When Arthur Weasley awoke in the middle of the night, it usually was due to a small hand tapping him, or a young voice demanding he wake up and help them with something. This, however, was the first occasion he could recall opening his eyes to a softly glowing, silvery phoenix hovering beside his bed.

"Good evening, Arthur." The patronus said, in Professor Dumbledore's voice. "I would greatly appreciate it if you and Molly were to meet me downstairs - I will be arriving shortly with someone I'd like you both meet." With that, the phoenix faded into mist and vanished. Blinking, Arthur wondered just what was so important that the Headmaster of Hogwarts needed him and his wife at this ungodly hour.

It was a little over twenty minutes later that the Weasley parents were introduced to a tiny five year old named Harry Potter.

-TEW-

"Are you sure you don't need anything else, love?" Molly asked anxiously, as she tucked another blanket around Harry's narrow shoulders. A pair of drowsy green eyes peeked up at her through the mop of messy black hair, the whole mass of which moved as the lad shook his head. Tutting, Molly reached down a hand to lovingly stroke his cheek - the one not marred by a developing bruise, already a splotchy green and yellow color.

At first, the Headmaster was only asking them to put young Harry up for a few days while he searched for any extended relations who might be in a secure enough position to take him. It was only once the child was prised away from Dumbledore's side, allowing the Weasleys their first good look at him, that Molly saw the injury and insisted that Harry could stay as long as needed. Immediately, she'd taken him into the kitchen for a warm drink, then fetched down a set of spare pajamas that she re-sized with a quick charm.

Now, with Arthur and Dumbledore exchanging a few final words before the elder man left through the Floo, Molly was settling Harry down for sleep upon the sofa. "Well, if you wake up again and decide you need anything, anything at all, I'll be in the first room up the staircase."

The mop of hair moved again as he nodded.

"Alrighty then, sleep well love. We'll be down in the morning, and then you can meet my children." Another nod, and then the green eyes closed with a small sigh. It wasn't long before the breathing slowed, and Harry's facial features finally relaxed. Molly stayed beside him for a while longer, ignoring the whoosh of the Floo as Dumbledore left, and the quiet tread of her husband's footsteps as he approached.

"It was his uncle," murmured Arthur, his voice strained. "His own uncle, who did this. The professor said it was the- the last straw. Molly... I'm not sure I want to know what else happened to him with those Muggles."

"It doesn't matter." She said firmly. "He's here now, and we're going to make sure he's cared for properly."

"...You're absolutely right."

-TEW-

Bill yawned as he stumbled down the stairs, rubbing at his eyes blearily. The fifteen year old entered the sitting room, fully prepared to walk straight through on his way to the kitchen, when his sleep-addled mind registered that something was different.

He nearly jumped out of his skin upon realizing a small, dark haired child was watching him from the sofa. "Who in Merlin's name are you?" Bill yelped, automatically grabbing for his wand only to remember that it was upstairs. The boy blinked at him, shrinking down into a tight ball curled within a nest of blankets. Just as Bill was about to let loose some more questions, his mother appeared in the kitchen's doorway.

"Oh, for goodness' sakes! William Arthur Weasley, you calm down right this instant and leave poor Harry alone."

"Huh?" Rolling her eyes in exasperation, his mum marched over and grabbed Bill by the ear, hauling him bodily into the kitchen. "Ow! Blimey, Mum! What's going on? Who is that?"

"Harry Potter."

Bill gaped, not believing her at first. He tried to crane his head around to look back at the kid, only for his mother to firmly force him to face her again. "Bill. He was brought here in the middle of the night by Headmaster Dumbledore, because the Muggle relatives he formerly was living with were- were- oh, I can't even bloody say it." Sighing angrily, she returned to the breakfast dishes that were cooking. "He'll be staying with us for a least a few days - longer if I can manage it."

"Uh... Alright. I think."

"Now, I expect you to march right back up those stairs, and inform your siblings of this as they start to come down. Go ahead and get everyone to wash up, I'll call you all when the food's ready, and then you can meet Harry properly. Got it?"

"Got it, Mum."

-TEW-

Getting stopped on the staircase by his older brother was irritating on any day. Getting held up on said stairs with Harry bloody Potter sitting in their living room was torture for Charlie. By the time their mum called for everyone to come down, the second eldest Weasley brother had been hopping from one foot to the other in his impatience. The others weren't much better: the twins kept trying to slip past an already annoyed Bill, while Percy was barely managing to restrain both himself and Ginny, who wanted very badly to meet the hero who starred in a great many of their dad's bedtime stories.

