The silence in the sitting room was suffocating, thick with tension and unspoken words. The adults exchanged uneasy gnces, their earlier confidence shaken. They had all come here expecting this to be simple—a boy who’d grown up in less fortunate circumstances would surely leap at the chance to return to a life of wealth, fame, and prestige. But Harry’s sharp words and unyielding demeanor had blindsided them.

  James Potter leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his messy hair, his expression a mix of frustration and guilt. “I didn’t think it would be like this,” he muttered, almost to himself. “He’s—he’s nothing like I expected.”

  “Brave,” Sirius Bck said quietly, his voice tinged with admiration. “He’s bloody brave, standing up to all of us like that. Reminds me of someone…”

  Amelia Bones, seated beside him, shot him a stern look. “Now is not the time to get sentimental, Sirius. The boy had valid points. You can’t just expect him to drop everything and come running back to a family he doesn’t even know.”

  Lily Potter wiped at her eyes, her voice trembling as she spoke. “But he’s our son. We made mistakes, I know that, but… I thought he’d understand. I thought he’d want to come home.”

  Arthur Weasley cleared his throat, drawing the room’s attention. “Harry already has a home,” he said gently but firmly. “It may not be what you envisioned for him, but he’s happy with us. Molly and I… we’ve done our best to raise him as one of our own.”

  Molly, who had been unusually quiet throughout the entire exchange, finally spoke, her tone tinged with an edge of protectiveness. “You all thought this would be easy, didn’t you? Thought you could just waltz in here with your titles and your gold and sweep Harry away like none of the past eleven years ever happened. Well, you’ve underestimated him. Harry’s no fool, and he’s no pushover. He’s a Weasley through and through, and you’d do well to remember that.”

  Dumbledore, seated in the corner, steepled his fingers, his face unusually grave. “It seems we’ve miscalcuted,” he admitted, his voice heavy. “Harry’s connection to the Weasley family is stronger than I anticipated. I had hoped…” He trailed off, shaking his head.

  “Perhaps,” Remus Lupin suggested, his voice calm and measured, “we should take a step back. Harry’s made it clear that he’s not ready to leave the Weasleys, and pushing him will only drive him further away. Maybe the best thing we can do is give him time—time to adjust, time to build a retionship with James and Lily, and time to see that no one is trying to take anything away from him.”

  Lily’s shoulders sagged, and she nodded reluctantly. “You’re right. Pushing him won’t help. But how do we even start? He doesn’t trust us… why would he?”

  Sirius leaned forward, his expression determined. “You start small. You write to him, talk to him, spend time with him—but you don’t demand anything. Let him come to you on his own terms.”

  James sighed heavily. “It’s not what I wanted, but… I suppose it’s the only way. He’s strong-willed, isn’t he? Didn’t expect that.”

  “He had to be,” Molly said quietly, her voice ced with sadness. “After everything he’s been through, Harry learned to stand up for himself. He’s had to fight for his pce in the world, and he won’t let anyone take that away from him—not even you.”

  The room fell silent again, each adult lost in their thoughts. For the first time, they truly began to understand the boy they were dealing with—a boy who had grown up without the privilege of wealth and fame, but who had forged his own strength and identity despite it all.

  “Very well,” Dumbledore finally said, breaking the silence. “We’ll give Harry the time and space he needs. But we must remain vigint. The boy’s safety is still of paramount importance.”

  “And that’s where we all agree,” Arthur said firmly. “Whatever happens, Harry’s safety comes first.”

  With that, the meeting dissolved into quieter conversations, the weight of Harry’s words lingering in the air. The boy they had underestimated had left a mark on each of them, and they knew that the road ahead would not be easy. But one thing was certain—Harry Potter was no ordinary child, and winning his trust would take more than money or fame.

  Harry stood in the backyard of the Weasley Manor, a small flock of chickens clucking contentedly around him. He scattered feed absentmindedly, his thoughts far from the task at hand. The crisp evening air did little to soothe the turmoil in his mind. His conversation with the adults earlier had left him restless and questioning.

