Are you sure you wouldn't like to come with us, Jaya?" Molly asked the house-elf before her, "It seems terribly rude to leave you here all by yourself,"
Jaya shook her head happily at Molly and replied in her high voice,
"Tis alright, missus, Jaya will make sure the house is nice and clean upon your return; you go and be having a fun day with the little ones and, of course, with Master Harry,"
Jaya turned to Harry at the last part and bowed slightly, making the boy grin.
"Well, alright then, Jaya, if you're sure, just don't work too hard," Molly replied warmly, "I don't want you to overexert yourself on my account,"
"You needn't worry, missus," Jaya said quickly, "Jaya will have it nice and tidy in no time at all!"
Without another word, Jaya quickly scurried away up the stairs, leaving Molly and Arthur alone with the children who were busy getting ready for their trip to Diagon Alley; all of them had expressions of excitement on their faces, even Harry, though he was mixed with trepidation.
"Now, before we go, we need to set some ground rules," Arthur thundered, making sure everyone was paying attention, "This is Harry's first trip to Diagon Alley, so I want you to stick close to us, okay, Harry? No wandering off, and the rest of you are tasked with keeping an eye on him, is that clear?"
Eight heads nodded quickly at the words, and Molly took Harry's hand as the group made their way towards the fireplace,
"No matter what happens, don't let go of my hand, sweetie; we don't want you getting lost now, do we?"
Harry shook his head quickly and took Molly's hand in a tight grip, his other arm gripped tight around his bear; Molly put her hand into a nearby pot and walked into the fireplace before throwing what looked like dust onto the ground and shouting,
"Diagon Alley!"
Instantly a wall of green fire erupted around them. Harry jumped back in fear, taking Molly's hand in a death grip as they began to spin in place; Harry tried to keep his eyes open as he saw other fireplaces rotate past him but soon began to feel queasy and shut his eyes tight, a moment later the spinning stopped. Harry felt the sunshine warm on his face.
As Harry's eyes opened, he gasped in amazement at what he saw; no longer were they standing in the living room of the burrow; instead, they were standing on a cobblestone street with shops running down both sides of the street, in the distance Harry could see a tall white building that appeared to be made of marble, unable to think of anything else to say, Harry simply whispered,
"This is so cool…."
A moment later, the pair were joined by Bill and Charlie, then the twins, then Percy and Ron, and finally Arthur and Ginny,
"Everyone here? Good," Molly said as she quickly did a mental count, "Right then, the first stop is Gringotts; keep a firm grip on my hand, Harry."
As the group walked down the street, Harry thought his neck would break from constantly whipping it back and forth at the various shops they passed, each one more amazing than the last, until, at last, they approached what Harry assumed was Gringotts.
It was an imposing snow-white multistoried marble building that towered over the neighboring shops; as they approached the building, Harry noticed a dark alley off to the side with a sign that read 'Knockturn Alley,' but before he could get a better look, Molly hurried him up the stairs of the building,
"What's down there?" Harry asked, pointing down the alley,
"Nothing you need concern yourself with, Harry," Arthur said quickly, "And certainly no place for children."
Harry nodded in understanding, making Arthur smile at him before he reached down to ruffle the boy's hair gently
; when they had entered, Harry's mouth dropped open comically as he took in the interior; it was a magnificent chamber with a crystal chandelier that hung from the ceiling, but the strangest thing of all were the creatures who sat behind the desks and Harry gripped Molly's hand tighter as he saw them.
"It's okay, sweetie," Molly said gently,
"What are they, Molly?" Harry asked softly as the group approached one of the desks,
"They're goblins, Harry," Molly answered, "They're the ones who run the wizard's bank, but they're not always the friendliest of creatures, so it's best to stay close, okay?"
Harry nodded quickly as Molly quickly approached one of the goblins and said in a warm voice,
"Good Morning; I would like to access my vault if you don't mind,"
"Name?" The goblin asked in a curt voice,
"Molly Weasley,"
"Do you have your key?"
