Harry Potter and the Year that Changed Everything

Harry Potter and the Year that Changed Everything (7)

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Chapter Seven: Growing Older, Growing Up.

"Harry, mate, I am so glad you're here."

"Thanks, Ron. I'm glad to be here, too."

"Yeah, mum only makes crepes when you're here."

"Gee, that makes me feel loved."

The rest of the group at the table laughed, as Ron spread another generous amount of whipped cream on his pile of delicate and delicious crepes. After making sure that Mrs. Weasley was in the larder and therefore out of earshot, Harry leaned forward and motioned the rest of them to do so as well.

"Just remember what I said, nobody else can know about Hermione and me being brother and sister, right?"

They all nodded their heads yes.

"And that includes people at school, right?"

Again, they all nodded their heads in affirmation.

"And you're all going to prevent Fred and George from doing anything to embarrass me at the party, right?"

They all shook their heads no.

"Well, it was worth a try."

"Ronald Billius Weasley! There are five other people at the table with you! I made those crepes special for Harry's birthday, not so you can stuff yourself with them."

Mrs. Weasley reappeared from the larder carrying an enormous amount of eggs and flour. The large tub of "Fat Friar's Fantastic Fondant" told them all that she was about to start on Harry's birthday cake. Ron's mouth watered in anticipation. Mrs. Weasley was a master of all forms of cooking, but when it came to sweets, she was nothing short of awe inspiring. Putting down her supplies, she walked back over to the table and loaded Harry's plate up for him.

"There you are, Harry. Oh, I can still hardly believe it! Our little Harry is all grown up. All my boys are men now. Well, you eat up and get ready for your party. I just need to get the food sorted. Why don't you all finish up with breakfast and then go back upstairs until the party starts. That will give us some time to decorate. Harry, I'll call you down when it's time. People will be arriving in a few hours so there's a lot to be done."

With a last forkful of strawberry filling, Harry and the rest of the group headed back upstairs and into the boy's bedroom. Ginny immediately took a seat in Neville's lap on his bed, while Luna leaned against Harry's side with her head on his shoulder on his. This left Hermione and Ron seated on his bed, a good foot of space between them. She still hadn't had a chance to get Ron by himself to talk to him about her feelings. Harry rubbed his incredibly full stomach and sighed in contentment.

"Ron, your mother should be given an OBE and an Order of Merlin for cooking. I don't see how we're going to have any appetite for the party."

Ron laughed.

"I'm sure we'll manage, mate. Mum's been looking forward to this since we got out of school. I swear at times she thinks she's got eight kids instead of seven. I'm surprised she hasn't tried to turn your hair red. Hey, who do you think will show up this year? I can't imagine we'll be seeing Miss Chang this year. Dean was smart to cut her loose. Ooh, but Fleur will be here again! That's something to look forward to, eh, Harry? Blimey, if I could switch places with my older brother for just one day. Maybe I should grow my hair long. Or maybe it's the earring."

Harry looked up to see Hermione's deep frown along with Ron's dreamy look. They were the exact same looks they had on their faces after the second task when Fleur had kissed them both on the cheeks. He quickly decided to steer the conversation away from the very voluptuous veela.

"My favorite part of last year was Luna showing up as Marilyn and singing to me. She looked like an angel."

Luna giggled and gave Harry a soft peck on the cheek while Ginny laughed.

"Come on, Harry. You don't need to suck up to her anymore, she's already going out with you. I'd bet my last galleon that your favorite part of last year was when all us girls lined up to give you your sweet sixteen kiss."

Harry blushed as the rest of them laughed. Ginny was right, he didn't mind that at all. Remembering that it was Fred and George that had set that up, he had a sudden frightening thought.

"Uh, guys, Fred and George didn't have anything like that planned for this year, did they?"

Ginny laughed again.

"Oh, you know those two. It's hard to tell what they might come up with. Come to think of it, now that you're of age, it could literally be anything. It's hard to say what they might have us girls line up to do with you this year."

Harry blushed an even deeper crimson while the rest of them laughed even harder. Before anyone had a chance to say anything else, Mrs. Weasley's voice rang out from downstairs.

"You lot can all come down now, we've got the decorations all done! Fred and George are here, and Bill and Fleur floo called and said they'd be here as soon as they could."

Ron grinned widely and rubbed his hands together in delight. Hermione, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to rub her own hands over his neck to strangle him. The rest of the group followed them down the stairs and stopped abruptly as they reached the last step. As it had last year, the bottom floor of the Burrow now looked as if it had been replaced with a banner and garland warehouse. Unlike last year, the giant banner that proclaimed "Happy Birthday, Harry!" now also included the same message to...

"Neville! I'm so sorry about not knowing it was your birthday as well last year. Well, this year, we're having a Birthday party for the both of you. Happy Birthday, dears!"

Mrs. Weasley then gave both Harry and Neville bone crushing hugs before returning to the kitchen to look after the food for the party. Neville just stood there, stunned. Ginny squeezed his hand and gave him a concerned look.

"Nevy, honey, are you ok?"

"I've...I've never had a birthday party with my friends before. It's always been just gran and me. Sometimes me uncle would be there, but I never had any friends there. This all just seems like a dream to me."

Neville's eyes misted over while Ginny hugged him close to her.

"It's no dream, baby. This is a Birthday party for everyone born on this date. Well, at least the two we can talk about. We girls will have a little party for Hermione later. Now, let's get down there and get some drinks before anyone starts showing up. With how things went last year, I'm sure there's going to be a good turn out again this year."

The group all went down to the drinks table and grabbed a butterbeer. As Ginny had predicted, it was only a few minutes afterward that the first arrivals began to show up.

