"Do you think it's too much?"
"No, I think it's perfect. And don't worry, you'll be fine."
Peter has brought a bottle of wine and some flowers. He wasn't sure what was an appropriate gift to give when meeting the parents, especially when they were only a few years older than yourself.
Adjusting his tie, Peter stood tall and knocked on the door.
It flung open as a short and robust woman with Ron's wild red hair barrelled through, separating the two of them and pulling her son into a hug.
"Oh Ronnie, it's so good to see you. We've been waiting forever for you to come. Come in, the food's getting cold."
She glanced over Ron's shoulder to take a look at the diminutive man next to him. Her eyes narrowed.
"You must be Mr. Pettigrew." She looked at the wine disapprovingly. "I'm sorry, but we're having chicken tonight, it won't pair with that."
"Oh, it's my mistake. Please call me Peter." He outstretched his hand for her to shake it. She instead grabbed the flowers.
"Oh Ronnie, these are lovely, I'll put them in some water."
As she rushed back into the house, they exchanged looks.
"She'll come around," Ron said sheepishly.
"It was probably too soon to go public," muttered Peter.
"Having second thoughts?" asked Ron, barely hiding his fear.
"Never," Peter replied with determination. He grabbed Ron's hand and gripped it tightly. "I'd do it all over again if I had to."
The fallout from their affair hadn't been as devastating as it could have been. While their relationship was a breach of power, Ron testified to the Bureau of Magical Being Resources that it was consensual and there was no coercion- and Peter's department had no pull with the Aurors, so he couldn't jeopardize his career. Peter still kept his position, but he had to take an ethics course and temporary probation. It was a bit of a mess having to write his own misconduct report.
The real trouble was from Ron's family. While Ron, the lovable foolish man he was, repeatedly told Peter he loved him, his innumerable siblings and his parents were convinced Peter had seduced him to the path of homosexuality with promises of career advancement.
Couldn't be farther from the truth, Ron had been queer for as long as he could remember, he just hid his identity in broom closets and Quidditch changing rooms.
And Peter, well he had admitted he was bisexual. He did admire women as much as he adored men, he'd even been engaged to a woman in his youth. Ron has wanted to know more about this fact of Peter's life, but he'd clamp down and change the subject.
As they sat down at the long table in Ron's cramped but homey dining room, Peter could feel the eyes of every Weasley baring down on him, Mrs. Weasley's gaze the fiercest of all.
"Ron, please eat up, I made roast chicken, your favorite."
She carved a fat drumstick and placed it on his plate.
As she passed food around to the rest of the family, the silence lessened, each of the siblings' chatter trying to drown out the awkwardness of the whole evening. Arthur seemed to ignore everyone around him and dig in.
One of the twins, Peter wasn't sure which, spoke up. "So, Mr. Pettigrew how long have you and Ron been um…"
"Seeing each other?" Peter finished helpfully. He noticed he hadn't gotten a plate yet.
"Yes, that." the other twin added as if he had asked the question.
"Oh come off it, don't try to put Pete on the spot." Ron complained.
"We're just trying to get to know your boyfriend."
"More like man friend," Ron's sister quipped.
"Ginny!" Percy snapped. "No need to be rude to our guest. We are glad to have you here, Mr. Pettigrew. It's nice to see Ron has associates in high places."
Peter knew of Percy. Was a bit of a brown noser, but knew how to be ruthless when the moment arose. Peter knew the type because he used to be the same. Good kid, but one needed to keep an eye out for the eventual knife he'd strike in his superior's back.
"Can he even reach them, or does he need platform shoes," muttered one of the older ones. Probably Charlie. The other one, probably Bill, chuckled.
"Ron tells me you work at a dragon reserve, what is that like?" Peter asked.
Charlie started cutting his chicken aggressively and shoving it into his mouth. "It's fantastic. Best job in the world. You only have to answer to the dragons."
"Charlie's mad for dragons, practically married to his work," added Bill.
"Better married to the job than having to put in 'overtime' with a boss," joked one of the twins. His emphasis on the word overtime was deliberate. "That's the joy of being your own boss."
"You only have to service yourself," joked the other.
"Boys!" Mrs. Weasley screeched. "We are going to enjoy this dinner as a family and there will be no more talk like that at the table."
"So we're just going to ignore the elephant in the room?" Asked Ron's sister.
"Mr. Pettigrew has every right to be here," Mrs. Weasley replied indignantly. "He's family, and we will treat him as such."
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Peter replied quietly.
"Please, call me Molly."
Peter nodded and Molly set out a plate for him. It was mostly scraps at this point, but he gladly accepted it.
"I hear you and Ron are planning a trip sometime soon?" Arthur asked. He had also disapproved of the relationship, but he and Peter had worked together in the Order, back when there still was something that could be called the Order, and their mutual respect remained.
"We are going to France this winter for my friend's wedding anniversary," Peter clarified.
"Is it safe to say that much?" Arthur asked.
"Yes, just saying France won't give away their location. Also your whole family is trustworthy. We have some business we might want to take care of as well, so it will be very productive," Peter exchanged a look with the elder Weasley, who had excused himself from the table.
The children seemed put off by this sudden change but said nothing.
After supper, the children split up into teams and played a round of Quidditch on the grounds while Peter met Arthur at the shed.
"Of all the men in the world, did you really have to go after one of my sons?" Arthur asked in exasperation.
"It seems unlikely, statistically, that none of them would end up with someone you didn't approve of."
"I don't approve of most of their partners. Ginny's boyfriend is a boor, and the less I say about Bill's girlfriend the better."
"That bad?" Peter chuckled.
"Just a bit high strung. Anyway I have the components you need for the radio. Most of them won't be shrink friendly, so you'll have to take a big suitcase if you want to keep the charms on them."
"And the other thing?" Peter asked.
Arthur walked over to the tarp at the edge of the shed and pulled it off, revealing a gleaming fully restored vintage motorcycle. "It works just like it did before."
Peter clapped his hands in delight. "Marvelous! Oh James will be ecstatic when he sees this." Peter wistfully walks towards the motorcycle and runs his hand over the handles. "If only Sirius was around to see it, she was his baby."
"If he was here, he probably wouldn't have let me tear her apart and build her back up again. The flying charms on this are genius. The world lost a brilliant mind." Arthur replied sadly. Peter agreed.
"Thanks for everything, Arthur."
"No problem, just promise me you won't fly this thing to France."
Peter looks gobsmacked, but have a mischievous grin. "Now Arthur, as Assistant Secretary of the DML, I know it's against Ministry protocol to fly an unlicensed vehicle in international airspace."
"Good."
"We'll drive this metal death trap to the coast, and take the ferry across."
Arthur frowned, but still handed him the keys.