Further warnings: a happy bit of fluff…mostly… oh just read it!

Sympathetic Magic: Part Seven - Christmas and a Wedding

Ron stepped out of the fireplace and into his mother's arms, hugging her hard and laughing when she kissed him and started straightening his clothes. Harry sent the luggage on from the Leaky Cauldron and then Disapparated into the kitchen yard, opening the door immediately so Molly wouldn't think he was dithering outside or anything. She let go of her youngest son and turned to fuss over her adopted one, soon to be her son-in-law. Dobby was standing beside Harry, smiling nervously and Ron called him over to be introduced. The elf was coming with them today to meet Mrs Weasley, and would arrive two days before the wedding to finish helping with the preparation.

"Very nice to meet you," Molly said politely, if a little awkwardly, and Dobby beamed up at her.

"Dobby is very honoured, Madam. If Madam will show Dobby the chores, Dobby will get started. Dobby wants very much to help with Masters Harry and Wheezy's wedding," the elf looked around eagerly, and Ron nodded to his mother. Their invitation to the elf had brought on a storm of tears, followed by protestations of devotion and a very fixed desire to do as much work for them as was elfishly possible. Harry had given in when Dobby became overwrought and wrote to Mrs Weasley on the spot, asking her to have a list of things ready for Dobby to do.

Molly produced a list from her pocket and handed it over to the elf, which was seized eagerly and read from top to bottom. It wasn't very long, and Dobby's ears dropped a little in disappointment. Ron looked at his mother in desperation, and she seemed to understand.

"That's just to start with, though. I'm sure there will be plenty to do when the time gets closer," she said kindly and Dobby cheered right up. Ginny stepped out of the fireplace into a warm welcome and Ron took off his sooty cloak, intending to take it outside and dust it off. Dobby had it out of his hands in a flash and disappeared with it. Harry grinned at him and then moved to start levitating the luggage.

"Ron, you're to come and try these robes on right now," Molly grabbed his arms before he could follow his partner up stairs and lock them in his room. They had woken late this morning and Dudley had to pack still, which required them both working double time so as not to miss the train. They had taken the Muggle back to London on the Hogwarts Express to meet Aunt Marge at the main entrance. Dudley would spend the Christmas holidays with her before returning to Smeltings.

Professor Dumbledore had told them that the Muggle would be safe enough at school as Voldemort was rumoured to be out of the country. Professor Sinistra would continue to take Harry's cousin to St Mungo's once a week to visit his mother, as Aunt Petunia hadn't woken from her sleep yet. Harry had convinced Ron that he didn't want Dudley at their wedding, and Ron had given up trying to persuade his partner when Harry had gotten cross and stormed off. Relieved that they were still able to argue with each other and not panic, Ron hadn't minded too much, and was ready to 'kiss and make up' when Harry returned, a lot calmer than before. Truthfully, the argument had been mostly Ron's fault. He hadn't been listening to Harry's wishes, mainly because he wanted the day to be regret free for his lover.

"I've only been here two minutes," Ron protested, gazing at Harry's back with longing. His mother made that impatient noise that all her children were trained not to ignore and Ron let her bundle him off to her workroom. He stood on the stool as indicated and took off his school uniform and shoes, shivering in the cool air until his mother was ready. She hit him with a quick cleansing spell to remove the last of the soot and then helped him into the robes she had made. The outer robes were a pale blue and his name in the Weasley family script was carefully embroidered in darker blue on the cuffs, collar, and hems. The under robe bore the family crest above his heart, and was the same dark blue as the writing, shot through with silver threads. Once the ceremony was complete a new family crest, that of his and Harry's combined, would appear in its place. Any trained Witch or Wizard would be able to read their heraldry from the new crest.

"Is Harry taking our name, or keeping his own?" Molly asked as she twitched and measured the robes. They were warm and Ron smoothed them carefully. He was about to say something that would either get him in a lot of trouble, or please his mother no end. He'd thought long and hard about this, and his decision hadn't been an easy one, not because he was worried his mother would be angry, but because he wasn't too sure of Harry's reaction. There hadn't been time to discuss this with his partner, as school had been unusually busy.

