"Harry!" Lily stood at the foot of the stairs. "Let's go!"

"Just a second!"

Lily raised her eyes to the ceiling in exasperation. "Not ‘a second', now!"

A dark haired boy appeared at the top of the stairs. "I can't find my glasses."

"How is that possible?" James came out of the kitchen.

"Well, I can't see without them," Harry said, rolling his bare eyes.

"Exactly your father's point, dear," Lily said, heading upstairs. "I think we both think that it would be better if you didn't take them off."

"I told you, Alice takes them."

"Alice!" Lily called down the hall for her daughter. "Did you take Harry's glasses?"

"Why would I even do that?" Alice shouted back. "Maybe he's just stupid."

"Alice Potter, watch yourself," James scolded, pulling out his wand. "Accio, Harry's glasses."

Wire frames zipped out from under a pile of dirty laundry. James caught them neatly and handed them to his son. "Maybe if you picked up every once in a while..."

"Ron and I were pretending they were leaves," Harry shrugged, pushing his glasses onto his nose.

"Was that before or after you were looking at Muggle swimsuit magazine?" Alice asked, coming to the door looking pleased with herself. "Daddy, I want to come with you."

James put his arm around his daughter, ruffling her red hair. "Today is about Harry, kiddo. I promise, we'll do something special when you go to Hogwarts next year. Besides, Ginny is going to come over, and you'll have a great time with Sirius."

"It's always all about Harry," Alice groaned. "So what? He's eleven. Big deal. I'll be eleven in 368 days."

"And in 368 days, we'll go to Diagon Alley and get your school things," Lily assured her. "Now we need to go if we've going to meet the Weasleys. Where is Sirius?"

"Did someone say Padfoot?" Sirius asked, grinning into the room. "Hey, beautiful," he said to Alice, "you have a friend downstairs."

"Finally, someone else who knows Harry is annoying," Alice huffed and went downstairs to see Ginny.

"Hey, buddy," Sirius laughed, coming all the way into the room and pulling Harry into a one-armed hug. "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks," Harry grinned.

"So, what'd you get?" Sirius asked, grinning back.

"Nothing yet," Harry said, his green eyes sparkling.

"Nothing?" Sirius looked at James in mock-horror. "You didn't get your son anything for his birthday? What kind of father are you?" He threw himself on the bed, one hand over his face.

"Sirius!" Harry laughed, poking the prostrate man.

"I'm sorry, kid, I should have adopted you," Sirius said woefully. "When I was eleven, I got something awesome, I just can't remember... shoot, what was it? Socks?"

"A wand!" Harry laughed, hitting his godfather in the head with a pillow.

"Oh, that's right," Sirius sat up, grinning again. "A wand! But that's something you have to get him," he bounced up to his feet. "I have something else."

Like a child on Christmas morning, Sirius danced into the hall and reappeared, holding a large cage. "What you really need, you know, to be a real wizard, is an owl."

Harry's eyes widened as he looked at the snowy white owl preening in the cage. "For me?"

"For you," Sirius nodded, putting the cage on Harry's desk. "She needs a name and a perch, both of which I'm sure you can give her."

"You can think about a name while we're out," Lily said, as James conjured a perch for the bird. "You know you'll have to-

"Feed her and clean up after her. I know, mum." Harry rolled his eyes. "Thank you, Sirius, you're the best." He hugged the older wizard.

"You're welcome, Cleansweep," Sirius hugged him back. "Now you better go get your wand and... I don't know, you probably need some books or something."

"A whole list," Harry nodded enthusiastically.

"Thanks for watching the kids," James clapped Sirius on the back as they went downstairs.

"Anytime," Sirius said affably. "By the way, I invited Remus for dinner."

*H*P*

"Alright," James said, squinting at the parchment in his hand. "Cauldron, phials, telescope, scales... I guess that leaves robes."

"And a wand!" Harry exclaimed, as if there was a way his father would forget that item.

"Yes, a wand," James laughed, squinting at the paper again. "And books... I think."

"Honey, wear your glasses," Lily said, taking the list from him. "Books, clothes, then wand."

"Muuummm," Harry groaned. "Please, please, please?"

"Please get you new underwear?" Lily smirked. "Well, since you asked so nicely..."

"Dad, help!" Harry looked at his father, turning his puppy-dog eyes on full blast.

"Is there something you'd like to do first, Harry?" James grinned down at his son.

"Ugh," Harry rolled his eyes. "WAND!"

Lily laughed. "Alright, alright, wand. Then lunch. Then clothes and books."

"Then Quidditch store," James whispered in Harry's ear as they headed off toward Ollivander's.

