(A/N: I hope you enjoy this newest story in the Marigold Rosenberg series. Everything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling.)

Marigold Rosenberg was having a hard time sleeping. So much so, that she had asked her foster mom to enchant her bedroom to be soundproof. Mrs. Weasley had obliged and, without question, put a silencing charm over her bedroom.

Very few people knew the truth of what had happened at the end of Marigold's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; even fewer knew what Marigold herself had gone through. Because of this, Marigold didn't want the Weasleys to hear her when she woke up screaming at night.

Ginny was having a better time coming to grips with how her first year at Hogwarts had gone down. The parts she remembered anyway. She and Marigold wouldn't really talk about it, but the knowledge that they had shared in a similar experience helped. Sometimes, the two of them would just sit in Marigold's room saying nothing and staring at nothing. It was really nice.

Marigold hoped that she would get letters from her three favorite people any day now. It had been nearly a week since she had left Hogwarts to enjoy the summer holiday, and since then she hadn't heard a word from Neville Longbottom or Harry Potter. She hadn't even received a letter from her brother Charlie Weasley. To be fair though, the last letter she had sent Charlie had been explaining quite a lot of things that were rather big.

Marigold had been spending her days doing odds and ends for Muggles in the town a little ways away from the Burrow. It was nice to be away from magic for a while, and as awful as she felt about thinking so, being away from magic also meant being away from all her responsibilities. She was also doing her best to make some money so that she wasn't such a bother to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. But mowing lawns, picking weeds and other miscellaneous tasks were rather boring, and Marigold more often than not found her mind wandering.

So, while her nights were tormented by the memory Tom Riddle and Gilderoy Lockhart, her days were plagued by the last conversation she had had with Headmaster Dumbledore. Time and time again, Marigold thought about what more Dumbledore wasn't telling her. Thinking back, he had really told her very little. What more could she not know about, and wouldn't it be better if she did know?

The first Saturday of summer vacation, Marigold woke up gasping for breath, and covered in sweat. She curled up under the covers and just cried. She was crying so often these days that her eyes were constantly puffy and hard to see out of. She didn't want to get out of bed most days.

Taking deep breaths, she finally slowed her heartbeat back to normal. She hoisted herself up and out of bed, knowing that if she waited any longer she wouldn't move for the rest of the day, or at least until Ginny quietly knocked on the door and came in to help her out of bed… It had taken Ginny an hour yesterday to convince her to finally get out of bed. Marigold slowly got dressed and headed down to the kitchen. Three letters were waiting for her on the counter.

Immediately feeling better than she had in ages, her nightmare already forgotten, Marigold grabbed a piece of toast from Mrs. Weasley, who gave her a kiss on the cheek, and sat down at the table. Toast in her mouth, Marigold ripped open the letter from Charlie first.

My dearest Marigold,

I am so very sorry. That's a lot of stuff to have to deal with. Every year it seems like there is something new that happens, something more I wish I could help you with. I wish I knew what to say that would help you feel better, but I've never dealt with things like this.

I can understand why you haven't told mum and dad, but they have lost people, and, though I don't want to tell you what to do, I think they would be able to help you through this. They know about dealing with trauma like this. They might have some way to help, something to say, that could help you through what you are dealing with. But again, you should figure out, in your own way, a method you feel most comfortable with. I'm glad you told me, and I will always do whatever I can to help you feel better.

I know it's still summer holiday, but I want to tell you I hope next year is much less eventful. I really hope the most stressful part of your next year is exams, and that you still do well on them.

Sending you all my love,

Charlie

Smiling, tears in her eyes, and grabbing another piece of toast off of a plate Mrs. Weasley had set down next to her, Marigold ripped open the letter from Harry.

Marigold,

If I have to spend one more minute here I'm going to go mad. The only reason I'm able to write you is because Uncle Vernon was going nuts with Hedwig being cooped up and making noise.