"Yes, I have it right here," Molly replied as she held up a small gold key for the goblin's inspection; after a moment of careful examination, the goblin handed it back to her and replied,
"Very well, everything seems to be in order; I will have someone escort you immediately,"
Molly nodded and turned back to Arthur as the goblin signaled for help,
"Arthur, do you want to stay with the children while I head to the vault? It shouldn't take too long, I imagine,"
"Can do, my dear. Shall we wait for you out front?" Arthur asked as the goblin approached,
"Yes, that sounds like a better option than waiting here," Molly replied before turning to Harry,
"Now, Harry, you be sure to stay close to Arthur, remember no wandering off,"
"Okay, Molly," Harry said as he let go of her hand and took Arthur's,
"And that goes for the rest of you as well!" Molly added, making a point of looking at the twins,
"Why mum, I'm sure…." Fred said,
"….That we haven't the slightest idea what you mean," George finished,
Molly flashed both of them a stern glare before nodding quickly at Arthur and following the goblin into the other room.
"Come on then, children," Arthur said quickly, "Let's go wait for your mother outside."
XXXX
Rita Skeeter sat at her table at Rosa Lee's Teabag, trying to concentrate on the blank parchment before her; she was supposed to writing a story on a wizard who would be going before the Wizengamot in a few days for the attempted murder of some powerful muggle in the British government. Yet, she couldn't muster her usual professionalism level in this particular instance.
It wasn't that she wasn't up to the task of completely destroying the wizard's reputation and showing him as a muggle hating purist whose sole objective was to throw the veil aside and show muggles that magic existed to start a war (a rather stupid idea in her opinion), but rather it was the fact that the whole thing seemed like just another fluff piece that would be shuffled to the back of the Daily Prophet, and she wanted her stories to be on the front page, every time.
As she sighed wearily, she looked up from the parchment just in time to see a group of redheads pass her by,
"Must be Weasleys," she thought wryly, "They're the only ones I know of that have that many children and hair that red,"
she chuckled softly as she remembered the article she had written not too long ago that had lambasted Arthur Weasley as a muggle-loving fool who seemed more interested in learning how their technology worked than keeping the magic world a secret.
As she lifted her teacup to her lips, Rita froze suddenly as she saw the little boy holding whom she could only assume was the Weasley matriarch's hand; he certainly was no Weasley, judging by his black hair. She wondered what he was doing with them when he turned to look at her as they passed her by.
He was very small, perhaps no more than four or five, and was looking around in amazement as though he had never seen Diagon Alley before,
"How peculiar," Rita thought to herself, "I wonder who the boy is; perhaps Arthur has kidnapped a muggle to soothe his fixation with them."
As though the universe had been listening to her question, the boy suddenly rubbed his forehead, and Rita saw the scar that lay there, only for a moment before his hair moved back into place; immediately, Rita's eyes widened in surprise as she suddenly realized who the boy was and began to choke on her tea,
"It can't be!" She thought as she stared after the group, who looked like they were heading to Gringotts, "That was Harry Potter! I'm sure of it! But what is he doing with the Weasleys?"
If there was one thing Rita prided herself on, it was her ability to smell a story, and right now, her senses were screaming that she had just wandered into possibly the biggest story of her career; why was Harry Potter, the-boy-who-lived, in the company of the Weasleys? She didn't know, but she was determined to find out. So, after quickly paying for her tea, she rose and headed after the family, careful to stay far enough back that they wouldn't notice her.
XXXX
Harry sat on the steps of Gringotts beside Ron and Ginny while the rest of the family waited close by; Ron was telling Harry about all the different shops that Diagon Alley had but how Quality Quidditch Supplies was the best one of all,
"Nuh-uh," Fred said as he sat down on the other side of Harry, "Everyone knows that the best shop is Gambol & Japes Joke Shop!"
"You would say that," Percy added, "God knows how much trouble you two have caused because of that shop; I'm surprised mum hasn't banned you from it yet, to be perfectly honest."
"We'd still go, even if she did ban us!" George said quickly, "What's life without a little fun?"
"I personally think Harry would enjoy Flourish & Blotts," Percy said with a smile, "They have hundreds of books of every kind,"
Harry's eyes went wide at the words, and he whispered in awe,
"That's a lot of books; how can one read so many?"
"Well, that's the best part of becoming a reader early, Harry," Charlie said, "You have your whole life to read as many as you can,"
"He's only just learned how to read, and now you want him to spend the rest of his life with his nose in a book like some dull professor?" George cried in mock outrage, "For shame!"
