Harry Potter and the Last Goodnight

The first thing Harry noticed about the Weasley dining table was that it had an extra place setting. He thought that maybe it was for Percy, but when the family actually gathered around the meal outside, he was glad to see someone else occupied it.

Fleur Delacour, the gorgeous fair-haired beauty and graduate of Beauxbatons Academy, took the extra seat at the table. She was flashing a magnificent engagement ring on her left hand. The diamond was large and cut into the shape of a dragon.

Bill was sitting next to her, a smile constantly plastered on his face. "She didn't work on her 'Eeenglish' much," Ron whispered to Harry, "but she sure did learn how to work one over on Bill."

Harry thought for sure that the diamond on Fleur's finger brought out the veela in her, because as he ate, he couldn't seem to take his eyes off her. She was absolutely stunning. He noticed that she had the same effect on the twins, and that both Ginny and Hermione didn't pay much attention when she spoke. They would glare at her when she wasn't looking, though.

Harry told Mrs. Weasley that the meal was excellent. The family sat around listening to stories from Bill and Charlie's adventures. Bill worked for the wizarding bank, Gringotts, and Charlie worked in Africa with dragons. Both jobs seemed very exciting to Harry, but both of their tales had convinced him that he still wanted to be an Auror. Bill admitted that there was a lot of paperwork with his job and Charlie said that even he spent most of his time recovering from dragon wounds.

As the sun disappeared beneath the western horizon, Harry sleepily noticed the shuffle of plates and food being finished off or wrapped up to be sent into the house. With the distraction, Ron caught Harry's attention. "You and Gin should go for an after-supper walk," he suggested quietly. "To help your digestion."

Harry frowned. "Just what are you up to, Ron? Trying to play matchmaker?" he hissed. And Harry knew that walking around with a girl who had previously had a crush on him would not do anything but make his digestion much more painful.

"Harry, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, "would you mind helping Ginny put the table back into the shed?" She pulled her wand out of her apron pocket and with a mere mutter of a spell and a flick of her wand, all the food was wrapped tightly in the tablecloth, which Mr. Weasley threw over his back like a knapsack and carried into the house.

"Looks like mum's going to play matchmaker for me." Ron chuckled and followed Hermione inside, but only after giving him a wink.

Harry was startled to suddenly find himself alone in the dark with Ginny Weasley.

Silently, the two of them folded up the large table and hauled it inside the small shed in the Weasley's backyard. Harry was glad it was dark, because then she wouldn't notice he was sweating in the cool night. Whether it was from putting the table away or being around Ginny, he wasn't sure.

Ginny closed the shed door and locked it with the padlock. The two of them stood in the quiet darkness for a moment. Harry cleared his throat. "Well, we'd better get inside." He took a step towards the house when he suddenly felt Ginny clasp his hand and pull her towards him.

"What's the rush?" she asked coyly. He could see her brown eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

Harry gulped. This was not happening. Last year, Ginny was very much over her childhood crush on him. Why was she suddenly trying to resurrect it? Things were uncomfortable enough between them already.

"Are you afraid of me, Harry?" Ginny asked, letting go of his hand.

He thought for a moment. "No, just girls in general."

Ginny giggled. "That could be a problem."

Harry sighed. "Look, Ginny, I don't know what's going on here, but..." His voice trailed off. Could he really tell his best friend's little sister that he had no feelings for her at all? The absolute truth, he was almost positive, would hurt Ginny. And as much as he wanted her to be done with him, he didn't want to break her heart.

Suddenly, he was very aware of her breathing. She turned towards him, and he could once again see that spark in her eyes that he'd missed all those years before. And without warning, without even time to react or move or push her away, she grabbed the sides of his head and laid her lips on his in a fierce and clumsy kiss.

What the hell is she doing?

After what felt like five minutes in an uncomfortable lip-lock, Ginny pulled away from him. Her cheeks were flushed and she was gasping for breath. She was silent for a moment, and appeared to contemplating something. "Harry, you have nothing to worry about," she said breathlessly, then turned on her heel and sauntered into the house, her red hair bobbing behind her.

Nothing to worry about? If anything, Ginny's goodnight kiss gave him a whole new set of worries.

Harry didn't sleep well that night. He kept having visions of Ginny sneaking into Ron's room and ambushing him. His insides were churning from the amazing dinner. He guessed he must have eaten too much, but whatever it was, he didn't fall into a heavy sleep until sometime after the first rays of light streamed through the windows in Ron's bedroom.

When he finally woke up for good, Ron's light snores were gone and Harry was in his bedroom alone. He glanced at his new watch. It was already ten-thirty. Embarrassed about sleeping in, he quickly got dressed. He attempted to do something with his hair to make it lie flat, but it was a hopeless case. He slipped his glasses. This is as good as it's going to get.

