Harry Potter and the Angel of Justice

Chapter Five - OWL Results

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During the two days following the Premiership, all conversations at the Burrow were dominated by either the match or the twins' incredible fireworks. Even the Daily Prophet mentioned the wonderful fireworks. The writeup was short, as many pages were devoted to covering the match and Lennon's speech, but just the being in the newspaper was exciting enough for most of the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley still wasn't too happy about her sons running a joke shop, but even she had to admit they were doing it well.

Harry's mind, however, was drifting away from the Premiership and turning towards the near future. His birthday was nearing, which meant July was about to end, and he had been told that in July he, along with other students in his year, would be receiving his OWL results. While he was anxious to know how he did on the exams, part of him wished the results would be delayed indefinitely. He had already been doing poorly on his History of Magic exam when he had suffered the horrible vision of Sirius being tortured by Voldemort and had to leave it early. Then Hagrid had been attacked during his practical Astronomy exam, and Harry had gotten virtually no work done during the last twenty-five minutes. He really dreaded seeing those results. His Divination exam had been without interruption, but Harry had made a real pig's ear of it. He didn't see any visions in the crystal ball, and when he tried to make things up they sounded stupid. However, receiving a failing mark in that lousy subject would not bother him much.

He was really dreading Hermione's reactions to his marks. She always made a fuss over exams and their results even though it made Ron and Harry ill. With the last set of tests being the most important that they had taken so far, Harry was certain that Hermione's fussing would reach an all time high. He sighed, imagining her disappointed look when she saw his fails in Astronomy, Divination and History of Magic.

His sudden worry about Hermione's reaction had been caused by a post he had received that morning. His snowy owl, Hedwig, had brought him a message from Hermione. Harry wasn't sure how Hedwig had known Hermione was planning to send him a letter, but it wasn't the first time she had done such an extraordinary thing.

Dear Harry and Ron,

Two days ago we arrived home from our wonderful trip to California. The wizards there do all sorts of interesting things and have a quite different assortment of spells. Many of them do not even use wands, but staves and other things. They call them focus objects. I got several books about them, I'm sure you'll want to read them when I have finished.

I am hoping to come visit you two and Ginny very soon. I have almost got my parents convinced to let me stay the rest of the summer, but I have had to promise to spend the Christmas holiday with them. I hope your muggle family treated you better after Mad-Eye's warning, Harry.

I am sure you both are as disappointed as I that our OWL results have not been released yet. But don't fret too much, I am sure they are almost ready.

Love from Hermione.

P.S. I spoke to quite a few free house elves in America. They really seemed to be enjoying themselves and have adjusted well. There is talk that another clan may free their house elves, isn't that exciting! I just wish I could have brought one back with me to talk with Winky. I am sure that would cheer her up.

"Still going on about house elves?" asked Ron. "You would have thought she would be sour on them after that toerag Kreacher nearly got us all killed."

"He did get Sirius killed!" added Ginny angrily.

Harry swallowed hard. He still blamed himself for Sirius dying, but there was no doubt that if he ever saw that evil elf Kreacher again violence would follow.

"Mum's already said Hermione can stay with us," said Ginny. "Hopefully she can make it to your birthday party, Harry."

Harry smiled at the mention of his party. All of his previous birthdays had been spent at the Dursleys, so there had never been a party; and this was beginning to sound like a great one. The twins were coming and had promised to bring something "Excellent!", Bill had asked Mars to come by, Tonks and Moody were expected, and so was Professor Lupin. Mrs. Weasley was making Harry's favorite desserts, and all thoughts of Privet Drive were far from his mind. The rest of the day passed quickly as Harry enjoyed his time with the Weasleys.

The next morning, the post arrived as the kids were cleaning up after breakfast. Both Pigwigeon and a Hogwarts school owl were on the window sill. Harry and Ron froze. The OWL results were in. Even though Harry knew they would come soon, he was not prepared to see them.

"What's the matter with you two?" asked Ginny as she took the letter from Pig and the small parcel from the school owl. When they didn't answer, she walked over to them, staring. "Snap out of it, you're scaring me."

"Ginny," managed Ron. "It's our OWL results. I don't think I want to see them."

Harry nodded in silent agreement.

Ginny's look changed from confused to sympathetic. "Well, putting it off won't help. I can open them for you if you like," she offered.

Harry nodded and so did Ron. As long as it wasn't Hermione, Harry had no problem with someone else breaking the bad news to him.

She opened the parcel and took out three envelopes marked with the names Ginevra Weasley, Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter. She opened Ron's first. Ron covered his eyes.

"You got all worked up for nothing. This is just your ticket for the Hogwarts express and a list of the requirements for the sixth year," said Ginny.

"But that will tell us what classes we have!" said Harry.

"And what OWLs we failed. Put it away, Ginny! We'll look at it later," wailed Ron.

Ginny sighed and looked at them like they were pathetic. She then looked at his letter more closely and said, "There's nothing in here about classes or books. It just says when to be at Kings Cross."

Harry and Ron breathed a sigh of relief.

She then opened her own Hogwarts letter and now it seemed it was her turn to freeze.

"What?" said Harry and Ron together.

Ginny blinked and pulled out a scarlet and gold Gryffindor prefect's badge.

"Oh!" said Ron.

Harry swallowed hard. It seemed he would be surrounded by prefects in his sixth year. He quickly decided, however, not to be jealous, and spoke up. "Congratulations, Ginny! I'm not surprised."

"Oh, thank you, Harry!" she exclaimed and ran to Harry, throwing her arms about him.

"Yeah, good job, Gin," said Ron when he could speak again.

Ginny let go of Harry and hugged her brother quickly. "I must tell Mum!" She took off up the stairs.

Ron looked at Harry seriously.

"Look, mate. I hope all these prefects around you don't get you down. I know Dumbledore would have picked you over me if it hadn't been for V-Voldemort coming back," said Ron.

Harry was startled. Ron had said Voldemort's name! He remembered the first time that Hermione had said Voldemort's name last year. It had been such a surprise then that it had brought Harry out of a rage. Ron's saying it now was an even bigger shock. Hermione hadn't even known who Voldemort was until she was eleven. Ron had been taught to fear him and his name since birth. It had to have been a real act of bravery for him.

Harry looked his best friend in the eye. "You don't know that, Ron. He has had a lot of practice naming Weasleys prefects, you know." Harry smiled. "Besides, if I ever feel left out I just remember that my Dad and Sirius weren't prefects."

"Mars wasn't one either," added Ron, smiling back.

"That's right, Bill was! You're all a bunch of prats anyways," pronounced Harry, punching Ron on the shoulder.

Shrieks of joy from upstairs told the boys that Ginny had informed her mother. A few moments later they heard feet running down the steps. Mrs. Weasley rushed into the kitchen, glowing with pride. Ginny was behind her, smiling happily.

