The following morning, FitzSkimmons woke at their normal early hour, and after dressing, headed downstairs.

Unsurprisingly, Mrs Weasley was already up and puttering about the kitchen, seemingly never sleeping as they couldn't ever remember a time when they or their characters had made it up before her despite their own and Hermione's early hours, except when they had either sleep potioned her second year or awoken before 04:00 in fourth year to head into London instead of taking the Hogwarts Express. They sat down at the kitchen table, knowing offering to help would be outright rejected, and within a few minutes, Mrs Weasley was bringing over plates of food for them, or at least for Harry who she kept muttering to herself looked too thin.

Finally bringing the last plate of sausages over, she sat down across from them and said to Fitz, "So you persuaded Horace Slughorn to take the job?"

"Anything to get Snape out of Potions," Fitz replied boredly as he speared a sausage.

"He taught Arthur and me," continued on Mrs. Weasley, like every adult ignoring the negative comment about Snape. "He was at Hogwarts for ages, started around the same time as Dumbledore, I think. Did you like him?"

"I was only with him for ten minutes, max — didn't have nearly enough time to actually get to know him. But he's not Snape, Umbridge, Lockhart, or Trelawney, so I figure he can't be too bad, or at the very least a welcome change," answered Fitz. "And he accepts E's and above, instead of just O's like Snape, and he isn't Snape in case I forgot to mention that enough, so I expect the number of people from our year who decide to carry on with their NEWTs in Potions is going to at least double from what it would be because of those two things alone, which has to be considered a positive when more people continue on with a school subject. But from the few minutes I spent with him, he seems nice enough, if fairly standard wizarding cowardice."

"Yes, well, he can be charming when he wants to be, but Arthur's never liked him much," said Mrs Weasley. "The Ministry's littered with Slughorn's old favorites, he was always good at giving leg ups, but he never had much time for Arthur — didn't seem to think he was enough of a highflier. Well, that just shows you, even Slughorn makes mistakes. I don't know whether Ronna's told you in any of her letters, it's only just happened, but — Arthur's been promoted!"

Mrs. Weasley had clearly been bursting to say this, and Fitz had the immediate impression that she'd wanted to tell him the night before, except they'd declined her offer of food and went to bed instead. But it did make him pause.

"But I thought he was already as high as he could go in the Muggle Misuse Department," he said in confusion. "I thought he was the head of the department — where was there to go up from there? Or did they make the department bigger and with more funding or something, so he's over more people now?"

"Oh, no, no!" replied Mrs Weasley cheerfully. "Rufus Scrimgeour has set up several new offices in response to the present situation, and Arthur's heading the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects. It's a big job, he's got ten people reporting to him now!"

"Oh. Does he like not dealing with muggle things anymore?" asked Fitz, having the distinct impression that Mr Weasley didn't particularly like this change, that only Mrs Weasley did.

"Well, he has mentioned that he misses it a little bit, but you see, it's a very important job, and I tell him it's just silly to miss dealing with spark plugs and toasters and all the rest of that Muggle rubbish."

"But if he likes dealing with what you call 'muggle rubbish' — which incidentally is my and Harry's lives, in case you forgot — and doesn't like doing his new job, he should go back to what he enjoys," Simmons scolded harshly. "Enjoy what you do, and you'll never work a day in your life. He should do what he enjoys — at the end of the day, it's all important work. And of course there's nothing wrong with stepping outside your comfort zone for a while, trying something you don't like as well, but it should still at least partially be what you love doing, and if you don't come to love it after a while, you should go back to what you enjoy or try something new that's closer to what you like and what you're good at."

FitzSkimmons all knew that she was referring to her and Fitz's move into the field from their non-mobile lab, but they had embraced the change, and had still enjoyed the lab part of their new job from the very beginning, long before they became the highly capable field agents they were today.

Mrs Weasley stared at Simmons in shock, clearly taken aback at being reprimanded so thoroughly instead of Harry singing praises about her husband's new, more important, less silly job.