They locked up my school supplies again, but I managed to break the lock and grab some books while they were out of the house gloating about Uncle Vernon's new company car! Studying's been keeping me busy at least, but I only grabbed a couple books and I might not get another chance to grab more. And worst off, I didn't grab the Potions book so I won't be able to do the essay for Snape.

Please write back soon or I'll end up losing my mind,

Harry

Marigold didn't doubt him. She opened the letter from Neville last.

Dear Marigold,

Summer is flying by; can you believe it's already been a week? Dora has grown a lot, but she still acts the same. Gran thinks she's cute, and better than Trevor. I don't know though, I like them both. She got really confused with the Muggle Gameboy Harry got me, and it confused me for a while too, but I finally figured it out. It's really fun!

We're going on a trip soon to see my parents. I'll tell them you and Harry say hi. I hope you are having a fun summer and not just mowing lawns like last year. You should find something fun to occupy your time (I also don't mean studying, which I know you are ahead at already).

On a more serious note, if your head starts hurting, or you seem to be acting differently, talk to Mr. or Mrs. Weasley, don't keep it to yourself… what you went through can lead to… Well just talk to someone okay?

I can't wait to hear from you,

Neville

Marigold spent the rest of the morning writing back to everyone, then walked down to the little Muggle village to find something to do.

Maybe Mr. and Mrs. Adams, the nice elderly Muggle couple, would have something for her. They always tried to give her something to work on and were always very nice to her. They reminded her of the grandparents she never had but had read about in stories and had longed for.

Three weeks into vacation, Marigold woke up perfectly fine for the first time. Feeling chipper, she decided to go and help Mrs. Weasley with breakfast. Watching Mrs. Weasley cook with magic was fascinating. But since Marigold couldn't use magic outside of school, Mrs. Weasley often gave her simple tasks like cutting potatoes, or coming up with dishes to make.

Rubbing her eyes, Marigold walked into the kitchen to see Mr. Weasley hugging a giggling Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley noticed Marigold standing in the entryway and let go of her husband to rush over to Marigold and wrap her in a big hug. Her giggling was very contagious, and even though Marigold had absolutely no idea what was going on, she found herself laughing as well.

"What's going on?" she asked, once Mrs. Weasley had let her go.

"The Daily Prophet has an annual Grand Prize Galleon Draw, and we won!" Mr. Weasley said, excitedly pressing the Daily Prophet into her hands.

"A thousand galleons, and he didn't even tell me he entered!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, beaming.

Marigold's eyes grew wide. A thousand galleons? That was so much money! Marigold looked up from the paper to see Fred and George enter the kitchen, bleary eyed and confused.

"Mum what's going on?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, what's with all the giggling?"

Marigold handed the paper to the two of them and watched as their eyes went from bleary to wide-awake.

"Go get everyone else up, we have a family decision to make!" Mr. Weasley said, pushing the three of them out of the kitchen.

The three of them made a mad dash to the stairs, nearly tripping each other as they raced around the Burrow to wake everyone up and push them downstairs. When everyone was huddled in the kitchen, their hair messy and pajamas still on, Mr. Weasley cleared his throat.

"WE WON A THOUSAND GALLEONS!" he yelled, stretching his arms wide.

Everyone was suddenly wide-awake. Ron's eyes lit up, Ginny started excitedly jumping up and down, and even Percy was smiling.

"I think we should go on a family vacation! When your mother and I visited Bill last Christmas, we had a wonderful time. We knew we had to bring you kids with us someday. Looks like that someday can be now!"

Hoots and hollers erupted through the kitchen, but Marigold felt her heart drop. What was she going to do while they were in Egypt? Surely she couldn't go with them, that would be too much! She couldn't impose on Neville and his grandmother, and Harry's aunt and uncle absolutely wouldn't let her stay there…

"What do you think, Marigold?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

Marigold looked up, confused.

"Does Egypt sound good to you? You'll get the chance to finally meet Bill!" Mr. Weasley added.

"You want me to go too?" Marigold asked.

"Of course," Mrs. Weasley said wrapping her in another hug. "It wouldn't be a family vacation without you too!"

