Birthday Surprises Chapter 76

Usual disclaimer:  Not mine, don't sue.  Please.  Wish it were mine though.  Ah, if only…  Lolly, xxx.

After breakfast, Harry Portkeyed to his Aunt's house in Privet Drive.  He was met by a huge hug and a weeping Aunt Petunia.

"I'm so proud of you!"  She sobbed into his arms.

"Thanks Aunt Petunia."

"Oh, come in, come in."

"Thanks."  Harry followed her into the house that had been a nightmare for him.  Without the presence of Vernon Dudley, it was much more welcoming.  He found that the house had been redecorated and that there were pictures on display - wizarding pictures.  He smiled as he saw the pictures of him and the triplets.

"Your girlfriend sent me those - I didn't have very many, and well..."

"Trust Ginny."  Harry smiled, spotting the picture of him asleep, surrounded by his children. 

"How are they?"

"They're fine.  They're crawling everywhere now, and getting big."

"I would love to see them."

"Why...d'you want to come back to Hogwarts?  I think there's going to be a very big party tonight - then there's the press conference taking place today as well.  That guarantees to be very interesting."

"Why?"

"Because the Minister for Magic is an incompetent fool - and he is showing up today.  Needless to say, I have a bit of a bone to pick with him."

"Why?"

"He's the one that decided to give me children."

"Oh." 

"Hmm.  Do you want to come?  You're more than welcome to - Dudley as well, if he wants to."

"Yes, yes, we'd like that.  Thank you.  When do we leave?"

"Well, we'll be going to the Burrow first to pick up the Weasleys and the triplets.  Then we'll be heading up to Hogwarts - I said that I'd be back in an hour or two - that was two and a half hours ago, so we'd better go as soon as possible."

"Right - I'll be ready in five minutes.  DUDLEY!  We're going to Hogwarts, darling, get ready.  And wear something nice!"

"Yes mum."  Dudley replied.  Harry wandered around the living room while he waited, wondering what the future held.  He knew that he would be welcomed with open arms by the Ministry should he become an Auror, but that was appealing less and less to him - he wasn't sure that he wanted to work for a Ministry that had wanted to exploit him for both good and bad.  Besides, he didn't want to be chasing Dark Wizards for the rest of his life.

By the time Harry, Aunt Petunia and Dudley arrived at the Burrow, all the Weasleys and the triplets were ready to head to Hogwarts - it had been arranged that there would be three Portkeys to take them straight to the headmaster's room. 

"Ah, Harry.  There you are.  There has been a most impressive turnout for the press conference."

"Joy.  How impressive?"

"Well...impressive enough for it to be a blessing that you are not as shy as you once were."

"Hmm."  Harry said, not looking convinced. 

"Why don't you go down to the Great Hall?"  Professor Dumbledore suggested to everyone but Harry.  They all agreed, and left moments after.

"I'll see you down there."  Ginny promised, kissing him softly.

"Yeah."

"I love you."

"I love you too - now go before grandad resorts to throwing you out."  Ginny giggled at the thought, and went after Molly and Aunt Petunia, who were both cooing over the triplets.

"Harry, I want to give you something.  It's been in the family for generations.  It is a sign of adulthood, responsibility and honour.  It was traditionally given on graduation from Hogwarts.   However, I feel that you have earned yours several times over."  The headmaster handed over a slightly worn velvet box, which Harry opened silently.  His jaw dropped as he surveyed the contents of that small tattered box.  Carefully, he lifted the pin from the box - it was stunning.  The sword crossed with a wand and wreathed in ivy shone bright gold. 

"Incredible."  He muttered quietly.

"It is rather beautiful, isn't it?"  Harry nodded, still shocked. 

"You should probably go and get ready, Harry.  The press conference will begin shortly."

"Right."  Harry said, snapping out of his stupor. 

The entire crowd fell silent as Harry and Dumbledore walked in.  As soon as they were seated at the head table, however, the place erupted with cheers and shouts.  It was so loud that Harry had to suppress the urge to clamp his hands over his ears.  Instead, his eyes sought Ginny, who was frantically trying to calm the triplets.  'Owl'  he mouthed to her.  She nodded and handed them the small fluffy owl.  She smiled gratefully as they calmed down, helped by the fact that Harry had held his hand up to quiet the audience.