"Just because you two are a couple of dullards, who only think of pranks and schemes, does not mean I will allow you two to make Harry one!" Percy said in a huff before he leaned down to rub Harry's head, not noticing the flinch.
"Everyone ready?" Molly said as she suddenly stepped out of the doors behind them, "Then let's be off, we have a great deal to buy today, and I don't want to take all day about it. Percy dear, what say we head over to Ollivander's first?"
"Are you sure we can afford to get him a new wand, dear?" Arthur asked softly as the group made their way down the steps, careful to keep his voice down so the kids wouldn't hear,
"With the money Dumbledore gave us, we will," Molly replied,
"But that's for Harry's upkeep," Arthur retorted with a frown,
"Yes, the three hundred galleons are for Harry's upkeep," Molly said with a smile, "However the five hundred extra is to be used as we see fit, he said,"
"F-five hundred?!" Arthur cried incredulously, "He gave us five hundred galleons extra?!"
"Yes, he did," Molly said happily, "I tried to turn it down, but the old man said if I didn't take it, he would hide it in the house somewhere for the kids to find,"
"Why would he give so much, though?" Arthur asked as he shook his head,
"Who knows?" Molly laughed, "Perhaps he still feels responsible for Harry's treatment, as well he should, in my opinion,"
"I do feel for the old man," Arthur said softly, "But at the same time, he should have known what would happen if he left Harry there, the abuse those muggles put the boy through is something I hold Dumbledore personally responsible for, and I may never forgive him for it."
"Let's not talk about that, now, dear," Molly said quickly as they approached Ollivander's Wand Shop, "It's too wonderful a day to dwell on such awful things,"
Arthur nodded at his wife and put on his best smile as the group entered the shop, none of them noticing the small beetle that sat on Molly's shoulder.
XXXX
Harry was having the best day of his life, of that there was absolutely no doubt; after purchasing Percy's wand, the group spent the next few hours wandering from one shop to the next, getting everything that Bill, Charlie, and Percy would need for their new year at Hogwarts. Of course, in Harry's opinion, every shop they went to was better than the last, but as they entered Flourish & Blotts book store, Harry's jaw nearly hit the floor in amazement.
The inside was huge, much bigger than the outside would suggest was possible, and just as Percy said, there were an uncountable number of books as far as the eye could see; as Molly began talking to the shopkeeper about the books that her children would need, Harry began to wander away, entranced by all the fantastic titles he was seeing.
Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had never allowed Harry to go with them when they went to book stores to purchase new stories for their 'little duddykins.' If it hadn't been for the Weasley's, Harry doubted if he would have learned to read at all; as it was, Percy had lit a fire in Harry to read as much as he could. As he saw the interminable number of books before him, Harry couldn't help but smile in genuine pleasure.
"Hello there, Harry," a voice suddenly said, making the boy jump slightly before turning to see who had spoken; it was a tall blonde woman with a heavy jaw, wearing large jeweled glasses and wearing a deep purple dress,
"H-how do you know my name?" Harry asked fretfully as he gripped his bear,
"Why everyone knows your name Harry," the woman said warmly, "You're famous after all,"
"I am?" Harry asked, his eyes rising in surprise, "Why?"
The woman looked shocked at that for a moment before a sly look came across her features,
"Don't you know your own story, Harry?"
The boy shook his head slowly before backing up,
"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers; Molly will be mad,"
"An excellent piece of advice, to be sure," the lady said before putting out a hand with long green nails for him, "My name is Rita Skeeter. You are Harry Potter; now we know each other, don't we?"
Harry stared at the hand for a moment in thought before slowly he reached out to shake the lady's hand,
"I guess that's true, hello Ms. Skeeter,"
"Please, call me Rita; Ms. Skeeter makes me sound so old," Rita said with a laugh which made Harry grin,
"Okay then, Rita,"
"So, now that we know each other, Harry, can I ask you something?" Rita said softly, grinning as Harry nodded slowly,
"I noticed that you are with the Weasley's. May I ask where your family is?"