Marigold woke up to a knock on her door early the next morning. Groggy, sweaty, and still half asleep, Marigold opened the door to the beaming face of Mrs. Weasley.

"Up and at 'em, Marigold. We have places to go and people to see," she said excitedly, before bustling back downstairs.

Marigold quickly got ready and went down to the living room where she found Mr. and Mrs. Weasley waiting for her.

"Where are we going?" she asked, grabbing her shoes from Mrs. Weasley.

"We have to go to the Ministry of Magic and fill out some paperwork since we are leaving the country," Mr. Weasley said.

"Is everyone else coming?" she asked.

"No, there's a form for family travel that we can fill out for everyone else. But you will have to fill out separate paperwork, since you have a different last name. I'm sure there's more we will have to do, but I've never been in this situation so I'm not quite sure what the process will be."

Marigold, Mr. Weasley, and Mrs. Weasley Apparated from the front door of the Burrow to a quiet little alley in the middle of Muggle London. Mr. Weasley led the three of them through the crowded streets until they happened upon a bright red telephone booth.

"We're taking the visitors' entrance today," Mr. Weasley explained motioning for the two of them to go ahead of him into the telephone box.

All three of them crammed into the box and Mr. Weasley dialed several numbers. A cool female voice sounded inside the telephone box, not through the receiver, but as loudly and plainly as though she was crammed in the booth with them.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

"Arthur Weasley, Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, here with my wife Molly, and our scholarship student Marigold Rosenberg. We're going to the International Travel and Customs Office to request travel permits."

"Thank you," the voice said. "Visitors, please take the badge and attach it to the front of your robes."

There was a click and a rattle, and Marigold watched as something slid out of the metal shoot where coins were usually returned. Mrs. Weasley grabbed two square, silver badges, and handed one to Marigold. Marigold Rosenberg, International Travel and Customs Office was embossed on it.

The floor of the telephone box shuddered and Marigold jumped as she watched the street around them rise out of view.

"The whole Ministry is underground," Mr. Weasley explained, noticing Marigold's surprise.

Just as soon as they had started moving, they stopped.

"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day," the woman's voice said.

The door to the telephone box sprang open and the three of them spilled out. Marigold felt her jaw drop.

They had stepped into a long and beautiful hall with a highly polished, dark wood floor. The peacock-blue ceiling was inlaid with gleaming golden symbols that were continually moving and changing. The walls on each side were paneled in shiny dark wood and had many gilded fireplaces set into them.

Halfway down the hall was a fountain. A group of golden statues, larger than life sized, stood in the middle of a circular pool. Largest of them was a noble-looking wizard with his wand pointed up in the air. Marigold imagined his thin mouth opening wide and shook her head.

They joined the throng of witches and wizards carrying parchment and briefcases and looking utterly professional.

They passed a fountain with several coins glittering on the bottom of the tiled pool. A small smudged sign beside it read:

All proceeds from the Fountain of Magical Brethren will be given to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

Mrs. Weasley hurried Marigold along and they found themselves crammed into a lift. Marigold looked up at a rather beautiful witch who had ringlet curls and bright green robes. She had a suitcase that was chirping as if it were full of tiny birds.

They got off on level six: Department of Magical Transport, and made their way to an office labeled International Travel and Customs (for Vacation and Business Travel) Office.

The line inside wasn't too long, but there were still several witches and wizards in front of them. Most of them were wearing the traditional robes, but one or two were wearing Muggle clothes like Marigold. There was a young couple ahead of them, they looked maybe a few years older than Charlie, and they were giggling and holding onto each other. Marigold overheard as the couple brightly exclaimed, to a rather bored looking elderly witch behind the counter, that they wanted to go to America because it was their honeymoon. The witch just handed them some papers and told them to fill them out and bring them back.

The three of them slowly inched forward until they were finally at the front of the line. A different witch was behind the counter. She was much younger and had springy brown hair that moved when she talked.

