Takes place a few weeks before the start of fourth year for trio. This one focuses largely on Scorpius, and his interaction with the Weasley family.

-oOo-

The Burrow was crowded, noisy, warm, cozy and if not a bit claustrophobic. The building must have been held up by magic itself, for Scorpius feared it would tip any moment; the amount of red heads moving from floor to floor did not help his fears of a complete architectural collapse. He had heard stories of the old Weasley hold out from not only Rose and Albus, but also from the other Weasley/Potter kids he had gotten to know through his years at Hogwarts. The way they spoke of the place left Scorpius wishing to see it with his own eyes. That desire had been fulfilled just weeks prior to the start of his fourth year. The annual Weasley gathering at the Burrow had been extended to the young Malfoy, much to his surprise. He knew many of the Weasley kids pretty well, but the fear of meeting the older members of the family had been burning in the back of his mind for some time now.

He had already met Harry and Ginny on Platform 9 ¾ while getting off the train first year. The man had smiled at him with underlining tension on his lips as if unsure what to make of the child. The meeting had been short as his mother had found him and took him home after a short conversation with Harry. Overtime, the Boy Who Lived had become more comfortable with Scorpius, to the point of not thinking twice in allowing him into his home. His meeting Ron and Hermione had gone a bit differently. The woman had smiled at him openly, while her husband seemed to be fighting the desire to leave. He had given him a chance after second year, but Rose's father still frightened him slightly, as he never knew what the man felt towards him. The thought that all of Rose's uncles would react the same way as her father had the first time ticked in the back of his mind and frightened him.

So his nervousness whenever he arrived at the Burrow by side along apparition via Harry and his family was understandable. He was a Malfoy stepping into the home base of the Weasley clan. Generations of Malfoy's before him would never had stepped foot into the home. In truth, his ancestors prior would have never thought to associate with the Weasley family in general. And yet here he was, a silver haired Malfoy moving through the mass of Weasley red heads. The prejudice and purity of bloodlines didn't sit with the fourteen year old like it had for so many before him. He honestly didn't care about the differences in blood statues. He only hoped that the members of the family would allow him the chance to show them that. To show them that he wasn't just another Malfoy corrupted by a racist upbringing.

It had been a reassurance to see Teddy and his grandmother among the family. Scorpius had grown close to Teddy over the years, as Andromeda and Narcissa had reformed the bonds lost during the war, and made sure to allow their grandsons ample time to get to know one another. His blue haired cousin of so many times removed and his grandmother were the first to greet him when he entered. Teddy had drawn the entire Potter family and Scorpius into a tightly gripped hug, his thin, lanky arms fighting to grip around and include all of them. From there, Scorpius had managed to venture farther and farther into the mass of Weasleys, getting to know every one of them in different manners. Rose and Albus had taken the responsibility to introduce him to everyone. Lily had trailed behind, doing well to stick by Scorpius' side as best as she could. The mass of Weasleys he had been introduced to was more than his mind could fathom. He was intelligent, there was no questioning that, be when dozens and dozens of names had been pressed into his mind in such a short period, it was clear that he missed one of three.

Scorpius did well to try and keep track of Rose's uncles though; as each of them had made it fit to remind him that if he ever hurt Rose, just what it was they could do to him. He always gave a confused stare, wondering how any of them had managed to pick up on his feelings for the girl, but decided to brush it off, not wishing to let those forming feelings come out into the open. Especially while in a house full of people who either smiled at him, or glared at him with a passion to smite. Out of all the relatives he had met, it was George Weasley that still stuck with him even after. The joke store owner had glared at his mess of platinum blonde hair for several seconds before something clicked, and a smile had spread over his aged face. George laughed out loud, taking Scorpius' hand and shacking it firmly. The Malfoy had been surprised at how easily the man welcomed him. It wasn't until George told him about how he had heard of all the trouble that Scorpius had caused alongside Rose and Albus that Scorpius understood. He had spent the better part of an hour with George and his family, gaining knowledge of hiding places in the castle and listening to him talk of all the trouble he used to cause with his brother.

