermione didn't get to bed until late, so you should probably let her sleep.

Later,

Ron

Harry shook his head. Ron's mention of letting Hermione sleep would have seemed to most people as merely a thoughtful consideration, but Harry understood very well the actual reason. Ever since Hermione had shown up the previous evening Ron had been watching the two of them like a hawk. Harry knew that he would have to try and get a moment alone with Ron to talk to him, but Ron had yet to allow him an opportunity to do so. He would try again today, but with a birthday party on tap, the chances for that were rather slim. All Harry wanted to do was convince Ron that he wasn't in love with Hermione, but he also knew that it was a great deal harder to convince someone that you weren't something than to convince them that you were. Sighing in exasperation, Harry made his way to the loo in order to get ready for the day.

Once toweled off and dressed, Harry walked down the steps to the ground floor and entered the kitchen. Sitting at the end of the table sipping a steaming cup of tea was Hermione. Upon seeing Harry her face broke out into a warm smile and she got up to give him a kiss on the cheek. When she pulled away she noticed that Harry was actually blushing, something she couldn't remember him doing before when she kissed him.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

Harry quickly turned away from her and busied himself with buttering his toast. Unfortunately for him, Hermione did not take his turning his back as a reason to stop her questioning.

"Harry, what's wrong? Why are you blushing like that? Having a problem with morning wood, are we?"

Harry spun around to stare at her now smiling face.

"Hey! How do you know about that?"

Hermione laughed.

"Harry, it's me, Hermione. Do you know how many thousand times I've seen you and Ron first thing in the morning when you're still in your boxers? Haven't you ever wondered what Ginny and I were always giggling about? Well, Ginny giggled at Ron, but she spent most of the time just staring at you."

Harry instinctively covered his front with his arms, even though he was wearing jeans. The thought of Ginny and Hermione looking at him in that way made him feel awkward. Did this mean that girls looked at guys the same way guys looked at them? He vowed to be much more compassionate towards women in the future. It also didn't help that Hermione was still laughing fit to bust and he was still getting redder by the second.

"Hermione, quit it! That's not the problem. Actually, it's not so much my problem as it is Ron's. It's about the three of us and some...uh...misunderstandings."

Hermione stopped laughing and wiped the tears from her eyes. She now looked at Harry questioningly.

"What's up with Ron?"

Harry sat down and poured himself some juice before sighing and looking back at Hermione.

"Hermione, there's something about Ron you should know. For the last couple years, Ron has...he's...Ron has..."

"Fancied me?"

Harry dropped his toast back onto his plate.

"How did you know?"

Hermione shook her head.

"Harry, I blame the fact that you've grown up without any female influence in your life for your lack of understanding. For Ron's part, I think he's got some issues with women that he's picked up from somewhere. Maybe it's being the youngest male of a large family, I don't know. The fact is, both of you seem to think that I only know what I read in books. Well, let me tell you something, I have a better idea of what's going on than you think. Yes, I know Ron fancies me, and I also know that he is jealous of you because of what he thinks may be going on between us."

Harry gaped at her. He had never considered the idea that Hermione would know about Ron's crush on her. What else did she know?

"Hermione, why didn't you say something before about this?"

Hermione shook her head and sighed.

"What would I say? Gee, Ron, I'm glad you fancy me, but I only see you as a friend? I'm fifteen, Harry! I don't want a relationship right now. Look at you and Cho last year. Before the two of you went out you thought she was perfect, and now look at you. I don't want that to happen with Ron, or with you. I couldn't bear to lose either of you, Harry. Not now, not ever."

Harry reached over and grabbed her hand with his.

"You won't, Hermione. Ron and I both love you...I mean that Ron loves you and I...well...you know what I mean."

Hermione smiled and gave Harry's hand a gentle squeeze. They continued to stare at each other for a few minutes until Harry realized that if Ron came in now the sight of him and Hermione holding hands and smiling at each other would likely not improve his mood. Giving Hermione a quick peck on the cheek, he took his plate over to the sink and gave it a rinse. Filling up his own cup with tea he then went back over and sat down again to talk to Hermione.

"How was France, by the way?"

"Oh, it was lovely! I love looking over the market stalls in Nice. And the food! If I stayed there any longer I wouldn't have been able to fit into my robes."

Harry grinned.

"Ron seemed to think you'd be set upon by all the French boys. He mentioned something about them trying to 'steal your virtue'."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"See, that's what I'm talking about. Why does he seem to think that I'm some kind of naive girl who can't take care of herself? I know he means well, but he can be so annoying at times, you know?"

Harry nodded. Ron did have a tendency to get carried away at times.

"Well, Ginny wasn't helping. She was telling us some daft tale about the girls at school thinking you were going out with one of us."

"Just one of you? Well, that's an improvement over how it used to be. There was a rumor for a while that I was being shared between the two of you. I remember Lavender asking me one time how I got so lucky to have the two hottest guys in the school. I told her she was being stupid, but you know how she is. She offered to take one of you off my hands if I ever needed a break."

Harry choked on his tea and had to have Hermione slap him on the back several times. The thought of Lavender and Hermione both naked had caused him to seize up completely. While he tried to regain his composure a large barn owl swooped through the window and dropped off three large envelopes onto the table. Hermione immediately stopped her pounding on Harry to scoop up the letters off the table. As soon as she had looked at them, her eyes widened and her hands began to shake.

"Harry! This is it! It's our O.W.L. results!"

Ripping open the letter addressed to her, Hermione read aloud its contents.

Dear Miss Granger:

The following is the results of your fifth year O.W.L. exams.

