"Oh, best friend," retorted Draco, managing to sneer and raise his voice at the same time.
"And you're my brother," said Harry, shaking his head. How long before Draco got over this urge he had to compete with Ron?
"Don't you forget it. Where was Weasley when you were trapped in France, eh? Where was he when that casewizard tried to snatch you, or--"
Harry thought better than to mention that Lucius Malfoy had been responsible for both those situations. Instead, he smiled. "I won't forget, Draco. Friends can fall out, not that I expect to with Ron, but brothers? That's never going to change. And I want my brother at my party, Draco." He held out his arm. "Come on. Come to the Burrow with me."
"Should have known they would live in a burrow," muttered Draco. "Oh, fine. I'll tag along." He took hold of Harry's arm, shuddering a little. "Well, at least that oaf of a gamekeeper won't be there."
"Hagrid's all right," insisted Harry. "You ought to apologise to him for the whole Buckbeak thing, though."
Draco made a scoffing noise, shaking his head even as Harry began to melt them both away. "All right, is he? I don't think so. He really shouldn't have spoiled your surprise."
As it turned out, though, Draco was the one in for a surprise.
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The Weasley's front yard seemed to shimmer as Harry came back into the physical, but that was easily explained the moment they finished Apparating.
Fireworks were gleaming, hovering in the air above them, raining sparks down onto the grass below. No, not so much fireworks, as letters rapidly forming themselves as though being written by a blazing wand.
Happy Birthday, Harry!!! spelled out one magical banner in blazing shades of red and gold.
But another one, just alongside, had a message burning in silver and green.
Happy Birthday, Draco!!!
Beside him, Draco almost stumbled. He might have said something, too, but Harry couldn't hear his words over the roar of voices that had begun shouting even before Harry and Draco had fully arrived.
"Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!"
Harry grinned, hardly able to take it all in. Sure, he'd known for a little while that a party had been planned, and when he'd heard it was at the Burrow, he'd figured that his father and all the Weasleys would be there. Well, all the Weasleys except Percy, he mentally amended as he glanced around. But so many other people were here, as well! Tonks and Shacklebolt, and Moody, and Dean and Seamus, and Padma and Parvati, and--
"Dudley?" gasped Harry.
"Happy Birthday, Harry," said Dudley, coming forward through the crowd. His smile faltered nervously when he got closer. "Um . . . Happy Birthday to you too, Draco."
"Thank you," murmured Draco, his voice a bit dazed. "Though . . . it's not really my birthday."
"Oh yeah, I heard," said Dudley, his shoulders relaxing. Huh. He'd probably wondered if Draco was going to be rude to him again, but that must not seem likely, not when Draco was still staring, slack-jawed, at his name as the fireworks faded away.
Dudley's remark, though, seemed to focus Draco's attention. "You heard? What did you hear?"
"Bunch of confusing things." Dudley shrugged. "Are you older or younger than Harry? 'Cause I've heard both."
"I turned seventeen a short while ago--"
Dudley nodded, even though his eyebrows were drawing together like he was still baffled. "Headmaster mentioned that. But then, how come the letter inviting me here, from Ginny somebody, said your birthday wasn't for a few days, yet?"
"Unfortunate potions incident," said Snape smoothly as he appeared at Harry's elbow. "Draco managed to make himself some weeks older, in a manner which actually changed his official birth date."
Dudley goggled. "Magic can do that?"
"Thanks for the party, Dad," said Harry, giving his father a quick hug.
"Yes, thank you," echoed Draco, his voice sounding a little bit hollow again. "I . . . I never once dreamed . . . I mean, I thought . . . er . . ."
"You thought I was making a point, yes. I know." Snape patted Draco on the shoulder. "No harm done, you idiot child. Though I will say, it was difficult to keep my own counsel when you began feeling so very sorry for yourself."
"I didn't--" Draco sighed a little, looking away, and then met Snape's eyes again. "You're right. I did."
Snape's voice was very quiet. "You might at least have waited until your original birthday had come and gone, before assuming I intended to neglect celebrating it with you."
Draco gave a sharp nod, but Harry knew that the other boy wasn't as confident as he was trying to appear. It was all there in the way Draco had thrust his hands into the pockets of his dress robes.
Leaning over, Snape said something else to Draco, something Harry didn't catch, and then the man was smoothly gliding away, vanishing into the crowds of well-wishers.
"What was that?"
Draco's throat bobbed a little. "Er . . . that I ought to know he loves me as much as he does you, but apparently I had to learn by experience."
Harry smiled, the expression gentle. "Well, that all sorts, I suppose. Let's just enjoy the party, now. All right?"
Draco grimaced slightly. "I thought you were going to say that you'd told me so."
"Would I say a thing like that?"
"Yes, actually!"
Dumbledore stepped forward then, his blue eyes twinkling as he gave a laconic wave toward the party guests milling all around. "Squabbling, boys? Ah, but you are both men now, are you not?"
He looked at them, peering over the top of his half-moon glasses, his piercing gaze somehow critical and loving all at once. Harry didn't know about Draco, but for his part, he felt instantly ashamed. "Thank you for coming, Professor Dumbledore."
"And thanks for stopping by Surrey to bring me," added Dudley.
"My pleasure. And happy birthday to you both," said Dumbledore, smiling and nodding as he turned away, his cerulean robes fluttering slightly.
Dudley waited until the headmaster was out of earshot before speaking again. "But that Appear-a-ting thing? Not sure I want to try that again anytime soon. Made me right sick, it did."
To Harry's surprise, it was Draco who answered. And not to say anything rude, either. "You look all right, now."
"Well, I've been here for about an hour." Dudley's voice grew enthusiastic as bounced on his heels. "Mrs Weasley, she can make cheese sauce out of absolutely nothing, Harry. Did you know that? And the sweaters knit themselves and there's even some sort of creature that lives in the loo and keeps your, er, you know, from making things ronk too much in there, and--"
Harry didn't think he wanted more details than that. "It's good to see you, Dudley. And good to know you aren't the least bit afraid of magic, any longer."
"I'd be afraid of that loo if I were he," said Draco in an undertone, his voice laced with a strange mix of cynicism and good humour. "And as much as I'd love to continue nattering about the intricacies of the loo, duty does call."
For a second, Harry thought he meant a call of nature. Then he figured it was something else. "Huh?"
"Attempt a bit more eloquence later, when we have to give speeches," said Draco dryly. "For now, though, you and I should really be circulating, greeting the people who have been so kind as to appear-ate to help us celebrate our coming of age. It's really not the done thing for the two guests of honour to stand about conversing only with one another."
"Oh."
"So, I shall begin my rounds, and I recommend you do likewise." Draco glanced left and right. "Hmm. I believe I'll start with Kingsley Shacklebolt, and subtly remind him to be looking for my application to his programme, a few months hence."
Harry put a hand on his brother's sleeve as he tried to walk past. "Circulate, right. Good idea. But you were ribbing me, weren't you, about the speech bit?"