Several owls arrived throughout the evening with various trinkets and gifts. Some were normal, such as some sweets from Hermione which allowed him to make a mental note to send her something for her own birthday, while others were from those he had never met before.
A gift from Tonks, and her mother, had him quirking an eyebrow, leading to an explanation from James that while they didn't get along with all of Sirius' family, there were certainly parts they were rather close to. Andromeda, and her daughter, were one such example.
It was the same with a package marked from the Longbottoms.
At one point Harry hesitantly opened an unmarked package, believing it to be from a certain older woman. Inside was a single book, but the moment he read the cover the box was promptly closed, his face lighting up with a blush.
"Harry," Lily inquired in confusion, "is something wrong?"
"No! No nothing is... its uh... not really appropriate..."
The meaning reached the other four occupants almost immediately, with James stifling a snort of amusement while his mother released a low growl. Meanwhile, his sisters merely copied his own response of blushing but remaining silent.
None of the objects, however, earned as much of his attention as one that arrived late, one which was wrapped in green and silver paper, one finally bearing a sender of 'Grace Riddle'. Inside was a full outfit, complete with silky dress robes, an outer cloak, and even undergarments, earning a cough from both adults as they attempted not to comment. The ensemble was clearly expensive and of high quality, likely tailored. It was a bit concerning, her buying him a full outfit, but far worse was the card that had been contained within.
An invitation to a 'Slytherin gathering'.
****
asdf Pandora, and the book
After escaping to the privacy of his room, and this time making sure the door was shut, Harry took a closer look at some of the gifts. The book was obviously something erotic, and from the title, and first few pages, he gathered it was sort of a 'how to' guide for men.
Was it a joke gift or something just misandristic? He couldn't imagine Riddle sending him such a thing, because she would have at least left a note or put it in with her other gifts. Setting it aside he ran a hand over his face, was every birthday going to be like this from now on?
At least he hadn't received anything from…
The tapping at his window did nothing to ease his mind, and looking up he noticed an owl sitting on the ledge, a package held by its feet.
"Let me guess… from a certain Malfoy?"
It gave a hoot, one which Harry took as confirmation, before flying it and dropping it onto his bed before promptly departing. He stared at the object, contemplating whether he should talk to his parents about the girl's 'love letter' from Christmas but deciding not to.
He had handled a literal homicidal dark lord for goodness sake, he could deal with the creepy affections of a fourteen year old.
With that in mind he stood and walked over to unwrap the object. Upon doing so he began to second guess his earlier choice.
It was a photo album, except in the worst way possible. It was him , pictures of him throughout the year, pictures when he hadn't known were being taken.
Him in a hallway, him in the Quidditch stands, him laughing, him smiling, him sad, him angry, him, him, him, him.
The only positive he could find was that he was clothed in all of the pictures, meaning she hadn't stalked him that far yet. Still, 'unsettling' was an understatement.
****
Harry Potter had been through a lot in his lifetime, well both lifetimes, but the newest challenge might have been one that he couldn't overcome.
Grace Riddle was taking him to a party for the evening.
Correction, Grace Riddle was taking him to a 'high-class' Slytherin party for the evening. Which meant he would be spending hours biting his tongue, forcing a smile, and trying not to Hex the stuck-up arseholes into next week.
He had tried to get out of it, tried to think of an excuse, but both his parents had agreed it was a good idea. James had claimed it was important to have experience in those types of situations, especially when one had to be civil despite not wanting to.
Lily had been far less thrilled but had still made the argument that it was likely he would see some of his housemates there, and she did want him to try and make some friends in Slytherin, even if they were complete jerks.
Perhaps more humiliating than any of that was the fact he didn't have any dress clothes… except for the ones recently purchased for him by his 'escort'.
"Do you have to call her that?" He nearly whined, earning the roll of James Potter's eyes.
"That's what she is Harry. It's just a title though, don't worry so much."
The boy attempted to cross his arms, but they were given a nudge to return to their place while the man continued to style his hair, adjust his outfit, and even put powder and liner on his face. "It makes me feel like a child, one who has to wear makeup for some reason."
"You are a child Harry, regardless of how old you are mentally, physically you are twelve and even if you were thirty your mother and I would be insisting you have someone to accompany you."
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