Care of Magical Creatures:

Practical: O

Applied: O

Arithmancy:

Practical: O

Applied: O

Ancient Runes:

Practical: O

Applied: E

Potions:

Practical: O

Applied: O

Transfiguration:

Practical: O

Applied: O

Astronomy:

Practical: O

Applied: O

Defense against the Dark Arts:

Practical: O

Applied: O

Herbology:

Practical: O

Applied: O

Divination: Dropped course before exam.

Muggle Studies: Dropped course before exam.

Total O's: 15 out of 16.

Class rank: 1/80

School rank: 1/560

Based upon your scores, you have been accepted into all your course selections for the coming year.

Congratulations on maintaining your number one ranking for your class, as well as school.

Best of luck in the coming year!

Professor Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress.

P.S. I certainly hope you will continue to help both Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, The coming year will require a lot out of all three of you.

"Wow, Hermione! Fifteen O's! Your parents are going to be really pleased. Do you want to borrow Hedwig and send her to...?"

Harry's sentence trailed off as he looked at the expression Hermione had on her face. It wasn't one of joy, but of anger.

"Damn! I knew that getting that rune translation wrong would come back to haunt me. I am so stupid! I should have sixteen O's, not fifteen. Mom and dad are going to be so disappointed."

Harry put his hand on her shoulder and was surprised when Hermione quickly turned and buried her face in his chest, crying her eyes out. He wondered at that moment if there was any other man alive that had as many girls cry on them as he had.

"Hermione, hey, it's ok, don't cry. You got fifteen O's, try to think about those. And there's nothing wrong with an E, either. Here, I'll open mine and you'll feel much better about yours, ok?"

Hermione sniffed and removed her head from Harry's chest. Only the curiosity she had at finding out how he had done could have taken her mind off her own imperfection. Not wanting to lose the moment, Harry quickly ripped open his own envelope and read out his own results.

Dear Mr. Potter:

The following is the results of your fifth year O.W.L. exams.

Care of Magical Creatures:

Practical: O

Applied: O

Potions:

Practical: O

Applied: O

Transfiguration:

Practical: O

Applied: O

Astronomy:

Practical: A

Applied: P

Defense against the Dark Arts:

Practical: O

Applied: S*

Herbology:

Practical: O

Applied: O

Divination:

Practical: P

Applied: T

Total O's: 9 out of 14

Total S: 1

Class Rank: 20/80

School rank: 100/560

Based on your scores, you have been accepted into all your course selections for the coming year.

* We are pleased to inform you that your score of an S on your applied Defense against the Dark Arts O.W.L. is the first to be awarded in 136 years. If you have not decided upon your future plans as yet, we suggest a possible career as an Auror, since your ability towards Defense against the Dark Arts would be of a great use to you.

Best of luck in the coming year!

Professor Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

P.S. Well done, Harry. An S in Defense will go a long way towards your career as an Auror. Although some of your other scores leave a lot to be desired, they are not integral to your future plans. I will be getting with you early in the term to set up some times to get together for some elementary Auror training. I will be sure that these times to not interfere with Quidditch practices, since I fully expect to see you back on the pitch this year.

"See that, Hermione? I didn't do nearly as well as you did. I actually got a T in..."

Harry's voice broke off yet again as he looked up from his letter to look at Hermione. She still looked angry, but it was no longer at herself.

"You got an S? An S! Do you have any idea how many times I've dreamed of getting an S on one of my O.W.L.'s? Do you have any idea who the last person to get an S was?"

Harry's mouth had gone very dry in his fear of what Hermione might do to him in her current agitated state.

"Uh...no."

"Dumbledore himself! He got an S on his applied transfiguration exam. That's how he went on to become the youngest Transfiguration professor in Hogwarts history. It's practically unheard of to get an S on an O.W.L., Harry. What in the hell did you do to get one?"

"Well, you see, the person who gave me the exam had heard that I could make a Patronus, so they asked me if I could. I said that I could, and they told me that if I produced one, I could get extra credit. It wasn't a big deal, Hermione. Besides, look at this T in Divination, how dumb am..."

Hermione snapped.

"Oh, to hell with Divination! Nobody cares about that garbage anyway. Professor McGonagall's right, it doesn't make any difference for your future. What if my E keeps me from a seventh year course? What if it's just the start of a downward spiral?"

Harry couldn't quite process the situation he was in. Hermione had done almost as well as it was possible to do, and yet she seemed to think that the world was coming to an end. For not the first time in his life, Harry unwisely decided to try and laugh it off.

"Hermione, come on! You're still number one, aren't you? You don't have to be perfect all the time, do you?"

Harry's laughter died in his throat as Hermione's eyes widened and her hands clenched themselves into fists. Without another word she turned on her heel and stormed off upstairs. As Harry watched her go, the Weasley family returned through the fireplace. As Harry's luck would have it, they arrived just in time to see Hermione's reaction. Ron looked at him with a smug smile on his face.

"Looks like the weddings off, then. Happy Birthday, Harry."

Ron then took his packages and went up the stairs to his room. The rest of the Weasley family all went their separate ways, leaving Harry standing alone in the kitchen hoping that the rest of the day would go better.

After everyone has put away their supplies for the coming year, Molly set about preparing the food for Harry's party. The thought of her famous meatballs made Harry feel a little better about the coming evening, but he thought of trying to talk to his two best friends caused him to withdraw from the group and walk around on his own outside.

Harry didn't have much time for quiet contemplation, however. It wasn't too long until the twins descended upon him and brought him back inside. People had started to show up, and nobody wanted to allow the birthday boy out of their sight.

"Harry, how are you mate?" Hagrid boomed as he stepped off the Knight Bus. Upon his stepping off, the entire vehicle sprang up from the ground about four feet. "I would have been here sooner, but I had to make sure Grawp was ok. Those ruddy Centaurs are still picking on him, the poor wee lad."