Fred and George were the first two that wished Harry and Neville a Happy Birthday, all the while keeping a tight lip on what they might have planned for later. Hagrid once again showed up, but this time he arrived in an enormous coach pulled by two enormous horses. Also unlike last year, this time he arrived in the company of the elegantly attired, as well as very happy looking, Madame Maxime. Aware that the Burrow's ceilings were not sufficient to house the both of them, they both remained on the porch, sitting in magically enlarged rocking chairs. Dumbledore appeared next with a large wrapped present for Harry and a knowing smile for both he and Hermione. Minerva McGonagall arrived with the Headmaster and blushed slightly when Fred was heard to ask Dumbledore whom the "bird" was that he had pulled. She attempted to look affronted by the comment, but couldn't quite pull it off. Her act was further diminished when the Headmaster replied to Fred by saying that he'd, "always had a thing for older women." This comment caused the usually stoic professor to give him a smack on the arm and a feral growl in response.

Mrs. Weasley smiled the widest when she saw Percy and Penelope emerge from the fireplace, closely followed by Bill and Fleur. As always, the males in the room all took note of the French perfection that had graced their presence, while the females rolled their eyes. However, several of them followed this by holding their shoulders further back and their chin higher. Remus Lupin showed up with Tonks, explaining that they had just gotten off patrol duty in Knockturn Alley. Ever since Voldemort's sudden disappearance, the Order was searching for any sign of where he might have gone. Lavender and Parvarti arrived a little while later dressed fit to kill (or at least exhaust) and beamed at the first sight of Harry. The sight of him holding hands with Luna though caused them to go off to a corner by themselves and talk in hurried whispers. This caused Harry to become nervous; while it only made Luna giggle at the looks they were giving the two of them. Being a true novice to the idea of jealousy, she had no idea that Lavender and Parvarti could be talking about. In her mind, they had simply slipped away to talk somewhere quieter. And of course they would be looking at Harry; it's his birthday! The scathing looks they shot her were rather confusing, but maybe they were disappointed that she wasn't going to sing like she had last year. She made a mental note to dress up again next year. She'd have to look into borrowing her father's Sgt. Pepper outfit.

Before too long, the gift table was filled to bursting with presents for both Harry and Neville. As she had done last year, Mrs. Weasley provided the boys with a quill and parchment to write down what all they got and from whom they got it. With the same childish excitement he always showed when opening presents, Harry tore open his first present while the rest of the party watched.

Present list:

Hagrid- Well, at least it's not something alive this year. Instead, he's given me an intricately carved flute. I wasn't sure what to make of this until he explained it to me. Apparently he had been working on it ever since first year when we had encountered his "pet" Fluffy. According to him, you never know when you'll run into a beast you'll have to calm. Leave it to Hagrid to look on the bright side of things. I hope Madame Maxime likes pets.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley- Wow, this is a present I could never have dreamed of getting. The present itself is quite small, but it's worth more to me than all the gold I have in the world. The Weasley clock will now have ten hands on it. I must admit that I got tears in my eyes when I saw that, as it was attached to the clock, it immediately pointed to "Home."

Dumbledore and McGonagall- I didn't expect a gift from the both of them. Their present is something I've been fascinated by since the first time I saw one. Now I actually have my own pensieve. I imagine this will come in handy when the war comes. I plan on putting a lot of bad memories into it so I never have to think of them again.

Ron- Yes! There won't be any losing it this year! Ron has gone and got a liter bottle of Ogden's Rare Breed. At 180 proof, it should do the job nicely. Mrs. Weasley looks like she wants to take it away from me, but Mr. Weasley must have reminded her that I am of age now. She still doesn't look very happy, but I can't help but think that Mr. Weasley looks like he's trying not to grin. Wait; did he just wink at me? And how could Ron afford this? I wonder.

Neville- I thought maybe Neville would get me another plant this year, but instead he's given me a book. I can already see Hermione giving it the eye. It's the latest compendium of Defense spells and hexes. It's a huge thing and it must have cost him a packet. From the note he's included, I get the idea that he wants me to continue with the DA again this coming year. I'll have to think about it. I really do like doing it, but this is going to be our last year and N.E.W.T.'s year. I'll have to talk with Hermione about it.

Fred and George- Ok, I'll admit, I was worried about what they might get me. I opened the little box quite slowly and carefully, but it turned out to only contain three keys. As it turns out, the keys are all to their joke shops. Nobody else seems to know they had three of them now either. Their flagship store in Diagon Alley (Fred runs that one), Hogsmeade (George runs that one), and their newest location in America, near the Salem Academy (Lee Jordan runs that one). They told met that I could help myself to anything in the shops at any time. I tried to object, but they reminded me that, if it hadn't been for that thousand galleon start up money, they would have never been able to open their store in the first place.

Percy- Good lord, I never thought I'd get anything from him. Fortunately, it's not something he had to spend any money on. It turns out he's given me all his old notes from his seventh year. I don't know who looks more shocked at this, Ron, or Hermione. Ron looks like he wants to kill Percy, and Hermione looks like she wants to roll naked in the incredibly detailed reams of notes before me. It looks like he wrote down every word each of his professor's said. This means I won't have to feel bad about sleeping through History of Magic any more! I always did like Percy.

Bill and Fleur- At first I thought the wedding invitation would be the present, but there's more. Fleur has given me a custom tailored French set of dress robes in a bottle green color that is so smooth and buttery soft that Silk feels like burlap in comparison. She said she got them for me to wear at the wedding because she remembers how "handsome" I looked at the Yule Ball, and now that I've, "grown into a gorgeous man," I will look "superb" in them. I am currently blushing furiously; Luna is discussing my "gorgeousness" with Fleur, and Bill and Ron are both laughing their arses off at me. Some family they are. Oh, and on top of that, Fleur told me that Gabrielle is counting the days until she sees me again. I wonder how long I could survive if I locked myself in my Gringotts vault?"

Ginny- I owe Ginny one now. I expected a gag gift from Fred and George, but I forgot about their darling sister. It seems she's poking fun at me for being of age now. I didn't even know they made curb feelers for broomsticks.

Lupin- Once again, Remus has found a way to spend the stipend Sirius left him on me instead. Last year it was a bunch of Defense books; this year it's a collection of books on studying for N.E.W.T.'s. Hermione has now gone from looking over the books Hagrid got me to practically drooling over the N.E.W.T. study guides. I think these are going to be presents for the both of us. True to form, Ron is actually backing away from them like they might bite.

