Harry left for work at nine o'clock the following morning, but before he left, he made a tray of food for his wife. When she woke up an hour later, she found a plate filled with bacon, eggs over easy, toast, and orange juice. It was being kept with a warming charm, but it looked as though it had been made only moments ago. Beside it, there was a single red rose and a small piece of scrap parchment in which he scribbled a note for her.

Gin –

Don't forget that we're going to the Burrow today. I'll be home by four, I promise.

Love you.

She smiled as she read. But then a thought occurred to her that hadn't the night before when she accepted the invitation. In only a few hours, she would be sitting down at a table full of Ginny's brothers, their wives, their children, and her parents, but she did not know anybody's names, or professions, or personalities, or… anything. Surely they would notice that something about her was off. They would have to. They would be stupid not to.

After almost inhaling her breakfast in her panicked state, Astoria showered and dressed as quickly as she could. She had completely forgotten to take her Polyjuice, but remembered it as soon as she looked in the mirror and saw herself looking back at her. Never did she think her own reflection would actually surprise her in such a way. Then, she rummaged through Ginny's closets, searching for something that would help her to at least know their names. She found a little bit of relief in knowing that most of the children would be away at Hogwarts with her son.

She was almost ready to give up and face the music – confess to Harry later that she was not technically his wife – when a large box came crashing down, almost landing directly on her head. It was a round box with a blue lid, and it was rather dusty, which meant it had probably been up there for quite some time.

She carried it to the bed. Opening the lid, she realized that the Gods had sent her exactly what she was looking for. Inside the box, there were pictures – hundreds of them – of Ginny and her family, and each one had something written on the back in Ginny's untidy script. It took her quite some time, but she was pretty sure she was able to sort out the names and spouses of all six other Weasley children. Deciding that there was no possible way for her to commit all of their names to memory in the next hour - before Harry returned home - she decided she would have to cheat. On a spare piece of parchment, she scribbled names and physical descriptions. This will just have to do.

When Ginny woke up the next morning, the space on the bed beside her was empty. She felt badly that he wasn't there, and guilty that she wished that he was. A twinge of happiness seeped through, though, when she noticed a neatly folded piece of parchment sitting on his pillow. This pleasant emotion was dissipated almost immediately when she read the contents of the note. Now, she knew she was in trouble.

Astoria,

Good morning, love. I'm sorry that I left, but I didn't want to wake you. Unfortunately, I got called away to the office for the day, which means that you'll have to have to entertain my parents this afternoon for tea alone. I hope you didn't forget that they were coming. The House Elves will be there to help you, though, so don't be nervous. I know you don't get along well with Father, but I spoke to him this morning. He promises to behave.

Also, I am afraid I have a bit of bad news. Scorpius was at Quidditch trials and he got hit by a bludger. His wrist was broken very badly, and due to the nature and location of the injury, Madame Pomfrey suggested that he should come home for a few days and allow it to heal a bit more naturally. Apparently, when she went to mend the bones, she discovered that all eight of the wrist bones were either fractured or bruised. It was a relatively serious injury, but he will heal. She said that, because it is his left hand, he needs to not be tempted to use it in class. I'll pick him up from King's Cross, and he'll Floo home from my office.

I hope you have a nice day.

Draco.

Ginny was in a state of panic. Not only was she going to have someone else to take care of, but she was also going to be left in the lion's den alone. At least she didn't have to pretend to like Lucius, but she also did not know how Astoria behaved in the company of Draco's parents. Astoria had never mentioned to her anything about her in-laws, or her relationship with them. She would just have to go with it and hope for the best.

The first thing she needed to do was call on the House Elves and make sure everything was set up properly for tea. "Mickey!" She called out for the only elf she could recall Astoria addressing by name during their weekly teas. "Mickey, I need you. Please come here!"

After quite some time, a tiny pop was heard and Mickey appeared. "Missus, Mickey only answers to Mistress and Master Malfoy, and Young Master Scorpius. Mickey does not answer to guests," he stated. "Mickey is sorry."

Ginny put her hands on her hips. "I am Astoria Malfoy!" she said, attempting to maintain her false demeanor. "Now, Mickey, I need you to set up for afternoon tea in the garden."

"Mickey is already doing this, Missus. Master Draco already instructed Mickey."

"What time will it be ready?" she asked, eyeing the clock and noticing that it was almost ten. "Do you know what time Narcissa and Lucius will be here?"

"Master Draco says midday, Missus. Now, Mickey must go!" The House Elf popped away before Ginny could even say another word.

