Harry could feel his heart going a hundred miles an hour as he began to lay the table for his romantic dinner with Ginny. He'd been living with Ginny for a year now and it was probably the fifth time he had ever cooked for her. Harry was good at magic, in fact he was very good at magic, but when it came to cooking he was a complete shambles. There was no magic with this one today, because he wanted to make it 100% special. As he put the knives and forks down, a gentle whiff of burning tickled his nasal passages.
"Shit!" Harry legged it in to the kitchen to see the lamb, he was roasting, was beginning to turn black. "Why don't they teach you this at school? A bloody Patronus charm isn't going to help me now." Harry couldn't help but laugh at his ineptitude. He looked up at the clock and began to panic, because Ginny would be home from work in ten minutes. Hurriedly plating up, Harry nearly dropped the vegetables on the floor, but eventually got it all on the table. Ginny walked through the door only moments after the plates had touched the table.
"Wow Harry, did you do all of this?" She said dropping her bag where she stood.
"I did my best, but I can't guarantee it will be that good; I know you've been having a tough time at work recently so I wanted to treat you a little." Harry took Ginny's coat and bag, before placing on the banister by the stairs.
"I'm sure it will be lovely," Ginny pulled him in for a kiss. "I can't believe you did all of this for me."
"Well I did it because I love you." Harry gave the cheesiest grin he could.
"Should I get the bucket to be sick in?" Ginny laughed at er own comment.
"I'll get it for you, would you like some wine while I'm at it?"
"Oh yes please; red if we still have some."
"Right, well you take a seat and I will be back in a moment." Harry came back with two glasses of red wine. "There you go and I hope the dinner isn't too bad."
"That has hit the spot, I am glad this day is over."
"Tough day?" Harry took a sip of his wine, his heart still going like the clappers.
"Florence has been moaning in my ear all day, about how we should be doing this and that. I swear she is trying to scupper my promotion; I mean she keeps trying to point out the things she doesn't like which I do. I can't wait until I'm her boss and I will actually be able to tell her what to do and I could even fire her if I wanted." Ginny let out a massive sigh.
"Have you let the power go to your head before you've even got the job?" Harry let out a small laugh.
"I'm sorry; I'm just sick and tired of her bitching at me," Ginny said while taking a massive gulp of her wine.
"Let's just forget about work this evening; this is supposed to be making you feel better."
"Right I will stop, and by the way Harry this dinner is lovely. You shouldn't be so down on your cooking, it really isn't as bad as you think it is." Ginny shovelled a mouthful of vegetables in to her mouth.
"Erm, Ginny can we talk about something?" Harry made the tone slightly more serious, without intending to do so.
"This sounds ominous," she let out a nervous giggle.
"Don't worry, I love you Ginny, so much. I never told you this, but I have been in love with you since I was fourteen years old. Even now I get butterflies when I see you and I am always trying to impress you." Harry could see tears welling up in Ginny's eyes as he went down on one knee. "I can't believe how lucky I am to have you in my life and I would be the happiest man in the world. Will you marry me?"
"Are you serious?" Ginny's hand was visibly shaking.
"I am so serious; I want to spend the rest of my life with you?"
"Yes!"
"What?" Harry couldn't believe what she had just said.
"Yes you idiot, I would love to marry you!" Ginny leaped off her chair, knocking Harry over, and kissed him full on the lips.
Since seeing Bill, George had managed a whole four days in a row in the shop; it had been a couple of months since he had done that. Business was a bit average though; apparently that busy day was a one off. He was working hard, but people had seen the shop closed so often they never knew when it was supposed to be open. The only customers he would get were passing trade, which really wasn't much with many people still out of jobs. For the past couple of days he had been opening up at midday and closing around four or five; there weren't enough people in Diagon Alley these days. George nearly jumped out of his skin while locking the shop, when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Bloody hell, I thought someone was coming to kidnap me." George laughed when he realised it was the woman who'd come to buy a present for her nephew.