"Thank you."  He said, his quiet voice carrying easily through the silence.

"Well, I expect by now that you've all heard that Voldemort is dead."  Dumbledore said, smiling at his great-grandson.

The press conference lasted for longer than Harry had imagined.  He was glad that he had had the sense to buy comfortable dress robes.  Most of the questions were directed at him, with a few for Dumbledore and absolutely none for Fudge, who had taken the seat next to Harry.  No matter how much he tried, Fudge just couldn't steal the limelight from Harry.  He also failed miserably to take some of the credit for the destruction of Voldemort.  Needless to say, by the end of it, Harry was wishing that the Minister would just disappear - preferably for ever.  Instead, the idiot stuck close to Harry, making a show of it for the reporters.

The last straw was when he followed Harry to where the Weasleys, his Aunt, cousin and the triplets were. 

"Minister Fudge."  He said, still smiling, though his voice was less than warm.

"Yes, Harry?"  The Minister's sickly sweet smile was enough to make Harry want to retch.

"May I speak to you - outside?"

"I see no reason for us to take this outside - there's nothing wrong with where we are."

"Whatever you wish."  Harry shrugged.  "It really makes no difference to me."  The Minister had apparently begun to notice that Harry wasn't in the best of moods, and was looking decidedly nervous.

"Can it wait?"  He asked somewhat squeakily.

"No, I believe it has waited quite long enough."  Harry replied coldly.

"Perhaps outside is best." 

"I think so."

Outside, it was blissfully warm and sunny, but Fudge was too worried to pay much attention.  Harry, despite being only seventeen, was extremely powerful, he knew.  He had just killed one of the most powerful dark wizards ever seen, and was perfectly fine.

"Harry?"

"Tell me, Minister, who gave you the right to play God?"

"Er...play...God?"

"My children."  Harry hissed, his green eyes alight with  anger - he had waited too long for this.  Under his breath, he muttered a recording incantation.

"Ah, about that.  It was...well...impractical to put all of the responsibility of winning this war on your shoulders alone."

"Impractical?  Impractical?  Let me tell you about impractical, Minister.  Impractical is playing God and creating children without prior knowledge or consent from either parent.  Impractical is expecting those children to grow up as Ministry pawns with the weight of the world on their shoulders.  Impractical is testing those three children for signs of them being useful to you.  And pushing them aside when you decided they weren't?  That was the biggest mistake of your career.  What did those three babies do to you?"

"We didn't mean for there to be three of them - that was nature's input."

"And that is supposed to make it better?  So if it had been up to you, there would have been one child with the weight of the world on their shoulders?  Did you really distrust me that much?  Besides, the Prophecy was pretty specific that it was up to me, whether you wanted it to be or not."

"Prophecy?"

"Oh!  You haven't heard it?"  Harry mocked.  "Then what, praytell, made you believe that my children would be any more likely to kill Voldemort than anyone else's?"  Fudge now looked worried and wary.

"What good will it do, Harry?  What's done cannot be undone."

"Oh no - you don't get out of it that easily."  Harry warned.

"I...well...I may have known about your...ah, status."  Fudge confessed.  One black eyebrow rose gracefully as the young man watched the Minister of Magic squirm.

"You may have known?  Either you did or you didn't, Cornelius - and I suggest you tell the truth."

"I...well, when you were born, the hospital was subject to a number of strange occurences.  The Ministry hushed it up and carried out several tests.  It was suspected that you were an Elemental.  I obliviated those who had known - I didn't want Voldemort knowing that an Elemental had been born.  I was sure of it.  But last year...when you were supposed to come into your powers more fully...I...did some other tests.  They showed nothing unusual about you.  I simply put the events of the past down as flukes."

"Then it is a very good thing that I concealed my gifts as soon as I learned of them, isn't it Minister?"  Harry was inwardly seething, despite his cool and collected exterior.

"You...concealed them?"

"Of course I did - why take the chance of Voldemort finding out?  Did it never occur to you that the information you held was vital?  You were sure that I was an Elemental, so why not train me to use my powers?"  The gravity of the Minister's failure dawned on Harry at that moment, and all pretences of calmness vanished.  "Lives could have been saved."  He hissed.

