Somewhere between their first kiss and their second date, during which Delilah was laughing so hard at one of his jokes she snorted like a pig and grew berry-red with embarrassment, Charlie decided he wanted his family to meet her. He spent a few weeks thinking on it. It was on a freezing cold night in the beginning of December that the opportunity presented itself. Charlie was sitting on the wooden chair near his front porch, watching the sunset and drinking a cup of steaming hot tea. He had fed his dragons only thirty minutes before and was tired enough that he was considering going straight to bed without a shower.

He discreetly sniffed his armpit and decided the shower was definitely in order before sleeping. After finishing his tea, Charlie waved his wand in a well-practiced move and Vanished the dragon dung off of his thick boots. His neck and head were aching, which reminded him that he needed to brew Pepper Up and a mild Muscle Elixir. Again. The older he got, the more he found himself in need of a variety of medical potions. He had snagged an Excellent in N.E.W.T level Potions, which was not necessary to become a Dragon Tamer or Handler, but was certainly appreciated. Being able to treat minor to mild injuries was greatly smiled upon within any Magical Creature department.

He was drying his hair with a useful Charm when there was a knock on his front door. Charlie slipped a pair of fuzzy socks over his cold toes and went to the door. He had expected Bill because Bill was the only individual, besides his parents, who ever showed up unannounced to his house. And yet it was Delilah's pleasing smile he saw when he opened the door. He ushered her in, hand on her elbow to gently steer her. He could see the pleasure and hesitation in her eyes, so he slowly leaned down and kissed her cheek. He whispered against her skin, "Hello. I'm glad to see you."

When she let out a soft noise of contentment, Charlie let his lips trail to her mouth. His kiss was soft and chaste before he pulled back. She was quite short, which made for a rather interesting height difference between them. Delilah looked up with blushing cheeks and said, "Hi. I keep telling myself not to just drop by here."

"Why?" He asked as he gestured. She followed Charlie to the small kitchen. He began to heat water with a kettle and a quick Charm. Delilah sat at the rickety, little table and watched him. She let out an uneven laugh. "I wouldn't want you to find me annoying and constantly in your space."

Charlie frowned as he poured a cupful. He gently pushed a bowl of cream toward her and replied, "I don't find you annoying and I like when you're underfoot."

They sipped in silence. Charlie opened a tin and handed over a freshly baked lemon biscuit. Delilah groaned happily and munched on the sweet treat, eating it in exactly two bites. Charlie handed her another, which she took with a smile.

He blurted, "Would you like to meet my family?"

The look on her face, so stunned and nervous and unbelieving, while her cheeks puffed out because she had shoved another biscuit into her mouth, made Charlie's heart beat faster in his chest. Delilah swallowed and slurped on her tea. She bit her lower lip and slowly asked, "You want me to meet your family?"

"If you don't wish to," Charlie replied quietly, "I won't be angry."

There was a pause. Charlie raised an eyebrow and said, "I would be curious enough to ask 'why not' if you don't wish to meet them."

"I wouldn't mind meeting your family." Delilah replied eventually.

"But?" He leaned forward and prompted playfully.

She sighed, "There is quite a lot of them. Your family sounds incredible."

"There is and they are, if I do say so myself." Charlie replied easily. He kept his stare on her face, watching the emotions play across her facial features. She muttered, "What if they don't like me…?"

He laughed, "They will love you. I have no doubt of that, sweetheart."

Greedily, Charlie watched the pink blush steal across her cheeks once more. She said, "I have so many stories bouncing around in my head about your brothers and sister and parents. About Harry and Hermione and Fleur and Angelina. The children. Yes. I want to meet them."

He smiled and asked, "What are you doing for New Year's Eve?"

Delilah laughed and replied, "I'll be with you."

Charlie whispered, "Brilliant."