Two more left to go. I've saved the best two for last.

Hermione- Well, this will be the last gift she will have bought me as a friend and not as a sister. Oh my god, this is the best thing she could have given me. She must have been collecting these pictures since our first year. In a portfolio as large as the one Hagrid have me of my parents pictures, Hermione as now given me one full of pictures of the three of us all throughout out years at Hogwarts. I imagine Colin has taken most of them, but I have no idea how she got some of them. I look up from it to thank her and notice the knowing smiles on Dumbledore and McGonagall's faces. I think I have my answer.

Luna- This will be my first present from my first girlfriend. It seems to be the day for firsts, I guess. Knowing how...eccentric Luna is, I have no idea what she might have gotten me. Well, once again, she never ceases to amaze me. Even with the level of social retardation that I suffer from, I know a small black velvet box when I see one. She must have made me something again, like she did last year with the hair bracelet. I've yet to take that off since the day she gave it to me. When I opened it though, that idea is proved false. Within is a band of platinum gold with interlocking Celtic symbols and a claddagh adorned with two small diamonds in the crown. I don't know what to say, so I just looked up to see her looking at me with a look of apprehension. I try to give her a reassuring look, but I can't seem to manage any kind of emotion other than shock. It's the most beautiful ring I have ever seen. Luna apparently sensed my thoughts and is currently moving over to kneel beside me.

"Don't you like it, Harry?"

"It's...it's beautiful. But, Luna, this had to have been expensive. You shouldn't have spent this kind of money on me."

Luna giggled in her child-like manner.

"Harry, I wanted to get you something nice. Ever since I was born, my father has been depositing ten galleons a week for me into my own Gringotts account. It's not enough to get me my own portrait in the boardroom, but it's all I'll ever need. I've never really spent any money on anything before, other than school and butterbeer, so I thought I would do something special. I'm just glad that we've already declared our love for one another. This would have been rather awkward if we were still just friends."

Harry turned the ring around in his fingers and admired its perfection.

"Luna, it's an amazing gift, and I feel honored you gave it to me, but what is it supposed to mean? Isn't this some kind of an Irish symbol?"

Luna nodded.

"That's right, Harry. The claddagh has been a positive symbol for ages. I bought it for you as a sort of promise ring. I think it's usually the boy that gives the girl one of these, but I've never been much for convention. The only thing you have to remember is to always wear it with the heart tip pointing towards yourself."

Harry quirked an eyebrow as he did as he was told with the heart pointing towards himself, the diamonds caught the light beautifully.

"Why's that, Luna?"

"Well, if the heart is pointing away from yours, it means that your heart has yet to be claimed. If the heart is pointing towards yours, it means that someone has claim on it. This way, anytime you look at it, you'll know that I am in your heart, just as you are in mine."

Harry smiled broadly at this beautiful girlfriend before leaning towards her and giving her a deep and passionate kiss. This romantic moment was quickly interrupted by a chorus of "aww" from the females present, along with an equal amount of laughter from the males. This caused Harry to blush again and Luna to hug him close and cradle his head to her shoulder.

Once Harry's presents were all opened, Neville was even further surprised to find that he had received some himself. The highlight of his gift opening was when he opened the one that Ginny had given him. He refused to let anyone else see what it was, but from the deep reddening of his face and the devilish grin on Ginny's, it was quite obviously something that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would not have liked.

Once all of both boy's presents had been opened and groups were pairing off to talk to one another, Fred and George plopped themselves down on either side of Luna and the still cuddled Harry.

"Aww, would you look at that, George? Our wittle Harry-kins is all gwone up now. Of course, wrapped up like a baby in a blankie isn't the most manly look in the world."

Harry suddenly realized that he was indeed being rocked back and forth gently by Luna and straightened up. On reflex, he reached out his hand and grabbed hers. He didn't want to ever let her go now that he had her. As he blushed for what he felt must be the millionth time that day at Fred's teasing, George gave him a grin from his spot next to Luna.

"Right you are, Fred. But it seems our Harry has matured in more ways than one. Who would have ever imagined that short and scrawny lad we met all those years ago would grow into a strapping bloke with a blonde on his arm? And here I thought that his old Yule Ball date Parvarti would be the one for him. Well, at least I did until I started dating her, eh, Fred?"

"Right you are, George. I remember thinking the same about ickle Ronnie-kins and his old gal-pal Padma. Well, at least until I started dating her."

Harry laughed.

"You two and the Patil twins? How can you tell them apart? For that matter, how can they tell the two of you apart? And is Parvarti is dating, why is she still looking at me like she wants to kill me?"

Fred smirked in the patented Weasley manner.

"Ah, that's what keeps it interesting. A little mystery is a wonderful thing young grasshopper. And the reason she's looking at you like that is she was hoping to set you up with Lavender so she'd stop being a serial dater."

Harry looked shocked while Luna giggled. Fred laughed as well.

"Only joking about the mystery, Harry. I've got a small scar behind my knee that keeps me sorted, and Padma has the cutest little birthmark on her..."

Fred was interrupted by his brother's coughing as their mother made her way by them to get more drinks, Even though there was no conceivable way she could have heard what Fred had been saying, she still gave him a hard look as she passed them. It was eerie how she seemed to know what her children were up to at all times. George cleared his throat and turned his attention back to Harry when the coast was clear.

"Well now, Harry. You may be wondering what mayhem we have planned for you this year. Sadly, I must inform you that our plans had to be scrapped under threat of severe penalty."

Harry's brow furrowed in confusion.

"What kind of penalty?"

"Mum said she would stop doing our laundry. We've tried to do it ourselves and ended up with a bunch of pink robes. She said that, now you've got a steady girlfriend, we were not to do anything that might be in poor taste. Since all the things we do are in poor taste, that narrowed the field a bit too much. Shame though, one of the dancers was a contortionist. Alas and alack. Anyway, now that you are of age and all, what are you looking forward to doing first?"

Harry bit his bottom lip in thought.

"Well, one thing I'd like to do is..."