"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you like that." She smiled timidly.
"Do you make a habit of coming to buy things from a shop when they're closed?" George finally caught his breath. "Did your nephew like his dragon?"
"Oh yes he love it he didn't stop playing with it all day."
"I'm sorry, but I have to be somewhere, but if you're quick you can buy something." George turned the key the other way to open the door for her.
"No it's ok I came over to see you and introduce myself." She shuffled nervously from foot to foot.
"Ok." George was a little confused. "You know most customers don't come to introduce themselves."
"I know, I'm such a dork. Oh God Kaycee what are you doing?" George wasn't sure what to say to this bumbling woman in front of him. "I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me."
"Em, the thing is"
"You don't, that's fine. I wasn't really expecting you to say yes." Her face began to go red.
"I'm sorry it's just I only got out of a relationship, which I really messed up. I don't think I'm ready to ruin another one quite yet."
"Well if you feel like changing your mind this is my address so you can owl me." Kaycee grabbed a pen from her bag and wrote it down on a scrap piece of paper. She knew it was cliché, but she hoped that George would take up the request to go on a date.
"You could really do better than me; I've not been a very nice person at the moment."
"That's not the man who was such a great help to me a few days ago. Just keep me in mind and I'm sure you won't regret it at all." The witch said nothing more and walked in to the distance; leaving George stood in the doorway of the shop. He stared at where she had been for a few moments before closing the door and apparating to the Burrow. George could see his sister Ginny and her boyfriend Harry on the couch, deep in discussion. As he made his way through the front door, they shushed him before he even got the chance to talk.
"What's going on in here then?" George whispered, while making his way to the couch. The pair simultaneously pointed upstairs where there was a muffled noise. Ginny produced the same ears they once used to eavesdrop on the Order meetings. They snuck upstairs and fed the ears down the hallway until they could hear the voices of their parents, loud and clear.
"Arthur you can't keep burying yourself in your work; I don't want you to forget about Fred, but I also want you to remember that you have six others and a wife. Sometimes I feel like I am the only one trying to hold this family together and I can't do it anymore."
"Molly I don't know what you want me to do, I am still struggling to get used to losing Fred."
"We all miss Fred like crazy, but if you don't start supporting me I don't think I can continue with this marriage." With that Molly stormed out of the room and down to the kitchen to finish preparing Charlie's welcoming home dinner. The Weasley children only just managed to move the ears out of the way, before she came out.
"We can't let this happen, we need to make sure they stay together; neither of them could live without each other." Ginny looked at the two men.
"We should wait until the others get here and make some plans." Harry agreed.
"Right, now let's go down stairs so we can start getting dinner sorted, because I'm starving." George made to walk back down stairs before Ginny grabbed him and pulled him back.
"We can't just walk down the stairs or they'll know we heard them and everything will just be uncomfortable. We need to climb down the drain pipe and walk through the front door, like we just arrived."
"Really Ginny, do you come up with these plans, just off the top of your head?" George looked at her incredulously. "I'm not bloody sliding down the side of the house for no one." He crossed his arms and refused to move.
"Well do you have any better ideas of getting downstairs without our parents knowing we heard their argument?"
"I can't believe you're making us do this." George said, as they began to slide down the outside of the Burrow, before making their way around to the front of the house.
"Well, you didn't come up with a better name and if we apparated it would have made a loud bang." Ginny said matter of factly. "Now pretend we've only just arrived and heard nothing." She pointed at Harry and George.
The three youngest Weasleys walked through the front door as nonchalantly as they could. Arthur and Molly were also pretending the incident of five minutes ago had not happened. It was obvious to their children, who had heard the whole affair, that there was a tension in the air.
"Ah you're finally here; I was beginning to think you had got lost." Molly's face suddenly lit up as she hugged them each in turn. "Where are Ron and Hermione?"
"They are going to be a little late because Hermione has to go to St Mungo's for a check up." Harry said, as he was released from Molly's tight hug. There was a brief silence while no one knew what to say to each other.