After work on Christmas Eve, Charlie cleaned himself up and had dinner at Shell Cottage. Bill and Fleur were more than willing to let him join in the festivities. Charlie was content to watch Vic, Dom, and Luis open gifts from their parents. They each had a small mound of treasure compiled by the time Charlie pulled the brightly wrapped packages from his pockets, enlarging the shrunken items and passing them out. For Victoire, he had ordered a rather expensive text involving Advanced Ancient Runes from China. He figured Bill and his eldest child who be pouring over the book and discussing its contents for the next year. For Dominique, he had given a protectively enchanted pair of leather Quidditch shin-guards that were custom-made by a craftsman in Romania. For Luis, a complete Gobstones set with his name embroidered on the velvet pouch and a companion guide-book included.

The next morning dawned bright, cold, and wet. The weather didn't damper the Weasley family whatsoever. By noon, the entire family was squeezed into the Burrow. Children were racing about, slipping between adult legs and sending more than one man to the floor on accident. Voices were a crescendo of chaos. Some calmly talked business while others heatedly debated the upcoming Quidditch World Cup. The women giggled as George and his twins played noisy pranks on the men. Often times, the other children were enlisted to aid in their antics. Molly raised her voice, sternly fussing George and numerous grandchildren, at least eighty-two times. However, the big smile on her rounded face gave away any sense of seriousness she would have held otherwise.

After a large spread of baked turkey, glazed ham, roasted lamb, steamed vegetables, boiled and baked potatoes, buttered breads, and savory sauces, the adults were filled and somewhat subdued. The youngest children were bouncing in their seats, squirming and eagerly asking about gifts every five minutes. The older children tried to maintain a cool sense of indifference, but they perked up and paid attention every time a younger sibling or cousin asked The All-Important Question.

Impatient, the youngest grumbled while the eldest shared annoyed expressions. It was Albus who casually looked up from his empty plate and asked, "Grandma?"

"Yes, love?" Molly spoke, turning away from the sink, where she and several others had been piling soiled dishes.

"May we open gifts?" He asked politely.

She smiled, ruffling his hair and looking around the room at all the bright eyes. She said, "Of course. Everyone, into the den."
There were multiple whoops, particularly from Freddie and Roxanne, who nearly barreled right over Lucy and Molly on their skinny legs. Each twin scooped up a little girl as they passed and hoisted her onto their shoulders. Shrieking giggles could be heard from beyond the kitchen. There was a harsh crash followed by Rose and Lily exclaiming, "James! Watch out!"

Dominique could be heard chortling. Hugo loudly stated, "You better fix that before Grams finds out."

Albus stood up from the table, carrying his plate to the sink and handing it to his mother, who was still stacking dishes with Angelina and Fleur. Ginny ruffled her son's hair as he made his way toward the den. All adults in the room watched as Luis copied Albus's movements. Luis asked, "Hey, Al?"

Albus looked down at the eleven-year-old. "Yes?"

"Will you play Gobstones with me?" Luis asked. Before Albus could answer, the younger boy nervously began to babble. "I don't really understand the rules and Dom says she thinks it's boring. And the twins tried to show me, but they're kind of distracting. And Hugo was busy reading his new books. And I think you're the smartest anyways, so you could probably teach me."

Albus blinked and nodded. "Sure. We can after we open gifts."

They began walking, but Albus paused and turned around. He shifted his weight from foot to foot before quietly saying, "I'm not the smartest."

Luis blinked and slowly said, "Everyone else thinks so. Well, except Rose and Hugo. That's because they think they're the smartest."

Albus shook his head and replied, "Intelligence isn't measured like that."

Luis frowned and asked, "Like what?"

Albus said, "In clearly understandable levels. There is no smartest and dumbest or anything in between. Remember that, yeah?"

Luis nodded quickly. "Okay. Sure."

The little boy followed Albus out of the kitchen. Charlie whistled lowly and eyed everyone else. He said, "Damn clever kid."

Harry sighed, "Yeah. I feel like he's the one teaching me most of the time."