Harry laughed. It was thanks to Grawp that he and Hermione had managed to escape from the Centaurs last year.

"That's too bad, Hagrid. How is Grawp doing?"

"Grand, Harry, grand. He isn't tearing down nearly as many trees as he used to. In fact, he's developed a little game he likes to play. He's getting pretty good at his own version of ten pin bowling."

"Ten pin bowling? What does he use for pins?"

"Centaurs."

"And the ball?"

"Other Centaurs."

"Right, well, that may explain why the Centaurs aren't best pleased with him, Hagrid."

"Oh, he doesn't really hurt them. Those Centaurs are just still mad about Firenze. Anyway, Molly told me about your party and I couldn't wait. I can't stay long though. I left Fang in the house and he'll be needing letting out soon. Here, I'll give you your present now. By the way, could you see if Molly wouldn't mind fixing me up a doggy bag of her meatballs for me?"

Harry grinned.

"Fang likes her meatballs, does he?"

"Fang? Who said anything about Fang? Those meatballs are for me! Tell her I'll just have a taste. No more than forty or fifty."

Harry chuckled as he took the wrapped parcel from Hagrid and went back inside the house. Catching sight of Mrs. Weasley getting her rolling pin out to crush up the vast amount of crackers that lay out on the counter, he placed the present down in the living room and walked over to her.

"Mrs. Weasley, Hagrid wanted to know if you'd make him up a doggy bag. He can't stay very long."

Mrs. Weasley wiped the sweat from her brow and smiled.

"Of course, dear. He's such a sweet man, thinking of his pet like that. I'll make him up a big cauldron full and take it out to him. Oh, I think I can hear more people coming, see who it is, dear."

Harry didn't bother to correct Mrs. Weasley on her idea of who the meatballs were for, and instead went back into the living room to see who else had arrived. The sight that greeted him caused him to stop in his tracks.

Red and gold streamers hung from everywhere in the room, while banners reached from one end of the ceiling to the other declaring "Happy 16th Birthday, Harry!" Extra chairs had been set up and a bowl of punch was set up on one of the long tables. Harry also noticed a large sheet cake with what appeared to be a game of Quidditch being played on it. Upon closer inspection, everything moving on the cake was made of icing, with the red icing leading the match by thirty over the gold.

"Hello, Harry! What do you think of the cake? Dobby made it especially for you. We've no idea how he got the icing to do that, it must be some kind of elven magic. Anyway, Happy Birthday my boy. Molly and I got you a little something that I put next to Hagrid's gift. I was a little apprehensive to do it, mind you. I think Hagrid's gift hissed at me."

"Thanks, Mr. Weasley. I'm glad you got a chance to get away from the Ministry."

Mr. Weasley smiled at Harry and clapped him on the back.

"Don't worry about me, lad. I'm just glad that Molly is so understanding about it all. When this all calms down a bit I'm hoping to take her on a trip someplace. I was thinking about taking her back to the place in Wales where I first realized I was in love with her, for old time's sake, to Bangor."

"Gross, dad!" Ginny said as she went by them on the way to get more punch.

"What? Bangor is a lovely area. What's wrong with Bangor?"

"Bangor? I don't even know her! Harry, get back into the living room, mate. Neville's here and we're trying to figure out what prank to pull on him," Fred said as he slipped by with one of his sacks of mayhem in his hand.

Harry shook his head and followed Fred back to the living room. Neville was indeed there and, surprisingly, seemed to be doing a lot of talking. Harry noticed with a smirk that the person he seemed to be talking to the most was Ginny.

"Hey, Neville! Happy Birthday, mate!"

Neville looked stunned for a moment.

"Uh, thanks, Harry."

Ginny looked at Neville questioningly.

"Neville, why didn't you tell us it was your birthday too? We could have made you up a banner as well, and I would have got you something."

Neville's face turned a red to match Ginny's hair and he started to stammer rather badly.

"Uh...I, you see, I don't, I didn't want to say anything because, well, I don't make a big deal out of it since I can't spend it with my parents like I really want to."

Everyone's face dropped after Neville mentioned his parents. Everyone had found out about their situation last year, and they had all kicked themselves for not caring enough to have asked him more about his life before. Ginny gave him a sympathetic smile and touched him on the arm.

"Neville, I'm so sorry. Happy Birthday."

She then raised herself slightly onto the balls of her feet and gave him a kiss on the cheek. The action caused him to blush an even deeper crimson and he nearly dropped his cup of punch. George then clapped him on the back and shook his free hand.

"Happy Birthday, Neville. Hey, can I get you a refill on your punch for you?"

"Oh, cheers, George."

But before George could slip him whatever it was he intended to, Ginny grabbed the cup out of her brother's hand.

"Don't even think about it. Wait until Percy gets here."

George was a little put out about his failed attempt to try out something on Neville, but he decided that Percy would do just as well. In fact, since Percy was a relation made it even better.

"Ok, we'll wait. Oh, Harry, we put out present over with the others. You may not want to open it in front of mum and dad, though. Come to think of it, you may be safest not opening it at all."

Over the course of the next couple hours, Remus arrived, followed by most of the members of the DA, along with some of the members of the Order. As the time got closer to eat, a series of arrivals added a bit of life to the already lively crowd.

The first was the arrival of Dean and Cho, together. Harry hadn't been sure of how he would react to seeing her with someone else, and he now found that it didn't really bother him. His main concern was for Ginny, but she seemed to be much more interested in talking to Neville about his plants. He couldn't help but laugh at their conversation. He knew full well that Ginny couldn't care less about Herbology, but from the way she was acting now, you'd think that it was her favorite subject as well. Dean seemed to notice this as well, making him rather grumpy. Harry knew he shouldn't be happy about this, but he couldn't help himself.

