Chapter 10 – Moving In

The following Tuesday, the couples took possession of their new house and began moving in. Magical moving was much easier than the way Muggles were forced to go about it and the whole process was done in less than a day. They then spent the rest of the day unpacking and making lists of must do repairs and want to do renovations. Everyone then pitched in to prepare their first meal in their new home. Charlie even helped by making a salad. The following day everyone but Viktor went back to work and everyday life continued.

Viktor spent the rest of the week working his way through the must do repairs. At one point on Thursday he was having a difficult time with reinstating anti slip charms in the bathrooms and sent an owl to Hermione asking for advice. The owl returned several hours later carrying a small book with several pages marked in it. The book also had a number of additional household spells and charms that Viktor began practicing and utilizing. As Viktor worked around the house during the day, his partners made a point of setting schedules so that they could also contribute at home. Ginny opened the shop at 9 each morning and would floo there between 8 and 8:30. She would then lock up the shop at 5 and be home by 5:30. Luna had more flexibility with the Quibbler, but tried to keep her hours about the same as Ginny. Sometimes she would have to work late if there was a breaking news article, but she kept her family informed when that occurred and they understood. Charlie had his first class at 8 each morning, so he was usually the first to leave the house around 7:30. He was usually the first home as well, between 4:30 and 5. Since he was done earlier than the others, he would often be the one to run after work errands, usually at Viktor's request. Most evenings by around six everyone was home and working on dinner together or helping with something around the house. Charlie rarely cooked, but his wandwork was quite good at chopping vegetables. He also had plans to put in a vegetable garden. After dinner, they would spend time reading, playing games or just talking with each other. Within a week, the house was beginning to feel like home and a comfortable routine was set.

The Saturday after the move, Ginny woke and looked at her watch when a realization hit her. It was one year to the day since the accident that had ended her career. She lay back on the bed and looked at Luna, who was just barely waking up and looked especially beautiful. Then Ginny looked around their room, tucked up under the eaves on the third floor of the house and across the hall from Charlie and Viktor. 'A year. Wow. It doesn't seem like a year in some ways, but in other ways it's hard to believe it's only been a year' Ginny thought to herself. Luna yawned and smiled at her lover as she began to wake up more.

"Knut for your thoughts Ginny dear."

"I was just thinking. Today is one year since my accident. Look at how everything has changed. It's hard to believe. I feel so lucky. I want to go out and celebrate with you Luna. What do you want to do?"

"Anything. Just being with you is fantastic. Especially considering how close we all came to losing you a year ago."

Ginny turned and smiled at Luna. Then she kissed her deeply and Luna was immediately alert as she pulled began to snog Ginny in earnest while fondling her.

"Mmm, yes, I think I know how I want to start the day."

They were soon entwined and pleasuring each other with lips and fingers as they rotated their bodies against each other. Within minutes they were moaning and brought each other to a simultaneous climax. They lay together for a while afterward before finally getting out of bed. They showered together and headed downstairs.

When they reached the kitchen, they found Charlie and Viktor cuddled together on the window seat drinking tea and reading the paper.

Charlie looked up and smiled. "Morning lovelies. Any plans for the day?"

"Actually, I realized when I woke up this morning that it's the anniversary of my accident. It's hard to believe it's been a year. I know it's a strange thing to celebrate, but I think the celebration is actually about my new life. I'd never be here now if I hadn't had the accident. At the time I thought it was ending my life, but I was very wrong. So, Luna and I are going to go out and make a day of it."

Viktor sat up with a smile. "Excellent idea Ginny. Did you have plans? Charlie and I were planning on going to an art festival and carnival in the South Bank. Want to join?"

"Thanks Viktor, but you and Charlie need time together."

"Nonsense Ginny. This is a day to celebrate. Let's make a day of it as a family."

"Okay Charlie, if you insist. Sounds like fun."

