A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews. I really appreciate them. I hope you keep them coming though.
I'm not very good in math so I may have made a mistake in calculating the Weasleys' ages. Sorry if I have gotten anything wrong and some of the kids don't act/speak according to their age.
I'm also sorry if I did get the idea of the pensive wrong. I'm a bit of a blur when it comes to technicalities about it.
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING…(though I wish I did!)
Hope you enjoy the story though, please review!
"Ouch!" Scorpius stood up and rubbed his sore bottom. He looked at Rose and helped her stand as well. "Where are we?" he asked as he looked around and saw a house. He had never seen anything so shaggy-looking. He squinted his eyes and looked further. "Rosie, do you have a clue where we are?" he asked as he dusted off the dirt on his robes.
Rose looked around. Suddenly, a smile crept to her face. "I know where exactly this place is," she said excitedly and grabbed Scorpius's hand. "Come on, let's go inside that." She and Scorpius neared the house. "This is where my parents take me every year for Christmas, though it looks a lot better when we go there." Scorpius followed Rose to the front gate. "Welcome," Rose started, "to my father's home, the Burrow."
Scorpius raised his eyebrow. "This is the Burrow? But I've seen it in your pictures and it never looks like this." He cast his eyes sideways and saw some gnomes running around the garden. He cringed. His mother wouldn't have it back at his home, those gnomes. He looked at Rose. "Why exactly is this place, a little, er…" Scorpius stopped. He didn't want to offend Rose in any way.
"Messy?" Rose suggested as they went into the house through the back door. "Oh, Dad said it was because Grandma Weasley has too many things to do to attend to trivial things." Scorpius looked around. He did not dare speak of his opinion, but he thought of the place more than messy. Rose's eyes filled with joy as she looked about. "I've never seen the Burrow like this before," she admitted.
Scorpius looked at her. "What's the difference?" he asked.
Rose thought for a moment. "Grandma and Grandpa have cleaned the place more often than they did, I think." Scorpius nodded understandingly. He had never seen the place this disorganized when he looked at Rose's vacation pictures. "And look," said Rose as she pointed to the fireplace, "they've replaced the fireplace. I've never seen it look like this, very old."
Scorpius didn't know what to say. He had never seen a place where everything looked very disorganize and old. Back at his home, everything was on the right place and very new, as far as he could tell. There were some old things too, but they were heirlooms. Scorpius doubted that the fireplace could be the Weasleys' heirloom, or for a matter of fact, an heirloom at all.
The pair went into the kitchen. Suddenly, something moved and Rose was sure that it was neither her nor Scorpius. She looked around and saw the little box move. "What is that?" she asked. Scorpius looked at it too. There doesn't seem to be anyone around to move it. Rose walked over to it, but before she could near it, she heard someone coming down from the stairs.
"Ronald, is that you under there?" Arthur Weasley walked to the box and picked it up. Ron looked up and smiled at him. Arthur scooped Ron into his arms. "Why are you here all alone? Wasn't Bill with you?" Ron blinked twice. Arthur smiled. "Now let's go up stairs to see what's happening. We don't want to miss the action, do we?" He started to go up the stairs carrying Ron with him.
The pair stood still for a moment. They both looked at the clock where all the Weasleys' faces were seen. Every hand pointed to the word: MASTER'S BEDROOM. Rose smiled and pulled Scorpius up the stairs. "They're all gathered in my grandparents' room," she said.
"Rose…wait!" Scorpius stumbled up the stairs after Rose.
"A girl?"
"Bloody hell, she is a girl!"
"Watch the language, Bill Weasley."
"She's tiny!"
"Of course she is, she ought to be!"
"Look at her hands!"
"Dad, why does she have small hands?"
"She looks like an elf."
"Fred!"
They reached the master's bedroom. Rose looked around. It was very small compared to her parents' room. Apparently, the windows hadn't been fixed in a long time. She could spot a leak above the bed. She figured that her grandparents were seriously busy with raising their children because they had a bunch of boys and a little girl.
Scorpius looked at the room. "Isn't this too small for a master's bedroom?" he asked in a small voice. The room, to him, was a size of their guest room, which his father don't pay much attention to and say it's a waste of space even. He looked at the window. "How come they don't fix that window? It could break anytime and I daresay people sleeping on that bed would have a nasty cut if a storm comes unexpectedly and breaks it."
"Dad did mention that they didn't have so much money before," said Rose thoughtfully.