The second arrival was that of Bill and Fleur. More accurately, it was mainly the arrival of Fleur that caused the most disturbance. Harry decided that she must have had her Veela charms on full blast, owing to the reaction of all the males were having at seeing her, which in turn caused just as much reaction in the females. Dean was staring at her open mouthed, much to the obvious chagrin of Cho. Fred and George were both stumbling over each other in their attempts to get her some punch, causing the Patil sisters to whisper hurriedly to each other and glare at her. Even Harry and Ron had the sudden urge to tell her something very important, although neither of them could think of anything that would be worthy of her attention. This caused Hermione to glare at the both of them and went with Ginny to grab a butterbeer, all the while making comments about the trouble caused by a bottle of peroxide. For his part, Bill seemed to take all the stares and leers at his girlfriend in stride and merely smiled. He was used to this, and knew that the boys couldn't help themselves. It also gave him a slight ego boost to know that, at the end of the day, her head would be resting on his pillow. Things were just starting to settle down a bit when the next eventful arrival happened. For Harry, it was this arrival that would make the biggest impact on him.

Harry didn't actually see her immediately. He had been talking with Neville about how horrible Snape was when he noticed that everyone was becoming more and more interested in something behind him. When he turned around to see what it was, time seemed to stand still, and everything else in the world seemed to fade away.

The female in the doorway was nearly beatific in her beauty. Her hair was a platinum blonde color and cascaded down her neck and onto her back like a waterfall. Her eyes were impossible to describe. Their color seemed to change depending on the light that struck them, sometimes appearing to be an emerald green, and at other times as golden as a field of wheat. Looking into them too deeply caused Harry to lose himself in the depths of them. Her lips were also cause for endless study. They were beautifully formed and full, the kind of lips you could kiss forever and never tire of. The rest of her features were also generous and caused the boys to all take notice again. Most of the girls were also at a loss for words. She appeared to be similar to them all in age, but also very unlike anyone they knew. The girl wore a retro white sequined gown that accented her features perfectly. She was smiling a million watt smile and looking directly at none other than the birthday boy himself. Harry had a sudden feeling that there was something familiar about the girl's eyes, but his train of thought was quickly derailed when the beauty began to sing in a blatantly sexy voice that caused all the males in attendance to come out in goose bumps.

Happy Birthday to you

Happy birthday to you

Happy Birthday, Mr. President

Happy Birthday to you

All the while she sang she came closer and closer to Harry, while all he could do was watch her approaching. His eyes didn't know where to stop on her. The light was playing off her platinum hair, the twinkle in her multi-hued eyes, the stunning curvature of her body, or the way her dress seemed to hug them all beautifully. As the siren completed her song, she gave Harry a light kiss on the cheek and whispered into his ear.

"Happy Birthday, Harry, from your Angel."

Suddenly he knew why the girl's eyes had looked so familiar, he had thought about them on and off all summer.

"Luna? But how did you...how are you...?"

With a large grin, the blonde bombshell reached behind her back and undid the zipper that ran up the back of her dress. As the garment came off, the curves went along with it, leaving behind the normal waifish fifteen year old body of Luna Lovegood. She looked much more like herself in a simple peasant dress with her usual odd assortment of jewelry. She then touched her hair with her wand and it dulled from its platinum color back to its usual dirty blonde color. Harry noticed that she hadn't done anything to her eyes, and that they really were able to take on different shades, depending on the light. Most of the other males in attendance came out of their lustful trances that they had been in and went back to their now rather surly dates. For her part, Luna merely smiled at Harry and handed him a smartly wrapped gift and card.

"Hello, Harry. Did you like my little song? Daddy was always a big Marilyn Monroe fan. She was part Veela, did you know that? I think she was a great aunt of Fleur, actually. Anyway, I thought I'd do something special for your birthday since I know you like music so much. I hope you don't mind me calling myself your Angel. I don't wish to be too forward. Oh, look, Ginny is over there talking to Neville. I'll see you later, Harry."

And, as quickly as she had come up to him, she was gone. A few of the girls that were standing around glared at her, jealous of the way that their dates had been ogling her just moments before. One of the most noticeable glares came from Cho, and Harry wondered how soon the rumor mill would start up again.

"Well, Harry, looks like you're enjoying yourself."

Harry turned around to see Remus smiling back at him. He realized he must have been blushing quite badly and tried to talk as normally as he could.

"Pro...I mean...Remus, hello, yes, I am. I'm glad you could make it. How are you?"

"Fine, just fine. I couldn't help but see that Miss Lovegood does a very good impression of Marilyn. It reminded me of a similar thing that your mother did on your father's birthday. She had quite a singing voice also. I remember having a hard time sleeping that night, even with the full moon two weeks away."

Harry nodded. Truth be told, he wasn't sure that he'd be able to sleep tonight either. How had he never realized how Luna's voice sounded? It was more of a force of nature than a voice. Harry then went on to tell Remus about his O.W.L. results and was congratulated for doing so well. Remus was very impressed that Harry had received an S in Defense and agreed that, to be an Auror, it would help him out a great deal. As Remus went off to check on the status of the meatballs, Dean Thomas slowly walked over to Harry and looked down at his shoes as he spoke to him.

"Happy Birthday, Harry. Uh, I just wanted to come over and say that...well...I hope you don't mind me dating Cho. I would have asked you about it before we started going out, but it all happened really quickly. Anyway, are you ok with it?"

Harry gave Dean a kind smile and squeezed his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Dean. I think its fine. I'm glad she's happy and that you've moved on from Ginny."

Dean's eyes widened.