"I did the right thing."  He said stubbornly.

"No - you did what happened to be in your own best interests."  Harry said, loosing his rage as his fist connected to the Minister for Magic's jaw so hard that he fell backwards, clutching his jaw and whimpering.

"Arrest him!"  He screeched.  A couple of Aurors, who had been standing at the entrance, walked over.  They looked to be suppressing smirks.

"Sorry Mr Potter, but we are obligated to arrest you."  One said, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

"Sure.  It's been a while since I saw the Wizengamont anyway."  Harry said, a small smile playing over his face.  "If you'd be so kind as to give me a few minutes to tell my family where I'm going."

"Of course, Mr Potter, we'll have to escort you, though."

"Naturally."  Harry said, strolling away from the fallen Minister.  The two Aurors followed, not caring that their boss was lying on the ground, wincing in pain.  They knew as well as Harry did that it was the very least of what the Minister deserved.

Ginny watched as Harry came in, smiling despite the fact that he was being shadowed by two Aurors.

"Harry?  What's going on?"  She asked.

"Oh, I've just been arrested."  Harry said casually.

"What?"

"I'm just going to make the announcement to the press."

"Harry..."  But Harry was already walking away, striding purposefully towards the Head Table.  His smile never faltered, despite the fact that he hated being in the spotlight.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to thank you for coming today, however, I am afraid that I must be going now."

"Where are you going, Mr Potter?"

"Ministry holding cells, I imagine."  Harry replied, perfectly straight-faced.  There were gasps and shouts of outrage.

"You got yourself arrested?"  Hermione asked in horror.

"Actually, I believe Minister Fudge was the one who ordered my arrest."  Harry smirked.  Fudge would rue the day he messed with Harry Potter.

"What happened, Mr Potter?"

"I guess he didn't appreciate being punched."  Harry said innocently.  Ron whooped loudly.

"Good for you, mate.  It's about time someone did."

"Thank you, Ron."

"Why did you punch the Minister, Mr Potter?"

"Cornelius Fudge has always been a fool - he has proved this several times - first of all when he denied Voldemort's return, then again and again ever since.  As all of you no doubt know, last year he came up with the idiotic idea of creating children to fight Voldemort.  Then when he decided that my power had not been passed on to my children, he cast them aside.  It had been his plan to raise them as some sort of specially designed soldiers, their one and only purpose being to destroy Voldemort.  As it turns out, he is so inept that when doing this in hopes of one child, he got three.  When I found out that I was a father, I assumed that Fudge had thought that my children would be more suited to this task because of a certain Prophecy made, but it turns out that this was not the case.  It turns out that Fudge has known, more or less since my birth, that I am an Elemental.  Rather than have me trained in my powers, he chose to keep me in the dark.  That choice very well may have cost lives."

"He's lying!"  Fudge squealed, stumbling through the door.

"And just why would I do that?"  Harry asked, his voice icy cold.

"You're in league with You-Know-Who!  You're after my position!  You want power!"  Harry let out a bark of laughter, his eyes dark with fury.

"Tell me, Cornelius, how you came to the assumption that I am in league with a...thing that died by my own hand?"

"We have no proof that he is indeed dead."  Harry looked astounded, and shook his head in exasperation.

"I don't have time for this, I have an appointment with the Wizengamont.  Grandad, would you please take Cornelius to the Room of Requirement for his proof - and take one reporter from the Daily Prophet - after they have been searched for cameras.  Someone trustworthy."  Dumbledore nodded his agreement as Harry made his way back to where Ginny was standing.

"Harry,"  She said, in a long-suffering voice, "Did you have to get yourself arrested?"

"If Fudge wasn't such a git then no, I wouldn't have had to.  Don't worry, how bad can it be?"

"Knowing Fudge, a term in Azkaban."  Ginny muttered darkly.

"Not going to happen - Fudge would be committing political suicide.  People are already displeased with him."

"You mean you actually thought this through?"

"You sound surprised, sweetie."  Harry pouted.

"I'm proud of you."  She said softly.

