To a wonderful friend…who convinced me, despite his awful choice in pairings (hugs) this one has some merit.

These girls were crazy! In the ten minutes since Marlene had left, they had taken all the pillows off his couch, made a fort with his kitchen table and refused to stop giggling! He was relieved when she came bustling back in, "They've taken over!" He moaned, pointing to the pile of cushions around the legs of the table.

"Wow, what a cool fort!" She exclaimed. Turning to Fred, she kissed him on the cheek before dumping the games, wine and ice cream into his arms. "I hope there's room in there for me!"

"'Course there is Auntie Marlene, be next to me!" Bridget yelled, moving over and pushing Lilliane in the process. Tears welled in the younger girl's eyes until Millicent crawled in and pulled her into her lap. Smiling triumphantly, Lilliane giggled, "Sometimes mommy transfigures our forts into a big castle like Auntie Ginny lives in!"

Fred blanched, "We are not having Malfoy Manor in my living room!" He placed the ice cream in the freezer and walked back, arms folded over his chest and his chin stuck out defiantly. He was not going to be putting up with anything resembling that in his personal space!

Millicent laughed and pulled her wand from her pocket. "Arx Basilia!" The couch immediately was transfigured into a monstrosity of pink, purple and silk. It was a castle built for the prettiest princess and she knew from personal experience that little girls loved it. "Better, Fred?"

"Well… at least it's not Malfoy Manor," He answered grimly. The squeals of delight from his nieces were enough to make him smile. "I hope that's big enough for one more!" Pushing himself in, he found that it was a lot larger than he had anticipated.

His kitchen table barely fit two people eating side by side, but she had transfigured everything so there was ample space. And the interior matched the exterior with its pink walls, purple chairs and multitudes of silk draperies that covered windows that were charmed to show a beach, a forest and a guard dragon depending which one you looked out.

"This is…amazing." He said, watching the three girls dance in a ballroom that rivaled that of Malfoy Manor itself. "How did you do this?"

Laughing again, she shrugged, "I was always really good in charms." It was comfortable between them and Millicent savored the moment. How many more of these would there be? "I wrote an article on it for the Daily Prophet a long time ago and in order to really understand the spell, I tried it out on my goddaughter," She smiled, remembering Sylvia's little face lighting up. "She loved it and over the years I've been able to perfect it."

Fred nodded, still in awe of what she had done with a simple spell and his couch cushions that were stained from years of use. "You have a goddaughter?"

"Yes, Sylvia Nott," The moment after she said it, she regretted it.

"Wait, Sylvia Nott as in Pansy Parkinson and Theodore Nott's daughter?" He knew that she had been a Slytherin and in Draco and Ginny's year, but she had also been friends with Pansy and Theodore? "Were you close back in school?"

Swallowing hard, she told as much truth as she possibly could, "I was never friends with Theodore; Pansy wasn't much of a friend until both our parents were dead. There's a lot of pressure when you're a Death Eater's daughter…"

There was something not adding up, but Fred didn't know exactly what; then again, how was it any of his business who she was friends with at Hogwarts and beyond? The Parkinson's had never thrown their loyalties to Voldemort officially and the death of Pansy's parents had been ridden off as a casualty of war. Theodore Nott, on the other hand, was a known Death Eater himself…who turned on his friends and was able to escape Azkaban only by proving that he had never participated in any true dark rituals.

It was still a little disconcerting to know that his girlfriend was friends with Death Ea…wait…his girlfriend!? Had he just thought of her as his girlfriend? This was not a good sign…

Looking at her out of the corner of his eye, he wondered what he was thinking. Sure, she was beautiful and smart and really, really good with children…but that's not what he was looking for. Right? He was a bachelor; he enjoyed sleeping with women, not playing in a princess castle with them! He enjoyed his personal space and didn't want to give that up for an apartment with as many pink walls as this castle had…

Then again, Marlene's flat hadn't been an explosion of pink. She lived very modestly with nice furniture and no frills that he had noticed; there may have been a ruffle here or there, but it wasn't obscenely girly. Licking his lips, he decided to throw caution to the wind.

