A/N:
Thanks everybody for the reviews! Sorry I can't respond to them all, you know how it is. I'm glad to see more and more people catching onto the story; and I can't help but keep wondering how it would have turned out had I written it at the talent level I'm at now rather than a year ago. Oh well, hopefully you like it anyways!
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Chapter 6
Harry and Ron awoke very groggy the next morning, having played chess late into the night, Harry losing every time. Ron was muttering about how hungry he was so they dressed quickly and went downstairs for breakfast. They stepped into the kitchen and Harry was immediately taken aback.
"SUPRISE!" Yelled just about every member in the order. Harry smiled in spite himself, and shot a guilty look at Ron, and knew instantly that he too had completely forgotten that it was Harry's birthday.
The twins immediately started a loud chorus of happy birthday that everyone joined in on. The emotions seemed to have had a full reversal since the night before, with everyone so happy now.
Harry excitedly sat down and had presents thrown at him from all over. Hagrid had gotten him a detailed and interesting book on thestrals, Ron gave him yet another book on the Chudley Cannon's and also a huge bag of dungbombs.
Fred and George gave him a box of what seemed to be chocolate balls, but George leaned down and whispered in his ear, "We call them Dudleydum's. If you eat one you'll gain about 300 pounds for a full minute before shrinking back to your normal size." Fred gave him an evil grin and Harry laughed out loud. Harry could very well guess where they got the idea from.
Lupin had gotten him a detailed book on animagus, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley gave him a sweater with a golden snitch on it in Gryffindor colors.
Harry gasped very audibly when he found a package from Aunt Petunia. Everyone leaned in close eager to see what she had gotten him, except for mad-eye, who could already see what it was through the paper. Harry opened it and had to fight hard to keep back tears. It was a muggle photograph of Petunia and Harry's mother, taken obviously during the middle of his mum's Hogwart's years.
It seemed they had not been as distant as it seemed. Harry made a mental note to send a letter by muggle post to his aunt to thank her. He caught Ron's bewildered eyes and then laughed to himself when Ron rolled his eyes toward Hermione, who was crying with happiness that Harry had seemed to be accepted by one of his relatives.
Tonks had given him an interesting book on metamorphagus, and Moody and Kingsley had chipped in to give him about every type of dark magic detector possible. Finally came Hermione's present and Harry gasped in horror as it looked like another homework planner, but Hermione laughed and sat down next to him.
"It's a friend diary," she explained. "It works kind of like Riddle's did," a few people flinched at the name Riddle. Apparently they were alright with Voldemort but no where near ready to hear the dark lord be called Riddle.
"Oh, honestly," Hermione said to those who flinched before turning back to Harry. "You see, I have one of these too. If you want to talk you just write into it, and the words will disappear from your book and end up in mine. Then I can write back to you and so forth, so we can talk even when we are in different classes or in our dorms."
Harry looked at Ron whom gave him an amused look in return. Lupin spoke up, "Hermione, I've never heard of those before, how did you come across one?"
Harry looked around and saw that the rest of the room was nodding their agreement.
"Oh, well," Hermione replied slightly blushing. "I uhm, wanted to get something really special for him this year so I uh, kind of made it."
Everyone stared at her amazed once again by her brilliance. She turned an even darker shade of red.
"Well it wasn't that hard really."
"I love it Hermione." Harry said, kissing her on the cheek. She smiled and kissed him back. Ron rolled his eyes and shook his head. The twins burst out laughing, and Hermione just ignored them, instead glaring at Ron.
"There is one last thing," Lupin spoke up, handing Harry a small photo with a piece of parchment sticking out of it, saying it was from Sirius.
"He told me to give that to you for your birthday if he died." Harry looked at the picture and could have cried. It was the four marauders, Wormtail included, smiling and waving at him holding the marauder's map.
"Sirius wanted Peter to stay in there Harry." Lupin said sadly. "He wanted you to know that even the best of friends can become enemy's."
A rage built up in him like he had never felt before. His scar was burning with pain, Harry rose out of his chair, ready to kill Lupin for suggesting that one of his friend's may turn on him. He was halfway there when he stopped.
Lupin didn't mean that. Harry thought to himself. Anyways it was Sirius who told him to say that anyway, and Sirius knew how trustworthy his friends were.
Harry sat with a thud into the closest chair as the pain from his scar dissolved to nothing, and Harry realized what had just happened and stared in horror at the fearful expressions of the people around him.