Claire felt bittersweet as she woke up on her birthday. For the first time that she could remember she didn't have to deal with the DeBlanc family, but she also didn't have Harry. She missed him a lot, but she couldn't seem to answer his letters quick enough. Claire barely answered any letters, so Harry wasn't the only one getting less thay speedy replies.
"Happy birthday!"
Claire groaned and shoved her head under her blanket as her father entered her room.
"Oh, come on," Remus laughed. "You're fourteen now! This is exciting!"
"I'm not excited," Claire mumbled sleepily. She felt Remus sit down on the end of the bed, so she peeked her eyes out from under the blanket. Remus grinned at her and handed her a small box.
"What's this?" Claire asked, yawning as she say up. She gathered her hair in a loose bun at the top of her head, not feeling like dealing with it. Remus grinned and handed her the box. It had another charm for her bracelet, this one being of a golden snitch.
"I know you prefer beater, but the snitch was all I could find," Remus said sheepishly. Claire just smiled as she grabbed her bracelet and put the new charm on it, allowing her dad to help her clasp the bracelet into her wrist once she was done.
"Thank you," Claire said through a yawn. "What time is it?"
"Nine," Remus answered. Claire groaned loudly and laid back down, covering herself in the blanket once more. "I have more than one present for you but you have to actually get up to get it."
Claire sighed and got out of bed, not looking happy about having to do that. Remus just grinned at her.
"Put on something nice but casual," Remus told her.
"I have like...three outfits," Claire responded. Remus frowned guiltily and sighed.
"Wear whatever you like best," Remus finally said. "We need to leave in thirty minutes."
Claire hurried to put on her favorite outfit, some skinny jeans with holes in the knees paired with a plain white shirt, although it was cropped. The DeBlanc boy had cut it as a joke but Claire ended up liking it better that way anyways. She hesitated before hurrying to the bathroom in the house with a bag of some makeup Hermione had gotten her during the school year. She put on some basic stuff, mainly a light blue eyeshadow that made her eyes pop and some mascara. Finally, she pulled her hair down and braided part of it back, creating a half up-half down look.
"Is that makeup?" Remus asked with furrowed eyebrows when Claire came to tell him she was ready to go. "And your stomach is out!"
Claire blushed and ducked her head.
"I can go change and take it off," Claire mumbled.
"No! No, don't worry," Remus said quickly. "You look nice, it's just...you're getting so big and mature."
Claire awkwardly cleared her throat and looked down.
"Where are we going?" Claire asked. Remus chuckled at her changing the subject and grabbed some last minute things.
"First to your grandfather's and then to a surprise," Remus answered.
"Please tell me!" Claire pouted. "It's my birthday!"
Remus just shook his head and gestured for her to grab some floo powder. Claire huffed and disappeared from her house into her grandfather's. She went there at least once a week to either play quidditch, learn about her grandmother or Remus' childhood. Lyall already loved her, and that was exceedingly obvious when she reached his house. Her mouth fell open at the sheer number of presents there.
"Merlin, Dad!" Remus gasped when he arrived. Lyall rushed towards Claire with a large smile on his face. He wrapped her in a hug, lifting her small frame off the ground. Claire let out a grunt and awkwardly hugged him back.
"I had to make up for fourteen years of presents!" Lyall said. Claire blushed, her eyes wide as she looked at the large amount of presents. While she had known Remus for all of her life, due to the war and then the small amount of time they could spend together during her childhood, Remus never introduced his daughter to her grandfather. It was obviously something he regretted, but he couldn't do anything about the past.
"You really didn't have to," Claire said softly. Lyall just waved her off and shrugged.
"They're not all for you, if that helps. Some of them are for Harry too," Lyall said absent-mindedly.
"Harry?" Claire gasped.
"Dad, that was a surprise!" Remus groahed. Claire's smile grew and she let out a tiny squeal of happiness, wrapping her arms around her dad as a thanks. Remus laughed and squeezed her.