Millicent had been watching the girls dance to the Weird Sister's hit 'Vampire Valtz' with jubilation. They were great girls, all of them and she could see why Molly was so proud of them. She had turned to Fred to comment on how much they looked like Bill when his lips descended on hers.

The other times they had kissed, it seemed like they were drawn into passion very quickly. But Fred didn't deepen their kisses, he merely let his lips linger on hers until her own were tingling. Millicent responded in turn, their noses bumping as she reciprocated his gentle kiss with one of her own.

Closing her eyes, she let him kiss her senseless. It wasn't until she heard the high giggling of three little girls that she opened one eye and laughed at the look on their faces. Bridget seemed to think it was hopelessly romantic, Lilliane on the other hand look thoroughly disgusted and little Molly seemed nothing but confused. Millicent put her hands on her hips, "What is so funny, ladies?" She asked, pretending to be angry but failing miserably as she laughed at Lilliane's sickened expression. Boys were quite 'icky' to her still.

Bridget giggled again, "You kiss Uncle Fred like mommy kisses daddy!" She exclaimed, rushing over to her and sitting down in her lap. She knew she was too big for laps but she also noticed that her new aunt didn't seem to mind. "Do you want to be a mommy some day?"

Fred watched her intently as Marlene leaned down and whispered in the girl's ear. Bridget dissolved into giggles again and stood up, "Are we getting pizza or what? I'm hungry as a hippogriff!"

"A hippogriff!" Fred gasped, "We must get pizza here, immediately! Quick! Everyone out of the tent before Bridget eats us all!" Scrambling out of the tent, he was followed closely by Lilliane and then the rest filed out. Molly seemed a little overwhelmed and had to be held again.

Millicent cradled Molly close as she made her way to the floo directory. Molly clapped her hands, "Pisa! Pisa!" She giggled. "Toadstool pisa!"

Bridget scrunched up her nose, "No! We're not eating toadstool pizza, Molly. Uncle Fred, can we get pizza with pepperoni on it?"

Fred shrugged, "Ask your Aunt Marlene, it's up to her. This is girls' night after all," he said with a wink in her direction. He sat down in his leather chair, one of his favored muggle amenities. It had a built in massager; his father had given it to him for his birthday and it had become one of his favorite spots to relax.

Staring into Bridget's pleading eyes, Millicent just laughed, "Lilliane, what do you want on your pizza?"

Blushing, the little girl looked down at her patent leather shoes. "I like pepperonis too," She answered shyly.

"Pepperoni it is, I'll order a large one," Millicent smiled and began reaching into her pocket for galleons when Fred stopped her, "I've got this one, Marlene. It's the least I can do, you've paid enough already." Tossing a pinch of floo powder he called out, "Three Broomsticks Delivery!"

A young boy no older than fifteen popped his head out of the fire, "Yessir, what can we's be gettin' for you tonight?"

"A large pizza with extra pepperoni," Fred answered and handed him several galleons through the fireplace. The boy disappeared for a moment and then extended several sickles out to him, "Keep the change, you've earned it."

The boy beamed, "Well thank ya much, sir! It'll be about twenty minutes for the pizza. Are you still residing at 1145 Diagon Alley, apartment 134?"

Fred nodded and the boy disappeared again. Turning back to the ladies, she smiled. "He said about twenty minutes…how about you girls set up the exploding snap while Aunt Marlene and I talk in the kitchen?"

Molly wriggled free from Millicent as she chased her sisters to the large coffee table. Millicent turned and followed him into the kitchen, "Having fun, Fred?" She asked with laughter in her voice.

Sighing heavily, he picked up the ten thousand galleon wine, "Care for a glass?" He asked, taking down a flute for himself. His mum had insisted on getting him some nice wine goblets for a housewarming present. At the time he had though that it was worst bloody gift he'd ever received but at the moment, he was very glad to have them. He wouldn't want Marlene drinking wine out of a wooden cup or, worse, a tea cup.

"A small one, I want to keep my wits about me," She answered and accepted the glass from him. The girls were carefully reading the directions, trying to get all the pieces together on the table.

