A/N: This isn't the chapter that gets M rated-we're still 2-4 chapters out-but I figured I'd make the change now. No reason to advertise it as being T when I'm, like, 97.4% sure it's gonna go M.

Huge thanks to the new readers for making me want to churn these out as quickly as I can! And by readers, I obviously mean the people who actually let me know they were enjoying the fic via review. No no no no no! I'm kidding! Look, I feel kind of bad about the author's note of the previous chapter where I called out the readers who don't leave comments. Let's be honest, I was hiding my manipulations to get reviews behind some iffy joke about the value of reviews. My bad.

Chapter 3: The Implications

-0-0-0-

Ginny sank into the chair across the table from Kent Fendmee and dropped her head into her hands. Harry immediately went to her side and fell on his knees in front of her, pulling her hands from her face.

"Hey," he said soothingly. "This isn't the end here, okay? Let's figure this out." He kept hold of her hands as he turned his head to Fendmee.

"What are our options here?" he asked.

"You mean you still don't want the Union?" he asked, surprised.

"What has changed in the last thirty seconds?" Harry all but shouted. "Is there a way to cancel it, to undo it?"

Fendmee shook his head sadly. "A timeturner can't even undo what's just been done, my boy," he said. "Now, we can legally annul the Union, but the everlasting bond has been created, and it's a beautiful thing."

"A beautiful thing," Harry repeated. "What's beautiful about two kids being forced to marry against their will?"

"It was gold, Mr. Potter. The contract." He offered no other explanation, but looked at Harry expectantly.

"Oh," Harry responded sarcastically. "It was gold everyone." He turned to Ginny, who looked as confused as he was. "Ginny, it was gold, so we're fine." He turned back to the Ministry Official and gave him his best glower. It was a look he probably needed some work on. "What does gold mean, Fendmee?"

Now looking more than a little offended, Fendmee sat a little taller in his chair. "The Magical Union binds you two beyond death, Mr. and Mrs. Potter. But beyond that, the ancient magic binds the two of you in life in a way that can't well be explained with words. You will feel better empathy towards each other, feel newfound patience for each other, and your love will grow stronger every day you want it to. The golden gleam confirmed what most couples yearn for in their unions, but few actually achieve."

"What's that?" Ginny asked, and Harry found himself happy that she was also in the dark here. He was also glad no one had drawn attention to the fact that she was now Mrs. Potter.

"That the two of you," Fendmee responded, "were perfectly united—requiring a rare pair of complementing personalities, dreams, and desires."

There was a pregnant pause while Harry tried to understand the Ministry man's words. "So you're saying we're meant to be together?" he asked.

"Nobody is 'meant to be,' Mr. Potter. We do the best we can to find someone to be happy with. Some can be happy with many different people. But it is extremely rare to find two so already in sync as you two. And seemingly by accident, to boot." The middle-aged man seemed almost happy at the situation, and that bothered Harry, but he would worry about it later.

Instead he turned his focus on Ginny. He looked at her for a long moment. His friend. She was certainly easy to get along with. And she was as beautiful as anyone he could hope to get. He loved her family to death. She was brave, kind, and strong in a way so few women he had met were.

"Could we make this work?" Harry asked uncertainly, his voice quiet. Her hands were soft in his. He gave them a gentle squeeze. "Could we give it a shot?"

Ginny's mouth dropped. Obviously these were not the words she had been expecting. "Harry, are you serious? Why would you want that?"

A pit of self-consciousness formed in Harry's gut. He had been looking at this all from his own perspective, assuming for some strange reason that she could want a life with him. He stood up from his knees at that point and turned away. "You're right. I'm sorry. Of course you wouldn't want—"

"No, Harry," Ginny interrupted and stood to grab his hand back. "I just mean...you'd be giving up your life. You're probably the number one bachelor in the country right now—and you'd be throwing that future away."

