A/N: I have jumped us ten days. During these days, you may imagine hardworking Weasleys at their various professions, popping off to Hogwarts to see Hermione, Harry, and The Girls as they are able to do so. (Twins make it over often, while Charlie is mostly absent. Bill is in-between. Boudicca does a prodigious amount of flying.) Snogging happens. Just not here. Here, we're moving to The Big Day. Why? Because that's where the fun is.

TWENTY-FIVE

New House, Beccles, 25 June 1999

"We're probably going to want to add on. Another floor or something, you know. In a few years." Fred remarked while he and George set up their bedrooms.

"Kids, yeah." They exchanged an anticipatory grin.

"Think there'll be twins?"

"Well, a set like us is just good luck, you know."

"We're lucky blokes, I'd say."

"Gred, we're the luckiest."

They'd learned long ago that they could permanently transfigure beds from smaller to larger versions, so that's what they had done for theirs. From the long singles to beds big enough for two, Fred and George had been set in charge of furnishings for their various bedrooms. But when it came to Hermione's room, they'd taken her shopping, along with Harry, and gone brand new.

"She'll need a big bed to, you know, share with us," Bill had suggested. "And Harry's told me that he and the girls have already started on her trousseau. So make sure there's a wardrobe and chest of drawers. She'll tell you what she needs, I'm sure."

Fred had eyed the then-empty master bedroom of their new house. "Maybe we should bring Ginny, too."

The clothes and all had started flying in, sometimes literally, shortly after that.

"Fred? George?"

"Coming, Mum!"

With a swirl of their wands, they Apparated to the dining area, where they knew their mother had been receiving gifts. "Oh, boys. Good to see you. I'm going to have to get back to your father, you know, so I wanted to bring you what you'd asked for from home." She smiled, but wiped a tear from her eye. "You know, you've all kept rooms at home, you and your brothers and Ginny. But, with her moving to Grimmauld Place with Harry and Luna and you boys moving here, well." She sniffled, but reached out to hug the twins with gusto. "It's a good thing, but it'll be quiet."

"Just you wait, you'll be finding grandbabies under the cushions in a few years," George said, patting his mother on the back.

"Oh, I know! Luna's already expecting and Ginevra told me she'll try to be next!" With a final shake of her head, as if at a private thought, their mum clasped her hands together and smiled broadly. "All right, so. Wedding. In order for the Covenant to anchor itself to your new family, we're having the ceremony here."

"Yes, Mum. We know."

"Right. And Hermione said she was fine with me handling the details?"

"You're the best," they said together.

"Such good boys. All of you. I can't tell you how happy I am. We've only a couple of days left, so is there anyone you want to invite?"

"Lee." Fred ticked the names off on his hand. "Verity, Forge?"

"Of course! And Kingsley. Do you think he'd come, Mum?"

"The Minister of Magic? Well, I'm sure he would, yes. For you and Hermione? Of course. He worked with you on Potterwatch, didn't he? I'll owl him directly."

"And, of course, Professor McGonagall."

Molly nodded. "Well, of course. She's one of Hermione's chaperones, isn't she? Albus is coming as her guardian. And we'll have to invite Aunt Muriel to the Reception."

"Mum! No!" The twins dropped to their knees on the hardwood floor. "Not Aunt Muriel!"

"She thought my ears were lopsided, Mum," George reminded her, rubbing at the left side of his head. "And you know she won't be very nice to our Bespoken One."

"Well, we'll see," their mother said in the way that meant, I'm having my way, boys.

They sighed. Then, Fred pushed up to his feet. "Did Hermione give you a guest list?"

"She did. Oh, did you find her a wedding dress?"

"We did. And you would not believe the clothes coming in for her. Harry's going all out."

Their mother smiled a bit smugly. "I know. I'm helping!"

26 June 1999

"I feel like I haven't seen you in forever," Hermione said, putting down her book when Charlie Apparated into the Study. He grinned at her, nodded at Harry and waved to Ginevra, who was laying with her head on Harry's lap while Luna rubbed her feet.

"Hello, love," he said as he kissed his Wife-to-be with swift determination. "It's been a while. You know, that's going to be the pattern for a bit, yeah?"

She smiled and nuzzled his throat. "I know. I just miss you."

Ginny made a kissing noise. "It only took four men to make the swottiest of swots a romantic girly-girl."

"Shut it, you," Charlie muttered, burying his face in Hermione's curly hair and breathing her in. "She's perfect. Always has been."