Harry's head sank for a moment before he answered in a sad voice,
"My mummy and daddy are dead,"
"Well, of course, they are, dear child," Rita said quickly, "Everyone knows that; I meant, where are your guardians? The ones responsible for you?"
Harry looked confused for a moment before he replied,
"The Weasley's are responsible for me; they took me in after the monsters tried to hurt me,
"Monsters? What monsters, Harry?"
"The ones with the silver faces," Harry said fearfully, and for a moment, Rita was at a loss for words,
"My dear boy, do you mean to say that you were attacked by Death Eaters?"
"Is that what they're called?" Harry asked, fear still etched across his face,
Rita nodded quickly, her brain moving a mile a minute at the revelation before she finally calmed herself to speak again,
"And when did these monsters come after you, Harry?"
"Right after I ran away from my aunt and uncle's house," Harry said sadly,
"You ran away? Why, dear boy, would you do that?" Rita asked, her expression sharpening as she took in the way Harry fidgeted and looked at the ground,
"They weren't very nice to me…."
Before Rita could ask another question, Molly's voice split the air in a yell,
"Harry! Thank goodness I found you! I thought I told you not to wander off, sweetie," she said as she took Harry in her arms,
"I'm sorry, Molly," Harry said quickly, "I just wanted to look at the books, and then I met Rita here, and she was very nice, wanted to ask me some questions."
"Questions?" What kind of questions?" Molly asked before turning to Rita and realizing in an instant who she was,
"You…." Molly hissed angrily, "You have no right to be speaking to Harry without his guardian's permission,"
"And who might that be exactly?" Rita said with a sick smile, "I've not heard anything about the Weasley's adopting Harry Potter, so why, may I ask, is he here with you in the first place? Should he not be with his legal guardians?"
"We ARE his guardians, Ms. Skeeter!" Molly growled angrily, "And you have no more business with Harry!"
Without another word, Molly stormed away, dragging Harry behind her as Rita smiled at what she had learned from the boy, her story would be front-page news, and the whole world would soon know what Harry had told her; with a small laugh, she hurried away, eager to write her story.
"I'm sorry, Molly," Harry cried when she had pulled him outside to join the rest of the family, "I didn't mean to make you mad,"
"You didn't make me mad, sweetie," Molly said softly as she wiped away the tears that had rolled down his cheeks, "She did, that woman is not a very nice lady, and I just wish I had found you; before she did."
"What happened?" Arthur asked, confused,
"Rita Skeeter is what happened!" Molly growled, "I found her asking Harry questions about why he was with us and where his guardians were…."
Arthur's face darkened slightly as he took in the news, "That woman is a menace, always sticking her nose where it doesn't belong,"
Molly nodded her head angrily in agreement as Ron gave Harry a hug,
"I imagine this time tomorrow, all of Britain will know that we have Harry. Should we tell Dumbledore?" Molly asked with a frown,
"I think we should," Arthur replied, "It's better to be in front of this before it happens than caught unawares. But for now, let's not let that woman ruin our day,"
turning to the kids, Arthur put on his warmest smile and called out, "Who's up for ice cream?"
The kids cheered their support and started calling out what kind they were going to get as they made their way to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour,
"I want Vanilla!" Percy said happily,
"I want Chocolate chip!" Ron added,
"Bubblegum!" the twins called out as one,
"What about you, Harry? What kind would you like?" Bill asked cheerfully,
"I don't know; I've never had any before," Harry said softly,
"Well, today's your lucky day, then!" Charlie smiled, "You can get whatever you want, and then if you like, you can try all of ours as well until you find the one you like best; sound good?"
Harry nodded happily as Ron began listing off all the different flavors that the shop had, but Harry was too happy to fully pay attention; today was indeed the best day of his life.
XXXX
A few days later, as Jaya and Molly were cleaning up after breakfast, an owl appeared carrying the day's edition of the Daily Prophet in its talons; Molly politely thanked the owl and took the paper, but as she read the first few words, her blood turned to ice, and she yelled out in fear and fury,
"Arthur! Get down here!"
A moment later, her husband came running down the stairs, looking alarmed, before saying,
"What's the matter?"
"You're going to want to see this," Molly barked as she handed over the newspaper; as he read the article, he knew immediately what had so enraged his wife and felt the same wave of fury wash over him as he read:
Harry Potter, the-boy who-lived, abused by muggles and almost killed by death eaters!