Fred poured a small one for him and leaned on the counter next to her. "I can't say as I've had this much fun babysitting the three little monsters, well…ever," He admitted, answering her first question.

"Oh Fred," Millicent chastised, "They aren't monsters. They're exceptional girls, very smart and strong. Bridget's got the sight…"

He nearly choked on his wine, "You have the sight, Marlene?" What else didn't he know about this girl?

"No, but I'm a sensitive. I didn't find out until I met Luna Lovegood, I know she has the sight," she explained. "I wasn't really exposed to the sight until I met her."

Sniggering, he took another sip, "Guess Trelawny wasn't really as great a visionary as she believed, huh?"

Echoing his laughter, she shook her head, "Professor Trelawny was a sensitive too, a little stronger than I am. That's why she's able to read some prophecies and not others. I can't read any prophecies; I can only detect the seers and Bridget…definitely a seer."

Furrowing his eyebrows, he nodded, "Is that why you were whispering?"

Millicent nodded, "In part, yes, she already knew the answer to the question and I wanted to let her know that it was okay. I'm sure that Bill and Fleur have no idea, but they will…seers show a lot of outward signs around this age."

"Wow," Fred answered, feeling a bit awed by all of this, "Well, what about Molly or Lilliane? Are they seers?"

"No, the sight is a very rare gift and it usually is bestowed on a family once every millennium, that's why there are so few seers," She explained, "I can't tell you if it was the Weasley side or the Delacour side, but she does have it." The wine tasted even better today than it had on their first date.

Lilliane skipped into the kitchen and grasped Fred's hand, "I need to go potty," She said, tugging his hand.

He choked on a sip of wine and stared openmouthed at Lilliane. "P-potty, Lilliane," He stuttered, "Can't you go by yourself?"

"It's poop!" She exclaimed, and placed her hands on her hips. "I need help! Mommy and Daddy always help me!"

Fred paled considerably and looked at Marlene, pleadingly. He was just getting used to having a girlfriend and now here he was, face to face with poop! It was any single man's nightmare…

The flames turned green as the boy stuck his head through again, "Mr. Weasley, your pizza is up!"

Still pale and clammy, Fred stared between the girls in the kitchen. Millicent rolled her eyes and took charge, "You get the pizza, and I'll take Lilliane to the loo." She said and held her hand out to the young girl. "Come on, love, let's finish up and eat some pizza!"

Fred sighed audibly as he rushed into the living room. She was a good woman; Marlene was…perfect; it wasn't every woman that would clean the bottom of an almost total stranger's child. Lilliane was his niece, Bill was his brother and yet, there he was with the pizza and there she was with the poop. He started to feel badly as he made the girls wash up in the kitchen sink before cutting their pizza and setting them up at coffee table to eat.

It was only a few minutes later when Lilliane came bouncing out and joined her sisters in their gossip about their new baby sister. Fred walked into the bathroom where Marlene was washing up her hands. Slipping beside her in the small bathroom, he put his arms around his waist, "Thank you," He whispered, pressing a kiss to the back of her neck.

She shuddered as she felt his lips press to her skin. "It wasn't that bad," Millicent smiled and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips before making her way out to where the girls were eating. She could still feel Fred's eyes on her as she sat down with a piece of pizza and jumped into the conversation on the naming of their new baby sister.

"I think they should name her Rosie!" Lilliane gushed, opening up to her new aunt in a way she very seldom did. "My bestest friend at school is named Rosie!"

Bridget hummed to herself before speaking up, "They're going to name her Lila Marlene," She said, after a moment of looking dazed, "After grandmum Delacour and Auntie Marlene!"

Millicent was taken aback for a moment; they were going to give the child her name? Well, it wasn't really her name but it was the name she had given them. It seemed to her that she was becoming entangled in this family very quickly. If she wasn't careful, she might not ever get out; she was also finding, she might not ever want to get out.

Fred sat in his chair, watching the four of them giggling like schoolgirls. Lila Marlene…his new niece would bear the name of a woman he had met all of a week ago. Somehow in the course of one date and one family dinner, she had ingrained herself in his life and he knew for certain that she wasn't doing it on purpose either. Some women would do anything to get close to him…but Marlene, she didn't even have to try.