Harry frowned and turned back around to face her. "Why would that future matter if this one could be better? Besides, if we give it a shot and it doesn't work, what would the difference be between annulling in a month and doing it now? Isn't it worth potentially saving the Union?"

Ginny flushed. She wouldn't meet his eyes. Her mouth opened, then shut, like the words she needed to say couldn't find their way out of her mouth. It was only then that Harry remembered they weren't alone in the room. He turned a questioning eye to Fendmee.

"You must consummate the Union today," he responded.

Harry felt his mouth drop. "Oh, come on!" he shouted. "I'm not gonna..." He turned to Ginny who still wouldn't look at him. "I can't ask that of you. This is absurd. I don't think I've even hugged Ginny until today."

"Harry's right—we can't do that." Her voice was defeated, and Harry felt his heart break for her. He imagined she had dreamed of a true and loving Magical Union her whole life—and she was stuck with this shit storm.

"What happens to normal people if an accident happens the day of their Union and they can't have sex?" Harry asked in disbelief, not caring about his lack of tact. "They get busy or hospitalized, or the guy can't get it up under the pressure?"

Fendmee gasped at Harry's language, but he didn't care. He might've heard Ginny chuckle to his side though.

"Well, they've normally got the day planned very well, but I suppose they would take it as a sign that the Union would've been a bad idea. Maybe they're grateful they aren't destined to an eternity with the other person."

Harry scoffed, and Dumbledore spoke for the first time in a long time. He had seemed happy to let things play out until now. Perhaps he felt Harry's mounting frustration and wanted to put an end to it.

"Might I suggest we all go home and go to bed. You won't be able to decide anything of this magnitude until your minds have rested and, perhaps, some of the alcohol consumed has left your systems."

This added to Harry's frustration, but he agreed, even if he didn't think he'd get much sleep. So he turned to Ginny who had a brave face on. It was awkward, but the urgency of the situation seemed to make that vanish.

"What do you say? We go home—to our respective homes, I mean—" Harry bumbled, angry that he had made this even more uncomfortable. But Ginny smirked at him, and Harry let out his unease in a short laugh. "We sleep it off," he continued. "And we meet tomorrow morning. Talk about it some more."

"Who knows," Ginny added with a smile. "Maybe we'll fall madly in love in one day and won't be able to keep our hands off each other."

Harry crossed his fingers. "Let's hope."

Ginny nodded. Then they stood there for a long moment. "So...do we hug or something?"

Ginny laughed and pulled him in tight. "Thanks for being so calm about all of this, Harry. Can you imagine Ron in your shoes?"

Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny and squeezed her back. "Well, I assume he'd be disgusted at the implication of incest, but..."

Ginny pulled back and hit him on the arm with a grimace. "You prat! With someone else. Now I've got to add that horrid image to my jumbled thoughts tonight, thank you."

Harry just laughed. "I'll be by the Burrow in the morning, then. Are you going to tell anyone?"

Ginny thought for a moment. "I don't think so. Mum will just confuse me more with her complicated desire for us to be together and her terror at losing her precious daughter. Hermione doesn't understand my feelings on Magical Unions, so she wouldn't help from that perspective."

"Okay," Harry said, secretly glad that this would stay between them for the time being. "Well, can I walk you home at least?"

Ginny shook her head. "I need some alone time, and I'm seventeen now. I think I'll use my newfound freedom to apparate home. Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, Gin," Harry responded. and with that, Ginny left the room. Harry turned to Dumbledore.

"We can't do this, right?"

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "For two people thrust into such an unwelcome and jarring situation, you've both handled it remarkably well—and together, I might add. Perhaps deep down, you recognize it might be plausible."

"I've kissed one girl in my life, Albus," Harry said. "And it was not the best experience. Now you're asking me to sleep with a girl by the end of the day."

"Clearly you both must want it and accept it," he responded. "However, don't let fear or lack of experience ruin what might be a good thing."