The article was written by Rita Skeeter.
We all know the story of the night that He-who-must-not-be-named was defeated; what many of my more loyal readers might not know, however, is what became of our world's savior after that fateful night. For many years now, most of us, I'm sure, have wondered what became of the child who defeated the most powerful dark wizard of our time? Well, this reporter has finally discovered the details, and it broke my heart when I discovered them, as I'm sure it will break yours.
After losing his mother and father to you-know-who, Harry was cruelly taken by Hogwarts headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, who had been made Harry's magical guardian and placed the poor boy with a pair of muggles, namely Petunia Dursley (the sister of Harry's mother, Lily Potter) and her husband, Vernon Dursley. While one would think that Harry's aunt would show love and care for the son of her sister, this reporter must inform you that that was not the case at all; I have discovered during my investigation that not only were the boy's guardians horribly abusive to him but also starved the boy and forced him to sleep in a cupboard rather than an actual bedroom. So horrific was the boy's treatment that poor Harry finally decided to run away rather than suffer any more at the hands of his vile aunt and uncle; you would think that this would be the end of the poor boy's suffering, but alas, that was not the case.
Not long after Harry ran away, he was attacked by followers of He-who-must-not-be-named (called Death Eaters) and very nearly killed; as a result, it was only through sheer luck that the poor boy managed to escape and make his way to the home of Mr. Arthur Weasley and his wife Mrs. Molly Weasley who upon discovering the horrible abuse that Harry had suffered promptly decided to adopt the boy into their family, though no official adoption paperwork has been filed as to this date, which leads this reporter to ask by what right do the Weasley family have to Mr. Potter's guardianship?
How did this happen? And more to the point, who is to blame for poor Harry's abuse for years at the hands of those who should have protected him? When this reporter reached out to Albus Dumbledore for a response, I was promptly and curtly told, "No comment," which makes me wonder what else is the headmaster of Hogwarts hiding from the general public and what will become of Harry Potter now that it has become apparent that he is no longer safe with his relatives and cannot nor should he be sent back to live with them.
"I'll kill her," Molly raged, "By God, I swear I will kill her myself for this!"
"You can't kill her, Mollywobbles," Arthur growled from between grit teeth, "
"The bloody hell I can't!" Molly snarled, "How dare she do this to poor Harry? Hasn't the boy suffered enough without that vile bitch making his life harder than it already is!"
"How did she get all this information?" Arthur asked angrily, "Surely Harry wouldn't have told her about his abuse, and it's not a matter of record, so how did she find out?"
"That woman has a knack for uncovering secrets that people would rather stay hidden," Jaya snarled, "Jaya remembers how much master James disliked her. So now she comes after master James' son? That woman is being evil!"
"Too true, Jaya," a voice behind them said, making them spin in alarm to see a weary-looking Dumbledore exiting their fireplace,
"Professor Dumbledore," Arthur said respectfully, "I take it you've read today's edition?"
"I have," Dumbledore said softly, anger etched in every corner of his face, "And it has created a problem that we must solve immediately,"
"What problem?" Molly asked as she took the paper from Arthur's hand and began to rip it to pieces,
"Before I answer your question, I have one for you, and you must think carefully about it," Dumbledore said thoughtfully, "Were you being honest when you said that you wanted to adopt Harry?"
"Of course, we were, professor," Molly said quickly, making Arthur nod beside her in agreement,
"Then I need you both to sign these immediately," Dumbledore said as he pulled several scrolls from his robe and handed them to the pair,
"What are they?" Arthur asked as he began to read,
"Adoption papers," Dumbledore said simply, making Molly gasp in surprise and Arthur's mouth fall slightly,
"I have a friend in the DMLE," Dumbledore said, "She was a good friend to James Potter, and when I told her about Harry's predicament as well as the trouble that he would soon face from the Ministry once Ms. Skeeter's story broke, she agreed to expedite the paperwork involved in Harry's adoption by the two of you."