"What about Ginny? Has she mentioned me? Don you think she'd take me back? Is she seeing anyone else yet? Would you put in a good word for me? Please?"

Harry backed a step or two away form the now slightly frantic Dean.

"No...I mean yes...wait; I thought you and Cho were together."

"Huh? Oh, well, yeah, I guess. The problem is...I don't know. Harry, when you were going out with her, did she...cry, a lot?"

Harry nodded.

"I don't know so much about actually going out with her, but she did cry quite a bit. Is she still upset about Cedric?"

"Diggory? Nah, not really. Every once in a while she says something. She usually brings him up when I want to try and get to second base with her. She's say something like, 'Cedric never pushed me into anything', or, 'Cedric wanted to wait until we were married'. No, she usually cries about you. I just can't win with her. If I don't say 'I love you', she cries and says that you never said it either. If I do say it, she cries and says that I don't mean it, and that I'll just end up cheating on her like you did with Hermione. I can't say I blame you; I'd give my eye teeth to get back with Ginny. All Cho does is make me feel bad about myself. She's got some real problems, mate."

Harry shook his head. It didn't sound like Cho had changed any.

"Dean, why don't you just break up with her? I don't know if Ginny would take you back, but being alone would be better than being in an unhealthy relationship, right?"

Dean shook his head wearily.

"I know, you're right, but I can't help it. When Ginny broke up with me, I realized I couldn't take life being alone again. I got used to having someone to care about that cared about me, you know? You're lucky, Harry, you've always had Hermione to fall back on. I wish I had someone like that."

Harry's sympathetic smile quickly vanished. He now looked rather menacing.

"What the hell do you mean by that, Dean? What do you mean by 'Hermione to fall back on'?"

Dean noticed Harry's look towards him and gave a nervous little laugh.

"Well, you know, Cho said..."

Harry gripped Dean's arm roughly and shook him slightly.

"Dean, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt here. I don't know what all Cho has told you, but there has never been anything between Hermione and I but a very close friendship. The only girl who screwed up our relationship was Cho herself. I don't care what you do, it's your life, but if you're smart you'll get away from Cho as fast as you can. Be warned, though. She'll be telling the next guy who is fool enough to go out with her the same things she's telling you about me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need something to drink. Hopefully something strong."

Harry then left the slightly bewildered Dean and tried to catch up with Luna. He could hear some of the other people there still talking about her performance, while most of the girls were making fun of her. On the way to the front room again, he came across Ron who was watching Neville and Ginny intently.

"Hey, Ron. Looks like Ginny is moving on, eh?"

Harry had hoped that this would break the ice between them, but from the look on his best friend's face, it didn't appear to have worked.

"Excuse me, Harry. I think mum needs my help in the kitchen."

Without another word he watched Ron walk off into the kitchen. It was as Harry feared, Ron was still mad at him. How was he supposed to convince him he didn't fancy Hermione if he wouldn't listen to him? What exactly were his feelings for her? What about his feelings for Luna? Why were Fred and George heading straight for him?

"Right then, Harry. Time to open up your prezzies. Best get to them quick; I think Hagrid forgot to poke air holes in his."

Harry was then led (pushed) to the front of the living room and assailed with various sized packages and envelopes. He was also provided with a parchment and quill from Mrs. Weasley so that he could write down what he got and from whom so that he could send thank you's. She truly was the consummate mother.

Present List

1. Hagrid: A briefcase that will bite anyone other than me that tries to open it. The gift is currently eating the gift from Neville that could have been a plant at one time.

2. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley: a knitted Weasley comforter for my bed, and a quaffle signed by the Irish National team. Mr. Weasley was able to get it through his new job. Very cool.

3. Fred and George: A steamer trunk full of their latest and greatest products. It's currently hidden up in Ron's room. Mrs. Weasley seems to sense it's in the house. I'll have to be really careful with it.

4. Fleur: I never expected to get anything from her. Actually, it's not really from her, it's from her sister. Gabrielle wanted to send me an assortment of chocolates from France. Fleur assured me that they were much better than anything from this country. Apart from the chocolate frogs saying 'Le Ribbit', I don't notice any real difference. I appreciate the thought, though.

5. Ginny: A set of new school robes. I found this a bit odd at first. I asked her about it, and she said it was to make up for the robes that got ruined back in second year when I rescued her from the Basilisk. She said she'd been saving ever since to get me a new set. She also gave me a big hug. I went to give her a kiss on the cheek, but she said I was rushing things. Before I could ask her what she meant, I had more presents thrust at me by Fred and George. They seem to be enjoying themselves more than I am. I suspect they are hoping to see me open one that will embarrass me. I'm hoping that they will be disappointed.

6. Remus: I had wondered what he would be getting me. Part of it is a key to Grimmauld Place that he had made for me. He's got the other one, since we are co-owners now. He also purchased a large amount of books on Defense, and even some on offensive spells. One book in particular focuses on how to successfully defend and attack when outnumbered. I could have used that last year. From the looks of things, he spent a good deal of his money on this. I'll be sure to study them carefully. I can already see Hermione giving them the eye. Great, just when I decide to chance a look at Hermione is when Ron decides to look at me. Splendid. I almost wish Fawkes would fly in the window and gouge my own eyes out this time.

7. Dean (and Cho): Wow, this is pretty nice, actually. Dean is an amazing artist. It's a framed sketch of me riding my firebolt during a Quidditch match. Oh, and there's something from Cho as well. It's a gift card for a free tea for two at Madam Puddifoot's. I wonder if that's in repayment for the one she screwed up for us last year? No, that would be a kind thing to do. My guess is she intended it to be mean. Ah, I see what it is now. She's underlined the number two on the ticket. It must be in reference to when she asked me how many more girls I was planning on seeing after Hermione. I'll send a thank you to Dean, his gift was really cool. As for Cho, well, maybe a box of tissues and a pacifier would be most appropriate.