Scorpius blinked. He couldn't believe that some people would be this poor. He didn't tell this to Rose though. He knew she would get offended because this was her father's life after all. He looked around more time and couldn't help but think how lucky he was to have a home at the Malfoy's Manor. He used to think about wanting to be one of the Weasleys instead of the Malfoys, but not he was having second thoughts about that idea.
Rose and Scorpius watched from the outside of the master's bedroom. The Weasley boys crowded about the bed while Molly Weasley and Arthur Weasley were on it, Arthur carrying the youngest boy, Ronald, in his arms. Rose pulled Scorpius nearer to the scene. Her eyes widened with what she saw. Ginny Weasley looked very tiny as she was held by Molly. She wiggled her nose and everyone laughed at her. They all looked very pleased. Scorpius studied the scene.
"You mean there are seven in the Weasley family?" he asked as he counted the boys and Ginny. Rose nodded. Scorpius laid his eyes on the baby. "Oh, and Ginny was the only girl? I didn't know this." He suddenly became as interested as Rose. "Look, your dad was tiny too," he pointed out as he gazed at one (and a quarter)-year-old Ron.
Charlie blinked twice. "I can't believe we finally have a girl in the family," she said. Bill nodded in agreement. He looked closer at Ginny. "Mum, are you positive that this one is a girl?" he asked again, leaning towards the bed so that he could have a better look at Ginny who gurgled as her response.
Molly laughed. "Oh, I am quite sure that she is. After all, I was the one who gave birth to her." Molly rocked the baby. "The Weasleys hadn't had a girl in centuries and I believe Ginny is very special." Her eyes twinkled as she watched her daughter quietly go to sleep. She looked to her side and saw Ron staring at her. "She's your new little sister, Ron," Molly said. She reached out to Ron and touched his face. "Don't give me that look, Dear."
Fred laughed. "Look at Ronnie!"
"He likes Ginny," Bill pointed out the obvious. "Unlike two people who caused a racket when Ron was born," he said, flashing a look at the twins.
"Unfair!" said George, pouting.
"Hush boys," said Arthur. "If you are going to make that racket, go down. The baby is going to sleep now." Ron moved slowly as he tried to reach out for his new sister. Arthur chuckled. "She's sleeping now, Ron. You can touch her when she wakes up. She looks very tired." Ron looked upset when his father pulled him away from Ginny. Arthur stroked his son's hair. "Why don't we let Ginny and your bother rest," he looked at the other boys, "and let's go down and fix some lunch."
"Gi-nny." Everyone turned their attention to little Ron who was still trying to reach out to Ginny. Arthur stared at the little boy. "Gi-nny," Ron repeated as his father set him on the bed and watched him softly touch Ginny's little ear.
A tear trickled down Molly's eye. "That was sweet," she whispered. She watched as Ron looked at Ginny. Everyone else looked stunned. "He finally said his first word. Ginny…" She cradled Ginny in her arms when the baby started to move. When Ginny calmed down and went back to sleep, Molly held out her hand and pulled Ron into a gently one-armed hug. "I'm so proud of you, Ron. You are finally talking. Oh Ron…"
Fred rolled his eyes. "Oh Ron," he mimicked. Arthur flashed a warning look at him. Fred grinned impishly and looked at George. "I'm going to the bathroom." George's eyes sparkled as if something was they were cooking up a new plot on the spot. The twins quickly disappeared from the room as Arthur sighed.
"He's talking," said Percy. "Dad, he's talking!"
Arthur nodded. "I believe he is." He ruffled the little hair that Ron had. "We have another great wizard Weasley right here," he said proudly. Ron looked and smiled at him as if he understood what his father said. "You look like me when I was about your age, don't you?" Arthur carried Ron into his lap again. "Very much alike and handsome aren't we, son? I believe it's like father like son."
Molly playfully rolled her eyes. "I hope he doesn't get as cocky as you," she said.
Bill crossed his arms across his chest. "And we're not your sons, Dad? May I remind you that you have eight of us here."
"I know Bill. It's hard to miss," replied Arthur. Ron repeated his first word again. "Didn't Fred and George start talking only a few months after their second birthday." Percy and Charlie nodded simultaneously. Arthur beamed. "Ha-ha! We have a genius one here too!"
Percy frowned. "I started talking when I was ten months. My first word was Da-da," he reminded his father, not wanting to be left out. Of all the Weasley boys, Percy was the one who blurted out his first word, which was as he said, Da-da. "Dad!" Percy tugged on Arthur's robes. "Don't you remember that I was the first one ever to say Da-da?" he asked, now looking disappointed.
