Chapter 3: A visit from Dumbledore (Bad News but Good News)
The nine young people headed toward the house and the large feast that they knew Mrs.Weasley had prepared. They were laughing and talking when Bill opened the door to the kitchen and saw Dumbledore sitting at the table with his parents.
"Mum, Dad, what's wrong?" Bill asked, stepping out of the doorway to make room for everyone else to enter. Mr.Weasley turned toward the crowd in the doorway and cleared his throat.
"Albus has come with some news. Why don't you younger kids head upstairs," he said, looking at his children. "Except for you Harry, Dumbledore needs to speak with you too." Fred, George, Angelina, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny headed for the stairs.
"Just call us if you need us, Harry," Ron told him before heading up the stairs. Harry sat down at the table with Mr. and Mrs.Weasley, Professor Dumbledore, Bill and Charlie.
"What's wrong, Professor?" he asked, looking at the sad faces of his best friend's parents.
"Harry, I have some bad news for you," Albus said, reaching across the table. "You will not be able to return to the Dursley's next summer."
Harry looked at him and smiled. "That's okay, Professor Dumbledore. I didn't like going back there. But I thought that I had to," Harry looked at him, confused.
"Well, there has been an accident and the protections that were once there are no longer effective," he told the boy.
Harry looked at Mr. and Mrs.Weasley, who were the closest thing to parents that Harry had. "What happened?"
Mrs.Weasley reached over and squeezed his hand. "I'm so sorry, Harry," she told him. "But your Aunt was in an accident today."
Dumbledore watched Harry's face and continued with what Molly had said. "She was hurt in a car accident. Your Uncle and cousin were less injured, but your Aunt will not be returning to the house for quite awhile. She is in a muggle hospital, her injuries are serious. Arthur and Molly have offered you a home with them, if you would like to stay here."
"You mean that I could live here?" he asked, his shock evident in the widening of his green eyes.
Molly smiled at him. "Albus is going to do the wards and spells to protect the burrow just like Hogwarts. We would love to have you stay with us," she told him. She stood up and walked over behind him, and gave him a hug.
Harry looked around the table at the five adults. "Are you sure, Mrs.Weasley? Having me here could put the whole family in danger," he said, watching Bill and Charlie.
Bill stood up, "I'm going to go and get started on the protections for the house, and I'm going to owl a few friends of mine to come and help. I know a few people that could make this house safe, and a few that will be happy to help me try and tear down the protection." He went into the living room and came back with parchment, quill and a bottle of ink. He quickly began writing a few notes.
Arthur looked over at Harry, he was like a son to him. "Believe me Harry, we have discussed this with Albus many times in the past five years. This is something that we want to do. You have always been welcome in this house and always will be," he smiled at the boy, and stood up. "I'm going to get to work on building Harry his own room. I'm sure that he must be tired of the orange walls in Ron's room by now."
Harry looked around at the older members of the family that had treated him like one of their own. "Thank you. I don't know what I would do if it wasn't for all of you."
Charlie patted him on the shoulder, "That's what family is for," he said. "I'll come and give you a hand, Dad." Charlie got up and he and Mr.Weasley went up the stairs.
"Nothing to worry about, Harry. I'll be seeing you on September first," Albus told him heading for the door. "You will be safe here with Molly and Arthur. And they will be safe with you here, I'll make sure of it." With that said, he walked out the door and started waving his wand at the house. Bill finished writing and got up from the table.
"Harry, could I use Hedwig? I have Errol and Pig, but I need one more owl to get the notes there as fast as possible," Bill said.
"Bill, why don't you just floo call them. It would be much quicker, and then poor Errol could get some well deserved rest," Mrs.Weasley said, as she cleared the table and started moving pots of food onto it. "I'll even make some more food, so that I'm sure that there is enough for everyone."
"Alright Mum. Harry, why don't you go up and give Ron, Ginny and the twins the news," he said to Harry as he threw some floo powder into the flames. "I'm sure that they will be thrilled."
Harry got up from the table and walked up the stairs. As he was passing Ginny's room, an arm reached out and pulled him into the room.
"Well?" Ron asked. "What's going on?"
Harry smiled at him, "Well, it was bad news that had good news with it," he told them.
Ginny pulled him over to her bed and made him sit down. "Spill it, the suspense is killing us," she told him, flopping down next to him.
"Well, right now, Dumbledore is outside strengthening the wards on the burrow, Bill is floo calling some curse breakers to try and tear them down, Oh and your dad and Charlie are building me my own room," he said.
"What does that have to do with the news?" Fred asked.
"Why are you getting your own room?" George added.
"Well, my aunt was in an accident and won't be back home for awhile, so your parents want me to live here," Harry told them. "And I'm getting my own room because your dad thinks that I'm probably tired of the orange walls in Ron's room."
Ginny laughed and hugged Harry. "I guess I should say 'Welcome Home'," she told him.
"You're right Ginny, this is home for me. Everyone I care about is here."