"He's the last of the Potter's, mum," Ron took a deep breath, "I thought that I would change my name to his. You've got five other sons to carry on the Weasley name, not to mention all our cousins. Once Harry is married there are no more Potters, and any children we might have…"

"Children?" Molly fixed him with a startled look and Ron blushed, "Ronald Weasley, you're not…"

"No!" he exclaimed, "Neither is he… but we both want family. You know how devoted he is to us, and you should see him with the younger students in our House. In fact he takes care of the younger kids for nearly all the Houses. He'll be a great parent, and I want to give him that chance."

"Does he know about male pregnancy?" Molly bent and adjusted a hem before stepping back and motioning for Ron to get down and walk around the small room. Ron shrugged, stepping down lightly and walking as ordered. The robes were the right height and his mother motioned for them to come off.

"I don't think so, we haven't really discussed it. I think that he thinks we'll adopt or something, but we can decide about this later, when we're out of school," Ron looked his mother in the eye, "You don't mind?"

"Of course not dear," Molly sniffed, "I think it's lovely."

Ron nodded and pulled his uniform back on. Now all he had to do was bring the subject up with Harry. It would have to be soon, as his mother was bound to mention it. He headed upstairs obediently to send his partner down for his fitting. They could talk about it tonight in bed.

0oo0oo0

"Hello," Harry grinned, rather cross-eyed at Ron, who was lying almost on top of him. His partner had taken Harry's glasses off while Harry was sealing the door and stowed them away safely on the dresser, before tackling him onto the bed. Ron grinned back and leaned down to kiss him, changing his mind at the last minute to lick Harry from chin to temple. Harry yelled and squirmed, pushing to get his laughing-like-a-fool partner off him. Ron fought back, wriggling to stay on top and sending his fingers to all of Harry's ticklish spots.

"Stop it!" Harry yelled, tickling in return, "You daft bugger!"

"Awww, don't you love me any more?" Ron cooed and Harry started laughing helplessly, unable to fight back at all. Ron stopped tickling him, moving to cuddle up to him instead. When it was possible to breathe Harry rubbed the redheads shoulder affectionately. Ron just smiled back at him, his fingers stroking over Harry's shoulder in turn.

"Hey, I need to talk to you," Ron said quietly, "Did you like your robes?"

"Yeah," Harry grinned, "I can't believe how nice your mum is. She had my name on them in some kind of script I've never seen before. She even found out my mum and dad's family crest."

"Yeah, when the vows are sealed our two crests will merge to make a new one," Ron nodded, "And either one of us will change our name, or we hyphenate."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. He would become a Weasley? A properly named Weasley - Harry Weasley. He grinned up at his friend, not at all upset that he'd become a fully named part of Ron's family.

"Harry Weasley," he laughed at his friend's expression. Ron shook his head, a serious expression on his face. The man pinning Harry so comfortably to the bed raised a hand to stroke his face. From this simple gesture, Harry knew that whatever Ron was about to say was deadly serious.

"Ronald Potter," he countered, "You're the last of the Potter family, and I think it's important that we continue the name. When we have kids we can pass your name on."

Harry blinked in astonishment and felt tears form in his eyes. Embarrassed, he ducked his head a little. He'd always wanted a family - he'd made no secret of the fact that he envied his partner for having such a large and caring one. Ron's hand cupped his face and a thumb brushed under one eye. Warm lips brushed his and Harry nodded, accepting the gift his partner was trying to give him. He looked up with a grateful smile and they spent a few moments in silence, just breathing together.

"Kids?" he asked after a moment, his voice not as steady as he would have liked. Ron nodded and squirmed a bit, making Harry protest with a wordless noise and wriggle until they were comfortable. They ended up settled on their sides, lying face to face with an arm and leg thrown casually over each other.

"Yeah," Ron grinned, "You and me and a family. Our very own kids. There's a couple of ways to make it happen, but in some cases, Harry, Wizards can get pregnant, just like a Witch."

