By midnight on George and Angie's wedding day, the extended Weasley family and their close friends had clocked up three new engagements (for they would later discover that Hannah had proposed to Neville and then, two songs later, Seamus and Dean had proposed to each other on the dance floor just hours after Lauren had secretly become engaged to Charlie) and Lee and Verity's commitment. And, thanks to Elliot and Inardoe, the realisation – at least to a small number of people – that the second Weasley grandchild had been conceived.

The commitments weren't entirely coincidental, and neither were they the only key events that took place that day. A couple of family members had realised, relatively soon after Angie had proposed to George, that the timing of their wedding day could be a critical part of the plan to counteract the marriage law. And so the event was the location and pivot point for many conversations which helped firm up the plans for the evening of the Ministry Ball. Without exception, Angie and George's guests were committed to the attempt to convince the Wizengamot to pull back and accept that members of the wizarding world should be allowed to take responsibility for their own lives, commitments and families. It was a question of freedom; of human rights.

The layout of the beach, with the small tables set out for easy movement and chatting, had been planned to lend itself well to the patchwork of planning conversations that were needed. By the time he left with Verity, Lee had set everything that he could in place for his part. Kingsley had worked the crowd; ensuring that everyone had as much information as they needed so that they could all spend the week passing this on to others. Percy had supported him in this and also put in some key planning work with the woman that he and Kinsgley had code named 'Athena' and who they both believed to be their secret weapon.

But it didn't end there. Minerva and Filius were working on logistics and communication, while Hermione and Ginny mingled amongst their friends to ensure that a couple of key charms were known by all who would need them. Fred Weasley, ever the entrepreneur, had combined his own conversations with the handing out of party favours in the shape of hangover truffles. He had put them into individual boxes and added a note promising each recipient a further free sample – delivered to the Ball itself – if they owled feedback to the shop before close of business on the Thursday afternoon.

All were agreed that George and Angelina should be free from Ball-related tasks, however, and the two spent a joy-filled day with their friends and family. By eight thirty in the evening though, the happy couple were desperate to be alone. When he saw the way they were gazing longingly at each other, Phil whispered to them that they should do a quick round of farewells and then he would announce their departure. The size of the Weasley family and the fact that everyone seemed to want to whisper words of love and advice into their ears meant that even this quick goodbye took until just after nine, and eventually Phil charmed his voice, raised his wand and asked for the guests' attention.

"It's time to say farewell to our lovely bride and groom, who are now apparating off on their honeymoon," he said, as if they were going to Greece or the Bahamas and not just fifty yards away to the heavily warded cove next door. George said a heartfelt thank you on behalf of both of them and he scooped Angelina up into his arms.

"See you all Friday; enjoy the fireworks," he winked, his arms full of his bride, before Angelina made the tiniest wand movement and, in a move that they had practised the night before, just for fun, she side-along apparated them to the wooden path which led to their wedding bed.

"Bloody hell," breathed George, when he saw the honeymoon cove. He knew what it looked like during the day, having visited while Fred and Hermione were honeymooning there. But Phil's staff had bedecked their bed with fairy lights and lanterns, covered the duvet and the floor around the bed with rose petals and filled the table beside the bed with champagne, fruit and chocolate.

"We might need to keep our energy up," Angelina whispered, seeing him looking at the food, but she only just finished the sentence before her lips captured George's, making him swoon slightly with the intensity of her kiss.

"Mmmm," he mumbled, realising that he needed to take the last few steps to the bed before he was so overcome with the bonding magic that he dropped his new wife. Pulling away from her kiss gently, he whispered a quiet, "wait, love," before taking those steps and then almost falling onto the bed and bringing Angelina with him.

"Can't wait," she said, pulling open his dress robes and reaching for his trousers. Within a couple of minutes she had freed him from his boxers and slipped out of her own knickers. George was trying to help, but the sensations of the bonding magic were making him less dexterous than usual. Angie ended up pushing his hands away from where he was fumbling to remove her clothing, knowing that her fingers were, at that point, more nimble. Instead, he reached up her dress, wanting to make sure she was prepared. The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt her on their wedding night, however desperate they both were to complete the bond.

"I'm so wet for you, George," she muttered into his ear. "I've been wet all day."

"You really are, love," he said, using his fingers to tease her slowly. Angie pushed his hand away again.

