On Christmas Eve morning, Oliver woke up to find Larissa and Alex in the living room sitting by the Christmas tree. "What are you two doing?"

"Nothing," Alex said as he ran over to the couch. "We weren't doing anything at all. Right, Larissa?"

Larissa nodded, trying to look innocent. "We haven't done a thing. We were just counting how many presents we each have under the tree. I have a lot and so does Alex."

Oliver nodded. "Okay, that's good. I was just making sure you two weren't opening your presents and then taping them shut again," he said as he picked up the magical tape dispense sitting next to Larissa. "I'll just go put this back in the kitchen before your grandmother finds out that it has gone missing."

Larissa hugged his leg and said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best person who ever lived!"

Oliver patted her head. "I wouldn't go that far, but you're welcome."

A few minutes later, Ginny came downstairs with Kallie. When she found Oliver in the kitchen, she kissed him. "How's the most wonderful man in the world?" she asked.

"I don't know," Oliver said modestly and teasingly. "I'll let you know after I meet him."

Kallie was fussing and Ginny put her on the ground. Kallie stopped fussing and starting crawling around the floor, investigating everything. Oliver looked at Ginny. "We need to talk about something."

Ginny sat down at the table. "What?"

"You know how your brothers want me to propose on New Year's Eve?" Oliver said slowly. She nodded and he went on. "Well, I love you and I want to marry you but I'm not sure that now is a good time in my life to start planning a wedding and all that stuff. You know, with all the things going on in my family right now. I have to help my parents deal with Helena and Beatrice and I'm not sure that now is a good time to take on the responsibility of a family. I don't know that I could give you and Kallie the time and attention you need. I want to but I don't know if now is the right time."

Ginny nodded. "I wasn't expecting you to propose to me on New Year's Eve. I know you're busy right now. Oliver, I love you but I'm not expecting to get married right away. I know that right now the most important thing for you is to make sure that your sisters are all right. I love you and I want to marry you but I'm willing to wait until you're ready to get married. I love you and I'll wait for you."

Oliver kissed her. "Thank you. I love you even more for that."

Then Kallie clutched Oliver's leg and started pulling herself into a standing position. When she was standing up, she gurgled and looked up at Oliver and grinned. Then she said, "Dada, dada."

Ginny gasped. "Oh my gosh, my baby's talking! My baby's talking! She called Oliver 'dada'!"

Oliver scooped Callie up in his arms with a huge smile on his face. He kissed her forehead and she squealed, "Dada!"

Mrs. Weasley ran in. "Did she say what I think she said? Did she just call Oliver 'dada'?"

"She did," Ginny said, proudly. "My baby girl is talking."

"That's so wonderful!" Mrs. Weasley said. "Oh, Kallie, I'm so proud of you."

Oliver looked at the little girl in his arms. "Do you hear that, Kallie? Your grandmother is proud of you."

Callie smiled and grabbed Oliver's shirt. She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. "Dada," she said with a satisfied smile.

Ginny smiled and walked over to Oliver and Kallie. She put her hand on her daughter's back. Kallie looked at her mother and gurgled. Oliver smiled at Ginny as Mrs. Weasley said, "You three look like a family. It's so sweet."

Oliver smiled as Ginny laughed. Ginny looked at Oliver and Kallie. Even though Kallie didn't look much like Oliver, there was a kind of father-daughter chemistry there that seemed so thick you could cut it with a knife. It was so sweet, like her mother said.

Later that day, Oliver was sitting in his room looking at a picture of Ginny. She was wonderful. And Kallie was such an amazing kid. She called him "dada." He was so happy. He knew Ginny was thrilled too. Kallie thought that he was her daddy and as far as he was concerned it was going to stay that way. Kallie was never going to know about Michael Corner until she had to. If that meant she never knew about him, so be it. Michael Corner didn't deserve Ginny and Kallie. But then there were times when Oliver wasn't sure he deserved them either. Sometimes she seemed like she was too wonderful to be real. She was so sensitive, so understanding. She'd helped him deal with his problem-child sisters. She was so calm with Helena. Every time he wanted to kill her, Ginny would calm both of them down. She knew how to handle everything Helena was dealing with. Sometimes he found himself wondering if this was all a dream or if it was too good to be true. But it wasn't; it was all real, wonderfully real.

Ginny was sitting in the rocking chair in her bedroom with Callie in her lap. She looked at her little girl. "You really love Oliver don't you?" she said to the little girl.

"Dada," Callie replied. She smiled and repeated her word.

Ginny smiled. "Yeah, Oliver's a good guy. I love him and he loves me. Best of all he loves you, too. He really cares about both of us. How many single mothers get lucky enough to get an amazing guy who really loves them and their child who can live with the fact that the child isn't theirs? Trust me, kid; there aren't many guys like that out there. Kallie girl, you and I are really lucky to have Oliver."

Kallie gurgled.

Ginny smiled. "You don't understand a word I'm saying, do you?"

"Ginny, she's really intelligent, but I don't think she understands this," a voice said from the doorway. Ginny looked up to see Charlie standing in the doorway.