"You'd turn into a girl?" Harry gaped and Ron laughed, lost his balance and fell off the bed. Harry jolted upright, and then relaxed when his friend continued to laugh, waving a hand rather helplessly. He waited until Ron had calmed down and used the hand to pull him back onto the mattress, rolling so the still giggling redhead was squashed against the wall with Harry pinning him down protectively.

"No you daft bugger," Ron finally managed to speak, "There's a whole magic to it… look never mind. We'll cross that bridge when we want to, ok?"

"Ok," Harry nodded and dipped his head for a long solemn kiss. Just the knowledge that it would be possible for him and Ron to create children that were truly theirs was enough for now. They weren't ready to be parents with Voldemort still on the loose. Once they'd defeated their enemy they could start to think about starting their family.

0oo0oo0

Molly looked around the airy kitchen with a smile, bending to inspect the traditional Wizard stove and then wandering out to the laundry and empty conservatory. Ron watched her nervously. This was his mother's first trip to their house, and though it was still empty, he really wanted her to like it. He knew that it was very different to the Burrow - which was small, but all anyone could wish for in familial love and safety. He was hoping that one day his and Harry's house would be as homelike as his childhood home. He knew that if Harry had any say in the matter it would be.

"Ron!" Harry yelled from upstairs, "Come on, I've found the centre of the house!"

His partner was looking for the magical centre of the house in order for their casting to be strongest. The spell to find the centre required peace and solitude, a bit of meditation and talent in Divination. Harry was the one with the proven track record there, so the task had fallen to him. When the house had been completed they had cast the usual unbreakable charms on it, as well as security spells to stop anyone breaking in for fun or malicious damage. Harry's motorbike was stored in the conservatory, and they'd made the glass darken to hide it. Once they were living at the house fulltime they'd probably get around to building a shed for the bike at the very least. Neville had included a driveway in the design they were going to plant this Easter, so they didn't have to worry about ruining the garden with wheel ruts.

The spells they were about to cast were a lot more powerful than the unbreakable charms, and included an Apparation limiting spell, so that only the Witches and Wizards that the house recognised as family would be able to just drop in. Everyone else would have to arrive outside and walk up the front path. They were also going to put in the elastic walls spell that would let them add floors and rooms to the house as their need for more space grew. It wouldn't be as crowded as Ron's childhood home, but he had a sneaking suspicion that he and Harry would find the place full of guests every day for a long time to come.

"Hey, you awake?" Harry's voice was amused and Ron blinked at him, grinning in reply. Harry was floating cross-legged in the air above the stairs that led up from the kitchen. Ron sat on the floor, got comfortable, and levitated himself to join his partner. Their fingers met and brushed, before clinging together, a warm current flowing from the contact to their bond.

"Ready," Ron took a deep breath and synchronised their power, sinking deep into the bond in order to let Harry, who had memorised the spells, call up the necessary powers for their casting, holding them in abeyance so Ron could do what was necessary to get the house properly protected and set the wards deep into the very structure of the house.

He came back to himself lying on the floor, his head in Harry's lap, Harry's hands in his hair, rubbing and soothing idly. When he opened his eyes he saw Harry was leaning his back against the cupboard under the stairs, his legs out straight while Ron curled partially in his lap. There were footsteps overhead, and Ron glanced up at his partner. Harry was staring into space, his face calm and content.

"You awake?" Ron parroted the dark haired man's words back to him and earned himself a very comfortable chuckle and pulled hair, "Oi!"

"What?" Harry asked innocently. Ron writhed upright, going for his friend's ribs and Harry shrieked, squirming away and onto his feet. Ron followed him closely, chasing him through the library with its partially full shelves - Dobby had been forced to start shipping their unused books to the house when their bookshelves reached bursting point in the dorm - back into the hall and through the front room, into the overgrown garden, back around the house to enter through the kitchen, running up the stairs past the second and third floor, onto the fourth floor that hadn't been there this morning, past Mrs Weasley and up the stairs to the attic.