"You know, she might be able to find a Crumple-Horned Snorkack. The Ancient Magics favor her," Luna opined from the sofa. "Hermione, I imagine if you and Charlie flew to Sweden, you could see one. They are afraid of dragons, but then, Charlie tames dragons, right? If you see one, take a picture for the Quibbler, will you?"

Charlie didn't know how to respond to that, so he was grateful when Hermione assured the blonde that she would bring a camera along on their honeymoon, just in case.

A silver fox blew through the open garden window, coming to a halt in front of Charlie and Hermione. "Miss Poppins, we have a present for you! Wait for us in the yard!"

"Miss Poppins?" Harry asked, pulling his glasses down to stare at his sister.

Hermione laughed and checked out the window. "They watched Mary Poppins and decided I stole my beaded bag idea from her."

Only the Muggle-raised in the room laughed, but Charlie felt that was okay. Families should have inside jokes. His certainly did. All five of them moved to the backyard to watch as Fred and George arrived with a crack in the middle of the lawn. "No gnomes, here!"

Fred put a hand inside his magenta work robes. "But we don't worry about them."

"Because we can make sure our witch is safe!"

"With a spoonful of sugar!"

"And a Poppins-Brolly!"

"You'll never have to worry about domestic dangers again!"

Luna squealed and ran to the umbrella first. "Does it really fly?"

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "Luna! Sweetheart, no. Let Hermione try it first."

"Of course, Harry, but you know, I'd know if it would harm the baby. It won't."

"Still, love," the bespectacled Wonder Boy said, moving to wrap her in his arms. "I worry."

"All right, Harry. I'll wait."

Charlie laughed with all the rest when Hermione latched hold of the umbrella and was immediately tugged off the ground where she hovered, going in a small circle. "Hey! What is this? I'm stuck up here!" she shouted, kicking her feet. "How do I move about?"

"Well, we're still working on that . . ."

28 June 1999

"I am so sorry." Bill held the gift in his hands, feeling dreadful. Not only had he not even thought about a wedding present for Hermione, but he had to tell her so in the presence of Harry Potter. He felt like a garden gnome.

His witch just smiled and shook her head before rolling up on her toes to rub her cheek to his jaw. He knew it was a wolf thing, and at first it had bothered him that she did that.

"Stop it." Bill had drawn away from her, ignoring Harry's presence in the study whilst he himself had taken Hermione just into the garden for some quiet moments. "It's not right."

She had paused, looking stricken. "But, Bill. I only mean it to be something unique for just us, you know? I, I wanted to have something just between you and me."

He didn't remember thinking about his scars, but he reached up to touch them anyway and flinched internally. "I hate these, you know."

"They make you look terribly brave and dashing," she insisted, wrapping her arms about his middle and not letting go. "Do not disparage my senior husband-to-be. I won't stand for it."

"You know, getting married on the full moon and all that . . ." He had huffed out a breath and pulled her in tight against him. Tight enough that he could feel the ring of her Marking through the thin fabric of both their shirts, which got him hot and wanting. Still, he'd held her. "I do like my steak rather rare this time of month. And I'll tell you, Hermione, that my, er, drives are strong on the full moon." He'd never acted on them, but he knew them.

"I have studied, you know," she'd reminded him, her voice quiet against his chest. "You will probably wind up marking me again. It's not unheard of."

"How can you be okay with that? I feel like a monster, even thinking about it. I don't want to hurt you, sweetheart. Not for anything."

She tilted her head back with a confident air. "Can I bite you, too?"

His cock twitched in his trousers and she had grinned wickedly, pressing her body into his and rubbing against him. He swallowed, aroused and needing her badly enough to press back. He could smell the change in her body, too. She wanted him.

"Is that a yes?" she'd whispered.

"It's a hell yes."

"You bought me a house. A whole house," Hermione said with a small gesture that encompassed the room. "And you're giving me your family. I was alone, and then I had Harry and how I have you. All of you. There is no better gift in the world, William Weasley, so just take your present and say, 'Thank you.'"

"Thank you."

They laughed softly. "Will you open it now?"

"All right."

She all but bounced on her toes as he pulled a long strip through the gift paper, ignoring the ribbon that bound it. And his jaw dropped.

There was his beauty, his almost-bride, in the shower of her bathroom in the house they had indeed bought for her. He could see her body only vaguely, as the glass of the shower door was steamed, but her marvelous mane of hair was visible—hanging in soft, wet curls as she was opening the door in the picture, as if to invite him in.

"Merlin." He didn't have any other words until: "Who . . . ?"