"Did you two hear about Ginny?" she asked. They both nodded. "Oh, her father will be so proud. We'll have a double celebration tomorrow, for Harry and Ginny!" She turned and looked at Harry with sudden concern. "Oh, Harry dear, you don't mind, do you?"

"'Course not," Harry said quickly.

Mrs. Weasley rubbed his shoulder gently and went back upstairs.

Harry noticed Ginny still had the unopened envelope in her hand that Pig had brought that morning. Ron apparently noticed the letter too, for he asked his sister, "Ginny, who's that letter for?"

"Oh yes, I'd forgotten about it. It's to me, and the handwriting looks like Hermione's," she said, opening the letter. She read it quickly. "Her parents have agreed to let her stay with us the rest of the summer, and if we can pick her up today, she can make it to your birthday party, Harry!"

"Lets see if we can find Charlie so he can drive us to get her," said Harry, who was keen to fly in the Hummer again.

"Yeah!" answered the Weasleys.

Within the hour the three of them had found Charlie and convinced him to take them to pick up Hermione. They flew part of the way and had a great time. When Hermione first saw the exterior of the mammoth vehicle she was taken aback.

"It must take a lot of petrol to run this monstrosity," commented Hermione.

"Don't be thick," said Charlie. "Do you think any vehicle that Mars owned wouldn't run on magic?" Hermione looked at him blankly.

They all climbed into the truck. Ron was riding shotgun--Charlie said that was what Mars called the front passenger seat--with Charlie, while Harry was in the back with the girls. Charlie engaged the invisibility booster, and they took off into the air.

"It's brilliant, isn't it?" asked Harry joyfully. Ginny nodded, but Hermione looked concerned.

"Aren't flying cars considered a misuse of muggle artifacts? Didn't you and Ron almost get expelled over something like this?" Hermione asked nervously.

"Hermione, you really are starting to sound like Mum," said Charlie exasperatedly. "Mars is a little better at this than Dad; we are not going to be caught." He shook his head and looked at Ron.

Hermione ignored Charlie's dig, but she appeared to be concentrating. Finally she spoke again. "You said that this vehicle belongs to Mars. Is he a wizard in the Order?"

"No," said Charlie. He noticed the surprised look on Ron's face and elaborated. "Mars did expect to join the order, but if two people object to your entrance, you're not allowed in."

"Two people voted against Mars?" asked Ginny in surprise.

"Actually three did, Gin. Snape, Kingsley Shackelbolt, and Mum," answered Charlie.

Ginny, Ron and Harry gaped.

"But Mars said that Dumbledore invited him to come all the way from Texas just to help the Order," said Harry.

"Texas?" asked Hermione in surprise. "The Mars that owns this truck is from Texas?"

"Yes," answered Charlie.

"Why do you sound so surprised, Hermione?" asked Ron.

"Because while I was in California, I read something about a Texas wizard named Mars. Well, actually I heard a lot more than I read about him. It seemed every wizard or witch there knew something about him. Or at least they had heard something; their facts often contradicted with each other," said Hermione.

"What were they saying, Hermione?" asked Ginny.

"The stuff of legends, mostly. Several people say he killed a dragon single handedly when he was nine. A few more claimed he reads everyone's mind that he meets. Er, and--oh yes--that he created his own branch of magic, whatever that means. The most absurd was that he went back in time and taught the Mayan priests how to ward off evil spirits. There was some other rubbish too, about seeing the future I think, but nothing noteworthy," she said dismissively.

"Sounds like the same nonsense that Loony Lovegood was spouting about him," said Ron with a laugh.

"Don't call her Loony!" spat Harry and Ginny simultaneously.

"Okay, okay," replied Ron, wincing.

"Remember when people all called me a nutter? Did you enjoy that?" asked Harry crossly.

"'Course not!" answered Ron quickly.

"She's been so nice to you all summer! I can't believe you still call her that. After all she's been through with us." Ginny shook her finger at her brother.

"So, you have been seeing her all summer, have you now, Ron?" asked Hermione dangerously.

"No!" answered Ron firmly, but he was going a bit pink. "She's been coming by to see Ginny. And to see Harry, too. I think she really wants to meet Mars."

Hermione did not reply. She crossed her arms and stared out the window the rest of the trip.

As Charlie pulled into the Weasley's front yard, Hermione saw the granite wolf guardians that Mars had created the night Harry arrived. She stared at them as the truck came to a stop. As they exited the vehicle, Hermione asked, "Are those what I think they are? Sentinel Guardians?"

"I think that's what Mars called them. He created them the night he brought me to the Burrow. Only Fleur and I were outside when he did it," said Harry.

"Wow. That's supposed to be one of the hardest conjuring spells in all of Transfiguration. And those objects are enormous. Most sentinel guardians are tiny, and warn you if something comes near them," said Hermione, gaping at the huge wolves.

"Oh, these do a lot more than make noise if a Death Eater comes near them, Hermione," Charlie grinned.

"What? Are you kidding? The ruddy things haven't done anything since Mars conjured them," exclaimed Ron.

"Don't be too sure of that, Ron. Come over here," said Charlie as he walked up to the nearest wolf. "See these indentations in the lawn? Both of these guardians have been walking recently."

Harry, Ron and Hermione all gasped.

Ginny was looking at the other wolf and she squeaked. "Oh my! Look at this." She was pointing at the wolf's feet. On each of its front paws dried blood was clearly evident.

Hermione looked nervous when she asked, "So that means that someone tried to break into the Burrow?"

"Or they might have been a little too close while they were spying. Either way, I imagine it was the last thing they ever did," answered Charlie.

"They're ordered to kill?" Hermione gasped.

"Of course. You don't just ask a Death Eater nicely to leave you alone. They know Harry's here, and I doubt the Donnies are going to give up on trying to kill him," Charlie said grimly.

"What? They tried to kill you, Harry? How did they find out you were here?" asked Hermione, looking frightened.

"We can explain it when we get inside. But don't be nervous. They don't want anything to do with those wolves, trust me," said Charlie confidently.

When they entered the Burrow, Hermione was still frosty to Ron, but perfectly friendly to everyone else. Mrs. Weasley greeted Hermione warmly, and the two girls went upstairs to get Hermione settled into Ginny's room.

Mrs. Weasley turned to Ron and Harry. "Come into the kitchen, boys," she said in an odd voice.

Ron and Harry followed her with some trepidation. When they entered the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley was standing next to the table, on which were three large, beautiful red velvet envelopes. Each had a name written in fancy script on the front: Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Their OWL results were finally in; there was no more possibility of delay. It was time to face the music.

"Errol had these with him. I think he must have passed out just before he made it to the house, because I found him asleep in the garden after you left to get Hermione," said Mrs. Weasley.

"Let's look at them quick, before Hermione gets back down here," suggested Harry.