He cornered Harry there and tickled him mercilessly, loving the helpless riff of laughter and the utterly enchanting giggles that Harry was uttering. They rolled over and over, getting dust all over their clothes, ignoring the smiling Witch at the top of the stairs, the cool winter light more than enough for them to see what they were doing. This was Ron's favourite game. His partner was so controlled most of the time, concealing his true feelings behind the polite mask that the Dursley's had forced him to adopt at a young age, that the sound of unrestrained humour was like music to Ron's ears.

He stopped finally and fell to one side, gasping for air as Harry tried to stifle the last of the giggles, trembling and clinging to the hem of Ron's robe. Their mother had left them to it, heading back down to walk through the house again.

"I hate it when you do that," Harry's shaking voice was not terribly convincing, and Ron turned his head to smirk at the purely happy man beside him. A happy Harry was a rare sight, and Ron did his best to memorise the moment.

"I know," Ron got up on one elbow, brushing dusty hair out of Harry's eyes, "But you forgive me every time."

He felt his insides melt a little at the strong look of love and devotion he got - something that he'd only seen previously when his parents looked at each other. He felt his face soften and he leaned down for a gentle kiss, rubbing his thumb on Harry's temple softly. They pulled back after a long moment and Ron got up, hauling Harry to his feet and hitting him with a cleaning spell. Harry obligingly returned the gesture and Ron went to the top of the stairs.

"Did you add another floor?" he asked as he started down, hearing Harry's steps behind him. He could feel the new protection wards prickling along his skin; a sensation that would subside once they'd had time to properly seep into the walls. By Easter they would be a mild background tingle that he'd only be able to notice if he really concentrated or they activated in response to a threat.

"Yeah," Harry nodded, "You said something about us having a lot of guests, and so I added a guest bathroom and some bedrooms. Besides, if we have your sister, Hermy and Neville over for the planting this Easter we'll need the room. I thought your parents would stop by and the twins at the very least."

"You don't mind?" Ron looked back over his shoulder as he reached the fourth floor, heading towards the nearest door to have a look. Harry's hand stopped him, and Ron turned into the hug that Harry was offering.

"Of course I don't mind," Harry's mutter in his ear was very comforting, "Don't be daft."

0oo0oo0

One look at Percy's face on Christmas morning told Harry that today was not going to be a good day. Bill and Charlie had been happy to see Ron and had also greeted Harry with hugs and smiles, something that made him smile in surprise. The twins were their usual exuberant selves, and Ginny had long since accepted his presence in her family. Arthur and Molly were in the kitchen, working together in calm harmony that Harry secretly hoped that he and Ron would one day develop.

"Good morning, Percy," Ron didn't seem to notice his older brothers very pinched and cold expression. A closer glance showed Harry he had been wrong - Ron was more than aware of Percy's expression as evinced by the tension in his shoulders. Percy's mouth got even tighter.

"Good morning," he nodded stiffly. Harry took a calming breath - it had to happen eventually. He'd been waiting for someone to realise that he wasn't good enough to be a part of this family. He'd just have to be as calm as he could. He wouldn't shame Ron with an outburst.

"Good morning, Percy," he couldn't ignore the man, not after he'd already hugged the rest of the family. Suppressing a sigh, Harry sat in the empty seat beside Fred. There was no reply, but Harry pretended not to notice, fiddling with a fork and keeping his head down. It took a minute for him to realise that there was complete silence in the kitchen, and he glanced up cautiously. Everyone was glaring at the third oldest son, who was glaring at Harry with distaste.

"Harry said good morning, Percival," Fred's voice was cold, and Harry shook his head putting a hand on Fred's wrist. He wasn't going to be the reason the family stopped talking to Percy again, they'd only just got him back.

"It's ok, Fred," Harry pleaded, "Don't…"

Fred gave him a long look and then nodded. Harry was grateful that the twin had stopped the confrontation. He didn't want to ruin Christmas for the family, and Percy obviously had some problems coming to terms with the inclusion of Harry. He'd never hoped for more than polite acceptance from Ron's family, and therefore he'd been very surprised when they'd actually seemed to like him. Arthur stalked over to the table, glared at the former Head Boy and placed a large plate of toast on the table.