Ginny never knew a great deal about House Elves, other than the fact that they were servants to a particular family, but she had no idea that they would have some type of intuition that would allow them to see through a Polyjuiced disguise. All she could do now was hope and pray that she would not need to ask for anything in the presence of her current in-laws.

Before marrying into the Malfoy family, Astoria was used to being comfortably well off, but no necessarily rich. She assumed that most Pure-blooded families were used to much of the same. When she visited the Burrow with Harry that afternoon, she realized that this theory of wealth among Purebloods was not quite as accurate at she had suspected. The Burrow was homely, to say the least. It was a small, shack-like abode, situated in the center of a large space of vacant land, and Astoria was rather thankful that she would be able to walk a short distance before anyone would see her. She had time to neutralize her facial expression and allow herself to not be given away immediately.

Astoria rested her hand in the crook of Harry's elbow as they walked toward the house. Neither of them spoke, but she took a few glances at Harry on the way there. It was obvious that this place was a second home to him. She decided that perhaps there was some sort of appeal to this place that one could only understand through experience. She hoped she would understand. Not even the Manor, the place she'd called home for fifteen years, made her feel quite as comfortable as this pathetic excuse for a house made Harry feel.

They walked a great distance from the Apparation point before they finally reached the house. Two teenagers were sitting on a porch swing, kissing. Harry had a huge smile on his face when he saw them. Clearing his throat loudly, he said, "Teddy Lupin! Victoire, does your father know where you are?"

The two teenagers shot up, straightening their backs and separating themselves from each other immediately. The young girl, presumably Victoire, spoke first. "Uncle Harry, I didn't see you there!" she said excitedly. She stood and brought Harry in for a warm hug, following suit with Astoria. "I'm so happy to see you!"

Harry raised an appraising eyebrow, noting that his wife had not even acknowledged the young girl. "Ginny, aren't you happy to see your niece? We haven't seen her in ages!"

"Oh, of course I am happy to see little Victoire!" she said with excessive brightness. She raised her arm over her head, allowing her slip of cheat sheet parchment to slide down her sleeve just enough. "Victoire, eldest daughter of Bill, who is my eldest brother, I am just so pleased to see you!" Astoria pulled her niece into another tight embrace.

"Well, hello, Aunt Ginny," the younger girl said, coughing. "I'm happy to see you, too."

Once Harry was able to pry her away, the couple walked inside the Burrow. For Astoria, walking into the house was an experience all on its own. Everything about the house was an attack to the senses - from the smell of bread baking in the oven, to the sounds of the happy chatter resonating from the occupants, to the sight of conservatively decorated interior. Something about the place, as a whole, made her feel happy. It wasn't the extravagant decor that she was used to, nor was it even immaculately clean, but she felt like she was home, even if she wasn't. Despite the reservations she had prior to entering the house, she couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, Ginny, dear!" she heard a woman calling. The woman kissed her on the cheek several times. "Oh, how I've missed you." She, then, engulfed Astoria into an almost-suffocating embrace.

There was no doubt in Astoria's mind that this woman was Ginny's mother. "Hi, Mum," she replied with a smile.

"Well, come now, you two. Everyone else is already waiting for you in the sitting room, and dinner will be ready in a bit." Molly shooed the pair of them into a room filled with Weasleys.

Astoria found herself inadvertently clinging onto Harry's arm. They all just look so similar! She thought back to the descriptions she had written down on her cheat sheet. 'Tall, red hair, with brown eyes' wasn't going to accurately decipher any of the men. All she could hope to do was use what she recalled from memory and hope that the other family members called each other out by name - and often.

Once Harry and Astoria were seated on a small sofa, nearby another red-headed man, one of the brothers stood in the center of the room. He was definitely one of the older brothers, of this she was sure. His handsome and rugged face was aged slightly with wrinkles, he was extremely tan, and he was rather muscular, though his build was on the stocky side. He wore a bright smile, and Astoria recognized it immediately as the one she had been wearing for the last day and a half.

"Everyone, can I have your attention?" the man standing in the center of the room said. "I know Mum told you all that I have an announcement, so here it goes. I'm getting married!"

Immediately, the sitting room began bursting with sound. Several of Ginny's sister-in-laws began jumping excitedly, and some of them even rushed to the center of the room to give the man a hug. Vaguely, she was able to decipher the name 'Charlie,' and she was certain that that was who the man was. Awkwardly, she continued to sit by Harry, as she was unsure of how Ginny would react in this situation.

