"Bye, Hermione, have fun!" Ginny waved as Hermione and Ron got into the car and closed the door.

"Don't forget to write," Harry shouted after them as they drove off.

"And behave!" Ginny added with a grin once she was sure no one could hear her but Harry, who laughed, then made a face.

"Oh the mental image," he said with a chuckle.

Ginny grinned. "I'm sorry. But then, you shouldn't feel as bad. After all, Ron is my brother. You're only friends with them."

He smiled. "True. But remember, they are also kind of related to me."

Ginny frowned. "They are?"

"Yeah. Or, semi related anyway." He waggled his eyebrows. "In laws?" he said when Ginny still looked blank.

"Right! Oh, I'm sorry. I feel stupid. Right, in laws." She said this with a pleased smile and took his hand. "In laws. Wow, that's weird, I never thought about that much. I'll have in laws."

"Actually," Harry explained, "I'll have in laws. You only have me."

Ginny thought about what he had said for a moment, then looked at him. "Right," she said slowly. "But to me that's more than enough. I don't think I could have dealt with having a bunch of extra family that I needed to get to like me. Truth be told I have enough family as it is."

Harry got serious. "My parents would have loved you, I'm sure of it," he said quietly. "I love you, and I know they would have as well. I mean, Sirius thought you were great, and he's the closest I've ever come to having a family."

"Harry, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned it. It's just that I always think of family as something everyone has. I really shouldn't have brought it up."

Harry shook his head. "It's ok, Gin, it really is. I've never really had an actually family, and I've learned to live with that. Besides, I have your family, and as you said there are enough Weasleys for everyone. And I have Remus." He shrugged. "It's all I need. And in not too long I'll have you as well, and then we'll have our own family. We'll start a whole new branch of Potters." He grinned, apparently pleased at the thought.

Ginny smiled and stroked her thumb across the top of his hand. "I like that," she said. "And if you want family you can have some of mine. I have a whole clan of Weasleys for sale. Special price for you, my friend."

Harry laughed and bent down and kissed her. "I already have a Weasley," he muttered, "and truth be told, she's the only one I ever wanted."

"Good," Ginny muttered back, "cause I'm not sure it would be that cheap when I think about it. I know what you can afford, after all."

"Oh yeah? And what can I afford?" He straightened up and looked at her, eyebrows raised.

"How about a decent dinner? And maybe a new watch? The old one is about to collapse."

"Actually," Harry said with a smile, "I'll get you something better than that." He put his hand in the pocket of his robes and pulled out a black box. "I know this is a bit of a cliché, the whole black box and everything, but I figured some cliches are worth repeating." He opened the box and faced it towards her. "Ginny do you really want to marry me?"

Ginny's mouth fell open as she looked at the beautiful diamond ring Harry was holding. She looked from it, to Harry, and back again, and it took quite a while before she managed to say something. Once she did all she could get out was a simple "yes," but apparently that was enough. Harry took out the ring and placed it on her finger, then kissed her again.

"I was hoping you'd say that," he said happily.

"How could I ever say anything but yes?" she asked and looked at her ring. "I mean, when someone offers you a million carat diamond ring you say yes no matter what."

Harry grinned. "I see your mother has taught you well."

"Definitely."

"Speaking of your mother," Harry said and turned to the house that was behind them. "Have you told them yet?"

"About the engagement? No, I haven't. I wanted to wait until it was definite before I said anything. Not to mention I wanted mum to finish one wedding before she started to plan the next."

Harry looked scared for a moment. "Your mother is going to plan our wedding?"

"You better believe she will," Ginny laughed. "Do you not know her at all?"

Harry sighed. "I guess. So should we tell them then?"

"Let's." Ginny took one last look at her ring, then she grabbed Harry's hand and they walked towards the Burrow quietly.

They entered the house where everyone seemed to be recuperating after the wedding the night before. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were in the kitchen doing the dishes together, the twins were playing with baby Alexandra, Angelina was dozing on the sofa, Bill and Charlie were watching something in the paper while Percy and Penelope were talking quietly before the fireplace, currently unlit because it had been a warm and sunny day. When Harry and Ginny walked in they all looked up at them.

"So you sent off the lovebirds then?" Bill asked and put down the paper.

Ginny nodded. "Yup, sent them off and hoping they won't return until they have calmed down a little. Seriously, you'd think that once they got married they would stop being so gross."

"Hear, hear," Fred and George said in unison, still focused on the baby.

"Well, at least things will be quiet around here for a while," Charlie said and nodded towards the kitchen. "I honestly thought mum was going to have a stroke before the wedding was over."