"Start, children," he said in a quiet voice, and went back into the kitchen. Bill picked up the toast and offered it to Ginny, who thanked him in a quiet voice. Fred glanced around and put a hand in his pocket. Harry really hoped there was a firework in there or something to break the tension.

Sure enough, moments later there was a loud bang, and people reacted normally to the explosion. Harry forced himself to grin at the twin's antics as Molly Weasley told them off. He passed the jam to George as requested, and answered Bill's questions about the last Quidditch matches played at school. Ron chimed in with Ginny; gloating that they'd get to see two International teams training and even see a few games. Fred and George reacted as could be expected, with Charlie adding his two Knuts worth.

Molly and Arthur joined them, bringing platters of hot food with them. Harry squeezed up to allow Arthur to sit next to him, and kept his eyes on his plate. He could stay quiet and maybe even find a way to get out of the house for a while so there wouldn't be any further unpleasantness. What he was going to do about the wedding was beyond him. He wasn't going to call it off, and he knew that Ron wouldn't want that either. Maybe they should postpone it… Harry bit his lip and pushed the thoughts away. He'd leave the Weasley's to their celebration today and talk to Ron tonight.

0oo0oo0

"I'm thinking I should take Dobby's present to him," Ron frowned when Harry whispered that in his ear as they did the washing up with the twins. He tapped his fingers on the plate he was drying and bit his lip. Whatever was wrong with Percy was not so subtly aimed at Harry, and his partner had probably decided it would be better to disappear for a little while. Harry's respect for and envy of his family would probably drive him away from any confrontations today of all days. Harry put a lot of store in birthdays and holidays, probably because his experience of them had always been so poor.

He knew that Harry loved him and he knew that his partner was just reacting to his childhood training. It still hurt that Harry would choose to leave him behind rather than face the hurt with him. Ron was working on it - working on making Harry see that it was ok to stay, to tough it out. That what he was feeling was just as important as the people around him. Harry didn't panic any more when it was he and Ron having a tiff, so they had made some progress. At the same time he knew to the depths of his soul, that Harry would never abandon him to physical danger. His partner wasn't afraid of being hurt, he was afraid of being rejected.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea," Ron replied, looking at Harry closely, "No one wants you gone, mate. Whatever Percy's problem is, he'll get over it or he'll tell us about it and we can deal with him."

"You're not going are you?" George asked in Harry's ear and Ron watched his fiancé jump. Harry blushed and George slung an arm around the dark haired mans shoulders. The twin shook Harry in a friendly manner and let him go. Ron was grateful that George hadn't hung on too long - Harry still tended to tense up a little when handled by people other than Ron for too long.

"Percy has a pineapple up his arse over Ron changing his name to Potter," George told them both, and Harry bit his lip. Ron groaned under his breath and shook his head. Harry was worried enough about the family accepting him without bloody Percival Weatherby adding his two Knuts worth.

"See?" the dark haired teen frowned at his lover, "I knew your family would hate the idea. Ron…"

"Shut up," Ron put his tea towel down and leaned in to kiss Harry silent, "I'm changing my name to Potter the minute we graduate. I will not let you end your family name to make Percy happy."

Harry was red in the face and breathing a little hard in response to the kiss. Ron put his hands on his fiancé's face, his palms cupping Harry's cheeks, thumbs caressing Harry's temples, fingers threaded through Harry's untameable hair. The green eyes were calming though, and his breathing was evening out as Ron stared deeply into his eyes, trying to will his partner to see that he was happy about their marital arrangements. The scalp massage was melting Harry's spine almost against his will, and Ron leaned in for another warm long kiss, only breaking it when they ran completely out of air.

"Ronald Potter," he smiled, "It has a nice ring to it."

"Ronny Potter," Fred broke the moment by snorting and flicking suds at them, "You'll be Ronny the Potty if you don't get on with the drying up."

"Oi!" Harry protested, "That's my future husband you're talking to!"

Ron let Harry defend him, getting into a suds flinging war that soon had the kitchen walls, floor and ceiling liberally decorated with splashes of soap. He and George retreated to the table, watching Harry thoroughly drench Fred with wide grins. George gave Ron a look that said he understood how rare it was for Harry to play happily like this.

