Harry Potter's come a long way since Hagrid barged into the Hut-on-the-Rock with a birthday cake and the unlikely pronouncement, “yer a wizard, Harry.” The boy wizard has grown up, gotten married, had three children and become an Auror for the Ministry of Magic. There's no denying that Harry's had some rough birthdays—growing up with the Dursleys doesn't sound like a picnic on a normal day, much less your birthday—but there's also no denying that his birthdays, like everything else, got a lot better when he joined the wizarding world.
Before we dive into the list of gift ideas for the wizard who has it all, let's look back at some of Harry's more memorable past birthday gifts for inspiration:
- Tenth Birthday: The Dursleys give him a coat hanger and a pair of his uncle Vernon's old socks. Not exactly orthodox gifts for a 10-year-old but considering they usually ignored his birthday altogether, he's had worse.
- Eleventh Birthday: Hagrid ambushes the Dursleys in the remote hut, bringing with him a large, sticky cake with the words “Happee Birthdae Harry” written in green icing. It's an iconic, profound moment in Harry's life and highly doubtful that he was bothered by the cake's crumpled appearance.
- Thirteenth Birthday: This was a fantastic birthday for Harry. Ron gave Harry a pocket sneakoscope; Hermione gave him a Broomstick Servicing Kit; Hagrid hilariously gave him The Monster Book of Monsters.
- Seventeenth Birthday: This was another big birthday year for the boy wizard. Hagrid gave Harry a mokeskin pouch, a magical container where he could store things that only he could access. Hermione gave Harry a sneakoscope. Mrs. Weasley made Harry a gigantic cake shaped like a golden snitch and her brother Fabian's gold watch. Ron gave him a book titled Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches. Bill and Fleur gave Harry an enchanted razor. Fred and George gave him an enormous box of merchandise from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Ginny got him perhaps the best gift at all in the form of a kiss.
On to the present. What do you buy the 39-year-old Auror and father of three who already has everything? We've got some ideas.
- A clock that tracks the location of each of his family members like the Weasleys have. With three kids, it might help ease Harry's mind to know they're safe.
- Butterbeer from The Three Broomsticks. A great reminder of the indulgences of childhood as well as something his entire family can enjoy.
- A pensieve. As an Auror, Harry works for the Ministry of Magic and a pensieve would be a useful tool to help organize thoughts and memories.
- How to Parent Your Difficult Slytherin Child. Admittedly, there's no reason to believe that this book actually exists, but after seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child it's pretty obvious that it would come in handy.
- A new broomstick. Given that Harry's most memorable and favorite gift—besides his father's invisibility cloak—was the Firebolt racing broom he received from Sirius Black, a new broomstick would be a fitting gift for the wizard who was Hogwarts' youngest Seeker.
- A camping tent equipped with an Undetectable Extension Charm. Given that Ginny played professional Quidditch with the Holyhead Harpies and subsequently worked as the senior Quidditch correspondent for The Daily Prophet, Quidditch is likely an important part of Harry's household. The Potters would need a large tent to fit the entire family when they travel to popular Quidditch matches.
- Firewhisky. Preferably from a popular wizarding world brand like Ogden's Old Firewhisky or Blishen's Firewhisky.
As to where to send the presents, you'll likely have to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic to get Harry his birthday presents.
What would you get the Boy Who Lived for his thirty-ninth birthday?