"I couldn't separate you two for long," Remus said with a laugh. "The Weasleys picked him up a few days early and they're dropping him off here for brunch, and then you guys can spend the rest of the day with Ron and Hermione."
"This is the best birthday ever," Claire said with a happy laugh. Remus beamed with excitement and happiness, glad that he was able to lift his mood.
"They should be here soon," Lyall said, glancing at the clock on the wall. As if by magic, the fireplace glowed green at that moment and a figure stumbled out.
"Claire!" Harry said excitedly, rushing towards her and spinning her around. "Happy birthday!"
"Happy birthday!" Claire laughed, holding Harry just as tight. "You're like ten feet tall now!"
"You're almost as tall as me!" Harry argued, placing her down. Claire's forehead reached Harry's eyes, so she was only around 2 inches shorter than him. He obviously had a growth spurt over the summer because they used to be closer in height.
"Not to break this up, but this is for you, Claire," a red-headed man said, stepping forward with a box in his hand. Claire took a small step back, ducking her head. Remus and Harry both tried not to frown at how shy she had suddenly gotten.
"Th-thanks," Claire mumbled, not wanting to be rude. The man just smiled kindly at her as he handed her the well wrapped box.
"This is Mr. Weasley," Harry introduced. Claire nodded, having recognized the man due to how similar he looked to Ron, Fred and George.
"Oh, it's lovely," Claire gasped when she opened the box. There was a cardigan in it, obviously handmade. It was a light grey with tiny moons around the cuffs and bottom.
"Molly spent hours making it," Mr. Weasley said proudly. "She felt so bad that you couldn't come to the World Cup with us, and she felt bad about our sons."
"T-tell her thank you f-from me," Claire said kindly. Mr. Weasley nodded, a bright smile on his face.
"Well, I have to run to work! It was lovely seeing you!" Mr. Weasley said as he left. Harry was quickly introduced to Lyall, his eyes growing wide when the man pointed at the many presents. Remus actually gave Harry a small hug, which Harry gladly accepted now that he knew about the Mauraders.
Brunch was a lively affair. Harry and Claire caught up with one another, although Claire left out the more depressing parts. Harry had only gone to the Weasleys the day before, so he mainly talked about how Fred and George made Dudley Dursley's tongue grow. Remus and Lyall had fond smiles on their faces as they thought back to when they were fourteen.
As expected, opening presents took almost a whole hour. Claire and Harry both looked overwhelmed once they were done. Lyall mostly gave them quidditch supplies, but also some fun games, snacks and books. Claire and Harry both thanked him endlessly, but he just waved them off.
A knock on the door made all of them freeze in confusion. Harry and Claire were getting ready to head to the Weasleys for the rest of the day, so there was no one else who was supposed to be there.
"I've got it," Remus finally said. Claire frowned and waited as her father went to open the door. Because of the layout of the house, none of the other occupants could see who was at the door, so Lyall distracted them by talking about quidditch. Both Claire and Harry were curious about everything, so his attempts to distract weren't doing great.
"Look who's here!" Remus finally said as he came back into the room, a black dog following him. Claire and Harry shared excited grins and hurried to run to the dog, who turned into Sirius quickly to accept their hugs.
"Oh, you've both grown!" Sirius exclaimed, hugging them both at the same time.
"You're supposed to be in hiding!" Harry suddenly argued, Sirius releasing them from the hug to overdramatically wave flap his hands around.
"And miss this? Oh, Lyall would probably die if I missed a party at his house!" Sirius joked. Claire furrowed her eyebrows a little, hearing a small wavering in his voice. Lyall stood up, his eyes sharp as he walked over to Sirius. Everyone was quiet, an odd tension filling the room until Lyall broke out into a smile.
"You will put me in an early grave, Sirius Black," Lyall joked, pulling Sirius into a hug. Remus looked relieved as he watched them. Claire watched how her father observed the situation, her mind racing with confusion.
"I wouldn't want that," Sirius joked back, a relieved smile on his face. Harry and Claire shared a confused look before shrugging, not wanting to ruin their birthday with questions.