"What on earth are you boys doing in there?" Molly shouted from the front room. Ron had flashbacks to similar moments, usually when he was the one on the receiving end of the drenching. A memory that he had taken for granted until he'd met lonely Harry.

"Nothing mum!" he and George chorused cheerfully, and started laughing. Ron had to sit down in the end. They'd have to clean the whole kitchen and get changed into dry clothes, but from the happy glow in Harry's eyes it was worth it.

0oo0oo0

Harry realised that his adoptive mother and father had taken the opportunity to have words with Percy while he and Fred almost demolished the kitchen. A moment's work with Ron had cleaned it up and the redhead had pulled Harry upstairs to change, mumbling under his breath about 'can't take you any where' and 'better not try that on me, Potter'. He'd been soundly kissed and enthusiastically groped the minute the door closed behind them, and only the spectre of Molly Weasley coming up the stairs to get them prevented the groping from developing into something more pleasurable.

He and Ron took the same seat they had last year, and Harry cuddled up to his partner, his fingers rubbing /love you/ into Ron's waist over and over again. From the way Ron was settling against him warmly, Harry knew he had his partner's undivided attention. Arthur had the family tin, and Molly closed her eyes, reaching in and rummaging around before pulling a card out.

"Ron!" she read it out clearly and Harry snickered when his friend jumped and sat up, as if he'd just been caught by Hermione skiving off his homework, "You're Santa, dear."

"Oh," Ron sighed, kissed Harry on the cheek and got up, ambling over to the tree that sat in one of the windows looking over the vegetable garden. Harry drew his knees up and rested his arms on them, watching as his partner fished around under the tree for a present. From the snickers that the twins were making they'd bewitched the presents to hide when Ron reached for them. He grinned when Ron stood up, glared at his brothers and leaned into the bond to break the charm.

"How did you do that?" George gaped as the presents materialised obediently and stayed in one place when Ron reached for them.

"Magic," Harry chortled and buried his face in his arms, laughing hard. He heard Ron snort and felt long fingers brush his hair lightly as Ron handed a parcel to his mother. Bill and Charlie were also sniggering, and Ginny was laughing outright.

"Seriously," Percy said coldly, "In order to break that spell, Ron would have to either use some kind of Dark Magic, or be tapping into a power that wasn't his own."

Harry stopped laughing and lifted his head, gaping at the former Head Boy. How could he possibly think that Ron or Harry would have anything to do with the Dark Arts? Harry's past losses to old Voldemort aside, they had both fought the Death Eaters on several occasions and opposed the self styled Dark Lord himself. He looked around at the rest of Ron's siblings and realised that they didn't know about his true partnership with Ron at all. A glance at Molly and Arthur confirmed this. He wasn't sure why they hadn't said anything, or even why he and Ron hadn't said anything, but he couldn't let the accusation of Dark Magic stand.

"Percy," Harry shook his head, "Ron and I are true life partners. We practice Sympathetic Magic."

"What?" Bill sat up straight, his earring swaying with the sudden movement, "You're a Sympathetic partnership as well? Bloody hell, Ron, why didn't you say so? I thought you were getting married because you were up the duff!"

Harry bit back on a giggle and shook his head. It seemed too strange to hear that accusation levelled at a man, magic or not. Ron grinned over at him, obviously unconcerned about being labelled as different from the rest of the Wizarding world. Harry hated to be different, yet Ron craved distinction from his large family. It was a strange mix, but one that worked. Ron stopped Harry from being overly shy.

"Well go on then, show us a trick!" Fred urged, and Harry glanced over at Ron curiously. Ron shrugged at him, and Harry got up. Reading each other's movements they raised their wand less hands and leaned into the bond to silently distribute the presents, piling them neatly in the lap of each recipient there.

"How's that?" Ron asked cheekily, and Charlie laughed, breaking the astonished silence. Molly beamed at them both and Harry sat down again, smiling back at her. The distribution of the gifts wasn't much different to doing the washing up from the garden. Ginny had never asked them how they'd managed that and Harry wondered idly why not. He dismissed the thought and watched his partners family open their presents.