The only one who didn't seem eager to run downstairs to see the Boy Who Lived was Ron, and that was only because the six year old was more eager to go get breakfast. (Charlie could tell already that that boy was going to be a glutton when he got older, just like him and Bill.)

When the bellowed call did come, it was an avalanche of red hair that practically flew down the last flight of stairs, spilling out into the sitting room before coming to a halt before the Weasley matron. Their mum raised an eyebrow at the lot of them, a look that said she disapproved but wouldn't be commenting on it just yet.

"Bill's told you all, then?" Seven freckled faces nodded anxiously. "Good. Now, I've gotten young Harry to start eating a bit, poor lad's still a bit overwhelmed by all this, and I want you all to come in one at a time, to introduce yourselves."

"Yes, Mum!" Seven voices chorused as she left the room, before Ron, the sneaky little git, ducked around Bill and through the kitchen doors. Annoyed insults were hurled after him, but true to their mum's word, none of the others were allowed in for another few minutes.

Bill was told to wait until last, so that he could keep the younger Weasleys back, which meant Charlie got to go in next. He walked into the kitchen towards his usual seat at the massive table, taking note that Ron had switched chairs to sit next to the dark haired boy wearing wire-rimmed glasses.

"Mornin'!" Charlie said cheerfully, noting the apprehensive way the kid watched him as the thirteen year old started assembling his breakfast.

"Tha's Chawlie." Ron supplied, talking through the food in his mouth. "He'sh tha nesht oldesht t' Bill." Harry nodded carefully, poking a bit more at the eggs and toast on the plate before him. In typical fashion, their mum had piled on a serving size fit for any Weasley, but as he took in the bony arms and fingers emerging from one of their shrunken sets of pajamas, Charlie honestly wondered how the boy was supposed to finish it all.

Well, if nothing else, he supposed Harry could hand the leftovers to Ron, and they'd be gone in moment.

-TEW-

All through breakfast, Percy never took his eyes off of Potter. The ten year old noticed several things that he thought were cause for concern right off the bat - for starters, the hero of the wizarding world was much too small. Now, Percy was perfectly aware that Harry Potter was of an age with his youngest brother Ron, but the boy was as small as Ginny! It was unacceptable!

"Would you like any more to eat?" He offered at one point, but Potter just shook his head, allowing Ron to reach around from his other side and snag the last few pieces of toast. Frowning, Percy allowed it, but he could see his same concern reflected in his mother's eyes. The responsible boy came to the conclusion that for as long as Potter stayed in their home, he'd do everything he could to make sure the lad got all the food he could stand.

Eventually, Percy's dad bustled down into the kitchen, hastily pulling on his robes for work as he snagged a bit of food. Kissing his wife atop the head, the man swiftly made his way around the crowded table, ruffling hair or squeezing a shoulder with each of his offspring. He hesitated briefly with Harry, before giving the startled boy a gentle pat on the shoulder. (Percy could tell that the dark haired lad was surprised from his nervous jump at the contact.) Then Mr. Weasley was hurrying back out of the room, calling back his goodbyes as he headed for the Floo.

"Well!" Their mum clapped her hands together, getting everyone's attention. "Now that we've all had our fill, I expect to see you all hop to the chores that need doing today!" Several of the Weasleys groaned, excepting Bill and Percy, who merely started to stand with their dirtied plates in hand.

Harry Potter surprised them, though, as he immediately hopped up and started to stack every dish he could reach. Then the tiny lad carried them over to the sink, set the pile down, and started to come back for more, a look of determination on his face.

"Harry, love," Molly took careful hold of the boy's shoulders, causing him to hunch over slightly as he looked warily up at her. "You don't need to do that. I do the dishes around here - why don't you go wait out in the living room for a moment while I get you some proper clothes to wear, and later you can help the others, alright?" Cautiously, almost as if he was afraid of speaking, Potter nodded and retreated from the room.

"Doesn't he have his own clothes, Mum?" Ron piped up, having watched the scene with confusion.

Their mother sighed. "Not ones fit for wearing, at any rate."