Christmas ended in a flurry of colorful paper and multi-colored Weasley sweaters and fruit cake with warm mugs of milk and joyful laughter and innocent faces beaming brightly. By early evening, the majority of the family had left with droopy-eyed little ones in their arms or rambunctious teenagers at their elbows. Unfortunately, Ministry employees such as Hermione and Ron, Percy, and Harry all had work the following morning. George had made the decision to open the shop for a few days, so the youngsters could spend their holiday Galleons on products. Fleur was tired and Charlie was suspiciously wondering if his sister-in-law was pregnant. She had taken her daughters and son home after numerous complaints from Dom and Luis, who had been intently learning Gobstones from Albus beforehand.

This left Bill and Charlie sitting around the fireplace with Arthur and Molly. The den was in disarray. Green and red ribbons were hiding halfway beneath the sofas. Boxes were stacked in a corner, tilting dangerously. A stray Gobstone lay near the coat-rack. Teacups were scattered on tabletops and the mantle. The Christmas tree stood tall, yet leaning toward the left. The fairy lights were twinkling brightly, but the baubles were dangling by a thread and threatening to fall right off the branches.

Charlie took a gulp of Firewhiskey and watched Bill do the same. His older brother looked a tad worse for wear. He could not pin-point why. Maybe it was the tense set of those broad shoulders. Maybe it was the occasional twitch of his right eye or the way he sighed, long and heavy, when Fleur left through the Floo. Charlie was not surprised when Molly demanded, "What is it, William?"

Bill's blue-green eyes met Charlie's dark green gaze before he sat up straighter in his chair. Bill stared at the flames for a moment before sighing, "Fleur is pregnant."

Charlie and Arthur shared a look as Molly clapped her hands together once. She exclaimed, "Oh, but this is a good thing. I know this may have been unexpected, but- "

Bill cut her off by roughly saying, "No, Mum. You don't understand."

Charlie felt his body go tense at his brother's tone. Bill ran hands through his long hair as Molly firmly asked, "What is wrong?"

"This wasn't to happen again." He growled, "She was taking a Contraceptive Potion on the regular. She's pregnant and it isn't going smoothly."

There was a pause. Arthur quietly asked, "What do you mean, son?"

Charlie cleared his throat as a startling thought came to him. He stated plainly, "She's sick. Worse than any of the other times."

Bill glanced at him before nodding. "Yes."

"Have you been to St Mungo's?" Arthur asked. He clasped hands with Molly.

"Yes," Bill sighed, "And they are clueless."

There was an oppressive silence before Bill said, "We are traveling to France as soon as the kids go back to Hogwarts. I took a sabbatical from work. Fleur's parents know Specialty Healers in Paris."

Molly slowly asked, "She is having more than simple morning sickness?"

"Yes." Bill's breath caught in his throat. He continued to stare at the flames as he replied, "She can hardly keep any solid food down. It has gotten to the point where all she can handle is liquids. I have her drinking water, chicken broth and Restorative Draughts. She is losing weight instead of gaining."

"How far along is she?" Their mother asked in a whisper.

"St Mungo's claimed she is fourteen weeks." Bill swallowed heavily, "I'm not sure."

Molly inhaled quietly, "She is slim as ever."

"Exactly." He growled, "Exactly my point. At over three months, she should have the barest of a roundness to her stomach. She doesn't. At all."

"We will help however we can." Arthur stood up and clasped Bill's shoulder. Charlie watched as Bill leaned into that touch. "We can keep the children during holiday if you two must stay in France. If you need money, we will find it."

Bill whispered roughly, "Just be here. That's all I need."

Charlie leaned forward, rubbing at his brother's shoulders for a moment before sitting back in his chair. He met and held Bill's stare as he said, "We will do all we can. Hermione is a much better Brewer than me, but if you don't want her knowing about this right now, then I can brew the Draught for you."

"We have been buying from the Apothecary lately." Bill sighed, "It will help."

Charlie nodded. "I can have a batch made by tomorrow night. I will drop by the Cottage after work. Likely late."

Bill watched as his brother stood up. He gave each parent a hug, lingering and holding Bill's shoulders just a moment longer than usual. When Charlie made for the door, Bill frowned. He called out, "Charlie?"
Dark red hair popped back into the room. "Yeah?"

"Aren't you going to ask them?" Bill asked curiously.