But before Harry could finish his thought, an owl flew through the opened kitchen window with an official looking document attached to his leg. Landing upon Harry's shoulder, the bird stuck out its leg to allow Harry to detach the message. Once done, the owl flew off again after grabbing a beak full of Ron's cake. Hermione, who had come over when she saw the owl arrive, looked at the large envelope that Harry now held in his hand.

"Who's it from, Harry?"

Harry read the calligraphy style writing on the front.

"It's from Gringotts. It says it is to be opened upon the date of my coming of age. Well, I guess that's today."

Harry then proceeded to open the envelope and pulled out the first page inside it to read aloud.

Dear Mr. Potter-

As of 12:01 AM this morning, you are officially now recognized as a wizard of age and thereby an adult. In accordance with this, any and all restrictions upon your access to your vaults contents are, as of now, rescinded. In addition to all deeds of property and miscellaneous items contained within said vaults, the following is a disclosure of available monies in each.

This brings your accounts receivable to a total of 22,840,490 galleons. 5,010,850 sickles. 3,530,395 knuts. When calculated with the addition of property and other artifacts of antiquity, your gross amount on account in consideration of current gold, silver, diamond and other precious metals values, is a sum in exceed of 40,000,000 galleons.

Please feel free to stop by Gringotts main office at anytime with any questions you might have in regards to your finances. There is never a need for an appointment, as Mr. Turncrank has been assigned as your personal financial administrator, as is our custom with accounts in excess of one million galleons.

On behalf of the entire staff here at Gringotts, I wish you a happy and safe Birthday, and eagerly await the chance to serve you in the future.

Your servant,

Steelforge Gringotts

Head Goblin

Gringotts Wizarding Bank

"Serving the magical world for 754 generations"

Harry immediately regretted reading the letter aloud when he had finally finished it. A crushing silence hung in the air as his emotions ranged from shock to complete embarrassment. Everyone that was in earshot when he read the letter now stood frozen in shock. You could count on one hand the ancient magical families that had a million or more galleons. It was a smaller amount of single wizards or witches that had such wealth, and they were mostly well over a hundred years old. Sitting on the floor of the Burrow now was the only teenage wizard in the world to have such wealth at his disposal. His nearest competitor, Draco Malfoy, had 1.3 million on account. Sensing Harry's extreme awkwardness, Fred and George went back to their good-natured teasing of their friend, who now happened to be a multi-millionaire.

"Morgan Le Fey's panties, Harry! Give us our bloody keys back! Or maybe you'd like to buy us out? I could do with an early retirement. George and I could move to Florida with the old Muggles. Shuffleboard and dinner at 3:30 in the afternoon, here we come!"

Fred's joke seemed to break the tension in the room as everyone, including Harry, laughed.

"I think you two are a little young to sign up for Wizard's pension, Fred. I didn't ask for this money, you know? Besides, all the money in the world isn't going to get rid of Voldemort for me. It is a strange feeling, though. For the first eleven years of my life, I had absolutely nothing but the over-sized clothes on my back. Now I've got more money than I could ever spend in ten lifetimes. I can help a lot of people with this money, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. My parents and Sirius would have wanted that."

Luna beamed at him in admiration and kissed him on the cheek, which earned another chorus of "aww" from those around them.

Fred and George dramatically rubbed non-existent tears from their eyes.

"Did you hear that, George? Harry is going to help those that are less fortunate. Of course, since he's got about half the galleons in Europe that means everyone! Come on, Harry! You can have whatever you want! You could buy every new Firebolt 2K produced to make sure the Gryffindor team won the Quidditch cup this year! You could buy Wembley Stadium and have your own Professional Quidditch team play there! You could buy the Ministry of Magic and turn it into a casino! You could give it to George and me to blow in strip clubs!

Everyone laughed again, except for Mrs. Weasley who growled and swatted Fred on the arm. The effect was somewhat diminished when Padma then gave a little shake of her hips behind her back, causing Fred to place an imaginary galleon in her imaginary garter.

Harry laughed at Fred's antics and Mrs. Weasley's disapproving glare. No amount of money could make him feel more comfortable than he felt at being a part of this family. His family.

"Fred, I think you support enough of Knockturn Alley's establishments as it is. No, possessions were never that important to me. Hell, I never had any growing up. I've already got everything I need right here. Good friends, a loving family, and the most beautiful girl in the world as my girlfriend."

Harry then leaned towards Luna and gave her a kiss that would have given him a detention had they been at Hogwarts. "P.D.A." didn't even come close to what this was. After the first thirty seconds, most of the people around them looked away, feeling more than a little awkward at watching something to intimate. Harry and Luna didn't care; they were in their own little world. When they finally did come up for air, they realized that they had just snogged in front of a roomful of people. Harry quickly blushed, as Luna looked a bit dizzy. His kisses seemed to have that effect on her.

As time wore on and large amounts of cake and ice cream and punch were consumed, the party started to wind down. When all the guests had returned home and the Burrow was cleaned up, the group all splintered apart for their separate activities.

Harry and Luna had thanked everyone for coming and then decided to take an evening stroll down to the pond. On the way to the door, they passed Hermione carrying out a case of empty butterbeer bottles.

"Hey, you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't do out there."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Very funny, Hermione. Hey, why don't we do something later tonight for your birthday? We could all do something in our room, or we could come to yours."

Hermione and Luna both grinned.

"Thanks, Harry, but we girls already have something planned, and it's girls only I'm afraid. You can make it up to me by buying me something off the snack trolley on the train back to school. That is, if you think you can afford it."

Harry shook his head at her.

"Well, aren't we the witty one tonight? You forget you can have whatever you want out of the Potter vault as well, seeing as you are one. But, if all you want is a cauldron cake, so be it. Hell, I'll buy the whole damn trolley. It'll be like first year all over again. Now, Luna and I are going for a walk. I'm sure Ginny and Neville will be 'mysteriously' disappearing soon as well. Gee, that would leave you and Ron. Huh, I wonder what the two of you could talk about."

Harry grinned broadly as the idea sunk into his sister's head. She then broke out into a wide grin of her own.

"Hey, don't let me keep you both from your walk! I just need to check on something in the living room...or possibly upstairs."