Harry nodded, but determined to leave the matter for the night. He bid his farewell to both men in the office and headed for the lifts without thinking. He took one back to the main floor were the party was winding down. The crowd had diminished significantly, and Harry passed by them on his way to the apparation point.

"Harry!" came a feminine voice from his left. Harry turned to see the young woman he'd talked to earlier.

"Hi Gloria," Harry responded, his voice sounding very tired to him. He was amazed at how little reaction this woman was getting out of him. She had seemed so pretty an hour earlier, enticing even. Now, he only had one witch on his mind. Harry couldn't help but wonder if it was because of the situation, or because of the girl.

"Were you able to find Kent?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, but I've still got to work out my problem. I apologize if I'm coming across short with you, but I've got to go."

Gloria's smile seemed so much more fake now than it had earlier. "No problem, Harry. I understand you're a busy man."

"Thank you," Harry responded and finished his trek to the apparation point. He arrived at Grimmauld Place, kicked off his shoes, and dropped his robes to the ground in his bedroom. He fell on his bed and let out a long breath, suddenly very exhausted from the evening's events.

He drifted to sleep much faster than he expected, his final thoughts being of Ginny. And he found the thoughts oddly calming, all things considered.

-0-0-0-

"Come in, Harry!" Molly said with far too much energy the next morning. "I'm just firing up the stove for some breakfast. You must join us."

"Oh, Molly, I couldn't possibly. I'm just here for..." Harry trailed off, now suddenly very unsure of how to treat the situation. "I'd love to," he said, instead.

Molly beamed at him, and they walked into the kitchen together, Harry offering to help her out.

Even though he no longer lived here, the Burrow would always be home. And Molly would always be like a second mum to him. When she guided him over to the sizzling bacon and gave him some simple instructions, a smile came to his face. Because…because maybe the Burrow could actually be a second home. Maybe Molly could, in fact and in law, be a second mum to him. And maybe he shouldn't hope for this marriage to stick strictly for these reasons, but Harry had to admit it made the idea a whole lot easier to entertain. Ron would be his brother.

His smile slipped, however, when Molly, distractedly setting out placemats and silverware, asked The Question. "So have you thought about what you're going to do next, Harry?"

He sighed. He supposed he should be able to talk about this with her at least. And yet, as he fried bacon and flipped pancakes, Harry's eyes darted around the room for something to distract her with. And as if sensing his needs, his wife appeared.

She was dressed simply this morning, some white shorts and a tight, cobalt top. Her red hair fell effortlessly over her shoulders, and Harry let his eyes fall just a little bit more, taking in the curves of a beautiful young woman. He couldn't help but think about what needed to happen tonight, but shook his head before he let his mind wander too far.

Harry felt a smile come to his face at her presence. She smiled back at him. Though the situation was certainly awkward, Harry was happy to see her.

"Happy Birthday, Gin," Harry said softly.

"Thank you, Harry," was the simple and genuine reply that had Harry feeling all sorts of warm.

"Oh, Ginny," Molly said, stepping back from the table. She glanced quickly between Harry and Ginny with a glint in her eye. "Happy Birthday, Dear. Please help Harry finish up in here. I've got some wash to hang."

Molly looked back at the two with a wistful look on her face as Ginny put on an apron. After she left the kitchen, Ginny leaned over to whisper in Harry's ear. He liked the closeness of her. "She thinks she's being sneaky, trying to get us together. Little does she know we're already married."

Harry snorted, nearly sloshing the bacon grease out of the pan in the process. The sleep had indeed done them both good, allowing the fear and uncertainty to nestle into their subconscious. Now they could approach the situation as themselves, minus the hysteria.

"I have to wonder if it would have felt this obvious if yesterday hadn't happened," Harry wondered aloud while Ginny adjusted the stove to cook the eggs slower.

Ginny raised an amused eyebrow and watched him out the corner of her eye. "Harry...I don't know how to tell you this. It's been obvious for a couple of years now. You've just been oblivious."

