Molly was humming happily to herself as she cleaned the dishes; it was just after lunch and had been three days since her night of mischief at Privet Drive, and she still found herself giggling impishly when she thought about what the Dursleys must be going through, she knew she should feel guilty about what she had done, but the memory of what she had seen in Harry's memories quickly made any guilt promptly fade.
A loud voice from outside suddenly made her start, and she quickly made her way out the door to find Ron and Harry red faced and yelling at one another as they fought over a toy broomstick,
"What's going on here?" Molly demanded as she approached, hands on her hips,
"Harry and I were playing, and he said I was being selfish!" Ron barked, his face as red as his hair,
"Because Ron won't share!" Harry countered, his face equally red, "He keeps taking longer turns!"
"That's enough, both of you!" Molly thundered, making both boys go quiet instantly and stare at their feet,
"Ron, you need to share," Molly said sternly, "And Harry, you shouldn't fight with your brother; if he's taking a longer turn, come get me, and I'll take care of it, understand?"
Both boys mumbled that they understood, and Molly nodded quickly,
"Good, now both of you apologize to each other,"
"Sorry, Harry," Ron mumbled softly,
"Sorry, Ron," Harry mumbled back.
"Good," Molly said quickly, "Now I'm taking the broom away for the day as punishment; you two can go find something else to do,"
"Aw, but mum…." Ron began before he was cut off by Molly,
"No buts! Now both of you go play and no more fighting, understood?" Molly said with a stern gaze.
Both boys nodded before Ron took Harry's hand, and the two ran off to find something else to do; Molly looked after them for a moment before a smile spread across her face. Madam Pomfrey had said that when Harry began to get into trouble, that would mean that he was finally starting to think of the burrow as his home and the Weasleys as his family.
After so long, Molly had begun to worry about whether Harry would ever truly think of the burrow as his home; Harry was always so polite, something that Molly was grateful for, but she worried for the boy at times; he was always apologizing despite Molly's assurances that he had nothing to apologize for.
"It's about time," Molly said softly to herself, a bright smile across her face as she stared at the boys who were currently talking to Ginny about something. The three ran around the house a moment later and were lost to view, and Molly made her way back inside.
XXXX
A few days later, the Weasley family was walking through Diagon Alley on a warm sunny day; Molly had needed to purchase some more potion ingredients. Arthur had suggested that the whole family go, to get out of the house for a little while.
Harry was beaming, as usual, his hand held tight in Molly's as his head whipped back and forth to look at all the shops they passed; Molly smiled at the boy's elation at the world around him, even though Harry had been around magic for some time now, he still reacted to everything as though it were his first time and Molly loved it.
"Mum, do you think we can visit Quality Quidditch Supplies before going home?" Ron asked quickly as they passed the shop,
"I see no reason why not," Molly replied with a grin, making Ron jump for joy at the prospect,
"Can we stop at the joke shop too?" Fred asked,
"We're almost out of prank material," George added,
"As if you need more of that," Arthur said quickly, "It took poor Percy nearly a week for your last prank to fade,"
"Aw, it wasn't that bad," Fred said with a grin,
"His hair was green for a week!" Arthur added sternly,
"Well, he shouldn't have stolen our chocolate frogs, should he?" George said darkly,
"Never come between a child and his chocolate…." Fred added sternly.
For a moment, Arthur looked at the twins before he burst out laughing at them,
"I swear, you two…." Arthur said as he wiped his eyes,
"Don't encourage them, Arthur!" Molly said, albeit with a smile of her own, "If we have time, perhaps we can stop by the joke shop."
Both twins grinned at each other as the group made their way into The Apothecary, where they were greeted by a plump witch in green robes,
"Good morning; how may I help you today?"
"Good morning," Molly said warmly, "I need a few ingredients that I have unfortunately run short of,"
"We can certainly help with that if you have a list of what you need," the witch replied; Molly instantly pulled a roll of parchment from her robe and handed it to the witch, who looked down the list carefully before replying,
"This shouldn't be a problem if you just follow me."
Molly turned to the children before following and looked them over with a stern gaze before saying in an equally stern voice,
"Now, I want you all to stay with your father and behave yourself, understand? No funny business, no wandering off, stay right here,"
nods of understanding followed this as Molly stared sternly at the children for a moment longer before nodding and following the witch down the aisle.
