Reposted: November 21, 2021

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I was originally going to update tomorrow morning, but screw it. Here we go

Summary: Harry finally gets to celebrate his birthday properly

The next few weeks passed by very quickly. Harry slowly got used to getting up later and not being forced to do everything around the manor. The only chore he did was the garden, and even that wasn't so much a chore as it was a hobby. It was even more fun with the house-elves helping.

Azure and Hedwig were free to roam around the manor as they pleased, and more than once, Harry was certain he saw Hedwig carrying the familiar, slender shape around for a joyride.

His relationship with Sirius and Remus had strengthened in the short time they lived together. Not for the first time Harry wondered if this was what it was like to have a loving and caring family. If it wasn't, he didn't know what was.

It had been amusing watching Tom try to navigate having a real, functional body once more. He had to eat, drink, and use the loo, things he all but forgot about. And without a diary to escape into, he was forced to endure the constant annoyances he called Harry and Azure. Aside from that, they've gotten closer without the interruptions of school life and the constant need to be on guard for anyone unaware of Tom's existence.

Right now, Harry was in the library, head on Tom's lap as Tom read. It had been silent for almost an hour so far, which was surprising given Harry's tendency to make his presence known.

"You have that constipated look on your face that indicates you're thinking," Tom said. "So what is it?"

"Have you ever masturbated in the diary?"

Tom sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I knew I shouldn't have asked."

"But you did, and I answered. So did you?" Harry lifted his head to get a better look at Tom.

"I am not answering that." Seeing Harry's pleading expression, Tom groaned. "No, stop. You're making that face again. Stop it."

"You love me, though."

"Unfortunately," Tom said, exasperated. "Now stop looking at me like that."

"Aw, I love you, too, Tomling."

Tom groaned again and held the book up to his face, shielding it from Harry's view.

"You still didn't answer the question."

"Shut up."

Before Harry knew it, it was the end of July. For once, he didn't stay up until midnight to wish himself a happy birthday. No, he was awoken by a slobbery lick to the face.

"Ugh! Sirius, get off!" Harry yelped, laughing.

Sirius' grinning face appeared. "Wake up! It's your birthday! You're fourteen!"

"I'm aware, now move your butt. I have to brush my teeth."

Sirius jumped off the bed and ran downstairs.

Shaking his head, Harry headed for the bathroom. He rubbed the drool off his face off with a towel and went on his daily routine. As he was coming out, he saw Tom just closing his door. His hair was sticking up in odd places.

"Sirius?" Harry guessed.

A disgruntled nod was all he received in response. "I have your present." He went back inside, Harry following close behind, and handed him a small box.

Harry accepted it and removed the lid to reveal the Gaunt ring. "What's in it?" he inquired, sensing the magic inside.

"After the fusion of the Horcruxes, I had the goblins add some charms to protect you from any minor and most major spells," Tom explained. "No one but you can remove it. You can also make it invisible to others."

"Thank you," Harry said. "You know, I could just kiss you right now."

"What's stopping you?" Tom retorted lightly.

He had only been teasing, so when Harry grabbed him by the front of the shirt and pulled him down to press his lips against Tom's, it elicited a startled grunt from Tom. It was magnificent, it was extraordinary, it was... extremely uncoordinated and awkward.

Harry drew back, smiling sheepishly. "That was—"

"The worst kiss ever?"

"Yes."

"Luckily you have me to show you how it's done," Tom said.

But as he was leaning in, Sirius' voice sounded loudly from just outside the door. "I hope I'm not cockblocking you two."

Harry rolled his eyes. "No, you're lip-blocking. Back off."

They heard a loud huff and footsteps receding.

Harry looked back up at Tom. "We better go or else he'll send the werewolf."

Tom sighed. "Fine." He was going to kick Sirius' arse for interrupting them.

It seemed as though Sirius was more excited than Harry himself; he was very jittery and kept glancing at Harry's plate throughout the entire meal.

And Harry, being the wonderful person he was, took his sweet time eating and making sure he didn't miss a single crumb.

As soon as Harry had scraped off the last bit of sauce, Sirius leapt to his feet and dragged Harry along. Remus and Tom exchanged a look before getting up and following more slowly

Apparently, they were walking too slowly for Sirius ran back and grabbed both of them by the arm.

"Anyone would think it's your birthday today," Tom griped as he was dragged along.

"Oh, like you weren't dying to show Harry what you got him," Sirius shot back.

Tom didn't attempt to deny this.

"Your friends sent their gifts the last couple days," Remus told Harry, handing them over one by one.

Harry huffed in amusement as he looked over the packaging, which consisted mostly of Slytherin colors. Only Sirius had Gryffindor colors, though Harry suspected it was deliberate.