"Yeah, Hermione will just nag us for not knowing enough about Goblin rebellions," agreed Ron.

They both started for the table, but stopped and turned around at a voice from the doorway behind them.

"Why in the world would I fuss about Goblin--" said Hermione, stopping cold when she saw the envelopes. "OWL results! Not before time!" she added, rushing forward to her envelope.

Harry and Ron resigned themselves to the unenviable task of seeing their OWL results at the same time Hermione did. No use waiting, Harry thought, get the pain and lecturing over as quickly as possible. Harry could tell from Ron's face that he was on the same line of thought. They both followed Hermione to the table and slowly opened the gorgeous envelopes.

Hermione was first to open and look through her envelope. Inside were golden certificates which had red lettering of perfect quality. She slowly counted the papers and then shrieked joyfully.

"Twelve OWLs! Oh, I was so worried about Astronomy and Ancient Runes," she beamed.

Mrs. Weasley put her arm around Hermione and hugged her. "Oh, that is just excellent, my dear. The same as Bill and P-Percy." Her voice faltered as she said the name of her wayward son.

Hermione looked at her sadly and hugged Mrs. Weasley with one arm.

Harry started pulling out the certificates from his envelope and reading them to himself. Defense Against the Dark Arts written - Outstanding: Well, he was pretty sure he had achieved that when he took that test, but it still made him smile. Defense Against the Dark Arts practical - Outstanding: He had been positive after that test that he was going to get an O. So far, so good, he thought.

The next certificate read Transfiguration - Exceeds Expectations. Harry read this with relief. He remembered Professor McGonagall telling him that he needed to achieve an E to progress to the NEWT level in that subject. She had also told him that he needed a NEWT certification in Transfiguration to become an auror.

Harry was feeling much more positive about seeing his scores now and he quickly pulled out the next certificate. Care of Magical Creatures - Exceeds Expectations: Yes! He felt good about proving how much Hagrid had taught him. The next certificate was Herbology - Average: It was the lowest passing score, but Harry didn't mind; he would take that score any day!

The next certificate, and Harry was now rejoicing that he could feel even more papers underneath this one, was Charms - Exceeds Expectations: Harry knew he had done well on this test also. He eagerly pulled the next certificate out which was Potions written - Outstanding. Harry's knees wobbled. He remembered doing well, but an O in potions? He had never dreamed that could happen. He pulled out the next certificate, which read Potions practical - Outstanding. This all seemed unreal to Harry. He had just gotten the highest scores possible on his most hated subject.

He felt still more papers in the envelopes. He pulled the next certificate out slowly; it read Astronomy - Outstanding. Harry's mind reeled. He hadn't answered a question in the last twenty-five minutes of the practical part of the exam. How could he have gotten an O? Still a little shaky, Harry pulled out the last two pieces of paper from the envelope. The first one was not a OWL certificate, but a letter:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry OWL Fails Report

Student: Harry Potter

Subject Mark

--------- ------

Divination D

History of Magic T

T? For Troll? Harry gasped. Fred was right--there was a mark less than Dreadful. But who cared? He had gotten nine OWLs, and five were Outstanding! The last paper was a form to fill out and send back to the school. It was something about which classes he could take, but he was too excited to bother reading it now. He was so pleased with his marks that he shouted triumphantly.

Ron too looked very happy. "I got nine OWLs, mate!" he glowed.

"Me too," replied Harry, clasping Ron on the shoulder. "Five Outstandings! I can't believe it!"

"I got five O's also!" Ron beamed as his mother came over to hug him, looking proudly at the OWL certificates.

"Well done!" said Hermione, who looked as proud of them as Mrs. Weasley.

Ginny and Charlie had now entered the kitchen to see what all the fuss was about. They too congratulated the three for their excellent OWL results.

"I still can't believe I got an O on both potion OWLs," said Harry excitedly.

"The O in Astronomy is the one that shocked me the most. I was so put out about Hagrid and McGonagall it was hard to concentrate for the last half-hour," added Ron.

"You got an Outstanding in Astronomy, Ron?" Hermione sounded shocked.

"Yeah," he said, showing her the golden piece of paper.

Hermione stared at the certificate in disbelief. Her face had lost some of its happiness.

"I got an O in Astronomy also, Hermione. What's the matter?" asked Harry.

The matter was that Hermione had only received an E in Astronomy. She had 10 Outstandings and two Exceeds Expectations: Astronomy and Ancient Runes. Ron had never beaten her on an exam before, and he seemed very excited about it. In fact, he repeated several times, "I can't believe I beat Hermione on an exam. This will make the Daily Prophet!", drawing fewer laughs with each iteration. Harry himself had only beaten Hermione on an exam once before, Professor Lupin's, but while that had not seemed to bother her, this clearly did. Harry was sure that Ron's going on and on about it didn't help much. No one but Harry seemed to notice that Hermione was no longer joyful.

Mrs. Weasley was so excited about Ron's OWLs and Ginny becoming a prefect that she decided to take her children to see their father at work.

"Your father always takes a late lunch, so we may be able to dine with him. Would you like to come with us?" Mrs. Weasley asked Harry and Hermione.

"Well," said Hermione carefully, "I need to finish unpacking."

"I'll stay and help her," added Harry. "You go on and celebrate as a family."

The Weasleys smiled at them and the four went up to the fireplace to travel to the Ministry via floo powder.

Harry then turned to Hermione and said, "Hermione, I know Ron's gloating is annoying, but it won't last. He's never beaten you in a class before, it's no wonder he's excited."

"I know, it's just hard to accept," she said, sounding dejected.

"Well, it shouldn't be. Remember in our fourth year when you tried to make me see Ron's point of view? He was jealous because I always got all the attention, and then I was a school champion. You told me to try and be understanding of how it looked to him."

"Yes, I do. I also remember you refusing to listen to me about it!" she replied angrily.

"Well, I was wrong. I admit it. And you need to admit it here too. This is just like last year, when Ron made prefect instead of me. At first I didn't want to admit Ron had beat me at something. I was too used to being the special one! We can't go around thinking that everything we do is better than Ron just because I'm famous or you're the best student of our year. If we act like that then we end up being just like Malfoy! Always assuming he's better than the Weasleys, it just makes me sick," he said firmly.

Hermione looked sick. "Oh, Harry. You're right. I was being so petty. I was thinking there had to be a mistake. You know, that you two couldn't have beaten me on an exam, so there had to be something odd that happened at the Wizarding Examinations Authority. Oh, that's so completely horrible! Can you forgive me," said Hermione apologetically, grabbing his hand.

"'S'okay, Hermione. You can't control what you think," he said, patting her arm.

"I am proud of him. And of you, Harry. Nine OWLs is fantastic, considering all the distractions you had," said Hermione.