"I heard that," Mrs. Weasley said from the kitchen, and Charlie grinned.

"That was the plan," he called and winked at the others. "Seriously though," he whispered, "you'd think Ron was the only one who'd ever gotten married in this family they way she went on."

"Oh you know the rest of us doesn't really count," Fred said and looked up. "It is the little ones that matter. As long as Ron and Ginny are taken care of who cares what happens to the rest of us?"

"Don't be stupid," Ginny said and sat down in the sofa with Harry. "Mum knows I can handle things on my own. It's only Ron who is unable to look after himself."

The others laughed at this and Ginny laughed with them.

"But really, though," Bill said, "what is mum going to do now that almost everyone of her kids are taken care of?"

"Not everyone," Fred said and looked at his twin. "Some of us are still fighting the bonds of marriage and eternal slavery."

George grinned. "I think I'll be a bachelor forever," he declared. "That way I can have fun with all the girls without worrying about upsetting anyone."

They all snorted.

"Monogamy isn't all bad, you know," Harry said suddenly.

"Oh isn't it?" George asked with a smirk. "I bet my sister is keeping you happy, then."

"George!" Ginny cried in outrage, while the others smirked.

"What, sister of mine?" George grinned. "You must have done something to convince him that comitting to one person 'isn't all bad'."

"Poor, unsuspecting Harry," Fred said and shook his head dramatically. "Don't tell me you have been fooled also. Women can be very sneaky if they wish."

"I heard that," Angelina muttered from the sofa, and Fred grinned.

"Of course I'm not talking about Angie," he added with a laugh. "She is the most wonderful of all women and it was my own choice to be tied down."

Angelina snorted and the others laughed.

"Of course," Charlie said. "But then Harry doesn't seem to object to his shackles either. In fact," he said and raised his eyebrows, "it seems to me as if he has thrown away the keys and everything."

"Not the best of images," Ginny said with a frown, "and what the hell are you talking about?"

"Language, Pinner," Bill said with a smirk, but Ginny overheard him.

"I'm talking about that big shiny thing on your hand," Charlie said pointedly, and suddenly everything went quiet.

Ginny blushed and looked at Harry, then at the hand where her engagement ring was sitting.

"Right," she muttered. "We were just about to tell you that."

"Oh God, mum is going to go bonkers," Fred said, while George seemed to be completely speechless for once.

"What's happening in here?" Mr. and Mrs. Weasley seemed to be done with the dishes and had come in when everything had become unnaturally quiet. Nine heads snapped up to look at the two standing in the doorframe looking curious.

"It's uh…" Ginny stuttered. "We were just…" She looked desperately at Harry who took her hand reassuringly.

"Ginny and I have gotten engaged, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said with a smile.

"Wow, it's just as scary the second time," George sniggered, but he was suddenly drowned out by Mrs. Weasley's scream.

"Oh my dears!" she exclaimed and ran over to hug them both. "This is such good news! I can't say how happy I am!"

"Congratulations," Mr. Weasley said a little thickly. He hugged Ginny first, then looked at Harry.

"You know you have always been a part of this family, Harry, but now it will be for real. Welcome to the family, son."

Harry looked up at the man who, after Sirius, had been the closest thing to a father he had ever had. "Thank you, Mr. Weasley."

"Oh no," Fred groaned, "there must be some kind of limit to how many people there can be in a family." But he grinned as he said it, and afterwards he shook Harry's hand.

"I guess there's no way we'd get rid of you anyway, so we might as well do it properly," Bill added with a grin.

"Yeah," Charlie laughed, "at least now we won't feel so bad about teasing you, because now you will really be family."

"I think you will be a great asset to this family," Percy said pompously.

"If you need any tips on how to survive being married to a Weasley I'll do my best to help," Angelina said with a laugh, then she hugged him also.

"My oh my," Mrs. Weasley said and looked at them both. "I can't believe how fast you grow up. First Ron and Hermione, now you two. Have you set a date yet?"

"No, mum," Ginny said and shook her head. "We haven't even told Ron and Hermione yet. We kind of wanted to wait until they got back from their honeymoon so they could relax while they were gone. And the wedding won't be for a while yet, I can assure you. I have to finish the term, and Harry has to wait for the season to end."

"But still," Mrs. Weasley said, wiping a few tears that had fallen onto her cheek, "my baby is getting married and that must be planned properly."

"Oh dear, just as it was getting quiet around here again," Fred groaned.

No one could help but agree with that.