Harry Potter and the Unicorn Guild

Chapter 2: Mrs. Figg's Attic

At promptly two o'clock, Harry was on Mrs. Figg's front steps, ringing her doorbell.

"Harry!" Mrs. Figg beamed at him after she'd opened the door. "So, that brutish oaf of a Dursley didn't stop you, eh?"

"Nope." Harry grinned. "I pretended I didn't want to come."

"Smart boy," Mrs. Figg said, ushering him inside. She was still wearing the same moldy old housedress and ratty tartan carpet slippers she'd worn to the Wizengamot when testifying at Harry's expulsion hearing last summer, but her round face was cheerful. "Now, why don't you go on up to the attic and get started - the trapdoor's in the upstairs hallway. I'll be up in a jiffy."

Harry blinked, his heart sinking. "The attic? But I - I thought - "

"Go on, now!" Mrs. Figg didn't seem to notice his despondency as she ushered him up the stairs.

Harry sighed and tried to ignore the strong smell of cat that pervaded the house as he trudged up the stairs. So much for having a good birthday. Still, it was Dursley-free, he reminded himself, and Mrs. Figg wasn't a bad sort. He could talk freely about the wizarding world, catch up on the news, and perhaps Mrs. Figg had a wizard radio that could play WWN - the Wizarding Wireless Network.

The attic door was on the ceiling at the end of the upstairs hallway. The trapdoor was open and a ladder extended to the floor. Harry climbed the ladder and hoisted himself into the dark attic. She could have at least turned on the light, Harry thought, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before he looked for a light switch.

"Lumos!" a loud voice suddenly boomed. Harry hastily reached into his pocket and whipped out his wand as light filled the room, ready to duel with whatever was there.

"SURPRISE!" many voices suddenly shouted at once. Harry, blinded by the sudden influx of light, blinked rapidly. Once the stars had faded from his eyes, he stared at the sight in front of him.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Bill, Fred, George, Ginny, Hermione, Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody - and, to Harry's amazement, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and, of all people, Dumbledore - were clustered around a table bearing a large, gooey, chocolate cake. Sixteen red candles burning brightly decorated the top, along with letters in red and gold icing, magically flashing "Happy Birthday, Harry" across the top and sides. Another table bore a pile of wrapped presents.

Even more amazing than the cake and presents was the room itself. Rather than a musty, moldy old attic, Harry was standing in an exact replica of the Gryffindor common room at Hogwarts, right down to the fireplace and squashy armchairs. The windows, rather than looking out over the Hogwarts grounds, instead showed Wisteria Walk and Magnolia Crescent.

"Wh - wha - ?" Harry sputtered.

"Happy birthday, Harry!" Tonks exclaimed, her grin so wide it seemed her face would split in two. She was looking very pretty today, with a head full of spiky black hair and bright green eyes - in his honour, no doubt. He was surprised she hadn't put a lightening-bolt scar on her head too.

"Yes, happy birthday!" Luna, Neville, Ron, and Hermione chimed in unison, grinning at him. Neville had actually grown several inches since Harry had last seen him; he seemed to be losing his chubby look and vaguely reminded him of the Frank Longbottom he'd seen in Moody's old Order of the Phoenix photo, though he still greatly resembled his mother.

Luna looked the same; she had on robes of Ravenclaw blue but scarlet and gold ribbons in her dirty blonde pigtails. She still had her necklace of butterbeer corks and, now, matching earrings.

Ron hadn't changed except to grow an inch or two more; Harry guessed he might be the tallest of the Weasleys once he was through growing. His grinning face was as friendly and freckly as ever.

The biggest surprise, however, was Hermione. She seemed a bit taller, but - thinner, somehow. Slender, Harry thought. And - well, curvier. He was oddly reminded of Fleur Delacour. Perhaps it was the fact she was dressed in Muggle clothes; he rarely ever saw her in anything but her Hogwarts robes. To his horror, he felt his face and neck flush hotly; he hoped that everyone would think he was blushing due to the party and not his thoughts regarding his best friend.

"Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger had the idea," Dumbledore, resplendent in crimson robes, said serenely, "that since you couldn't join them at the Burrow for a birthday party, they would bring a birthday party to you."