"Yeah, dad should do what he enjoys doing, not what you want him to do, since he's the one actually doing it, not your lazy ass that's never worked a day in her life," Daisy added coldly before Mrs Weasley could make any response. "If you want to go do the 'very important' jobs, then go apply yourself — I'm sure they're hiring, and it's not like you have any children left at home during the school year to take care of. So go get one of those 'important' jobs yourself, and stop making dad fulfill your dreams instead of his."

Despite clearly wanting to retort something back, faced with three cold, unyielding glares, Mrs Weasley clammed up on the topic, instead quickly changing the subject and saying, "I don't know if Ronna's told you or not, but Fleur is here for the summer as well."

"Yes, and she's marrying Bill — congratulations!" replied Fitz. "I'm so happy for them. They both deserve such joy."

"I just think they've hurried into this engagement," Mrs Weasley replied superiorly. "They've only known each other for a year, after all, and that's not very long! I know why it's happened, of course. It's all this uncertainty with You-Know-Who coming back, people think they might be dead tomorrow, so they're rushing all sorts of decisions that they'd normally take time over. It was the same last time he was powerful, people eloping left, right, and center."

"You and Dad eloped after dating for even less time than Bill and Fleur have been together, and they're not actually getting married for another year," scolded Daisy. "You have no right to judge them."

"Yes, well, your father and I were made for each other, so what was the point in waiting?" snapped Mrs. Weasley. "Whereas—"

"Whereas you think they aren't?" Simmons cut off angrily. "And who the fuck do you think you are to say whether they're in love or not? You're just jealous because she's pretty and you're a a fat old wrinkly hag! Fleur is an intelligent, attractive woman who handled her own just fine in the TriWizard Tournament, who is in love with your son and he is in love with her, and you should respect that and support them instead of being an overbearing, interfering, controlling, busybody!"

And with that she leapt up and stormed out of the house, quickly followed by Fitz and Daisy.

Once they were out in the yard and slowly walking up towards the paddock the Weasleys played quidditch in, Fitz asked, "So what are we doing now, now that we can't go back in the house for a few hours until Mrs Weasley calms down?"

"We talked last night about telling Kreacher to clean Grimmauld Place," answered Simmons. "We could do that now."

So once they reached the enclosure of the paddock so that none of the Weasleys just glancing in their direction would be able to see that they were talking to a house elf, Fitz called Kreacher. The ancient house elf was very surly looking when he arrived, and appeared to be muttering silent insults at Simmons and Daisy, but he didn't say anything aloud. So Fitz did.

"Hi, Kreacher," he said cheerfully, completely different from how Harry had spoken to Kreacher the night before, different from how anyone had probably ever spoken to the house elf in his entire life, given the fact he first belonged to the Blacks and then to the Order.

"You remember theses two lovely young ladies from last summer. Well, your first new order is that you will take all orders from these two just as you do me, as they are my wives, and therefore your Mistresses now as well — and obey Nymphadora Tonks, just because, and because you should have had to obey her this whole time anyway as a Black descendent. And secondly, you will reveal to no one that we are married. We want that kept a secret, not that anyone would believe you anyway.

"Thirdly, you will call us Harry, Hermione, and Ronna — though feel free to use all of the expletives and insults in front of and behind those names that you like, as we don't care if you call us mudbloods, and bloodtraitors, and prats, and anything else you might want to call us. We know you don't like us, and don't want to obey us, and we completely understand that. But we're not the Order, and we're not going to treat you like the Order did — we'll actually treat you with respect.

"And finally, there's a change in your orders for the foreseeable future. Instead of working at Hogwarts, we want you to return to Grimmauld Place and make it sparkling, fit for the queen to visit — though given the fact that you probably don't even know who the queen is, let's just say we want it looking absolutely beautiful, as if the living person you respect most in the world was coming for a visit. Not a speck of dust, dirt, or grime in the entire building, every bedroom made up and ready for occupants should any come by, and nothing lying around that could hurt unsuspecting guests. That last one is especially important — everything that could hurt an unsuspecting child needs to be securely locked up."

"And cataloged," inserted Simmons. "In fact, we want a list of every single item in the house, sorted by type and use so it's easy to read."