Molly babbled incoherently as she chewed her pizza, her eyes drooping sleepily as she leaned her grease-stained face against Millicent's robes. With shock, she realized that it was almost eight at night! She wasn't sure what time Fleur and Bill put the girls to bed but she knew that Sylvia's bedtime was strictly eight-thirty p.m. unless there were extenuating circumstances.

Another thing that Millicent noticed was that none of the girls seemed to have pajamas. "Fred?" She asked lightly, not wanting to disturb him. He was staring quite intently at the fire flickering in the fireplace. "Did your mum send over any pajamas for the girls?"

Shaking his head, he threw a pinch of floo powder in, "The Burrow," he called. Arthur's head poked through the fire and he smiled. "Hello da, I was wondering if mum left any nightclothes for the girls with you."

"Nope, but there are some in Ginny's old room," Arthur answered, "I'll go get some."

Fred smiled, "Thanks dad." After several minutes, three different colored nightgowns popped through. "How's Fleur doing?"

Arthur laughed, "Batting Bill's ears bloody I'd think! Apparently all this time he's been working for the Malfoy Corporation doing curse breaking and neglected to tell Fleur!"

Millicent felt a sigh of relief course through her. At least Fleur knew the truth now and had some peace of mind. Striding over to the fireplace, she smiled, "Hello Mister Weasley, did she have the baby yet?"

"Marlene! Do call me Arthur, if you will." The older man smiled broadly, "I'm glad you're there keeping an eye on Fred." Fred huffed but Arthur continued on as if he hadn't noticed, "A healthy five pound girl! Lila Marlene! She said she wanted to name the baby after the woman who helped her get to St. Mungo's. I heard you were quite the hero!"

Shock coursed through her, "What? I didn't do anything at all; I just told her to keep calm and helped her get to St. Mungo's…"

"Fleur is very stubborn about things like that, Bridget and Molly were both born at home because she refused to go to the hospital," Arthur explained, "And this baby had some serious complications, being two months early and all. If you didn't get her to St. Mungo's when you did…I'm not sure either would be with us."

Fred felt her sway unsteadily and immediately pulled her close to him, "I'm glad it worked out. We'll tell the girls—"He was cut off quickly by the three of them rushing the floo. "Hi grandpop!" Lilliane screeched, waving madly.

Bridget smiled, "Mommy had the baby? Lila Marlene?"

Arthur laughed, "Good ears, girl! Yes mum had the baby. I was going to ask Uncle Fred to bring you girls by tomorrow morning."

"Auntie Marlene comes?" Molly asked, sucking on her thumb as she leaned against Millicent's leg. "Yeah, can Auntie Marlene come?" Bridget echoed, smiling broadly.

Arthur was taken aback by how quickly things had progressed since he'd seen Fred and his new lady friend at the family dinner. "I'm sure they'd love to see all of you! The nurses said visiting hours start at eight o'clock, sharp!"

Fred feigned shock and dismay, "Well we must get to bed then! We want to be up bright and early so we're the first visitors!" Holding out the three nightgowns, he made sure they each got the right color and size. "Quick! To the bedroom to change!"

Little feet rushed toward the bedroom, closing the door firmly behind them. Millicent chuckled, "They're good girls."

"That they are," Arthur sighed sleepily. "I'll see you two in the morning, get some rest." He winked at his son before disappearing from view.

There was no denying what Arthur had meant and Fred's ears had turned extremely pink. "Thanks for all your help with the girls. It can be hard sometimes; I don't really know what to do with little girls."

Nodding in response, she knocked on the bedroom door to find that they had all changed by themselves, even little Molly, and were snuggling in the giant bed in Fred's guest room. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she leaned in conspiratorially, "Who wants to hear a story about the mean girl who turned good?"

Bridget sat bolt upright and raised her hand, "ME! I want to hear it, Aunt Marlene!"

Laughing, she pulled the sheet up over them. "If you want to hear it, you have to lay back and relax. And you have to promise that afterwards you'll go right to sleep!"

