Ok, so I was pleasantly surprised by the extremely positive response this idea has received already, so as not to disappoint, I'm going to start working on the next chapter! Thanks so much for the feedback, and enjoy!

Dobby's Polka-Dotted Sock

Chapter Two

While he had not been expecting it to be easy, the first two years of his and his son's double-life were very hard. Though an incredibly kind boy, Rory was not the most outgoing and was the new kid in school. This combined with the fact that he'd never watched the tellybox, or never played the strange gaming videos, made it hard for him to fit in with the other students. But there wasn't much Arthur could do about it except encourage the child to try harder.

On the other hand, there were the complications of the Burrow. Bill missed his favorite playmate during the day, and Percy and the twins couldn't understand why suddenly Charlie wasn't around as often. He would have to wake the boy up incredibly early each weekday in order to get him fed and packed up so he was ready to Apparrate to the house in Leadworth. Rory would then walk out the front door and to school.

Their home itself was incredibly bare, with only the necessities. He'd thought that it could possibly present a problem, but Rory never brought anyone home, and Arthur was always at work during the day so they never received adult visitors. One day, however, as he observed his son doing homework at the kitchen table—he'd learned early on that concentration on schoolwork was impossible at the Burrow—the tellyphone had rang.

Nonplussed, Arthur picked it up and held it to his ear, fairly certain he'd got it the right way up. "Williams' residence, Brian speaking." Teaching Rory to use the phone had been an interesting experience for both of them, but it was best that he had answered it this time.

"Mr. Williams, this is Rory's teacher at the school," the caller replied and he nodded a moment before realizing the other person couldn't see him through the strange Muggle device.

"Ah yes, is there a problem?" He couldn't see why there would be, but for what other reason would the teacher be calling?

"No, everything's fine. It's just that your son, he seems to have problems focusing."

"Oh?" Arthur asked worriedly.

"Yes, I often have to call his name three or four times before he realizes he's being talked to. I just wanted to make sure he's getting enough sleep and eating properly."

"Well, yes, I think so," he answered. Perhaps he should have been offended, but Arthur was now concerned as well. What was causing his son problems? The teacher hung up shortly thereafter, just as the boy slid back in his chair and hopped off, coming to stand by him.

"I'm done, dad," he announced, and Arthur attempted a smile, before preparing to transport them to the Burrow.

"Charlie!" Molly cried, overjoyed as she always was, as soon as they appeared in the sitting room.

"Hi, mum," the child greeted his mother happily with a hug, and suddenly it dawned on Arthur, why Rory had to have his name called several times before it registered. He still didn't think of it as his own name, and that was their fault.

As the children ate dinner, he asked Molly to join him in the sitting room. "Molly, I got a call from Rory's teacher today."

"Why?" She asked immediately, glancing back into the kitchen to make sure that her baby wasn't hurt. "What's wrong with Charlie?"

"Exactly," he nodded decisively, and his wife looked perplexed.

"What are you saying, Arthur?"

"I'm saying that we are confusing our son, Molly. I know we named him Charlie, and he will always be a Weasley—but his name has to be Rory Williams. We have to call him that, both of us," Arthur explained firmly. Molly was still upset.

"But he is Charlie, Arthur! We agreed here, at home, he is still our Charlie. We can't call him Rory, what about the other children? They all know he's Charlie, you'll only confuse them!"

"We'll figure it out, but there's no other way. In order for this to work, Rory has to feel like he's Rory, he has to be Rory. It's important to him, Molly."

"He can be Rory at school. At home, he is our son!"

"He still is!"

"No, you decided he was the son of a widower. A widower, Arthur! Or shall I call you Brian?" He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off with a harsh laugh. "No, you're right, Brian is too familiar—Mr. Williams, then?"

"Molly—" He reached out a hand, unsure of what to say. He knew that this was one of the most upsetting aspects to their plan; Brian Williams didn't have a wife, and Rory Williams didn't have a mother.

"Don't!" Molly cried stubbornly, tears starting to leak out of her eyes. "What are we even doing, Arthur? You're never home anymore and Charlie—Rory's at that Muggle school, away from his brothers. We're ripping this family apart!"

"Molly, we can work this out—"

"I'm pregnant, Arthur!"

Things continued to get difficult with the birth of Ronald Bilius Weasley. Molly was struggling to care for the brand new infant while also keeping a watch on their other sons, especially the incredibly rambunctious twins. Percy spent hours on his own reading in his room to try and escape the chaos, and Bill tried his best to help his mother when his father was at work.