"But he's Harry Potter!" Ginny protested. "Dad said he lives in a castle like Hogwarts, with real live house elves and hippogriffs and a dragon!"

"That was just a bedtime story, Gin." Percy informed her.

"Your brother's right, Ginerva. In point of fact, young Harry lived with some muggle relatives of his, and I highly suspect he was treated more like a house elf than a hero." Their mum sniffed with disdain. "Now, Ron, I want you to fetch down a pair of clothes you don't mind giving up - yours ought to be the easiest to resize for Harry. After that, I want you and Ginny to take him outside, let him help you if he wants, but just try to get him to open up a little. And for goodness' sake DON'T try to question him about what all he did at his old home, understand?"

"Yes Mum!" Instantly, the youngest and oldest Weasleys hurried from the room, though Percy hung back.

"What's wrong, Percival?"

"Did you mean that? About P- about Harry's relatives treating him like a house elf?" Her pained look was all the answer he needed. "He's not going to go back there, is he?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it." His mum growled, using her wand to start gathering up the dishes and get some soapy water into the sink.

Percy was quiet for a minute as he contemplated the situation. "Well, we'll just have to make him one of our brothers, then." That certainly got his mother's attention, as the woman twirled around to stare at him. "All of us boys can give him a set of clothes or two, and I'll start looking after him like the other kids, and with another pair of hands that isn't set on causing trouble we could probably get the orchard into a bit more order, maybe even have enough extra fruit to sell and that would help with having another mouth to feed-"

"Oh, Percy." His mum's arms wrapped around him, cutting off the ten year old's chatter while giving him a warm feeling. He knew that they were perfectly capable of taking in another child. Even if the other's didn't think so, Percy would make sure Harry became one of their family just fine.

-TEW-

Laughing as he punted another gnome out of the garden, Fred didn't notice the trio coming around from the other side of the house. George did, though, and nudged his twin to direct his attention towards the adorable scene.

Ron and Ginny were walking on either side of little Harry, talking turns nattering on about different things they liked to do on sunny days. Their guest wasn't paying the pair much attention, however - his focus was firmly on the small white eggs nestled in the basket he was carefully carrying.

"Think we might be just rotten enough to trip up the savior of the Wizarding World, Forge?"

"I think we might just be, Gred. How shall we go about such an act of despicable treachery?" The other eight year old was just about to respond when their keen eyes noticed something odd.

Ron and Ginny were outright arguing now, leaning around Harry to glare and fuss at each other. The dark haired boy's head snapped up as he noted the growing volume, and nervousness took over his expression. In fact, Harry slowed his steps to try and allow the other children to move ahead of them, but the pair either didn't notice or deliberately matched their pace with his. Growing more fearful, the small boy ended up stopping completely, thin arms tightening their grip on the basket of eggs.

Fred and George exchanged another look, more concerned than interested in mischief making at this point.

As the youngest pair of Weasleys continued their fight, the next oldest swooped in to get Harry's attention and continue leading him to the Burrow's back door. When they slipped inside, their mum looked curiously at the trio.

"I thought Ginny and Ron-"

"They had a wee bit of a squabble." Fred informed her as George brought Harry and the eggs over to the kitchen. "Still might be, in fact. Figured we might as well step in before ickle Harrikins got dragged into it as well."

Their mum squared her shoulders, nodded, and promptly marched outside to go fuss at her youngest offspring.

"Now, Harry," George gently nudged the smaller boy with a grin. "If any of that lot every starts giving you trouble, just come to us, alright?" Hesitantly, the lad nodded, getting both of the twins to beam at him.

They just grinned even wider when he gave them a small smile in return.

-TEW-

"Why'd you go off with the twins earlier?" Ron asked as he sat down next to Harry at lunch. The dark haired boy shrugged lightly, waiting until everyone was seated and digging into the sandwiches before he tentatively took one for himself.

"Well, just be careful around those two." Ron continued on. "Pranksters, the both of 'em. Turned my hair green one time, they did." He nodded in response to Harry's wide-eyed stare. "Took me a week to wash it all out."

"Any more to drink, boys?" Ron's mum asked at one point as she bustled around the table and chairs. "Harry? Need anything, love?" The lad quickly shook his head, causing to woman to frown but move on nonetheless. Ron stared at him.

"Why don't ask anybody for anything?" He asked after a minute. "Come a that, you haven't said much at all today."