"Not as good as twelve, but I'll take it," he said, grinning.

They went up to Ginny's room and Hermione finished unpacking.

Although Harry had already forgotten Hermione's questions about the attack on him and about the wolf guardians, Hermione reminded him as soon as they finished unpacking. "Harry, can you tell me about your being attacked now?" she asked gently.

Harry thought she was being careful because she feared he was going to blow up on her like he did last summer, when they'd had the conversation about the Dementors. He moved quickly to quell her fears.

"I'm not going to start shouting again, Hermione, don't worry," he assured her. She smiled in relief. "I wasn't left in the dark as much this time. Mars wasn't hiding things from me like the Order did last year."

Harry described his first month of summer to Hermione: about how nice Dudely had been, and how weird Cho's letter had made him feel. Hermione promised to help him craft a reply. He told her about the night he first met Mars. She look terrified when he told her about being attacked in the alleyway. When he described Tonks being stunned, she cried out. "Oh, no! Is she okay?" she asked nervously.

Harry assured Hermione that Tonks had come out of the scrap with just a few bruises. He described the entrance of Lily and Mars, the odd spell that Mars had used to kill two Death Eaters, and the way his wand transfigured into a sword that reflected the spells back at his opponents. Hermione look deeply interested, but remained silent, so he continued.

When he got to the part about Dudley's letter from Beauxbatons she gasped and looked almost as faint as Harry had felt on seeing the envelope. Harry smiled and didn't immediately tell her that it was a fake. Hermione seemed most shocked, however, when Harry retold Mars' revelation at the Indian restaurant.

"Your relatives were all under the control of Voldemort?" she asked, her face white with anxiety.

"Yes. It was obvious once Mars pointed it out. I almost laughed out loud when Uncle Vernon lectured me about putting business before family," said Harry mirthfully.

"This is no laughing matter, Harry. You could have easily been killed. I didn't think Voldemort could hurt you while you lived with your aunt?" asked Hermione, still looking scared.

"Mars said Dumbledore's ward was failing. He said it could only protect me in or very near the house. He also said Voldemort was much more clever than his Death Eaters and that my muggle family had always been the weakness in the protection. He said the Death Eaters never realized the weakness out until Voldemort came back, because they're so dependent on him. Apparently they were more interested in one-upping each other than in continuing any of Voldemort's goals." Harry shrugged.

"I would think Voldemort likes keeping them dependent upon him. That would give him more power over them. I doubt he trusts them to do anything except out of fear or for their own thirst for power. They don't strike me as the noblest of people," Hermione said sagely.

Harry nodded his agreement.

"This Mars seems very sure of himself," Hermione continued. "He said he had to really twist a few arms. I can only imagine the arm being Dumbledore's if it involved moving you. It must take some nerve to tell Dumbledore that his spell is failing, and then pressure him to accept someone else's plan instead of his," Hermione added.

Harry thought it was funny hearing Hermione call someone else nervy. He said, "Well, if you'd seen some of the things he did, you'd know why he's so confident."

"What was the incantation he said in the alley?" she asked.

"Er, something like, 'Displaseol?'"

"How about 'Displacio'?"

"Yeah, that sounds like it."

"Are you quite sure?"

"Well," said Harry, "I was rather distracted at the time."

"That's the incantation for the Displacement Charm. It's a very difficult charm, I doubt we'll ever study it at Hogwarts, but his use of it doesn't match what I've read. It's normally used to clear objects out of your way. It's like the Banishing Charm, but very large objects can be displaced. However, you usually don't get much control over the object at all, much less being able to make things swirl about with it," she explained.

Harry was again impressed at how much knowledge Hermione had outside of their schoolwork. Did she do anything but read during the summer? "Hermione, why are you reading about spells that we aren't ever going to study?"

She looked affronted. "Harry, we're only going to be at Hogwarts two more years, and you never stop learning," she said in a superior tone.

Only two more years at Hogwarts? Harry had never looked at it like that before. He had not considered a time could exist when he wouldn't be returning to the castle. Well, except the times he thought he was going to be expelled. He unconsciously smiled.

"Do you think Mars will be at your birthday party tomorrow?" she asked.

"Bill said he was trying to get him to come. Oh, that reminds me, I need to send a letter to Luna," Harry said.

"What on earth for?" asked Hermione harshly.

Harry was taken aback. Just because Luna believed in a few oddball things was no reason to be nasty to her. "Like Ron said, she really wants to meet Mars. Luna and her dad talked about Mars like those Americans you spoke with in California."

"Figures. She'll probably faint when he can't read her mind or tell us all our futures."

"Hermione!"

"Don't think so? You're probably right. Her ridiculous ideas just change when they don't pan out. She won't faint, probably just start thinking up some other rubbish only he can do," Hermione said crossly.

"Can it about Luna, would you? I don't see why you and Ron have to talk so mean about her. She's perfectly friendly to both of you."

"So I've heard."

"Fine," said Harry, annoyed. "If you're going to be that way, I'll just go send the note by myself." Harry turned and left Ginny's room for Ron's bedroom to write the note. It was short, and when he had finished he headed for the back porch where the Weasleys kept their owls. Hedwig was happy to see him, and nipped his finger affectionately when he asked her if she would take the note on a short trip. After she flew off, he went back inside, where Hermione was waiting for him in the kitchen.

"Harry, I'm sorry I was so cross about Luna. I know she's your and Ginny's friend. I didn't want to get into row right when I first got here. I'm just anxious after hearing about you being attacked," Hermione apologized.

"I was anxious when I first got here too. But it's been so much fun being with the Weasleys instead of the Dursleys. You'll feel more relaxed soon," replied Harry.

"Are you sure you're safe here?" she asked apprehensively.

"Everyone else seems to think so. Dumbledore did agree in the end to let me come," answered Harry.

Hermione sighed and then said plainly, "That's a lot of trust to put into those wolves."

Chapter Six - Sumerian Wizards Duel

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Harry heard pounding. He thought something was wrong with his head. Why wouldn't it stop? Then he heard a yell.

"Up! C'mon, birthday boy," said Charlie through the door. "Breakfast is ready, and I don't want you two lallygags to get Mum all cross."

Charlie's calling brought Ron and Harry into unwilling consciousness.

"What good is it being your birthday if you don't get to sleep in?" grumbled Ron.

Harry grunted an affirmative. They put on their clothes and walked downstairs.

It was quite early, so Bill and Mr. Weasley were still at home eating breakfast with Charlie. Everyone said good morning and "Happy Birthday" as Ron and Harry entered the kitchen and sat down to eat. Mrs. Weasley glanced around the room quickly.

"Those girls still aren't down here?" she said in surprise, and started up the steps to Ginny's room.

"That Lennon woman is making noise again about spies in the Ministry," said Mr. Weasley. "I understand that You-Know-Who has people on the inside, but she's looking for them in departments that would have little value to them."