He knew it pained Rory to not be able to spend as much time with his new brother as the others, and not be able to talk about it to anyone in Leadworth. Arthur was sure it also hurt whenever little Ron would smile and giggle at the funny faces Bill would make for him, but stare at Rory with confusion or curiosity, like he would a near-stranger. But as the Great Wizarding War continued to escalate, he knew he had made the right choice.

And one day, everything changed.

OoO

He had managed to get off work a little early, and so was sitting at the kitchen table with the Leadworth Chronicle when Rory ran in the door, an extra bounce to his step Arthur hadn't seen in a long time.

"How was school today?" He asked in interest as his son climbed into the chair across from him.

"Good. There's a new girl in class- her name's Amelia Pond," Rory informed him.

"Oh?" He lowered the newspaper some with a raised eyebrow to see his son smiling.

"Yeah, and she sat next to me in class!" It was like the boy couldn't believe it. The father in him couldn't help but wonder just how long his child had been sitting alone in class, but overall was quite pleased with this latest development. It seemed Rory had finally made a friend.

From that day on, any time Arthur asked his son about school or anything Leadworth-related, the answer always had something to do with this Amelia Pond. From what he'd learned, little Amelia was seven like Rory, and had just moved here with her parents from Scotland. Her aunt lived in the area as well.

Soon after, an orphan girl being raised by the local Muggle church named Mels joined the two friends to make a trio. According to Rory, Mels was much more of a trouble-maker, but was genuinely a good friend at heart. Arthur couldn't be happier.

Unfortunately, his happiness was dampened slightly one Friday afternoon. Rory had just finished up his homework and Arthur had just finished up collecting the week's wash and dirty dishes for the trip back to the Burrow. "Ready to go, Rory?"

His son paused in sticking the folder back in his bag. "Er, actually dad, I was sort of wondering…" he trailed off looking a little nervous.

"Yes?" Arthur prompted gently. His son seemed to gather up his courage.

"Well, Amelia sort of invited me and Mels over to her house on Saturday, and I- er –I want to go."

Oh dear. While he was thrilled at the idea that his son had an actual play-date with Muggle children, he wasn't so sure his wife would feel the same, and Rory had obviously picked up on that as well. "Well," he started, licking his lips once.

"I'll do the dishes!" Rory blurted out suddenly, clearly quite desperate. It wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing for the boy to learn, really, seeing as he'd need to once he was older.

"I don't see why not. We'll stop by the Burrow tonight and let everyone know what the plans are." The excited grin on Rory's face was enough to carry him through Molly's protests.

So as he started filling the sink with water for his son, he was surprised when Rory started rifling through the laundry basket. "Can I borrow a tie, dad? The swirly one? Amelia says her dad doesn't have any weird ones." His son also took a blue button-down shirt, much too large for him, and he had to silently puzzle over what game Amelia Pond had planned.

If Arthur had known that one Saturday afternoon would quickly turn into every Saturday afternoon, however, he likely wouldn't have had the strength to agree to it.

OoO

It was fast approaching the happiest day of Rory's life, and he was a nervous wreck. Everything was set up; the church, the reception hall, the minister, the DJ, the dresses and tuxes, the cake and meals and drinks, the rings- everything! Augustus had graciously paid for everything- insisted upon it, actually, which was really a good thing as his nurse's salary just didn't quite cover it. Not to mention his family's bank account.

And that was the problem. His family. Which no one—including Amy—believed he had. She'd met his father, of course- Brian Williams. She called his dad Brian. Because he hadn't told her.

He wanted to tell her, but he was scared, scared because he didn't want to scare her—and how did you tell your fiancée and friend of fourteen years that you had a family of wizards and witches? That magic was real?

Sure, Amy had had quite a lot of wild, imaginative fancies when they were kids, and there was that whole Imaginary Friend thing he was having trouble picturing exactly- troubling, that his mind already seemed to be going. But that was all they were. Pretend games. He couldn't just spring this on her and completely change how she saw the world.

On the other hand, how could he not tell her? She was going to be his wife! Husbands couldn't keep secrets from wives, could they? And this was the secret.

Could Squibs be held liable for breaking the Statute of Secrecy?

Rory, or Charlie in his younger years, had come to terms with his oddness in comparison to his family. Growing up going to school in Leadworth with Amy and Mels had certainly helped ease any pain once Bill went off to Hogwarts and it really sunk in that he was different from his siblings. He loved his brothers and sister dearly, but there was always going to be that slight disconnect.