Harry felt his jaw drop involuntarily. "You mean your mum has been trying to pair us off for years?"

"It's been mortifying," Ginny replied with a chuckle. "Fortunately for me, you were an idiot teenage boy with bigger problems than being asked to degnome the garden with me. Or how Ron was always asked to go out to the coop so we would be forced to hang out for a few extra minutes. Harry, you're burning the bacon."

"Shit!" Harry cursed, his attention pulling back to his frying pan. His face was burning as bad as the bacon after Ginny's revelation, but when she laughed—not melodious, but loud and real and...Ginny—Harry found he didn't mind his embarrassment. At the bacon or his ignorance.

Instead, he just grinned at her. "Well, I can't say I love the reason for my awakening, but I'm glad I'm finally seeing it. Or you, I guess," he finished lamely. "Glad I'm seeing you."

And Ginny didn't laugh at him this time for his bumbling. She blushed. Pretty and red and over her whole face, and down her neck a little, too. Harry let his gaze linger on her. She turned back to her eggs and cleared her throat.

"Harry, you're still burning the bacon."

The two continued to work together to prepare a large breakfast. Ginny informed Harry that Fred and George were joining them this morning, as they often did. Between those two and Ron, her mum had to make enough breakfast to feed an army.

Harry loved working in the kitchen with Ginny. They laughed as Harry overcompensated with some undercooked strips of bacon on the next batch. Ginny grinned when Harry expressed his love for the gravy as she fed him from the stirring spoon. He couldn't help but imagine doing this every morning with her. He rather liked the thought.

Molly came back in just as they finished setting the table. "Oh look how great the two of you work together," she said obviously. Harry caught Ginny's eye and they burst into laughter again. Molly beamed at them.

The moment was interrupted by Fred and George's arrival. Ron happened to stumble into the kitchen then, too, hair mussed from sleep. "My dear brothers, you have a sixth sense for knowing when the food is finished so you don't need to help."

Ron and Ginny sat on opposite sides of the table. Harry found himself walking right over to Ginny without even thinking. He took a seat next to her, and it wasn't until he saw Ron's confused and curious gaze that he wondered if he should be more subtle about things.

He shrugged it off, figuring that by the end of the day, they'd either be telling the family that they were married, or be able to leave this day and all that happened in the past. Between the brothers' concerned glances and Molly's broad smile at them, Harry started to rethink joining them for breakfast. But he felt Ginny slip her hand into his and squeeze gently under the table. And suddenly, he wasn't so worried about her family.

He squeezed her hand back and smiled at her. Merlin, she was pretty. They held each other's gaze for a moment longer than necessary, and Harry thought he saw something flicker behind Ginny's eyes.

Something shifted in the air. In Ginny. Throughout breakfast, she grew reserved. She withdrew her hand from his, stopped engaging in conversation, and pushed her food around her plate instead of eating it. Her lips barely even twitched when Fred regaled them with a tale of soon-to-be fourth year Jack Meisoff who had bought a light love potion for his fifth year crush, accidentally took it himself, and spent the next twenty four hours staring at himself in the bathroom mirror with the door locked.

"At least, that was his version of what happened," Fred concluded. "But based on his mum's hollering, I'm guessing he did a whole lot more than look at himself all day long."

Ron laughed loudly. Molly scowled at him, and gave him a lesson on appropriate breakfast conversation. And Ginny merely gave a half-hearted chuckle.

When everyone finished their meals, she bolted for the door, claiming she needed some fresh air.

Harry frowned after her. What had happened? He thought things had been going so well. They were laughing together; she had held his hand. And then…

"Mate, wanna go for a fly?"

Harry startled at Ron's question. He'd honestly forgotten the rest of the Weasleys were still at the table, starting to clean up. Ron's suggestion sounded kind of nice, but Harry preferred a different flying partner today.

