Chapter 25: Birthday Party, Interrupted

“Well?” Minerva asked as Fawkes flew in through the window and dropped Harry on the floor of the Headmaster’s Office.

At the sight of Harry, Lily gasped and jumped up, eager to get to him as well. James, gently but firmly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down, silently shaking his head

“Let him get completely in Minerva.” Dumbledore said laughing. When the Harry had stood up and dusted himself off, Dumbledore nodded to Professor McGonagall, who began storming him with questions.

“What happened? What did they say? What were they like? Albus told me about all the rooms except the room with the Founders, what did it look like? What do they want?” She asked without taking a breath.

Laughing Harry held up his hands, “Please one question at a time!” he said pleadingly.

“What happened to your hand?” She asked him suspiciously noticing blood soaked cloth wrapped around it.

Harry looked down in amazement wondering how he could have forgotten about the pain, he slowly unwrapped it as he said, “I had to give a sacrifice of myself freely before the door would let me in. It took my pinky finger up to the – HEY!” Harry stopped in shock; his finger was in perfect condition. No signs of it being cut off could be found. He looked up questioningly to Dumbledore in time to see him smiling.

“They found you worthy so they returned it. They might be portraits, but they still possess some of their old magic.”

“Oh, I see.” Was all Harry could think of to say as he stared dumbly at his finger.

He looked up at the insistent tapping of Minerva’s shoe, and had to fight not to laugh at her impatient demeanor.

“We need to call a meeting of a select group of the Order. It needs to happen tonight.” Harry said with an air of authority that McGonagall had never heard him use before. He quickly jotted down a few names on a piece of paper and handed it to her.

“Yes of course.” She said staring at him in a whole new light, “Can this meeting wait till after your party? The others that are not on this list might find it highly suspicious if it is cancelled.” She asked him.

He thought for a few moments, and then nodded in agreement, confident that she would carry out his wishes to a T.

“You better not be late to your own party then.” She handed him a bag of Floo Powder.

Harry stepped into the fireplace, threw down the powder and said clearly, “The Burrow.”


Still not used to traveling by Floo Powder, Harry tumbled into the kitchen at the Burrow, narrowly missing the table with the cake, but cracking his head on the stove instead. When his parents came crashing in, almost as destructively as Harry, he was sitting on a stool with an ice pack to his head.

“Serves you right.” Ginny mumbled under her breath, although she had been the one to conjure an icepack, thankfully out of the watchful eyes of her mother.

“Thank you, Ginny.” Harry said grabbing her hand.

“Your welcome.” She jerked her hand away and stormed out of the kitchen.

Resting his head in his hand, covering his eyes, Harry gave a big sigh, wondering if she would ever or even could ever forgive him, not to mention consider taking him back. He had broken her heart, but he had done it for what he thought was the right reason, to protect her. She apparently didn’t see it that way.

“Don’t worry mate, she will come around.” Ron said as he and Hermione entered the kitchen holding hands.

Harry looked up and smiled at the couple “So it is official then?” At Hermione’s bashful nod, he said smiling, “About time.”

“So where did you go after the game?” Ron asked eager to change the subject.

“Oh we went on a surprise visit to Hogwarts so that Dumbledore could tell me Happy Birthday.” Harry said easily, but not without a tremendous feeling of guilt.

He had agreed not to mention anything about the Founders until behind closed doors with a select group of people; even though it killed him to not say anything to his two best friends

“Oh, well that was nice of him.” Ron said, completely missing the suspicious look that Hermione gave Harry, who pretended not to notice.

He was saved however from any questioning by Hermione. At that moment guests started pouring in wishing Harry a 'Happy Birthday'; the visit to the castle was momentarily forgotten.

Because Harry and Neville’s birthdays were a mere one day apart the two boys had decided that they wanted to share a party for this, their most important birthday.

Harry watched as all of the people that were important in his life arrived to be with him. He could not remember feeling this much happiness, he felt like he would burst.

“Happy Birthday, Harry!” Bill Weasley said as he slapped Harry on the shoulder, “Welcome to manhood!” he said pumping his arm in false machoness, causing Ron, James and Harry to burst into laughter.

“Hello, Harry.” Fluer said as she decended on him and kissed each of his cheeks, “We ‘ave come to weesh you a Happy Birthday.” She said speaking slowly, her accent much improved. “And you, hello, Ron, my leettle brother.” She kissed his cheeks as well.

Laughing, Harry elbowed Ron in the ribs.

“Man!” Bill bellowed in his brother’s face, “You are drooling over my wife, you need to stop!”

Ron’s mouth instantly snapped closed and he mumbled something unintelligible as he stumbled away.

“How can you live with men doing that, it can’t just be Ron.” Harry asked Bill laughing, glad that he had finally learned to resist the urge of Bill’s half veela wife.

“Who ees theese?” Fluer asked, staring up at Harry’s father, a look of almost disbelief on her beautiful face.

“This is James Potter, Harry’s father.” Bill explained to the girl.

Harry glanced up at his father, surprised to see that he was not drooling over the beautiful girl as well, most men on a first encounter with her did. He instead was staring at her in fascinated silence. Harry realized that James was fascinated, not by her looks, but by the myriad of expressions crossing her face. Looking back at Fluer, Harry realized that the girl was almost in a snit at James level of self control.

Harry was still talking with Bill and Fluer when he looked up and noticed Lupin standing there.

“Happy Birthday, Harry!” Lupin said as he embraced Harry.

“I am so glad that you came!” Harry said genuinely as he shook Lupin’s hand. He looked up at his father, and was shocked to see his father looking surprisingly stiff, and even more surprised to see Lupin looking just as stiff.

James nodded to Lupin, who returned the nod, and the group stood in akward silence until Lupin said, “Well, I better go find Tonks, and say Happy Birthday to Neville.” He glanced once more at James before turning to go.

Harry’s curiosity at the reactions of the two men was soon interrupted and forgotten as Molly announced dinner.

After a wonderful dinner prepared by Molly and Dobby, the cake was brought into the dinning room and placed in the center of the table. Across the top of the huge multi-tiered cake in flashing and sparkling lettering, but “completely edible” he was assured by George, read: “Happy 17th Birthday Harry and Neville” Around the outside edge were Snitches and Remembralls that actually moved and changed colors.

After much laughing, the cake was cut and gifts were pulled out. Harry had just finished opening a pensieve from Ron and Hermione, when suddenly there was a loud crack and Fawkes appeared sitting on Harry’s shoulder.

He had a note tied to his leg that he held out for Harry. He took the note off and read it, and handed it over to Minerva. After a slight nod from her, the members of the Order bade farewell to Harry and the Weasley’s and left.

“Come with me.” Harry said to Ron, Hermione, Neville and Ginny after the adults were gone. After giving instructions to Dobby, he said, “We are going to Grimmuald Place, Ginny hold on to someone.” He was surprised when she walked over and grabbed his arm. He looked at her for a moment, and then wrapped both of his arms around her and disappeared.