The Weasleys looked confused; Harry took a breath before continuing.
"I - I said last week that someone had been stealing from me," Harry chose to look only to Molly since she had been the one to stand up for his privacy back then. "Well, they weren't just stealing money," he explained. "They were giving it away too. One of the things they gave to was called the Hogwarts Hopefuls; it looked like they had been doing it for years. We didn't know what it was," Harry said quickly. "Nobody at Gringotts had ever heard of it, so we stopped it," he shrugged. "I never thought I'd know someone who needed it," Harry finished weakly.
If Dumbledore had come to collect him right then, he didn't know if he'd even bother to put up a struggle.
"So first you take her money," Ron said rising. "And then you want to be a hero and give it back? Some friend you are, Harry," he said sourly as he stormed off to his room.
"It wasn't her money, Ron, it was his," Fred called after him.
"Fred, Percy could you-," Molly started before Fred interrupted.
"-Let the git stew," he said as he pulled Percy back to his seat when he had numbly moved to rise.
"You'll have to forgive Ron, he-he's just concerned for his sister," Molly said to Harry.
"And a git," Fred stared mutinously at above him.
Harry took it as a sign of the seriousness of the conversation that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley let the comment stand.
"Ginny wouldn't have wanted the scholarship if she knew the money had been stolen, Harry," Molly said. "None of the family would have."
"What?" Harry asked confused.
"Half the family's benefited from the Hopefuls program," Mr. Weasley said explained. "Really, all of us have. Bill, Charlie, and Percy are all Hopefuls-," he said as Percy stared numbly into space. "And it was only by saving up for all those years we've been able to send Fred, George, and Ron to Hogwarts. We may not have much, but we pay our way when we can."
Strangely enough, that did make Harry feel better.
"I'd still like to help," Harry said. "You'll be doing me a favor, actually." He went on when they looked at him curiously. "The person who stole from me was only able to do it because they claim to be my guardian."
"You mean those muggles you live with?" Mr. Weasley asked with an odd look on his face.
"No, this is someone in the wizarding world," Harry explained. "He abandoned me with the Dursleys a long time ago. They would've had the account cleaned out in a single day and dumped me at an orphanage if they'd known."
"You know who this person is?" Fred asked.
"Yes, which is why I need your help to stay away from them," Harry said to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. "I need a place I can stay, at least until my next birthday."
"You can stay here as long as you need, Harry. You know that," Molly said.
"Thanks, but I really need to pay," Harry explained. "My litigator said that it would really help us out. Actually," he got up and retrieved the rental agreement from the drawer, "He sent this over today. I just didn't know of anything I could offer you in exchange for letting me rent a room and I didn't think you'd take money for it."
Molly looked down at the agreement for a while before turning to her husband.
"Arthur?"
Mr. Weasley scratched his head and looked thoughtful.
"With Bill and Charlie gone, taking on a renter does make sense," Mr. Weasley said. "And his stuff is already here. Paying for Hogwarts entirely is out of the question, but paying for the year - if you think of it as a lump sum payment rather than paying month-to-month, it's actually much more reasonable."
"But Arthur, we couldn't charge-," Molly protested.
"We'd both be benefiting," Harry said. "And I for one would consider it well worth the price to be able to call this place my home."
Molly smiled and gave him a pat on the hand.
"What do we need to do?" she asked.
It was with great relief that Harry ran past George coming downstairs as he made his way up to his room to fetch his Blood Quill, though he did have to double back for a regular quill and ink. He had no intention of pulling a Lockhart and signing the whole thing in blood, and didn't think the Weasleys would like to either. He got back in time to hear the end of George's report on Ginny.
"That'll make her feel better," George said. "The Harry thing might be a bit - Oh, hey Harry, or should we call you Roomie now?"
"Just Harry will be fine," he answered.
Fortunately, while it may have taken forever for it to arrive, it appeared the rental agreement was charmed to walk them through the process. It even outlined the section for them to fill in what way, or how much, Harry was going to pay in return and where they all needed to sign. The twins looked at him in askance when he pulled out his wand, but seemed to accept contracts being an exception to the 'no magic outside of school' rule when he explained it.
A huge weight lifted off his shoulders when it was done, so much so he felt a little lightheaded. With a pop! the house-elf from before reappeared with a bright smile and her arms held out like she wanted a hug.
"Oh, Merlin!" Molly said with a hand to her heart. She obviously hadn't been expecting such a sudden visitor.
"Er - Are you here for this, Mipsy?" Harry asked, holding up the agreement.
"Oh! Yes, Mister Hairy Pots-sir," she said embarrassedly.
"Make sure to thank him again for me, won't you?" Harry asked as he handed it over.
Mipsy nodded and with another quick wave and a "Bye!" she left again with a pop!
"Mister Hairy Pots?" Fred asked with a grin.
"How do you grow hair on a pot?" his twin continued.
"Apparently, I'm some sort of Chia Pet," he answered.
The twins may not have known what he was talking about, but he found it hilarious.
"Ron will be alright, won't he?" Harry asked. "It'd be rather awkward staying here until next year if he hates me."
"I'll look in on him and Ginny," Mr. Weasley said wearily, running his fingers through his sparse hair. "I'll make sure they know what's going on."
As Mr. Weasley left, Harry thought he heard a muttered 'git' from one of the twins, no doubt talking about their petulant missing brother.
"Oh! Where's my head?" Molly said, rising to her feet again. "I've forgotten all about breakfast."
Seeming to make up for lost time, Mrs. Weasley had a feast on the table in no time at all. Harry ate gratefully, his hunger returning as soon as the agreement was settled. Ron didn't return for the meal but Mrs. Weasley tried to put his mind at ease.
.....
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