"Happy birthday!" Fred and Adelaide greeted as they entered through the back door of the Burrow. They both hugged Mr. Weasley who was wearing a festive paper hat.

"Smells great," said Fred, pointing his nose in the air.

"Your mother has a nice roast in the oven."

"Oh, my favorite. Anyone else here yet?"

"Bill and Fleur are out in the back helping your mother set up the tables. We're still waiting for George and Percy, and Ron and Harry are wandering around the house somewhere."

"Where shall we put the presents?" asked Adelaide while holding up two bags.

"The sitting room should be fine."

She exited the kitchen and placed the gifts along with the others' before heading back out into the yard to assist with the decorations.

"Adele!" Fleur called as she spotted Adelaide. The two stood in the yard with the sunset glowing behind them. "How are you? I have not seen you in ages! You must come visit me and William at the Cottage more often." She kissed her cheeks twice before pulling her into a hug. As she returned the embrace, Adelaide felt slightly uncomfortable since she wasn't particularly close to Fleur. Regardless, it was nice to see her bright face again.

"It's good to see you, too. I've been busy with school and studying, so not much has changed."

"Nonsense! You are looking more beautiful than ever."

"Do you need help setting up anything? I feel so useless just standing around."

"Of course, of course. There is much to be done! Will you help me hang the lights?"

"No problem."

Adelaide followed Fleur to a small table where a few dozen tiny lanterns sat, each containing a buzzing fairy.

"How about we hang them along the walkway? I think that will look très jolie."

Adelaide followed Fleur's motion as she waved her wand, sending the lanterns flying in one direction until they settled in the desired spot. They slowly bobbed up and down as they remained floating in mid-air.

"So how is life with Fred? You must be very happy living with him."

"Yeah, I love it, although nothing's really changed except I see him every day. It's certainly better than living at home. I love my mother, but she's always been tough to handle."

"I understand. Parents can be a little overbearing, sometimes. My mother and father were the same way, but do not worry, it just means they love you very much. I am afraid that I will be the same way when I am a mother." Fleur looked around to see if anyone else was listening. "Please, do not tell the others. I want this to be a secret, but William and I are planning to have a baby. We have been talking about it since Christmas."

"Oh, that's wonderful. Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?"

"I wish for girls, of course, but I know he hopes for boys even if he says it does not matter."

Fred emerged from the house and approached them. "What're you sneaky ladies up to?" he asked when he saw their faces. "Are you two gossiping like chickens?"

Fleur giggled. "No, nothing like that. Please excuse me," she dismissed herself as she returned to Bill's side.

"What's up with her?"

Adelaide shrugged. "You don't need to worry about it."

"C'mon, you can tell me," he nudged with his elbow. "I'm great at keeping secrets."

"I know, but I promised I wouldn't tell. It's a girl thing."

"Instead of standing around, you two can help me set the table," Mrs. Weasley ushered, pushing them towards the marquee.

"Why're we eating outside? It's the middle of winter," Fred complained as he crunched through the frosty grass.

"You don't need to worry about that. I used a handy charm to make sure all of us are comfortable during supper. I'm going to check the roast and by the time I get back, the table better be ready. Dinner's almost done."

Mrs. Weasley had kept word when she said not to worry about the cold. The couple instantly felt a warming sensation as they settled under the canopy; it was as if an invisible heater had been placed above them.

"Cozy," Adelaide said while levitating the plates to settle in their proper places. She flicked her wand again, sending the neatly folded napkins to lie beside them.

While passing out the utensils, Fred's mind wandered back to the topic of marriage. He didn't dare bring it up with Adelaide considering he didn't want to freak her out. He wondered if they would get married at the Burrow like his brother, but figured that Adelaide's parents wouldn't want that. They'd probably plan it somewhere formal and grand where everybody would have to dress up more than they needed to.

"What's with that look on your face?" she asked whilst squishing his cheeks together with her palms. Smiling, Fred pulled his face away.

"What look?"

"You know, that face you always make when you're in deep thought. Are you going through an epiphany or something?"

Fred just laughed, ruffling her hair up. "Oh little Ruthie, if only you knew."

…

Dinner was a success as everybody arrived just in time. There was a bit of singing and a lot of laughter as glasses of wine and champagne were passed around.

Mr. Weasley received a strange assortment of gifts ranging from electric can openers to handheld radios, but his favorite was probably a book on airplanes which explained how they flew.

As night quickly approached and the excitement mitigated, only three guests remained: George, Fred, and Adelaide. They sat around a make-shift bonfire, toasting marshmallows and drinking the leftover wine.

"We should go down to the village later and get something a bit stronger," said George. He bit into the gooey marshmallow.

"No thanks. I'm already tipsy," Adelaide declined.

"What? Don't feel like gettin' sloshed tonight?"

"Absolutely not! Especially not at your parents' house."

George laughed, grabbing another marshmallow from the bag.

"Whatever, I'm going to use the loo," she dismissed herself, leaving the twins alone.

Making sure she was out of ear-shot, Fred turned to George, "I've been thinking about what you said last week."

"What did I say?"

"About getting married."

"Yeah, and? Did you guys elope or something?"

"What? No! I went to a jeweler's shop yesterday and I sort of reserved an engagement ring."

"Are you serious? That's great!"

"Well I haven't bought yet. I have about thirty nine days to make up my mind."

"Why thirty nine?"

"I can't reserve for more than forty days. I don't know if I should buy it or just wait until another time."

"How much does it cost?"

"Three hundred and sixty galleons."

"Blimey, it's expensive to get married."

"You're telling me. It's not like I don't have the money, it's just, I don't know if I can do it. It's a big step. I feel like I'm already making a commitment by just buying the ring."

"You're forgetting that you don't have to propose right now. Like you said, she's busy trying to build up her career and we're busy trying to expand the business. If you buy the ring, no big deal, just wait until the right moment, and if you don't, well, just buy another one later. You're stressing over nothing."

Fred smiled at his brother; it was good to get everything off of his chest and out into the open.

…

Author's Note: I apologize if this chapter was a bit boring as well, and just a reminder in case anyone has forgotten, Fred calls Adelaide, Ruthie because her middle name is Ruth. Also, if anyone is wondering where Hermione and Ginny are, they're at Hogwarts, completing their final year. As for the pricing of the ring, I based it on the average price of an engagement ring a couple of years ago (between 2,100 and 3,500 USD). I rounded the cost of one Galleon to 7.30 USD (which has probably gone up due to inflation anyway), so Fred's ring costs around 2,628 USD. Okay, enough rambling from me. Thanks for reading!