Author's Note: Hey everyone, I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this up. Thank you to Moonyxforever for betaing this for me. Any remaining mistakes are my fault. I hope you enjoy! Happy Easter for those who celebrate!
Chapter 4
"Hey, Kiddo, what are you doing?"
Harry's head snapped up when he heard the unexpected voice. A smile stretched across his face as he exclaimed happily, "Bill!"
Bill smiled at the teen as he walked into the room to sit down beside him on the bed. "What are you up to?"
"Not much, just thinking," Harry answered.
"What are you thinking about?" Bill inquired.
"Just trying to figure out why Charlie calls me Ormand," the black haired boy explained.
Bill smirked at him as he asked "have you figured it out yet?" Harry glared at him lightly as he pouted, "No I have not. Do you know why?"
"Yes I do, and no, I am not telling you," Bill replied.
Harry glared at him again before his expression changed into one of apprehension and slight fear before he whispered "what did they say?"
"Well, they approved it for the time being. Someone from the Child Services department will be stopping by for a visit to make sure you are being taken care of properly." Bill paused to take a deep breath before he continued, "we have some things we need to decide on."
Harry's eyes widened slightly and filled with alarm after Bill said that. He started to speak in a rush but Bill cut him off.
"Relax little bit. It's not whatever you are thinking about. It's nothing bad," Bill soothed gently. "We just need to talk about where we are going to be living, what the rules are for both of us, what we are going to tell everyone, and about your accounts and estates."
Harry looked up at him with wide, slightly dazed eyes as he murmured, "oh, is that all?"
Bill reached out and ruffled Harry's mop of black hair before wrapping his arm around his shoulder and pulling him close. "Don't worry; it's really not that much." Bill offered comfortingly.
Harry took a deep breath and said quietly, "okay, what's first?"
"Well, how about we start with where you want to live. Do you want to stay here or would you like to move to Egypt?" Bill questioned softly, trying not to overwhelm the boy more than he was.
"I-I don't, I don't know." Harry stuttered.
Bill squeezed him lightly and then pulled him in closer to his side. "Harry, calm down. You are okay. It's going to be okay, little bit, I promise."
Harry pulled in a slightly shuddering breath and tried to calm down. When that didn't work he turned his head into Bill's shoulder, trying to hide the tears. A hand came up to stroke his hair and back gently.
"Shh, you are okay. Just calm down, you're okay. Everything's okay. I know this is a lot to deal with, a lot to take in, but it's going to be okay," Bill said in a soft, comforting tone. He began rocking slightly back and forth as he hummed softly. It took almost ten minutes before Harry started to calm down. Harry pulled away and swiped at his face, trying to get rid of the tears.
"Feeling better now?" Bill asked gently.
Harry nodded so he continued, "Are you ready to talk about this?"
"Yeah, I am. I'm sorry Bill, I don't know why I got so upset," the boy responded looking down, ashamed.
"Hey," Bill said as he reached out and lifted his chin back up to look into the puffy green eyes, "None of that. It's okay. I expected some form of tears. It's okay. This is a lot to take in, a lot to deal with, but you are not alone. If you need to cry, then you go ahead and cry. There is no shame in that. I don't believe for one minute that men are not supposed to cry." Bill pulled him back to his chest and pushed the messy black head against his shoulder and held it there gently as he stroked the silky locks. "Just take a few more minutes and calm down. There is no rush."
Harry snuggled in closer to his guardian and closed his eyes. He felt safe and comfortable and he didn't want to move. He closed his eyes as he thought about what he wanted to do. He could hear quiet humming coming from the man holding him and that helped him to relax even more. After another hummed song he pulled away to look at Bill.
"Can we," Harry paused to take a deep breath before continuing softly, "Can we stay here but spend time in Egypt, too? I don't want to leave Ron, Charlie and the twins but I want to see your home too."
"Yeah, we can do that. That isn't a problem. We can spend the week here and leave when I get done working on Friday evenings. We can come back Monday mornings when I have to work again. How does that sound? Oh, and it's your home now too. Wherever I am you will always have a home with me, even after you graduate." Bill answered as he thought it out in his head.