Charlie's eyebrows raised. "Ask them what?"

Bill snorted, "Don't play dumb, baby brother."

Charlie gave a rouge grin before looking toward their parents. He asked, "Do you mind if I bring a friend for our New Year's Eve gathering?"
"A friend?" Molly asked as she wiped the residual tears from her eyes. "Of course, honey. Who is it? Daniel or Edgar?"

Bill let out a choked laugh and shook his head. Charlie rolled his eyes and said, "No, Mum. He is a she. Her name is Delilah."

"A woman?" Molly asked in astonishment as Arthur smiled softly.

"Yes." Charlie nodded and replied, "I do know some girls, Mum."

"Is this a girlfriend?" She asked, eagerly.

He hesitated a moment too long before Molly squealed wordlessly. Arthur put his hands around her waist and chuckled. Charlie shifted uncomfortably and muttered, "Yeah. Okay. Okay, Mum. Can you not act as if the entire world is right as rain?"

"I can't believe it." Molly exclaimed, "A girlfriend. Did you hear, Arthur?"

"Yes, love." He answered cheerfully, "I'm sure she is lovely."

Molly smiled, "I can't wait to meet her. My Charles is finally bringing a girl home."

Charlie eyed his parents before slowly saying, "She isn't used to big family events. Try not to overwhelm her, please, Mum. Definitely don't mention phrases such as babies or marriage. That's my only request."

Bill smirked and Charlie gave him a rude gesture before heading back to his cozy hut on the beach. The next night, well after mid-night, Charlie appeared on the porch of Shell Cottage. He was still in his work uniform, covered in dung and dust. There were multiple nicks on his fingertips from cutting Potion ingredients while exhausted. Charlie carefully set a thick leather sack on the front steps and put the sack under a Stasis Charm. Inside of the sack was twelve crystal vials filled with orange-red liquid and a smaller velvet sack filled with Galleons. A messily scrawled note read: Don't bother giving this back. Healers are expensive and your children are mine as well. Love, Charlie.

Charlie worried about Bill and Fleur, but tried to remind himself that they were both in Paris, consulting with some of the most world-renowned Healers available. When a knock sounded at his door, Charlie tried to put the worry aside and focus on the present moment. He opened the door to find Delilah dressed in dark denim jeans, brown leather boots and matching leather jacket. It was the tight-fitted sparkly blue top underneath that had him pausing to stare rather indecently.

He swallowed heavily, "Good evening. You're beautiful, did you know?"

She turned as red as a tomato and laughed, "Thank you."

There was a pause as he watched the warm blood slowly fade from her rounded cheeks. Delilah twisted her fingers together and nervously asked, "Is this shirt too much? I wanted festive and nice, but not slutty."

Charlie frowned and said, "You are not a slut."

Delilah abruptly smiled. "The shirt is good?"

"Definitely." He whole-heartedly replied. "Are you ready to go now?"

"Um, sure." She tugged her leather jacket tightly against her and took his offered arm. Charlie shut the door with an absent-minded wave of his wand. She said, "I want to apologize in advance if I somehow embarrass you or say the wrong thing."

Charlie stopped walking, took her by the shoulders and leaned down so they could be eye-level with one another. He murmured, "You won't embarrass me. That's impossible. Just be you, Delilah. They will like you."

"I dunno." She mumbled and averted her eyes. "I'm loud and clumsy. I tend to offend people without even realizing it."

His jaw clenched and he cursed inside his head, but made sure not to speak harshly out loud. It was moments such as these that made him wish he could point his wand at him, Gideon's father, and Curse him within an inch of his life. Charlie traced Delilah's jawline and lips before saying, "I like you. I like you loud and clumsy. And if somebody is offended so easily, especially when the offense was not purposely committed, then that person is an idiot."

After a gentle kiss, Charlie took her hand and Apparated to the edge of the Burrow's property. Even behind the protective Wards, they could see the flashing strobe lights and shrieking laughter and rowdy horse-playing occurring in the yard. It was dusk and Charlie knew the children were gearing up for a spectacular firework display. He felt Delilah's feet begin to drag as they passed through the Wards.

