It all happened so fast, Arthur, Tonks, and Moody rushed into the room where the sobbing woman was. They all gathered around her, waiting for answers. Arthur knew his wife was going to have a breakdown, Harry was their son, and now social services was asking them to part with a family member, as if Harry was a piece of furniture where he could get passed around from house to house. He adored the boy just as much as Molly and the children and would be devastated at the loss that would be felt throughout the house when Harry was gone.
Harry he found was the most indulgent in his flighty whims. Whenever Arthur suggested they tear something apart and rebuild it, Harry was always there, ready to lend a helping hand, and watched fascinated as something simple was made into something more complex.
"Molly it's ok, everything will be ok." Arthur tried to tell the hysterical woman feeling on the verge of crying himself. "Children go upstairs now, and don't come down until we tell you to." Arthur ordered, he never was stern with his kids, they were good most of the time and they had him wrapped around their fingers, every single one of them.
"Dad we have a right to be here, Harry's our brother too. Don't we get a say in this." Percy asked his face becoming angry. Why couldn't they have a choice whether this man took their brother away from them or not. Where was the man after all these years, and why didn't he claim Harry in the first place. Percy was beyond angry, and it took Bill, who could see their dad trying to hold it all together ready to explode, drag him up the stairs to their rooms.
"It won't be, it won't be. Please Mr. Moody that's my son, my little boy. I'm his mother, I'm the one that's dried his tears after nightmares, I'm the one that held the little boy when he fell down, and I'm the one that had to reassure him that nobody was going to hurt him ever again. Can you say that about the man that abandoned him? Can you? He's my son, and I love him more than life, you can't take him, there has to be another option." Molly beseeched them hoping to win some emotional points to make them see reason.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Weasley, but the father has requested his son's return to him immediately. And that is what we shall be doing. I will tell you though the man is a decent person, well to do so he will be able to support Harry in financial matters, and he wants to be a part of his son's life. Since there is no other claim to the boy by blood relatives it's our job to see that the boy is reunited with his father. Now Mrs. Weasley where is he, we have a busy evening ahead of us and we have to get going."
"He's not here." Molly sobbed.
"Mrs. Weasley, are you telling me you helped the boy run, you do know that's an illegal offence."
"Hey." Arthur shouted. It was one thing to demand they relinquish their rights over Harry, but it was another when they threaten his wife with being arrested.
"Moody I'll talk to Molly, why don't you go around the block see if you can find him." Tonks got in the middle. She knew Molly wouldn't have let Harry go, but Molly wouldn't take well to a threat either.
"I'll be back in ten minutes." Replied the gruff older man.
Tonks didn't even acknowledge her superior as he walked out the door; instead she sat down on the couch and wrapped her arms around the matriarch. "Oh Molly, I am so very sorry." She cooed.
"My baby." Molly said as if she was talking to herself, forgetting that there were people in the room with her.
"I know Molly, I know. Harry is a very special boy." Tonks whispered soothingly. She had been able to learn from Molly growing up, and this time Molly was the one that needed the comforting and reassurances, instead of her brood.
"Tell me Nymphadora, and I want the truth." Molly said against the younger woman.
"As long as I can Molly." Under jurisdiction there was certain information that Tonks would not be allowed legally to give out to anyone, except with the permission of the father, in this case he wished for his person to remain anonymous for now.
"Will Harry be alright, will his father love him just as much as we do." With her eyes all red and puffy, Molly looked into the brown eyes of her best friends daughter, wanting to see the truth, wanting the assurance that the boy will want for nothing in that department.
"I can guarantee that Molly. He is a good man, and I will tell you this, he loved Harry's mother very much, but there were circumstances, and he didn't know that she was pregnant; otherwise he has sworn that he would have been there for his baby from day one. He will be loved Molly."
Molly wiped her eyes pushed herself off of the couch in a more exhausted way than normal, more like as if she were walking to her death, turned to her husband and said, "I'm going to go get Harry. I'll be back in a few minutes."
Tonks stood up to go with her, but stopped when she saw the protest on Molly's face.
"At least let me do this Nymphadora. I need to explain to my son that we are not abandoning him, and just reassure him that everything will be ok. I need to do this as one of the last acts I will do as his mother."
