A Young Wizard's Journey - Rising Phoenix

The Will

Y/N awoke the following morning to the slow steady breathing of his girlfriend. He opened his eyes and glanced around. Hermione still slept soundly on his chest, but Ginny was awake, her face in her hands and her legs swung off the side of her bed as she sat there.

'What's up?' breathed Y/N, trying not to disturb Hermione.

'It's his birthday, and I think I'm going to regret what I'm going to do... it's going to make me miss him even more.'

'Do whatever feels right Gin, you have to, you'll regret it if you don't.'

Ginny's face left her hands and she smiled across at him. 'Don't worry, I don't need your pep-talk, I know I'm going to, it's just difficult from this side of it, you know?'

Y/N opened his mouth to respond but began to feel Hermione stir on his chest, deciding instead to simply give Ginny one last reassuring nod. He gently extracted himself from his girlfriend's grip and scooped up his clothes so he could leave the room and get dressed.

A short while later, the couple made their way downstairs whilst Ginny muttered something about being down shortly. They each placed a wrapped package onto the dining room table before joining Bill and Monsieur Delacour at said table, and within a few minutes Harry and Ron joined them.

'Happy birthday, mate!' said Y/N, pushing the small pile toward him. 'Welcome to the world of using magic without being traced.'

'Arthur told me to wish you a happy seventeenth, Harry,' said Mrs Weasley, beaming at him. 'He had to leave early for work, but he'll be back for dinner. That's our present on top.'

Harry sat down, took the square parcel she had indicated, and unwrapped it. Inside was a watch; it was gold, with stars circling around the face instead of hands.

'It's traditional to give a wizard a watch when he comes of age,' said Mrs Weasley, watching him anxiously from beside the cooker. 'I'm afraid that one isn't new like Ron's, it was actually my brother Fabian's and he wasn't terribly careful with his possessions, it's a bit dented on the back, but-'

The rest of her speech was lost; Harry had got up and hugged her. She patted his cheek clumsily when he released her, then waved her wand in a slightly random way, causing half a pack of bacon to flop out of the frying pan onto the floor.

Hermione had bought Harry a new Sneakoscope and Y/N, a foe-glass. The other packages contained an enchanted razor from Bill and Fleur ('Ah yes, zis will give you ze smoothest shave you will ever 'ave,' Monsieur Delacour assured him, 'but you must tell it clearly what you want... ozzerwise you might find you 'ave a leetle less hair zan you would like...'), chocolates from the Delacours, and an enormous box of the latest Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes merchandise from Fred and George.

The four of them did not linger at the table, as the arrival of Madame Delacour, Fleur, and Gabrielle made the kitchen uncomfortably crowded.

'I'll pack these for you,' Hermione said brightly, taking Harry's presents out of his arms as the three of them headed back upstairs. 'I'm nearly done, I'm just waiting for the rest of your underpants to come out of the wash, Ron-'

Ron's splutter was interrupted by the opening of a door on the first-floor landing. Ginny's room.

'Harry, will you come in here a moment?'

Ron made to stop but Y/N immediately pushed him onwards, Hermione following along behind them.

'I don't want them kissing again or something!' said Ron, as Y/N pushed him onwards, 'He can't start messing her around like this.'

'Messing her around like what?' said Y/N, 'they obviously still like each other, he only broke it off because he had to, believe me Ginny knows that as well as he does. She doesn't like it, but she knows.'