Luna and Harry both laughed as Hermione quickly sidestepped them in her pursuit of Ron. With one last look at her retreating back, the two of them hugged each other closer and walked out the front door into the gentle warmth of the summer's evening.

Hermione found Ron sitting across from Neville and Ginny in the living room. Ron was talking to them about what he would do if he had Harry's money. Unfortunately for him, it didn't appear that his audience was paying him the slightest bit of attention. Instead, Neville was leaning back on the sofa with one arm around Ginny's shoulder and the other resting on her knee. For her part, Ginny was resting her head in the crook of Neville's shoulder while she had both legs curled up beside her on the couch, both hands occupied with hugging her boyfriend tightly. Their eyes were locked on one another without a single thought to spare for anyone or anything else in the world.

Ron could never be accused of being fast on the pickup, but even he managed to realize after a few minutes that he could start talking to them about being madly in love with Grawp and they wouldn't so much as flinch. After all the displays of affection he had seen that day, this was the last straw.

"Right, I'm going to bed. If you two can manage a moment apart, would you tell Harry and Hermione goodnight for me? Cheers."

Hermione remained unnoticed in the doorway as she watched Ron turn away from the couple on the couch. He then gave a last shake of his head at them and walked up the steps to his room. Realizing her opportunity had come at last; she took a steadying breath and followed in Ron's wake.

Ron had quickly changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed when he heard a soft knock upon his closed door. This perplexed him. It couldn't be Harry, he was off somewhere with Luna. It couldn't be Neville; he was still making goo-goo eyes at his sister. It couldn't be Hermione because, well, his luck wasn't nearly that good. No, it must be his mother, coming up to harp at him for not helping clean up or something.

"Mum, I'm in my pajamas! I'll help clean up in the morning, ok?"

When his door opened he expected to see the stern face of his mother, not the smiling face of Hermione.

"Well, I'm not your mother, I've seen you countless times in your pajamas, and I think your other brothers are helping with the clean up. At least your oldest brothers are. I think Fred and George are being more of a hindrance than help. Last I saw them they were spinning plates on the end of their wands."

Ron laughed.

"Yeah, that sounds like them. I just couldn't stay down there any longer. Everyone else is paired off and snogging while I'm left feeling like the odd man out. I know it's a night for Harry and Neville, well, and you, I guess, but I can't help feeling like a shadow, you know?"

Hermione sat down on the edge of Ron's bed and chuckled slightly.

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. It's like when you're in grade school and teams are getting picked at recess and you're the last one. The mercy pick that nobody wants."

Ron nodded.

"It's never really bothered me before, even though our friendship is a little strange. I mean, there are three of us, and I've got two best friends. I never thought that was strange before, but I guess I do now. How can you have two best friends? And now that Harry and Luna are together, does that mean he'll be spending more time with her and less time with us? And what about us? Harry is the one that got us all together. What would happen is he left us? You'll go off and be with some bloke, and Ginny and Neville will be off somewhere, and that'll leave me on my own. I just wish I could find my own girl. Someone I could snog once in a while, someone to sit on my lap in front of the Gryffindor fireplace, someone to...love. I guess I'm just not supposed to have that right now."

Ron made to turn away from Hermione to hide his slightly trembling bottom lip, but was stopped by her hand on his arm.

"Ron, everyone is supposed to have that. Everyone can have that. There is a girl out there for you, and she may be a lot closer than you think."

Ron's despair was replaced by disbelief at Hermione's words.

"Yeah, right. Pull the other one, why don't you? What girl would settle for being with me? The Wizarding world's most famous side kick?"

And that's when it happened. She had meant it to be accomplished sooner than this, but she decided it was worth the wait. Without giving Ron a chance to react, Hermione leaned down and closed her eyes at the last second before giving him a kiss on his still slightly trembling lips. As she pulled back she grinned at the look of utter shock and amazement on Ron's face. He looked as if a basilisk had just petrified him. Hermione laughed at the comedic look on his face before looking at him with a look of complete seriousness.

"I would."

**********

It was close to midnight by the time the three boys were all together so that they could commence with their own "party." Ron started off by producing the three glasses he had nicked from the kitchen to pour the firewhiskey he had got for Harry into. Once their glasses were fully charged, the three boys raised them in a toast to the birthday boys.

"To Neville and Harry. Two better blokes you couldn't find anywhere," Ron said before they all threw back their first shots. After a refill, Neville raised his glass.

"To Harry and Ron. I am honored to be able to call you both my friends."

The three all threw back their shots at the same time and refilled their glasses so that Harry could make his toast.

"To Ron and Neville. I would give my life for either of you. I could not ask for a better friend, or an honorary brother."

The trio then drank again before refilling their glasses for a fourth toast. After a few more of them, the ability to form coherent thought was greatly impaired. After a rousing toast to "Dinky and Wobby the house elks", Ron knocked his wand against his glass as if he was at a wedding reception. At the moment, he might have thought he was.

"Well, it may not be my birthday, but I do have something to celebrate."

Neville made to grab his glass but couldn't decide which of the twelve he saw before him was his.

"What is it? Did you manage to beat your record for éclair consumption?"

Harry laughed loudly and sloshed his own drink a bit.

"Oh, I know, you finally managed to transfigure your text books into PlayWizard magazines. I know you've been working on that one."

Ron frowned at the both of them.

"No, I didn't beat my éclair record because that one will stand forever. And no, I haven't figured out how to transfigure my textbooks into PlayWizard magazines. Mind you, I am still working on that one. What I'm celebrating is the greatest thing to ever happen to me. Boys, prepare to be amazed. I, Ronald Wheezy...I mean Weedy...sod it! I kissed Hermione! Well, let's see those chins drop."

Ron expected to see Harry and Neville stare at him in shock, but instead they were merely looking at him with the same blank expressions they'd had since they started drinking.

"Well, aren't you surprised? I kissed Hermione! We snogged! You can't tell me you could have imagined that one! I know I couldn't."