"Gin and Luna. So, do you like it?"

"There aren't words. And I hope to hell that Harry isn't a Legilimens because there's no way I'll be able to stop thinking about this until I get you into bed tonight."

She closed her eyes and blew out a small breath, her head falling to one side in the way it did when she was particularly aroused. He and his brothers had all experienced Hot Hermione, even when they had to follow that experience with frigid showers.

"Good," she finally said. Then, "I'd better go give the others to your brothers. Then I have to get ready for tonight. Our guests are arriving in about an hour."

"I'll be ready."

Bill stayed in the garden, staring at the provocative picture in his hands, until he heard Charlie's voice loud and clear from a window on the first floor. "Warn a man, would you?" his brother said, swearing.

Hermione's laughter followed immediately and Bill had to wonder what amazing picture she'd given to his next younger brother, or if she'd given him the same one. He kind of hoped there were four different pictures, because then they could trade them around later while they waited for her.

George was in the shower, knowing he was the last one to go and not even caring when the water went cold. He could have charmed it to be hot, but after seeing the picture that Hermione had given him privately, he reckoned cold was good.

"Promise me this will not leave this house," she had said, giving him his wedding present.

"On my honor as your Bespoke Wizard," he had sworn. And though he teased, he was also entirely serious.

That she had sent Harry to the hall right outside the door of her favorite room, the Study, while he opened it had moved and surprised George. Intrigued, he used his favorite silent Diffindo to slice the ribbons so that the paper fell softly away from the framed picture within.

He'd heard Charlie's reaction to his present and, if it were anything like the erotic image George held, he totally understood it. "Hermione, this is, wow."

"Red letter day," she said softly. "I made one of the Weasley twins speechless."

"At least, yeah." The picture was his Hermione. His laughing, brilliant witch, standing behind the umbrella, just as she opened it in front of her nearly naked body. He thought he detected a pair of black lacy knickers and a reflection of light off the Rune on her breast, but that was just for a flicker of a blink before she opened the umbrella in front of her, blocking his view. "You're such a tease!" he said at last, hoping to see the umbrella take her into the air.

Her laughter danced between them and he pulled her close, holding his gift off to one side while he kissed her in gratitude and with a promise of more to come.

Then, when he had broken away to breathe, he wiggled his brows at her. "So, what did you give the others, eh?"

"You'll have to ask them! I'm off to get ready. Less than an hour, you know."

He eyed her up and down. "You sure you'll be ready? We could stall or something."

She moved away from him and Harry came to her side to take her hand in his. "I'll be fine. Ginevra Weasley is my dresser and no one is better than she is."

"Or as ruthless," Harry whispered loudly.

"Fred!" George called as soon as he was dressed for the evening.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours!"

It wasn't a formal affair, but Charlie was happy enough to wear the new robes he had had made for his own wedding. They had all Hoped. For years. And then they'd met her and watched her grow up a bit and had Cast for her. All without knowing for sure if she'd accept them.

At last, she would be theirs. All of theirs.

He and his brothers had greeted those who had arrived, including some near neighbors they hadn't met yet. Shaking hands, smiling, saying all the right things as they strolled around their yard with its bright summer flowers and rich green grass. There were trees, too, that cast shade on the long, narrow lawn and their mum had had chairs brought over.

"She'll be down in a bit. I'm sure she'll make an impression," he and his brothers assured their guests. While they waited, they walked about and moved to the buffet, where a light supper had been laid. Butterbeer in bottles in charmed tubs were available to pretty much all their guests and they availed themselves of the generosity of House Potter.

Kingsley Shacklebolt had indeed come to the Reception. He strode up to Bill and Charlie, where they were trying to keep their Aunt Muriel from bothering the twins. "Thank you for inviting me, gentlemen. I'll be serving in the ceremony this evening, too. It is a great honor to have been asked." He nodded at them and then said the niceties to their aunt, who eyed him as she might a hippogriff before leaving them.

Charlie wasn't going to complain. "Thank you for coming, Minister. It's an honor for us as well."

A murmur rose around them, erupting in appreciative applause. The Minister of Magic smiled his charismatic smile. "And here she is."

Escorted by her brother, Hermione Jean Potter emerged from the house dressed in the gown that her husbands-to-be had provided for her, as per tradition. Of a gauzy white silk, the high-necked dress clung to and floated over her body, tightly enough that, even though she was undoubtedly wearing something for undergarments, Charlie believed he could see the outline of her Rune and maybe even a shield under the fabric. The dress itself had little in the way of ornamentation; they knew their witch. With her hair half up and half down, curls falling over her shoulders as well as piled up in flower-bedecked tendrils on top of her head, she seemed to have grown in inches as well as in years.