8. Ron: He can't even look at me now. Oh well, I'll deal with him later. Let's see what he got me. Good lord, it looks like he bought out Honeyduke's. This stuff must have cost him a fortune. I know Bertie Bott's says every flavor, and I'd wager I must have about every one of them here. Between Ron and Gabrielle, I should be going into diabetic shock by the time school starts. I gave Ron a smile, and he looked like he gave me a slight one back. Maybe things aren't so bad after all with us after all. Just two more presents to go now.

9. Hermione: This is by far the best present yet. At first I thought it was just a normal little mirror, which would have been an odd gift to give a sixteen year old boy I would think, but that was before I read the letter that was included with it.

Dear Harry,

Happy Birthday!

I hope you don't mind me giving you this. After being away from you all summer and worrying myself sick over you, I knew there had to be a better way of communicating with you than by owl post. I don't know how to explain it, but when I don't see you for a while I get to feeling that I'm missing a part of myself. I had Professor Lupin charm this mirror so that we could talk to one another face to face whenever we wanted. He told me that the original Marauders often used these to communicate with one another when they were in separate detentions. You can use it to talk to me whenever you want, Harry. 'You just call out my name, and you know wherever I am, I'll come running, to see you again'.

All my love,

Hermione

P.S. Feel free to use the mirror anytime, day or night. It may not be a good idea to tell anyone though; since you are the only person I've given one to...if you know what I mean.

Wow, leave it to Hermione to think of the perfect gift. I've felt the same way this summer. I would always catch myself turning around to say something to her and then realizing that she wasn't there. I've missed Ron also, but with Hermione it seems different. It really does feel as if a part of me is missing when she's not there. I'll stow this in my pocket now before Ron sees it. If he knew that I had a permanent way of seeing Hermione, he'd probably lose it completely with me. One more gift to go. From the fact that it's wrapped in old issues of the Quibbler, I think I can guess who it's from. I'm not ashamed to say that I'm a little afraid to open it.

10. Luna: It's a bracelet. The bracelet is made of butterbeer corks, alternating with silver moons strung on what appears to be one of her own long blonde hairs. I can see some of the people around me wrinkle their noses or giggle, but to me it's beautiful. She made this for me using a piece of herself. Wearing this, I feel as constantly connected with Luna as I do with Hermione. I'll have to be really careful with it since it is only a single hair, but I plan on wearing it always. There's also a note that goes with it.

Happy Birthday, Harry!

I hope you like my present for you. I've been an avid collector of butterbeer corks for a long time, and my mother decorated my room with silver moons when I was little. I almost always use my own hair when I make my own jewelry, since it is free and quite abundant. Don't worry too much about it being overly delicate; my hair has quite a lot of body to it. Daddy says I got that trait from my mother. She had long beautiful blonde hair. I wish I was as pretty as she was. Anyway, I know it isn't much, but the thought behind it is my true gift to you. I'm very glad that we became friends last year, even if the events that caused it were not very pleasant. I'm glad you have let me into your life, Harry. I hope to stay here for a long time. I heard another song that reminded me of you. I think it speaks of your inner turmoil, and how it isn't always easy for you to see the beauty in life. There is beauty, Harry. Please believe that.

If You Could See

There's a hush in the city

Its velvet tonight

She stares out at the lamp post

The halo surrounding it

Paint covers her face

She refills the glasses

And the dim light and laughter

Smiles and the banter

Conceal her secret

"Do you

Know where you're going?

Because I am

Adrift off the shore"

I said maybe

You lost direction

"Can you see something pretty?

Because I've lost that part long ago"

I said maybe

If you could see what we see

She sits cold in a paper gown

Bare feet on the floor

She feels blank as the pages

Of prescription slips

Yet to be filled

It's safe behind these walls

It's quiet in here

But the solace around her

Will soon disappear

When they put her together again

"Do you

Know where you're going?

Because I am

Adrift off the shore"

I said maybe

You lost direction

"Can you see something pretty?

Because I've lost that part long ago"

I said maybe

If you could see what we see

She said, "Do you know what you want?

Have trouble being alone?

Because sometimes the hardest

Thing in the world

Is waking up to yourself"

"Do you

Know where you're going?

Because I am

Adrift off the shore"

I said maybe

You've lost direction

"Can you see something pretty?

Because I've lost that part long ago"

I said maybe

If you could see what we see.

Never forget that there is beauty still in the world, Harry. Don't forget to love yourself and others. We will never forget to love you.

Your Angel,

Luna

I almost feel like crying now. Luna never ceases to amaze me. I'm going to have to have a talk with her at some point as well. Why is everything getting so complicated? What happened to straight up normal friendships? Why do I have to redefine how I feel now towards Hermione and Luna? And what about things with Ron? If one of us does end up with Hermione, what effect will that have on the other one? If getting older causes things to get this confusing, I'd rather have no part of it. So, I'll have to send out thank you's to everyone at some point. It doesn't seem adequate for the things Hermione and Luna gave me. This is shaping up to be quite a year.

Harry collected all of his presents and took them up to his room. The briefcase Hagrid had given him had devoured Neville's plant and was now racing about the garden chasing after the gnomes. The gnomes didn't seem to be enjoying it nearly as much as when it was Crookshanks doing the chasing. It may have been the fact that the briefcase had already taken a healthy bite out of one of them and was trying to corner another. Hagrid certainly had a way with gifts. Harry was just starting to hope that he had been forgotten about by the people downstairs when he heard the loud voice of Fred yelling up at him.