"She's not looking at you, is she, Dad?" asked Charlie.

"No; in fact, she's praised me several times as one of the few people who stood up to Cornelius Fudge when he was claiming that You-Know-Who wasn't back," answered his father.

"What's the problem then?" asked Ron.

"The problem is that people are starting to think I agree with her methods and accusations. It's common knowledge that she's gathering a faction of powerful witches and wizards together who want Fudge replaced. She's making a lot of enemies. When those enemies hear her referring to me in a positive light, they start thinking of me as their enemy as well. Also, the fact that she's pointing fingers in ridiculous directions for imaginary spies wastes valuable Ministry resources that could be rooting out the actual spies." Mr. Weasley sighed.

Hermione and Ginny entered the kitchen sleepily, with Mrs. Weasley close behind them. Ginny was so oblivious to her surroundings that she walked into Bill instead of the empty chair next to him. Bill smiled and gently guided his sister into the chair. Hermione managed to walk around the table and sit in between Harry and Ron. She immediately reached for the coffee.

Ginny now had her eyes open and was looking across the table at Harry. "Happy Birthday, Harry!" she said, smiling and yawning at the same time. Hermione also wished him happy birthday.

"Bill, did you hear back from Mars? Is he going to make it to the party tonight?" asked Harry.

Mrs. Weasley scowled at the mention of Mars' name as she put sausages on Hermione's plate.

Bill ignored her and answered Harry. "Mars is back in Britain, but he's very busy. He did promise to try his best to come by, even if it's just for a little while."

"Cool," commented Ginny. "Luna and Hermione can meet him."

Harry wasn't sure who was least pleased: Ron, Hermione or Mrs. Weasley.

Soon Bill and Mr. Weasley had finished breakfast and they disapparated off to work. Charlie got up from the table and told everyone, "I'm taking Mars' truck to Diagon Alley to help the twins load up their stuff for the celebration tonight. They seem really excited about your birthday, Harry."

"What's it going to be?" asked Ginny hopefully.

"Oh no, I am not ruining their surprise, no way. Not with all the nasty things they sell in that shop of theirs." Charlie waved his hands at his little sister.

Mrs. Weasley grunted unhappily. "Muggles live nearby, Charlie. I'm trusting you to make sure those two don't bring anything too flashy or loud."

"That's not going to be easy, Mum." Charlie protested.

"You'll manage," she said sternly.

Charlie didn't look at all confident of that as he left.

When the morning dishes had been washed and put away, the four teenagers went out to the garden to de-gnome it. Crookshanks was already there, chasing gnomes, when they arrived. He ran over to Hermione and rubbed against her leg, purring loudly.

They spun the gnomes around to make them dizzy and then chucked them over the hedge. After about forty-five minutes all the gnomes were in the field beyond the hedge, staggering about.

Ginny sighed with annoyance. "We'll just have to toss them out again in two weeks."

"Maybe not, actually," interjected Hermione. "Last term, while revising for our Practical Potions OWL, I made a gnome repellent. I've never made one before, so I'm not sure how it turned out. I thought your mum's garden would be the perfect place to test it." She pulled out a stoppered beaker full of a bright yellow, thick-looking liquid. She walked around the garden and placed two drops at each corner. When she finished, she stoppered the beaker and handed it to Ron. "You should only have to apply the repellent every two weeks."

Ron looked very impressed as he took the beaker from Hermione. "That was brilliant, Hermione!" he exclaimed.

Ginny and Harry also complimented Hermione on her potion work. She looked quite pleased.

The four then went to the benches in the garden and sat down to chat. It was the first time in a while that all of them had been together on their own, so they talked freely and quickly.

They spoke about some of the awful things that had happened last year: about Umbridge and Grawp, about the Inquisitional Squad and Harry's torture with the blood quill during his detentions. The good parts were discussed as well: Gryffindor winning the Quidditch Cup, Dumbledore's Army, Peeves chasing Delores Umbridge out of Hogwarts by pelting her with a walking stick and a sack of chalk, and half of the members of Dumbledore's Army hexing Malfoy and his cronies into squelchy slug-like things.

"Definitely the weirdest year yet," said Ron.

Harry looked at his three good friends and knew it was time to discuss the death of his godfather with them. Before they had left Hogwarts at the end of the term, Harry had not been able to talk about it, but now that a month had passed, he decided to give it a try.

As soon as Harry broached the subject the others became silent and gave him their complete attention. He could tell they all had wanted to know what happened to Sirius, but they hadn't want to cause Harry more pain, so they had never asked.

Harry started the story at the point right after Hermione had been knocked unconscious by Dolohov. They gasped several times during his description of the battle between the Order members and the Death Eaters in the Death Chamber. When he described Sirius being hit by Bellatrix's stunner and knocked into the black veil, Hermione and Ginny burst into tears. Ginny sobbed and Hermione put her arm around her. Ron seemed to be tearing up too, as he kept wiping his eyes.

Harry then described his chase of Bellatrix up to the Atrium. When he recalled his attempt to torture Bellatrix with the Cruciatus Curse they again all gasped.

"Did it work?" asked Ron, sounding shocked.

"Harry, you didn't?" cried Hermione.

"Well, it knocked her down and it did hurt her some, but not like she had done to Neville. And yes, I did, Hermione! After seeing her threaten to torture Ginny to death, torture Neville and then murder Sirius, I didn't give a damn about Ministry regulations. I wanted her to suffer and die!" said Harry fiercely. "You can turn me in if you like."

"Don't be ridiculous, Harry!" answered Hermione quickly.

"Then you don't be ridiculous by acting like I did something horrible!" Harry's voice rose. Hermione wisely dropped the subject.

All three were on the edge of the benches as Harry told them about Voldemort's duel with Dumbledore. When he got to the part when Voldemort had possessed him, the girls shrieked and Ron swore in surprise. Harry finished by relating the discussion he had had with Dumbledore in the Headmaster's office. Harry did not inform his friends that he knew what the prophecy proclaimed: that only he could truly vanquish Voldemort and that neither Harry nor the Dark Lord could live while the other survived. The three of them looked nervous enough as it was, and he didn't want to make it even harder on the people who cared about him.

They all sat in silent reflection after Harry had finished. Ginny stared at him from the other bench. Her eyes were still sprinkled with tears and she looked like she wanted to throw her arms around him in a consoling hug. Harry thought he would rather like her to hug him. He felt very close to all three of them at the moment. Just as Ginny rose off her bench, however, Mrs. Weasley called loudly through the back door that it was time to come inside for lunch.

The morning had flown by so quickly that Harry didn't realized how hungry he was until lunch was mentioned. The four of them walked up to the house and into the kitchen, where sandwiches were laid out on the table for them. Mrs. Weasley poured them tea and sat down herself.

