InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Demon Hunter ❯ Birthday II ( Chapter 13 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter13

Harry sat up straighter in his chair and turned his back to the old man, “Really? And how would you know that? It's not like I've been able to keep in contact with anybody.”

He said the last part with such enmity that almost everyone at the table stared at him in shock. Dumbledore sighed as if he were dealing with an impudent child and took a seat at the head of the table.

“Harry, you must understand, it's for your own good.”

“You took my damn bird...” he growled, not caring if he was talking to the most powerful wizard alive. A side effect from spending most of his time with Inu Yasha was he was beginning to pick up an uncouth attitude and a bad mouth. Hermione elbowed him hard while giving him a serious look.

“Harry Potter!” Mrs. Weasley shrieked, “Don't you dare take that tone with Professor Dumbledore! Apologize this instant!”

Harry ignored her, “so where is she?”

“You needn't worry about that Harry, she is safe.”

“I want her back by the end of the night,” Harry demanded, disregarding the negative looks he was beginning to receive. It was becoming painfully obvious to the rest of the company that Harry's looks weren't the only thing that changed.

“I'm afraid I can't do that Harry—”

“Yes you can,” Harry interrupted aggressively, tired of his lame-ass excuses.

“We'll continue this after the meal, shall we?” It was evident Dumbledore was quickly loosing his patience.

“Fine,” Harry said in a satisfied tone. A short tense silence ensued as people began scraping food onto their plates. Harry did his best to pretend like everything was fine even though on the inside he was itching to chuck Hermione's fork at the bastard's swollen head. He wouldn't chuck his—he was too hungry.

Slowly, conversation began to break out around the table, ending the tension.

“So is that why you didn't write to us, Harry?” Hermione asked quietly to him, “Because professor Dumbledore took Hedwig?”

“Yeah,” Harry said shortly, “I believe in the letter he sent me he said he had `taken the liberty' or some shit like that.”

Hermione flinched, “I really wish you wouldn't swear like that. Ron's bad enough as it is.”

“Sorry,” Harry said, not really meaning it.

“Hey Fred,” Tonks said loud enough for Harry to hear. She was sitting across the table from him between the Weasley twins, “do you know why we were late getting here today?”

“Do enlighten me,” Fred replied, knowing the answer would be good.

“I slept in,” Harry said quickly.

“Mmhmm,” George responded in an unconvinced voice, “come on now Harry, we've known you long enough to know that the only day you sleep in on is Christmas.”

“Well you can't really blame the man, he was very exhausted. I mean, he must have been after the night he had,” Tonks continued as if it were a completely innocent conversation. Harry sent a look that would send most demons running with their tails between their legs but Tonks paid no heed to him.

Bill, who had been listening in on the conversation so far, joined in with a smirk, “What—did you sneak out? Partying late were we?”

“Oh, quite the opposite really,” Tonks said, shooting a fervent grin at Harry.

“Tonks...” Harry warned.

“He stayed right in his bedroom like a good little boy. He invited the party in there. A privet party,” she said with meaning. Thankfully yelling at Ron to eat with his mouth closed distracted Hermione from hearing anything, who was sitting next to him. The rest of the table was also in their own conversations.

Bill's eyes widened as Fred and George's jaws dropped. They all looked at Harry to see if the metamorphmagus was saying what they thought she was saying. Him dropping his reddened face in his hands was confirmation enough.

The three Weasley boys howled with laughter and praise, pounding their fists on the table and clapping their hands. Many occupants of the table looked up from their meal in alarm, wondering what the commotion was about.

“Way to go Harry,” Bill said affectionately slapping him on the back. Harry tried to scowl at him but couldn't keep a strait face. He grinned as well.

“Way to go what?” Ron asked, looking over Hermione's head, “what did Harry do?”

“What hasn't he done?” Fred said, earning another bout of laughter from the group, Harry included.

“Harry what are they talking about?” Ron asked.

Harry opened his mouth to say something before a tune began to flow from his back pocket.

“There's a skeeter on my peter whack it off...”

The table quieted down as the song carried out across the table. Harry stood from his chair, pulling out his cell phone at the same time.

“Er...excuse me,” he said as he hastily walking out of the room and shut the door.

“Hello?” he answered as soon as he was out of earshot.

“'Sup Harry?” a lively voice said on the other end. It was Alaina.

“Hey!” he said, happy to hear from her. Being in the presence of so many wizards was starting to wear on him.

“How are things in wizard land?”

“Tiring. I haven't even been here for two hours.”

“Poor baby,” she said mockingly, “anyway I just wanted to call and wish you a happy birthday.”

“Uh, thanks, but you did that yesterday.”

“Yeah I know but I wanted to say it on the day of your birth. It's the big one six after all.”

“Oh, well then thanks again.”

“So what have you been doing since I last saw you? Anything particularly interesting...?”

“Alright, what has your father told you?” Harry asked accusingly, sitting on the base of the steps to the upstairs.

“Nothing! I haven't even seen him yet today. I'm staying at my mother's.”

“...Oh. Well Shiva stopped by last night. Where she practically ravished me.”

“Is she angry with Tai again?”

“Furious. Hopefully she'll be more or less normal in a couple weeks.”

“Thank God I'm only a quarter demon,” Alaina spoke with relief. She was well aware that any female with half demon blood or more would go into heat once a year, staking out any male worthy of being their mates.