"Hey, Harry, get your scrawny ass down here! It's time to cut the cake and start the real festivities!"

Deeply worried about what "The real festivities" involved, Harry slowly made his way back down to the living room. His cake had been placed on the kitchen table and everyone was grouped around it, waiting for Harry to blow out his candles.

"Make a wish, Harry," Hermione said as she smiled at him.

"Ok. I guess my wish would be..."

"Hey, you can't say what you wish for, it will negate the wish!" Ginny said.

Harry kept his mouth shut and thought to himself what he wanted to wish for. A lot of things flashed through his mind, but none of them seemed at all possible. Voldemort wouldn't just go away, Sirius wouldn't come back, and he would almost certainly have to go back to Privet Drive again next summer. Instead, he decided to wish for something that seemed almost unlikely. He wished that everyone there that night would all be alive and well that same time next year. Blowing out his candles, he couldn't help but notice how the flames from them danced in the eyes of Luna, and how the soft lighting from it caused her naturally alabaster skin to give off a faint glow. As soon as his breath hit the candles however, his mind quickly refocused onto other matters, such as making sure that his face wasn't set ablaze.

"Ever Combustible Candles!" Fred announced as the people surrounding the cake stepped back to avoid the belch of flame that shot up from it. "Blowing on them only causes them to swell up. Oh, and whatever you do, don't try dousing them with water. That causes them to burn white hot and melts through the table. Only one galleon a box."

Mrs. Weasley quickly grabbed hold of Fred from the back of his neck.

"Put them out...now!"

"Ow, take it easy, mum! All you have to do is cut the cake. As soon as the knife touches the icing the charm will be broken."

After the inferno had subsided, it was found that the cake itself was unaffected by the fire and they all enjoyed a piece of it. It turned out to be one of the most unusual cakes Harry had ever seen. A third of it was dark chocolate, another third was cherry, and the final third was pistachio. Each third also had a different kind of icing, and Harry ended up having a little bit of each. After he was pleasantly full from the mountain of meatballs and cake, Harry made another attempt to get away from the crowd and have a word with Ron. He had just about made it over to him when the twins drug him back up front.

"Not so fast, Harry. In honor of your sixteenth birthday, we thought that a ceremony was in order."

Harry tensed up immediately. What kind of ceremony were they talking about? Was another of their joke products involved? The candles had nearly burned the house down, what were they planning now?

"Fred, George, I don't think..."

"In honor of your sixteenth birthday, Harry, George and I arranged a little extra present for you. Would all the remaining girls please line up over here?"

The five girls that remained at the party all lined up in front of Harry, grinning at him, making him all the more nervous as to what was about to happen. Without any time to wonder what was going to happen, she stepped forward and gave him a very energetic kiss on the lips.

"Happy Birthday, Harry. I'm glad to have you as a friend. It's your loss that you didn't grab me when you had the chance."

Harry couldn't help but laugh along with everyone else. Ginny had really came into her own over the last year and her growing confidence really suited her. Next in line was Fleur, a fact that made Harry gulp rather harder than normal. She too stepped forward and gave him a slightly less energetic kiss, but still a very nice one. He supposed this was partially due to her emoting some of her Veela magic, owing to the fact that he was feeling rather weak at the knees. She then unexpectedly gave him another kiss, this one slightly longer than the first.

"Happy Birthday, Harry. The first one was from me, and the other from Gabrielle. You made quite an impression on her during the tournament, as you did with me. Your bravery will take you far, Harry. Never doubt that."

It was because of his slightly euphoric state that Harry didn't pay much attention to who came up to him next. All he noticed was a seemingly half hearted kiss on his right cheek and the faint smell of jasmine.

"Happy Birthday, Harry. I know that we aren't as close as we used to be, and I know it isn't all your fault. I really do wish you well, Harry. I have faith in you."

Cho then walked away and strode right past Dean who was busy glaring at Ginny and Neville. Harry couldn't help feeling sorry for her, even if she had treated him very unfairly over the past year. Two girls remained, and it was the shy smile of Luna that he now took in before him. She slowly made her way towards him. He could hear murmuring and badly suppressed laughter around him, but he wasn't able to focus on any of that. All he could see was the attractive girl whose lips were coming down to meet his. Her kiss was as gentle as a spring breeze, but it had as profound an impact on him as if it had been a pat on the back from Hagrid. The effect wasn't quite the same as Fleur's Veela magic, but it seemed to have a magic of its own. If Harry had been more of a romantic, he would have classified the kiss as "life altering," but "awesome" did just as well.

"Happy Birthday, Harry. I know I haven't known you as long as your other friends, and I know you don't let many people past the defenses that you've erected around your soul, but I hope that time will change all of that. You have an old soul, Harry. You have lived whole lifetimes already that many people never live if they get to be a hundred. You are a beautiful person, Harry, and I am truly honored to be your friend."

When Luna stepped away, Harry was gripped by the overwhelming urge to go after her. What had she meant by him having an "old soul?" He couldn't help but think that Luna also seemed to be somehow older than her actual years. Before he could do anything, the last person in the line stepped forward. Harry saw out of the corner of his eye that Ron quickly turned away, likely due to his not wanting to see what was about to happen.

Harry was expecting another kiss on the cheek, like the one he had received from Hermione at the end of fourth year. It had come as a surprise to him at the time, but he thought he would be ready for it now. What he wasn't ready for was the straight on lip smacker that he received from her this time. This caused yet another odd sensation to race through his senses. He couldn't even really evaluate this one. His emotions were heavily overtaxed by now and he badly needed to have a quiet lie down soon. It looked as if Hermione had tears welling up in her eyes as she pulled back. Harry couldn't help but think that, yet again, he had caused another girl who kissed him to get upset.