"Yes — we want to know everything we own that is in that house," said Fitz. "And we want the place fit to live in, unlike last year when people actually were living in it. And don't throw anything away. Decorate however you like and think is fitting of such a noble and ancient House, and anything you don't want out store away, but don't throw anything away. Simply put, take care of the place for us, so it's ready for us to come live in whenever we want to. Understand?"

Kreacher stared at him in genuine shock for several long seconds, years of hatred, surliness, and abuse disappearing to reveal the still old, but genuine house elf underneath, before the mask returned and he croaked out as he bowed, "Kreacher will do whatever Harry wants."

But as much as Kreacher was trying to hide it, they could easily see that this was an order the old house elf actually wasn't opposed to following, even if he was still opposed to following any order of Harry's purely on principle.

"Oh, and bring us a weekly report on how it's going and an updated list of everything you've cataloged," Simmons said quickly. "Just come to the married dorms, let's say every Monday night, whenever we get in and are doing our homework."

"But definitely not when we're having sex," added Daisy. "Good Lord knows that would kill the mood."

Fitz nodded his agreement with the two ladies, before saying to Kreacher, "And while we're here at The Burrow, let's say meet us here in this paddock every Monday afternoon at two, but make sure we're alone, I'm sure none of the Weasleys would approve. And skip two days from now, we want to make sure you've had time to actually get something done before you have to see us again. But that is all for now, you're free to return to Grimmauld Place and begin."

"Yes, Harry, Hermione, Ronna," croaked Kreacher, before disappearing with a loud crack.

"That seemed to go decently," said Simmons when they were all alone again.

"Certainly better than last night when Dumbledore brought Kreacher into the Dursleys' house, and how that whole interaction with Harry went," replied Fitz. "But I guess we'll see over the next few weeks if he starts taking a bit more of a liking to us, or at least build some mutual respect."

~FSK~

"Mrs Weasley is beeching zat you three insulted 'er marriage and 'er 'usband."

At the sound of Fleur Delacour's voice, FitzSkimmons turned from where they were lounging in the grass in the shade of an old tree to look at her.

"Hi, Fleur!" Fitz greeted brightly. "We heard you were here for the summer, and engaged to Bill now."

"Indeed, I am," answered Fleur. "And eet 'as been too long since I last saw you!"

"Likewise, Fleur," Simmons answered with a smile. "And as for Mrs Weasely's bitching, she was trying to tell us at breakfast that you and Bill got engaged too quickly, so we simply pointed out that she got engaged to Mr Weasley after a shorter time of dating him than you and Bill did, and also that it's not her place to say that you got engaged too soon, or that you don't really love each other, which is what she was implying. What she's twisted that into since we stormed out, I have no clue. But I can promise you that we're happy for you, and your upcoming nuptials. We always like a good wedding."

"Or three," Daisy muttered under her breath for only Fitz to hear.

"You are too wonderful," said Fleur. "And you remember my seester, Gabrielle? She never stops talking about 'Arry Potter. She will be delighted to see you again next summer when we get married!"

"We're looking forward to it," replied Daisy. "But if I may ask, what brings you to be living with this hag, instead of you and Bill having your own little love nest somewhere private?"

"Bill and I recently bought a place, Shell Cottage on ze outskirts of Tinworth, but Bill is very busy at ze moment working very 'ard, and I only work part-time at Gringotts for my Eenglish, so 'e brought me 'ere for ze summer to get to know 'is family properly. But believe me, I was so very pleased to 'ear zat you would be coming — zere isn't anything to do 'ere, unless you like cooking and chickens!"

"We agree," replied Fitz. "Which is why the three of us will be making occasional day trips away from here this summer. Un-permitted ones, of course, as we certainly shan't be telling Mrs Weasley or any other adult before we leave as they all want to keep us prisoners here for our safety all summer, but you're more than welcome to join us if you'd like to get away for the day some."

"And we can show you around real London if you'd like," added Simmons. "We know all the real shops, not the boring magic ones in Diagon."

"Oh, you are too kind!" exclaimed Fleur. " 'Ow can I ever thank you?"

"This is the longest we've ever been stuck here — we're just happy to have the company, especially as the twins aren't around to keep us entertained."