He chuckled, "It will be fine. My mother may be a bit enthusiastic. She has a habit of match-making and is quite the romantic. If she becomes too much, just politely make an excuse and come find me."

"You aren't going to leave me alone, are you?" She asked, breathlessly.

"I will try not to." Charlie said as they strolled down the hill. Originally, he had decided it would be best not to be overtly physical with Delilah tonight. She was shy in public and they had not crossed many physical boundaries yet. Also, any physical contact would fuel his mother's fire. This plan was quickly buried and forgotten as Delilah kept her arms tightly tucked beneath Charlie's right forearm.

"Don't worry." He soothed and petted her hair as they came to the rickety picket fence. He opened the gate and waited until it had stopped creaking before saying, "The majority of my family is quite busy, so the crowd is a bit smaller than usual. I promise everyone here will be perfectly polite to you. Well, maybe perfectly polite is a bit of a lie. They may tackle you or shove cake into your face."

"What?" She squeaked.

When they came around the side of the house, they were met with whooping war cries and flashing blurs of colors. "Uncle Charlie!"

A tall, lean boy with a headful of dark, curly hair and sky-blue eyes came to a screeching halt just in time to avoid crashing into them. He held out his arms, catching a girl of equal height and the same wildly untamable dark curls. The two teetered, but managed to balance out. The boy held out a hand and smiled brightly. "I'm Freddie. It's nice to meet you."

Delilah untangled herself from Charlie, feeling a melting sensation in her chest as she shook the offered palm. She said, "I'm Delilah. It's nice to meet you, too."

Delilah grinned and asked, "Are you Roxanne, the twin sister?"

Roxanne smirked and proudly held out her hand. They shook as Roxanne said, "Yes. That's me. Just call me Roxie. Nobody uses my full name unless I'm in trouble."

Delilah chuckled in delight and said, "Yes. I've heard you two have played some incredible pranks on your Uncle Charlie. You'll have to let me plan a prank with you."

"Sure." Freddie smiled easily.

Roxie frowned and suspiciously asked, "Are you sure you'd want to?"
Charlie chuckled and said, "Delilah is sneaky all on her own. If the three of you gain up on me, I will have to retaliate with my own team of misfits."

The group walked toward the rowdy bunch of individuals sitting around large picnic tables. There were a chorus of greetings, but it was Molly who barreled forward and wrapped Delilah into a warm hug. Charlie watched, grimacing at first, until he noticed the sheer stunned joy sparkling in Delilah's blue-gray eyes. Molly pulled back, holding onto Delilah's elbows and steering her toward the picnic table.

"It's so good to meet you, dear. Why don't you sit down here next to George and Angie? I have plenty of food, so tuck in. Delilah, was it? Such a pretty name."

She blinked and smiled as Molly handed her a fork and knife. Her elbow and shoulders were brushing against a tall, lean man with a handsome face full of laugh lines and freckles. His hair was shaggy, skimming just below his earlobe. He wore a lime-green shirt with eye-wateringly bright pink lettering, proudly proclaiming the logo of his business. His outer robes were dark blue. He gave a grin and said, "Hello. I'm George. I hope you aren't afraid of small spaces because there is no such thing as personal space with this lot."

Charlie sat across from them, elbow-to-elbow with his father. The older man, the Weasley patriarch, was kind. Delilah could tell instantly by the simple look in his eyes and the softness of his smile. Molly was at the other end of the table, fussing and clucking right along with Percy as two little girls with ginger hair, named Lucy and Little Molly, threw peas at each other. Delilah chuckled and shrugged, "I don't mind."

"Hey, love." A beautiful woman with mocha skin and a mass of wild dark hair sat forward, pushing George in the chest in order to get a good look at Delilah. She said, "I'm Angelina, this one's wife."

"Oh, hi." Delilah smiled and sent an awkward little wave. "Your hair is gorgeous."

Angelina broke out into a brilliant grin. "I like you. I could say the same about yours. My goodness, what conditioner do you use? Your hair is so shiny and healthy."