But the most shocking interaction to nearly all of them was how easily Scorpius and Arthur Weasley got along. After retiring from the Ministry the year prior, Arthur had taken over the position of Muggle Studies teacher for Hogwarts. He and Scorpius had hit it off the start of third year whenever he had shown up to his class along with Rose, dragging a reluctant Albus Potter behind them. Arthur's fascination with Muggle technology was matched with Scropius'.

There had been an almost two hour stretch where both Scorpius and Arthur had gone missing during the Burrow reunion. It wasn't until a small explosion came from the shed where Arthur stored his collected of Muggle objects that they had been found, dusting smoke off their clothes while frowning at the burning toaster in the yard. The two had only smirked sheepishly at the family members, before they continued to discuss what it was that they had been.

The hours wore on, no one realizing just how late it was getting. The sun began to set, only for the lights to come on and brighten the area with enough light that it seemed to be noon once more. After dinner, several of the members of the family had grabbed brooms and headed out into the back for a makeshift game of Quidditch. Scorpius had declined to play, instead taking a place in the grass, watching with fascination as the teams divided and set into the game quickly. His eyes darted between Rose; beating the Quaffle back and forth with a look of determination of her face, and Albus, who seemed at ease with the position of chaser. Taking his eyes off of his two friends, he watched Harry and Teddy, the two opposing Seekers sitting perfectly still. Their eyes would travel over the field searching for the small, beaten up Snitch that danced between the players. Scorpius would catch glimpses of gold in the air, just before both Harry and Teddy would dart towards it. The two would chase after, but it was clear that neither of them wished to catch it this early into the game. There seemed to be a friendly banter passing between the godfather and godson as they darted back and forth, only to allow the Snitch to disappear before turning their attention back to the game being played. Scorpius watched, partly wishing he had grabbed a broom of his own, but enjoying watching the game none the less. Watching Teddy and Harry was enough to make his sidelined position worth it. He had heard great tales of Harry Potter's time as a Seeker. His father had told him several stories of the man's Seeker career at Hogwarts. Draco always told the stories with a bit of nostalgic frustration, but even the old Slytherin held a respect for Harry's talents on the field.

"I never did get Quidditch." The voice startled Scorpius. He drew his eyes from the game, and looked upon the woman sitting beside him. Mrs. Molly Weasley had hit a ripe old age, it was clear in the drop of her eyes. Her hair held wisps of grey throughout. The shine in her old eyes was still youthful and energized, and her smile never seemed to stop growing. She sent a grin towards him, before turning to look at the game. "I remember going to watch the games while I was at Hogwarts. I never could quite follow though. Even when the kids started to play, I never did understand anything they were saying about it. I guess I just am not one for sports. What about you? Why aren't you up there playing?"

"Decided to watch." Scorpius shrugged, unsure of where he stood with Mrs. Weasley. He had been introduced to her shortly upon arrival, but the exchange had been cut short when he had been grabbed by James and Fred and taken to meet George. She had scolded Arthur for the explosion earlier, and merely smiled sadly at Scorpius and warned him not to get too mixed up with Arthur's antics. She seemed alright enough, but he was never fully sure. He had made the mistake of thinking that Percy was okay with him, but that had proven a bad assumption to make. He didn't want to make the same mistake and make himself look like a fool in front of another Weasley. "I wanted to watch Mr. Potter in action. I heard he was pretty amazing Seeker."

The two turned their heads to where Harry sat in the sky. The man's focus was clearly no longer on the game, instead he and Teddy were sitting beside one another on their brooms, nudging the other. Their antics earned a few quick remarks from Ron down by the goals that were barely heard by those who watched. Scorpius caught movement from the corner of his eyes. Glancing back, he spotted that several members of the family had come out to watch the ensuing game. He turned back to Molly as she smiled down at him. She smirked cheerfully. "If only he could pay attention long enough to play. I swear, him and Teddy act more like kids than it's healthy for them. And when Ron gets in it, it's like none of them grew up."

Scorpius chuckled, watching as Harry flew over towards the goals, yelling things at Ron in order to disrupt his concentration. It proved to work as Albus sunk the Quaffle through the hope. Laughter rang throughout the field. Scorpius sat back, watching at the players continued on the game, paying no mind to the distractions Harry and Teddy threw at them. It was possible that the two had forgotten about finding the Snitch. But the flash of gold in the distance would snap the two out of it, and they would head after it, only to once more pull up and fall back instead of catching it. He once again figured that they were trying their hardest to not end the game quickly. "Rose tells me you play Seeker for Ravenclaw."