"Thanks.  He's gone at last, now all we need is a decent Minister and life will be perfect."  Harry grinned, lifting Ginny up and hugging her tightly.  She giggled and kissed him, unaware of the flashbulbs popping behind them. 

"Dada!"  Andy said, making Harry's grin grow even wider. 

"He said dada!"  He told Ginny, looking astounded.

"You'd better teach him to say mama then, hadn't you?"  Ginny replied as Harry scooped up his son and held him close to his chest.  He hugged his other two children before turning back to Ginny.

"I'll see you soon."  He promised.

"Dada!"  Andy repeated as Harry gave Ginny another hug.

"We're never going to get any peace, now."  Ginny groaned.

"And we did before?"

"Good point."  Harry grinned before sighing softly.

"Guess I'd better go.  Love you."

"Love you too.  And try not to be too long." 

Harry stood before the assembled Wizengamont, his head held high.  Dumbledore arrived part-way through, along with a pale Minister Fudge.

"I...I would like to drop the charges."  He stuttered, looking small and scared.

"Unfortunately, Cornelius, you cannot withdraw a charge as is done in Muggle law - Mister Potter will be tried."

"But...but I am the Minister for Magic!"

"Be that as it may, the law cannot be changed in the blink of an eye.  Either we try Mr. Potter now, or he is kept in a Ministry holding cell until you change the law, which could take months."  Harry was beginning to like Madam Bones very much at this point, especially when she rolled her eyes as soon as his back was turned.

"Very well."  Fudge muttered, taking his seat.  Everyone turned to watch as Harry's charges were read out.

"Harry James Potter, you are charged with assaulting the Minister for Magic and with resisting all attempts to restrain and arrest you.  How do you plead?"

"Guilty to the first charge, but not guilty to 'resisting all attempts to restrain and arrest' me."

"Very well.  Do you call any witnesses?"

"Yes, I would like to call the two Aurors who brought me in."

"Aurors are not permitted to stand witness in trials such as this, Mr Potter."

"Very well, I call Albus Dumbledore."

"Preposterous!"  Fudge blustered, having decided that if he couldn't take back his decision to press charges, he may as well make sure Harry was convicted.

"What is preposterous, Cornelius?"  Madam Bones asked wearily.

"Dumbledore is his Grandfather - of course he'll back him up."

"Oh for goodness sake."  Harry muttered.  "There is a Hall full of witnesses, Minister, would you kindly tell me who I am allowed to call as a witness?"

"You may call anyone you feel you can prove will give a free and unbiased account of what happened."  Harry thought for a moment, before smiling slightly.

"Then I would like to call Hermione Granger."

"Someone owl the girl and quickly.  Is there anyone else, Mr Potter?"

"Professor Severus Snape."  Harry said, getting many gasps.  He could see that even his grandfather was shocked.

"Indeed."  Madam Bones nodded and smiled.

It was only a matter of moments before Hermione and Snape arrived, both looking somewhat bemused.

"You have both been called as witnesses for Mr Potter.  Miss Granger, if you could take the stand."  Hermione nodded somewhat nervously, shooting a glance at Harry, who smile

 at her.

"Miss Granger, what did you see tonight with regards to Mr Potter's assault on the Minister of Magic?"

"Well...I didn't see him punch him, but all night, Minister Fudge was following him around all night."

"I was not!"

"Cornelius, let the girl speak."  Madam Bones said.

"Thank you Madam Bones.  As I was saying, the Minister was following Harry wherever he went.  It's no secret that they do not exactly like each other."  There were a few titters from the members of the Wizengamont as she said this.

"Harry was getting annoyed at being trailed - when the Minister wouldn't leave him alone, I believe Harry asked to talk to him outside.  When Harry returned, he was escorted by two Aurors, and the Minister was nowhere to be seen.  Harry made the announcement that he had been arrested and that he would be leaving.  He said that Fudge had known all along that he was an Elemental and that he hadn't told Harry, nor trained him in his abilities.  Instead, he left everything to Harry.  He seems to do a lot of that."

"Was that everything, Miss Granger?"

"No - when Harry told everyone that, Fudge accused him of lying.  He accused him of being a Deatheater."  There were cries of outrage at this, and Harry smiled grimly to himself.  Cornelius might as well have dug his own grave.

"Is that everything Miss Granger?"