"Did you know he was coming?" Claire asked her dad, leaning into Sirius' side as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a comforting and protective manner.
"We might have worked this out a while back," Remus said proudly.
"It's the best birthday present ever," Harry said with a bright smile.
"We're glad," Sirius said, moving his arm to grab something out of his pockets. "These are for you. They're nothing big, but you can't exactly get much when you're in hiding."
Sirius handed the two teens identical boxes that they hurried to open. Both boxes had a small photo of them as babies being held by Lily, James, Remus and Sirius. Harry was in James' arms while Claire was in Sirius'.
"I've never seen that picture before," Remus said, leaning over Claire's shoulders to look.
"I had it in the back of a closet for ages," Sirius said.
"Thank you," Harry and Claire said at the same time.
"It's wonderful," Harry said, struggling to tear his eyes away from his parents.
"I hate to break up the party, but it's time for the kiddos to go over to the Weasleys," Lyall announced.
"So it is," Remus sighed.
"I couldn't stay for long anyways," Sirius said, shrugging as if he was ok but his eyes said differently.
"When will we see you again?" Claire asked.
"Soon, hopefully," Sirius said with a sigh. He put on a smile for the teens, although they both could see through it.
"Be safe," Claire and Harry muttered at the same time, welcoming his warm embrace.
"Kids, come help me gather up all the presents to send," Lyall said, his eyes lingering on his son.
"I thought you could send those later," Harry said, sounding confused.
"Did I?" Lyall said with a shrug. "Oops. I'm old. Let's go."
Lyall hurried to push the kids into the next room, leaving Remus and Sirius to themselves. Claire tried to look over her shoulder and listen, but she couldn't see or hear anything.
"Okay, time to separate everything," Lyall said. With the three of them working together they were able to separate the presents fairly quickly, Claire and Harry both thanking Lyall for his many presents every once in a while.
"Okay, let's go," Remus said tiredly after around 3 minutes.
"Did Sirius leave?" Claire asked. Remus nodded, and Claire noticed that his eyes looked a little red.
"Come give me a hug before you go!" Lyall exclaimed. Claire hurried to do so, Harry following after awkwardly. Remus and Lyall shared a look after their hug, although it wasn't an upset one.
"So, I'll send the presents over later. Have a great rest of your birthday," Lyall said as the three others went over to the fireplace.
"But you said-" Harry's argument about the presents was cut off when Remus threw down some Floo powder, leaving Harry to cough when he sucked some into his lungs. Claire squeezed her eyes shut, not enjoying the experience. She didn't understand why wizards couldn't find better ways to travel.
"Oh, dear," Mrs. Weasley said when Harry fell out of the fireplace, coughing his lungs out. "Go get yourself a cup of water, dear."
"Thanks," Harry coughed. Claire's eyes widened as she realized that she would be meeting Mrs. Weasley without Harry.
"Sorry we're a bit late. You know how Dad is," Remus apologized. Claire stood right by his side, trying to make herself invisible. She discreetly looked around the room, already enjoying the mismatched furniture.
"Oh, it's not a problem," Mrs. Weasley said. "And you must be Claire. We've heard...a lot about you."
Claire blushed and stepped forward a little. Mrs. Weasley shocked her by grabbing her into a small hug that Claire was too surprised to return. A squeal made Mrs. Weasley step back, and just in time to allow Hermione to practically tackle Claire.
"Merlin, Mione!" Claire laughed, hugging her friend back. "I didn't know you would be here."
"I couldn't miss your birthdays!" Hermione said with a laugh.
"She hasn't shut up about it," Ron grumbled. Hermione finally let Claire go so she could awkwardly wave at Ron.
"Leave Hermione be," Harry said as he entered the room, finally calming his coughing. Harry was tackled into a hug by Hermione, making the adults chuckle.
"Well, I'll be back to get you this evening," Remus said to Claire while Ron and Hermione said hi to Harry. "Be good. I love you."