"Really? We can do both?" Harry asked as his eyes lit up.
"Sure we can. I would love to show you Egypt but I understand your need to be around your older brothers," Bill confirmed with a smile.
Harry grinned at him and hugged him. "Thank you thank you thank you," he chanted softly.
"You're welcome kiddo." Bill said quietly before he reached out, gripped Harry's chin and tilted it gently up to be able to look in his eyes. His voice was a little firmer as he continued. "You know that we have to tell everyone else, right? You know that some people might not be too happy about it, but you need to keep your temper in check. You need to let me handle in. No one is going to take you away from me. I promise. I have the rest of the week off so if you want to we can leave for Egypt in the morning and spend the rest of the week and weekend there."
"Yeah, I'd like that." Harry answered softly. "I know we have to tell people, I just don't want them giving you a hard time about it."
"I'm the adult, Harry; that's not your problem to worry about." Bill told him firmly. "That brings us to the rules. We need to talk about them and about what the punishments are for breaking them."
Harry pulled away from him and offered a quiet "okay."
"It's not going to be as bad as you are thinking they will be," the red head said comfortingly.
"Okay," Harry repeated.
"I know you don't drink or do drugs; keep it that way. I will not tolerate that in any form. When you turn 17 I'll take you out and let you drink. I will always expect you to be smart about it. There is no reason to get drunk. I know you swear and as long as you don't say anything too bad or too often I'll let it pass. If I feel you are coming close to crossing the line I'll warn you. At 16 all that will do is earn you a scolding. You are too old to have your mouth washed out or something like that. At this point, as long as you don't swear at inappropriate times or areas I won't say anything." Bill looked up at Harry and asked "do you understand?" He continued in the same firm but calm tone after receiving a nod from Harry.
"Here you really don't have a curfew seeing as you can't be out without an escort but in Egypt I expect you back by 10:30 at the latest. You break that one your curfew will be lowered. I expect you to treat the people around you with respect. That means you do not yell at them, you do not take your temper out on them, you are polite, by this point in time you should understand what that means. If you break this one you will lose privileges and be grounded for some amount of time. You will study something for two hours everyday. When you do it is up to you, but you have to do it. I would recommend in the morning but, like I said, when is up to you. When your homework is done pick a subject and study that for a week. At the end of the week you will owe me a two foot essay." Bill paused again to make sure Harry understood but before he could say anything the boy responded.
"I understand and agree with that."
"I expect you to keep your room neat and orderly. I'm sure you know what that means. Pick up after yourself, just basic stuff that you know and do already. The dinner dishes every evening are yours. If there are a lot I will help you with them. That is pretty much it. No matter what you do I will never hit you. You are too old for physical discipline and I will not do it. Food will never be denied for misbehavior. You will never be locked in your room, you may be sent to it for a bit of time, but you will never be confined to it for more than an hour or two. You are never allowed to harm yourself. We have already had that conversation; I don't think we need to have it again. Now, for the fun part… rewards. I will make sure you get time outside every day. If you follow all the rules you'll get more time outside on the weekend. If there is something big you want you can work towards earning it. You can pick up chores and any extra chores you do you will be paid for. I believe if you do the work you should earn something for that work. Do you agree, disagree, have questions?" Bill said all this in a calm and firm voice while watching Harry closely.
"No, it was very clear and I agree with it." Harry responded quietly.
"So what is wrong?" Bill asked, concerned at how quiet Harry was.
Harry shrugged his shoulders and didn't say anything. Bill reached out and ran gentle fingers through his hair. "I cannot help you if you will not talk to me." the older man reminded softly.
"It's just… a little overwhelming," Harry responded in a small voice as he leaned into the comforting touch. Bill pulled him close again and kissed the top of his head. He rocked slightly for a few moments, just quietly offering comfort to the stressed out kid he was now responsible for.
"I'm sorry, Bill. I don't know what my problem is. Like you said it's not that different from what I already do and don't do. I don't know why I'm so freaked out." Harry mumbled from his place against Bill's chest.