  Behind him, the soft sound of footsteps on the grass drew his attention. He turned, finding Lily and James Potter walking toward him, with Sirius Bck and Remus Lupin following closely. The tension between them was palpable, their earlier confidence now repced by uncertainty.

  Harry straightened, meeting Lily’s gaze directly. His green eyes, so much like hers, were unflinching. “You again,” he said, his tone neutral but guarded.

  “Harry,” Lily began hesitantly, taking a step closer. “We wanted to say goodbye before we left. We thought—”

  But Harry cut her off, his voice steady and sharp. “Tell me the real reason.”

  Lily blinked, startled. “The real reason for what?”

  “The real reason you abandoned me,” Harry said, his words striking like a hammer. “Don’t lie about safety or Voldemort’s followers or whatever else you’ve been saying. Just tell me the truth.”

  James opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. He looked to Lily, his face a mix of guilt and frustration. Lily’s hands trembled slightly as she csped them together, her eyes locked on Harry’s.

  Harry turned to James, his eyes bzing with anger. “If you’re trying to lie, don’t bother,” he said coldly. “Because I know that if you were so concerned about my safety, to the point of sending me away, you wouldn’t have had another child—Rose Potter—in the midst of all that danger. She’s three years younger than me. So clearly, it wasn’t about safety. What’s the point of sending one child away if you had no problem having another? And not once—not once—did you check on me to see how I was doing. There’s something else you’re not telling me.”

  James opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. His face had gone pale, his usual bravado shattered. Lily’s hands trembled, and she seemed on the verge of tears. The tension in the air was suffocating as Harry’s words hung over them like a storm cloud.

  It was Sirius who finally broke the silence. His voice was steady, though his eyes betrayed his guilt. “Harry… the truth is, we didn’t send you away just because of safety concerns.”

  Harry’s gaze snapped to Sirius, his expression unreadable. “Then why?”

  Sirius hesitated for a moment before continuing. “Before Voldemort’s fall, we noticed something… odd. You hadn’t shown any signs of accidental magic since you were a baby. At first, we thought it will happen eventually. But as time passed, it became clear that there was more to it.”

  “What are you saying?” Harry asked, his voice dangerously low.

  “We took you to St. Mungo’s,” Sirius admitted, his voice heavy with regret. “They checked your magical core, and it was… low. Very low. Too low for a child your age. We thought…” He swallowed hard. “We thought you might be a Squib.”

  The words hit Harry like a physical blow. He stood there, stunned, as the full weight of Sirius’s admission sank in.

  “You thought I was a Squib,” Harry repeated slowly, his voice ft. “So you just… sent me away? To live with people who hated me? You didn’t even give me a chance?”

  Lily stepped forward, tears streaming down her face. “Harry, we thought we were doing what was best for you. We didn’t want you to grow up feeling out of pce in a magical family if you didn’t have magic. We thought you’d have a better life with Petunia, living as a normal boy.”

  “A better life?” Harry spat, his voice rising with anger. “You call that a better life? Being locked in a cupboard, treated like a servant, made to believe I was worthless? You didn’t even check to see if I was okay!”

  “We made a mistake,” James said hoarsely, his voice barely audible. “A terrible mistake. We let fear and assumptions cloud our judgment. And we’ll regret it for the rest of our lives.”

  Harry shook his head, his eyes bzing with fury and betrayal. “A mistake? That’s all you can call it? You threw me away like I didn’t matter, like I wasn’t good enough for you. And now you want me to just forget all of that because you’re sorry? Well, I’m sorry too. Sorry that I ever thought you might have a good reason for what you did.”

  He turned on his heel and started to walk away, his hands clenched into fists.

  “Harry, wait!” Lily called after him, her voice desperate.

  Harry stopped in his tracks and turned back to face Lily, his gaze cold but piercing. He looked at her for a long moment before finally speaking, his voice steady and calm but filled with a sharp edge. “When did you know you were a witch? I mean, I know you’re Muggle-born. So, when did you find out?”

  Lily, taken aback by the sudden question, blinked away her tears and stammered, “I… I had a friend. Severus Snape. He was from a magical family, and he told me about magic and the magical world when I was six or seven.”

