Bedknobs and Broomsticks

It had been a week since Harry had arrived at Wandsworth Manor. He had seen Order members come and go, and watched as Hermione, Ron, and Ginny would disappear at times in a pair, leaving one behind to keep Harry company. If he was honest, it was starting to grate on his nerves, but instead he pretended not to notice. It was more than obvious to him now that they were up to something that they didn't want Harry included in. He started a gradual withdrawal from his friends that lasted until the day of his birthday. He and Ron were sitting in the living room, playing a game of wizard's chess when Hermione and Ginny walked into the room with identical smiles on their faces. It was that very moment that confirmed it for Harry - they had been up to something! Hermione took the seat next to Harry and faced him as she spoke.

"I know we haven't been around too much lately and I know you would have had to have noticed by now that something is going on..." Hermione stopped speaking as she, Ron, and Ginny stood up. She grabbed Harry's hands and tugged him up out of the chair, leading him towards the kitchen. "We just wanted you to know that, well... we weren't trying to exclude you from anything... Not really... It's just that -" As Hermione spoke, she pushed the kitchen door open.

"SURPRISE!" The shout came as soon as Harry caught a glimpse of the room. It was decorated with streamers, balloons and a large banner that sparkled, spelling out the words 'Happy Birthday Harry'. Harry glanced around at everyone standing in the kitchen. Among those who were staying at the manor, he saw many faces he recognised including Mad-Eye Moody, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Professor McGonagall. Harry felt a sort of relief as though a weight had been lifted. His friends had been hiding something from him all along, but it was only for his birthday.

"Surprise Harry," Hermione said as she smiled at him coyly. "We've been planning your birthday party. We figured you probably had never really had one before and we wanted to arrange a really good one for you. We even got special permission to invite the Gryffindors from our year, and Luna. I'm not really sure how Dumbledore managed it, but sometimes it's best not to question it."

"It was Ginny's idea." Harry glanced back at Ron's words and smiled at Ginny as Luna Lovegood was pulling her away. Hermione and Ron led Harry into the room as a chorus of 'Happy Birthday' sprung up around him, being led by Mrs. Weasley. Harry was speechless and slightly dumbfounded. He certainly hadn't been expecting this. He was so touched that his friends would do something like this for him. There was a small pile of presents stacked on a dresser off to the side of the room and a large birthday cake was situated in the centre of the kitchen table. Mrs. Weasley had cooked many appetizing dishes, which had been placed on the table around the delicious-looking cake.

This was the first time Harry had ever really truly had a birthday party. Not once in the years he'd been at the Dursleys' had they given him even a small gift. It seemed as though his friends had really gone all out, trying to give him what he'd never had, even since he'd met them. With each progressing year, it seemed as though it never would happen, but this year, Ginny had been the one to jump start the party into life.

"Excuse me Harry, may I have a word with you?" Harry looked up to see Dumbledore standing beside him. He nodded slowly and followed the Headmaster back into the sitting room he'd come from. They sat down on two of the couches before Dumbledore spoke again.

"Marvellous place, isn't it? Emmeline Vance has been gracious enough to lend us her home until we have sorted out Grimmauld Place. As you may know, Harry, Sirius has left all of his possessions as well as Grimmauld Place to you. We did not ask you this past year if we could use it for the Order because I knew how deeply Sirius's death had affected you. I did not want to put you into a position to make such a decision until I was sure that you were ready. Since that time, so much has happened that I haven't yet had the opportunity to speak with you about it."

"Professor, I... You can keep using it as Headquarters," said Harry. "It's what Sirius would have wanted. I don't... I don't care." Harry's last statement didn't sound very convincing to anyone. Professor Dumbledore just smiled at him and patted his knee. The man always had an uncanny ability to really see the thoughts and emotions of everyone he came in contact with. Harry really did care about Grimmauld Place, and he wanted the Order to continue to use it because it had meant so much to Sirius and now to him as well.

"There is just one detail we are not completely sure of just yet. It concerns the house-elf known as Kreacher. We know that the house itself will pass to you without issue, but Kreacher is another matter entirely. Because you are not a blood relative, we are uncertain as to whether you have become his master and if he will obey you. If that is not the case, Grimmauld Place will not be able to be used. His ownership could have passed along the blood lines to the next Black relative which could be either Bellatrix LeStrange or Narcissa Malfoy. As you can imagine, both cases would prevent the house from being used by the Order," Dumbledore explained. "Kreacher could easily betray our information and location to the Death Eaters, which would be disastrous. He knows too much already and if he has not passed into your possession, we shall have to do something with him to prevent him from going to his new master."

