“I’m afraid that one isn’t new like Ron’s, it was actually my brother Fabian’s and he wasn’t terribly careful with his possessions, it’s a bit dented on the back, but-” The rest of her speech was lost; Harry had got up and hugged her. He tried to put a lot of unsaid things into the hug and perhaps she understood them, because she patted his cheek clumsily when he released her, then waved her wand in a slightly random way, causing half a pack of bacon out of the frying pan on to the floor.
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Tags: apologies bacon birthdays breakfast clumsiness clumsy coming of age family family heirlooms gifts gratitude heirlooms hugging hugs possessions Rowling's writing time timepieces traditions wandwork watches wristwatches
Harry may not have been aware of the tradition of giving watches to wizards when they come of age, but it is clear that he appreciates that Mrs. Weasley thought to share this moment with him--a moment that he would have had with his own parents.
Harry still wears this watch nineteen years later, as he drops his children off at King's Cross Station (DH37), and it is part of the costume worn by every Harry Potter actor in the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child stage play.