  Harry nodded, his expression unreadable. “And when did your parents find out?”

  Lily hesitated, unsure of where this was going. “They… they found out when my Hogwarts letter came. On my eleventh birthday.”

  “So,” Harry said slowly, his tone sharpening, “all your family members, except for you, were non-magical, right?”

  Lily nodded again, a sinking feeling growing in her chest.

  “Would you have forgiven them,” Harry asked, his voice cutting through the air like a bde, “if they had dumped you at Diagon Alley as an eleven-year-old and left you behind because you were different from them?”

  Lily’s eyes widened, and she froze, the weight of his words crashing down on her like a tidal wave. It was as though Harry had physically spped her. Her lips parted as if to respond, but no words came out.

  Harry didn’t wait for an answer. He turned around and walked away, his shoulders tense but resolute. He didn’t look back, leaving Lily standing there, staring at the ground with tears streaming down her face.

  She broke down completely, sobbing uncontrolbly as James and Sirius rushed to her side. Sirius pced a comforting hand on her shoulder, while James wrapped his arms around her protectively.

  “Let’s go,” James said softly, his voice thick with regret. “We’ll take you back to the manor.”

  Sirius nodded, his face grim. “We need to give him time. He’s right to feel how he feels.”

  Together, they helped Lily back to the manor, their hearts heavy with guilt and sorrow. As they prepared to leave, the image of Harry’s unyielding expression lingered in their minds, a painful reminder of the deep scars their decisions had left behind.

  As Harry climbed the steps to his room in the Weasley manor, he felt a profound sense of relief settle over him. For the first time in years, he felt truly free—free from the lingering questions that had haunted him about his past, free from the confusion and doubt that came with being abandoned, and free from the fear of being sent back to a family who had discarded him. The confrontation with the Potters had been intense, but it had cleared the air in a way he hadn’t anticipated.

  He opened the door to his room, which was cluttered with books, quills, parchment, and various magical trinkets he’d collected over the years. Harry gnced around, a small smile creeping onto his face. This was his family. The Weasleys had never treated him like he didn’t belong. They had loved and cared for him, not for who he was or wasn’t, but simply because he was Harry.

  Pulling out his wand from his pocket, Harry marveled at its smooth, polished surface. It still felt surreal that he finally had his own wand, the core of dragon heartstring thrumming with an energy that seemed to resonate with his own.

  Gathering the rest of his things—the cauldron, scales, spell books, and even the odd assortment of sweets he and Ron had bought from the sweet shop in Diagon Alley—Harry carefully packed them into his arms and headed back downstairs.

  In the sitting room, the Weasleys were waiting. Molly and Arthur sat on the couch, their faces lighting up when they saw him. Fred and George were lounging on the floor, clearly waiting to poke fun at something. Ginny perched on the armrest, her eyes wide with excitement, and Ron stood by his side, looking just as eager as the rest.

  “Alright, let’s see what you’ve got!” Fred excimed, sitting up and rubbing his hands together.

  “Show us the wand first!” George added, grinning.

  Harry ughed and held up his wand. “Here it is. Fourteen inches, elder, dragon heartstring core,” he said proudly.

  “Oh, lovely!” Molly excimed, cpping her hands together. “Elder wands are said to be very powerful, you know.”

  “Let’s see you try a spell!” Fred said, elbowing George.

  “Go on, something simple,” Arthur encouraged with a warm smile.

  Harry hesitated for a moment before pointing his wand at a stack of books on the table. “Wingardium Leviosa,” he said, flicking his wrist as he’d practiced with all their wands before.

  The books lifted into the air, hovering gently before he lowered them back down.

  “That was brilliant!” Ron excimed, cpping him on the back.

  “You’re going to be top of the css for sure,” Ginny added, beaming at him.

  The room erupted in ughter and cheers as Harry continued to show off the rest of his school supplies. He held up his cauldron, expining how he couldn’t wait to brew potions, and passed around his textbooks, pointing out the ones he was most excited to read. The twins, of course, made jokes about the drier subjects, while Ron shared his own excitement about their upcoming journey to Hogwarts.