Harry only shrugged, continuing to nibble at his sandwich. Ron glanced at the younger boy's empty plate, then at his own, which was covered in the wonderful foodstuffs his mum had made for the mid-day meal. Then, nodding decisively to himself, Ron switched plates.

Blinking, Harry looked a question at him, to which Ron smiled. "When you can't eat anymore, and I mean really can't, I'll have the leftovers. But this way, you get enough, and I don't get any pudgier." When the dark-haired boy gave him a tentative smile, Ron felt like was finally getting why his big brothers always insisted on looking out for him.

It was nice, to no longer be the youngest. Besides Ginny, of course, but she didn't count because she was a girl.

That afternoon, the last of the chores were finished up, so Ron took Harry on a tour of the entire Burrow. He showed him all of rooms in the house itself, including the attic with a ghoul in it, then all the neat features of the yard, and the orchards and pond further back on the little patch of farmland. When Bill came out and joined them, the two Weasley brothers also started giving their guest a run-down of everything in the Wizarding World. Ron had been shocked to learn how little Harry knew, but then he supposed that living with muggles who were afraid of magic was a reasonable excuse.

Their explanations came to an end when their mum called Harry in so that she could refit more clothes for him and then help the boy figure out how the bath worked. Ron and Bill stayed outside for a little while longer, enjoying the quiet until a question was asked.

"Can Harry stay with us forever?" Startled, Bill glanced down at his youngest brother.

"Why would ask that, Ron?"

"'Cause, I don't think he really knows what having a family means, and we'd be the best ones to show him. And, if he stays, then I won't be the littlest boy anymore, so that's good." Snorting in amusement, Bill ruffled the six year old's fluffy hair.

"I don't think he was supposed to stay here more than a few days, but Mum and Dad are gonna do what they can to have him on permanently." Seeing Ron's eyebrows furrow, Bill used a different word. "That means forever."

"Yes!" Ron hopped to his feet with a whoop, and ran back to the Burrow so that he could make sure everyone knew Harry was going to stay and be the baby brother from then on.

-TEW-

Ginny had to wait until all the lights were off and she heard her parents go into their bedroom before sneaking back down the stairs that night. All day, she'd been told to go easy on Harry, but now she just had to have him answer one of her questions, the one that had been bugging her all through dinner and getting ready for bedtime.

In the living room, the nest of blankets on the sofa had been restored, with a shaggy mop of black hair peeking out from the end of it. Tip-toeing across the room, Ginny made it to her destination without any unnecessary noises. Carefully, she reached up and poked at the face half-hidden by the hair.

Instantly, those bright green eyes snapped open and latched onto her. Giggling at how wide they were, Ginny clambered up onto the sofa beside the startled boy.

"You know, if you live here with us you're gonna need your own bed." The almost-five year old informed him. "We can put it in Ron's room, 'cause he really wants you to be our new brother, and says he wouldn't mind sharing."

Harry blinked at her, getting Ginny to frown at the lack of a greater response. "You do want to stay with us, don't you?"

"...Yes." His voice was so quiet, she almost missed the whispered word.

"Good! Because we want you to stay, too! Even Percy, and it takes a lot for him to like someone." She added this last part conspiratorially, getting Harry to grin a little bit. "And the twins didn't even prank you! They do that to everybody, so it'll probably happen sooner or later, but they must really, really like you since they haven't done one already. Bill and Charlie like everyone easy, and we both know Ron's really excited to have you stay, and I heard
Mum and Dad say earlier that they'd do whatever they could to make sure you have a home here." Ginny stopped chattering as she finally noticed the tears on Harry's face. "What's wrong?"

"I... I've never had so many people like me before." He confessed, not bothering to try and conceal his crying.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm here now, so... It's fine. Better than fine, actually." Harry was smiling now, even as more tears slipped from his eyes. Ginny scooted closer to him and wrapped her arms around the boy in a tight hug, which he happily returned.

When Molly made her late-night rounds a little while later, always done to make sure everyone was safely abed, she was rather startled to find her daughter curled up with Harry on the sofa, both sound asleep. Loathe to risk waking them, she went ahead and rearranged the blankets to make the nest more comfortable for the pair, her two youngest children.

A/N: And now my very first Harry Potter story is uploaded! You folks will have to let me know if you want to see anymore to this, otherwise I'll likely leave it as a one-shot.

-Triscribe