Although their bonding ceremonies had been almost identical, George and Angelina's wedding day differed from Fred and Hermione's in a number of ways. Angelina had had a few extra days of planning time, not to mention a magical venue and an entire staff at her disposal. The flow of the day had been planned ahead of time – although even Hermione wouldn't have changed anything about her own day – and the fireworks didn't begin until it was actually dark.
It was a nice change, Charlie remarked to Lauren, that Phil had staff to serve drinks and food; he explained that this had been his job on Hermione and Fred's day. Her reply had been that perhaps the two of them should find a way of making use of the additional time that he had on his hands, and simultaneously celebrate their impromptu, secret engagement.
Which meant that they were the first couple to sneak away and make love on a secluded part of the beach during the lazy, lovely afternoon that followed the wedding breakfast. But, although the size of the beach meant none of the couples happened upon each other and discovered their idea wasn't unique (until Christmas, when it would all come out over an eggnog-fuelled conversation), they weren't the only ones to think of this.
Bill and Fleur nipped off to celebrate their happy news in the same way that they had created it, and afterwards to have a brief chat about when to tell the others. In any other circumstances, they would have planned to wait, but the threatened marriage law meant that such information was potential leverage. They softly agreed to try to find a time to tell both Molly and Arthur and Fleur's parents during the week, so that they could add their joy to Kingsley's statistics.
Hermione pulled Fred off to one side not long after, casting a notice-me-not spell over both of them before taking him into the next bay. She led him towards the flat rock on which they had sat while he had given her a ring at the end of their first date. They had, on that occasion, pressed themselves together while they shared secrets, kisses and plans but then, reluctantly, decided they needed to cool their ardour and save themselves for their bonding night.
"I've wanted to do this with you here ever since you kissed my scar," she told him, weaving her fingers through his soft red hair.
"But your period, love," he said; a look of concern on his face. "I don't want to hurt you…"
"It's OK," Hermione replied, all business now as she tugged at his robes, trying to undo his belt while leaving his upper robes on. "Fleur's taught me all sorts of spells," she said. "She's not quite as uninhibited as your sister when it comes to conversation," she remarked, adding a quick laugh and apology when she saw Fred's response, "but she knows so many things that we were never taught."
"So I'm going to benefit from some of this, am I?" Fred's voice was deeper as he watched Hermione press her wand to her own body, temporarily removing her knickers as well as adding the charms that Fleur had taught her.
"Mmmmm hmmmm," she said, using his shoulders to pull herself up on him and then sink down gently."
"Fuck!"
"Fred…" she sighed.
"I bloody love weddings," he replied, as he gathered her bottom into his hands – not an easy feat given that she was still wearing her bridesmaid's dress lest anyone decide to take a walk in her direction – and began to rock himself gently into her warmth.
"Really?" George said, with a lewd wink, when the two of them strolled by him half an hour later. "You couldn't wait til tonight?" He had been looking out for them ever since he felt Fred re-open their bond, unable to resist teasing Hermione about her continued ardour for his twin. He and Angelina were still attached at the hand most of the time, but a good lunch and a couple of drinks had enabled them to separate now and again without feeling ill.
"You've been in my bed for the last two nights, George Weasley," Hermione told him quietly, trying to adopt a frown as she punctuated her words with gentle pokes to his chest. "Depriving me of my conjugal rights with my husband," she whispered, and then a giggle broke out. "Besides, you're hardly going to be in a position to cast stones over the next few weeks!"
"Why would I want to cast stones, Hermione?" he asked, looking at his wand and genuinely confused by the reference to the muggle saying. She simply laughed, broadening her smile when she saw Angelina heading their way.
"Never mind," she said, and he realised that she was a bit tipsy from the champagne and, perhaps, the pain potions that Fleur was supplying her with. "I'm going to go and join in over there," she said, indicating the two large day beds which had been pushed together and on which Molly, Arthur and their two eldest sons and partners were all sitting. All six of them were leaning against the backs of the beds, looking out to sea as they chatted. Naturally, Fred and George felt the need to break away from Hermione and Angelina as they neared, so that they could take a run up and jump onto the other ends of the beds, causing the occupants to be bounced about a little.
"Afternoon, family!" George announced as they both prepared to leap into the air and land on the beds. However, they hadn't noticed that Elliot was taking his afternoon nap, surrounded with a silencing charm and with his head resting in Fleur's lap. Wanting to ensure that he stayed asleep, Arthur and Bill raised their wands simultaneously, stopping the twins' momentum, holding the men in mid-air for a moment and then gently lowering them onto the bed. Lauren gaped, Angelina and Hermione laughed and Molly began an admonishment but stopped when she saw how happy George looked. Each of the twins settled themselves against the foot of a bed, their back to the ocean, and Angelina curled into a ball, mirroring Elliot's position as she lay her head in George's lap.
"Oh, that looks comfy," Hermione said, immediately adopting the same posture with Fred but in the opposite direction, so that she could see everyone. "What are we discussing?" she asked.
"Actually," said Arthur, "we were just beginning a conversation about where Charlie and Lauren are going to live."
"Which I don't know," said Lauren quickly. She was also a bit tipsy, and this wasn't a conversation that she was really ready for. "I don't mind talking about it," she added, not wanting to be difficult. "I just don't know."
"It's handy that you two are here," Arthur added, "as this concerns you as well. And Ron," he said, looking around. When he failed to spot his youngest son, he turned back to the others. "Well, who knows where he is; I'll find him later… But I've been explaining to Lauren that Bill inherited Shell Cottage and that, even though we never had very much in the way of material wealth, we do have a good bit of land, of course. And we've got enough to give some to any of you who want it. If you want to build a house, that is."