Delilah smiled and said, "It's a Muggle brand I found years ago."

She told Angelina the name and where she could find it. Within five minutes, they had both decided to go shopping together the following Saturday.

George snorted and eyed Charlie critically. "Do you see what you have done? My woman will be nattering my ear off about hair products for the rest of the night." Angelina smacked him over the back of the head and rolled her eyes. Delilah smiled, becoming distracted just as Molly plopped down beside her husband. She looked a bit harried, but frowned when she saw Delilah's empty plate.

She asked, "Aren't you hungry, dear?"

"Oh, yes." Delilah replied, "I was too busy talking at first. It's a habit of mine."

"Talking too much?" George chortled, "I wouldn't have guessed."

She eyed the various mind-boggling dishes with wide eyes. Charlie chuckled and leaned forward, scooping out several options onto her plate. He pointed to a steaming mini-pie filled with meat and dark gravy. "Eat that. You'll like it."

She did so and was quite pleased. Conversations continued all around. George and Angelina talked of Quidditch with Charlie. Arthur and Molly discussed a new law regarding Misuse of Muggle Artifacts. Much further down the table, Delilah could hear Percy firmly correcting his daughters' table manners yet again. A gaggle of children, two of them clearly identifiable as the twins, were laughing and shoving and passing dishes in a frenzy of motion. There was another tall red-head male seated next to a bushy-haired brunette woman. They seemed to be sharing an inside joke, the woman leaning on the red-head's shoulder in a fit of giggles.

Delilah focused on the Quidditch talk because it was the only subject matter she was firmly knowledgeable and interested in. There was a spoonful of dark, concealed substance on her plate. She took a small bite and swallowed, quickly reaching for her water and gulping it while trying not to be noticeable. Charlie cut his eyes at her, silent laughter shaking his broad shoulders.

George leaned down and whispered, "I saw that."

She blushed and whispered, "Don't tell your Mom, please."

George grinned, "Haggis isn't for everyone. Angelina doesn't like it, either."

"What is it?" Delilah murmured, eyeing the dark blob.

He answered, "Sheep stomach with minced heart and lungs."

Delilah let out an alarmed squeak as George broke into loud chuffs of laughter. Eyes around the table riveted to them. Delilah felt her face warm and she glanced helplessly at Charlie. It was Molly who demanded, "What did you do to the poor girl?"

"Nothing." George smirked, "She did it to herself."

Delilah rolled her eyes and elbowed him. "I'll get you back."

Dessert went well and Delilah ate a sliver of cherry cheesecake happily. She eyed the length of the table, searching for those delicious lemon cookies. She saw none and tried not to be disappointed. She rose and began to help Molly and the other women gather dishes. Molly was waving her wand about, sending streams of cups in one direction while plates went in the opposite. Another movement had brooms sweeping the porch and folding the tablecloths.

Angelina hurried after the gaggle of children trying to yank a box of fireworks out of George's hands. Three kids were laughing and sitting on his feet, preventing him from walking, as the twins tried crawling up his back. Delilah smiled.

"Have the children or George scared you off yet?" The bushy-haired woman asked with a kind smile. She held out her hand and Delilah accepted. "I'm Hermione."

"Delilah." She replied with a small smile. "You're Ron's wife?"

"Yes." Hermione said, "I see Charlie caught you up beforehand. Smart of him what with so many of us."

"Oh, this is definitely more people than I'm used to." Delilah chuckled slightly, "But no. The kids are too funny."

Hermione and Delilah watched as Arthur picked up a little girl from beneath George's feet. Behind him, Ron swooped down and picked up the other little girl. Across the yard, Percy and his wife were helping Charlie levitate numerous chairs their way. Hermione pointed and said, "The youngest girls are Percy and Audrey's. The older girls are Dominique, Roxie, and Lily. The one currently beating Freddie over the head with a Firebuster is Dominique, Bill and Fleur's daughter. Lily, Harry and Ginny's daughter, is quite sneaky and is wrapping around the tree in order to ambush George. Ah, Roxie is determined to help her do so."