~FSK~

That evening after supper, everyone drifted into the living room, FitzSkimmons taking the couch so that they could sit close together without having to sit so close together or actually in each other's laps that some might deem it inappropriate behavior.

But as the evening progressed, they slowly moved closer and closer together without even consciously realizing it, until finally when both Simmons and Daisy's heads were resting on Fitz's shoulders in the middle, FitzSimmons' fingers were interlaced in Simmons' lap on one side, and Daisy was idly drawing patterns to the underground Kree city on his leg with her fingertip on the other, Mrs Weasley had finally had enough.

And so she burst out, "What do you three think you're doing?! Sit up straight! It's not proper for you to be so close as friends! I taught you better than that, Ronna Weasley!"

Daisy slowly opened one eye to glare at the woman.

"Remember our little discussion with you this morning about not judging other people's love? Well, here's your chance to put into practice what you were taught — because Harry, Hermione, and I are dating. And our love is the strongest in any universe, stronger than any curse that could ever be cast against it, and a whole hell of a lot stronger than your trying to break us up because you don't want young people to be happy, as evidenced by the fact you don't want Bill to marry Fleur."

She closed her eye again, nestling slightly more comfortably into her husband's side, and resumed drawing on his leg.

"And it's why our room was locked last night when you tried to burst in uninvited," added Fitz, not bothering to open his eyes at all. "We didn't want you bursting in where we were all sleeping together, and waking up the entire house with your yelling at one in the morning."

By this point everyone in the room was staring at them in complete shock, except Fleur who simply sighed, "Ah, love — such a wonderful thing!"

Other than that, though, the silence in the room was practically deafening, and the next thing they heard was Mr Weasley say quietly but sternly, "Molly, no."

Whether Molly had simply been about to run her mouth, or actually jump up and try to chase the three of them out of her house with a broom or something, FitzSkimmons never knew, nor did they care. It wasn't like they couldn't individually defeat three of her, magically or muggly, and all three of them combined against just one of her would be downright boring. But what they could hear was the tense silence that continued on in The Burrow living room, until just a short while later when Mrs Weasley declared that it was time for all students to go to bed.

Completely unopposed to the idea, as it meant more sexy time for them, FitzSkimmons got up without complaint, and started heading up to their room. Mrs Weasley leapt up as well, but as Daisy and Simmons both casually pulled out their wands and began twirling them nonchalantly between their fingers as they went, she apparently got the message that they weren't to be trifled with, and merely glared at their disappearing backs as they headed up the stairs.

A week later, FitzSkimmons were milling about in The Burrow yard, when Nymphadora Tonks walked up the path to them.

"Wotcher, Harry, wives," she greeted, a little brighter than she'd looked when they'd seen her the night they'd arrived, her hair even a more bold dark brown, though still not quite her chipper self she'd been the year before, and her hair not yet any wild colors again.

"Tonks! So good to see you!" exclaimed Simmons, rushing over and hugging the girl.

"Decide to come to dinner after all?" Fitz said with a smile. "Glad you're here. Though the werewolf's probably still a few hours away from arriving — you're a bit early."

"I know — I wanted a chance to talk to you guys before everyone else got here," replied Tonks.

"Of course — why don't we go up to the paddock, where we'll be sure not to be overheard or interrupted by anyone," said Simmons.

As they walked up the hill to the paddock, Fitz looked over at Tonks and said, "Oh, and by the way, Kreacher will obey you now. He's currently cleaning up Grimmauld Place properly, and making a list of all of our new belongings from there, but if you ever need a house elf for anything, just call him — I ordered him to have to obey you."

"Oh! Uh, thanks, I guess?" replied Tonks, unsure of what to say.

"It's fine, you don't have to be excited about it," chuckled Fitz. "But we are trying to treat him more respectfully, and hopefully get him to actually begin to like us, so hopefully that can lead to you two getting along as well. And we're really just letting him get back to being the house elf he is, instead of either a house elf without purpose like he was for ten years alone in Grimmauld Place, or a house elf that wasn't allowed to do anything, like he was all of last year under the Order and Sirius."