"Oh, your face was a sight to behold," Mrs. Figg cackled as she climbed the ladder into the attic. "When I told you to go on up to the attic, you looked like I'd just told you that Quidditch had been outlawed."

"But your letters - I thought - " Harry began, lowering his wand and feeling foolish.

Hermione laughed merrily. "We've had this planned for a month. We thought if we wrote you and pretended that we didn't know when we'd be seeing you next, you wouldn't suspect a thing."

"We got the letters you wrote us - Hedwig brought them right over here this morning. Shortest flight she's ever had to take!" Ron chimed in, beaming.

"Wow," Harry said, still feeling foolish but grinning in spite of himself. Hedwig had returned remarkably fast - he hadn't given it much thought at the time, but in retrospect her trip had been entirely too short for the distances she should have traveled. He'd been so excited about a Dursley-free birthday that he hadn't given it much notice. "Well, thanks, everyone."

"Remus sends his regrets, Harry," Dumbledore told him. "As you may know, it was the full moon last night and I'm afraid he didn't feel quite up to travelling today."

"I understand," Harry said, fighting down the disappointment welling in his chest as he pocketed his wand.

"Hagrid wanted to come as well, but I'm afraid I had to discourage him; he would be - ah - a bit too conspicuous in Little Whinging," Dumbledore added, and Harry laughed, imagining the look on Uncle Vernon's face if Hagrid came strolling down Privet Drive.

"Glad to see you got your wand out good and quick, boy," Moody growled, his magical blue eye whizzing in circles in his eye socket. "Constant vigilance!"

"Aw, lighten up, Moody, it's his birthday party!" Tonks protested, putting her arm around Harry and winking at him.

"My first one, too," Harry said without thinking, examining the cake.

The room fell silent with such suddenness that Harry nearly jumped at the abrupt stillness. "What?" he said nervously. Most of the guests looked surprised, but Tonks looked stunned, and Mrs. Weasley wore a look of abject horror.

"This is your first birthday party? Ever?" Ginny said after a moment, breaking the stillness.

"Er... yeah," Harry said uncomfortably. "I might've had one when I turned one, but I can't remember." He brightened, and added hastily, "Aunt Petunia gave me a birthday gift this morning, though. First one I've ever gotten from any of the Dursleys."

"Ah, yes, so you mentioned in your letter," Dumbledore said, his soft blue eyes twinkling. "I must admit, I was rather surprised."

Moody's one good eye was narrowed; the other was looking in the direction of the Dursley's house. "She did, did she?" he growled. "What, poisoned sweets?"

This remark evinced a chuckle from Ron and a giggle from Hermione. It seemed to break the tension a bit. "No, though I wouldn't put it past her," Harry said. "Actually, she gave me these." He swept a hand down his body, gesturing at the new jeans and T-shirt.

"It's about time that - that - woman gave you something decent to wear," Mrs. Weasley muttered darkly. Harry threw her a surprised glance; the normally cheerful and jolly woman looked almost vicious.

"Uh, why don't we cut the cake?" Mr. Weasley suggested hastily.

"Yeah, Harry, blow out the candles," Fred suggested, a wicked glint in his eyes.

"Go on, give it a try," George agreed, an identical glint in his eyes.

Harry started toward the cake eagerly but stopped short. "These are real candles, aren't they?" he asked, eyeing the Weasley twins suspiciously. "They're not from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes?"

"Of course not, Harry," George said innocently.

"Honestly, do you think we'd do something like that on your birthday?" Fred asked, smiling widely.

"Yes," Harry, Ron, Neville, Ginny, and Hermione said simultaneously. Luna, who didn't have as much experience with the Weasley twins as the rest, giggled.

"Don't worry, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, the angry glare fading from her eyes and her normally jovial countenance returning. "I baked and decorated that cake myself - and I made sure that those two pranksters didn't get anywhere near it."

"All right, then," Harry said, grinning, and stepped toward the cake. He could see that Mrs. Weasley had enchanted the candles; they'd been burning steadily for five minutes but there wasn't a speck of wax on the frosting.

He took a deep breath and blew as hard as he could.

BANG!