Ginny and Luna ate a quick breakfast of tea and toast and then went upstairs to get ready. The guys were still cuddled together on the window seat and had dozed off in the morning sun when they came back downstairs. Luna shook them awake and the two couples apparated to an alleyway behind their local train station, then caught the train into the city. In the previous year, they had acclimated a lot to the Muggle lifestyle and were careful in their use of magic, often incorporating different modes of transportation, magical and Muggle. They spent the rest of the day enjoying a plethora of art displays and demonstrations, as well as a variety of street performers and a few carnival rides. They also purchased several decorative pieces to go in the new house. If there were other witches or wizards in attendance, they were not noticeable and the two couples enjoyed a very Muggle day. Completely unconcerned, they wandered the streets arm in arm. There were a few glances on occasion when Charlie decided to kiss Viktor or Ginny sat feeding Luna ice cream, but no one was openly opposed to two obviously gay couples. As twilight fell, they tripped across a small Greek restaurant that ended up being a delightful find. By the time they made their way home, Luna was once again the steady force to help direct her tipsy partners. Arriving home, they all collapsed in the living room, happily content.

The next morning everyone slept in late and spent the day lounging around the house. At lunch Charlie decided that he needed to talk to his partners about their public status. The subject was difficult, but it had to be done.

"Vik, Ginny, Luna, I want to talk to you all. It's been a week since we made our confessions to Hermione. She gave us two weeks to decide what to do and I think we need to decide on a plan. When Vik and I got together a couple of years ago it was easy to keep the family in the dark, but it's near impossible now, as was proven by Hermione's surprise visit. The family doesn't even know we bought a house."

Ginny was the first to speak up. "You know, I am fed up with secrecy. We are all happy and committed to our individual partnerships and our family as a whole. We can go out in Muggle London for the day like perfectly normal couples, but yet we have to hide from our own community and family. It's ridiculous."

"I agree Ginny. So what do we want to do about it?"

"Well, Charlie and Ginny are always going to Weasley family meals and parties at the Burrow or someone else's house. Since nobody even knows we bought a house, why don't we invite everyone here for lunch? Once they see the place and all of us together, our relationships should be obvious."

Charlie smiled. "Excellent idea Luna. Vik, Ginny, what do you think?"

Viktor and Ginny both nodded and gave Charlie tentative smiles.

"Okay then, since we are on a deadline with Hermione's promise, what do you think about lunch here next Saturday?"

Everyone agreed and began to start working on details. Even though most everyone being invited was family it was decided that official invitations would be sent given the fact that the invitation itself would contain the unexpected news of their house purchase. All of the Weasleys and their families were on the list, as well as Harry and Katie, who were very close to the family and deserved to be informed. Additionally, Viktor invited his coach Aleksander and his wife Stefania. Aleksander had been a close friend and mentor to Viktor since his parents passed and also deserved to be informed, even though he had already surmised the nature of Charlie and Viktor's relationship. They worded the invitations in a carefully neutral manner, but then made a point of all four of the them signing at the bottom. With the invitations complete, Charlie left to visit the owl post in Diagon Alley while Viktor, Ginny and Luna decided on what food to serve. By Sunday evening most of the details had been decided.

Monday morning saw the first return owl sent to their new address. It came from the Burrow with a simple statement from Mrs. Weasley: 'Your father and I will be happy to attend. We look forward to some explanations.' Ginny actually thought that the reply was quite controlled and hoped that it was a portent of the response they would receive on Saturday. Additional owls continued to arrive throughout the day and Viktor stacked them up in the kitchen so that the others could see them when they arrived home from work.

Although the couples had decided to gradually furnish the home over time, it was agreed that some additions would need to be made immediately if the whole family was coming to visit. Ginny left the shop early on Wednesday and met with Viktor as they went shopping for a couple of large picnic tables and chairs, as well as a bedroom set. The couples had decided that the smaller bedroom on the first floor would be an ideal guest room. If Aleksander accepted the invitation, it would allow him a place to stay for the night after the long floo trip. During their shopping trip, they also found two couches that were such a good deal Ginny couldn't pass them up. Ginny purchased all the items, as her shop was doing quite well. Viktor wanted to object but Ginny insisted since she had not been able to contribute as much to the initial purchase of the house. When they arrived home from the shopping trip, Viktor was thrilled that an owl had arrived from Bulgaria with Aleksander's acceptance. Everything was coming together and the couples were looking forward to the day when secrecy and deception could be put to an end.