Author's Note

Merry Almost Christmas everyone! I don't know what my access to the internet will be like over Christmas and New Year so you're getting your Christmas present early - for 12 days (7th December to 18th December) I will be uploading a new chapter every day to one of my current stories (spread across Falling Apart With You, You and I, Fred's Heroine and Promise Me)!

Hope you enjoy day three's gift and check the others out too!

Love,

Wishin' Girl x x x

p.s. Gracias por tu comentario Invitado - I love to hear from everyone so reviews even just to say hi are very welcome!

...

The whole Weasley family, including Fleur, Harry and Hermione, were seated around the Burrow's kitchen table in silence as the six unmarried Weasleys stared at their letters with varying facial expressions. They had all stayed together at the Burrow overnight following the emotional day before when they had been celebrating the anniversary of the end of the war and grieving those they had lost. Molly was weeping silently as she read and reread Charlie's copy of the letter over his shoulder.

"Well then family, what are we going to do?" Arthur broke the silence first with an expression and tone of voice that reminded all his children of times during the war when they had just had to get on with things.

"I thought we were done with all this." Molly replied in a watery voice "I thought we had finally won freedom for all of our children."

"We can fight this Mum" Ron piped up sternly "we can argue it and fight back. They can't force us to do anything!"

"We can't." Percy countered solemnly "Kingsley would have done absolutely everything he possibly could already, you can see his influence on here. Allowing people to marry others of the same sex, allowing couples who can't conceive to adopt rather than divorce and try again with another match, that kind of compassion screams Kingsley not those old farts in the Wizengamot."

Percy had come quite a long way in changing his view of the ministry from a year earlier, having finally learnt about the war from the perspective of Harry and Hermione and apologised profusely to his whole family.

"Percy's right, we can fight this in the long term for future generations but for right now we need to protect each of you and find you matches before the DLF matches you with death eater children." Arthur agreed "Think about it, other than people who believe in blood supremacy who would volunteer to be on that list?"

"Well," Bill jumped in to help his Dad as his mother continued to weep "I'm already married to Fleur so I'm exempt and didn't even get a letter. Ginny you're still at school which is why you didn't get one either but you'll probably receive it as soon as you graduate so maybe start thinking ahead, or should I be having that conversation with your fiance over there?" Bill threw a wink at the blushing Harry who had already proposed to Ginny several months earlier.

"I'm going to go talk to Angie this afternoon when she finishes work" George piped up "we've been together for years and I would have asked her eventually anyway." He then added at the withering glare from his mother "Don't worry Mum I'll say the whole thing far more romantically than that!"

"I was planning to propose to Audrey soon too, as soon as I had worked up the courage to tell her about our world. Now I can apply for the statute licence though, I already have the ring hidden magically in our muggle apartment." Percy contributed with a blush that almost matched Harry's from earlier and earned squeals of delight from Molly before she remembered how she had been feeling a moment before and burst into a fresh wave of tears.

"That just leaves Charlie, Fred and Ron then" Bill pointed out "any ideas lads?"

"I'm actually seeing a muggle girl" Ron said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck and becoming the third man at the table to blush deeply during the course of this conversation "I met her six months ago when Harry, Hermione and I would only go out in muggle public to avoid the press and the questions, but we only started dating in the last few weeks. She works at that cafe we still go to every Sunday morning while she studies at a muggle University. I'll pop into the ministry with you tomorrow Dad and pick up some more information on getting an extension."

"Charlie?" Bill asked tentatively, he and Fleur knew what Charlie's answer was going to be but he was sure it would be a major shock to the rest of those gathered around the kitchen "Go on, it's time."

With a shared gaze and an encouraging squeeze of the shoulder from his brother, Charlie gave a nervous nod and stood up.

"Mum, Dad, everyone. There's something I haven't told you and I should have told you a long time ago because I know that you love me and… well you're not like all the other pureblood families... I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before, I was just scared that you'd think differently of me and hate me but I have to be honest with you now." Another bolstering nod from his big brother gave Charlie the courage to continue "I'm in a relationship already, we've been together for years and I love him with all of my heart."

Silence swelled around the table until Molly's indignation burst through loudly.

"You've been in a relationship for years and you're only telling us now!? Charles Weasley why exactly have I not met this young man yet? I need to make sure you're taking good care of him and your father needs to make sure he's taking good care of you too!" Molly was a good foot shorter than her dragon keeper son but the height difference didn't feel that way around right now. "Invite him for dinner tonight please before you head back to Romania, or this weekend if he's in Romania and needs to get a portkey organised to come here."

"You're not… you're not mad at me?" Charlie asked in delighted surprise.

"Of course I'm mad at you Charles Weasley!" Molly continued to berate him, wagging a finger in his direction with her other hand planted firmly on her hip "You built a serious relationship with someone without ever bringing them home to meet your family. That poor young man, he must think we're terrible to have not met him still!"

"But you're not mad that he's a man? That I'm… that I'm gay?" Charlie clarified tentatively in a shaky voice.

"Why on earth would we ever be mad about that Charlie?" Molly asked in complete confusion, the fire vanishing from her tone instantly.

"Of course not son, we love you and you being gay is just one part of who you are." Arthur joined in helpfully, standing up to embrace his burliest son "We may technically be purebloods but in case you hadn't noticed we tend to think that most pureblood beliefs are bullsh- um, crap, most pureblood beliefs are crap."

The last few threads of tension around the table snapped at the sheepish look on Arthur's face as he was slapped on the arm by Molly and corrected his vocabulary mid word.

"Plus I think we may have worked that bit out a while ago." Molly added with a wink now that she understood her second eldest son's hesitation. "We love you son."

The rest of the day went by smoothly enough and Charlie's announcement of having a long term partner gave Fred enough cover to successfully hide until George went out to see Angelina and he managed to sneak away under the cover of looking exactly (except for having one more ear) like his twin.

He walked for hours along the south west cliff path having apparated there on escaping the burrow, just kicking stones along, gazing out to sea and contemplating how drastically his life was about to change thanks to an unexpected piece of parchment. His fingers toyed all the while with the blue and gold string friendship bracelet tied around his wrist.