"I need you … inside me," she demanded, and, not three minutes after she had left her wedding, and while still in her wedding dress, Angelina Johnson-Weasley sank down onto her husband and moaned out his name. He breathed hers into her ear in reply before taking her dress-covered bottom into his hands and tipping her onto her back. George was so energised by the magic that he needed to be able to move more freely, and Angie cried out in appreciation of his efforts, meeting every one of his thrusts with an athletic rolling of her own hips.

In contrast to the last time a marriage had been sealed in that cove, there was nothing slow or gentle about George and Angie's bonding sex. They had been together for years and knew each other intimately. They rubbed their bodies together, hard and fast, teasing each other with words but primarily focused on the shared goal of bringing each other to a climax and sealing their bond forever. As if on cue, fifty yards over from them, Fred pointed his wand at the box which would trigger the firework display celebrating their love, and the brightly coloured explosives began to sail up and illuminate the darkening sky over the ocean as the newlyweds came together.

George and Angelina barely noticed. The first wave of magic surged over them as if an actual wave had come crashing out of the sea. They both called out, and then pressed themselves closely together, their hips still bucking slightly to enjoy the physical sensation of their orgasms, but otherwise overwhelmed by the sensation of their magic interweaving. Golden light pulsed around them as their magical cores connected, and their hearts swelled as their souls bonded in love. Someone swore, and afterwards neither could say for sure which of them it had been.

George rolled onto his side, bringing his wife with him. He reached for the light duvet and pulled it over them so they wouldn't get cold as their sweat dried in the evening breeze. Angie reached out to touch George's chest when she realised that she could feel his heartbeat as well as her own, and for several minutes they just lay there and gazed at each other, smiling and laughing at their newfound ability to sense the other's emotions. They laid their heads on the pillows, fingers and hands intertwined, and watched the last few fireworks rocket up into the sky and then explode into hearts and stars.

George was the first to speak. "I love you," he said, simply. "Thank you for bonding with me."

For the first time in days, his declaration wasn't accompanied by tears, and Angie registered that right away. She shifted herself slightly, wanting to get more comfortable. "You're not crying," she said, brushing his cheek softly.

"No," he laughed. And then he frowned a little. "I feel stronger," he said, his eyes looking away as he contemplated this new knowledge. "Safer…"

"Good," Angie replied.

"How do you feel, love?" he asked.

She took a moment to contemplate before answering. "Sexy," she laughed. "Full of love." She frowned. "More satisfied than I've ever felt. Excited for the future. Oh, Gods," she bit her lip and whispered the next bit, her face showing surprise, "I feel broody; like I want to have your babies! Where did that come from?!"

He laughed. They had talked about babies the day before. They had agreed that, like Hermione and Fred, it might be best to wait a year or so before getting pregnant and make sure that things were running well at the shop. "The magic's making you feel that way, love. It did the same to Hermione; Fred told me. We'd better volunteer you for Elliot's babysitting list!"

They chatted softly for another few minutes before Angie reluctantly began to pull out of George's arms. "I want to get out of this dress," she whispered, wriggling backwards. George got the show of his life as she stood beside the bed, used her wand to magically undo her wedding dress and then gave a shimmy, making the dress fall to the ground, revealing her tall, naked body to him in all its glory.

"Fuck," he whispered, divesting himself of his own clothes and throwing them over his side of the bed before welcoming Angelina back into his arms. Their mutual nakedness led to them both becoming turned on again, and they made love a second time, slightly less frantically.

Afterwards, Angie waved her arm towards the champagne, asking George if he would like another drink.

He grinned. "You're going to take the piss forever when I say this, I know, but I'm actually desperate for a cup of tea!"

"Seriously?! No, I suppose I'm not really surprised. Go on then, you're making it," she said. "Everything you need is over there," she pointed her finger, "where you and Fred made breakfast last time."

She was still chuckling as she watched her very gorgeous, very naked husband walk across to the field kitchen, wiggling his bum for her as he did.

"Nice," she called, continuing to laugh as he danced for her while making tea and also inspecting the breakfast hamper. Angie smiled. She had learned over the years that most of the Weasley men gained pleasure from anticipating future meals. This was, she knew, one reason that Molly's Sunday dinners would go on for as long as the older witch could cook. And even then, she thought, a sting of an unnameable emotion hitting her as her mind unexpectedly took her decades into the future, even if Molly reached the point where she felt unable to cook for the large family, there were plenty of other Weasleys who would be happy to carry on the tradition. She could see easily Bill and Percy taking that mantle. Still smiling, she pointed her wand at the magically charmed champagne and one of the glasses beside her filled from the bottle, which remained corked so that the rest of the contents would stay fizzy.