"Who is she?" Arthur asked after he had gotten ahold of himself,
"Amelia Bones, she and James worked together before his unfortunate passing," Dumbledore said, "If you're serious about wanting to keep Harry here, then I'm afraid these must be signed now; all too soon, Ministry officials will be swooping down on the burrow, and if you have no legal right to Harry, I'm afraid they will take him away,"
"They can't!" Molly cried, "The poor boy has come so far since he arrived; if they take him away, it will undo all the hard work we have done to help him!"
"I agree, my dear," Dumbledore said with a nod, "Which is why all you need do is sign, and you will be Harry's legal mother and father; then the Ministry will not have a leg to stand on as it were,"
Molly and Arthur shared a look before Arthur turned to Dumbledore and said seriously,
"Have you a quill, Dumbledore?"
Dumbledore smiled happily as he pulled one from his robe and handed it to Arthur, who immediately signed his name several times in the appropriate places before handing the quill to Molly, who did the same; once both had signed, Arthur handed the paperwork back to Dumbledore who smiled at the pair warmly,
"I shall file this immediately, and I have assurances from Ms. Bones that there will be no problems in its enactment. Then, with a little luck, I'll return in time for Harry's birthday with an exceptional present; for him, a new family."
Molly began to cry happily, and Arthur quickly put his arm around her before she jumped suddenly,
"Bloody hell!" Molly cried,
"What's wrong?" Arthur asked quickly,
"Harry's birthday is in a few days!" Molly said before turning to Jaya, "Come, Jaya, we have a lot of work to do and not much time to do it in!"
As Molly and Jaya ran for the kitchen, Arthur and Dumbledore laughed as they heard the house-elf squeak,
"Yes, missus, we have so much to do! Master Harry will be needing cake and tasty food!"
Turning back to Dumbledore, Arthur stuck out his hand to the old man and said warmly,
"Thank you, Albus; I promise we will raise him like one of our own,"
"I know you will, Arthur," Dumbledore said warmly as he shook Arthur's hand, "And I hope one day both you and Molly will forgive me, Harry, too."
With a final bow, Dumbledore turned and walked into the fireplace, only to disappear a moment later; with a last sigh of happiness, Arthur made his way back up the stairs to get ready for work as Molly began a battle plan with Jaya.
XXXX
A few days later, the children were outside playing while Percy was busy trying to teach his new pet to do tricks; they had discovered the rat the previous day when they had been doing chores, and after much pleading and begging, Molly had agreed to let Percy keep it, on the agreement that he take care of it.
Fred and George had offered a whole host of names, but Percy had decided on the name 'Scabbers,'
"Why would you pick that?" George had asked,
"I don't know," Percy replied, "It just seems to fit," and that had been its end.
"Children, come inside for lunch!" Molly cried suddenly, making the kids race to the door; Harry entered last and nearly jumped out of his skin when all of a sudden, he was met with shouts of,
"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRY!"
Harry's eyes went wide as he saw Molly standing by the table with an enormous cake sitting next to her; a moment later, she was hugging the boy and lifting him into his chair as he stared at everyone's smiling faces,
"You did all this for me?" Harry asked softly,
"Well, of course, we did, Harry," Molly said warmly, "Today is your birthday after all!"
Harry tried to fight back the tears, but as he saw Molly begin to place presents on the table, he lost control and began to sob happily; the other children were at first surprised and confused as to why Harry was crying but soon, they all took him into a great hug, each saying how happy they were that he was here, a moment later they all began to sing 'Happy Birthday' to him as he smiled in pure happiness at his first birthday party.
After a truly delicious meal, followed by an even better cake, Harry began to open his presents with all the happiness that a six-year-old could muster; from Fred and George, he had received a box of fireworks (which Molly immediately confiscated). From Bill and Charlie, he received a toy wand that shot different color liquids out of the tip, Ron gave Harry a box of Bertie Botts every flavored beans, Ginny gave him a box filled with half a dozen chocolate frogs, and finally, Percy gave Harry a book, titled 'The tales of Beetle the Bard.'
"Thank you all so much!" Harry cried happily as he smiled at everyone,
"Harry, we have another present for you," Molly said cheerfully as she nodded at Arthur, who pulled an envelope from his jacket and handed it to him; as Harry opened it, he saw it was a large group of papers, at the top of which read:
This paperwork does hereby certify that Harry James Potter is adopted by Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley and henceforth shall be known by his new name of Harry James Weasley.