He didn't receive half as many presents as Dudley would have, but that didn't matter. Harry was still amazed that there were people that actually cared enough to get him something, even after three years of Hogwarts.

Unsurprisingly, he got several books, one that came with a note from Draco that said: "To add to your evergrowing personal library."

Tracey had given him a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which Sirius recognized as a classic children's tale in the wizarding world.

The twins had sent a bag of what they called canary creams.

"They look inconspicuous," Tom said, peering at them.

"Eat one. I dare you," Harry goaded.

"You eat one. It's your birthday."

"Which means I'm the boss. I double dare you, dildo lover."

Tom grumbled under his breath but popped one in his mouth. Seconds later, a large canary stood in his place.

"Ah, canary creams," Remus said, impressed. "Those twins sure are ingenious." Even he, a professional Marauder, had had trouble escaping their pranks. He was almost dreading going back to continue teaching.

Tom reappeared a minute later, shaking his head. "That was weird."

"You made a very pretty canary. Any other presents?"

"Me!" Sirius said, gesturing to the large parcel in front of him.

"Any at all?" Harry asked, looking around and promptly ignoring his godfather.

"Me! Me!"

"Oh, Sirius, I didn't see you there," Harry said, eyes wide with feigned innocence.

Sirius groaned dramatically but brightened up as Harry (finally) opened his.

"A broomstick?"

"A broomstick?" Sirius echoed indignantly. "Not just any broomstick. It's a Firebolt."

"Oh." Harry looked at it with renewed interest. Madam Hooch had said he was a natural back in first year, but he had never tried out for the team.

"Aren't you going to try it out?"

"I just ate. I don't want to throw up in midair on my first proper birthday," Harry pointed out.

"If you do, I'll make sure Sirius is directly underneath you," Tom said.

"That's a horrible idea," Remus said. "He already stinks enough as he does."

Sirius, who had been looking at Tom smugly when it seemed as though Remus was defending him, whipped around. "Hey! This is Harry's birthday, not Pick-on-Sirius Day."

"Why not both?" the other three all said in unison, making Sirius throw his hands in the air.

The rest of the day flew by quickly. Harry couldn't believe just how much fun he was having. Sirius had continued to urge him to try out the broomstick, which he finally gave in after a lot of begging.

"James was right," Sirius remarked, watching him soar through the sky. "He is a natural."

"When did he say that?" Tom asked.

"For Harry's first birthday, I bought him a toy broomstick," Sirius explained. "It only went two feet off the ground, but apparently Harry broke a vase with it."

Tom chuckled. "And James said he was a natural?"

Sirius waved it off. "It was a vase from Lily's sister. No real loss."

Harry finally landed, his hair windswept. "That was fun."

"Sure you don't want to try out for the team?" Sirius asked.

"Positive. Besides, Slytherin's done fine without me." He used his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face.

"Hungry?" Tom said, glancing back at the manor.

"Starving."

'Wait!' Azure called. 'Hatchling, I got you something!' She was pushing forward a large ball of mud. 'It's the biggest one yet,' she stated proudly, poking her head out from behind it.

'I see that.' Harry picked it up. 'Thank you, Azure. You're amazing.'

'I know.'

"What's with the mud?" Tom asked, grinning slightly.

"It was my first gift," Harry said. "She came up to me when I was outside and gave one to me. After that, it became tradition. I preserved them using wandless magic."

He was looking at the mud in his hand with such fondness, and Tom felt guilty for almost laughing. "That's sweet of her."

"Yeah, but don't let her hear you say that," Harry joked. "She has a reputation."

At that, Tom did laugh, throwing his head back in amusement. "Yes. Yes, she does."

"What about Dobby?" Sirius said as they reached the door.

"Well, you've seen how big Dudley is. Dobby would take some of his cake and bring it to me. Sweet revenge. Literally."

"And no one noticed?"

"Are you kidding? With the amount Dudley eats, one small piece is hardly going to be missed. Besides, Dudley always sneaks down to eat some cake before it's even his birthday. Aunt Petunia wouldn't know the difference."

That night, once the excitement died down, they all finally went to bed. As Harry reached his room, Tom grabbed his hand and pulled him into his own room.

"Wha—?" was all Harry had time to say before Tom was pressing his lips to Harry's.

"And that is the proper way to kiss," he said smugly after a moment.

Harry blinked up at him, voice caught in his throat. It was an unusual sight; normally, it was Harry that left Tom speechless. His eyes flicked over Tom's face. His stupidly handsome face...

"We should get some sleep," he finally managed to get out.

He allowed Tom to guide him to his bed, where he laid down. "Good night, Tom," he mumbled.

"Night."

Harry snuggled up against Tom's chest and immediately fell asleep. Tom pulled him even further into his arms and closed his eyes, Harry's snoring lulling him to sleep.

So... you good, fahm?

(Gif credit: me)