THC, Round 8, Gryffindor, Stand-in, Potions, Standard, Prompts: Orphan finds forever family; [Colour + Meaning] Orange - Energy, Happiness, Vitality. [First Line] When I agreed, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. (using pronouns he/him).

Hogwarts 2.0, Slytherin, Gather Your Party, Fighter (Item) Floo Powder.

QL Bingo, Arthur Weasley

Word count: 2109

Betas: BellWeather, CharlieManx, Aya

Comment/Notes: AU. Change to canon.

When he agreed, he didn't know what he was getting himself into. But if the result were the same as this one, he'd always agree. Nobody could tell him that his family was too big; that was impossible. Therefore, when Dumbledore approached them the eve after the war ended, he was shocked.

Here Dumbledore was, sitting on their loved-yet-old sofa, sipping his tea out of their finest china, asking them the biggest question of their life.

Would he and his wife of seven children be willing to adopt and protect another family member? While it wasn't explicitly said, he and his wife knew that would be the Potter's boy.

Molly wanted to say yes immediately, so he needed to be the strong one to get answers.

"Why us, Sir?"

Dumbledore smiled slightly behind the fine china before putting it down. "I will admit that you were not my first choice. Sirius has been arrested, Remus is unable to commit full time, and Peter is dead."

That all but confirmed that they were talking about Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived. Arthur gulped at it being said so plainly. Everybody knew that Sirius had betrayed his friends and led Voldemort to their hideout. Before Arthur could continue to process, Dumbledore continued.

"We thought that Lily's sister would be a good fit, even though they have had a shaky past. However… Petunia wrote to me and declined. So, I collected Harry an hour ago from an orphanage where they left him."

"Who would decline their nephew?"

Arthur rested a hand on Molly's leg. "Let Dumbledore continue, dear."

"And Hogwarts is no place for a child to grow up. It's a school, not a home."

Arthur remained silent, waiting for Dumbledore to continue listing the names of everyone he had already asked and why it was not suitable. But their former professor didn't say anything else. They weren't last on the list; in fact, they were very high on the list, which was surprising yet obvious in a sense. "How would it work?"

The glint in Dumbledore's eye returned; Arthur hadn't realised that it had not been there before. "You would become his legal guardians, provide for him and raise him. Financial aid will be given to—"

"We don't care about money, Albus," Molly interrupted. "What else?"

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "He needs to be protected from the Wizarding World. Everyone will want to meet him, but he is just a baby. Your family will change overnight if you take him. We will put a protection charm around your house so that only those invited can enter, and Aurors will be on alert if ever needed. The Filelis Charm will be checked regularly."

Arthur let his eyes fall shut as he heard Ginny begin to fuss; she was only a few months old. He opened his eyes and looked towards the stairs; ginger hair quickly disappeared. It was probably Charlie, but it could be any of the oldest three.

"I think the right thing to do would be to talk to our children first," Arthur said.

Dumbledore nodded. "I will be outside when you've made your decision."

Arthur looked to his wife, letting her take over. The fact that he had spoken this much showed great restraint on his wife's part.

Molly called the children down, and one of the twins started with the questions without even needing to ask.

"Will he have orange hair like us?" Fred asked.

"Of course he won't. Hair colour doesn't just change because you join a new family," Percy replied, standing up strong, making it clear he was older than Fred and knew more. The five-year-old smiled knowingly.

George thought for a moment. "I'm sure we could find a way!"

Percy rolled his eyes. Arthur couldn't help but find it amusing that Percy always aimed to know everything and try educating the twins. Unfortunately for Percy, the twins were too young and restless to be interested in facts and logic.

"There will be no changing of Harry's hair colour," Molly said simply, silencing the children quickly. Her pointed look stopped the twins with their mouths open; they obviously had more to say. She then turned her attention to Bill, their oldest son.

"I would love another brother! I say yes," Bill said with a confident nod. He was always a good big brother.

Charlie shrugged. "I'm fine with it. I'm not sure I want to share a room for the rest of my childhood, though."

Bill laughed. "You'll share a dorm at Hogwarts."

"Yes, but they're not my siblings!"

The five children who could talk started conversing animatedly. Arthur smiled as he listened to the conversations regarding where Harry would sleep, who he'd be most similar to, and whether he'd be a fussy eater. They were just as excited as when little Ginny was born. The one-and-a-half-month-old baby was thankfully soundly asleep a few feet away.

Arthur looked over his family. None of them had any real concerns, so what was one more child? He looked over at his wife and nodded. "Eight is a nice number."

He turned back to his children. "Back upstairs, please. Bill, can you watch Ginny?"

As Bill went and sat near Ginny, Arthur watched as his wife happily walked out to the front garden. He knew she had been itching to say yes the second she had heard the question. He should have just let her; he knew she was the wisest out of the both of them.

Even though he knew they would say yes, he would still have had the same conversations and consulted his children about it because it affects them, too.

"Arthur," Molly called a few seconds later.

Quickly, Arthur followed her out. He pulled the door closed after him. "Yes, dear?"

Molly looked at him—she was nervous about something. What had caused her from being excited and ready to take another child to not being sure?

"Dumbledore?" he questioned.

