Opened At The Close...

10: Ron's Product

*ROUGHLY TWO WEEKS LATER*
"Happy birthday, Harry!" Mrs. Weasley said sweetly as he and Teddy came into the kitchen; the Weasleys had invited him to birthday dinner at the Burrow.
"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," Harry beamed, balancing Teddy on his hip. Mrs. Weasley smiled and walked away into the laundry room.
He was turning eighteen, when he could still remember in full detail his last birthday. Though it hadn't been his best birthday, it was definitely a good one.
"Hey, Harry! Happy birthday," Hermione said as she came through the back door, having just arrived. Handing Harry a square parcel, she took a seat at the dinner table. As Harry set the parcel down, Hermione began to talk in an agitated voice.
"So, my parents think that I can conjure food. When I'm at home and ask what's for dinner, they say,'What are you making?' And I have basically no answer, except 'food can't be conjured', and that just confuses them," Hermione said.
"Are you sure they just don't think you were going to cook?" Harry asked her.
"Yes, I'm sure. The other day I asked them if they wanted me to cook them something for dinner, and they said,'Wait, why would you have to cook something?' I just...uuggh," Hermione said in exasperation, plunking her head down on the table.
"Sounds a little annoying," Harry said sympathetically.
"You have no idea," Hermione agreed darkly.
"Hey, guys," Ron said, coming downstairs.
"Hey, Ron," Hermione and Harry said together.
"Happy birthday," Ron said, thrusting a long rectangular package at Harry and winking at Hermione.
"What was that?" Asked an unfooled Harry.
"Nothing, I just said happy birthday," Ron said, his face pink.
"Sure," Harry rolled his eyes, and set Teddy on a rug to play with his teacup. A moment later, Ginny came strolling down the stairs.
"Harry! Happy birthday! Hey, Hermione!" She cried in pleasant surprise, tossing her red mane behind her.
"Thanks, Ginny," Harry smiled back.
"Ginny! Stir the stew for me!" Mrs. Weasley called from.the laundry room as she folded clothes.
"Okay, Mum!" She called back, walking to a large pot and stirring the thick substance within.
"When are you going to open your presents, Harry?" Ron asked. Harry shrugged.
"I don't really know. I guess after dinner," he said.
"Brilliant," Ron said.
"Boys, I need you to set the table," Mrs Weasley said as she entered the room. Harry and Ron retrieved plates and silverware, but as they started to set them out, Hermione drew her wand and they all soared gracefully to their proper spots.
"Honestly, boys, do you forget that you're wizards?" Hermione retorted. Ginny laughed at them as she brought the pot of stew to the table. As she was almost there, however, Mrs. Weasley waved her wand and the pot emptied, while all the bowls filled with an equall measure of thick, delicious-smelling stew.
"See? Mrs. Weasley remembered," Hermione said.
"Now, now, Hermione. Don't be so hard on the young Muggles. I mean wizards," came a voice from the living room.
"George!" Mrs. Weasley sighed with exasperation as yet another red headed figure appeared around the corner. "How many times have I told you not to Apparate right into the house?"
"Not enough for me to remember," George shrugged, taking a seat.
"Blimey, I'm just in time for dinner. Happy birthday, Harry, by the way."
He took a box out of his pocket and passed it to Harry. It was bot the same as Ron and Hermione's were, and it was a lot heavier.
"Just open it when you open the others," George said nonchalantly.
"All right..." Harry said.
"Happy bir'day, Harry!" A voice boomed from the back door.
"Hagrid!" Harry and Hermione exclaimed.(Ron would have, too, but he had a mouthful of stew.) After a bit of stuggling, Mrs. Weasley remembered a charm that made the door way bigger, and Hagrid finally had his bulk through the door. He beamed at the room, and handed Harry a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
"I know it's not much, but I knew yeh'd like 'em. Who don't like candy?" Hagrid said cheerfully, taking a seat in a chair that Hermione had just enlarged for him.
The birthday dinner was a lot more enjoyable than the last, though a bit depressing given the fact that Fred, Lupin, and Tonks were at his last party. Mr. Weasley arrived half-way through, and wished Harry a happy birthday before sitting down to eat with them.
"I heard that the Ministry sent you a speech the day of the ball?" Mr. Weasley directed at Harry.
"Yes, but I didn't say it," responded Harry, feeding Teddy.
"That's what Pasterson told me this morning," Mr. Weasley said, shaking his head."Now, Harry, I know it was probably a bad speech, but you have to do what they tell you or you'll lose your job."
"Next year I'll just send them my speech before they have a chance to send me theirs, then. Show them that I already have one," reasoned Harry.
"They'd correct it though, Harry," Hermione said.
"Yeah, they'd probably get the writers to reword it completely," Ron said darkly.
"Best just to say the speeches they give you, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said gently.
"You're probably right,"Harry admitted. He had gotten lucky that time, but he had a feeling Pasterson might not be so nice to him the next time he refused a Ministry speech.
"Time for presents, then?" Mrs. Weasley announced as soon as they had all finished, clearing everyone's bowls and sending them flying to the sink. Ginny raced upstairs, and Mr. Weasley passed a box to Harry.