"Well, what can I do?" Harry asked, anxious to solve the problem. Clearly they had use of Emmeline Vance's home, but it was nowhere near as secure as Grimmauld Place had been.

"A simple test." Dumbledore called Kreacher forth by snapping his fingers and the house-elf appeared. Kreacher grumbled and shouted at Dumbledore for disturbing him. "I need you to give him an order to follow to determine if his ownership has also passed to you. If he has passed into your ownership, he has to obey any order you give him."

"I won't, I won't listen to half-blood brat!" Kreacher screamed before he continued to make loud undistinguishable howling and screeching noises. He was making so much noise that Harry was having a hard time thinking of some order he could give him. Kreacher was making so much noise that Ron and Hermione stuck their heads into the room to see what was going on. The two of them came in, leaving the party guests in the kitchen. Anger bubbled inside of Harry as Kreacher continued to yell and scream. Harry finally had had enough.

"Kreacher, shut up!" He yelled over the house-elf and suddenly he went quiet. Harry looked at the elf who was sending him a death glare that could wilt the prettiest flower. "Well, I guess that settles it but what am I going to do with him? I don't really want him."

"Well, obviously you have to keep him," Hermione spoke up as she walked over and took a seat beside Harry. Kreacher let out a muffled scream, unable to say anything as much as he wanted to. "What about sending him to Hogwarts? It would be our best chance at keeping him away from the Death Eaters and Sirius's other family. Dobby's there and he could keep an eye on him and Winky too if she's feeling better."

"I think that sounds like a marvellous idea. I'm not sure why I didn't think of it myself." Dumbledore's eyes sparkled with a knowing look.

"Um, well then, Kreacher, go work in the kitchens at Hogwarts," Harry commanded. Kreacher gave Harry a withering glare before he disappeared, following the orders given to him.

"Well, I suppose that wraps everything up. The only thing left to do is rejoin that splendid party you have going on." Dumbledore got up and winked at Harry before walking back into the kitchen.

Hermione and Ron looked at Harry, waiting for him to explain what had happened. It wasn't the best time to ask as the sting was still fresh, but he decided to share with them anyway. "Sirius's will. He left everything to me, including Kreacher."

"Well, I think we'd gathered that much but are you alright?" Hermione asked as she stood up from her seat on the couch.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Harry answered, looking thoughtful. "What am I going to do with all of his stuff?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something. I'm sure he wanted you to have it because you're the closest thing he had to family. Grimmauld Place will still be used for the Order meetings, so that's something. You don't have to decide what to do with all of it now. You've got lots of time." Hermione seemed so sure of herself but Harry couldn't say the same. He wasn't very sure he would make it out of this war alive. There was no way of knowing if it was going to be him or Voldemort that survived.

The trio moved back into the kitchen after giving Harry some time to breathe and think. There was a lot going on in his head at the moment and he needed that time to get refocused on the party at hand. As soon as they entered into the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley immediately carted Harry off towards the kitchen table, where the candles on the birthday cake seemed to light of their own accord as she sat him down at the table. The witches and wizards that were attending his party started up a roaring chorus of 'Happy Birthday'.

"Make a wish, Harry." Hermione smiled at him as he half stood in order to reach all the candles. He took a deep breath and blew out as many of them as he could after wishing for the one thing he wasn't sure he could ever have: a normal life. He was tired of being 'The Chosen One' and all the fame, good and bad, that came with it. He wanted to just be a normal wizard, not having to worry about an impending war at hand. He stood back as Mrs. Weasley approached the cake with a knife.

The cake was quickly cut and slices were passed around to all the guests. Mrs. Weasley had outdone herself yet again. The cake was absolutely delicious and the party was in full swing. It seemed like all of Harry's friends had turned out to the party and he was immensely glad for it. It wasn't every year he got to celebrate his birthday with a party and friends outside of the Weasleys and Hermione.