"Little brother, it's allowed. You just lost your Godfather, you have a new guardian, a new home; it's normal for you to be feeling slightly scared, freaked out, upset, confused. It's all normal. What you need to remember though is that everything is going to be okay. That I love you," Bill pulled him a little tighter against him when he heard Harry's breathing hitch and started to rock again. He continued talking to Harry in a tender tone. "Yes, little brother, I love you very much. So do a lot of other people. Ron, George, Fred and Charlie do, my parents, a lot of your professors do as well. You are not alone and we will get you through this. I promise, it will be okay."
They sat like that for a while longer, Harry leaning against Bill while he rocked them back and forth, running his fingers through Harry's mop of messy black hair. Bill smiled down at him and Harry returned it before closing his eyes.
"Hey, now, you can't fall asleep on me yet. I need to get some lunch into you, we both missed breakfast so we need to eat. After we are done if you want to take a nap you can come back up here and sleep for a bit," the red head said in a gently chiding tone.
Harry looked up at him, blinking sleepily. "I don't know why I'm so tired," he confessed around a yawn. "I slept really well last night."
"How long, before last night, has it been that you slept well?" Bill asked as he watched the boy leaning against him with amusement shining out of his blue eyes.
"I can't remember the last time before that." Harry mumbled starting to fall back asleep. He made a small whimper of protest when Bill shook him gently.
"I know, baby boy, I know, but you need to eat something," Bill said in gentle remorse. "I can't let you not eat."
"Please, Bill," Harry pleaded in a whisper.
"No, baby boy. You need to eat," Bill answered softly.
Harry whimpered in protest as he shivered. He could feel the tears burning behind his closed eyelids and they annoyed and angered him. He was tired of crying but he couldn't seem to stop. He sniffed quietly.
"Oh, Harry." Bill said soothingly. "Sh, you're okay. It's okay. I know you don't want to eat, that you just want to sleep, but you really do need food. There is no reason to cry. I'm not angry; I'm just trying to take care of you."
"No, it's not that. Not really. I just… I don't know what my problem is." Harry bit out in frustration.
Bill just started to rock again. "This is a lot to deal with. Your emotions are going to be crazy for a little while. Be patient with yourself, we're all going to be. You need to allow yourself to feel what you feel without being angry about it. You are going through a lot that is normal. Just relax. I know you're hurting, and that you are afraid. It's been less than three weeks since Sirius died. Your emotions are going to be all over the place for a while. If you are not getting enough sleep or eating enough or healthy enough that can make it worse, when you are grieving it's important to take care of yourself. There are going to be times you don't want to, that is why I will insist you eat and sleep regularly. You need to have some fun, talk to your brothers, play games, do your homework, you need to keep living. As hard as that is, you need to. Are you better now?" the older man wanted to know.
"Yeah," Harry said as he pulled back slightly. "I'm okay," he took a deep breath before continuing softly. "Le-let's go get something to eat."
"That's my boy." Bill praised happily.
They both got up and made their way to the empty kitchen. Bill motioned to the table and Harry sat down. The older man set about making them some sandwiches. Harry watched him move around the kitchen with a grace and ease that spoke of doing this many times before. He watched as he moved with his shoulders thrown back, standing tall and proud. Harry wondered where that kind of confidence came from. Bill looked like he knew his place in the world and was comfortable with it and himself. Harry hoped he could have that some day.
"What are you thinking about, Kiddo?" Bill wondered as he slid a plate with a ham sandwich with mayo, tomato, lettuce and a pickle over to him. Harry looked up and stopped the plate before it fell off the edge of the table. He picked it up, took a bite then said "it's good" before taking another. He put his sandwich down as he chewed slowly, thinking about how to answer Bill's question.
"I was thinking about you actually," he admitted softly.
"What about me?" the redhead asked.
"About how you seem so comfortable in you own skin. How you practically exude confidence. I was wondering how you got to that point in your life, where you are completely comfortable with the world and your place in it." Harry answered, a slight hint of awe in his voice.