Harry and Neville looked at one another and shrugged. Harry put his glass down and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"I did. Hermione wanted to tell you since we got back from talking with Dumbledore. If it hadn't been for Neville declaring his great love for your sister she would have told you then."

Neville nodded.

"Yeah, Ginny told me a while ago that Hermione fancied you. She said that Hermione didn't say anything before because she didn't want to be the Yoko that broke up the band. I never did find out what a Yoko was. I thought it was something Luna had thought up."

Ron's frown deepened.

You mean you both knew that she liked me and you never told me? Some friends you are!"

Harry busted out laughing again.

"Would you have believed us, or would you have thought we were just winding you up?"

Ron seemed to think about this, which proved difficult owing to the amount of alcohol in his system.

"No, I guess I wouldn't have believed you. It just seems like a dream come true for me. I don't feel like this very often."

Harry nodded.

"You're telling me. I've tried for the last year to sort out my own feelings for Luna and then all of a sudden, it dawned on me. Love isn't something that is logical. It isn't something you can plan or have control over. It's a risk, but it's a risk that has the greatest reward. I can hardly believe how lucky I am to have someone like Luna that cares about me in the same way I care about her. I honestly thought that I would never have that in my life after growing up the way I did. Well, now I do, and I will never take it for granted."

Neville gave Harry a pat on the shoulder.

"Well said, mate. It's like we've all been saved from ourselves. All three of us have been as low as we can get, and yet we've all managed to somehow get these amazing women to help us get up again by completing us. Where Ron can be rash and emotional, Hermione is methodical and logical. Where Harry can be withdrawn and anxious, Luna is compassionate and calming. Where I can be insecure and shy, Ginny is confident and effusive. They are our perfect balance."

Ron and Harry stared at Neville in complete amazement. Ron blinked rapidly in an attempt to process this in-depth character assessment.

"Neville, that was the most poetic thing I have ever heard. It's like you read that out of one of those mushy cards they have at Flourish and Blott's. How did you come up with that?"

Neville looked Ron directly in the eyes.

"Ron, I'm not going to lie to you. I am completely and utterly faced."

All three boys laughed hysterically for a long time before they finished up the bottle and flopped onto their beds. They were all quite drowsy, but the warmth generated by the firewhiskey in their systems kept them contently immersed in a waking stupor. Neville turned to face Ron.

"Hey, Ron, now that you're going out with Hermione, I feel like I should tell you something. Back in fourth year, I had a huge crush on her. I ever asked her to the Yule Ball."

Ron turned to look back at Neville.

"Yeah, I kind of figured you did. I felt kind of stupid that you had figured out she was a girl before I did. Well, I guess Krum did, too. Geez, I was a stupid git, wasn't I? Anyway, since we're having confessional, I have one myself."

Ron then rolled back over to look at Harry.

"Harry, back in fifth year, I had a big crush on Luna. I think it was because I was trying to figure out what I was feeling for Hermione and I was jealous of what I thought might be going on between the two of you. Luna laughed at the jokes that Hermione only rolled her eyes at, and she rooted me on in Quidditch, which Hermione didn't care that much about. And she does have those really weird eyes. I thought maybe she could help me get over Hermione, but that was all before she made it obvious that she was hung up on you since day one."

Harry turned towards Ron.

"Yeah, I knew that one, too. You really aren't that hard to read, Ron. I think everyone noticed how you turned into Mr. Comedian when she was around. And there was also the fact that you had thought she was mental all those months, and then all of a sudden you were talking to her every chance you got. I thought it was cute. Well, I did until I started to have my own feelings for her, then I wanted to tell you to sod off."

All three boys laughed again as Harry then turned over to look at Neville.

"I guess that means it's my turn to fess up. Neville, back in fifth year while Ron was trying to chat up Luna, I was having my own non-platonic feelings for Ginny. I think it all started when she started dating around and I still had nobody. Well, there was that nonsense with Cho, but to be honest, Ginny is way cuter than Cho was. Anyway, the whole fight at the Ministry kind of turned my head towards Luna, but I have to admit that I did enjoy watching her walk around in her Quidditch leathers that year. Still do, actually."

Both of the other boys laughed. Ron's laughter didn't last too long, owing to his slow realization that the leather pants clad girl in question was his little sister, but Neville's left him quite winded.

"You weren't the only one watching her in those. I used to envy the cows that gave up their lives to caress her thighs. And I knew from the start that she had been crazy about you since before she even got to Hogwarts. I'm just lucky to have her, mate. We're all really lucky."

Such sentiment deserved another drink but, alas and alack, there was no more to partake in. The effect, however, was not lost on them. A silence hung over them for a while before Ron added his own thoughts on the matter.

"Guys, I just want to say that I think it's great that we're all secure enough with your feelings that we can talk like this. The girls would be really pleased with us. They'd probably be mad we were drunk, though."

Meanwhile

"Ginny, my hands are bigger than yours. Should I only pour one finger worth into the glasses?"

Ginny rolled her eyes and took the bottle of Ogden's from Hermione.

"Just pour the booze into the glass already! Christ, nobody cares how big your hands are. That's something to look for in a guy, not a girl. Let's have a proper shot here."

Ginny took over pouring out the generous shots and handed Hermione and Luna their glasses. Hermione huffed indignantly.

"Ginny, I paid for that bottle! I'd like to see it last more than one toast, thank you."

Ginny ignored her while Luna's face scrunched up in confusion.

"What does it matter about the size of a guy's hand? Is it something about the ring size?"

Ginny dissolved into a fit of giggles while Hermione blushed. Recovering, Ginny gave Luna a pat on the knee as she grinned at her blonde friend.

"It's nothing, Luna. You've got nothing to worry about. Harry can palm a quaffle with ease. Anyway, who wants to make the first toast?"

Hermione was still blushing as she cleared her throat in order to gain the other two's attentions.

"I would like to toast to my first ever boyfriend and my first real birthday. I finally got up the nerve to tell Ron how I feel about him, and he said he still feels the same way about me! Isn't that great?"

The other two girls gave little squeals of happiness for their friend and congratulated her before they all took their first drink. As had happened the previous year, Ginny and Luna seemed to handle it well enough, while Hermione made a face like she was trying very hard not to sneeze. Pouring them all another drink, Ginny raised her own glass.