Harry walked over to the counter and was staring at a glass jar that appeared to be filled with tiny eyeballs when he heard a light cough next to him that made him turn around slowly to see a large man standing close to him; the man had long silver-blonde hair and was dressed in what looked to be an expensive robe and was carrying a long cane with a snake head for a top,
"Good morning, Mr. Potter," the man said in a haughty voice,
"Um…..hello," Harry replied nervously, "How do you know my name?"
"Everyone knows your name, dear boy," the man said with a smile, "You're famous after all,"
"People keep saying that, but no one will tell me why I'm famous," Harry replied, making the man tilt his head in bemusement.
"Do you mean to say that your guardians have not informed you of who you are?" The man said with a sneer, "I expected better from Dumbledore's lackeys…."
"Who I am?" Harry asked in confusion, "I'm Harry, just Harry…."
"Oh no, my dear boy," the man said softly, "You are so much more than that, I assure you."
Several moments of silence followed this announcement before Harry remembered something and softly said,
"You were at my aunt and uncle's trial,"
"Indeed I was, and I wish to offer my sincerest apologies that those filthy muggles were only given a fine," the man growled, "They should have received far worse for their crimes."
Harry stared silently at the man for a moment before he mumbled,
"I wish they had too, but Molly says not to worry because I'll never see them again,"
"Just the sort of thing a blood traitor would say," the man sneered; before Harry could ask what a blood traitor was, Arthur approached and suddenly put himself between Harry and the man.
"Good morning, Lucius," Arthur said coldly as he eyed the man, "Is there a reason you are talking to my son?"
"Your son?" Lucius sneered, "Quite a presumptuous statement, wouldn't you agree, Weasley?"
"Harry is my son, Malfoy," Arthur said back angrily, "He may not share my blood, but he is my son in every way that matters."
"Is that why you haven't even told the boy who he is?" Lucius sneered, "Or is it because your master hasn't given you permission to tell the boy anything?"
Arthur turned slightly pink at that and quickly cleared his throat before responding,
"Harry is too young to hear that story, Malfoy, Molly, and I will tell him when he is older."
Lucius' lip curled at the words, and he responded in a cold voice,
"I would have expected better from a wizarding family, Weasley, but then your family always was a disgrace to the name of wizard."
Arthur turned red with anger, and he took a step forward before replying in a growl,
"We both have a very different opinion about what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy,"
"Clearly we do, Weasley," Lucius replied coldly, "A pity that Harry Potter is forced to be raised by such a family; I can only imagine what the poor boy will be taught under your guardianship."
"Insult my family again, and I promise that I will knock that smug look right off your face!" Arthur snarled, making Lucius smile contemptuously,
"I thought you were smarter than that, Weasley," Lucius sneered, "What would become of your pathetic family if you were to suddenly find yourself a guest of Azkaban?"
Arthur's fists clenched and unclenched for a moment angrily as Lucius continued in the same cold tone as before,
"And no matter how much you tell yourself otherwise, he will NEVER be your son; you're only deluding yourself."
Without another word, Lucius turned and walked out of the shop as Arthur glared daggers at his back,
"Arthur?" Harry said softly, making Arthur turn to face the boy who looked as though he were about to cry, "I'm a Weasley, right? That man said I wasn't one…."
Arthur's anger seemed to melt away as he slowly kneeled down and placed his hands on Harry's shoulders,
"Harry, that man doesn't know what he's talking about; he was just being mean and hurtful. You are absolutely a Weasley, and that will never change, understand?"
Harry nodded slowly and wiped his eyes as Molly reappeared with the witch and looked at her husband in confusion,
"Everything okay?" She asked as she looked between the two,
"Everything is fine, dear," Arthur replied, "I just had an unfortunate encounter with Lucius Malfoy."
Molly's eyes turned cold at the words. She nodded in understanding before turning to the counter to pay; a moment later, the group was walking towards Quality Quidditch Supplies, and the encounter was all but forgotten.
XXXX
Harry stared at his reflection in the mirror with a grimace; he had had such a fun day with the Weasleys in Diagon Alley and had tried to forget the mean man's words, but they seemed to still ring in his ears when they had returned to the burrow.