"Happy Birthday, Harry. I'm sorry about being stupid before, you deserved an S. The more years that pass, I lose track of more of my life that didn't have you in it. It scared me at first, but now I've come to see it as a blessing. I don't want to think of my life without you in it. Whatever the future holds for you, it holds for us both. I promise I'll never leave you, Harry. I never have, and I never will."

Hermione had to rush the last few sentences of her speech before she finally burst into tears. She then have Harry a surprisingly strong hug and ran off to the loo to compose herself, Ginny following right behind her. Harry made to follow them when he ran directly into Ron who had been planning the same thing. They stared at one another for a long moment before they both spoke at the exact same time.

"Look, Harry..."

"Ron, look..."

"You go first," They said in unison.

Harry shook his head.

"This is silly. Ron, you go first."

Ron took in a deep breath and finally let it all out.

"Fine. Harry, you may have noticed that I've been a little...out of sorts lately."

"I did notice that, yeah."

"Well, it's because of some of the stuff Ginny was saying yesterday and because of some of the stuff that I've noticed today. You may not believe this, Harry, but I think I...that is to say I...I think Hermione is...I'd like to..."

Harry knew exactly what Ron was getting at, and he also knew that for him to actually say it might take the rest of the night.

"It's ok, Ron. I know how you feel about Hermione."

Ron immediately stopped stammering and stared open mouthed at Harry.

"You do? Thank god. I've wanted to tell someone, and I knew you'd understand. What kept me from doing it though was the fear that I might not be the only one who felt this way. So, what about it, Harry? Do you have feelings for her as well? If you do, we may have a problem. You're my best friend, and I look at you more like a brother than some of my actual brothers, but I've never felt this strongly about anything in my life. I need to know how it is between the two of you. The two of you seem awfully...chummy, lately. If the two of you are together, and you haven't told me, I don't think I can be around either of you any more. If you do care about her, but you haven't said anything to her, I'm asking you, as your best friend...as a brother...not to. I really care about her, Harry. Please, don't take her away from me. Please?"

Harry was more than a little taken aback by Ron's outpouring of emotion. He had known that Ron had a crush on Hermione, but this seemed to be coming from a stronger emotion than that.

"Ron, look, its ok. Hermione and I are not going out, I swear to god. You know, I had to tell your mum that once. Remember back in fourth year when she sent us all our Easter eggs, and the one she sent Hermione was about the size of a sparrow egg? Remember the look on Hermione's face? That was a classic."

Ron couldn't help but laugh at the memory. The article from Rita Skeeter had made it sound as if Hermione were some kind of "scarlet woman." He reddened slightly at the memory that he had actually called her that at the time.

"Ok, so you aren't going out...yet. Do you swear to me, on your honor, that you aren't going to ask her out, and that you don't think about her in that way at all, ever."

"Ron, you aren't being fair. I can't swear that I won't ever think something. I can't tell you that I don't think she's attractive, because she is. I can't tell you that I don't notice how she's developed over the last few months, because any male that walks by can't help but notice. I can't even tell you how I really do feel about her, because I don't honestly know myself. I mean, she's not like anyone else I've ever known, and she just happens to be a girl. What I can tell you is that I would never do anything purposely to hurt you, or her. I can swear to you that I won't go after her if you are. Besides, I've got enough things on my mind as it is."

Ron listened carefully to everything Harry had said and nodded. He assured himself that Harry was a man of his word, and that he had nothing to worry about now. He was glad, since he never did like being alienated from Harry. It always left him feeling like a piece of himself was missing.

"Ok, I'll settle for that. I didn't mean to sound like a prat, I was just a little...I don't know...jealous of the idea of the two of you doing something without me."

"Ron, don't worry about it. You didn't do anything wrong. Hey, if you do catch me doing anything with Hermione you don't like, you have my permission to kick my ass, ok? Like I said, I've got enough problems right now."

Ron smiled for the first time that day.

"So I've noticed. Loony is playing easy to get, isn't she? I think you're on a promise there, if you play your cards right."

"She's something, isn't she?"

"Too right. What was that little song about? Why was she calling you 'Mr. President'?"

"She was pretending to be a Muggle film star named Marilyn Monroe. She sang Harry Birthday to President Kennedy.

"Whatever you say, mate. She's just so very...odd, you know. She cuts her own fringe, that one."

"Yeah, I guess so. She's pretty cool, though. She's a great listener, and she has a really calming influence on me."

"Really? She kind of creeps me out to tell you the truth. Oh well, she'll be heading home soon, the party is starting to clear out. I need to go over and rescue Ginny; Neville has been pestering her all night."

As the two of them turned to rejoin the party, Hermione and Ginny came up to meet them.

"There you both are," Hermione exclaimed as they came to stand in front of them. Ron's face reddened slightly.

'Yeah, we, uh, ran out of butterbeer. Looks like people are starting to head home. Has Neville left yet?"

Ginny smiled.

"Funny you should mention him. It turns out Neville's gran is away visiting her brother in Swansea, so he's staying with us for a while. Isn't that great, Ron?"

Ron's face reddened even more as his mouth began to move without words coming from it. The evil grin returned to Ginny's face as she watched her brother struggling. She then moved her glimmering eyes from him to Harry.

"Oh, and you'll never guess who else is spending some time with us."

"Harry, could I borrow a shirt to sleep in? We seem to have the same torso length, I think."

The dreamy voice of Luna floated over to Harry from behind them. He looked over to see her smiling at him with her usual childlike innocence. Ginny's smile was not at all childlike or innocent at the moment, and Hermione didn't look like she knew what to think. Ron, for his part, continued to keep a narrowed eye on Neville. It was then that Harry realized he had been right; he had indeed had a very eventful birthday.