He caught his reflection in Ron's full-length mirror. He had to admit that he did look good in his new Muggle clothes. It was nice to have jeans that fit him properly and shirts that didn't wind down to his knees. He couldn't help but notice how much he looked like his father, especially after the way his body had changed over the summer. Except for her startling green eyes and the scar on his forehead, he looked exactly like James did when he was fifteen.

No wonder Snape hates me so much, Harry thought bitterly.

Without taking any more time to ponder his appearance, he quietly slipped out of Ron's bedroom and into the Burrow's narrow stairwell. It was eerily quiet in the house. There was no howling from the ghoul in the attic or explosions from Fred and George's bedroom. He felt a shiver down his spine. Maybe something terrible had happened?

But as Harry climbed further and further down the stairs, he suddenly came to the realization that today was his sixteenth birthday. Before he hit the bottom landing he broke into a jog. When he reached the kitchen, he was greeted by glowing faces and the delicious smell of pancakes and pies.

"Surprise!"

Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Lupin were gathered around the kitchen table. There was a stack of presents next to an empty chair at the head of the table.

"Happy birthday, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, getting up from her seat and hugging him tightly.

"Thanks," Harry replied automatically. "What's all this for?"

"Why, it's the beginning of your all-day birthday party!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "We all thought it was about time that you celebrate your birthday with a properly, and not alone with your wretched aunt and uncle." She hurried over to the stove and picked up a tea kettle. "It was Ginny's idea, actually."

Somehow, that didn't surprise Harry. He glanced over at her. She smiled sheepishly.

"Come and have a seat," Lupin said, patting the empty chair next to him. He was looking a little better than the few days before. Harry wondered, briefly, why he was here and then he realized that everyone just assumed that Lupin was to take Sirius's place in his life. Harry felt a rush of anger inside of him, but quickly let it go. The Weasleys had gone to all trouble of throwing him a party; he wasn't about to let his temper ruin it.

Harry sat down in the vacant seat. "Where is everybody else?"

"Arthur and Charlie went off to the Ministry - I daresay that they'll be having a chat with Percy." Mrs. Weasley bit her lower lip as she filled Harry's mug with tea. "Fred and George are gone to their shop in Diagon Alley," she said with a bit of resentment in her voice. Harry wondered, feeling guilty, if she new yet about where the funds had come from him for the twins' joke shop, but she didn't give a second glance to Harry as she filled Remus's cup. "And Bill and Fleur have gone off sightseeing."

"I doubt they'll be seeing much other than each other," Ron said. Ginny stifled a laugh.

"They were here earlier, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, "but I'm afraid you just slept in too late. How did you sleep, by the way? Ron said that you'd been tossing and turning until morning."

"Er, well, I... I slept all right," Harry lied. He didn't know what to say. He tried very hard not to make eye contact with Ginny. It was her fault he couldn't sleep, after all.

He suddenly felt a hand on his arm and looked up. Professor Lupin was staring at his scar, concerned. "Any... funny dreams lately?" he questioned.

Again, Harry felt ashamed. His stupid scar. He hated the lines of worry all over Lupin's face. "No, Prof - Remus. I didn't have any dreams about him. I guess I just ate too much, that's all."

"Oh dear," Mrs. Weasley said. "Well, I hope you're hungry now. We've got poached eggs and pancakes and a few mince pies." She gestured to the table full of food.

"Don't worry mum, I'm starved," Ron announced. "I'll eat Harry's portion."

Not wanting to be rude, and actually feeling emptiness in the pit of his stomach, he raised his plate and helped himself to some pancakes. "No way, Ron. I think I'll be able to eat my own portion, thank you very much."

Mrs. Weasley looked pleased as everyone dug into breakfast. Harry found that he was quite hungry, and it did turn out to be a very nice birthday breakfast. Remus told some stories about when he went into a Muggle pet store and saw some of the vile treats they had for dogs. "Imagine - bones that claim to whiten a mutt's teeth." Mrs. Weasley even talked about how everyone at the ministry loved Fred and George's new joke shop. Harry was glad to see she was taking their business venture lightly.

"Are we going to get to visit the joke shop before the term starts?" Harry asked eagerly.

"I'm afraid not," Mrs. Weasley answered. "George and Fred have run into some problems. They may not be open for a while."

"What problems?"

"Stupid Zonko's," Ron replied. "They think that Fred and George stole their idea for the fake wands. They were working on a prototype that turned into a rooster while Fred and George's turned into hens." He shook his head in disbelief. "Now they're being investigated by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement until further notice."

"They've been spending day and night cleaning up the store to be perfect for the inspection next month," Ginny said.

"But maybe at Christmastime, dear," Mrs. Weasley suggested.

Harry couldn't help but smile. So he wouldn't have to spend another lonely Christmas at Hogwarts, either. He would have a proper Christmas celebration too.

After another cup of tea, Harry opened his birthday gifts. He received a giant bag of Bertie Blotts Every Flavor Beans from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and an "I Love New York" t-shirt from Hermione. "It's what all the tourist Muggles in America were wearing," she added excitedly.