Molly and Arthur had both assured Harry that Lucius was wrong and that Harry was indeed a Weasley and always would be; Ron and the others had said the same thing and tried to cheer him up, but still, Harry felt the sting of the words and upon returning home had gone straight to the bathroom to study his reflection.
As he stared at his reflection, Harry desperately wished his black hair would turn red so that he could look like the rest of the Weasleys, then no one would ever be able to say that he wasn't a real Weasley ever again. But, as Harry looked at his reflection piteously, his eyes suddenly widened in surprise as his black hair began to slowly turn red, just like he wanted, it started slowly, but soon his whole head was covered in fiery red hair.
Slowly, Harry reached up and touched his head, sure that it must be a trick of some sort, but to his joy, it was real, and he let out a 'Whoop' of happiness; a moment later, Harry's eyes widened again in awe as freckles began to spread out across his face until he looked almost like he could be Ron's twin.
Harry let out a cry of happiness before tearing the door open and rushing down the stairs into the kitchen where Molly and Arthur were quietly talking,
"Molly! Arthur! Look! My hair changed, and I got freckles! Look! Look!" Harry cried happily as he dashed in and stood in front of them with a huge smile spread across his face; Molly and Arthur both looked stunned as they took in Harry's new appearance. Even Jaya looked at Harry with wide eyes, "Master Harry, what has happened to your hair?" Jaya squeaked from her place by the sink where she had been washing dishes.
Cautiously, Molly approached and gently touched Harry's hair for a moment before she spoke in an awed voice,
"How is this possible?"
"I don't know!" Harry said happily, "I was just looking at my reflection, and I wished I looked more like Ron so no one could say I wasn't really a Weasley, and then my hair changed, and I got freckles!"
Molly's expression saddened at the words, and she took Harry in a hug for a moment before she pulled away and looked into his eyes,
"Harry, just because you don't look like the rest of us doesn't mean you aren't one of us," Molly said warmly, "You are our son, no matter what you look like,"
"That's right, Harry," Arthur added as he too knelt down in front of the boy, "No matter what, you will always be our son,"
"But the man today said…." Harry began before he was cut off,
"Never mind what Lucius Malfoy said," Arthur said quickly, "He is an arse,"
"Arthur! Language!" Molly growled, making Arthur mumble a quick apology,
"What Arthur means, Harry," Molly said gently, "Is that Lucius Malfoy is not a nice person, and you shouldn't listen to anything he says."
"Missus Wheezy is right, master Harry!" Jaya squeaked, "The Malfoy are being bad wizards! You should not be listening to their lies!"
For several moments, Harry stared at the two before a memory came to him, and he softly asked,
"What's a blood traitor? I heard Lucius call Arthur one, but I didn't understand what it meant,"
both adults shared a dark look for a moment, and even Jaya was looking suddenly nervous before Arthur explained what the word meant and what kind of people the Malfoys were; when Arthur was finished, Harry looked shocked and angry at the same time, and to Molly and Arthur's shock, Harry's hair began to turn even redder.
"They think they're better than everyone just because of a stupid reason like that?!" Harry asked angrily as his hair turned bright orange with outrage,
"Harry dear," Molly said gently, "How are you doing that?"
"Doing what?" Harry asked in bemusement, his hair slowly changing back to a Weasley red,
"Incredible…." Arthur said in a whisper, "Harry, you're a metamorphmagus!"
"I'm a what?" Harry asked, suddenly afraid,
"It means you can change your appearance at will," Molly said in awe, "It's an incredibly rare magical gift."
"Master James' grandfather was one!" Jaya said in awe, "He was being a great Auror because of it!"
"Is that how I changed my hair and got freckles?" Harry asked as he began to bounce up and down in happiness at his new gift,
"I imagine it is," Arthur said with a smile,
"That's so cool!" Harry said with a smile, "Can I go show Ron and the others?"
"Yes, you can go show the others," Molly said with a smile, "Just be careful; you just discovered your gift; it might take a while for you to learn to control it,"
Jaya nodded in agreement before saying quickly,
"It is being a rare gift; it will take time for master Harry to control it."
Harry nodded that he understood and a moment later ran out of the door into the front yard yelling for Ron and the others.
"We should tell Dumbledore about this," Arthur said as he and Molly watched the children through the window, Ron and Ginny were looking at Harry in awe, while Fred and George were exclaiming how brilliant it was and how many pranks they could do now that Harry could be 'anyone.'