"Not the Quidditch store," Lily shook her head. "You leave for school in one month, and you can't take your broom."

James groaned. "You are so mean."

"That's a shame for you," Lily laughed again as she pushed open the door to the wand shop.

"Ah," an old man stood behind the counter. "The Potters." He pointed one long finger at Lily. "Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow." The finger drifted to James. "Mahogany. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power."

Mr. Ollivander came around the counter and came toward Harry, his finger tracing the lightning scar on the younger wizard's forehead. "And that's where..."

James put his hand on Harry's shoulder, pulling him back. The Potters did everything they could to protect their children from the prying eyes of the public, especially Harry, but in public like this... there was always someone trying to get too close.

Ollivander stepped back. "I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands... well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do..."

James cleared his throat. "Maybe we should let Harry try something of his own," he suggested.

Ollivander made a movement that was somewhere between a nod and a shake and pulled out a tape measure. "Well, now, Mr. Potter. Which is your wand arm?"

Harry held out his right arm.

"Alright, that's it," Ollivander nodded, measuring Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and round his head. "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix feathers-

"And the heartstrings of dragons," Harry finished excitedly.

"Correct," Ollivander nodded, leaving the tape measure to perform its work. He took down boxes from the shelves, seemingly at random.

Harry heard a click to his left and spun his head to see Lily grinning at him from behind the camera. "Mum!"

"Sorry, sweetheart," Lily said, not looking sorry at all.

"Dad, make her stop," Harry looked at James.

James held up his hands. "I don't step between your mother and her camera."

"Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one," Ollivander handed him a wand. "Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."

Harry took the wand and waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander took it away almost at once.

"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy-

The wand had barely touched Harry's fingers when Ollivander snatched it away.

James made an audible sigh of relief. Lily looked at him, and he shrugged. "Seven inches?" he whispered to his wife. "You know what they say... short wands-

"Shush," Lily ordered, smacking him in the arm.

James grinned sheepishly, but turned his attention back to his son.

"Tricky customer," Ollivander was saying. "But not to worry. We'll find the perfect match here somewhere..." He went back to the shelves. "I wonder... yes, why not... unusual combination... holly and phoenix feather. Eleven inches. Nice and supple."

Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls.

Harry didn't hear the camera click this time, he was startled so violently by the sparks.

"That's my boy," James crowed, catching Harry around his shoulders and squeezing the breath out of him. "That's Potter blood, there."

Lily snorted. "That is the product of 18 hours of labor." She put her arms around Harry and blinked back tears.

"Don't cry, Mum," Harry said, embarrassed.

"You're so big," Lily laughed, dashing her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Come on, son," James said, handing Ollivander seven Galleons. "I'll buy you a celebratory hamburger."

"Molly said they'd meet us at Tivalties' Café," Lily said, tucking the camera in her robe. "And then it's uniform fittings for you."

"Blimey, Mum," Harry made a face. "Do you have to ruin the day with clothes?"

James chuckled. "I bet a Quidditch magazine would help the whole process."

Lily shook her head, but didn't say anything as they made their way to the café.

"Harry!" Ron Weasley waved enthusiastically from a table near the sidewalk. "Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks," Harry grinned, sitting beside his friend as Molly, Arthur, James, and Lily said their hellos. He held up his wand. "Brilliant, right?"

Ron smiled, holding up his own. "It's Charlie's... Well, I guess it was Charlie's last. Belonged to my Uncle Ignatius before that, I think. But anyway, it seems to work alright."

Harry tried to smile encouragingly, but he was a little uncomfortable. He knew the Weasleys didn't have a lot of money, but usually it didn't matter. The fact that Ron had a older broom that he had to share with Ginny, and a smaller room he had to share with Percy... those things had never been part of their friendship. But it was hard to be so happy over a brand new wand when Ron hadn't had the Ollivander experience.

"We're going for books next," Molly was telling Lily. "Luckily, most of them haven't changed since Fred and George were First Years."

"Binns hasn't changed his book since we were in school," Arthur laughed.

"Severus changed the Fifth Year Potions book," Molly sighed. "But not the First Year, so we only have to get one for Percy."

Harry watched a shadow pass over his mother's face. It was the same one that was always there when someone mentioned Severus Snape's name.

Mrs. Weasley must have seen the shadow as well. "I'm sorry, dear. Have you seen him recently?"

Lily grimaced. "We invited him for Christmas... like every year... but he didn't come."

"Lil, he's probably uncomfortable," James soothed. "It's not like he can eat dinner with us..."

"I know," Lily shook her head. "I just wish..." she shook her head again, as if she was trying to clear it. "I just wish he could be happy."

"If there's one thing I've never met," Arthur said sagely, "it's a happy ghost."