Harry's eyes widened as he read the words, then reread them before finally he lowered the paperwork slowly and stared at Molly and Arthur, who were looking at him nervously,
"Well, Harry, what is it?" Ron asked curiously,
"Yeah, tell us what great gift mum and dad got you!" Fred added,
"You adopted me?" Harry asked softly, making the room go quiet in an instant; Ron's mouth was hanging open in shock, and Percy had frozen with a piece of cake raised to his mouth,
"Yes, Harry," Molly said, misty-eyed, "Welcome to the family, son."
Suddenly the quiet exploded as Ron let out a cheer of joy, followed immediately by everyone else before Harry disappeared under a mountain of bodies, each giving him an enormous hug,
"Welcome to the family, Harry Weasley!" Bill said happily,
"Great honor to meet you, brother of mine!" Fred added,
"Another brother!" Ginny cheered, "I've got another brother!"
"Molly and Arthur watched happily as Harry sobbed happily into Charlie's shirt as each of the children patted him on the back and said how happy they were,
"Alright now," Arthur said happily, "Why don't you all take your new brother outside to play while your mother and I clean up,
"With a cheer, Bill put Harry on his shoulders, and they all marched outside as Jaya laughed out loud; when they were finally alone, the little house-elf squeaked,
"Jaya is glad that master Harry is finding a new family here; master Harry is deserving to have a happy childhood,"
Molly nodded her head in agreement as Arthur responded,
"Indeed he does, Jaya. And I intend to make sure he gets one."
XXXX
"Are you sure about this?" The death eater asked his companion cautiously, "Dumbledore will not take kindly to the brat being harmed,"
"Oh, the boy won't be harmed," the second death eater replied as he gave the package to the owl for delivery, "Not physically anyway, and besides, it would not do to allow the boy to escape vengeance for our master's defeat,
as they watched the owl disappear, the first death eater turned to his companion,
"Where did you find one?"
"It was hiding in my attic, I had originally planned to destroy it, but this seems like a far better option, wouldn't you agree?"
"And if they track the owl back to you?"
"They won't, now stop quivering like some pathetic mudblood, and let's be off. I don't want to miss dear Lucius' party after all,
without another word, the death eater spun in place and disappeared with a loud 'crack.'
the second death eater stared into the sky for a moment more before he whispered cruelly,
"Happy Birthday Mr. Potter; I do hope you enjoy your birthday present,"
XXXX
"I can't believe you're officially a Weasley!" Ron said happily,
"Me neither," Harry replied with a smile, "This really is the best day of my life,"
"Well, Mr. Weasley," Bill said warmly, "Shall we play some Quidditch to celebrate the newest addition to our family?"
Harry nodded happily and was about to follow the others when a large brown owl landed in front of him holding an equally large package, upon which was written:
To Mr. Harry Potter
From an admirer who wishes you a happy birthday.
"I wonder who it's from," Ron said as he looked at the package,
"I dunno," Harry said as he took it, and the owl flew away,
"We should give it to mum and dad before we open it," Bill said warily, "It could be something dangerous,"
"Don't be thick, Bill," Fred said quickly, "I'm sure it's perfectly safe; go ahead, Harry, open it up!"
Harry smiled and began to tear the wrapping off until, at last, he held a large brown box,
"It looks like a music box," Ginny said softly.
As Harry opened the box, black smoke began to billow out, making the boy cry out in fear and drop it to the ground, and still the smoke issued forth, seeming to take form and shape until, at last, it took on the form of a man,
"You're just a freak!" The man snarled at Harry, who had gone white, and trembled, "Who would ever want something like you? The only thing you deserve is to be beaten!"
The other children stared in horror at the walrus-like man who was screaming abuse at Harry before Bill grabbed Harry's shoulder and shook him hard,
"Harry! It's not real! Snap out of it!"
But Harry apparently didn't seem to hear him as he began to sob,
"No, the Weasley's adopted me; they want me!"
"You really think they want you, freak?!" The man snarled at Harry, "The first time you act up, they'll throw you into the street where you belong!"
Bill quickly turned to Charlie and screamed,
"Close the box! Close it!"