"What a difference a year makes, eh? Last year at this time, we were all pining over boys, and this year we are with them. Last year, Harry and Hermione were best friends, and now they're brother and sister. It's like this past year has changed everything for us. We are all really lucky to have gotten what we wanted so badly."

As it had been with the boys, there were several more rounds of toasting before they too began to experience the numbing sensation and lowering of inhibitions that the alcohol had on them. The Ministry of Magic may have carefully monitored Veritaserum, but for the price of five galleons, firewhiskey had nearly the same effect on a person. As it had also been with the boys, a sudden need to confess seemed to fall over the girls in their quickly addled states. Hermione set her fourth drink down before turning her head to look at Luna.

"Luna, I'm really glad you and Harry finally got together. I know how much he cares about you, and I'm glad my brother can be happy for a change. Yep, you two are perfect for one another."

Luna smiled shyly and blushed. Hermione, however, continued.

"Mind you, back before I knew we were related, I had a massive crush on him. I had one on him and Ron both, actually. I've thought of them as 'my boys' in more ways than one, if you know what I mean. I think if I could have dated both of them I would have. Don't get me wrong, I love Ron with all my heart, but Harry's just so...fit."

Hermione then broke out into a fit of drunken giggles. Luna's smile seemed to be fading a bit, although she did remain slightly red in the face. Ginny was laughing along with Hermione as well.

"He is wickedly fit! I mean, I love Neville more than life itself, but Harry is like a wet dream come to life. I remember the first time I saw him at King's Cross. Woof. I honestly think I hit puberty at that precise moment. Before that I was always dreaming of running through fields of flowers, or having my own owl. Well, after that day my dreams all changed. Some of them still involved fields of flowers, but I sure as hell wasn't running anywhere!"

Ginny and Hermione burst out laughing again, causing their empty glasses to be knocked over onto the floor. Luna set down her own glass and spoke in a voice very unlike her normally dreamy one.

"The only boy I've ever thought about is Harry."

The other two girls stopped laughing and looked at Luna incredulously. Ginny scoffed.

"You must be bloody joking! We go to a school with all those boys, and Harry is the only one you've ever thought about sexually? There has to be someone else, surely!"

"No, I never have. I've saved my heart and soul for one person and one person only. Harry is the only man I want to think about. And my name is Luna, not Shirley."

Ginny laughed at Luna's unintentional joke while Hermione continued to look skeptical.

"Luna, you don't have to worry about us saying anything to anyone. Hell, we probably won't even remember any of this tomorrow. There just has to be someone else you've thought about. Ginny and I have admitted one of ours, and there's more besides him. What about Ron? You and he got along pretty well in fifth year. What about Roger Davies? I thought all the Ravenclaw girls had a crush on him. Ooh, or what about a crush on a teacher? I think every girl in the school had it bad for Lockhart while he was there. Even if he did turn out to be a fraud."

Luna's face remained set.

"No. Until I met Harry, there was nobody that made me feel the way he does. Since the day I met him, there has been nobody else that compares, so why waste time on such thoughts?"

The two other girls continued to look unconvinced. Ginny tried her own method to get Luna to crack.

"What about when you dream? You can't choose who you dream about. Haven't you ever dreamed about being with a guy that isn't Harry?"

Luna shook her head again as she began to look annoyed.

"No. I have better things to do in my dreams than subject myself to pornography. It is in my dreams that I can speak with my mother and others that have passed on."

Hermione would have asked about this strange declaration if she had been more to herself, but at the present she wasn't about to focus properly on anything. Instead, she was more interested in Luna's seemingly puritan libido.

Come on, Luna. A normal girl thinks about sex just like a normal boy does. Well, maybe we don't think about it quite as often as they do, but I blame that on them having all the equipment on the outside instead of the inside. Anyway, what I'm saying is, we all think about it."

Suddenly, Luna's glass smashed against the closet door. Hermione and Ginny sobered up quickly as she jumped to her feet to glare down at the both of them. They realized at that moment that Luna really was the tallest of the three of them.

"Normal? Who ever said I was normal? Just because I'm not some kind of depraved pervert like the two of you are, it doesn't mean that I'm any less of a female, or that I'm some kind of freak of nature. Now, I'm going to bed now...TO SLEEP!

Luna then flopped herself down on her bed and was snoring within minutes. Hermione looked at Ginny who was looking despairingly at the now empty bottle of Ogden's.

"Hermione, remind me to tell Harry something important for his wedding reception."

"What's that?"

Ginny sighed deeply.

"To not have any alcohol...period."

**********

The remainder of the summer passed quickly and without incident. Luna had no memory whatsoever of their drunken night, and Ginny and Hermione offered no reminders. They did, however, make sure that Luna stuck with nothing stronger than butterbeer from then on. And when the time came to get their supplies, the group all went to Diagon Alley together to get what they would need for the year ahead.

Harry had done his shopping earlier the previous year, so he wasn't surprised to see the shops much more crowded this time around. It took the six of them several hours to get all of their needed books, potion ingredients, quills, parchment, and other miscellanea that they each required. They ran into a lot of their friends from school, along with most of the members of the DA. Unfortunately, they also ran into many of the Slytherins, a group that they could have stood to not see ever again. One thing that did make Harry feel more at ease about was that, this year, here was no danger of running into Cho at school. He was glad that Luna would not be subject to her jealous gossip like Hermione had been in the past.

When the day came to leave for school, the Burrow was a virtual madhouse. Despite having the entirety of the summer to get ready, all three boys seemed to be running about like chickens with their heads chopped off. Ron couldn't find his new longer robes that he had just purchased a few days prior. Neville's long-suffering toad, Trevor, had done yet another runner. And Harry was having a hard time fitting all his "essentials" into his school trunk. Strangely, these "essentials" seemed to include nearly everything Luna had written, drawn, or given to him. He made sure to throw his invisibility cloak over it all in case any of his roommates saw into it. He didn't fancy having to explain to any of his mates why he had a large fluffy towel with the words, "Nothing gets between me and my Harry Potter", written on it in flowery writing. The smiley faces that Luna had drawn on it would have proven especially embarrassing.