As the party started to slow down and most of the Order members who weren't needed had left, Harry felt like he had talked to everyone in attendance, and it was more than likely that he had. His most interesting conversation not surprisingly, had to have been with Luna. She was always full of interesting tales about imaginary creatures and events. She had described her latest trip with her father to Romania in search of something called a Chubblewump. She had described it as a sort of pygmy dragon with feathers instead of scales. It was good to know that some things just didn't change while he was away at his Aunt and Uncle's. The two of them stood by the sink as they chatted.

"Oh dear... It looks like Ginny and Dean are at it again..." Luna's misty voice interrupted Harry's thoughts and he glanced over to where Ginny and Dean were standing. Sure enough, it looked as though they were in the middle of a row. In hopes of breaking it up and keeping the peace, Harry stepped closer until he could hear the words coming from each of them. He paused once he heard his name, curious as to what they were arguing about.

"Honestly! Have you no consideration? This is Harry's birthday, and here you are, starting up again about all that nonsense. I am not incapable of taking care of myself, and you'd do well to remember that," Ginny argued as quietly as she could, while still getting her point across.

"I know you can take care of yourself, but I'm not going to let you go off and do something dangerous again." Dean didn't look as though he was going to back off any time soon. Harry leaned a bit closer, his interest now peaked.

"Not going to let me?" It was at this point that Harry knew Dean was in trouble. He had seen that look in Ginny's eyes before, and if it weren't for the fact that they were not allowed to do magic outside of school, Dean may very well have ended up on the receiving end of Ginny's famous Bat-Bogie Hex. Though, in all honesty, Harry wasn't sure Ginny wouldn't do it anyway. Judging from the expression on Dean's face, even he knew he'd gone too far. "Dean, if you don't stop trying to control me, I will take measures into my own hands."

"And do what? Run off with Harry again? Try to get yourself killed?" It seemed that Dean figured if he was in trouble, he might as well dive in head first. The look on Ginny's face as he spoke said volumes of how she was about to react.

"Maybe I will. In case you hadn't noticed, there's a war that's starting and this is the way things are going to be." There was a dangerous flash in Ginny's eyes that was daring Dean to say something in return. It was obvious he was on the verge of crossing a line that should not be crossed with Ginny Weasley and that line was getting thinner and finer every time Dean opened his mouth.

"Something you always like doing, isn't it? Running off with Harry." Harry started to wonder if maybe it was his Gryffindor bravery that kept him going. Ginny looked as though she was ready to murder him, but he kept on with the argument where Harry was sure others would have already backed down.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Ginny crossed her arms over her chest as she waited for an answer.

"It means that every time I turn around, you're running off with him somewhere."

"I hardly think one trip to the Ministry constitutes as every time. Don't exaggerate. He's my brother's best friend." Ginny let out a frustrated huff. "You know what, perhaps after you wish Harry a 'Happy Birthday', you'd better leave. I don't like these accusations you're throwing about. If there's anyone who should be throwing accusations around, it should be me. Don't think I haven't noticed the way Parvati's been hanging around you this whole time. There is nothing going on between Harry and myself. I participated in one battle with Hermione, Ron, Neville and Luna along for the trip as well so your accusations are not warranted here."

This time, Ginny didn't bother waiting for an answer before she stormed out of the room. Harry hadn't realised things were so bad between the couple. In fact, he wasn't really aware they had been dating until the end of his fifth year on the train ride home. Hermione had hinted that they'd been arguing a lot but he'd never imagined it was to such a high degree and over such serious issues. He didn't imagine that the couple would last much longer if they didn't resolve whatever the problem was between them.

Harry was just about to go after Ginny when Hermione came up and looped her arm with his, directing him towards Ron, Lavender, and Seamus. As he was pulled into their conversation, he slowly forgot about the seething Ginny sitting up in her room.

"We're really glad to see you, Harry. I mean, outside of school. We just don't get a chance to get together; it's always you, Ron and Hermione." Lavender batted her eyelashes at Ron as she continued. "We should get together more often if we can."

It was obvious to Harry that Lavender was talking to Ron, rather than everyone at that moment. Harry's sideways glance saw Hermione scowling slightly at Lavender. He felt Hermione's arm tighten slightly around his as Lavender continued her blatant flirting with an oblivious Ron. He just didn't seem to process the fact that Lavender was staring at him with adoring eyes. Normally, Harry wasn't that perceptive himself but she was being so obvious about it that everyone around them were looking at Ron and waiting for him to respond to her.