"We'll need to spend the rest of the afternoon decorating and setting up the tables outside. It should be a lovely party," Mrs. Weasley said, humming happily.

Mrs. Weasley was correct, it did take the rest of the afternoon to finish setting everything up. They prepared the refreshments, put up a banner that said, "Happy Birthday Harry, Congratulations Ginny!", moved the tables into the garden, put on the tablecloths, and straightened the house, and after that was done Mrs. Weasley insisted they all get cleaned up and put on semi-formal outfits. When all this was accomplished, it was after five and Bill had already arrived home.

Charlie and the twins drove up in the Hummer at 5:30. All three of them refused to give anything away about the entertainment that they had planned. Mr. Weasley apparated home ten minutes later, looking ragged from a hard day's work. Mrs. Weasley insisted that both he and Charlie get cleaned up and changed.

At six the first guests arrived. They were Remus Lupin and Daedalus Diggle; both were bearing birthday presents and congratulated Harry and Ginny. Fleur was next; she handed a present to Harry and kissed both Ginny and him on each cheek, then went off to find Bill. Tonks, Luna and Mad-Eye Moody arrived separately. The next set of guests were a very pleasant surprise to Harry and Ginny: Lee Jordan and Angelina Johnson both appeared at the door with wide smiles.

"Happy Birthday, Harry!" they both said toothily. Each then shook his hand.

"I just knew you be would a prefect, Ginny!" said Angelina, hugging her.

The party was going well; it began to grow dark outside. The refreshments were delicious and the conversations cheery. Lee Jordan was telling Harry and Ron about the joke shop where he worked with Fred and George.

"Business is booming, lads. If this keeps up we'll be buying Zonkos out in a few years," he bragged.

Tonks and Hermione had just come over to talk to Harry when he heard a familiar booming voice behind him.

"See, Professor, I told you they'd start without us. And you were all worried!" laughed Mars. He was standing at the corner of the house looking into the backyard where the party was taking place. One of his long arms was around none other than Albus Dumbledore, who looked amused.

"They do seem to be enjoying themselves," answered Dumbledore.

Everyone except Harry, Luna and Moody seemed stunned at the appearance of the latest guests. Harry and Luna quickly walked forward to greet them.

"How are you, Harry?" said Mars, sticking out his hand.

"Just fine! I'm so glad the two of you could make it." Harry smiled back at both of them.

"Sixteen years, Harry! That's a much longer life than most could manage with Tom Riddle as an arch-enemy. Just remarkable. Thank you so much for inviting me to celebrate with you," Mars sounded slightly pompous.

Harry wasn't sure what to make of Mars' remark, but he was spared the chore of coming up with a thoughtful reply because Luna nudged him in the ribs.

"Oh yes, Mars. This is my friend, Luna Lovegood. She has been very keen to meet you," said Harry.

"Hello, Mars," Luna gushed. "It's very exciting to actually see you in person. I know all about your battles with the Malsumis spirits." An unusually animated Luna put out her hand.

"You know about the spirits? Is Professor Binns actually teaching something interesting now?" asked Mars humorously as he took her hand to shake it. Dumbledore and Harry smiled.

"I didn't learn about it in class. The Ministry tries to cover up such things," answered Luna, whose dreamy voice had returned.

Mars did a double take and looked directly into Luna's eyes. His own eyes grew wider and Luna's eyes seemed bigger than ever. With his other hand, Mars moved the hair out of her face. His hand then moved to her shoulder and he knelt on one knee to bring his face level with hers. They stared at each other for a few seconds and then Mars whispered so that only Luna, Harry and Dumbledore could hear him.

"You've got the Eye, haven't you?"

"What do you mean?" Luna whispering calmly.

"The Inner Eye. I see it in you. Ample amounts of talent, yes. You can see things others can't, hear things they cannot hear, feel what they cannot feel and know things before they happen. You've done that before, haven't you?" he asked.

"Sometimes, I-I have, yes," said Luna, sounding a little nervous.

"Professor," he whispered, looking up at Dumbledore. "Did you know that you had two of them at Hogwarts?" His right hand pointed from Luna to Harry and back.

"Yes, Mars. Even Sybil could recognize it in these two," said Dumbledore quietly.

"It's a shame you don't have a decent Divination Teacher," commented Mars as he stood up and let go of a glowing yet confused Luna.

"You know as well I that there is only one person in Britain who has the talent to teach that class properly, and they were not interested in the job when it was offered to them," Dumbledore said firmly.

Harry was confused by the conversation. It seemed to him that both Mars and Dumbledore thought he, along with Luna, had the Inner Eye. He remembered Professor Trelawney talking about it. He always thought that having the Inner Eye meant that you had some special insight to things, like a seer. Trelawney was always talking about her Inner Eye, but as far as Harry was concerned she was a right old fraud. Last year Tonks had asked Harry if there was any Seer blood in his family because he had seen in his mind the attack on Mr. Weasley. He had answered no, but he really had no idea if any of his father's relatives were any good at Divination. Dumbledore was as far from being a fraud as anyone Harry could imagine, and Mars certainly didn't strike him as a fraud. Maybe he, and Luna, could see and hears things others couldn't?

Other party guests now joined Harry where he stood silently next to Mars and Dumbledore. Charlie and Bill shook Mars' hand and gave him brotherly hugs. Fleur greeted Mars with a "Bon soir mon ami," and kissed him as she had Harry and Ginny earlier. Most everyone had made their way over to greet Dumbledore or Mars, but Ginny, Ron and Hermione all surrounded Harry.

"Are you all right?" Ron sounded concerned.

"Yeah, just thinking a bit," answered Harry.

"About what Mars did when Luna greeted him?" asked Ginny.

Harry nodded.

"What did they say?" asked Hermione.

"Later," said Harry, and he pointed at all the people surrounding them.

When the commotion had died down, Mars came over to them and greeted Ron, congratulated Ginny and introduced himself to Hermione.

"Well, Harry, I know Ron's twin brothers have a nice performance to put on for you and Ginny, but I figured I could also help out with the entertainment," said Mars, looking eager.

"What are you planning, Mars?" asked Ginny eagerly.

"Oh, you'll see very shortly, Ginny darlin'," he answered.

"Professor Dumbledore," Mars continued. "What do you say we give everyone a good show to celebrate such a great day?"

"What's in your mind, Mars?" asked Dumbledore.

"Sumerian Wizards Duel. I doubt anyone other than Charlie and Bill has ever seen one." Mars glowed with anticipation.

"Duel?" questioned several people, including Hermione and Ron.

"It has been years since I've done that. I'm very out of practice..." answered Dumbledore.

"Oh now, Professor, you aren't scared of taking on your old pupil, are you?" asked Mars, barely containing his mirth.

"But I do agree that they would rather enjoy it," finished Dumbledore with a raised eyebrow.

