Adopted by the Malfoy's {Harry Potter fanfic}

20. The Burrow

A/N: So very sorry about the delay. Been caught up on working on Shut out the pain that all my other plot bunnies got set aside. I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter, I only claim Lexie and Max ;)

When she fell out of the fireplace on the other end, Lexie was surprised to notice the familiar faces of the twins, and Ron nearby. She glanced around to find herself in a kitchen, along with other redheads that she assumed were the Weasley's she had yet to meet. The closest, a young girl helped her to her feet, looking at her curiously before she was quickly seized in a hug. The kitchen was rather small with a table and chairs in the middle, books stacked on the mantelpiece and she heard a voice and saw it was an old radio next to the sink.

"Lex!" The welcome sound of George's voice met her ears as he spun her around as if it had been years instead of a little over a month since he'd seen her. As soon as he let her go Fred promptly repeated his twin's action and she was breathless with laughter as the twins greeted her. Oh how she'd missed them!

Once Fred finally released her, she turned to the other people watching the scene with amused and wondering smiles. She smiled at Ron in hello and he smiled back, before she looked at the woman who was obviously the matron of the family and blushed.

"Hello, I'm Lexie Malfoy," she greeted a little shyly. The woman's expression shifted a little at the last name as she surveyed the girl her sons had so enthusiastically greeted. "I'm nothing like them, I swear!"

"Yeah mum, she was adopted," Ron added helpfully and Mrs. Weasley softened.

"Molly Weasley dear," the woman said and smiled at the girl. "I was just making dinner, have you eaten yet?"

"Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt," Lexie apologized and scolded herself for not having the foresight to realize that she'd be dropping into their home without warning in the middle of their meal.

"Not at all, it's no trouble," Mrs. Weasley brushed off the apology and turned back to her cooking, still unsure about her newest house guest.

"The twins invited me to visit and I didn't really have the chance to send an owl beforehand and sort of took a chance as it came up," the girl explained.

"It's quite alright; you can share a room with my daughter, Ginny."

"Thank you so much, and I really am sorry," she said again but the woman waved her off with a kind smile.

"Go and visit with your friends, dear."

Lexie's wrist was grabbed as she was almost dragged out of the kitchen and out the door by the twins followed by Ron and the girl who'd helped her up, Ginny. They brought her out to the backyard and the twins yammered to her about their new prank ideas. Lexie felt glad that she'd managed to escape the Malfoy's and lost herself in the feeling of being among friends. Eventually the twins and Ron split off from the group and began talking in low voices so she turned to Ginny.

"Hello, I don't think we've met yet," she said to Ginny.

"No, I'm Ginny," the other girl smiled and they talked about the new school year.

"Hey, do any of you know who Gilderoy Lockhart is?" She asked them as she remembered what the Zabini's mentioned while Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Some prat who wrote a load of books, mum fancies him," Ginny answered and launched into the abbreviated version of Lockhart's adventures.

George watched Lexie as Fred and Ron discussed Operation Rescue Harry; she seemed thinner to him and quieter. He didn't miss the barrette in her hair that he himself had given her and remembered the other gift he'd been working on, and decided to pull her away after dinner to present it to her. He'd read in the Prophet about the Malfoy's officially adopting her and that she'd had a birthday and he also couldn't wait to find out why she hadn't written back all summer. Overall, there was a difference in the girl he'd known before summer started and it made him wonder what hers had consisted off.