"Harry, Parvati and I need to be going." Harry glanced back once he heard his name, and saw Dean and Parvati standing off to the side. Parvati was smiling at Harry, while Dean still looked a bit put out as he wished him "Happy Birthday". It was clear that he was taking Ginny's advise and leaving before things got even uglier than they already had.

"Happy Birthday, Harry," Parvati exclaimed as she waved on her way out of the door, however, she looked as though she really didn't want to leave.

Mrs. Weasley started to clean up in the kitchen after all of Harry's friends had gone home, leaving only a few mingling adults, including a couple who had engaged an unwilling Ron in conversation. Ginny had come back downstairs and was helping her mother clean up, so Hermione and Harry decided to take a walk out into the garden. It was still early and the sun hadn't set but casted a golden glow across the field behind the house. They continued their walk in virtual silence until they came to the edge of the woods, where they stopped. Hermione turned to Harry, an odd look crossing her features.

"It doesn't get any easier, does it? Every year, more bad things happen. I'm scared for you, Harry. I'm scared for all of us, but especially you. I have this horrible feeling that not all of us are going to make it through. I don't even want to think of who it will be. I don't want it to happen, of course, but the war is coming. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I care about you Harry. You're one of my best friends and I love you." Hermione threw her arms around Harry's neck and hugged him tightly. As they pulled away, a rather pink-cheeked Hermione said rather quietly, "I don't want you to ever forget that," before placing a kiss on Harry's cheek.

"I won't. I promise." Harry wasn't sure what made him do it, but in the next moment, he had pressed his lips to Hermione's. He found that the kiss was rather nice, and vastly different from the one with Cho, though it did help that Hermione wasn't crying.

The kiss broke off only a moment later when the sound of a twig snapping brought both of them back to reality. Harry glanced at Hermione's face and noticed that she was looking rather distressed, but she wasn't looking at him. Harry turned towards the direction of her gaze and immediately knew what was wrong. Ron was standing only yards away with a dark expression on his face before he turned around and headed back to the house. Unsure of what to do, Harry looked to Hermione for guidance. They locked eyes for a moment then Hermione went running after Ron, leaving Harry to stare after the both of them. He watched silently as they argued before Ron continued to storm off, leaving Hermione behind. She stood there, motionless so Harry slowly walked to Hermione. He could see tears glistening in her eyes.

"He... he's angry with us. Of course, he won't say why..." Hermione blinked away the tears before they fell. It wasn't easy for any of them when they were fighting.

"He'll get over it. You know he will." Harry tried to reassure her, but he wasn't so convinced of it himself. He'd known Ron to hold a grudge during an argument for months. It wasn't his first experience with the Weasley temper and he doubted it would be the last.

"I know..." sighed Hermione as they walked back towards the house together."I just hate the three of us being torn apart by stupid little things or misunderstandings. We should be sticking together. A war is starting. We need each other. Ron should just talk to us and tell us why he's angry so that we can sort it all out."

"Hermione, I promise it will be fine. We just need to give Ron a couple of days." Harry hoped that he was right because if he was completely honest, he had no idea why Ron was so upset.

When they arrived back inside, Harry looked over at Ron, who was talking quietly to his sister. She glanced over Ron's shoulder at them with an unreadable expression on her face. Ron glanced back at them as well before whispering to Ginny again. She looked over at them again and Harry could see the unmistakeable expression of disappointment on her face as she looked him in the eyes. It was almost as if she knew something more than he did. Harry couldn't help but wonder if that really was the case.

Ginny pushed Ron gently towards the stairs, guiding him away from Harry and Hermione. Once Ron was out of sight, Harry approached Ginny. Hermione saw this as an opportunity to escape from the tension in the room and she quickly disappeared upstairs as well, presumably to the room she was staying in.

"Ginny," Harry started out but she held up her hand, stopping Harry from saying anything else.

"No. Don't start, Harry. I've had enough of these arguments today. I think that you need to think over what's more important to you and make a decision because this isn't right, Harry." She turned and headed up the stairs as well.

It seemed to be official. Harry had no idea what was going on and it was clear that Ginny had some kind of knowledge of the situation that Harry simply didn't have. Ron was most assuredly angry with both him and Hermione and Ginny seemed to know exactly why. She was also not too happy with him over it. Harry got the sudden feeling that it was going to be a long summer.