All three girls swore their oath and Millicent embarked on a tale straight from her own life. "There was once a girl, a big, mean, ugly girl who used to beat up everyone. And by everyone, I mean everyone!" She began, "And she was so ugly that everyone used to make fun of her…and that just made her angrier, so she beat up on people more!" It was a painful walk down memory lane, but true nonetheless, "But the girl was not evil, her wicked parents made her do it! They told her if she wasn't rude and nasty they'd make her marry an evil wizard!"

Collectively, they all gasped. "One day, though, the girl met a handsome king and he wasn't so mean to her. He helped her be nice again and helped her become beautiful, more beautiful than any of the other girls!" Millicent smiled, remembering Augustus telling her that she could do and be anything she wanted, "Soon she was a nice girl. Now, some people didn't believe it was her but in her heart, she had really changed. And as a nice, beautiful woman she lived happily ever after!"

Bridget sat up, hands on her hips, "Didn't she get married? That's how it's supposed to end! She's supposed to find a handsome prince and get married!"

Millicent laughed, "Maybe someday, Bridget, but for now this story ends with the girl living happily ever after all by herself." Leaning in, she pulled the comforter up over the three of them.

Fred had been listening to the story and was puzzled by it. An ugly girl who became beautiful by being nice? Well, she was a writer, not a storyteller. Moving to the other side of the bed, he swiftly kissed each girl on the head. "Goodnight, lovely ladies, good dreams!" He put his arm around Marlene as they walked toward the door.

"Wait," Lillian cried, "Aren't you going to give us kisses, Auntie Marlene?"

Laughing, Millicent walked back over to the bed and kissed them each on both cheeks. "Goodnight Bridget, goodnight Lilliane and goodnight Molly," She said softly and extinguished the light. The fire in the fireplace cast a rosy glow over the three girls as she closed the door and let out an exhausted sigh.

"That was sweet of you," Fred said, starting to clean up the living room. They never did get a chance to play Exploding Snap or eat ice cream sundaes, but they sure did have fun anyway.

Grabbing the pizza, she did a quick charm to wrap it in plastic wrap and placed it in the refrigerator. Next, she dismembered the fort and with several flicks of her wand, everything was back to the way it had been.

Smirking, he put the box down on the coffee table, "Impressive." He took her hand and led to the couch, collapsing with exhaustion. "Aren't you beat?"

With a shrug, she sighed and sat down next to him, "It's been a long day for me, yes. But it was nice spending time with you and the girls." His head rolled onto her shoulder and she laughed, "Not really my idea of a romantic date, just so you know for next time."

The words 'Next Time' didn't even faze him. "You have greasy face prints on your robe," He said coolly, pointing to where Molly had wiped her little face. Laughing, he pulled his wand and did a quick cleaning spell. "I'm glad you were here, really."

"I did have fun, they're great girls." The firelight warmed both of them as they sat comfortably, side by side.

It was strange how nice this felt. Usually, Fred wanted nothing to do with a woman unless she was naked and he was straddling her. But Marlene intrigued him like no woman ever had before. "Can I ask you something?" He asked, still thinking about what Bridget had said in the tent. She nodded and he looked down at his hands, "Do you," He hesitated, "you know…want to have children?"

That was not the question she had been expecting. She had expected 'Will you sleep with me', she had even started coming up with reasons not to. But asking if she wanted children? "You're wondering what Bridget knows, you mean."

Fred shrugged, "I guess I've been thinking about it since she brought it up but I'd like to know." Why did he want to know? Hell, he didn't even know why he wanted to know.

"Okay," She started. "Well, I've always wanted a big family, being an only child and all. I guess I always saw myself with three or four." Shrugging, she looked over at him, "Why, how many do you want?"

Sitting up, he shook his head, "I don't think I'll ever have children, Marlene." He wanted to be honest about this, "I don't want to get married, ever. And children, well…mum wouldn't allow me to have bastard children out there in the world. So, it's safer to say none and not jinx myself."