"Yes - after having shooting down the Minister's accusation, he came here."

"Very well.  Professor Snape, is there anything you disagree with in Miss Granger's testimony?  Do you have anything to add?"

"No Madam Bones, Miss Granger's account is accurate to my knowledge.  I have nothing to add."  Snape said, looking as if it pained him to agree with a Gryffindor.

"Mr Potter, do you have anything to add?"

"Yes.  I recorded my conversation outside with the Minister, as well as my announcement to the press."  Harry produced his wand, laying it on the table in front of him and muttering the spell to play back the recording.  The court listen in shock and horror to the conversation between the Minister and Harry.  When it had ended, silence descended over the entire room.

"Cornelius, do you have any doubts as to the authenticity of this recording?"  The Minister for Magic, once so proud, shook his head and looked down at his shoes.  Whispers errupted around the court.

"Silence.  Cornelius, did you receive proof of You-Know-Who's destruction?"  The entire court seemed to hold their breath in anticipation as they awaited the answer.

"Yes."  Everyone cheered in unison, though Harry couldn't be sure that all of them meant it.

"Then I believe, taking into account the extenuating circumstances of the assault, that I speak for everyone in this courtroom when I say that Mr Potter is to be cleared of all charges."  Hermione let out a sigh of relief, while Harry smiled softly. 

"I'll see you back at Hogwarts."  He told Hermione softly, as his Grandad made his way over.

"Well done, Harry.  You handled that well."

"Thank you.  I was just telling Hermione that I have a few things to do before I go back to Hogwarts."

"Ah yes.  I believe that you have a few Deatheaters to reanimate."

"Yeah - oh, I forgot to get the Rat from Moony."

"Here you go."  Dumbledore said, producing said Rat.

"Thanks Grandad.  I'll see you all later - please try and persuade Ginny not to kill me when I do get back?"

"I can try, but I promise nothing."  Hermione said.

"Hmm.  Better than nothing, I guess."

It only took Harry five minutes to reanimate the Deatheaters, watching as they screamed silently in pain.

"Thank you, Mr Potter.  I do believe that the Auror's can take it from here."  Madam Bones said kindly.  Harry looked over to see Alicia and Oliver making their way over to him.  Acia immediately swept a rather bemused Harry into a bearhug.

"I knew you'd do it!"  She said, smiling brilliantly at him.

"Thanks.  Oliver, when did you become an Auror?"

"At the end of last year - what with the situation with You-Know-Who, I decided that Quidditch could wait.  Besides, couldn't let the side down, could I?  From what I hear, I missed some pretty great Defence lessons."

"Er...thanks."

"Mr Potter, would you come with me, please?"  Madam Bones asked kindly.  Harry nodded and said bye to Oliver and Alicia before following the woman.

"As I understand it, Mr Potter, you've had rather a lousy time with the Ministry."

"Well...it's never been my favourite institution, no."

"I understand completely, Mr Potter."

"Please call me Harry, all this 'Mr Potter' stuff is making my head spin."

"Very well Harry, I must confess that Cornelius is very worried about his position now - this is strictly off the record, you understand - he has given me permission to grant you compensation for previous...grievances." 

"I don't need more money."  Harry said with a slight frown.

"I know, but you have to understand that Cornelius is desperate.  He believes that in paying you off, he will regain public support again."

"It'll take more than that."  Harry said.

"I know - and it is much more likely to have the opposite effect - that people see it as an admission of Fudge's failures."

"So why didn't you tell him this?"  Harry asked.

"Because I dislike him as much as the next person - he is a fool and a poor leader.  If we want to keep the peace that you have restored for us, we need to have a strong leader - someone like your grandfather."

"He won't take it.  He loves Hogwarts too much."  Harry said.

"I know.  How about you?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you've already proved that you're a very capable leader, and with everything you've already done..."

"Madam Bones, I'm seventeen.  I may have fought Voldemort time and again, but I have virtually no experience of living a life in the wizarding world outside of Hogwarts.  Believe me when I say that I would not make a good Minister - yet, at any rate."

"Very well.  Is there anyone you feel would be good for the position?"  Harry smiled after a moment of thought and nodded.

"I know just the person."  He said.

"Who?"