Once they reached the paddock and had all sat down, Tonks asked, "How do I get him to like me back? I mean, I know that's not a question that can actually be answered, but…."

"Is the problem more that he doesn't like you back, or that he does like you back but doesn't think that you should be with him?" asked Simmons. "Because while neither's easy to navigate, they are different problems, and from what you said last time, it sounded like the second one was more the problem here."

"Well…he never said that he didn't like me, only that he's too dangerous, old, and poor for me, and that I should be with someone young and whole. But he could have just been trying to let me down easy, make me not want him so that he didn't have to break my heart by telling me that he didn't like me back," answered Tonks.

"Guys aren't really like that," said Fitz. "If he didn't like you romantically, he probably would have just told you that. Excuses of why you wouldn't want to date him and beating around the bush instead of just being straightforward and honest are more a girl thing. Which means he probably does like you back, he just thinks you deserve someone better."

"So we just have to convince Lupin that Tonks doesn't care about his dark side, and wants him anyway — piece of cake," said Daisy, rolling her eyes.

"Ronna and I will talk to Lupin for you, convince him that girls care about more than fur and riches and age, and whatever other excuses he can come up with for why you shouldn't be with him. Believe me, I already had to convince this one" — here Simmons nodded over at Fitz — "that he really does deserve me. And deserves Ronna as well, of course. And deserved forgiveness from her and few other people for something, but that's a completely different story we'll never tell. But we'll talk to Lupin for you, and try to talk some sense into him — that he deserves giving you a chance."

"Uh, yeah — what she said," said Daisy, before turning to Fitz, and saying, "Harry, your turn. You're a guy, what's your advice to Tonks on what to do to remind Lupin that he really does like her?"

Fitz thought for a few seconds, before answering, "Go back to your brighter hair, and as best you can your bright personality. I know you're probably still hurting from Sirius's death, and I know that people change over time and don't stay the same person, but if that bright, bubbly, eccentric girl I met last summer is still in there, let her back out. If Lupin really does like you back like we're hoping, that's the girl he met as well, and how he came to like you in the first place. So let that girl back out. It'll make you happier and more confident, which in turn he's more likely to finally relent and admit that he likes, and it's what makes you you, and not anyone else. And I'm not saying fake it, exactly, although sometimes you do need to act in a certain way before you actually feel that way, and there will of course be times when it's better to be the girl who's had a tough past year and suffered and came through the other side stronger, but don't lose who you were, either. It's a fine line, balancing what you've come through and how you've changed, with your natural personality that is still there just buried away slightly because of what you've survived through, and I know I'm doing a terrible job of trying to explain it. Just — don't lose sight of who you are at your core even though you've matured as well. If that makes any sense at all."

"Yeah, I get what you're saying," replied Tonks. "May be easier said than done, my metamorphmagusing is strongly connected to how I feel, so there are some actual physical difficulties some of the time, but I get what you mean."

"Oh, yes, of course it's way easier said than done," Fitz smiled softly at her. "But I think it will be worth trying, and even if it doesn't work with Lupin, it will still help you feel better. A slightly different version of CS Lewis's, 'Do not waste time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.' And that's a different kind of love than romantic love, a 'love your neighbor as yourself' kind of love, but to a point, acting brighter and happier than you actually feel can make you actually become happier. Not always, of course, but there is something to it.

"Also, going back to Lupin, have you actually flat out asked him to go out on a date with you? Guys need blunt. Say what you want, don't expect them to be able to read your minds, because normally they can't, and even in the rare case where two people are psychically linked, they still can't always read your mind. And that applies to your entire relationship if you can get one started, as well. Be straightforward and honest with him — the silent treatment until he figures out what he did wrong on his own helps no one."

"I did," nodded Tonks. "A day or two after I got out of St Mungo's after the Ministry fight. That's when he told me that as a werewolf he was too dangerous, and anyway, he was too old for me and since he can't really keep a job in the wizarding world, he couldn't support me — which I have no clue how is relevant, since I'm an auror and could easily support both of us."

"Don't worry, we'll talk to him for you," said Simmons.

"You know, could we do 'Have...you met Tonks?'?" Fitz asked his wives with a smirk.

