Chapter 707: Birthday Gift
As the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, 12 Grimmauld Place had rarely been so lively.
The house was impeccably clean; even the picture frames had been polished and adorned with colorful decorations.
Mrs. Black's shrill tirades did little to deter Fred, who had cheekily placed a red pointed hat on her frame. Kreacher, for his part, pretended not to notice, lightly banging his head with his broom as he closed his eyes and trudged upstairs.
Pointed hats in every color dotted the house, while streamers lined the walls and windows. The ceiling was adorned with flying Unicorns and Phoenixes made of balloons, adding a magical charm to the festive air.
As Kyle opened the door, Fred and George were laughing, tossing fireworks into the air. The fireworks burst against the ceiling, releasing seventeen winged golden pixies that fluttered around Kyle with cheerful energy.
"Don't play with fireworks in the house..." Mrs. Weasley admonished the twins, her tone striking a balance between stern and indulgent. She then approached Kyle with a warm embrace. "Thank goodness you're back. Today is a big day... Happy birthday, dear."
"Yes, it's very important," Fred added with a grin.
"After today, you'll be considered an adult wizard," George chimed in.
At seventeen, wizards reached adulthood, and today marked Kyle's seventeenth birthday. Starting tomorrow, the restrictions on underage magic—particularly the rule forbidding wizards from using magic outside school—would no longer apply to him.
This meant he could use magic freely without fear of repercussions, though he had already bent the rules several times. That morning's encounter with Death Eaters and his earlier confrontation with Dementors had gone unpunished, thanks to the leniency of Auror Office Director Scrimgeour and others who turned a blind eye in light of his impending birthday. If it had been a year earlier, Fudge would never have allowed him to act against the Dementors. But now, such concerns would soon be behind him.
"Don't just stand there in the doorway; come on in," Fred and George insisted, dragging Kyle to the dining room.