"Hi, I'm Olivia Jamison, where is it that you and your daughter are planning on going to go this summer?" she asked in a chipper voice.

"We, and our other kids are wanting to go to Egypt," Mr. Weasley said with a smile.

"Are any of your other kids over seventeen?"

"No," Mrs. Weasley answered.

"Okay then, I will need the two of you to fill out these forms here," Olivia said, handing Mr. Weasley two pieces of paper. "And here's another form to fill out for the kids."

"Just out of curiosity, Marigold here," Mrs. Weasley put her hand on Marigold's shoulder as she spoke and smiled down at her, "is a scholarship student at Hogwarts, Dumbledore had her placed with us. Is there a separate form she would have to fill out, or can we put her on the one with the other kids?"

"Oh, well, if you have all the appropriate documentation for her then she can go on the form with your other children, of course."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley exchanged glances.

"We have a letter from Dumbledore from two summers ago saying that he wants her to stay with us…" Mr. Weasley said, fishing through his robes.

"Do you have anything from the Department of Child Safety and Magical Welfare stating that the two of you have been allowed to take care of her and make decisions regarding her wellbeing, school matters, and medical needs?"

Marigold looked up at Mrs. Weasley. Judging by the quiet eye conversation she was having with her husband, Marigold deduced they didn't have anything like that at all.

"How would we go about doing that?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"You will need to go to floor two, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and find either the adoption office, the guardian office, or the custodial office, whichever one suits your needs; they all serve different purposes. They are located in a subdivision of the floor, past the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, all the other offices and hidden in a back-corner way out of the way."

"Right then," Mr. Weasley said.

The three of them thanked Olivia, and turned around and walked out the door, passing by the young couple from before squealing over an approved travel permit.

They crammed back into the lift and got off on the second floor. As they walked through the floor, a lot of witches and wizards said good morning to Mr. Weasley. One or two even congratulated him on the Daily Prophet win.

They passed an office that had a rather small door that looked like one of the broom closets at Hogwarts. Mr. Weasley pointed this one out as his office, and they continued along.

They finally found the door they were looking for, tucked away in the middle of a dimly lit hallway nowhere near any other office on the floor.

"I have worked on this floor for years, and I didn't know this office existed," Mr. Weasley muttered, opening the door.

If Marigold had thought the Department of International Travel had been dingy, it was nothing compared to the Department of Child Safety and Magical Welfare. The floor looked old and smelled like what the Potions classroom at Hogwarts would smell like if all of the bottles on the walls spilled out on the floor. Several more doors lined a short hallway, each somehow smaller than the one to Mr. Weasley's office.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley started talking in hushed voices, and Marigold, not wanting to intrude on the conversation, found a place to sit down. Maybe she would have to stay at the Burrow while the rest of them went to Egypt after all.

Marigold sat for quite a while and tried not to watch as the two adults had their heated discussion. Trying to focus on something other than her mounting stress and shaking hands, Marigold looked around at the walls. All the picture frames were empty; even their occupants didn't want to be there. Marigold noticed a plaque on the wall in front of her.

Ministry of Magic

Department of Child Safety and Magical Wellbeing

Adoption Office: Room 256

Guardianship Office: Room 257

Custodial Office: Room 258

Runaway Tracking Office: Room 259

Care Support and Medical Relief: Room 260

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had stopped talking and made their way over to Marigold.

"I could stay at the Burrow by myself," Marigold said, before either of them could say anything. "I could keep the house clean while you are gone. De-gnome the garden and watch over the place."

"Oh, Marigold, we are going to find a way for you to come with us," Mrs. Weasley said, crouching down in front of Marigold. "We should have known that this was something we would have to do. Dumbledore didn't say anything on the matter, but we should have put together that the Ministry would need to know who is taking care of you."

"Now, Molly and I have a very big decision to make, but we wanted you to be a part of the decision as well," Mr. Weasley said, smiling kindly at Marigold.