"Agreed," Molly said, she might still be mad at Dumbledore, but even she agreed that he needed to be told of Harry's new gift,
"This will certainly make things around here more interesting," Arthur said with a smile as they watched Harry laugh at something Ron had said,
"That's the understatement of the century," Molly laughed as she leaned into her husband; Arthur laughed back and wrapped his arm around her as they watched their children.
XXXX
"Extraordinary," Dumbledore said softly as he gazed at Harry, who was sitting on the couch in front of him; Dumbledore had arrived a few hours after Arthur had flooed him, explaining Harry's new ability, and upon seeing Harry's new appearance had burst out in a huge smile at how 'appropriate it was that Harry now looked like his new family.'
"There hasn't been a metamorphmagus in the Potter line since Harry's great-grandfather Henry Potter," Dumbledore explained cheerfully to the room of onlookers; the twins were grinning mischievously, no doubt thinking of all the pranks they would perform with Harry's help, while Ron and Ginny were still looking at Harry in awe.
"Master James would be so jealous if he knew!" Jaya said with an impish grin which made Dumbledore chuckle slightly,
"James was enough trouble on his own; I shudder to think what he would have done had he the ability to change his appearance," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling merrily,
"What should we do, Albus?" Arthur asked softly,
"Whatever do you mean, Arthur?" Dumbledore replied,
"Well, being a metamorphmagus is not a very common gift, as you said," Arthur clarified, "So Harry will need someone to help him learn how to control it, will he not?"
"Indeed he will," Dumbledore said thoughtfully as he rubbed his beard, "And I think I have just the person to teach him,"
"Who?" Molly asked curiously,
"Why Andromeda and Ted Tonks' daughter, of course," Dumbledore said cheerfully, making Arthur and Molly's eyebrows rise in surprise.
"Nymphadora?" Molly asked, "I haven't seen the girl in years; I didn't know she was a metamorphmagus,"
"Nor I," Arthur added, "Isn't she a bit young to be teaching Harry?"
"Not at all," Dumbledore laughed cheerfully, "She just started her third year at Hogwarts, and I know she would love to meet Harry, she's always talking about how she'd love a little brother, and I think teaching Harry to control his abilities would be beneficial for both of them,"
"Harry doesn't need another sister!" Ginny cried hotly, "He already has one!"
"Perhaps," Dumbledore said with a smile, "But one can always have more, and if not a sister, then perhaps a friend."
Harry smiled sheepishly at the thought of meeting someone else like him as Dumbledore continued in the same cheerful voice,
"I'll owl Andromeda and see if she would be willing to bring her daughter to meet Harry for the holidays, with your permission, of course,"
"Of course," Molly said warmly, "I think it would do Harry good to meet Andromeda and Nymphadora."
Dumbledore smiled warmly and made his way to the fireplace,
"Until we meet again, then," He said with a wink before stepping into the fireplace and disappearing a moment later.
"Alright, you lot," Arthur said after Dumbledore had left, "Go brush your teeth and get ready for bed; it's past your bedtime,"
grumbles followed this as the children began to walk up the stairs; Harry was the last to go and stopped at the bottom to turn to Molly,
"Um….Molly," Harry asked sheepishly as he stared at his feet,
"What is it, dear?" Molly asked curiously as she knelt down in front of him,
"I was wondering if it would be alright…can I call you mummy from now on?" Harry asked softly, his eyes fixed on his slippers.
Molly's eyes instantly teared up, and she wrapped her arms around the boy in a tight embrace before finally pulling away and smiling as she replied,
"I would love for you to call me that, sweetie,"
Harry's face split into a huge grin before he wiped his eyes with his sleeve and said happily,
"Okay, mummy, can you come read Ron and me a story?"
"Ron and I," Molly correct with a smile, "But yes, go get ready for bed, and I'll be up in a minute, okay?"
Harry nodded happily, his hair turning a violent shade of pink, and ran up the stairs to join the others as Molly watched him go with a smile; slowly getting to her feet, she turned to see Arthur looking at her with a grin,
"Now he really is a Weasley," Arthur said happily, unable to say anything else; Molly just smiled and embraced her husband before giving him a kiss.