Luckily, Molly seemed to be on a mission, and set Ron on cleaning duty. Harry decided to take advantage of the situation and pulled Molly aside. "Thank you so much for breakfast, Molly," he began.

"Oh, please, dear. It was you and Ginny that did all the work."

Harry nodded. "That's what want to talk to you about, actually. I'd like to steal the Birthday girl for the morning, if you don't mind."

Molly smiled so widely, Harry feared her face might split. "Of course I don't mind, dear. I think the two of you are just lovely."

"I hope so, too, Molly," Harry said, surprised at how forward he was being. Then again, he was married to the girl, and if the marriage held after today, he'd be glad for this talk to ease Molly into the bigger news. "But I don't want Ron's worries to get in the way for today. I was hoping you could cover for us?"

Molly nodded excitedly. "Of course, dear. Do have fun!"

Harry smiled at the matronly woman and kissed her cheek in gratitude. And before she could say another word or Ron could finish the dishes, Harry hurried to find Ginny. She was out on the back porch, staring at the blue, morning sky.

"Alright?" he asked lamely.

She shook her head. "What are we doing, Harry?"

He frowned. "Figuring things out, I hoped?"

She turned to him finally. She looked so sad, and it hurt Harry to see it.

"This morning—it's all fake, isn't it?"

Harry's stomach dropped. Now that hurt. His offense must have shown in his eyes because Ginny apologized immediately. "No, I don't mean—Harry, I don't mean you're fake. Or even I'm fake. I just...you've never noticed me like this. You never would have looked at me like you did this morning."

Oh.

"Well then I was an idiot. Or busy fighting Dark Lords, maybe," Harry said, only now realizing one of his calling cards was deflecting with humor. Ginny didn't laugh. He took a step towards her and reached for her arms, grateful that she didn't flinch. "Look, the circumstances are what they are. We can't change that or wonder 'what if.' What we can do is figure this out."

She sighed and closed her eyes. "I know you're right. And I know if anyone knows how to handle being forced into a situation, it's the Chosen One himself," she added wryly. "But I still can't get rid of this feeling."

Harry squeezed her arms reassuringly. "What feeling?"

She met his eyes sadly. "I—never mind, Harry. I don't want to talk about it right now."

He released her and clenched his fists. He hated seeing her sad. His stomach twisted when she sighed and looked away again. He hated that he was causing this, and thought desperately on how to fix it—but how could he, without knowing what she was feeling or why she was feeling it?

He wanted to press her. He wanted to press her so badly his mouth opened and shut no fewer than six times. He supposed he looked a bit like one of those sock puppets Neville had made when he put on that outrageous Christmas puppet show a couple years back. It had gotten less-than-stellar reviews in the School paper. Hermione had tried to keep Neville from finding out. It couldn't have been nice to read "writer/director/performer Neville Longbottom should probably focus on his purported gift of Herbology, because I'd rather watch Mandrakes perform A Christmas Carol than have to sit through Longbottom's version again."

Still, looking at Ginny's refusal to elaborate, Harry held his tongue. His eyes bore into her, and he willed her to talk to him, but he kept his mouth shut. And when the silence dragged for endless seconds, he finally let himself breathe and table his desires. They had the whole day. And he had to prove himself worthy of this conversation.

"Okay, then," he said at last. "Can you put that feeling on hold, and find out what other feelings we might have?"

Ginny smiled softly and nodded. "Yeah. I think I can."

Harry felt his shoulders relax. He hadn't realized how stiffly he'd been standing. "Good, want to go for a fly?"

A/N: When I look back on this fic, I want the the author's notes to be like journal entries on my relationship with readers and their reviews. Like, chapter 2 was sarcastic and needy. Chapter three is just a little bit penitent, while also still a little bit needy, too. Like, 'what should I say here to not beg for reviews again while still not letting them off the hook?'

This is what we call a failure. Still sarcastic and needy. Maybe I am who I am, and I should just lean in to it?

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you thought please!