Ginny gave him a patch in the shape of the Gryffindor Lion to put on his Quidditch bag. Ron got him some of Fred and George's Skiving Snackboxes. He got a few of all four flavors: Fever Fudge, Fainting Fancies, Puking Pastilles, and Nosebleed Nougat. "For one of those days when McGonagall's voice is just too annoying to handle," Ron whispered, avoiding looks of annoyance from his mother. The twins themselves got him a sweatshirt supporting the Puddlemere United Quidditch team, who their old captain, Oliver Wood, played for.

There were also a few gifts from owls that had arrived earlier that morning. Dobby the house-elf had given him a scarf with Gryffindor colors. Apparently he was really improving on his knitting skills. Hagrid had given him a case of Honeydukes chocolate, with an odd letter on the inside.

"What's it say?" Ron asked, watching Harry with anticipation.

"It says that the other half of my gift is waiting for me at Hogwarts. She's waiting for me at Hogwarts." Confused, Harry read the letter again.

"She?" Hermione questioned. "Oh no, you don't think it's some kind of animal, do you?"

Ron shrugged. "What else could it be? I bet he got you your very own blast-ended skrewt." They all laughed at the joke, however, Harry felt a little uneasy about the idea of Hagrid giving him a pet. But the best gift was from Remus. He got Harry a small, white, glowing orb that fit into the palm of his hand. It reminded Harry of a miniature crystal ball. "What's this?"

"Hold it up to your eye," Remus said.

Harry hesitated for a moment, and then lifted the small white orb to his right eye. His glasses got in the way, so he quickly took them off and used his good eye to peer inside the globe, as though looking through a telescope. At first, he didn't see anything except bright light, but then a light gray circle appeared inside of the globe.

"It's a Moon Guide. It tells you when the full moon is going to be. The darker the circle gets, the closer to the full moon," Remus explained. "And when it gets black, well... that's the night."

Harry grinned. "Wicked. Thanks, Remus." He leaned over and gave Remus a hug. And somehow, it felt natural.

In odd ways, Remus did remind Harry of Sirius. Both were built about the same, though Remus was thinner around the full moon. Remus had long hair, but it was curly at the ends. Sirius's hair had been straight and jet-black. Both of them had dark eyes. But the most familiar thing about Remus was that when he hugged Harry, it felt a lot like he was hugging Sirius. And he found comfort in this, though it did make a lump swell in the back of his throat.

"Well, now that all the gifts have been opened," Mrs. Weasley said, "why don't you all go outside and find something to do while I clean this place up."

"I'll help," Hermione offered, but Mrs. Weasley held up a hand to silence her.

"No, dear, it'll only take me a minute. Go on now, all of you. The summer holiday won't last forever." And with a playful shove, Ginny and Hermione left the kitchen.

"Hey, Harry, you should get your broom," Ron suggested. "We could work on some Quidditch."

"Sounds great," Harry replied. "I'll run up to my room and get it." He turned and began to sprint up the stairway to Ron's room, when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to find Remus following him.

"About that Moon Guide, Harry," he said, "there's something else it does. Though I didn't know if it would be wise for everybody to know about it." He glanced down the stairs. "It's been bewitched to do something else as well. Can I see it?"

"Sure." Harry pulled the orb out of his pocket, where he had put it for safekeeping.

Remus took it from him, produced his wand from his pocket, and said quietly, "I solemnly swear I only want to watch." The orb glowed brighter for a moment, and then he handed it back to Harry. The words he spoke reminded Harry of a similar item that Lupin had been associated with: the Marauder's Map. "Now look inside."

Harry slipped his glasses off again and peered inside the orb. He gasped. Now he could see Remus and himself, standing on the second floor landing of the Weasley's staircase. "Wow," Harry breathed. "This is amazing. How - how does it work?"

Remus slipped his hand along the collar of his shirt and pulled out a chain. There was an even smaller orb attached to it. "It's sort of a... surveillance item. When I wear this, you can see me. Anytime you're wondering what I'm up to, you can use this."

Harry was taken aback. Remus must really trust him to give him such a gift. "Remus, are you sure I should have this?"

"The person who had it before you, well, she didn't want it anymore," he said bitterly.

"Who?" Harry asked. She?

Lupin smiled sadly and ignored his question. He took the orb back from Harry. "Now, to turn it off, all you need to say is, 'I have seen all there is to be seen.'" Remus flicked his wand again, and the orb seemed to dim. He handed it back to Harry with a wink. "It's another gift from the Messengers Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Progs."

Harry grinned. "Thank you so much, Remus. But isn't this sort of, well, an invasion of privacy?"

"If I'm doing something I don't want you to see, I'll be sure to take the chain off," Remus laughed. "Now, I don't think you should go around telling people what I gave you, but I trust Ron and Hermione. As for young Ginny..."

"Don't worry, Remus," Harry said, his stomach forming knots at the mention of her name. "This gift is safe with me."

"Good. I knew I could count on you. Now how about that game of Quidditch?"