“Yeah, I couldn't deal with two of you on my ass.”

“And what makes you thing I would pick you as a potential mate?”

“Because I'm ridiculously sexy...to boot.”

“Now you sound like my dad... which is just scary.”

“I have a question, why are your parents divorced?”

“Cuz my mom's a bitch,” Alaina said loudly as if hoping the said woman would hear her. Harry laughed and sat down on the bottom step to the stairs.

“I mean really.”

“Well she and my dad were happily married for about a good ten years but Dad always said she was a bit vain. As time went on she got more and more jealous that she was aging and he wasn't. So after about four years of putting up with her shit dad finally called for a divorce. It was actually kind of funny. He told her she could then `find someone more her age'. She's always been really bitchy since.”

Harry laughed. He heard some background noises

“Alright Harry, Bridget wants to talk to you. I'll talk to you later, alright?”

“Alright, bye.”

“Bye.”

There were a few moments of silence when a childish voice spoke, “Hi Harry!”

“Hi Bridget,” he smiled.

“Happy Birthday. Mine is in one month!”

“Really? When is it?”

“August 22. I'll be seven and then you can be my boyfriend!”

A loud `As if' sounded in the background making Harry laugh some more.

“I dunno Bridget; I think I may still be a little too old for you.”

“Trust me on this Harry, one day you will marry me.”

“If you say so.”

“I have to go now. Alaina is see...seezing?”

“Uh, seething?”

“Yeah! That's it, seething. Bye, bye!”

“Bye.”

Harry smiled to himself as he snapped his phone shut and walked back into the kitchen, only to be met with an odd silence as everyone stared at him.

“Harry, what the bloody hell was that?” Ron asked. Hermione and Mrs. Weasley simultaneously walloped him for his language.

“Cell phone,” he said simply, flashing it to show them before sliding it into his back pocket and sitting back at the table, “Sorry for the interruption.”

“Cell phone? Is that like a phellytone?” Mr. Weasley asked eyes alight at the mention of a new muggle device.

“Yeah, only they're smaller and you carry them around with you.”

“Who would call you?” Tonks asked suddenly and then winced after realizing how bad that sounded.

“No one,” Harry replied curtly trying to end the array of questions.

“Was it someone who was is your house this morning?” Tonks persisted, an amused glint in her eye.

“No,” he ground out forcefully, “It was someone else.”

Fred, George and Bill started snickering.

“Who was in your house this morning?” Ginny asked. Harry bit back a growl. They didn't seem to be getting the hint that the conversation was over.

“Tonks was, now shut up and let me eat.”

“Time for Cake!” Mrs. Weasley interrupted as Ginny glaringly opened her mouth to tell him off. She set on the table one of the largest, most delicious cakes he had ever seen. No matter how smothering she got sometimes, he really loved that woman.

The rest of the day was pretty fun for him. After a couple helpings of Mrs. Weasley's delicious cake they moved onto presents. Harry received a book on dueling from Hermione and a box of 23 chocolate frogs (one had been eaten) from Ron. The Weasleys on the whole gave him and dobby had sent him a pair of horribly mismatched socks.

As the sky outside began to darken and the company thinned out Dumbledore finally called Harry into the sitting room for their talk. Harry was elated, really, he was.

“Have a seat Harry,” Dumbledore said gently as he seated himself on a reclining chair

Harry flopped down on the end of one of the sofas and got comfortable; this wasn't going to be an easy conversation. Dumbledore frowned, the twinkle noticeably absent in his eye.

“Harry,” He began, leaning forward and steepling his fingers, “I am concerned for you. Your attitude this evening was less than appropriate and you've barely spent anytime socializing with your friends. You don't seem to have been grieving for Sirius as much as we expected you too. Of course it may be for the best, it is still unnerving that you have been acting out of character as of late.”

“Death is but the next great adventure, wouldn't you say headmaster?”

The twinkle returned in the headmaster's eye.

“Oh, I quite agree Harry.”

“Well I'm sorry if you feel that way headmaster but perhaps I've just gotten used to being alone. I haven't spoken to them all summer I don't know why I should start now,” Harry replied. Starting off with the guilt trip sounded like a suitable way to begin the discussion.

“It was for the best. You need to be protected—”

“Don't give me that shit. It is for my best interest to keep me sane, especially if you expect me to fight that asshole for you! What I need is to be prepared to fight him. Now I want Hedwig back.”

“I would appreciate it if you would address me in such a manner again, Mr. Potter I think I have given you far too much leeway in the past—”

“Leeway?” Harry interrupted again, falling into shock at the nerve this man had, “You have me locked in a house with Nazis! Now, Where. Is. Hedwig?”

“I can't tell you that.”

“Why not?”

“I cannot have you communicating with anyone it's too dangerous.”

“Bull shit. You don't have the right to decide that. I want her back and if I don't see her in my room before the week is over I won't be returning to Hogwarts.”

Dumbledore rubbed his eyes tiredly before responding, “You can't do that Harry. Witches and Wizards are required to finish their magical education if they want to keep their wand.”

“Then I will finish it elsewhere.”

“I will not allow that—”

“Fuck you!” Harry spat, jumping to his feet. He would have grinned at the headmaster's appalled look if he wasn't so angry. He continued in a much colder tone, “Keep it up Dumbledore...and you'll lose more than just a weapon.”

Harry then turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him for effect.