Boarding the Hogwarts Express at King's Cross station for the last time caused the seventh year members of the group to feel a slight pang of nostalgia. Had it really been that long since the first time they had gone through the invisible barrier? Had they ever been as wide-eyed as the current batch of first years? As the train left the station and gathered speed, the six of them all found a compartment they could all use. Harry and Hermione promised to be back after the Prefect/Head Boy/Head Girl meeting, while the rest of them made themselves comfortable in their compartment.

After the meeting had ended and everyone was told what their responsibilities were, Harry finished up with his patrol of the train and was back in the compartment sitting in the seat next to the window, running his hands through Luna's long blonde hair as her head rested in his lap. On the opposite side of them, Neville sat in the middle of the couchette, rubbing the sock clad feet of his girlfriend. Harry had wished many times before that he could simply stay on the train forever, but never had he wished for it any harder than right now. He would not be able to spend so much time with Luna when they arrived at Hogwarts. Neville and Ron could see their own girlfriends anytime they wanted, but Harry would have to take what he could get, since Luna was in a different house than he was. The thought of this depressed him slightly, but one look down at the closed eyelids and contented smile of the girl he loved chased away any ill thoughts he was having. How could he be unhappy, knowing that someone like her loved him? He was more fortunate than anyone deserved to be.

About halfway through the train ride, Hermione and Ron returned to the compartment looking a tad worn out. Hermione had picked her patrol shift right after Harry's, and Ron had decided to go with her. Harry knew that the job of walking up and down the aisles of the train wasn't all that taxing, but decided that teasing them about whatever "extra-curricular" activity they had been doing (snogging) might lead them to tease him the next time he and Luna appeared together in the same condition. Harry hoped this would be happening soon.

As the train continued in its journey further and further away from the Muggle cities and towns, talk turned to what expectations they all had for the upcoming year. Ginny, still getting her feet rubbed by her doting boyfriend, gave a large yawn and stretched.

"Well, at least Luna and I don't have to worry about this year being our N.E.W.T. year. We've got one more year of prep before we get to the main event. Unless we decide to pull a Fred and George and chuck it all."

Luna laughed.

"Ooh, that would be exciting! But that would mean not spending the year with Harry. Fred and George had a business to run, so they had something else to do. There isn't anything else I'd rather do than be with Harry."

Ron and Hermione both rolled their eyes as Luna's mesmerizing gaze looked up at her boyfriend in complete admiration. Hermione cleared her throat in hopes of preventing any potential escalation of emotional outlays in front of them all.

"Yes, N.E.W.T. year will be tough for us seventh years. But, as least we can focus more on the subjects we'll need for our future jobs. And since we're all going for Auror positions, we should all be in the same classes. Ginny, Luna, have either of you decided what you want to do after graduation?"

Ginny nodded.

"I know that I'm not at all keen on being an Auror. I mean, fighting Death Eaters when you don't have a choice is one thing, but doing it for a living is not my idea of fun. I don't know, what are you planning on, Luna?"

Luna broke her glance with Harry and turned to look at Ginny.

"Oh, I imagine I'll take over The Quibbler for daddy. He always told me I could take it over when I was done with school. He said he fancies an early retirement so he can travel more. You could come to work for me, Ginny. I could use someone I could trust to help me run things. You could have your own column, too."

Ginny laughed.

"Maybe I will take you up on that, Luna. I could write a whole series on growing up with Fred and George alone, not to mention the erotic stories of the wizarding world's heartthrob, Harry Potter. You could help me with those stories, Luna."

Harry's face went bright red while the rest of his friends laughed heartily. All of them cherished this time together, fearing what this new school year might hold for them.

**********

This being Harry's final Welcoming Feast, he tried to savor every bite of the delicious food. The rest of the seventh year members of the group were doing much the same. In fact, Harry swore at one point that he saw Ron gazing almost lovingly at a chicken leg. Once the plates had cleared and the sorting for the year was completed, Headmaster Dumbledore stood up to the podium to address his beloved students.

"Welcome, welcome, to another year at Hogwarts. To out newly sorted first years, I wish you a happy and safe start to your magical education. To my returning students, I wish you all a hearty welcome back. As always, I have a few start of term notices to read out. Firstly, I must stress that they forest that borders our school is not called the 'forbidden forest' to make it sound quaint. Within those dense and dark trees and bushes dwell creatures that are best left alone. Second, I wish to report a change in staffing. Last year, a pair of pair of freed house elves named Dobby and Winky performed the job of looking after the castle. I am happy to announce that they will be unable to continue this service this year, due to Winky and her new husband being on maternity leave. I am even happier to say that their child will be the first freely born house elf in known history. Something that I hope will happen more often in the world. So, since we found ourselves bereft of a caretaker, out former professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Argus Filch has agreed to take up his former position again for us. Thank you, Professor Filch."

The students all clapped as the embarrassed former professor gave a slight bow in recognition. In the past year of being a professor and treating the students with more compassion, many of the students had changed their opinion of him greatly. This included the trio, who had to admit that he hadn't made a bad teacher after all. After the clapping died down, the realization seemed to hit them all at once. If Filch was no longer going to teach Defense, who was? There didn't seem to be any new faces up at the staff table, was the person not there yet? Before the murmurs could get too loud, Dumbledore seemed to know what was on their collective minds.

"With Professor Filch returning to his previous position, that leaves the school short a Defense instructor. As in previous years, the Ministry has been very willing to...assist, in this matter. However, I was able to find a suitable candidate for the post. As you may know, the post of Defense professor is not the easiest post to fill, in light of how most of those named to the post fail to serve for more than a single year. With this in consideration, I have selected someone that is perfectly happy with only serving a single year. I am very satisfied that this person's experience and ability will provide a more than adequate practical and theoretical education to all students. I also happen to know that a bribe of Honeyduke's chocolate will not go unappreciated. So, without further ado, may I introduce your new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, Professor Albus Dumbledore."