Ron shook his head, "It's about time that Dumbledore let you live here. Mum and Dad have been on him since first year to get you away from those muggles." He looked over at Fred and George, "Hey, so now we can come home for Christmas,"
"Now I have a home to come to," Harry answered
The nine young people headed toward the house and the large feast that they knew Mrs.Weasley had prepared. They were laughing and talking when Bill opened the door to the kitchen and saw Dumbledore sitting at the table with his parents.
"Mum, Dad, what's wrong?" Bill asked, stepping out of the doorway to make room for everyone else to enter. Mr.Weasley turned toward the crowd in the doorway and cleared his throat.
"Albus has come with some news. Why don't you younger kids head upstairs," he said, looking at his children. "Except for you Harry, Dumbledore needs to speak with you too." Fred, George, Angelina, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny headed for the stairs.
"Just call us if you need us, Harry," Ron told him before heading up the stairs. Harry sat down at the table with Mr. and Mrs.Weasley, Professor Dumbledore, Bill and Charlie.
"What's wrong, Professor?" he asked, looking at the sad faces of his best friend's parents.
"Harry, I have some bad news for you," Albus said, reaching across the table. "You will not be able to return to the Dursley's next summer."
Harry looked at him and smiled. "That's okay, Professor Dumbledore. I didn't like going back there. But I thought that I had to," Harry looked at him, confused.
"Well, there has been an accident and the protections that were once there are no longer effective," he told the boy.
Harry looked at Mr. and Mrs.Weasley, who were the closest thing to parents that Harry had. "What happened?"
Mrs.Weasley reached over and squeezed his hand. "I'm so sorry, Harry," she told him. "But your Aunt was in an accident today."
Dumbledore watched Harry's face and continued with what Molly had said. "She was hurt in a car accident. Your Uncle and cousin were less injured, but your Aunt will not be returning to the house for quite awhile. She is in a muggle hospital, her injuries are serious. Arthur and Molly have offered you a home with them, if you would like to stay here."
"You mean that I could live here?" he asked, his shock evident in the widening of his green eyes.
Molly smiled at him. "Albus is going to do the wards and spells to protect the burrow just like Hogwarts. We would love to have you stay with us," she told him. She stood up and walked over behind him, and gave him a hug.
Harry looked around the table at the five adults. "Are you sure, Mrs.Weasley? Having me here could put the whole family in danger," he said, watching Bill and Charlie.
Bill stood up, "I'm going to go and get started on the protections for the house, and I'm going to owl a few friends of mine to come and help. I know a few people that could make this house safe, and a few that will be happy to help me try and tear down the protection." He went into the living room and came back with parchment, quill and a bottle of ink. He quickly began writing a few notes.
Arthur looked over at Harry, he was like a son to him. "Believe me Harry, we have discussed this with Albus many times in the past five years. This is something that we want to do. You have always been welcome in this house and always will be," he smiled at the boy, and stood up. "I'm going to get to work on building Harry his own room. I'm sure that he must be tired of the orange walls in Ron's room by now."
Harry looked around at the older members of the family that had treated him like one of their own. "Thank you. I don't know what I would do if it wasn't for all of you."
Charlie patted him on the shoulder, "That's what family is for," he said. "I'll come and give you a hand, Dad." Charlie got up and he and Mr.Weasley went up the stairs.
"Nothing to worry about, Harry. I'll be seeing you on September first," Albus told him heading for the door. "You will be safe here with Molly and Arthur. And they will be safe with you here, I'll make sure of it." With that said, he walked out the door and started waving his wand at the house. Bill finished writing and got up from the table.
"Harry, could I use Hedwig? I have Errol and Pig, but I need one more owl to get the notes there as fast as possible," Bill said.
"Bill, why don't you just floo call them. It would be much quicker, and then poor Errol could get some well deserved rest," Mrs.Weasley said, as she cleared the table and started moving pots of food onto it. "I'll even make some more food, so that I'm sure that there is enough for everyone."
"Alright Mum. Harry, why don't you go up and give Ron, Ginny and the twins the news," he said to Harry as he threw some floo powder into the flames. "I'm sure that they will be thrilled."
Harry got up from the table and walked up the stairs. As he was passing Ginny's room, an arm reached out and pulled him into the room.
"Well?" Ron asked. "What's going on?"
Harry smiled at him, "Well, it was bad news that had good news with it," he told them.
Ginny pulled him over to her bed and made him sit down. "Spill it, the suspense is killing us," she told him, flopping down next to him.
"Well, right now, Dumbledore is outside strengthening the wards on the burrow, Bill is floo calling some curse breakers to try and tear them down, Oh and your dad and Charlie are building me my own room," he said.
"What does that have to do with the news?" Fred asked.
"Why are you getting your own room?" George added.
"Well, my aunt was in an accident and won't be back home for awhile, so your parents want me to live here," Harry told them. "And I'm getting my own room because your dad thinks that I'm probably tired of the orange walls in Ron's room."
Ginny laughed and hugged Harry. "I guess I should say 'Welcome Home'," she told him.
"You're right Ginny, this is home for me. Everyone I care about is here."
Ron shook his head, "It's about time that Dumbledore let you live here. Mum and Dad have been on him since first year to get you away from those muggles." He looked over at Fred and George, "Hey, so now we can come home for Christmas,"
"Now I have a home to come to," Harry answered