That was why when the time had come, he and his father had chosen the absurdly far away country of Romania as the location of Charlie Weasley's 'apprenticeship'. He'd been having a laugh when he told the twins that the cover story was that he was training dragons, but they quickly spread it around to all their friends and it soon became established fact. People always took him seriously when he didn't want them to, like Amy and the guitar.

And that brought him back to his dilemma. What was he going to do about Amy? As it stood now, his family wasn't coming to the wedding. Oh, his mother had cried for a good, solid week.

"My baby's getting married—and I haven't even met her!"

"Amy's a very nice young woman, Molly," his dad had attempted to reassure. They were planning to pretend that a relative—great Auntie Muriel came to mind—had fallen ill and needed looking after, leaving Brian no choice but to miss the wedding.

"I'd rather be her bridesmaid than Headquarters' House-Elf, in that case," Ginny had joked from the doorway, and Rory motioned for her to please be quiet. He'd been well aware of his mum's obsessive need to clean Number 12 Grimmauld Place—Albus Dumbledore had been kind enough to let him in on the secret, so he wouldn't have to worry as much about his family—and he didn't want to cause any more strife.

But it turned out his little sister's teasing had actually helped as his mother had sniffled a little, and said, "Well, I did promise to pick up those schematics from Hestia on the 10th. And we still need to finalize security for getting Harry there." He couldn't help frowning a little at the mention of his youngest brother's famous friend. Harry Potter coming to stay with them right in the midst of the Second Great Wizarding War was hardly a good thing. Did the kid even realize what could happen, the danger his family was putting themselves in just for him?

It was a danger a Squib like him had to escape from. And how could he drag his Muggle bride right into it?

"Well you look stressed," a familiar voice remarked as a weight settled next to him on the bench. Rory was taking his lunch break in the little fenced in park in Leadworth, but had ended up just sitting hunched over with his head in his hands as he internally debated. Now he started in surprise as he looked to his right.

"Mels!"

His friend laughed a little at his shock, but he could see her eyes studying him. "Big day's coming up. Shouldn't you be a bit more excited?"

"Maybe I would be if you'd agreed to be Amy's Maid of Honor," he retorted tiredly. Oh, the row the two female friends had had. While he acknowledged Mels' point that she was likely to have wound up in a cell overnight and unable to make it anyway, it hurt that their best friend—practically their only other friend—wasn't coming to their wedding.

"Oh come on, Rory. You honestly think I'm a wedding person?" She replied with a quirk of her lips. He couldn't help shaking his head, and she chuckled again before sobering. "Now what's the matter?"

"It's nothing, really," he tried to dismiss, but she just continued to stare at him, clearly not convinced. "I mean, it's just…have you ever kept a secret, Mels? A secret about yourself so big, that it would change the way people saw you- the people you care about?"

She was glancing away now, and appeared quite uncomfortable, but he was so wrapped up in his own worries he barely even noticed. "I've kept something—from Amy, and you," he finally spoke when his friend said nothing.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. You see, my dad, he's- he's a wizard." There, he'd gotten it off his chest at last. He felt quite relieved about it, actually. It was there, out in the open, at least between him and Mels. And Mels was looking at him with her mouth dropped open.

"What?"

Almost nothing surprised his friend, and he felt almost as if he ought to revel in the moment, but now Rory had to stop her from thinking he was crazy. "I'm serious, Mels. My dad's a wizard. Wizards- magic is real, only I can't do it, so he raised me as a Muggle—er, a non-magical person. That's why I was always away on Sundays; I've got a whole family of wizards and witches, and I would go to see them." He still dropped by as regularly as he could, but it had been hard lately with exams and work. And now that he was older and Bill had gone off to Egypt—returning just this year—it seemed silly to have his dad pop him over to the Burrow every evening. "So, um, yeah. I know it's a bit shocking."

"You don't say," she half-scoffed, shaking her head. "Honestly, if it were anyone else…"

"So you believe me, then?" He had to be sure.

"Yeah, I do," Mels nodded at last as a smile spread across her face. "You two really were destined for each other, you're both mad and impossible."

"I think we're less impossible than you," he returned and they laughed a little bit.

"So then, the secret part," Mels said at last. "I'm guessing you haven't told Amy?" He nodded, feeling ashamed as she tutted. "Well, you're going to have to at some point."