The candles exploded quite spectacularly, releasing a storm of red-gold glitter and confetti shaped like little Gryffindor lions that showered upon Harry and the others. Several firecrackers whizzed and burst along the top of the ceiling, raining red and gold sparkles over the pseudo-common room.

"One of our new products at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes!" Fred announced, doubling over with laughter.

"Blasting Birthday Blazers!" George proclaimed, winking rakishly. "Eight sickles for a box of ten - you've got a Gryffindor Gala package there, Harry."

Fred, ignoring his mother's exasperated glares, continued, "We've also got Ravenclaw Revelry," here he swept a grandiose bow in Luna's direction, "Hufflepuff Hoopla, and Slytherin Shindig, along with your all-purpose Magical Merrymaking package."

Harry, who had jumped back in alarm at the first blast, began to laugh. Ron and Hermione joined in, and soon the whole room was a cacophony of mirth. "You two!" Mrs. Weasley scolded, laughing in spite of herself. "However did you manage it? I didn't leave that cake alone for a second when you were in the house."

"We had a partner in crime," Fred grinned, clapping a hand on Ginny's shoulder.

The youngest Weasley tossed her red head and smiled smugly. "Sorry, Harry, I couldn't resist."

"No problem, Ginny," Harry said, thankful there were no mirrors around - he probably looked ridiculous with glitter and confetti in his hair and all over his clothes. All told, Fred and George's joke had been relatively benign - he was lucky that he hadn't turned into a giant salamander.

The guests laughed and chattered amongst themselves as Mrs. Weasley cut and served the cake; she also added a generous scoop of non-melting choco-nut ice cream from Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor to each plate.

Even though this cake was wonderful, Harry briefly thought back to his first birthday cake, the one Hagrid had given him at their first meeting. His first cake had had a special flavor to it that just couldn't compare with this one - though he didn't say anything of the kind to Mrs. Weasley, and assured her that her baking was, as always, excellent. Mrs. Weasley beamed at him.

Harry joined his classmates, who were all wolfing down cake as they chatted about the news of the summer. Neville shared his own O.W.L. scores; Neville, amazingly enough, had gotten six O.W.L.s and had even earned a P.O.S.T. Mark in Herbology (when Harry shared the news of his own P.O.S.T. Mark, Hermione squealed, "You got one in Defense Against the Dark Arts? Ooooh, Harry, those are really rare!"); also surprisingly, Neville had received an A in Potions. "Without Snape there, I could actually concentrate on what I was doing for once," Neville explained.

He was also showing off the new wand he'd gotten to replace his father's, which had snapped in the Department of Mysteries. Harry quickly pushed that thought out of his mind and instead concentrated on admiring Neville's new wand. "Ten inches, beech, with a dragon heartstring core," Neville bragged.

"Time for gifts!" Mrs. Weasley announced after her delicious cake (Harry had devoured three pieces) was eaten. Harry blushed as he looked at the red-and-gold packages heaped on the table. "You shouldn't have..." he muttered as Mr. Weasley pushed him toward the table. "I have enough stuff already..."

"Oh, don't be stupid, Harry, it's your birthday!" Ron said, momentarily disappearing behind a large chair. "Here, you might as well get mine first, it's the biggest..."

He pulled out what looked like a large wooden "T", complete with a shiny red bow. "It's for Hedwig," Ron explained. "You said last year that she only had her cage to roost on in your bedroom, and Dad showed me how to use his Muggle woodworking tools this summer..."

"Wow, Ron, this is incredible!" Harry said, examining the stand and feeling very impressed. It was surprisingly well-made for someone who, has far as he knew, had never done any sort of woodworking before. Ron had even carved Hedwig's name into the base. "She'll love it, mate - thanks!"

Ron blushed, looking very pleased with himself. "Dad helped."

"Not very much," Mr. Weasley disagreed, smiling with pride. "He's a natural carpenter - he can use some of those Muggle tools better than I can."

"Me next." Hermione shoved a package at him. "Go on, open it!"

Hermione's gift, not surprisingly, was a book. However, she'd selected So You Want to Eradicate the Dark Forces: A Preparation Guide for the Auror Training Entrance Exams. "Tonks helped me pick it out," Hermione said, her eyes shining at Harry's obvious pleasure in the gift. It was all Harry could do to keep from opening the book and beginning to read right then and there, but he had other gifts to open.

Tonks, Moody, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Ginny gave him a group gift: an enormous birthday-themed gift box of Honeydukes sweets and chocolates as well as a handsome assortment of Mrs. Weasley's own mince pies and homemade chocolate marshmallow fudge. "Be sure not to eat the lot at once," Mrs. Weasley cautioned. "That goes for you, too!" she added to Ron, who was eyeing the package with anticipation.

Luna's gift was a year's subscription to The Quibbler - "The next issue will feature our sightings of the Crumple-Horned Snorkack from our trip to Sweden," she informed Harry as Ginny giggled and Hermione rolled her eyes.

Neville's gift really surprised Harry; like Hermione, he'd given a book - but this book was Magical Plants and Their Defensive Uses. Harry flicked through it quickly; it contained many tips on how to use any nearby plant life for a defensive advantage, including for camouflage and healing purposes.

"Wow, Neville!" Harry said enthusiastically, and Neville beamed.

"I have a copy too," he said proudly. "Maybe we can use some of the material in the D.A. this year."

"Er... yeah, probably," Harry said, taken aback for a moment. He hadn't thought they'd be continuing the D.A. any longer, considering that there was no reason to have a secret DADA group now that Umbridge was out of Hogwarts. Neville, however, apparently thought otherwise. "Maybe you can teach that session," Harry added, and Neville's eyes grew large.

"M-me? T-teach a D.A. class?" he squeaked. "R-really?"

"Well, you know more about Herbology then we ever will; you'd be the perfect choice," Hermione spoke up, poking Ron with her elbow.

"Yeah, definitely!" Ron chimed in, taking the hint.

Neville's round, cheerful face was beaming brightly. Harry made a mental note to compliment Neville more often this term; he didn't want Neville to lose the confidence he'd gained the last year.

"Go on, ours next!" Fred and George said in unison, shoving another package his way.

"But... the candles..." Harry stammered.

"Those weren't your gift, Harry!" Fred said.

"Those were just a little entertainment for the party," George added. "Open it."

Harry did and found an assortment of Skiving Snackboxes. "And anytime you need more, mate, just send us an owl," Fred told him. "You'll get a fresh supply, compliments of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes."

"It's the least we can do for our principal investor," George said cheerfully.

"Hey, thanks!" Harry said, pleased. Then, catching Dumbledore's eye, he stammered, "Er... not that I'll have much use for these at Hogwarts."

"Indeed not, now that we have an effective cure for Umbridge-itis." His blue eyes were twinkling. "However, I may need to borrow one of those," Dumbledore continued calmly, ignoring the appalled glare of Mrs. Weasley. "I daresay that being Headmaster can get dreadfully dull from time to time - there are a few days I would like to skive off."

"Yes, sir," Harry said, repressing his own laughter with difficulty as the twins sniggered.

One long, thin package remained on the table. Dumbledore picked it up and seemed to hesitate for a moment, then handed it to Harry. "This is for you," he said gently, "from Remus and I." His eyes still twinkled, but his face was serious.

Curious, Harry ripped off the packaging and lifted the lid from the box. Inside was a cream-coloured envelope resting under two wands - one was the exact length of his own, but made of a darker wood; the other was slightly shorter than his and made of willow, like Ron's. "I don't understand... what - " he began to ask, unsure of why Dumbledore would be giving him a wand - two wands - when he already had a perfectly good one.

"Those," Dumbledore said in quiet, measured tones, "are your parents' wands. Remus recovered them from the house the night James and Lily were killed - he's kept them safe ever since."

Harry stared at the two wands, blinking rapidly to keep tears out of his eyes. With the exception of his Invisibility Cloak, he had had nothing that had belonged to his parents.

"We had intended to give them to you when you came of age," Dumbledore said, an odd expression on his face, "but I had a conversation with the Sorting Hat earlier this summer, and it suggested that I should give them to you now."

"The Sorting Hat?" Harry said, startled. "You talk to it?"

