Chapter Three: A Very Weasley Christmas:
Harry loved Hogwarts, his life had turned around so much since coming here, sure, Malfoy was a prat, but he steered clear of Harry whenever Neville was around. He no longer made fun of the Weasleys either, Ron, Fred and George had new robes, but Ron kept his old wand as did Fred and George, along with their trunks (which were family heirlooms as it was) and most of their books. Charlie had calmed down and now was learning to be a good lord and to take the Black family back to the glory days. Sure there had been a few rather, unpleasant sorts but not until this century had things got out of control.
Ron was still happy to be Harry's friend, and he was always there to guide and even protect him. It was nice to have a friend like that. Hermione was a friend too, a bit bossy but she had calmed down and had brought other muggleborn to listen to Ron who explained their world and how things worked. He had written his mother about this and she had written back that soon the pressure would be off him to teach them. He had no idea what that meant. Ron was popular, and had stepped fully out of the shadows of his brothers. He still hated to study, but to help Harry he studied as hard as Harry did right beside him, though he never cared for it at all.
"So what are you going to do for Christmas?" Ron asked Hermione one cold winter day.
"I am going skiing with my parents." Hermione replied.
"I am staying here, better for me I don't go back to my relations." Harry said.
"You are coming home with me of course." Ron said. "With Charlie and Bill taking on the old Black townhouse and Castle, they will be here for Christmas."
"Isn't Bill working with Gringotts?" Harry asked.
"Yes, and that is why the work is so cheap, with a family member helping the goblins are only charging half, and want only the cursed items, they can get the curses off and make a profit that way. That means Charlie will not have to sell Grimmauld Square to cover the cost of the townhouse alone."
"That bad?" Hermione said.
"Let's put it this way, with the house emptied of all dark stuff the house elf is no longer mad."
"I thought house elves were immune to dark magic." Neville said.
"Well normally, but this was a bad infestation, he should be fine now." Ron said.
"I still have to get used to house elves and their bond." Hermione said, "they are kind creatures and I am glad they are treated well here, but what about dark families? Should there not be protections for house elves against cruel masters?"
"There should, no house elf should be treated badly, it's like, liking kicking a puppy!" Neville replied.
A few weeks later Harry took a portkey with Ron, Fred and George and Percy. They landed in front of a long low building built into the side of a hill. In other places and times the burrow would be a tall charming tower that would be held up by magic. Here it was an L shaped structure that had been a WWI bunker, abandoned and forgotten, Arthur had found it and with Molly's dowry turned it into a charming four bedroom two bath home with a master suite. There was a huge family room and next to that a dining room that had movable walls that led into what looked like a modern muggle kitchen to Harry. A large space that was on the L of the bedrooms led to a workshop and potions lab. On the other end of the L was a charming library. All this could have been lost if Ron had not acted and Harry knew all this. Ron had not lied to him and Harry was only too willing to make sure Aunt Muriel never hurt his family again, for the Weasleys were his family now.
He entered the home and saw a short pump woman with thick red hair tied up in a bun clad in a new blue gown with a flowered apron on. Her brown eyes lit up at seeing Harry and she walked up to him to take him in. Harry let her hug him, and at first he felt a bit threatened, but that lasted only a second before he relaxed and returned the motherly hug. He felt like he had come home, Ron and the other boys went to put their things away to let their mother comfort the newest addition to the family. Harry cried in Molly's arms, and she held him and soothed him until he calmed down. Finally he backed away feeling a bit ashamed.
"There now no need to be ashamed, you are safe and are now family." Molly said, "you saved my daughter by what you did, she is free now."
"Ron saved me, he told me everything." Harry replied.
"Once Charlie became Lord Black, Arthur told me everything, Ginny and I were just going along with my aunt and waiting for her to die so Ginny had a chance to be free, now she is free and you are to be thanked for that. I would never have forced her to marry anyone, and I am grateful for Arthur being smart enough to do what he did."
"Well, it worked out." Harry said grinning, "I know you are a good sort, I can see it, you would not have so many strong children in magic if you were not."
"Thank you Harry, now come, you need food, you are still too small for your age."