Molly's voice drew Scorpius out of his daze. Nodding once, he looked at her. "Ya. I joined last year."

"How you like the team?"

Scorpius was unsure of all the questioning. Molly seemed to have a quinine interest, but part of him still feared and waited for the complete rejection he was so used to. Almost no one at the Burrow had showed him the hostility he was used to receiving when people learned of his name for the first time. There had been several instances of uneasiness, but none of them brushed him off or made any indication that he wasn't welcomed. It was nice, but the fear still sat with him. Brushing it off, he answered her question. "I love it. Playing for the team is so much cooler than playing in my backyard."

Molly nodded, the smile never leaving her face. From the Quidditch game, they could hear Harry calling for what time it was. An answer was shouted back to him, informing him that it was reaching nearly ten o'clock. The nod he gave was visible to all. Before anyone could react, his broom was turned around, and he was flying to the right. The speed he took the old broom was neck breaking, and Scorpius could only watch in awe as he weaved through the others. Brushing passed Teddy, Harry left his godson looking startled and unsure for a moment. By time Teddy turned his broom around to follow, Harry was already holding the Snitch in his hand calling for the game to end. Scorpius felt his jaw drop. It had taken all of ten seconds for him to end the game that had been dragging on for over two hours. The game began to disband, as balls were placed back into the beaten up trunk, and the goal posts magically transformed back into the thin pillars that had been previously.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Scorpius turned once more to Molly, noticing the glowing smile she was giving him. "While they're putting that away do you want to help me get the cookies out? I just finished a fresh batch before coming out here, they should be cool enough. And I could use an extra pair of hands. These old arms of mine get tired quickly."

"Sure thing." Scorpius beamed before moving to get to his feet. Molly rose, a little shaky at first, but she gained her balance. Throwing an arm around his shoulder, she led him towards the house with a smile. The crowd watching the game had disbanded as well, either heading back into the house, or down to help put the game away.

"We're all glad to have you by the way." Molly spoke as they stepped through the house and into the spacious kitchen. The bustle of noise coming from the other rooms made him wonder if he had heard her correctly. But as Molly stepped away, heading over to check on the cookies that sat on the stove time, he realized he had heard her right.

"Thanks." Scorpius answered quietly, trying to fight the smile on his face. In the back ground he could hear the rest of the family coming in. Molly handed him a specula, pointing him towards the second sheet of cookies. Moving beside her, he carefully took the cookies off of the pan, licking his lips at the way the chocolate chips glistened appetizingly in the light as he moved them onto the plate. It only took a few minutes before the two large sheets of cookies were separated onto the two plates. The smell of fresh baked cookies danced through the kitchen air, and drifted through the house. They had just managed to get the treats onto the dining room table before the room was filled with the Weasley family. He spotted Rose and Albus on the other side of the room, the two making their way over towards where he stood.

"Make sure you get a few cookies for yourself." Molly placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head up to her as she continued speaking. "Merlin knows they go so quickly in this house."

Scorpius nodded, figuring that was all she had to say. That proved to be wrong as she gave his shoulder a squeeze and smiled at him once more. "And I meant what I said, we are all happy to have you here. So do worry so much about trying to fit in. You're family now Scorpius."

"Thanks Mrs. Weasley." Scorpius beamed.

Molly chuckled, "call me Grandma. There's got to be at least a dozen Mrs. Weasley's in this house at the moment. Besides, I've already claimed you as one of my grandkids."

Scorpius's smile was built on a full hearted chuckle. "Okay."

Rose and Albus caught up to them at that moment. The two dragged their friend into a tight hug, laughing with one another over nothing really. Rose asked if he had watched her play, a large grin on her face. Albus continued to shove cookies into his mouth, muttering something about lovebirds and needing to find a room.

The excitement in the Burrow continued on into the night, before the kids were rushed off to the rooms they were staying in for the night. Scorpius found himself sharing the room with Albus, Fred, Hugo and James. The five of them kept up the party late into the morning.

-oOo-

Chapter two, check and done. Reached well into the 2,000 word count range, nearly hitting 3,000. A bit longer than I had intended, but oh well.