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"You're 35 today".
Harry Potter looked up from the paper he'd been reading, toast cold and forgotten on his plate. He scowled as Karina Black settled herself into the chair across from him, her eyes shining brightly. "And you're awake before noon. I'm impressed."
It was her turn to scowl, and she did it with far more emotion than he had. His lips twitched slightly. "I'm older than you, you know," she said finally as she reached for his toast. "That's supposed to earn me some respect."
"How well does that go over when you say that to Teddy?"
Her groan was good-natured. "Let's not talk about my demon-like teenager. Bloody hell. Why couldn't he take after Remus?"
"And make life easier for you? Never." Harry laughed and stretched, feeling every single one of his thrifty five years. "What are you up to today?"
"Stopped by to give this old bloke his birthday present!" Her smile was bright and her face held less of the ghosts she seemed unable to shake. When she reached into her bag and pulled a book, it was his turn to groan.
"I have three kids, Kari-"
"All with wildly unoriginal names."
His mouth snapped shut. His green eyes narrowed, "ignoring that. When do you reckon I'll have time to read this book?"
"Well if you're quite finished being a bore and open the bloody book, you'd see it's not a book at all. Twat." She added the last bit with a grin and jerked her head at it, "go on then, birthday boy. Open it."
He did, though he took his time taking the bow off slowly. She bounced slightly in her chair, and it reminded him of younger years. A lifetime ago.
The first page held his family tree. He didn't know all of the names on it, and the ones he did made him smile. He turned the page and watched pictures of himself, his wife, his children all waving back or smiling or running. His heart felt too small for all the love that was coursing through him, his eyes shone with tears but he didn't care. He flipped page after page slowly, taking time to look through the life he'd started and created and loved fiercely.
Kari had turned absolutely still, and was peering at him with tears in her own eyes. "You've made quite a life, Harry."
He cleared his throat once, then twice. The words stuck to his throat, thank you felt too small, too little for what she'd done. He knew he'd been given a second chance at life, felt the gratitude all the way to his bones. But when that life requires you to get the kid's to their grandparent's house during the weekends in the summer, or being buried at work by someone who just doesn't seem to get the Ministry's legal system or... But there was always an "or" or "but", for life did go on and he was in the middle of it.
Kari had given him a small token of that life, something he could hold and say "yes. This is my life. It is good." The pictures around the house showed the happiness in this home, but this... he ran his hands over the album, a lifetime captured in the pages of this book.
"How long-?" was all he managed to say, his voice deep and gravelly.
Kari shrugged, running her hand through her hair. She did it without noticing now, where once it was a gesture to tease her father. "I've known you were going to turn 35 for a awhile now. Tracking down the family tree was the hardest part, since it seems everyone wasn't exaggerating when they said every pure blood family is interconnected. I finished it about six months ago. Thought about giving it to you for your 40th, actually but...I'm impatient."
"You? Never. I'm almost certain you're the virtue of patience."
She stood then, what once was a slight frame now held more weight, showed the good life she also lived. No more running for their lives. No more having to sleep in forests. "I don't have to take this kind of abuse," she sniffed indignantly and looked at the clock on the wall. "Do you like it?"
Harry lifted himself out of the chair, ignoring the way his knee protested the sudden movement. He walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her. "I love it, truly."
Kari hugged him back awkwardly, where once she'd given them freely and without care. "A simple thank you would've sufficed."
And because she knew she wasn't truly as uncomfortable as she was putting it on, he grinned. "And miss the chance to make you squirm? Not a bloody chance."
"You," she said simply as she pulled away and picked up her bag, "are a jerk."
He nodded somberly as she continued to glare at him. She let out an annoyed sigh and turned to leave. "Are you coming to the surprise party tonight then?" He called after her, hiding his smile from her.
She stopped dead in her tracks. Kari looked over her shoulder at him, her face absolutely blank. When she spoke, her voice held no trace of whatever she was feeling. He'd put his money on annoyance, could already see her brain at work as she tried to figure out what little Potter had blabbed the secret. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said finally and pointed at the album. "That's all you're getting out of me."
"Of course."
Kari let out a disgusted grunt before she rushed back to hug him. "Happy birthday, Harry."
He thought back to his earlier birthdays, where he'd never even imagined he'd feel this much happiness. He hugged his best friend back, pushing those thoughts out of his mind.
"It's happy," Harry said finally. "I am happy."
His words eased her heart even though she'd known this all along. Kari smiled as she pulled away, rubbing her nose. "Which one of your monsters spilled the secret?"
Harry chose the safest course of action and shrugged as he said, "I haven't the foggiest. What secret?"
Kari snorted, flipped him off and waltzed out the door. Harry grinned wildly, the sounds of his children stirring for the morning coming from upstairs. He looked back at the album, and sighed happily.
All was well.