Nearly ten years had passed since the day Albus Dumbledore and Hagrid arrived to deliver Harry to the Burrow, and the Weasley's lives had changed because of it.

While Molly and Arthur Weasley had at first refused any kind of financial compensation for raising Harry, they had come to realize that the extra protection that Dumbledore had paid for proved to be vital for keeping young Harry out of the public spotlight until he was ready.

As Harry woke up on the day of his eleventh birthday only to see his brother Ron, who he shared a bedroom with, wasn't in his bed, he made his way downstairs into the kitchen to see if Molly was making breakfast.

The kitchen was small and rather cramped. There was a scrubbed wooden table and chairs in the middle, and Harry sat down on the edge of his seat, looking around at the warmly familiar kitchen.

The clock on the wall opposite him had only one hand and no numbers at all. Written around the edge were things like 'Time to make tea', 'Time to feed the chickens', and 'You're late'. Books were stacked three deep on the mantelpiece, books with titles like Charm Your Own Cheese, Enchantment in Baking, and One Minute Feasts – It's Magic! And unless Harry's ears were deceiving him, the old radio next to the sink had just announced that coming up was 'Witching Hour, with the popular singing sorceress, Celestina Warbeck.'

Strangely enough, the kitchen itself had been empty, along with the rest of the house, even the ghoul in the attic seemed to be making no noise. How peculiar.

And then he heard it, the faintest giggle coming from the living room.

Ginny, his little sister.

Making his way into the living room, Harry yelped as Ginny tackled him in a hug while the rest of the Weasley's yelled "SURPRISE!"

And there they were, his whole family, maybe not by blood, but the ones who raised him as though he were.

Molly Weasley, short, plump, and the kindest witch Harry has ever known. In his eyes, she was his mother.

Arthur Weasley, tall, affable and slightly balding, Arthur Weasley was a bit odd with his obsession with Muggle items, but Harry wouldn't have him any other way. In his eyes, Arthur was his father.

Ron, Percy, Fred, George, Bill and Charlie Weasley? They were his brothers.

He was happy.

"Happy birthday, Harry." Ron grinned, handing his brother his present: a new set of Wizard Chess pieces.

Life at the Burrow was as different as possible from life on Privet Drive . The Dursleys liked everything neat and ordered; the Weasleys' house burst with the strange and unexpected. The ghoul in the attic howled and dropped pipes whenever he felt things were getting too quiet, and small explosions from Fred and George's bedroom were considered perfectly normal.

Of course, while eating 4th helpings of Molly's fantastic cooking was a birthday present enough for Harry, he was eagerly awaiting something special and sure enough, as he was devouring yet another breakfast sandwich, the family owl Errol flew into the kitchen.

...Well, flew was being generous. Colliding headfirst into the table and spraying jam everywhere was far more accurate. After checking to make sure the poor bird was alright, he grabbed the letters and looked through them eagerly. Sure enough, there was one assigned to him:

Mr. H. Potter

Fifth Floor Bedroom

The Burrow

Ottery St. Catchpole

"RON! MUM! DAD! THE LETTERS ARE HERE!" Harry yelled in excitement, looking at the wax seal on which the Hogwarts insignia lie. He pulled out the letter and read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

Sure enough, there was a second piece of paper with the acceptance letter. Harry unfolded a second piece of paper and read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

Harry couldn't help but frown. Some of these items wouldn't come cheap, and Molly refused to let Harry use his fortune to help, stating that he should "save that money for his future." Regardless, he couldn't help the feeling of excitement bubbling in his gut as he read and reread his acceptance letter. Albus Dumbledore...

According to Molly, that was the man who brought him here after his parents died. Which meant it was because of Dumbledore that he got to grow up in a loving home with such a massive family. He hadn't yet met the headmaster of Hogwarts, but already he knew that Albus Dumbledore was his hero.

"They're here?!" Ron bellowed, sprinting downstairs at Harry's yell, Fred, George and Cedric Diggory not far behind, having come to visit to wish Harry a happy birthday.

Since his father, Amos Diggory, worked at the Ministry of Magic with Arthur, and the fact that they lived close by, meant that he, his wife Jasmine, and Cedric often came to visit, giving Harry and Ron a friend close to their age as they often talked about Quidditch together, as Cedric was on Hufflepuff's team as Seeker.

"Looks like they sent Cedric's too. Must know we're here, eh Arthur?" Amos grinned, looking over Cedric's letter.

"Doesn't miss a trick, that man." Arthur chuckled in agreement.

"Well, there's only one place we're going to find all this..." Molly said, peering over Harry's shoulder.

"...Diagon Alley." Fred, George, Ron and Harry all said at the same time, used to their mother's speeches by now.

Grabbing a handful of Floo Powder, Molly tossed some into the flames, turning them a brilliant shade of emerald. "Now remember, we don't want to be coming out of the same fireplace, since there's so many of us. Me, Arthur and Ginny will take the Floo to Flourish and Blotts..."

"Me and George will Floo straight from Zonko's..." Fred piped in, rolling his eyes.

"I'll Floo from Madam Malkins." Percy confirmed.

"And me and Ron will Floo from the Leaky Cauldron and use the Muggle entrance." Harry finished, nodding.

"What about you, Cedric, you're not coming with us?" Ron asked.

Cedric shook his head. "No, mum's working today and like you guys, it's kind of a family tradition to go to Diagon Alley together for Hogwarts supplies. I'll see you guys later though, yeah?"

After exchanging goodbyes with the Diggory's, Molly and Ginny stepped into the fire and with a shout of "Flourish and Blotts!", they vanished, with Arthur following immediately after.

"Harry, want to join us at Zonko's when we get there?" Fred asked as he grabbed a handful of powder.

"I would, but I've got to go to Gringotts first. Figured I'd spend some money on a present for myself." Harry responded.

"Don't spend too much of your money, Harry. I know you have a lot of it, but it doesn't hurt to keep some for a rainy day." Percy sternly reminded him.

"He knows, Percy, let him have this. It's his birthday, when else does he get to spend his money?" Ron points out as Fred and George vanished in a flash of green light.

Percy considered this and nodded. "Fair point." He said simply, grabbing a handful of powder and yelling "Madam Malkins!" before vanishing as well.

"Ready?" Ron asked.

"One second." Harry said, taking off his glasses. "Hold onto these for me?"

Ron nodded, stowing Harry's glasses in his pocket as he grabbed the Floo Powder and tossed it into the flames. With a smile, the two brothers stepped into the emerald flames and shouted "The Leaky Cauldron!", being whisked off in a rapidly spinning haze of movement to their destination.

And that concludes chapter 2! I know this is a little shorter than the last chapter but I felt like I ended things on a pretty natural stopping point and didn't want to let things drag on for too long, if that makes sense. But yeah, tell me what you all think, reviews are much appreciated and I will see you all real soon for chapter 3: Diagon Alley!

And as always, Drive The Speed Limit, Drink Some Water and of course, Love One Another.

Pizza!