"We'll wait for you here Molly." Tonks whispered tears streaming down her face. A child was going to be buried by tomorrow, and that was one thing a parent never wanted to do, and than half way across country a child was going to get resurrected from the dead, one thing a parent always wanted, it was a lose – win situation. Tonks knew that these were special circumstances the first being that she was on the case, a conflict of interest was usually never allowed, but because of the Weasley's standing in society and the sensitivity of Harry's case up until now social services allowed this rule to be broken once. They got a child into a good home, and than they had to tell the foster mother, who they knew was pushing for adoption, to give that child up. She was the best person to tell Molly and Arthur, she was able to sympathise and empathise with them both, as well as keep it on a professional level. And she knew they would see reason with her rather than someone like Alastor Moody.
Molly got up off the couch and with a hug from her husband; she walked to the door, gave them both a shaky smile, and went to fetch her wayward son.
Walking the few blocks to where she knew Harry would be was more than an eye opener. She realized that things always happened for a reason, and if it was meant to be than the adoption papers would have already been signed, and Harry would have been theirs. The fact was, was that a man living in only god knows where was missing his child, a child he had never known, but wanted to. Molly knew if it was one of her children in the mystery man's position she would have moved heaven and earth to get her child to her. She had to be the rock again, the one to see reason, she had to give Harry the strength to move on from his old life as a Weasley, and move onto a new one, one that could hold many opportunities for him, it didn't make it any less painful, but it gave her some hope, that her baby boy would eventually move on and be happy with his life once and for all, even if it wasn't with them.
She walked to a house that had a blue garage and a pink fence, she smiled at that this family had always indulged their daughter's creativity. Harry would miss this little girl just as much as he would miss the Weasley family.
She took a deep breath and knocked on the cherry oak door. A thin man a few years younger than herself answered the door.
"Molly what a pleasant surprise, is there something I could do for you? Chipped tooth, root canal you name it and I'll do it, for family triple the price." The man joked, but became subdued when he saw the friendly woman's smile didn't reach her eyes.
"Actually is Harry here, Matthew?"
"Yes he is, he's upstairs playing with Hermione, but I was under the impression that he was sleeping over tonight, and that we would drop him off in the morning, before Hermione's ballet lessons."
"Matthew what's going on?" Jean Granger called from the hallway, noticing Harry's mother in the doorway. "Hi Molly c'mon in, you don't have to wait outside. I just made dinner, you're more than welcome to stay."
"Thank you Jean, but I can't tonight unfortunately I just have to take Harry and we really do need to be on our way." If she waited any longer her resolve would break, and she would end up going home telling Nymphadora she couldn't find the wayward child.
"Harry, Hermione, come down now please. Mrs. Weasley is here it's time to say goodbye, you'll see each other Monday."
The two came down, well Hermione came down Harry was dragging his feet as if he took a step every five minutes time would stand still. "Harry please, you're mother's waiting." Jean called strictly to the boy.
Harry came down the stairs, and Molly felt her heartbreaking. "Hi Mum." Harry waved uncertainly at his mother.
"Come along Harry, we have to get you home. Say your thank you's and goodbyes. Alright."
"Thank you for having me over Mister and Mrs. Granger. Bye Hermione." Harry called over his shoulder as he waved goodbye to his and Ron's best friend, who they met at the neighbourhood park close to a year now and they remained friends ever since, Hermione had also become an honorary Weasley member. He took hold of his mum's hand and let his mother lead him down the driveway.
"Don't be a stranger Harry. Next time you come over I'll show you the fake teeth I use on my patients who have the most disgusting teeth I use it to scare them with, you should see some of their reactions." Matthew called.
Harry continued walking not acknowledging the Granger family, never knowing if this would be the last time he would see his friend and her family ever again, or the last time he would see anybody that he loved so dearly ever again.
"Bye Harry. Write to me." Hermione said which made her parents look at her oddly. She was a lot smarter than she was given credit for, her and Harry had briefly talked for the hour that he was over, and he explained to her that the twins made him run, and they both came up with the same conclusion, he was being sent away, the rest of the time was spent in brooding silence.
"Mum?" Harry asked tentively as the made their way home.
"You shouldn't have run Harry. We face problems head on we never run away." Molly spoke sternly to the child, ignoring his question as if she were in a daze and just remembered that the child had run away and needed a bit of a talking to.
"Mum?" Harry questioned again this time a little bit louder.
"Yes love." She whispered clutching the tiny hand tightly, this time hearing her child call for her, never wanting to let go of his hand memorizing each callous and the way his hand was still small for a boy of nine years.
"What if I don't want to go? What if I want to stay with you and Dad and everyone?" He started to cry he wasn't a brave boy, far from it. He just wanted to stay in the known.