"What's this?" Fred held up the wooden box with his name carved into the lid. Harry tensed a little as the twin read the label, "Hey, no fair. If you two aren't getting presents you shouldn't be giving them!"

"It's not a proper gift," Harry rushed to defend them both, "Ron and I… wanted to make sure that you were all protected. We've been having all this extra training for the partnership, and we thought that we should put it to good use."

"What is it?" George had unearthed his box, and shook it carefully.

"Boom!" Ron roared and fell about laughing when George startled so badly the box went flying into the air. Harry had to bite his lips to keep his own laughter under control. He could hear Arthur sniggering as George retrieved the box from under the table and scowled at Ron. Charlie nudged the still laughing Ron off his leg and looked over at Harry.

"Seriously, though, what is it, Harry?" Charlie asked and Harry shrugged. He remembered the effort that had gone into the creation of these gifts and the charms that had been woven into each, but as to what they looked like, or even were he had no idea. Neither did Ron.

"We really don't know," he sighed, "It's a piece of jewellery of some kind, but we were in a trance when we designed them and only you can open the box. Once it comes in contact with your skin it will activate the charms."

Molly opened her box, and gasped at the bracelet inside. It was an intricate web of gold and silver bands, only two fingers wide. Her husband admired it and then helped her slip it on. Harry heard the hum as the charms activated through their bond and the bracelet adjusted so it was the perfect fit. Arthur opened his next, discovering an armband, designed to wrap around his biceps. Made of the same metals, but slightly different in the weave, it also hummed as he slid it on without hesitation.

Bill and Charlie also had armbands, and Ginny had a bracelet. No two designs were the same, though there was a common woven pattern through each of them. Harry touched the band on Ginny's wrist and smiled at her. It was faintly warm, which would tell the Weasley's that the charms were active.

"That's the Weasley knot," he told her, drawing on the bond for the information, "Everyone has it, and then their own name as well. You can take them off and store them in the box when you don't want to wear them, though the longer you do the better they can protect you."

"Brilliant," Fred lifted an amulet on a silver chain from his box, the hum starting as the clasp was closed around his neck. The amulet was round, but the Weasley knot was easily visible now that Harry had pointed it out. George's amulet was subtly different, even though the twins were identical in appearance. That made sense; even identical twins had differences in personality, ability and temperament.

Percy opened his box and lifted the amulet inside. He ran a thumb over it, and for a moment Harry thought that he was going to reject the gift. Then the clasp was closed and Harry felt the final hum as the charms activated.

"Where are yours?" Bill asked eyeing them over, and Harry smiled at Ron, wondering just what they had created for themselves. The eldest Weasley sibling was rubbing a thumb over the armband he wore, and Harry figured he was divining what charms had been laid upon his gift, using his skills that had been honed in his job as a curse breaker for Gringotts.

"We won't see them until the fifth of January," Ron answered idly, coming to curl up with Harry on the floor once more, "We designed our wedding bands, but they sealed themselves away before we came out of the trance."

"Trance?" Molly frowned, and Harry nodded. He knew from his studies that magic that was practiced in an altered state was very dangerous, and should not be attempted without sufficient safe guards.

"Professor Flitwick taught us the basics, Professor Snape elaborated, and Professor McGonagall extended our knowledge of trance work," Harry smiled up at her, very content with Ron's head on his shoulder and arms around his waist, "We drew the designs while we were under and the translated them from the paper to reality. Hermione watched over us while we did it. She's been attending the extra lessons we take so that she could help us practice and supervise us when we did the trance work."

"Which you usually fell asleep after," Ron muttered in his ear. Harry turned his head into the red hair and kissed it lightly in apology. The trances were doubly tiring to him as he practiced the Occlumency at the same time to avoid attracting Voldemort's attention. The family around them stirred as one and returned to the business of opening presents, thanking each other and generally making happy memories. Harry felt better for knowing that he and Ron had at least done something to protect them from the dangers that stalked their world.

0oo0oo0