"From Molly and me. Molly carved the front," He smiled. Harry lifted the lid to find a colorfully painted, miniture cookoo clock, that had strange runes etched on it's wooden surface. A little owl sprung out, hooting at him and ruffling his wooden wings.
"Haha! Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley!" Harry said, passing it around for everyone to see.
"Is that runes? Let me see it, Ron," Hermione said, reaching for the quaint little clock. Hary thought he heard a noise escaoe from Mrs. Weasley before she read them aloud. "The last enemy that shall be overcome is death."
Harry felt all his extremities go numb. He stared at Hermione, whose eyes were as wide as his.
"What is it?" Ron asked, clueless to the phrase that had nearly stopped Harry's heart.
"I'm sorry Harry! I just meant for it to be, you know, unknowingly sweet. I never meant for you to know what it said!" Mrs. Weasley faltered, her face red.
"It's amazing, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said quietly, tucking it carefully into the box as Hermione passed back to him.
"Mine next!" George said.
"These'll come in handy on New Year's," Harry said appreciatively, passing around the Weasley's no -flame wet-start fireworks.
"Here you go, Harry," Ginny said as she came down the stairs. She put a flat box into his hands. "Sorry it took me so long to find it." Harry opened it and found what appeared to be a Weasley sweater, and he realized that it was, and not only was there one for him, but there was one for Teddy, too. There was a difference from the others he had recieved, though; this one was green like they had always been, but it had a large, light green H stitched to the front, and Teddy's was blue with a white T.
"Did you make these?" Harry asked Ginny, slipping it over his head.
"Mum taught me," Ginny responded, retrieving Teddy from Harry's lap and slipping his sweater over his head.
"Thanks, Gin," Harry said fondly, taking Teddy and bouncing him on his knee.
"Gin?" Everyone said, staring at Harry.
"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled, his face reddening.
"I like it," Ginny shrugged.
"Next thing yeh know, we'll be callin' Hermione, 'Mione'!" Hagrid laughed.
"No you won't, because I won't answer to it," Hermione said sassily.
"Here, Harry," Ron said, thrusting Harry's box at him with a cursory glance at George.
"What is it?" Harry asked as he unboxed the mysterious item. It looked somewhat like a painted wand at first, then he realized it was more like a colorful straw.
"Looks like a straw," remarked Hagrid.
"It is! Well, sort of. Weasley's Drink Transfiguring Tube," Announced Ron proudly. "Just tap it with your wand and say what drink you want, and stick it into a glass of water. As the water goes through the tube, it turns to whatever drink you said. Try it!"
"Okay..." Harry thought for a second, tapped it with his wand saying,"Hot chocolate!", and stuck the colorful straw into a glass of water provided by an eager Ron. He sipped, and at first it tasted like water, the water soon became warm, sweet and creamy, just like hot chocolate. Eyes widening, he looked around at everyone.
"It works!" Harry confirmed, and continued sipping his water.
"Well, little bro, you've made a good product, now we'll see how it sells," George said to Ron.
"What do you mean, George?" Mrs. Weasley asked as Harry got ready to open Hermione's present.
"George wants me to make a product that sells really well before I can be his business partner," Ron explained.
"He seems to have made a pretty good little gadget, though, doesn't he?" George said curiously, examining the Tube. "Say, Harry, think I could try this?"
"If you don't believe me," Harry said shrewedly, passing him what was left of the water.
"Oak-matured mead!" George said, rapping the straw with his wand and then drinking deeply. Soon he surfaced, laughing."I'm impressed, Ron. Did you do this by yourself, or did Hermione help you? Harry seems to be fairly surprised."
"Well, I asked Hermione to help, but she just got mad and plunked a bunch of books down and said 'help yourself, Ronald' " shrugged Ron. "I don't think I've ever read more, though."
"It paid off," George said appreciatively.
"Well, go on, Harry!" Hermione said impatiently.
"Is this phoenix treats?" Harry asked uncertainly; the contents consisted of a handful of shriveled up, foul-smelling, brown things.
"No, Harry," Hermione rolled her eyes."It's bezoars! For you to take with you on missions and things."
"Excellent, because I really don't think Amare would have eaten these," he said, crinkling his nose. Hermione rolled her eyes again. "Thank you, everyone! I appreciate it all."
"But you haven't had my present yet," said a woman's voice from the back door.
"Andromeda! I thought you weren't coming," Harry said, handing Teddy to her.
"Well, I didn't realize what time it was," Andromeda flushed. "But I'm here now," she handed Harry a book in return for Teddy.
"Thanks," he said, opening the large book to find it was a photo album of Remus and Tonks. They smiled at him from one photo, Tonks's hair bright pink, Remus's hair streaked with gray, though they both smiled just as wide with their baby son in their arms."I can't take this," Harry told Andromeda. "I already have their son."
"So do I," Andromeda said, then, sensing that Harry would not cooperate, she said,"All right, take one picture. I can take the rest back home."
It took Harry a while to figure out which one he wanted. They had all looked through it and smiled at it, but it wa Harry's decicsion to make. He finally settled on a picture of Remus and Tonks with newborn Teddy in between them. They both looked so happy, beaming at the camera with a smile to match Harry's as he looked at it.