"Harry I'm sorry, but we don't have a choice."
"It's my life why can't I make my own decisions." He mumbled to himself. Adults always thought they knew what was better for children, well why couldn't children know what was good for themselves. And Harry certainly knew that the Weasley family was perfect for him.
They were almost home, as they drew nearer to the house they started to slow down, not wanting to reach the destination that would rip apart a mother and son for good, as well as an entire family.
"Don't you want me anymore?" The small boy asked, his big green eyes filled with tears, he was losing his family. His mother, father, brothers, and sister were going to be long gone in the very near future, the past two years would vanish as if it were like a distant dream. He knew when they said that Tonks was there that he was going away, it happened all the time, but this time he thought for sure they would let him stay. Now who was going to scare away the big scary monsters from under his bed, where would Charlie be when he needed a bedtime story, and he definitely wasn't going to find a better brother than Ron when he wanted someone to look for buried treasure with him.
"You don't want me anymore." Was the last exclamation that he made before Molly lost her resolve and scooped the child up as if her were a sack of potatoes and clung to him as if her life depended on it.
"Squeezing too tight mum." Harry went ignored as Molly crushed him in her hugs, never wanting to release him.
"We want you more than anything else, don't you ever think for a minute we never loved you. You are mine and Arthur's life Harry. Oh my darling boy, we have been through so much, haven't we? But I can tell you Harry, I know in my heart that everything will work out for the best."
"Mummy," Harry cried. "Please don't let me go."
"Never Harry, never will I ever let you go." She made the last few steps to her house rubbing soothing circles on Harry's back, doing everything she could under the circumstances to comfort her child for as long as time allowed.
They entered the house to find it still quiet, Tonks and Arthur in the same spot as before. Tonks looking uncomfortable and Arthur looking as if he just saw a ghost.
"Where are the children?" Molly asked, the other two adults knew not to make a sudden movement and to keep it down to a whisper otherwise it would startle Harry, who seemed to be going comatose at the moment.
"I told them it would be best if they stayed in their rooms." Arthur exclaimed. "I didn't want their last goodbyes to be sad, I wanted them to have only happy memories." Arthur whispered his hands folded in front of him.
"They should have the chance to say goodbye Arthur. Harry has the right to see his brother's and sister before he leaves." Molly volleyed in his direction.
"I really do have to take Harry, Molly, in regards to the children, it will be a lot harder on them this way, so in this case we make an easy exit." Tonks said compassionately, getting up and reaching for the boy. Harry pressed tighter into Molly. "We packed his things already, everything and even his favourites that he would need or want."
"Did you pack his books Dora?" She couldn't even get out Tonks' full name.
"And his stuffed Dragon that Charlie bought for Christmas. He has everything. I'm not that cruel, Molly."
"I know Dora, thank you." Molly said. "Harry you have to go with Nymphadora now, you have to be brave, alright love, you have to take care of yourself, and remember that we will always love you no matter what." Molly kissed the top of his head and set Harry onto his feet.
Tears were now streaming down his face, but Molly and Arthur held back theirs they had to be brave for their son, they had to, when he left and the car drove out of sight that's when they would be able to mourn properly.
"Mummy please!" He cried for one last appeal. "Please Tonks I want to stay." He said turning to her, hoping friendship would mean more to her than a job.
"Let's go Harry." She had to be firm, she had to take the boy and go before she too ended up breaking, otherwise Moody would have her hide. He already left saying that he had to go take care of another case they were working on at the moment, but she was not allowed to leave until she placed the boy in his father's waiting hands.
Arthur walked out with them luggage in hand, he thought back to the day when Tonks brought Harry to them, now they were the one's sending Harry away. He put the suitcases in the trunk and shut it with a loud bang. He turned to Harry and quickly gave him one last hug before retreating back into the house.
Tonks ushered Harry into the backseat of the car, and they drove away. One last glance and Harry could see his brothers and sister in the room above the garage looking down on him waving. He looked until the house faded from view.
Tonks caught Harry's eyes in the rear view mirror. Seeing the questions and concerns in the tear stained face she said to him calmly, "The Weasley's will be fine Harry, and so will you, I know there's lots of questions you have and I'll try and answer every one of them the best that I can when we get onto the train and settled in."
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Thank you to everyone that reviewed put me on an alert favourited the story, it all means so much to me, I'm sorry I didn't have the time to respond back, to the reviews, but I do appreciate them, and please keep reviewing. I love them all.
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter.