Summer holidays, as Harry had already guessed, weren't turning out particularly well for him – not that it came as much of a surprise. Practically every day, whenever he was with his brother, Harry was subjected to unpleasant and hurtful comments. Luckily, they no longer stung as much as they once did. He could almost say the insults and mockery were getting old. What didn't stop hurting, however, was his parents' reaction to these comments. Not only did they turn a deaf ear, but there were even times when they laughed at Brian's taunts and insults.
It was for this reason that Harry could be found in his room for the better part of each day, either studying his textbooks and working on his summer homework, or playing with and pampering his kitten, who had become his only reliable companion. Remus, despite his wishes, couldn't be with him every day, though not for lack of trying. For that very reason, Harry found that he'd finished all his summer assignments within just a week. Bored with nothing to do, he decided to re-do his essays as many times as necessary until he was happy with the result. Additionally, he'd decided it would be best to review his textbooks thoroughly, to gain a better grasp of spells and incantations; the more he knew them, the more he could improve their performance, or perhaps even refine them for a better outcome.
Harry rarely left his room, except for meals and to send owls to his friends. When it came to those from magical families, there was no issue; he simply had to send the corresponding owl with his reply. But writing to Hermione was a bit more complicated, as she didn't have an owl, and he therefore had to ask his parents to send his letter. His parents usually just pulled a funny face, but Brian… well, let's just say Brian considered it impossible that anyone would want to receive mail from his brother. And despite the fact Harry didn't receive any mail unless someone wrote to him first, Brian never stopped ridiculing him for it. It didn't hurt, but it was still rather annoying.
Another unpleasant aspect was listening to his brother boast about how well he was going to do at Hogwarts next year, and how he was sure he'd not only match Harry's feats but surpass them. The curious thing, at least from Harry's point of view, was how he intended to do this, considering he'd never opened a book that wasn't about Quidditch. Harry had to admit Brian was good at it – not for nothing did he have high hopes and excellent chances of making his house team. But if he only cared about sport, he couldn't possibly do well with his studies; that was pure logic.
The only thing truly worth looking forward to was their trip to Diagon Alley for the next academic year's school supplies. His parents had decided to go on the thirty-first of July, specifically because it was mid-summer, meaning there would be far fewer people, and they could shop much more comfortably. Of course, when they'd picked the day, they hadn't remembered it was their elder son's birthday, but Remus, who had been informed a couple of days later, readily agreed, and the outing was set.
Moreover, when the young wizard told his friends in his letters, they all reacted similarly. They, too, decided to come along and celebrate his birthday together. Needless to say, Harry decided to forget about discussing it with his parents.
That thirty-first of July was one of the most anticipated days for the boy. Unconsciously, his parents were giving him one of the best gifts they could – not just because they were going to the Alley, but for the chance to spend almost the entire day with his friends and Remus. So that morning, he woke a little earlier than usual and very carefully decided what he would wear, which was usually more Brian's behaviour than his. Unbothered by his younger brother's irritating comments, who tried as always to spoil his day, Harry ate breakfast happier than he had in weeks and didn't mind his father's various comments in favour of his brother and against himself. Why bother with them? His father wasn't going to change his behaviour.
Their arrival at the Leaky Cauldron was quite different from previous times with Remus. From the outset, they didn't even care if Harry followed them or not; none of them wanted to ensure his safe arrival. Then there was the fact that they weren't expecting him to be looking at the fire with concern, for what? Brian had already arrived and was well. And above all, Remus never gave him the look of obvious disgust that his parents gave him as soon as he arrived.
"Right then, we'd better get a move on," James replied as soon as everyone was there. "We must go to Gringotts first of all, to get enough money for the supplies."
The trip to Gringotts was also quite different from the one he'd taken with Remus, though more than anything because his parents walked ahead with Brian, leaving Harry to follow behind. There was also the main difference that his parents took out a lot more money than Remus did, although Harry knew the truth: it would be to buy his brother the best that money could buy. But what his parents seemed to have forgotten (or perhaps never knew) was that sometimes, the best wasn't the most expensive.
Once they left Gringotts, they headed off to meet Remus, who would be waiting for them at the Leaky Cauldron. Knowing the werewolf, he was surely already there. They found him sitting at the bar, quietly talking to Tom, as he drank a butterbeer. When he saw them, he smiled.
"James, Lily, Brian, Harry… How are you all?"
"Not bad, Remus. Have you been waiting long?" James replied cheerfully.
