A/n: sorry so long between chapters. Very busy. Enjoy.



They stepped inside the house, and were greeted immediately by the warm scent of baking bread.

"Mhmm," Harry murmured, "smells good." He looked around the mismatched Weasley house. Magazines were still heaped through out the rooms, a warm sense of family could felt everywhere, and someone, presumably Mrs Weasley, was baking cookies. Harry sighed happily. Almost everything was as he remembered.

Draco was thinking along somewhat different lines than Harry when Ginny first led them into the house. He had only been here once before, and that was during the blur of preparations that led to Ron and Hermione's wedding, he really had no memories to compare with.

It was quite an eccentric place, as far he could see. They were standing inside the living room, facing a long, worn couch, upon which sat-

"Bill! Look who showed up!" The oldest Weasley glanced up from the cross-spell puzzle he was doing. He saw Harry first, and grinned hugely. "Harry!" he said, enveloping his young friend in a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Business," Harry replied, trying to look serious, but this odd expression did not suit him at all, and Bill laughed.

Ginny coughed pointedly, and when the two men looked at her, she said, "Shouldn't someone tell Mum about the two intruders in out house?"

"Two?" Bill looked, finally at Draco, and that million-watt smile lit on gain. "Draco? Don't tell me you two are still together!" He moved toward Draco and shook his hand warmly, glancing at Ginny. "I'll get Mum."

"Would you like to sit down?" Ginny asked, gesturing to the now vacated couch.

"'Course," Harry said, plopping down in the middle and immediately slouched down comfortably, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Draco came to sit next to him, a bit more reserved, but still pretty much at ease.

They had barely begun to chat when Bill led Mrs Weasley, cooking mitts on her hands, into the room, his hands over her eyes. "This really is silly, dear," she said, "what could possibly-"

Her eyes widened in shock the instant Bill took his hands away from her eyes. "Harry!" she exclaimed. She pulled him from the couch and gave him his third Weasley hug of the day. She let go and held him at arm's length. "Let me look at you, child." She did the quick body assessment test that only mothers can do, and announced, "You cannot possibly be eating enough, Harry. Look how slim you are!"

Harry grinned. "Really, Mrs Weasley, I honestly do eat quite a bit. Ask Draco."

At this, Mrs Weasley's eyes roved over to the couch, where Draco serenely. "Dear, and how are you?"

He stood up, also, and grinned. She let go of Harry, and moved to hug Draco also. "My, my, boys, what do you eat in the States? Nothing? You are much too skinny, my boy. But don't worry; I have faith that some decent food will get some meat on your bones! Come into the kitchen, boys, we'll have a little feast tonight. Everyone but Charlie should be here¦" she smiled once more at her two favorite non-Weasley males, and hurried to the kitchen.

Harry, Draco, Ginny, and Bill began making their way into the kitchen. "Where's Charlie?" Draco asked curiously. Ginny giggled.

"We don't really know. It's odd, isn't it? But we haven't seen him for a while now. He writes though, and he recently told us he has a new girlfriend. He'll stop by, though, if we tell him you're here."

"How long are you staying, by the way?" Bill asked, as Harry reached to open the door into the dining room. He started to respond, but just then Bill slapped himself on the forehead. "Lizzie. Stupid me. I'll be right back."

"Who's Lizzie?" Harry asked.

"My little sister."

Draco stared. "But I thought--"

Just then, Bill came back into the room, a young child in his arms. They all stepped through the doorway, Harry and Draco looking curiously at the little girl.

She had silky black hair pulled back into pigtails; deep blue eyes, and she kept yawning sleepily.

"That can't possibly be a Weasley," Draco said in disbelief.

"In everything but blood," Mrs Weasley responded from behind the counter.

"Mum got sentimental last fall when she realized she had no children to escort to the Hogwarts Express anymore. So we got Lizzie," Ginny explained to Harry and Draco.

"That's the condensed, Ginny-version of it," Mrs Weasley said, smiling. "But yes, that's basically what happened. Fred and George dote on her. To much, I should--"

There was a sudden banging in the direction of the front porch, and two loud male voices could be heard distinctly, shouting to some third party.


"Ah." Mrs Weasley glanced at Harry and Draco. "Here are the twins."