"We know that Percy and Ginny don't," Molly said. "Percy wants to stay in London and doesn't want any of the land. And Ginny says that, as long as she can keep her bedroom in The Burrow for when they visit, that's all she wants." Molly turned to Lauren. "Harry owns several properties," she explained, and Lauren nodded in response.
"Are you talking about the fields behind the pond?" Fred asked, and it was Arthur's turn to nod. Hermione looked up at Fred, trying to gauge how he felt about this possibility. The flat above the shop was fine for them for now, but they both knew it wasn't a long-term option and certainly not a place for a family. Hermione hoped that the shop would do well enough for them to keep the flat to themselves and not have to rent it out, though. She enjoyed the roof garden and it would be lovely to be able to keep going up there for lunchtime visits and perhaps to turn it into a sort of holiday residence for any family members who wanted to stay in Diagon Alley after a night out rather than apparating home.
"Yes. We reckon there's room for three good-sized houses, each with an acre or two, or we could make plots for four or five smaller cottages that each had a more modest garden," Arthur explained. He looked at Lauren, excited to share these thoughts with her. He and Molly had been discussing this for two days now, and they were both hoping that this would solve the question of transport for Lauren. They could put a floo into a property on Weasley land, and getting to The Burrow – from where someone could apparate Lauren anywhere she wanted, even if Charlie wasn't around – would be a quick floo journey or, if the weather was good, a five-minute walk around the pond and across the garden.
But as Arthur's excitement grew, Lauren's stomach began to churn in resistance. She listened to him explaining that the bit of land on which they could build wasn't far from one end of the muggle village, if she wanted to be a part of village life. He then went on to share his fantasy of enlisting his sons to help build a covered trail so that Lauren and her kids could walk to The Burrow in comfort, even if it was raining outside.
It was Fleur who noticed that Lauren had begun to look sad as Arthur continued to wax lyrical about his plans, and Fleur who put her arm on Arthur's shoulder, urging him to take a breath so that she could indicate the problem. In the meantime, Charlie had scooped Lauren into his arms, and Fred and George had each reached out to cradle one of her feet, wanting to her them know that they were there. Such a gesture soothed them, and Lauren found herself huffing a small chuckle at the beauty of their simultaneous action.
"I'm not trying to be difficult," she said quietly, looking upwards and blinking rapidly in the hope that this would stem her tears. It didn't. Bill silently conjured her a large white handkerchief and handed it to her, enabling her to blow her nose. "Really, I'm not. And you're so generous. But this has all been a bit much. I know we have to solve the transport issue," she continued, "and I'm not really that attached to the village that I live in, but my cottage has so much history for me, and I'm not ready to leave it." She paused, as the tears overcame her for a few moments. Of those present, only Charlie, Bill and Fleur knew that she had, just hours before, proposed marriage to Charlie, and that she was still adjusting to this change.
Lauren allowed her tears to flow for a few moments and then turned to Angelina and George. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I should have held off a bit on the wine. I really don't want to bring tears to your wedding day."
"Piffle," said Molly. "It's not a wedding until you've had tears and a bit of family drama!"
"Yeah, and you've got a long way to go to beat the kind of drama that Uncle Bilius used to create," Fred said, with a shudder, making the others laugh.
Lauren smiled through her tears, reaching out to stroke her sleeping son's hair.
"I bought my cottage with the money my parents left me after they died," she explained, "and it was my dream house. Elliot was born in the living room. It's my sanctuary." Her tears fell faster. "And I know it's stupid, but my little cat who I grew up with is buried in the garden, and there's a fruit tree that I planted over Elliot's placenta. I'm not ready to leave that all behind."
Molly looked at Fleur and then Angelina and Hermione, all of them realising that this was likely the culmination of all the emotion and change that Lauren had experience over the past two or three weeks. Lauren was taking some deep breaths, every apology that fell from her lips met by a reassurance from Charlie or one of the others.
"You don't have to move anywhere, love," Molly reassure her. "I'm sorry we brought it up. We didn't realise…."
"I know," Lauren said quickly. "I don't think I realised how strongly I felt until today." She gave a little laugh, blowing her nose again before looking at Fred. "I don't suppose you've got chocolate, have you?"
"Oh, I do!" Hermione nudged her bag towards Fred, who sent his hand in, rummaged around for a bit, rolled his eyes and then reached for his wand instead.
"Accio chocolate," he said, getting a laugh from those around him. He passed the box around, insisting that Lauren took three and that another be placed in Mr Rabbit's paw under a cooling charm for when Elliot awoke.
"That's definitely better," Lauren said, taking a moment to wipe her face, blow her nose a few more times and then apply some moisturiser, an action which always made Charlie remember their time in Romania with a fond smile. "Well, now, I honestly hadn't realised how strongly I felt about that, and I actually really appreciate that I've learned something about myself. So," she added with a smile, wanting to show them that she really did feel better by lightening the atmosphere and making a joke, "unless you can magic my cottage and garden onto your land, I'm going to stay put just for now, thank you!"
She smiled, squeezing Molly's hand and patting Arthur's. "But I have my phone," she pointed to her handbag, "and I'm going to invite everyone over to the cottage during the course of this next week so that you will all be able to apparate to me whenever you want to, and hopefully that will help the situation. In fact," she added, looking over at Molly and making Arthur's eyes light up with her next words, "I was wondering if the two of you would like to come over for dinner tomorrow evening? I'll come and pick you up in my car if you like, and you can have the full muggle experience!"