"Not much, about ten minutes."
"Well… Shall we go?"
"Yes, of course…" he said, finishing his drink and standing up. "But first… Happy Birthday, Harry," the werewolf said, turning to the boy and handing him a gift.
"Thank you so much, Uncle Remus!"
Before his parents' astonished faces, Harry took his gift and began to open it very slowly. He already knew it would be a book, but that didn't stop him from being excited. Once he removed the wrapping paper, he found a book with beautiful leather covers and the title engraved in silver.
"Oh, Uncle Remus, it's beautiful!" the boy exclaimed, reading the title. " 'Potions Complicated, For Masters in Art' by Master Aurelius Reggius."
"I know you enjoy Potions a lot. Wait, I'll shrink it for you so it's not a bother."
Ignoring his family's expressions, Harry put the book in his pocket and stood next to the werewolf, waiting for his family to start the shopping trip. It didn't take long for them to react, and without a word, they began to head back into Diagon Alley with thoughtful expressions.
Of course, the following part of the shopping was much more pleasant than the first, as he now had the werewolf to keep him company. The trip to Madam Malkin's was quite quick, at least for Harry, who only had to buy slightly larger robes, as he'd grown during the year and his old ones were now too short. For Brian, it was much longer, as he wanted the best quality robes, despite the fact that the uniform had a standard fabric and not even families like the Malfoys tried to improve the fabric. The worst part was that his parents, instead of trying to make him see sense, encouraged their youngest son's behaviour, and it was poor Madam Malkin who had to explain to the child that it wasn't possible to make him an Acromantula silk robe.
The visit to the bookshop was something Harry found more amusing. Despite his brother's protests, he was able to buy all the books he considered necessary. It was also quite funny to see the clerk's expression when he asked for the course books plus Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes. Obviously, he hadn't expected to see a twelve-year-old boy asking for what a fourteen-year-old would. Furthermore, his brother could do nothing to protest when his own parents told him that even if he wanted them, they wouldn't buy him extra course books yet; after all, they had only received the first-year student list.
The next shop they visited was the apothecary, so both boys could buy the necessary items for their Potions classes, though they obviously hadn't expected Harry to go through the shop critically examining the different ingredients, including those that were, of course, not part of the students' kit. While his parents and brother seemed astonished by such behaviour, the shop owner did not. He looked at the boy with respect and even pride while Harry examined the ingredients like a true expert; obviously, he had not only dealt with the boy but knew him well enough for such behaviour to seem completely normal to him. It was not surprising, then, that his basket contained several (if not many) ingredients that weren't part of the regular student kit.
The next stop was the most anticipated and, at the same time, most feared: Ollivanders. So much could be told by a magic wand… such as the character of its user, which areas of magic they would excel in, or their abilities. So everyone waited for Ollivander to emerge to attend to them with some apprehension; some nervous simply wondering about Harry's wand core, others nervous to know what Brian's wand would be.
"Ahhh… yes, Brian Potter… I was expecting him," Ollivander said. "Yes, looking for his first wand, aren't we? Yes, of course. Ahhh! And young Harry Potter… nine and a half inches, holly and phoenix feather, isn't that right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Yes, quite right, yes. Let's see if we can find a wand as suitable for this young man as yours, yes indeed."
Ollivander took Brian's measurements for his wand and began bringing over boxes with possible wands. If the man was expecting a challenge of the same characteristics as Harry's, he was obviously disappointed, as Brian's wand found him by the third try. A walnut wand with a dragon heartstring core, good for Transfiguration.
After paying the twelve Galleons it was worth, they left the shop for the animal store, as Brian wanted to buy an owl as a pet… from his point of view, it had to be the best in the shop.
As Brian looked at all the available owls and tawny owls, Harry decided to look for a little trinket for his kitten, Night – perhaps an enchanted bell or a new toy. Finally, he decided on an enchanted mouse, which would move like a real one until the cat caught it or fifteen minutes passed without any attempt from the feline. The clerk had just charged Harry and given him a bag with the toy when the rest of his family returned with Brian's new animal: an aquiline owl with reddish plumage that Harry found quite conceited, but oh well! It was Brian's owl, not his.
The shopping was over, at least for that year, and Harry knew his parents planned to return home as quickly as possible. So, as they made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron, Harry said, as if casually, giving Remus a knowing look:
"Dad… I'd like to stay a while at the Leaky Cauldron."
