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Guess who's coming to dinner

In the kitchen, Harry balked for the first time, staring at the fireplace in trepidation. He looked down at his daughter, and Ron wondered what was going on behind his friend's blank face.

"Daddy?" Rose asked, taking his hand, and Ron watched Harry take a deep breath, his eyes coming up to meet the redheads. There was worry there, although Ron knew Harry wasn't about to back out. There was more than ample proof of his friend's courage. A second glance from Harry to the fireplace gave Ron a clue, which Harry confirmed seconds later.

"I can't carry her through the Floo," Harry said softly, "I always fall over when we do this, and if I did it with Rose…"

"No problem," Hermione said briskly and picked Rose up, "Rosie and I will go together. You first Ron, and then Harry. We'll go last so Rose can see how it's done. Ok Rosie?"

"Daddy?" Rose looked to Harry for reassurance and he smiled, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

"I'll be right on the other side, waiting for you with Nanny. I promise," he touched her shoulder and she nodded, excitement gleaming in her eyes. Ron took a handful of Floo powder and stepped into the fireplace. He winked at his curious niece and threw the powder into the grate, stating 'the Burrow' clearly. Instantly the green flames took him away and he waited patiently, his arms tucked in and breath held tightly. He saw his home grate and stepped forward, out into the front room and into his mothers waiting glare. She hit him with a cleaning spell before bussing his cheek and muttering hello. Bill got up from his armchair, casting aside the Daily Prophet to clap his shoulder.

"Now what on earth is going on? The twins said you were most adamant they be here early, or on time at the very least, and Ginny said you even stopped by her work!" Molly exclaimed, "Your fathers coming home early because the twins fire called him and Ginny spoke to him last night, and I've been wondering all day!"

Green flames erupted once more, and sure enough Harry fell out face first, getting his hands up to prevent himself from smashing into the floor and staggering to his feet, bright red with embarrassment. Ron hit him with a cleaning spell while his mother looked her first mystery guest over, and he could see the moment she recognised his former school friend.

"Harry!" she shrieked, and pulled him into an all-encompassing hug. Ron's breath caught when he heard his friend mumble 'hello mum' and Bill's hand landed on his shoulder again, gripping tightly. Ron grinned, glad that Molly was giving Harry a second to breathe before laying into him. Surely enough a moment later she was holding him at arms length and scolding him the way she'd scolded Ron all his life.

"Where have you been? No notes, no owls, your father and I have been worried sick!"

"Sorry, mum," Harry shuffled his feet and glanced at Ron for help. The redhead folded his arms with compunction. Harry deserved at least one telling off, because the Weasley's had been worried. Molly was the best at this particular skill, so Ron would let her have her say, and then stick up for Harry when the rest of his family started in.

"What on earth have you been doing?" Molly continued, but was interrupted as the green flames flashed into being once more. Hermione stepped gracefully from the fireplace, and Ron hit her and his niece with separate cleaning spells. Rose looked windswept to say the very least, and Harry smiled at his daughter with such tender affection that it lit the room with a soft glow.

"Mum, meet my daughter, Rose Sarah Molly Potter," the words hung in the air for a moment and then Molly held her arms out, an oddly shy expression on her face.

"Hello Nanny," Rose leaned and Molly swept her into her arms. Ron considered hexing Bill to get him to let go before his arm dropped off from lack of circulation. The familiar sound of his father's apparation drifted in from the yard, and Molly sniffed, kissed Rose and looked over at Harry.

"Go let your father in," her order broke the tableau and Bill dropped Ron's shoulder to move and introduce himself to Rose as Harry headed for the dining room and door. Rose lifted her head out of Molly's hair and beamed.

"Uncle Bill!" she cried and reached out to him. Bill was a goner, and Ron chuckled, exchanging a look with Hermione. He knew how special it felt to have Harry's only child recognise you at first sight. There was a disturbance by the door, which Ron took to mean that Arthur had spotted Harry, and the redhead sat in Bills armchair, picking up the newspaper curiously, his work for the night done. His parents would welcome Harry with open arms and as for their new grand daughter…

"Where's my Rose?" Arthur barged into the room, Harry a few steps behind. Rose squealed, making everyone wince and threw herself from Bill to Arthur with a cry of 'Poppy'. Poppy was immediate mush and Bill pulled Harry into a hug, clapping him on the back and making general welcome home noises. Harry was looking a bit dazed by this point and Hermione shoved him into a chair.

"How on earth did you find him? Molly and I have been casting tracing spells for years!" Arthur asked Hermione, sitting down with Rose on his knee and his wife at his side. Ron noticed his green eyed friend staring at the carpet as he took his own seat, his ears and neck a bit pink. Arthur Weasley was a past master at getting someone to feel guilty without directly saying anything to them. While it was true that Harry needed to do what was best for himself, his actions had affected others, and that needed to be acknowledged in some way.

"Harry was a witness in one of our cases," Hermione sat down too, and Bill discovered that Ron had taken his chair. There was a brief, heated dispute that ended with Ron on the floor and Bill smirking. Rose giggled, and Molly shot Harry an anxious look. He smiled easily and made room for Ron to share his over large chair.

"We've been staying with him and Rose since we found him," Hermione added, and Molly beamed approval. Ron had a feeling he'd be getting extra helpings at dinner tonight.

"Isn't your wife coming, dear?" she asked her adopted son, whose smile faded a little. Ron slung an arm around Harry's shoulder and sighed. Trust Molly to stumble across the one controversial topic. Rose solved the dilemma by piping up from where she was leaning into Arthur's chest.

"Mummy is with the angels," her childish voice made the line seem common place, "But she watches over me, Daddy says so."

"That's right, Rosebud," Harry nodded, "She surely does."

"And does Rose know about… you know?" Bill hinted heavily and Harry grinned, chuckling under Ron's arm. He was leaning into the touch, which Ron welcomed. He liked it that Harry was not as isolated and standoffish as he had been at school. That Harry had expected touch to hurt, this one did not.

"She does, but she's thinking about it," Harry replied, giving Ron a 'sympathetic' glance for his eventual interrogation. Ron rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"I've been interrogated by the best, Harry. Your daughter holds no terrors for me," Ron said confidently. Rose hopped off Arthur's lap and pounced on Ron's legs, growling loudly, making him jump and the rest of his family laugh.

"What ever you say Ron," Harry murmured comfortably while Bill decoyed Rose to his lap, hoisting her up with a grunt and congratulating her on her growl.

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