But it was Molly who answered. "Lily sacrificed her life for Harry. It created a shield, a barrier which protected Harry and kept him alive. The best way to keep him protected from…"

She paused and looked back at the much older man before her.

Arthur placed a hand on her shoulder. "Molly? What's the best way to keep him protected?"

"One of us, at least, would need to make a blood bond with him."

"A blood bond," Arthur repeated.

That was a big deal. They would be tying themselves with Harry permanently. It seemed daunting, but he wouldn't hesitate to do it for any of his children—not that he would have to for his biological children anyway—so why wouldn't he do it for his adoptive child? He looked at his wife, making her smile.

"When?"

- LINE BREAK

The following years of their life were absolutely chaotic. Having another child, another little boy, didn't cause them many issues. It took a while for Harry to adjust fully, but he was a very happy baby. Three under two was tricky, but they had it with the twins and Ron.

What was difficult, however, was the paparazzi. It was being followed in the street. It was people sneaking into Arthur's work to question and interview him. An Auror started to accompany them on day trips out because they were constantly swamped otherwise. He had to admit, though, that having an extra set of hands with eight children to keep track of was nice. But the worst part was how many times the alert of somebody near their home—had they got past the Fidelius Charm? A few had. It had gotten to the point that Molly wasn't letting their children out to play in the front garden anymore. While nobody was supposed to be able to get in, some had still managed to take photos.

Harry was being deprived of a normal life, and so were his other children.

That didn't stop the Weasleys from carrying on with life—as best they could, anyway.

And today was one of those days. Two, two, of their children were travelling to Hogwarts today—Bill for his third year and Charlie for his first.

The ten of them had all got ready, with various hats being worn just to reduce the chaos likely to ensue. Harry often chose an orange hat; he wanted to fit in as much as possible and hoped others thought he was ginger like his brothers and sister.

When it was Bill's first year, they all had gone to see him off. But last year, Mrs Lovegood looked after the twins, Harry, Ron, and Ginny, while they saw off their eldest child.

That wasn't an option this year; they all begged to come this year. A few were teary at another Weasley being gone for months.

Arthur did a count. All ten were here. They had worked out a good system when it came to going by Floo; for a trip where they all went, they tried to reduce how many trips it took. Charlie, however, would be travelling by himself as it was his first day at Hogwarts. Molly took Harry, Ron and Ginny. Arthur went with the twins. Bill took Percy, and Charlie went solo.

They arrived at the King Cross Station with twenty minutes to spare! They've learnt that hanging around or getting places early draws more attention and time to be spotted.

"When will he be back?" four-year-old Harry asked, holding onto Arthur's left hand.

"Christmas."

Harry smiled to himself, keeping his head down and the cap covering his face. "I can't wait for Christmas."

"Keep up! Keep up!" Molly called, holding Ginny on her hip, and the twins held her free hand. "We don't want to be late!"

Arthur tightened his grip slightly on Ron and Harry. "Let's go," he said, quickening his pace.

Running through the portal, Arthur felt a relief. They all got here in time and without any delays. That didn't always happen.

Bill waved to him from the distance, already smiling and laughing with his friends as he strolled onto the train.

Arthur looked around for his eleven-year-old son and saw him heading toward them. His face was beaming. He instantly dropped down to his knee. "I'll see you in December."

Harry shook his head. "No, Charlie. Christmas! You'll be home at Christmas."

Charlie laughed, amused. "Give your big brother a hug!"

Harry didn't hesitate to hug him.

"You too, Ron!"

Arthur smiled at the sight. It really was perfect. But in his peripheral vision, he saw people whispering, pointing, and turning their attention toward him.

"On the train, you go," Arthur said, wanting to ensure he didn't feel the attention was taken off him.

"Okay, Dad!" Charlie said happily. His smile spread wide as he knocked off Harry's orange hat. "Don't miss me too much!"

The younger boy laughed joyfully and quickly put it back on—this time, backwards.

"Bye, Charlie!" he called after his boy.

"Bye, Charlie!" Ron and Harry called after, waving with a little bounce.

Arthur pulled Harry and Ron closer as a few more eyes landed on them.

Charlie was on the train when the first person said, "Is that really Harry Potter?"

Arthur knew where this was going. For the first time, he didn't rush off. He held them a little closer. "We're just waving off two of our children."

"Bill and Charlie," the man replied.

Arthur looked up at him. It was probably the first time he realised that Harry wasn't the only one famous, but so was he, and his whole family. They weren't just looking at Harry - though the majority were - but all of them were getting attention. A warm feeling of happiness and warmth filled him.

Thankfully, their attention momentarily turned away when the train began to leave. Arthur saw and waved to both Bill and Charlie before quickly backing away and exiting with Ron and Harry. He was quickly caught up by Percy, who took Ron's other hand.

Just a normal day for the Weasley family. Not one he imagined when he and Molly first got married. But that all changed a few years ago.

When Arthur had… when they had agreed to take Harry into their home, they didn't fully know what they were getting themselves into. They didn't know how it would affect their family. But every time Arthur looked over and saw the black-haired boy incorporated seamlessly into his family, he knew he would make the decision all over again. He knew he would give Harry a home; he was no longer and would never be an orphan.

End