Marigold looked at the plaque on the wall across from her again. Marigold felt her head spin. Adoption seemed like a dream: to be a part of a family that she knew loved her seemed unreal. But it was far too much to ask, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had so many children to look after already, and Marigold knew that if she added herself to the mix, that the Weasleys would have a harder time supporting the family. Her scholarship would probably disappear as well. The same problems would occur with guardianship too…

Marigold could feel herself shaking even worse than before. And, as if he could sense Marigold's inner monologue, Mr. Weasley sat down next to her. Mrs. Weasley grabbed her hand and Mr. Weasley looked at his wife for a solid moment before the two of them smiled.

"Whatever decision we make today, we can always revisit this conversation later," he said helpfully.

Marigold messed with her locket, considering. "I think... I think we should go to the Custodial office then, but we should come back here someday… if the offer still stands."

"Of course, dear," Mrs. Weasley smiled, squeezing her hand.

"Right then! Let's get this started!" Mr. Weasley said, grabbing her other hand.

Together, the three of them walked into the Custodial office.

A very tired looking wizard looked up from a roll of parchment. Stacks of papers were piled high on his desk and cluttered every square inch of the office. The wizard was old and had bags under his eyes and a quill behind his ear. He reminded Marigold of Ollivander, if Ollivander had lost his passion decades ago and was running on fumes.

"How can I help you?" he asked, his voice as tired as his face.

"My name is Arthur Weasley, this is my wife Molly, and this here is Marigold." Mr. Weasley shook their hands in a wave, "We have been taking care of her since Dumbledore told us to host her two summers ago."

"Ah, yes, I got word from Dumbledore that you would be coming in." The wizard started rummaging around and knocked over a stack of paper. "I meant to write you when you never showed, but as you can see, I am swimming in paperwork. Here it is." He grabbed a folder and started flipping through it. "Marigold Rosenberg, Muggleborn, born to Edith and Donald Rosenberg. Sent to reside with Molly and Arthur Weasley at the personal request of Albus Dumbledore.

"I will need you to sign these papers saying that you agree to take care of her while she is attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; that you will make decisions on behalf of Albus Dumbledore and Marigold Rosenberg so that she receives the best care possible to her as the need arises; that you will keep Albus Dumbledore informed on all things pertaining to her care; and finally, that you have been informed that you have the right to terminate your care of Marigold Rosenberg at any time if you find yourselves unable to fulfill any of the duties mentioned to you today.

"This quill is enchanted so that once you have signed, you are legally bound to this document, and therefore, bound to these duties and will suffer the legal consequences if it is found that you haven't followed through with them. If you decide to change your mind or change your care options, you will need to come back through this office."

The old wizard handed Mr. and Mrs. Weasley the quill and each of them signed their name on the parchment in bright indigo ink. After the ink dried, the old wizard grabbed several more documents and explained that they were the official forms that stated that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were in charge of Marigold.

After signing every form the old wizard went over before passing to them, the three of them were finally able to leave. The line in the Travel Office had gotten longer, but once they were at the head of the line, it went a lot smoother and their travel permits were accepted.

Marigold and the Weasleys left the Ministry of Magic the same way they came, returning their badges to the disembodied voice. As they walked through the busy streets of London looking for a quiet out-of-the-way place to apparate home, Marigold had a thought.

She paused and Mrs. Weasley nearly ran into her.

"What is it, dear?" she asked, brows furrowed.

"I might be too old, I don't really know the rules, but once I've graduated and I'm no longer just a scholarship student…" she trailed off, not knowing how to ask what she wanted.

The two of them were looking at her intently. Marigold looked at the two of them. They had done so much for her…

Marigold took a deep breath, then asked, "Would it be possible for you to adopt me then? I want to be a part of this family, but I don't want to lose my scholarship either."

Mrs. Weasley looked at her husband, smiling. The two of them surprised her with a hug.

"We would like that very much, Marigold," Mr. Weasley said, and Marigold could feel all her anxiety melting away… they had said yes.

(A/N: Please leave a comment or favorite the story if you haven't already. Thank you for reading!)