Charlie, to his credit, dove on top of the box and began to struggle to close it, and yet no matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't get the lid to close back down; seeing this, Bill yelled at the twins,
"Go get mum and dad! Run!"
Instantly, the twins ran for the house, followed closely by Ron and Ginny, while Percy and Charlie struggled to close the lid,
"I should have killed you when I had the chance, you little bastard!" The man roared at Harry, who looked like he was having a panic attack, "You don't deserve to live!"
"No, no," Harry sobbed as Bill hugged him,
"HARRY!" Molly screamed a moment later as she charged out of the house, followed by Arthur and the kids,
as she got close and saw what was happening, Molly raised her wand and snarled,
"Riddikulus!"
Instantly the man screamed and turned to white smoke before disappearing back into the box, which Charlie and Percy slammed shut an instant later.
"Harry! Harry, look at me!" Molly cried as she took the sobbing boy into her arms,
"What happened?!" Arthur asked as he bent down and took the box,
"We don't know!" Bill cried out, "We were going to play quidditch, and then this owl shows up with a birthday present for Harry!"
"Why didn't you bring it directly to your mother and me?!" Arthur snapped as he read the wrapping paper,
"I said we should!" Bill cried, "I'm sorry, dad, I should have taken it from Harry and brought it to you."
Arthur nodded his head quickly before replying,
"It's not your fault, Bill."
Turning to Harry, Arthur saw with anger and fear that the boy was a mess; he was sobbing and stuttering into Molly's shirt as she tried to soothe him,"
"There, there, sweetie, it's okay, it's all going to be okay," Molly said as she rocked Harry back and forth,
"Molly, you've got to stun him," Arthur said quickly as the boy's breathing became more and more labored, "He's going to pass out!"
With a final cry, Harry's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he fell into Molly's arms,
"Get him inside!" Arthur cried as he raced towards the house, "I'll call Dumbledore and have him bring Madam Pomfrey!"
XXXX
"And you have no idea who sent it?" Dumbledore asked softly, anger laced into every word,
"No," Arthur growled as they looked at the box on the table between them, "Do you have any ideas?"
"I can think of a few suspects who would do something like this," Dumbledore said, "Though proving them of culpability is another matter entirely,"
"This was supposed to be a happy day, Albus," Arthur said sadly, "And now I fear we're back to square one with the boy,"
Dumbledore placed a warm hand on Arthur's shoulder and spoke in a gentle voice,
"If that's the case, my dear boy, then at least Harry will be in the best possible care, with people who will love him."
Arthur nodded and was about to speak when Madam Pomfrey and Molly came down the stairs, both looking grave,
"I've given the child a sleeping draught; he'll be out for several hours, I'm afraid," Madam Pomfrey said sadly, "When he awakens, he will need to be treated with care; facing a boggart is no easy thing, especially for a child,"
Molly said nothing, just collapsed into the chair beside Arthur, who placed a hand on her shoulder,
"I'll also be proscribing more 'draught of dreamless sleep' in case he has nightmares, don't be afraid to use it; if you run out, I'll issue more," Madam Pomfrey added,
Arthur nodded sadly as he looked into the living room where his children were sitting quietly; each looked like their world had been shattered, and he wished he had something to say to them.
"Harry will need you all in the coming day," Dumbledore said loudly, turning to the kids to show he meant them as well, "You are his family now, and he will need to know that you will stand by him; it may take a while, but with love and care, he will recover, I promise."
"He'll have it," Bill said, bringing a nod from the rest of his siblings,
Dumbledore smiled warmly at the children before reaching out and taking the box off the table,
"I'll make sure that this is properly disposed of."
"Please see that you do," Arthur said curtly; with a slight bow, Dumbledore walked to the fireplace with Madam Pomfrey and a moment later was gone,
"Where's Jaya?" Arthur asked as he sat down next to Molly,
"With Harry, poor dear refused to leave his side; I don't blame her." Molly said as she began to cry, "What monster would do this to a child?"
"Don't worry, my love," Arthur said as he took Molly in his arms, "Dumbledore has said he will strengthen the wards to make sure it never happens again, and when Harry wakes up, we'll be here waiting for him, he's going to need us."
Molly simply sniffled as she nodded her head,
"When our son wakes up, we'll be here for him."