Harry Potter and the Ritual of Love's Memory

Chapter 77

The end of July and August raced past Harry at a frenetic pace. His birthday was held at Grimmauld Place and was well attended by members of the Order and the Weasley family, though Dumbledore was noticeably absent. He had, however, arranged for Neville to be given the secret location of the house so that he could join in the festivities. Harry was quite pleased to show his friend around in the time before the rest of the guests arrived.

Hermione also made an appearance now that her parents had been officially added to the floo network. Her enthusiastic hugs for Harry, Ginny, and Ron indicated that their correspondence over the long holidays had been very much appreciated.

The Weasley family had been relatively cagey whenever the subject of Dumbledore had been broached since Bill and Fleur's sacking. Arthur and Molly both seemed the most reticent to wash their hands of the headmaster, while their children were more likely to mutter angrily under their breath when he came up.

Charlie's new job and Percy's promotion had buoyed the spirits of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, as had Fleur's promising interview for an open position in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Bill was still tracking down leads for a new job, but Harry thought his frustration looked to have diminished slightly since hearing that Fleur had an inside track at a job that would keep her in England.

Despite the Weasleys not quite being their usual selves, Harry's birthday was a good deal of fun. He received several books on defensive magic and a few odds and ends to keep in his room at Grimmauld or to hang in his dormitory. Kingsley gifted him a wand holster for his arm, which he explained was the same kind the Aurors used in the field, which thrilled Harry. It went along brilliantly with Remus and Sirius' gift of a backup wand to carry with him, just in case. Ollivander had warned that the new wand would likely not perform as well as his holly and phoenix feather one, but that it would likely work in a pinch.

Ginny produced an excellent treacle tart she'd made that her mother enthusiastically endorsed as the best she'd ever tasted. His girlfriend assured him that the dessert wasn't the only gift she planned to give him, but provided no further details.

When Ginny's birthday came along a few days later, the celebration was held at the Burrow. Harry was thrilled to see the entire Weasley contingent present, including Percy, who had been working late the day of Harry's party. Hermione, Cho, and Cedric were in attendance, though the older two looked more than a bit uncomfortable around each other. The three Gryffindor Chasers from the previous year, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie showed up, too. Soon-to-be Gryffindor fourth year and aspiring quidditch player Demelza Robins and Luna rounded out the bunch.

Mrs. Weasley had prepared a banquet of Ginny's favorite dishes which looked as if they might collapse the tables that had been set up outside. A bevy of gifts were unwrapped and animated conversation echoed into the evening sky. Fleur was thrilled to announce that she'd been officially hired for the position at the Ministry and thanked Percy for putting in a good word with a few of the people working there on her behalf. Bill also announced that he'd found a new job that would begin in about a month, though he wasn't yet allowed to discuss any details about it.

Once the food was eaten and the gifts were stowed away, Harry unveiled his present for Ginny at the makeshift quidditch pitch. At his signal, all of the guests produced a broom. Even Mr. and Mrs. Weasley held aloft a pair of borrowed Cleansweeps that could have been in use back when they were in school.

"First of all, thanks so much for agreeing to help with Ginny's birthday gift," called Harry to the crowd. "We all know how much she loves quidditch, so I thought we could give her the chance to show all of us a bit of what she's made of!"