"What more?" the man said with disgust. "You know we want to get back as soon as possible; this place isn't safe."
"I'm not asking you to stay with me… just let me stay for a bit."
"And can one know why?"
"My friends… when I told them I'd be coming today to buy the new term's supplies… they said they'd come to see me too… since it's my birthday…"
His father was silent for a few moments, adopting an expression that was a cross between surprise and thoughtfulness. It seemed the thought hadn't even crossed his mind, and now he was in a dilemma: on the one hand, he wanted to go home, but on the other, he couldn't leave the boy there, and it would truly be very unkind of him not to let him see his friends. Finally, after thinking for a few moments, he decided it was what he had to do.
"Very well… We'll stay for a while."
"Thank you, Dad!" Harry said, happier than his parents had ever seen him.
"What, he doesn't even want to go home!" Brian exclaimed indignantly, referring to his brother.
"Just for a bit, Brian," his mother tried to calm him. "After all, it's your brother's birthday."
"As if that's ever mattered," the youngest Potter said, to his parents' dismay.
Although the boy's final comment was designed to achieve his goal, he felt truly frustrated when he saw that despite his protests, he wasn't going to get his way. Instead, his parents had begun to head to the pub, simultaneously talking to each other with some concern, giving not-so-subtle glances to their eldest son.
The atmosphere in the pub was as usual; there seemed to be a kind of unwritten agreement that there could be no fights or political altercations in the tavern, so it was considered a neutral zone for everyone. When they entered, it seemed no one wanted to pay them attention; everyone went about their business without even looking up to see who had entered. Of course, that wasn't entirely true, as as soon as they were inside the establishment, they heard someone call the elder of the Potter brothers.
"Harry! Over here!"
Looking towards the voice that called him, Harry smiled as he spotted all his friends already there, though it was rather strange to see Draco Malfoy sitting alongside a Muggle-born student and two Weasleys. Surely that garnered astonished looks from the elder Potters, who regarded the Slytherin as a peculiar sight.
"Hello!"
"Happy Birthday, Harry!" they all exclaimed, dragging him to the table where there were quite a lot of gifts.
"Thank you… you shouldn't have…"
"Nonsense, Harry, it's the least we could do," Hermione laughed.
"Plus, we've asked Tom for a cream and chocolate cake," Athenea chuckled. "Where have you ever seen a birthday without a cake?"
Laughing, the boys presented him with different gifts. Some, like Hermione's (a book about healing), were entirely expected. Others, like the twins' (a set of Quidditch gloves and protectors), were fantastic. There were the incredibly expensive ones, like Draco's and Athenea's (a platinum cloak clasp and an incredibly powerful protective charm). Then there were others like Ferry's that were even laughable (a set of extra-long parchment and humorous ink that changed colour according to your mood). And then there were the unexpected ones, like Neville's and Jonathan's (a set of professional-level Potions ingredients and two oil paintings, one with a portrait of Harry as a human and one with Harry as a phoenix).
"Oh, Jonathan, you shouldn't have...!"
"Did you like them? I spent a good part of the summer making them… I wanted to have them ready for today."
"They're… magnificent. Thank you so much!"
"I'm glad you like them; that makes the effort worth it."
No one noticed (except Remus and Lily) how James disappeared from the pub after Harry started opening the presents. Brian would have under normal circumstances, but he was too busy watching his brother receive gifts – good gifts! Why did they have to give him gifts? So what if it was his birthday? For someone as unimportant as his brother, they shouldn't have bothered getting anything… Seeing that they could make him gifts, surely Brian deserved them much more.
It was because of that same distraction that everyone was abruptly surprised when a new, large package appeared on the table as they enjoyed the immense cake. It was a long, thin package, and from the look on the twins' faces, who seemed to have guessed what it was, it had to be something incredible. Harry looked at the label and was astonished when he read: "To Harry, from Dad and Mum." Looking dumbfounded at his parents (James had already returned), he wondered what could have happened.
With the same slow and careful pace, Harry began to unwrap the paper, discovering a large box. Everyone was surprised to find a broom… and what a broom! It was a Nimbus 2001, by far the best broom on the market.
"Thank you," Harry said correctly to his parents, but not with the same enthusiasm as with the others. He knew his parents well enough to see that they had made a rushed, last-minute decision, and judging by Brian's comment, they were trying to compensate for eleven years of not celebrating his birthday with a grand gift. They were trying to buy him.