"Do you know when Bill and Charlie are going to get here?" George finally broke the silence.
"They should be here any moment now; would you three help me set the table." They followed her in to the kitchen while Arthur busied himself away from his wife. The tension slowly eased as the excitement about Charlie's impending arrival. Around a month after the war ended Charlie decided to take up his job in Romania again. Each of the Weasleys had reacted differently to Fred's death and this was Charlie's way of coping with it. Ron had decided to ask Hermione to marry him and they were wed within two months. Bill had focused on building his own family in Scotland; while Ginny decided to make sure she would be head auror within two years.
Percy was still struggling to come to terms with how he treated his brother before his death. Arthur had barely spent any time at home leaving Molly to take care of the house and their children. Charlie hadn't seen his family since leaving for Romania, but decided it was time to come home and attempt to settle down and start a family.
Molly nearly cried as she saw Charlie walk through the door. "Oh Charlie you're finally here," she said while rushing to him. "Are you definitely in England to stay now?"
"Yes mum you don't have to worry, I am here to stay." He had forgotten how good it felt to be with his family. Once Molly was sure Charlie wasn't going anywhere she moved the welcome Percy and Bill to the house.
"Charlie, it's good to see you boy." Arthur hugged his second oldest son so tight his eyes nearly came out.
"You to dad, I missed you guys so much," there were tears welling up in Charlie's eyes.
"We missed you two, your mother has been worrying ever since you left."
"George, I hear you've been getting your act together these past couple of days." George gave his brother an odd look. "Ginny told me you opened the shop."
"I did, but it's not particularly busy at the moment."
"Don't worry, things will pick up; I'm just glad you're trying to sort your life out." Bill laughed.
"I'm doing my best, but it's not going to be easy. However, I did get asked out on a date just before I came over here."
"Really? I hope you said yes."
"I said no, I just don't think I can do a relationship right now. I mean Angelina only broke up with me a week ago, I just couldn't do it." George looked solemnly at his older brother.
"Was she ugly?" Bill laughed again.
"No she was absolutely gorgeous and well out of my league; basically she deserved a lot better than I could give her at the moment."
"She only asked for a date she didn't propose, I think you should reconsider."
"Enough about my love life, where is Fleur?" George said, wanting very much to change the subject.
"Emile is ill so she decided to stay at home with him and Sara."
"Right, now that nearly everyone is here we should sit down and begin to eat." Molly interrupted the discussions going on around the room.
"Shouldn't we wait for Ron and Hermione?" Percy looked around the room.
"There are on their way, I don't think we have to worry about Ron anyway. The way he eats, I'm sure he'll catch up with us." Ginny took her seat by Harry as the rest also found a place on the recently extended dining table. With the Weasley clan slowly growing, as her children married of and began their own families, Molly decided to add an extra bit to the table. It wasn't long before Ron and a very pregnant Hermione walked through the front door. Hermione became pregnant almost immediately after she and Ron got married; she was now eight months along. Ron had been getting more and more nervous as the birth was getting closer. He had been reading tons of books to prepare him for fatherhood, but nothing seemed to calm the nervous.
"Right," Harry stood up, much to the confusion of everyone else. "Now that everyone is here I would like to make an announcement. Last night I asked Ginny to marry me and she said yes." He looked down to his beaming fiancée as the rest of the room began to congratulate them. "I would like to make a toast to Ginny and our future together.
"As we are making announcements I would like to make them." As if they were watching a tennis match, the whole room moved their attention to the other side of the table where Hermione was stood.
"Since the end of the war Minerva has been trying to get Hogwarts up and running again. She has finally got the resources to do so and I will be taking up position as the head of Gryffindor. My lovely husband will be joining me there with our new baby."
"Your lovely husband, are we talking about the same person?" Charlie made the whole room laugh with his comment. "Well I would like to raise a glass to the Weasley family, who are going in the right direction. The room joined in raising their glasses and for the first time the Weasley family was mostly happy.