Arthur placed his hand on Percy's head. "Of course I do, Percy. You were the first of all your brothers to have said your first word. I'm very much proud and honored that it is Da-da." Percy grinned widely, causing Bill to roll his eyes. "I saw that Bill." Bill tried to look as innocent as possible. Ron suddenly tried to reach out to Ginny again. "What is it, son?" asked Arthur.
"Gi-nny!" Arthur placed Ron in front of the baby. Ron tilted his head and apparently gently moved so he wouldn't wake up the baby. Molly smiled at the peculiar behavior that her son exhibited. "Gi-nny," Ron repeated. His eyes widened.
"How could Dad remember this? He's barely one…" said Rose, looking at the baby-version of her father. Scorpius shrugged. Rose looked at Ron. "Isn't Dad adorable when he was a baby? Look at those cute-looking freckles!" She smiled as she walked even nearer. "Look at him looking so tiny. Mum's right! Hugo does look like Dad a lot. Look at him. Oh, except for the ears. I believe Hugo got Mum's ears."
Scorpius watched as Ron still stared at Ginny. "Ginny is your dad's first word? I wouldn't have expected that." Rose nodded thoughtfully. Scorpius looked around the room. He could clearly see a hole in the ceiling. The closet looked as if it had been handed down from generations to generations for years. The bed that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were on creaked as they moved. Scorpius also noticed the patches that were sewn on the boys' clothes. He daren't ask Rose why.
Charlie tilted his head a little. "Her nose looks too little," he said as he observed the baby. Charlie, being a little obsessive compulsive at the moment, went on. "Her eyes aren't the same size. Look, the right one is slightly bigger than the left. Her ears aren't in proportion with her face and look at her lips, they're too hug for her face!"
"And we love her all the more," said Arthur. "She'll turn out to be a beautiful girl, you'll see." He smiled at Ginny and Molly. "Let's leave the two girls to rest now. Why don't us boys go down and find something to eat?" he suggested. He took Ron to his hands and kissed Molly. "I'll be up with some tea in a while," he whispered. He looked at the three other boys. "Charlie, be of help and go find Fred and George," he said. Charlie hesitated. "I do think I have a Chocolate Frog somewhere…"
"I'm on it," Charlie said quickly and disappeared.
Bill frowned. "Why don't I get the Chocolate Frog?" he asked.
"Me too," Percy chimed in.
Ron looked at his father as if wanting to say something he couldn't express in words. Arthur sighed and shook his head. "Let's just go down and grab a bite, shall we? We don't want your mother staring. You all be of good help when you help me make the food for your Mum." Bill and Percy nodded at the same time. Ron still looked blankly at his father.
The two boys vanished from the scene and that left Molly, Arthur, babies Ron and Ginny. "They all do grow up quickly, don't they?" whispered Molly as she rocked the waking baby once more. Arthur nodded in agreement. Molly looked at Arthur. "Can I have Ron here for a moment please, Arthur?" she said. Arthur placed their son beside Molly. "He's getting as big as ever." Ron smiled at his mother. Molly smiled back. "Aren't you the sweetheart, Ronnie?"
"Gi-nny," Ron replied. Arthur laughed in amusement.
"At least he's able to talk now," Arthur said. "We won't be worrying about any of our boys being mute." Molly laughed at that. He looked at his daughter. "She's perfect, Molly." Molly nodded. Arthur took Ron in his arms again. "We'll be downstairs and you can holler if you need us. Get some rest. I'm sure you and Ginny need a lot of it." Ron comfortably snuggled in Arthur's arms.
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With arms wide open
Under the sunlight
Welcome to this place
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
Now everything has changed
I'll show you love
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
With arms wide open
I'll show you everything ...oh yeah
With arms wide open..wide open
-Creed-
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Rose's eyes followed Arthur. "They're going downstairs!" she said. Scorpius followed her towards the staircase, but everything went black before they knew it. Rose looked at Scorpius. "What's happening?" she asked frantically as the black scene swirled around the both of them
Scorpius looked at her calmly. "Your Dad must have fallen asleep."
A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I hope to see you at the next chapter. Please review this too and tell me what you think, because if I don't know what you think of the story, I do take it as a negative sign...(I'm being very pessimistic at time, especially when I try out new ideas!) With whatever suggestion or comment you give, I'll try to make it better next chapter.
NEXT CHAPTER: Brotherly Love