"Harry…Lupin couldn't possibly have a clue what that is, and it doesn't even make sense when he's already known Tonks for a year," replied Simmons, rolling her eyes at her husband.

"It is funny, though," Daisy defended their husband.

"Only if the person you're using it on actually gets the reference," retorted Simmons. "How did either of you ever managed to get married, again?"

"No clue," smirked Daisy. "Still trying to figure that one out."

"I never knew the first time, thought for sure you'd have wised up by the second time, and the third time — well, that one I was outvoted on since it was two again one," Fitz added with a smirk of his own.

Simmons just shook her head in fond exasperation at them, before looking back over at Tonks who was looking at them slightly strangely, and saying, "Don't worry — we'll help you."

They spent the rest of the afternoon chatting and catching up, until it was time to head back down to The Burrow to meet everyone else and eat. As soon as they made it down to the yard, FitzSkimmons spotted Lupin hanging out off to the side trying to look sad for himself and headed straight over.

"Lupin, go on a bloody date with Tonks. You like her, she sure as hell likes you, so stop being a self-degrading furball and just go out on a date with her already," Daisy said as soon as they were close enough to speak to him without anyone overhearing them. "And let yourself enjoy it — don't intentionally try to make it miserable for both of you to run her off."

Lupin mildly raised an eyebrow at Daisy as the three of them came to a stop right in front of him, looking at him sternly. "Tonks ask you three to talk to me?"

"No, professor," answered Simmons. "We saw her the night Harry was finally allowed to leave his abusive adoptive family's house, and could instantly tell that something was majorly wrong, so we asked her what was going on."

"She told us that she liked you but you were pushing her away with lame excuses," picked up Fitz. "And then we had a longer chat with her since then getting a better idea of the situation."

"And we've come to the conclusion that you're madly, deeply, head-over-heels in love with her but are too scared to admit it so you're pushing her away with lame excuses both of you know are irrelevant but sound like they're a big deal," finished Daisy. "Oh, and something about not thinking you deserve her, and that she deserves someone better."

Lupin looked them over carefully for a few seconds, before finally saying, "No offense, but I think you're still a little young and inexperienced to fully understand the situation between Tonks and I."

Simmons immediately turned and pulled Fitz into a steamy kiss with tongues, before letting him go and turning to Daisy and doing the same. Then she moved out of the way slightly to let her husband and wife kiss, before looking back at Lupin and saying dryly, "We might understand a little better than you think."

Lupin sighed. "Young love is a great thing and all, Harry your parents were one of the best I ever saw, but it doesn't mean you understand everything. Especially when it comes to me."

"You think because you're several years older than her, a werewolf who once came close to hurting someone because you hadn't taken your potion, and can't hold a normal job because you're a werewolf, while she's young, and smart, and attractive, and way out of your league, that she shouldn't be with you," said Daisy, unimpressed. "Well, suck it up, furball — women aren't always logical in who they like, and Tonks is in love with you. She knows perfectly well that you're a werewolf, and older than her, and she doesn't give two shits about the fact that the wizarding world is so systematically creatureist against you that you can't hold a normal job despite being far safer to wizardingkind than the likes of Umbridge who torment everyone for their own good with the approval of their own consciences, and yet she still fell in love with you. So throw all your petty excuses out the window, and consider letting yourself be happy for once. And don't give me any bullshit about her being too young to know what she wants — she is plenty old enough to make her own decisions about who she loves."

"Just spend some time with her," Simmons said softly. "It doesn't have to be a date, you don't have to start planning the wedding tomorrow, just go hang out with her. Do something fun, for both of your sakes. She's going through a lot right now with Sirius — something that should be connecting you more than separating you — just to have you pushing her away thrown on top of that. So just spend some time with her. And you can tell her up front that it's not a date, that you're just spending time with her as a friend, but for both of your sakes, go spend some time with her. Because to be blunt, you're not looking much better than her at the moment." As Lupin opened his mouth, she added, "Just think about it, okay? And sit next to her at dinner tonight and talk with her when she talks to you. Please?"

Lupin sighed but nodded, and they headed back to where Mrs Weasley was trying to herd everyone over to the table for supper.