All of her uncertainties would need to be put on hold, however, as Charlie had come to stand right in front of her. She looked up, attempting to plaster a realistic smile on her face. She stood up beside him, looking up toward his face; he was significantly taller than she. Before she could even respond, he had engulfed her into an unbearably tight embrace, lifting her off of her feet.

"Oh, Ginbug," he whispered in her ear, planting a kiss on her cheek. "I've missed you so much." He set her down in front of him, running the back of his hand affectionately down the side of her cheek. "Aren't you happy for me, Gin?"

"Of course I am!" Astoria said. "What is her name, Charlie? Did you not bring her?"

Charlie smiled. "Her name is Amelia, but she is still in Romania."

"I am positive that she is a beautiful woman." Astoria was surprised at how much she actually meant that. "I simply cannot wait to meet her, though! Will you be getting married in London?"

He nodded before being pulled away by one of his brothers. Everyone was sitting around and talking happily, and Astoria simply sat back and watched everything unfold. Before this day, she was happy with having only one sister. She and Daphne got along quite well, but most of the time, they stayed out of each other's way. But when she saw what it was like to have such a large, loving family filled with people who supported and cared about everything that the others did, she yearned for it. Such an outpouring of affection from these people over a simple engagement announcement would have seemed ridiculous in her family, but not for the Weasleys. For the first time in her life, she wished she had been brought up differently.

Soon enough it was time for dinner, and the food cooked by Mrs. Weasley was heaven on a platter. Anything and everything she could have hoped for was available on the tray, and Astoria actually found herself feeling guilty that she had ever doubted that visiting this place would be pleasurable. Even the conversations that she had with Ginny's brothers came almost naturally. Though she didn't know all of their names at first, it didn't seem to matter. The Weasley family was exceptionally welcoming, and they felt like her own.

But, of course, nothing could stay that easy. After dinner, it happened.

Charlie said, "Hey, Gin, let's go play a game of Quidditch!"

Astoria didn't know what to do. Sure, she had seen Quidditch games and she knew how to fly, but Ginny was a former professional. There was no way that any meager attempt at Quidditch would satisfy the members of this family. They would know immediately that she was an imposter if she joined their game. Then again, she also knew Ginny well enough to know that she would never refuse a game of Quidditch. She was stuck.

"Sure," Astoria said, attempting to smile convincingly. "That sounds like...fun."

Scorpius arrived only moments before noon. He knocked on the door of his parents' bedchambers politely, and entered when he heard his mother answer. "I'm home, Mum," he said quietly.

Ginny turned around and smiled before realizing why the boy was home. She immediately saw the large bandage wrapped around his wrist and ran to him. "Oh, darling, are you alright? Does it hurt terribly?"

"Well, yeah, Mum. I got my hand smacked by a bludger."

She bent forward and kissed his wrist. "My goodness, I can only imagine how terribly this must feel. I've never had such a awful injury." Ginny pulled him in for a bone-crushing hug. "Scorpius, you've got to be more careful. I worry about you boys so much."

"Boys?" he asked, pulling away. "Mum, what are you talking about? You hate me playing Quidditch, and you told me just this year that if I got hurt you'd give no sympathy."

"You're my son. I - I'll always care."

"No, you won't. Not about this." He inclined an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

"I'm your mother, what do you mean?"

"You couldn't possibly be my mother."

"This is completely mad. What are you on about?"

He smirked menacingly, in that moment baring an even more striking resemblance to his father. "My mother would never hug me because of a Quidditch injury, never dote on me the way you just did, I have never heard my mother use a contraction in her speech and, my mother only has one boy to worry about." He stepped forward, his expression turning sour. "I'm going to ask you again - who are you?"

"Scorpius, stop."

Scorpius didn't stop. "I only know one mother who has more than one boy playing Quidditch and cares about the sport. You're Albus's mum, aren't you. Mrs. Potter?"

Her eyes gaped. "Keep your damn voice down!" Part of her was impressed at how quickly he was able to see that she was an imposter, but a larger part feared for her life. "Scorpius, you mustn't tell anyone, do you understand? No one knows I'm not your mother, and no one can know. I need you to promise me - can you do that?"

"Where is my mother? Is she okay?"

"She's with my husband."

"Is this a joke?" he asked, raising his voice. "How bored were the two of you, to decide to switch husbands?"

"Shh! I'll explain later, alright? I need your help - the House Elves won't listen to me, and your grandparents are going to know something is wrong. Please, I'll do anything."

"Fine, I'll help, but you had better have a good explanation for all of this."