Both drew their wands, stepped out into an open area, and walked about forty feet apart.

"They're not really going to duel, are they? I mean with two wizards like that, they could blow up half the neighborhood," Hermione said nervously.

"No, Hermione, they won't be casting spells at each other," answered Charlie as he approached their group. "Dueling was a sport to the Sumerian Wizards; no one normally gets hurt. They each wage the battle with a proxy warrior. The closest thing I can compare it to would be having two patronuses battling."

"Wow," said Harry, Ron and Ginny.

"Is their proxy warrior the same as their patronus?" asked Hermione.

"Not necessarily. Mars told me you can pick your proxy warrior and you control it completely with your mind. That's the dueling part," said Charlie.

Mars waved his wand and a large red-gold throne appeared in front of him. He sat in it and faced Dumbledore from forty feet away. Dumbledore made the same motion with his wand and one of his typical chintz armchairs appeared, but before he could sit in it Mars called out to him.

"Professor, by tradition we sit on thrones, remember?"

"Oh yes, but I find these much more comfortable," he sighed. "For pageantry, though, I guess a throne shall do." He smiled. He tapped the chair and it turned into a throne covered in purple and white tapestries. He then sat down facing Mars.

With both arms on the rests of their thrones the wizards held their wands straight up in their hands and cried aloud, "Simulacrumi Bellator!" Out of each wand shot out a hominoid figure.

Mars' figure was tall, wearing a helm, breast plate and sandals. It had a bushy beard and had a small shield strapped to its left arm and a spear in its right. The proxy warrior's skin, weapon, armor and hair were all different shades of red.

Dumbledore's proxy warrior was shorter than his red counterpart. It was all white, but its simple robe, sandals and quarter staff were of the same purple as Dumbledore's robe and hat.

Both figures had trails of wispy smoke that led from them back to their creators' wands. They bowed to the crowd of people in the yard and then to each other.

The red warrior switched to a two-handed grip on its spear, holding it like a staff, and started slowly closing in on its opponent. The white warrior bounced slightly on the balls of its feet as it circled the red.

As soon as the two proxy warriors were within striking distance, the red warrior slashed out at the white, who easily blocked the blow and instantly counter-attacked at the red's knees. Mars seemed to have been expecting this maneuver, because his warrior ignored the impending hit and delivered a shield bash to the white warrior's face. This reduced the effect of Dumbledore's attack greatly, as his warrior was knocked backwards so powerfully that it stumbled and fell onto its back. The white warrior appeared helpless as the red closed in for the quick victory.

The red warrior was within two feet of its prone opponent when it stopped suddenly and backed up a few steps.

Harry was confused. Mars seemed so close to victory, why didn't he press his advantage? Harry heard Charlie and Bill make noises of bewilderment and they both looked confused as their gazes turned to Mars. After a second they returned to watching the proxy warriors and Bill shook his head.

The white warrior had leaped catlike to his feet and was twirling his quarterstaff around impressively as he stalked Mars' now passive warrior. Dumbledore's proxy launched itself furiously onto its opponent, attacking so fast that his staff and arms blurred. The red warrior retreated slowly under the pressure but avoided being struck by any direct blow.

Harry could tell that Mars was hard-pressed just fending off the attacks, while launching virtually none of his own. It seemed only a matter of time before a solid blow would land on the red warrior. Only a few minutes later, the top of Dumbledore's staff connected with the red warrior's chest, knocking him back; the lower end of the staff then hit the red warrior's arm, loosening its grip on the spear. Mars' proxy blocked an overhead blow from the white warrior's staff with its shield, but then Dumbledore's warrior landed a front kick in the red's midsection and he fell to the ground, prone and unarmed. The white warrior pointed its staff threateningly at the red warrior of Mars. Slowly, the unarmed fighter raised its arms in surrender, and the match was over.

The white warrior turned and bowed to the crowd, who were all clapping loudly, except Harry, Charlie, and Bill, who merely clapped politely. Mars jumped up from his throne and rushed over to Dumbledore. Mars had an enormous grin and he shook Dumbledore's hand enthusiastically. The thrones and warriors disappeared as the two wizards reached their audience.

"Fantastic, Albus. What a treat we had!" enthused Mr. Weasley.

"You've still got it, Albus!" added Mrs. Weasley.

Mars, who still had his arm around Dumbledore, spoke over the crowd. "There's no shame in losing to the greatest wizard of our time! Harry, Ginny, I hope you enjoyed the performance."

Harry still suspected that Mars had purposely lost the match, and he watched him from across the yard. Ginny, Luna, Tonks and Hermione went over to Mars and chatted with him for a short while. As he left, both Luna and Ginny gave him a hug. It looked to Harry like Tonks wanted to hug Mars too, but he turned quickly without noticing her and strode up to Harry, Bill and Charlie.

"Old man has still got it. I hope I can do half the stuff he does when I'm 160," said Mars happily when he reached them.

"Oh, come off it Mars. We saw you let him of the hook." Charlie sounded annoyed.

Harry and Bill nodded at Mars in agreement.

"You sure about that, bud? Just because he was down doesn't mean he wasn't dangerous. He was setting me up, I tell you. As soon as I'd have gotten close to him he would have kicked me hard in the knee and I'd've fallen over. I remember him taking me out once when I was fourteen with that trick," retorted Mars.

Neither Charlie nor Bill looked convinced.

"Harry, I'm sorry, but I've got to go now. I have quite a few Donnies under surveillance and tonight it's critical I see to some of the details myself," said Mars.

"I thought you were going to tell me how your mission in Europe went when you got back?" asked Harry.

"Voice down, Harry," whispered Bill.

"Don't worry, Harry, I'm back in Britain now. I don't think I'll be leaving for a while. You'll see me in a few days," replied Mars.

He shook hands with the three of them and walked around the side of the house with Bill.

"I don't buy that 'he was trying to lure me into a trap' bit at all," said Charlie.

"It didn't sound good to me, either. But you would think he could lie better than that, wouldn't you?" asked Harry.

"He sure can. Probably wants us to know he could have won without saying it."

"But why would he lose on purpose anyway, Charlie?"

"I don't know, but you can be sure there was a reason behind it. Mars doesn't say a single sentence without a reason. He's very careful in almost everything he does. He'll let us in on it soon though, Harry."

"You mean he'll let you, Bill and Fleur in on it," said Harry bitterly.

"No, I don't. Mars made it very clear that you could be told virtually anything we know. He wants you to feel included, and frankly, we agree." Charlie patted Harry on the shoulder. "Let's get some food, eh?"

"What's a Donnie, anyways?" asked Harry.

"It's just slang. Donnie-Death-Eater and all that, " answered Charlie as the two of them made their way to the food table.