Harry understood why Molly did what she did, after all did he not live for years a lie? A lie that he was stupid and dumb so not to get hurt more than he was? Molly had so much at stake, her family would suffer and it was not nice with what Aunt Muriel did to her. He was not sure it was fully legal either, but he was no lawyer so he did not know. Family should protect family but he knew that was not always the case, sometimes you had to create your own family. Soon enough Aunt Muriel would get her due, if everything when according to plan.
Harry was pleased the Weasleys now had money, they had 100,000 galleons in gold and another 500,000 in assets not including Black Castle with fifty galleons to the pound this was enough gold to keep them going for a very long time. Harry had 100,000 in assets and gold from the Potter and Fleamont families, and when all was said and done he would rebuild Stag Lodge, his ancestral home and live there. For now he had a home with the Weasleys, and would share a room with Ron, with curtains around his bed (he could not sleep in open places, it was too much for him) and have his first ever Christmas with family, true family.
The days passed in bliss for Harry and Ron and the other family members. Ginny was relaxed around him, quickly getting over her fan girl attitude and loving her freedom to be her. It was the first snow ball fight that got her to see Harry as just another annoying brother and that was the end of any romance ever, he was family, a brother and that was that. Christmas was wonderful, Harry ate well, he had never been starved at Private drive, but the food he got was never the same as the Dursleys. It was scraps, porridge, vegetables that Dudley refused to eat and milk that again, Dudley would not drink (it was used to cook with) so Harry did eat decently and was healthier because he did not get the full fry-ups every day that everyone else there ate. Here the food was healthy too, lots of good porridge for breakfast with toast and homemade jams and fresh milk and juice.
Christmas dinner was a true feast, there was goose and smoked ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables of all kinds, fresh bread and bread sauce, cider (both the English kind and a non-alcoholic kind for the kids) and for dessert a wonderful fruit cake cured properly for the past six months. In addition to the wonderful feast were gifts, Harry got a Weasley sweater in Green, some books he wanted from Hermione, a flute from Hagrid, some joke products from Fred and George, a dragon's tooth from Charlie and what looked like a pair of studs from Bill.
"Those are used to protect your mind." Bill said, "all my brothers have them, and Ginny now will to before she goes to school next year. They will hurt for a moment but you will have a fully protected mind."
"Thank you!" Harry said letting Bill put them on ether side of his head behind his ears, "oh that does not…ow!" The pain lasted under a minute and after Harry felt his head clear "cool, thank you!"
"Tonight your mind will start to organize itself, but you will still need to read the Occulumency book I got you." Bill said, "carefully as I know you have more brain cells than Tweedle Dee and Dum over there."
"Thank you we love you too dear brother." Fred and George said together.
Harry loved his new family and he vowed he would always do what he could to protect them. Ron had reached out to him and had in gaining his help given him what he had not had since he was a baby; a real family.
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Yes I know I will get flack from some of you as to Harry being so understanding here with Molly. He understands that Molly had no choice, and was trying to save her family. Molly does care deeply about Harry in this story, and loves him as her own. She never wanted to use him and Harry knows that, he is not naïve here, and trust me, Aunt Muriel will get what she deserves.
Anyway, please review!
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Omake:
Ron sat in the burrow tired out from yet another snowball fight. How had Ginny got a wand and how did she know so much as she did?
"I hate snowball fights with Ginny." Ron said.
"Yea, she is vicious!" Harry agreed, "I love your house."
"Yea, dad was thinking a tall tower but naming it the burrow." Ron said, "so glad he did this, makes since, and it's safe."
"And home, what the writer said."
"The writer can go stuff herself." Ron grumbled, "she goes on about multiverses and things that do not make since and my brain hurts."
"You have a brain dear brother?" Fred said taking a seat on one side.
"Were oh were do you keep it?" George added sitting on the other side.
"With the writer." Ron said.
"Oh, well, we will be going now." Fred said jumping up.
"She is horrible." George said.
"Go away." Harry said, "or I will sic her on you."
They left and Harry waved at the writer who looked up from a volume of War and Peace and waved back.