One guest stopped Harry, and Hermione continued on after whispering something in his ear. Harry eyed her solemnly before smiling and embracing her warmly.

Bill thought it looked as if they were saying goodbye. That idea both gladdened him and made him a bit melancholy and he was reminded, with a striking pain, of Percy, who would have loved to have seen their Bespoken One on this day.

I hope you can see her now, Percy. She was quite fond of you.

"Miss Potter," the Minister said, his voice deep and joyous. "I believe your beauty has stolen the Weasley voices this evening."

Even under the fading light of the summer sun, Hermione's blush was fully visible. "Thank you, Kingsley. Er, Minister Shacklebolt!"

Kingsley took her hand and bowed over it, kissing the air rather than her skin. "Thank you, my dear."

And so it went until sunset, just about half nine. At this point, it was his job, as senior groom, to thank those who came for the reception for their time and so on and wish them a good evening while those who would stay for the solemnities, to be held in an hour's time, would go into the house by private invitation while the yard was prepared.

Unspeakables were arriving and they needed privacy in which to work their magic.

"Where's Hermione?" Charlie asked once the changeover had occurred. Darkness had settled truly, with clouds sliding between them and the stars. The power of the moon would hold whether they could see it or not, but he would prefer the light it granted.

His brothers were in the kitchen, grabbing something to eat from the reception leftovers. Bill looked so very serious, but he was unable to answer Charlie's question.

"Is she with Ginny or Mum?" George wondered after sipping some Butterbeer.

"Is who with me, dear?"

"Mum! Have you seen our witch?"

Molly's eyes glowed but she shook her head. "Not since she went upstairs to freshen up before the final ceremony. She's with Ginny and Luna, with Harry standing guard."

"Can't beat that," Charlie said with a smile.

Shacklebolt appeared in the archway between the kitchen and the dining room. He seemed to take all the available space when he did so. "We're ready."

Those two words sent Charlie's heart pounding. Ready. It was time to go out there and wait for their Hermione. His mother actually giggled. "I'll go get her, you boys go on out, now."

"We're not boys, Mum," Bill reminded her with a fond kiss to her forehead.

"Men, each one of us." Charlie kissed the top of his mum's thick red hair and patted her shoulder before leaving behind Shacklebolt.

George hugged her once. "Going to be married here in a few, Mum."

"Grown-ups and everything," Fred added with his own hug. He brushed his mother's happy tears from her cheeks and caught up to his brothers, who were about out of doors and in the yard.

There was a Warding that shone in the darkness, drawing power from the rising moon, Bill believed. He could see its boundaries but not beyond them into the sacred circle. He was about to approach, but he heard an unfamiliar voice—high for a man, but low for a woman—call, "All who approach must be bare of foot, for this ground is blessed by the Covenants of our Houses. The Runes are Cast."

The men removed their shoes and Bill gathered them into a pile to Banish them back to the kitchen, where he knew they'd be found later.

Kingsley Shacklebolt's tall form then blocked their way. "Relinquish your wands or leave this place."

Without hesitation, they each did so and he took them in one hand before waving them through the Wards with the other. "Wait for your Bespoke Witch within."

A short, cloaked figure beckoned to them and, once they reached her, she set them into the places she wished them to stand. "Here, and you, here. Who is senior?"

"I am," Bill said quietly, thoroughly in awe of this whole ceremony already, and hoping that he would be able to carry the entire night off without screwing up or traumatizing their Hermione.

Charlie clapped him on the back and, across a small space, he saw the twins bolster one another up similarly. Then, they had only to wait.

Guards stood at the entrance to the Wards. Bill could vaguely see the white form of their Bespoke Witch approaching. Here she comes, then. C'mon, William, stand up straight and speak clearly.

"The House of Weasley awaits its Bespoken One."

The others within the Wards chanted, "The House of Weasley."

"We bring the one of whom you speak," called the voice of Headmaster Dumbledore. "She took the Stake and bears the Rune. Will you grant us entrance?"

Shacklebolt once again came forward. "Relinquish your wands or leave this place."

Fred was smiling in spite of the jangling nerves dancing under his skin. She was coming to them. She was! They would be wed in just minutes and she would be theirs and—

"I will not give up my wand! I will not give up this witch, either! She has to marry me and you have to let me back into the family!"

A/N: You knew we weren't done with him, right?