Most of the guests were surrounding the table eating and chatting away. Ron asked Dumbledore to sign his special birthday edition Chocolate Frog Card. Tonks, Ginny and Luna were talking amongst themselves and giggling. Lee, Fred and George were preparing for their "entertainment" and everyone else was paired up in discussions.

"Harry dear, why don't you open your presents while we wait for the boys to finish setting up?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

Harry nodded and walked over to the second table where the presents had been placed. He stared at the enormous pile in front of him. After five years of getting presents for his birthday and Christmas, Harry was no longer new to the idea of having presents, but the sheer number that he saw in front of him was impressive. It seemed that everyone at the party had brought him one, and that a few people who could not make it had sent theirs.

He saw Hagrid's present and smiled, remembering that the gentle giant was the first person from the wizarding world that Harry had met, and it had happened exactly five years ago. He wished that Hagrid could have made it to the party. He unwrapped the present and found that it was a wrist watch. Harry's old watch had been broken during the second task of the Triwizard Tournament and he had never replaced it. "Cheers, Hagrid!" he said to himself.

Three other presents that had been sent, however, confused Harry. The first one was from the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge! Harry remembered how nice Fudge had been to him at the Premiership, but he had never expected a birthday present. He opened it and found a quite nice quill and ink set. Well, if the Minister accepted that Voldemort was back and therefore wanted to make peace, that was okay with Harry.

There was also a present from Jo Anne Lennon. This really shocked Harry. He had at least met Fudge a few times, but he had only even seen Lennon once in person, along with 15,000 other people. She certainly didn't strike him as someone he would want to be friendly with, especially after hearing Mr. Weasley's comments. Harry had enough enemies without Lennon making a bunch more for him. He had half a mind to ask the twins to blow up the present during their pyrotechnic show. In the end, however, he decided to open it. It was a quaffle with what looked like the signatures of all the members of the Chudley Cannons! Harry wasn't a fan of the Cannons, but he knew somebody who was. He smiled and put the ball back in the box before Ron could see what it was.

The last present to arrive by post was another surprise for Harry; it was from Cho Chang. This was the best birthday Harry had ever had, but it was also turning into the strangest. Harry wasn't sure if he really even liked Cho any more, but he felt guilty for not writing her back earlier in the summer. He decided he would get Hermione to help him fashion the reply tomorrow. He was starting to unwrap the box when he heard from behind him.

"That one came via owl post this morning," said Mrs. Weasley, pointing at Cho's box.

"From Cho?" Ginny looked at the tag in surprise. " 'Please please write me back soon. Love and Hugs from Cho'? I thought you two had a row to end the term?" She scowled slightly.

"We did. I didn't expect the letter I got from her earlier, much less a birthday present. How does she even know what day my birthday is?" asked Harry.

"C'mon, Harry. You're the Boy Who Lived! They thought about turning your birthday into a national holiday. Everybody knows it," said Bill who had just returned from around the house.

"Well, go ahead and open it already," said an irritated Ginny.

Harry sighed and ripped open the wrapping paper and the box. Something very small rose out of the box and tried to fly away from the table, but Harry's quick reflexes snatched it out of the air. A collective gasp rose around the table.

"What is it?" a few said.

Harry opened his palm slightly and saw a small golden ball, about the size of a walnut, with two flapping wings. It struggled to free itself from Harry's grasp.

"It's a golden snitch! Wow, Cho," Harry told them, his face glowing. He held it for all to admire and then put in his pocket.

"Open the one from Mars next, Harry. It should be interesting," said Luna, who had just joined them at the table.

The present from Mars was the largest box on the table. Harry could barely see the top of it as he took off the wrapping paper and opened the box. He could only see what looked like the tip of a glass dome. It was quite heavy and because of the angle Harry knew he would never be able to get it out without unceremoniously dumping it onto the table.

"I could use some help from you tall blokes," said Harry, smiling at Bill and Ron.

They each went to one side of the box and lifted the object out, groaning. When it was at last exposed, a chorus of "Ooh's" surrounded Harry. Inside a large glass ball was a perfect moving model of the galaxy. Harry had seen a smaller model once when he was in Diagon Alley; he had been sorely tempted to purchase it, but the price was very steep.

Harry's goggling of the ball was interrupted by Bill.

"Harry, get the stand out of the box, this thing is heavy."

Harry apologized and tipped the box to get the stand. He pulled it and a note out and then put up the stand on the table so Bill and Ron could set the galaxy model down.

"What's the note, Harry?" asked Hermione and Ginny.

Harry read it aloud:

Dear Harry,

I hope you like the model. Astronomy is one the most important subjects they teach at Hogwarts, if not the most. It should come in handy. Please let your friends borrow it on occasion.

Happy 16^th Birthday,

Mars

The rest of Harry's presents were also great, if not as flashy as the ones from Lennon, Cho and Mars. Ron had gotten him a large box of Chocolate Frogs, Hermione an enchanted bookmark that would glow just enough to read the book in the dark, the twins gave him some of their newly invented fireworks to test, and Ginny got him a handsome set of cuff links for his dress robes. It took some time to open the rest of his presents and thank the givers, so by the time he was done Fred, George and Lee were ready for the evening's finale.

The fireworks were impressive but much more low key than those at the Premiership. There were a lot of ground blooms and low-flying sparky things that met Mrs. Weasley's demands for discretion. However, a few of the fireworks screamed loudly, earning the twins a nasty scowl. The last bit was a pyrotechnic reenactment of Harry battling the monster of Slytherin, a basilisk. The twins apologized in advance for having Harry kill it with his wand instead of a sword. George said it was just too tricky otherwise.

Everyone seemed very impressed with the show, but the hour was late and the guests slowly trickled out. Dumbledore cleaned up the whole yard with a simple wave of his wand, said goodbye and disapparated with a loud *Crack*.

During the commotion of good night's, Hermione walked up to Harry and Ron, who were admiring the galaxy model. Ron was making it zoom certain stars to the forefront and telling the globe to change its perspective.

"Astronomy is going to be a lot more fun with this thing," declared Ron.

"I wonder," asked Hermione. "How did Mars know you would be taking Astronomy in your sixth year? I mean you haven't even signed up for the NEWT program, have you?"

Harry shook his head.

"Maybe he thought if Harry had this model he would want to study it. It sure makes Astronomy more interesting to me," said Ron.

Harry nodded.

"That certainly sounds plausible, but how would he know you had even passed your OWL for Astronomy? We just got the results yesterday." Hermione sounded puzzled.

Harry glared at her. She had better not be trying to make excuses for having a lower score on the Astronomy OWL than he or Ron. Harry thought he had got that matter settled yesterday.

Hermione must have understood the meaning of his glare because she added quickly, "It's probably nothing. Er, I guess it's time to go to bed. Good night."

Harry quite agreed with her and he, Ron and Ginny followed her up the stairs and went off to their beds.