"And yours?" Delilah asked, enjoying the commentary. She pointed and said, "The red-headed boy who is reading underneath the tree is your Hugo, right?"

Hermione looked at her and said, "Yes. Right on the spot."

There was a pause as they watched the scene unfold before Hermione chuckled, "My daughter is named Rose. She and Albus, that is one of Harry and Ginny's sons, are inside. Both are writing essays for History of Magic. And James is suspiciously absent, which means he is probably bothering them. I suppose I should go fetch them, so they don't miss the firework show."

Delilah laughed and sat down as Charlie brought two chairs toward her. He sat beside her and asked, "Are you having fun?"

"Yes." She smiled widely, "I really am."

Percy came to sit beside them with a little red-head on his knee. She squirmed, which caused Percy to sigh heavily. The little girl was no older than six and had stunning ginger hair with bouncy curls. The man was slim with short, curly hair slicked with gel. He wore horn-rimmed glasses that hid his lake-blue eyes. He had a sharp chin and slashing cheekbones that was rather striking, certainly different than any of his siblings. He shook hands with Delilah and greeted her politely. A quiet woman with mousy brown hair sat on Percy's other side and gently rocked another red-headed little girl. That one seemed to be older, perhaps eight or nine years.

Hermione came back with three teenagers in tow. A teenage girl sat beside Hermione. Both teen boys had jet black hair and pale skin, free of Weasley freckles. Of the two, one was much brawnier while the other was taller and leaner. The brawnier one took off like a shot, barreling straight toward his family. The adults were trying to control the crowd as George set out numerous large boxes in strategic places throughout the yard.

Ron came back, plopping into a seat beside Hermione and the teenaged Rose, who had ginger hair the exact shade of Ron's. It was too light to be considered red, but rather could be considered a startling orange. Rose had a far-away look in her sky-blue eyes and smudges of ink across her hands. Ron looked at the girl and asked, "Have I ever told you how wonderful you are, Rosie?"

The girl smiled softly and said, "Yes, Da."

"Do you know why?" Ron asked.

The girl's lips tilted up even further. She said, "I don't get caught causing as much mischief as the others. This means you don't have clean-up duty."

Charlie chuckled as Ron patted his daughter on the shoulder. "That's right."

Hermione scoffed, "You're teaching her to be secretive, Ronald."

Rose shook her head, "No, Ma. He can't teach me what I already know."

Hermione narrowed her eyes and Rose quickly said, "I'm going to help Uncle George and Aunt Angie with the fireworks."

It took considerable time and one startingly shrill warning from Molly until the children all sat on the ground at the adults' feet and watched the fireworks. Everyone tilted their heads up, watching a dazzling display of brilliant color. Delilah scooted forward until her feet were firmly planted on the ground and her butt was teetering on the edge of her seat. Her back was straight and her head tilted to the point of her neck's protest. The children were not the only ones exclaiming loudly when a particularly huge boom was followed by crackling starbursts. When it was over, Delilah's ears were ringing and her nose was numb with the cold.

She was grinning even after saying goodnight to the Weasley family. Charlie took her hand as they made their way through the Ward, Delilah offering a wave when the young twins called out a hasty farewell. They walked down the dirt road for some time. Nothing but the fields of grass were their companion. The wind was steady and chilling, which had Charlie recasting Warming Charms every ten minutes. Delilah kept glancing up at the sky. At one point, Charlie caught her lips moving as if she were speaking. He asked, "Why do you keep looking at the sky?"

She smiled, turning to look at him as they walked. "I like counting stars."

He paused. Charlie slowly asked, "Would you like to come back home with me for the night? I'd make sure you were up and awake in time to pick up Gideon."

Delilah's smiled faded and she began to bite her lip. The gesture made his heart squeeze and patter harder inside of his chest. They walked on, still holding hands. She whispered, "Yes. I would like that."

Charlie stopped walking, stepping closer and leaning down. He intertwined both hands with hers and kissed her lips just once before Apparating with a cracking noise that echoed through the night. It was a long time before they spoke again, but when they did it was in soft whispers and pleasured gasps.