Dumbledore nodded. "On quite a regular basis. It is one of my most trusted advisors." He paused, his eyes moving to the box Harry held. "You'll find a letter from Oliver Ollivander in there. I asked him to give you a few more details about the properties of the wands."

Harry closed the box, swallowing a large lump in his throat. "Thank you, sir," he managed, turning away to put the wands with his other gifts, but surreptitiously wiping his eyes at the same time.

"All right, Harry, time for my gift," Mrs. Figg said suddenly, breaking the silence. "I've had my fireplace hooked up to the Floo network so Ron and Hermione can visit Little Whinging all they like this summer."

"Really?!" Harry gasped, his eyes widening. "Can Squibs get their fireplaces hooked up to the Network?"

"It's optional," Mr. Weasley said. "And there are numerous forms to fill out if you live among Muggles, but I helped Mrs. Figg with the paperwork and - er - did a bit of schmoozing with the officials at the Floo Network Authority."

"That's not all," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling. "Arthur also arranged for the Grangers' fireplace to be hooked up, as well."

Hermione nodded. "I told Mum and Dad it would be useful; this way I don't have to rely on them anytime I need to go to Platform 9 ¾ or Diagon Alley. We had to fill out the same paperwork as Mrs. Figg, but it's all been arranged."

"So I can't leave Privet Drive at all this summer?" Harry asked Dumbledore, still feeling a bit disappointed.

"I'm afraid not, Harry. As I said in my letter, it's the safest place for you now that Voldemort and his supporters are active," Dumbledore said kindly. "However, I hope that having Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger nearby will make the summer a bit more bearable."

"Just think of all the fun we can have with Dudley, Harry," Ron said, grinning evilly.

"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley scolded.

"Just kidding, Mum," Ron assured her hastily, but he winked at Harry.

"Wow," Harry said, wishing he could think of something more original to say, but his mind was reeling. He knew his friends had planned this party in hopes of cheering him up after what had happened to Sirius, and he was grateful for the distraction. "Thanks, everyone; this was brilliant."

"It's not over yet!" Hermione said cheerfully. "We brought Exploding Snap, Gobstones, Ron brought his chess set - we can play whatever you want." She grinned, looking around the room. "Except Quidditch, of course."

All at once, Harry had an idea - an awful, wonderful idea. "All right... but how about we bring these gifts over to the Dursley's house first, so we can get them out of the way?" he suggested, grinning at Ron, Fred, and George.

"Sure!" the three Weasley boys said instantly. Ron's evil grin had returned and the twins' eyes were glinting mischievously.

"No!" Mr. and Mrs. Weasley said simultaneously.

"Ron, you, Ginny and Hermione may go... Neville and Luna as well... but I think it's best if Fred and George stay here," Mr. Weasley clarified. "The last thing we need at the Dursleys is two of-age wizards who can't keep their wands - or wizarding wheezes - to themselves." Mr. Weasley was gazing sternly at twins, and Harry knew that he was remembering the Ton-Tongue toffee.

The twins looked disappointed, but subsided meekly when they saw Dumbledore's nod of agreement. "Your father is correct, I'm afraid," the old wizard said. "Not to mention what the Ministry might think if they detect any more magic at 4 Privet Drive... the last thing Harry needs this summer is another disciplinary hearing."

"Tonks and I will escort you there," Moody said, his wooden leg thumping on the floor. "You can't be too safe... there could be Death Eaters lurking right outside this door, you never know..."

Harry rolled his eyes, but agreed. Personally, he thought Death Eaters would be insane to try and attack him when seven Order of the Phoenix members - one of whom was Albus Dumbledore - were just two streets away, but it certainly wouldn't hurt for Dudley to catch another glimpse of Mad-Eye Moody.

"And once you're done, give me a ring on the 'phone and they'll escort you back here," Mrs. Figg told them.

"I wish I could come," Mr. Weasley said wistfully, no doubt itching to examine all the plugs at 4 Privet Drive, "but I doubt your aunt and uncle want me anywhere near your house after what happened the last time I was there."

"And remember to behave yourselves!" Mrs. Weasley cried as they descended down the attic ladder.

~ end of Chapter 2 ~