"I know, Mels," he sighed. "I've always been meaning to, but something would come up, and now it's days before our wedding and I'm scared of what she might think and I'm scared she's going to want to check it out and I can't protect her from that," Rory ranted, dropping his head in shame. "I'm useless against magic."

She was silent for a long while. "If you're not ready, I don't think you should tell her. She might not take it well if you're freaking out, too. And it's just your wedding- you've got all those married years to let her know. There's plenty of time," she shrugged, and Rory looked up hopefully.

"You think?"

"All the time in the world," she grinned at him, and he couldn't help sharing one with her. All the time in the world…that felt nice.

OoO

It was the worst year of Rory's life, and he felt like he was sinking slowly in his own despair. He should have known it was coming- hell, he did know it was coming right from that day in Utah.

But the Doctor had given him and Amy one final gift; they'd had time to process it all, to separate witnessing his murder from his death. But when at last he'd heard the familiar vroop vroop fade away for a final time and he'd run out into the street of their new home with the drinks to celebrate, he realized that was it. Their best friend was dead.

Amy had realized it, too. They'd done their best to move on from it and settle into their new lives, like they wanted. His wife had been approached by a photographer and was now in the modeling business. While he would be the first to say that Amelia Jessica Pond Williams was the most beautiful woman on the face of the planet, past or present, he wasn't sure how he felt about her looks being used just to sell a product.

Still, it was better that she actually do something. Just like Rory was throwing himself into work at the hospital to distract himself from the fact that while he was helping and healing all these people, his best friend had marched off to his death and been killed in front of his eyes.

Even with the exhaustion that came from the long hours of his shift, he was still a lighter sleeper than his wife, and so heard the light knocking on their front door early one morning. Stumbling downstairs in his nightclothes, Rory yawned and pulled open the door.

"Dad?" He was shocked. When they'd been waiting for news from the Doctor about Melody, he had gotten a message via Patronus—and he'd been very lucky Amy was in the shower at that moment—that his family had gone into hiding because of the Death Eaters. He couldn't help feeling that the stress from that combined with the burden of tiptoeing around the younger Doctor with the knowledge of his demise had been a decisive factor in the breakdown of their friendship and teamwork and had contributed to his dropping them off when he did. Amy had been sure to keep asking regularly how old the Time Lord was when they met up with him, in some sort of morbid countdown, and the alien had still been some years shy of the mark. They still could have stayed with him.

But now his father was standing on his doorstep—and yet the joy and relief that had been his initial reaction was quickly changing as he took in the older man's appearance. His dad was balding, and graying, and there were deep-set lines on his face. He seemed thinner, smaller somehow. But it was his expression Rory paid the most attention to. Something was very wrong.

"I need you to come with me, Rory, to Hogwarts."

That was all the explanation he received, and he found himself wandering into the large, unfamiliar castle wary and dreading what his purpose was here. The school's grounds had looked like a battlefield on the way in, and the building itself was no different. Large chunks of wall had been blasted to pieces and lay as rubble on the floor. But it was inside the large, long dining hall that his heart stopped.

There were so many bodies, lying still, unmoving. All dead. And there at the end…his family.

He whirled around to see his father gazing at him sadly. "No, please, dad- who—" And Rory was running down the aisle framed by the dead, bursting through the ring of redheads.

"Fred," he breathed in silent horror. "Oh God, Fred." He sunk to his knees beside the cot, joining his brothers and sisters and mother.

"Charlie!" His mum sobbed, throwing her arms around him and he didn't even care she'd used the old name again. He wished, he truly, truly wished he was Charlie, because Charlie Weasley would have done something, would have had some magic cure, would have been useful.

He could only stay an hour, because Amy knew he didn't have work that day and would wonder where he'd gone. And the worst of it was when he returned home, he couldn't seek comfort in his wife. Rory had to pretend that everything was fine—well, as fine as things had been for them lately—because he still hadn't been ready. He hadn't been ready when they'd been married, hadn't been ready once they'd found her again at Demon's Run with their infant child, hadn't even been ready when the Doctor had married their daughter and forgiven her for what she had to do. And now it never would be enough to tell Amy, show her the wonders of the wizarding world, and bring her to family dinners. Because his family wasn't all there.

He'd lost a brother…and a son.

But then, it all changed.

Ok, so I know I promised this one would be funny…but then I remembered DH angst sort of had to happen. But things are looking up starting next chapter, I promise! Thanks again for all the reviews, follows, and favorites, it means a lot! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, thanks for reading and please review!