"Well, Kiddo, I can tell you that it was hard won. Yes, I've always had a certain amount of confidence in myself, but I didn't have as much as I do now. I got this by moving away from my family. When I was living on my own, in Egypt, right after graduation things were hard. I didn't have Charlie there with me. My dad wasn't right there to help me fix my mistakes. I was alone." Bill paused to take a sip of his tea and look at Harry, to make sure he was following. "My superior was demanding things of me I'd never done before, people were counting on me to watch their backs as we went through pyramids. It was a lot of pressure. Then one day one of my older coworkers sat me down and told me that I could let the pressure get to me and beat me down or I could learn from it. Let it forge me into a strong man. I made the choice, right there in front of him, to let it forge me. I chose to learn from the pressure, and them, my coworkers, how to be a better Curse Breaker and a better man. I've never regretted that decision. I could have said I can't do this and gone home, but I stuck it out, I rode out the hard times, often alone, but I've come out the other side stronger for it. I have no regrets. None. My coworkers have become my extended family." Bill paused and looked at Harry again as he smiled widely. "I can't wait to introduce you to them. They are going to love you! They are a good group."
"I look forward to meeting them too." Harry offered with a slight smile. "It sounds like they are important to you."
"They are." Bill answered softly.
Harry smiled at the older man before he took another bite of his sandwich. "Will you tell me about them?" Harry requested quietly.
"What do you want to know?" Bill asked with a smile.
"Everything; they are important to you so they are to me as well." Harry explained softly.
"Okay, well, let's see. There is Benjamin Lath, the one I told you about a little bit ago. He is 35 years old and the oldest member of our team. I'm the youngest at 25. He went to Beauxbatons Academy. He is the team leader. He has shaggy brown hair and deep brown eyes with golden flecks. He is the oldest child with a younger sister Baylee, who is also on our team. He is about six feet, five inches tall. He is really relaxed. He does not worry about the small stuff, but he demands that we are safe. If it is a safety concern he does not let us cut corners. He demands that we give our best. If he thinks we are not working up to our potential he will be on our case until we are. He lets us have a good time while we are working. He loves American Muggle rock music." Bill started off happily; glancing up a few times to make sure Harry was still eating.
"He sounds like he is a good guy to work for." Harry commented.
"He is. There are much worse bosses out there." Bill confirmed. "Eat all of your sandwich please."
"I will, Bill." Harry stated with a slight huff to his voice. Bill gave him a look that clearly stated 'watch it.' Harry ducked his head and offered a soft "I'm sorry" before the older man continued. "You're forgiven. Next is Baylee. She is the exact opposite of her brother. She is 32 years old. She is five foot nothing with long blond hair, think Luna blonde, and clear blue eyes. She is more serious than Ben. She tends to mother our group and is the only female, but if you make her mad, she will take you down. She does not take crap from anyone. She has a wicked sense of humor and is always ready with a comeback. Next is Nicoli Lombardi. He is a 29 year old Italian. He is the quite, studious one. He is a very nice guy once he warms up to you. He is the most quiet of the bunch. He is very kind and generous. He loves to cook and so he often has us over for dinner when we have off. Usually, we spend the evenings together. We usually just roast meat on a spit and stick vegetables in the coals." Bill looked up at Harry again and Harry smiled at him. His plate was pushed to the side, sandwich gone. "Would you like another sandwich?" Bill asked.
"No, thank you. It was good, though," Harry stated, soft appreciation in his voice.
"Okay, then. Let me know if you change your mind." Bill told the boy in a firm voice. Harry nodded then Bill continued talking about his coworkers. "The last one is Jesse O'Brien, a 28 year old Irishman. He is about six feet tall with short red hair and blue-green eyes. He is very laid back. He is the one I spend the most time with. Jesse and I are almost always partners. Sometimes Baylee is with us as well. Jesse has a very off beat sense of humor. He is quick with comebacks and always up for a good time. He is an only child and his parents passed away a few years ago. His specialty was Defense, so I'm not quite sure how he ended up Curse Breaking, but I'm glad he is here. He has been a great friend." Bill said with a soft smile.
"They sound like great people and I can't wait to meet them." Harry responded with a bright smile of his own. Bill returned the smile before asking "Did you have enough to eat?"
"Yeah, I did, thank you." Harry answered.
"You're welcome. I have some appointments this afternoon, so I'm not going to be here, but Charlie is here somewhere. If you need something find him, okay?" Bill explained as he waved his wand to clean up their lunch mess.
"Okay." Harry said with a slight smile as Bill made shooing motions and noises until he got up and headed for the door. "Oh, Harry," Bill called as the boy was almost at the door. Harry turned to look at him. "Yeah?" He asked.
"Tonight we will tell whoever is here. Make sure you keep your temper in check, remember, no one will take you from me. I swear it." Bill instructed in a firm, but kind, voice.
"Okay." Harry's response was soft but his green eyes held trust in the older man.
"Good." Bill said with a playful smile. "Now, get out of here. Go find one of your brothers."
Harry turned and headed upstairs to fine Charlie. He wanted to spend some time with the older man. He went up to Charlie's room and knocked on the door. A muffled "come in" had him opening the door to see Charlie sprawled out on his bed reading a book. He looked up and smiled brightly at the boy.
"Come in!" Charlie said as he slid over on the bed to give Harry room to sit beside him.
Harry walked over and sat down beside him. Charlie pulled him into a quick one armed hug then ruffled his hair. "How are you doing, Little Bit?" Charlie asked with a smile.
"I'm doing okay. How 'bout you, how are you?" Harry responded.
"I'm doing well, thank you," the redhead responded with an easy smile.
"That's good." Harry said with a tired smile as Charlie reached out and ran his fingers through the silky, black locks. Harry leaned into the touch and closed his eyes. Charlie smiled and whispered "tired?"
"Yeah. Bill said even though I slept well last night that won't cancel out all the missed sleep over the past few weeks." Harry said tiredly as he leaned into Charlie.
"He's right, you know. You have missed a lot of sleep and one or two good nights sleep won't fix that. It will take a little while, give yourself time. If you are tired, sleep. If you are hungry, have a snack. You need to take care of yourself and allow us to take care of you too." Charlie explained patiently, affection shinning out of his blue eyes. Harry smiled back at the older man and offered a quiet "I'll try."
"That's all we can really expect right now." Charlie responded with a gentle smile. "What do you want to do? You seem tired, do you want to try to get a nap?"
Harry looked uncertain for a few seconds before Charlie said "you can stay here and I'll stay with you."
"O-okay. I am kind of tired." Harry answered around a yawn.
Charlie chuckled as he moved on the bed, sliding down and pulling Harry against his chest. Harry snuggled into his brother's chest and closed his eyes. Charlie ran his fingers through his hair as he quietly talked to his little brother. Harry shifted against him again causing Charlie to still his soothing motions and ask "What is wrong, Little Bit?"
"I don't know." Harry mumbled into the firm chest acting as his pillow.
Charlie pulled out his wand and flicked it at the radio sitting on his desk. Softly playing music filled the room. Harry seemed to melt against Charlie as the music washed over him. Charlie smiled into the mop of messy hair laying against his chest.
"Is that better?" Charlie questioned tenderly.
"Yeah, thank you. I've never liked the quiet." Harry murmured in a distant voice.
"Go to sleep baby brother. I'll be here when you wake up." Charlie gently ordered as Harry's eyes slid closed.
"Harry, wake up. Harry, it's time to get up."
Harry slowly pulled himself awake at the gentle but insistent voice. He tried to sit up but an arm across his back and side kept him pinned to something firm beneath him. He opened his eyes to see Charlie smiling down at him.
"Hey Charlie." Harry rasped.
"Good afternoon sunshine." Charlie answered with a smile. "How do you feel now? Better?"
"Yeah, I do. Thank you for letting me sleep for a bit." Harry said as he snuggled into Charlie a bit more.
"I didn't let you sleep that long; only about an hour and a half. It's a little after three now. I figured we could hang out until dinner." Charlie explained.
"That sounds good." Harry answered in a groggy voice causing Charlie to laugh. "What?" Harry demanded.
"Nothing, you just sound funny when you are half asleep." Charlie chuckled.
"Funny, I'm sure." Harry responded deadpan.
"I thought so," was the cheerful response.
Charlie started running his fingers through the boy's hair again. "What would you like to do?"
"I don't know. What do you do with Ron?" Harry asked.
"How about a game of poker?" Charlie proposed. "You know how to play right?"
"Yeah, sure, I'm in." Harry said as he sat up and rubbed his hands over his face as Charlie summoned a deck of cards. They played for a while, Harry beating Charlie more often than not.
"You're scamming me, aren't you?" Charlie demanded playfully after one particularly bad defeat.
"Now, would I do that?" Harry asked innocently.
"Yeah, you would." Charlie said as he tossed his cards aside and grabbed Harry, pulling him towards him so he could tickle him.
"No!" Harry exclaimed as he reached out and grabbed a pillow and started to hit Charlie with it. "No! Back, back I say."
Charlie grabbed the arm that was holding the pillow and pinned it to the bed as he continued his tickle assault on his little brother. Harry wriggled trying to get away but he was getting weak from laughter.
"I'll teach you to con me." Charlie scolded playfully.
Harry laughed and tried to get away. He pushed against the bigger man and ended up falling off the bed. He landed with a thump on the floor and glared playfully up at Charlie, who had stilled when he fell. Charlie had a look of regret and horror on his face.
"Now look what you did." Harry said playfully.
"Oh, Harry! I'm so sorry." Charlie exclaimed as he hurried to his side. "Are you okay?"
"Charlie I'm fine. I promise. Though you could give me a hand up." Harry said extending a hand to Charlie, the older man took it, pulling him to his feet and into his arms. Charlie ran a gentle hand over the boy's back as he continued to apologize.
"Charlie, it's okay. It's more my fault than yours anyway. I'm the one who pushed away from you." Harry reassured as he leaned against the older man. "Relax, Charlie, I'm okay. Surely you've pushed Fred, George, Ron or Bill off a bed or couch before."
"Well, yeah, but-" Charlie started to say but Harry cut him off.
"They are all still here so none of them died so, what's the problem?" Harry asked.
"I just…" Charlie paused. "I'm afraid of hurting you. Not that I'm not with our other brothers, but with you, it's different. You've been hurt so much already, you don't need your big brothers hurting you as well." Charlie explained softly looking down at Harry with tender eyes.
"Charlie, I know you didn't mean to push me off the bed, and even if you had, it wouldn't have been done to hurt me. I don't want you to treat me like I'm made of glass. I won't break from a bit of roughhousing. I know that you are not going to hurt me and if by chance I do get hurt, I know it wouldn't be intentional. Please, Charlie, don't. Don't treat me like I'll break, or like I'm a little kid. Please, Charlie." Harry pleaded looking up into the kind blue eyes of his big brother.
Charlie looked into the pleading emerald eyes of his baby brother and said "I'll try. That is the best I can offer you. You are my baby brother and everything inside me screams to protect you." Charlie said in a loving tone.
Harry leaned his forehead against Charlie's right shoulder as he sighed out "Okay. I can live with that."
"Dinner is ready!" Mrs. Weasley's voice rang through out the house.
Blue and emerald green eyes locked together as Harry murmured "show time."
"It's going to be okay. I promise, everything will be okay. Bill will handle it; he'll have me for back up if he needs it. If the twins feel things are getting too heated they will leave with you. Please, go with them and they will stay with you until Bill or I can get to you." Charlie instructed seriously before he reached up to cradle Harry's face in his hands. Charlie moved his thumbs over the boy's cheeks gently, hoping to offer comfort. He whispered gently "It's going to be okay, I swear it."
Harry nodded before pulling away. "Let's go find Bill and get this over with."
Harry and Charlie headed down to the kitchen, meeting Bill on the stairs. He reached out and hugged Harry quickly while whispering in his ear, "It's going to be okay. I promise, everything will work out. No one is going to take you away from me. Charlie went over the plan with you, correct?"
"Yep, let's do this." Harry responded, trying to sound calmer than he actually was. Bill saw through the act and stroked his hair gently. "Fred and George know what to do, so you listen to them and do what they tell you to, okay." Bill instructed in a gentle but serious tone.
"Okay." Harry whispered becoming more frightened.
"Everything is going to be okay baby boy, I promise." Bill said sensing the fear they were causing. He kissed the top of the shaggy head then ushered him into the kitchen with Charlie following. Bill steered Harry to a set beside Fred then sat down beside him. Charlie took the seat on Bill's other side. Fred leaned over to whisper in Harry's ear "Everything will be okay, you'll see. If something does go wrong, George and I will take care of you until Bill can get you." He offered the boy a comforting smile before turning to talk to George.
The room filled with voices, the clink of silverware and goblets and laughter as the Order settled into a wonderful dinner prepared by Mrs. Weasley. Harry ate as much as he could, but his stomach was tied in knots. Bill seemed to understand because he didn't push the boy to eat more than he could. What felt like hours later people were finished with their dessert and just sipping drinks when Bill said in a loud enough voice to be easily heard, "I have an announcement I would like to make."
The room slowly quieted as everyone turned to look at him. Harry's hands, which were hidden under the table, began to tremble. Fred reached out and held it gently, rubbing the back with his thumb to calm the boy.
"Well, what is it Bill?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"I have applied for, and was granted, guardianship of Harry." Bill stated succinctly.
There was an instant uproar.
"What do you mean?" Mrs. Weasley demanded.
"Bill, what have you done, son?" Mr. Weasley questioned.
"You did what?!" Ginny practically screamed.
Many other people were expressing similar thoughts.
"Quiet!" Dumbledore finally said.
The room fell silent and turned to look at the elderly wizard. The headmaster of Hogwarts sat regarding Bill seriously. "What made you decide to do this, William?" He questioned.
"Harry is my little brother, for once I wanted to see him go to someone who would, and could, take care of him. HIM! Someone who would put him first, not the war, not the Wizarding population, him. I decided that person would be me. I asked if he wanted this and he agreed. I fit the requirements in Sirius' Will. The Ministry approved." Bill said in a strong, sure voice.
"Bill, you are too young to be a parent!" Mrs. Weasley cried. "We would have taken him in! How could you throw away your future like this?"
Harry flinched slightly as the thoughtlessly cruel words and Fred squeezed his hand as he glared at his mother.
"It's not true, little brother, it's not true." Fred whispered comfortingly into his ear.
"I think it's great." Ron spoke in a strong voice. "Bill is exactly what Harry needs and I think Harry is what Bill has needed. Harry will give Bill a purpose besides his work."
"Thank you Ron." Bill intoned quietly.
Ron nodded to his brother and smiled gently at Harry. The room erupted again, people yelling at Bill, while he strongly defended his actions. Fred could feel Harry trembling worsen so he pulled him up and led him from the room ignoring the calls to bring him back and demands of where they were going. As they left the room they could hear Bill stating "They are doing what I asked them too. Harry does not need to be here for this. He is my ward, that is my choice. I shall protect him as I see fit."
Fred and George let Harry upstairs to Bill's room. They went in, locked and warded the door behind them. By this point Harry was shaking badly; tears glistening in his emerald eyes. Fear was shinning out of them as he looked up at Fred and George.
"Wh-what now?" Harry inquired shakily.
"Now we wait." Fred said gently. "Everything is going to be okay. Bill can take care of himself, plus he has Charlie and Ron watching his back. He'll be okay. He will get everyone calmed down. They really don't have a say in this Harry. It's between you and Bill. Everything is going to be okay." Fred gently took Harry in his arms as the tears started to fall. He backed up until he hit the armchair in the corner and sat down, pulling Harry into his lap. Harry cried into Fred's shoulder as he was rocked back and forth. He could hear Fred whispering comfortingly to him. "It's going to be okay baby brother. Everything is going to be okay. No one is going to take you from Bill. It's going to be okay." Fred's gentle whispering was the last thing he heard as he sobbed himself to sleep.