Charlie sat down next to his sister on the bed. "I'm really glad to see you with Oliver. He's a good guy and he really cares about you. I'm really happy to see you in a relationship like this. You've dated a few sleaze balls in your time and so I'm glad to see you with someone who really cares about you and who can give you what you deserve."

Ginny smiled. "He is a great guy, isn't he?"

"The absolute best you could find," Charlie confirmed. "You couldn't find a better guy anywhere. And best of all, we don't need to beat him up to make him behave himself around you."

Ginny looked at her older brother. "You wanted to beat up Colin?"

"Oh, yeah," Bill said from the doorway. He walked over and sat down on the other side of Ginny. "We wanted to kill him. He had no clue how to treat our little sister. You're a princess and he treated you like you were a scullery maid."

Ginny hugged him. "You're the best oldest brother a girl could ask for." She turned to Charlie. "And you're the best second oldest brother a girl could ask for."

"Well, you're the best little sister ever," Bill said. "I don't know what I'd do without my cute little sister. You always defend my hair to Mum."

"I love your hair. I don't see why Mum wants to cut it so badly." Bill still had long hair now that he was married with children. He was too fond of his hair to cut it.

"Mum wants to cut your hair because she thinks long hair makes you a punk or something," Charlie said.

Bill rolled his eyes. "I'm a thirty-four-year-old married man who has three children and she thinks I'm a punk. Do I look like a punk?"

Charlie shook his head. "No, you look like a banker. You look like a boring, old accountant."

"Thanks a whole heap," Bill said sarcastically.

That night all the children went to bed uncharacteristically early. Then all the adults helped stuff the stockings and finish putting the presents under the tree. After that was done, Ginny went out in the backyard to think for a little while. This Christmas was yet another Christmas without Percy. She couldn't understand him. His devotion to the Ministry was more important to him than his devotion to his family. She could understand that he felt that defending Penny was more important than defending his family but she had insulted the family. She walked down to the now frozen-over pond. She and Percy used to have their special talks here. She hadn't talked to him, really talked to him, in ages, not since the summer before her third year. She didn't know what was going on with him anymore. She used to be able to read his moods but now he was closed down like a locked house.

"You know, you shouldn't be out here by yourself when it's cold and dark," a masculine voice said from behind her. It sounded familiar but wasn't one of her brothers who were currently at home and it wasn't Oliver or Harry either. She turned around.

"Percy!" she gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"Penny and I had a fight and I need a place to stay," he said slowly. "She kicked me out."

"Why, may I ask, did she kick you out?" Ginny demanded.

"She found me snogging with my secretary," Percy said, deliberately avoiding his sister's eyes. "It wasn't a big deal. I mean it's not like Penny and Cassie are the only women in my life. There are plenty of other women that I'm involved with."

"Percival Anthony Weasley!" Ginny shrieked. "That is disgusting and crude. You're not only cheating on your wife but you're cheating on her with several women. That is sick, wrong, and un-Weasley-like. You're a disgrace to this family. I'm going to tell Mum."

"You can't. You wouldn't. She'll kill me," Percy said, his thoughts disjointed.

"I can. I will. And yes, she will kill you," Ginny replied as she hurried off towards the house and Percy ran off towards the woods.

The next morning, Percy was sleeping on the couch when Ginny was dragged into the living room by her nieces and nephews. She was with her siblings and parents as well as Harry and Hermione. They had all woken up to Alex and Larissa running up and down the halls screaming. Arthur, John, and Nicholas had joined them a few minutes later. Then no one could sleep and they all headed downstairs to open presents.

"Percy!" Charlie yelled. "What are you doing here?"

"Penny kicked him out," Ginny said coldly as Percy woke up. "He was having an affair or twenty."

"What?" Mrs. Weasley gasped. "You've been fooling around on poor Penelope?"

"Mum, have you forgotten how that little bitch insulted our entire family back in August?" Charlie yelled. "She's an idiot and Percy would do well to get rid of her."

Immediately all the adults erupted into a storm of noise. For a good ten minutes they all yelled at each other and at Percy. Finally, Larissa screamed, "Be quiet! I want to open my presents. You're all ruining Christmas!"

All the adults stared at her. She went on. "I don't care what happened with Uncle Percy and Aunt Penny. I just want my Christmas presents. It's Christmas so stop yelling and let's open our presents."

"She's right," Ron said slowly.

"I'll only celebrate Christmas if Percy leaves," Mrs. Weasley said. "He's a skunk. I don't care if he's my son; I want him out of my house. He's being a horrible husband."

"Mum, I'm getting a divorce," Percy interrupted.

"I don't care," she said. "I want you to leave now."

"If that's what you want," Percy said as he left.

"Now let's have Christmas," Harry said. "There are some munchkins here who will be very unhappy if we don't."

"All right," Mrs. Weasley said. "Let's open presents."

"Yeah!" screamed all the grandchildren who could talk.

Ginny received many books and gift certificates from her family while Kallie received toys, clothes, and teething rings. But it was Oliver's gift that really delighted Ginny. He gave her a photograph of Ginny and Kallie that someone had taken when they hadn't been paying attention. It was beautiful, somewhat like a mother and child painting. Ginny gave Oliver a book about Arithmancy. It was a corny Christmas but it was fun and there was much smooching under the mistletoe.