"Oh," said George, as he reappeared beside her with two cups of tea and saw the glass. "I made you one as well…"

"That's OK," she replied, giving him a kiss. "Thank you." She took the tea from him and put it on her side of the bed. "I'll have both."

"I was just thinking…" he said.

"About breakfast," Angie finished, with a small laugh.

"Well, yes," he admitted, "and also about Sunday dinner. About how lovely it is that we all get together like this." He waved his arm towards the other cove where, he presumed, their guests were still partying. Phil had added further charms once the fireworks had ended, ensuring that nothing could be heard or seen across the wards, so they would only find out later when the party had ended.

"Oh," said Angie. "I thought I was thinking about that. Was that your thought?" She looked puzzled.

George shrugged. "Oh," he said, sounding very nonchalant, "well I thought it was me, but maybe it was you. Hard to tell sometimes!"

Angie knocked back a good gulp of champagne. This was going to take a bit of getting used to. She wondered whether Fred had been serious about he and Hermione coming over for brunch the next day. She could do with having someone to talk to about this. Or maybe she could meet with her friend later in the week.

"They said they'd like to come, though if the shop's busy then it might not be that easy," George said, answering her thought verbally. "I said we'd send a patronus to let them know when the wards are down." Then, sensing Angie's emotion, he smiled. He drained his tea, put his mug down and took her into his arms. "You'll get used to it sooner than you think," he promised, speaking softly.

Angie felt calmer at that, but whether from his words or from the emotion he was sharing through the bond, she couldn't tell. It was rather strange to be wholly your own person one minute and then, over the course of a single day, to blend yourself and your magic with someone else. An hour or so later, though, while she was nestled in a sleeping George's arms, his soft cock still pressing gently against her after he had made love to her while they lay on their sides, a thought came to her. This thought would be a key one that she would keep in her heart for the rest of her days. Angie realised that, although she had often heard it said that you could never truly know a person, the bond that she had just forged with her new husband gave her the ability to do just that. And had she ever had any doubts about whether she had married the right wizard, they had disappeared the moment she had fully bonded with George Weasley. For at that moment, she knew with absolute certainty that she had married a gorgeous marshmallow of a man who had only good in his heart.

Unknown – at the time – to the happy couple, the party had become more intimate not long after they had said their farewells. Fleur and Bill had secret news that they wanted to be able to marvel over in the comfort of their own bed, and they left just after the fireworks had finished. As did Percy and Penny, who wanted to make a few notes before retiring. Charlie and Lauren wanted to take Elliot home and prepare for Molly and Arthur's visit the next afternoon. Harry, Ron, Luna, Ginny, Neville, Hannah, Dean, Seamus and many of the younger guests looked as if they were planning to party into the night, and Molly smiled to see that several of the professors from Hogwarts were also still on the dance floor. Hermione was happily dancing with Harry and Ron, who were taking it in turns to spin their laughing friend. Fred gave them as long as he could bear to, conscious that he wanted to encourage Hermione to still spend plenty of time with her friends. But he wasn't a monk, and the bonding magic was still affecting him deeply. When the next slow song came on, he went over, took hold of her hips from behind and began to dance his body against hers while she continued to chat to her friends. Harry and Ron looked at each other, and then gave her a bow, waving her off. It was clear even to the two of them that Fred and Hermione weren't long for the party either.

"Go," said Ron, as Ginny came over to reclaim Harry. "We'll keep the party going here." He gave a smile as Luna strolled up and began to dance beside him, beckoning him to follow her with a finger.

Fred and Hermione held each other close and watched from the edge of the dance floor as the remaining wedding guests broke into two groups. The younger guests continued to dance, with more couples moving closer together, while the older contingent – which included Molly, Arthur, Phil, Kingsley and the Hogwarts staff, as well as a few other friends that they hadn't seen for a while – took to the beach. Phil and Minerva transfigured a few chairs into soft sofas, while Arthur and Kingsley built and lit a campfire.

"Shall we?" said Fred, whispering into Hermione's ear. "Now's our chance…"

She laughed softly, reading his mind and knowing exactly what he wanted them to do. He had been teasing her for the past hour about making a particular fantasy come true. "If you like," she said. "I'm growing to rather enjoy my sexual escapades with you…"

Fred nuzzled her ear with his lips before he wound his hands around Hermione's waist and apparated them both away.