"I love you too," Claire mumbled, grabbing her dad in a quick hug. He smiled and placed a quick kiss on her curly hair before thanking Mrs. Weasley and leaving.
"So, dinner isn't until seven, so you four can do whatever you would like until then," Mrs. Weasley said.
"C'mon, let's go to my room," Ron said. Claire awkwardly followed the group, who all knew where they were going. The Weasley house was one of the favorite houses that Claire had ever been in. It was obvious that more floors had been magically added on over the years, but no one had attempted to make the floors match so each one was different shapes and the walls were different colors. The house felt warm and comforting, and Claire was already in love with it.
Ron's room was exactly as Claire could imagine. The walls were covered in posters of his favorite quidditch team and he had made little effort in cleaning it. Hermione and Claire both grimaced, Hermione more so, as they sat down next to each other on the edge of the bed.
"How do you like the Burrow?" Harry asked Claire as he sat on the floor with his back to the bed. Ron sat by the head of his bed and started throwing a random ball into the air.
"It's lovely," Claire said truthfully as she started to attempt to braid Harry's hair. Ron scoffed a little and threw the ball higher and harder than before.
"Ow!" Harry complained, grabbing at his head when Claire pulled too hard on his hair.
"It's my birthday," Claire argued, continuing to braid.
"Yeah, mine too!" Harry argued, putting his hands over his head so Claire couldn't grab his hair.
"Yes, but you get to go to the world cup and I don't," Claire reminded him. Harry huffed and crossed his arms, making Claire smile and continue her art.
"I don't think I've ever been more excited for something than the World Cup!" Ron exclaimed, throwing his ball even higher.
"Ronald," Hermione chastised, gesturing towards Claire.
"You guys can talk about it, it's fine," Claire said with a shrug. While she loved quidditch and really wanted to see the World Cup, she didn't want to be around that many people.
"Who do you think is gonna win?" Harry asked.
"Krum, obviously!" Ron said matter of factly.
"Oh, I wish I had a camera!" Hermione said with a laugh, not caring much about the World Cup. Harry grumbled and tried to undo the braids on his head, but he couldn't get them out. Hermione, Ron and Claire all laughed.
"You've never done them this tight before!" Harry complained.
"I've been practicing," Claire explained with a shrug.
"Well take them out. They're giving me a headache," Harry said.
"Little baby," Claire insulted jokingly as she unbranded Harry's hair. A sudden knocking against the window made them all jump and whip around to see a grey owl holding a large letter in his claws.
"Whose is that?" Ron asked as he opened the window. The owl immediately flew over to Claire since it knew her so well.
"No!" Hermione gasped.
"Whose is it?" Harry and Ron asked together.
"It's not?" Hermione asked.
"It is," Claire said with a small giggle.
"You said he barely wrote you!" Hermione argued.
"Who?!" Harry and Ron asked, only to he ignored.
"He's written a few times a month," Claire shrugged.
"As much as I hate him...he's fairly romantic," Hermione said. Claire's cheeks blushed a bright red and the boys suddenly understand.
"Wait...Malfoy?!" Harry exclaimed. Claire hurried to grab her letter and send the owl on its way, not even writing a letter back.
"You're writing with Malfoy?" Ron asked, looking disgusted.
"It's not a big deal," Claire mumbled.
"Open it!" Hermione said, not wanting there to be an argument. Claire held the paper so no one else could see it and read, a small smile forming on her face. She barely noticed the giggles that she made or how red her cheeks had gotten until she finished reading and put the letter down. Harry and Ron looked disgusted while Hermione looked excited.
"You like him!" Hermione shrieked.
"What?! No!" Claire said quickly.
"Why are your cheeks red?" Harry accused. Claire slapped her hands over her cheeks and stuck her tongue out at him. Harry did the same, causing Hermione and Ron to groan.
"Did he at least get you something good?" Ron asked. Claire smiled softly and nodded, looking into the envelope to see a ticket to the World Cup.
"Looks like I can come along after all."