"You'll find out.  So if I accept this money as compensation, what happens afterwards?"

"I expect that there will be call for him to step down as Minister.  After that, there will be a time for those people who are interested in the position to campaign.  There will be a vote after one month."

"Right.  Ok, I'll take the compensation."

"Very well - in that case, I believe you are now the richest man in Europe - Muggle or Wizard."

"How much compensation are you giving me, exactly?"

"Well, a million galleons for the incident with the Triplets, a million for defamation of character, I believe the compensation for Sirius Black's wrongful arrest - two million galleons - goes to you as well.   Ten million galleons as a reward for capturing the Deatheaters and for destroying You-Know-Who."

"Ok, can you do me a favour?"

"What is it, Harry?"

"Stop it with this You-Know-Who rubbish.  He's dead - his name won't hurt anyone."

"Very well - Voldemort."

"Thank you."

"Yes, then there is the five hundred thousand galleon reward that goes with the Order of Merlin, First Class, and finally, five hundred thousand galleons as an apology for the fact that Minister Fudge kept your abilities from you."

"Fifteen million galleons."  Harry whistled.  "You certainly don't do anything by halves, do you?" 

"Certainly not, Harry.  The Wizarding world is safe now - something that is worth every galleon and more - but I have a feeling that if I tried giving you any more money, you might protest."

"More?  No way - fifteen million is too much as it is."

"Nonsense - we shall have to agree to disagree, I'm afraid."

"Hmm."  Harry said. 

"Shouldn't you be getting back to Hogwarts?"

"Yeah.  Thanks for everything, Madam Bones."

"No problem - thank you."

"I did it as much for me and my family as much as anyone else."  Harry admitted with a shrug.

"You'd better go - I'm sure that there will be several hundred reporters at the front doors."

"Oh joy - I don't suppose I could use the Floo system?"

"Sure." 

"Thanks."

Harry stepped out of the fireplace in the headmaster's office, smiling as he saw that everyone was already there.  After brushing the soot from his robes, he made a beeline for Ginny and the Triplets.  He kissed Ginny soundly, despite the fact that her parents were in the room.  When he pulled back, Ginny slapped him hard.

"Ow!"

"That was for getting arrested - I don't care if you had a good reason.  You'd better be glad that they let you off."  Harry blinked at her before bursting out laughing.

"What?"  Ginny demanded, putting her hands on her hips.  Harry risked a glance at Arthur and Ron, who were currently shaking in silent mirth.  Molly watched them sternly, her hands also on her hips.

"Oh god."  Harry gasped, holding his ribs.  He didn't think he'd laughed that much for years.

"Sorry love, you just do such a good sabre-toothed tiger impression."  Ginny's face reluctantly broke into a grin.

"The next time you do that to me, Potter, you better hope that they do lock you up."  She said before kissing him.

"Dada!"  Andy squawked.  Harry and Ginny stopped as they heard a crack - Leah was hovering one of Albus' whirring contraptions above her head, and was currently trying to bat it with her pudgy hands.

"Same one her daddy loved."  Albus grinned.

"Huh?"

"You used to do the same thing.  Only you used to catch it and throw it, rather than having it hover."

"She's definitely going to be a daddies girl."  Ginny smiled.

"Just like you then."  Molly grinned.  Harry smiled as he watched and listened to his family chatting happily.  Life was perfect.  He wrapped his arms around Ginny's waist, sighing contentedly.  This was what it felt like when things went right - even if it only lasted a few years, he would treasure that time when he had a 'normal' life.  As normal as it got with almost year-old triplets at age seventeen.

"Happy?"  Ginny queried.  Harry gave her a dazzling smile.

"Couldn't be happier."  He assured her, kissing her softly.

"Good."

The end.

Right, well, first of all, a very big thank you to everyone who took the time to review and encourage me to carry on with this story – it was great reading the reviews.

Second of all, a huge thank you to mcgonagalls_biscuits, who is my beta, thanks sweetie.

Hopefully there'll be a sequel to this at some point, but for now, I don't have many ideas for one – I will probably concentrate on one of my many other stories.  If anyone has any ideas that they'd like to share, please feel free to.

I guess that's it then.  Bye bye.

Luv Lolly

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