Looking away, she hoped that he couldn't see the disappointment there. It wasn't that she had a deep urge to marry him and have the three or four children she wanted; it was just that never seemed like a very, very long time. "To each his own I suppose," She cringed at the weakness in her own voice.

Fred looked over at her. Any other woman probably would've stormed out of her, crying and angry, but not Marlene. If he was going to be perfectly honest, she was the first woman he'd ever kept this long and there had to be a reason for that. "Marlene…"

"Don't, Fred," She retorted, standing up. "I'm not going to try and fight with you about this. What does it matter? You'd end up resenting me for trying to make you change and then whatever the bloody hell we might have would be ruined. And you could blame it all on me." Walking toward the floo, she grabbed her coat and started putting her shoes on. "I'm not giving you the chance."

Angrily, he stood up. "Fine, you're right, are you happy?" He snapped, pacing back and forth in front of the couch. "I don't want this to be my fault, I don't want to have to go home and tell my mother it's me that's the problem." Shoving his hands through his hair, he sighed. "You don't have to leave…"

Scoffing, she folded her arms over her chest. "I don't? You're just going to lie next to me in bed and not cop a feel?" His silence was answer enough. "Never mind, Fred, I'm going home. I'll see you in the morning."

Throwing his hands up, he stormed into his room and shut the door quietly as not to wake the girls. How dare she? Then again, what had she dared? She had dared to tell him exactly what he had been trying to ignore since George walked away? Dared to tell him that she wouldn't play his games?

Millicent felt tears pricking in her eyes as she fumbled around trying to get her shoes on, find her cloak and get the hell out of here. Sniffling, she quickly wiped her eyes on the back of her hand and stood up. There in front of her, was Molly, whimpering. "Oh sweetheart," she rushed over and picked her up, holding her close. "What happened?"

Molly snuggled into her chest and began to suck her thumb. "Bad dweam…" She said softly. "Daddy weft us."

"That was a bad dream," She said, stroking the girl's curly red hair. "But daddy and mommy are together at the hospital with your brand new sister. You don't need to worry about that."

Nodding, she looked up, "Can I sweep with you and Uncle Fred?" Her eyes were pleading, wide and brimming with tears. Millicent couldn't say no to that face, no matter what.

"Sit right here, I'm going to get my pajamas on." She said defiantly; angry or not, she was going to give Molly what she needed.

The large Hollyhead Harpies shirt and shorts she had brought were slightly wrinkled from where she had balled them up, but she deemed herself fit for sleeping as she changed in the bathroom. Molly was still rubbing tears from her eyes when Millicent came out and scooped her up. It was time to put her feelings for Fred aside; this was about Molly, not about them.

Fred was nearly thrashing in his bed, tossing and turning. Marlene had truly gotten to him! He didn't allow any woman to do that; not even his mother! Sure, he loved his mother but that didn't mean he wanted to be controlled by her! Growling, he punched the headboard and sat up, arms folded over his bare chest.

The one thing he loved and hated about Marlene was that she continually surprised him whenever they were together. And he was shocked when she opened the door to his bedroom with Molly tucked in her arms sniffling with tears. Marlene was dressed in a large t-shirt and what appeared to be flannel boxer shorts; he felt lust welling in is veins at the sight of her.

Damn it, Molly was with her…he had to calm down. Frowning, he looked at the both of them, "What's the matter?"

"Molly had a bad dream," Millicent answered coolly as she sat down on the bed next to him. "She asked if she can sleep with you and me tonight, it'll make her feel safe."

Fred couldn't say no to that face; Molly's sweet, innocent little face made him cave in, no matter what. She was going to be a heartbreaker when she grew up and he knew that he'd be on the front lines with Bill, battling away her suitors. Sighing, he shifted over to make room for them, "Sure," he said simply.

Climbing into bed was a little awkward, as Molly refused to let go of her. Rocking the girl gently, Millicent kissed the top of her head, "Just close your eyes, love. We're not going anywhere." It was late now and the firelight was dimming; it was almost half an hour before Molly's sleepy eyes closed and she was able to rest the little girl between them.

Leaning in, Fred whispered to her, "I can take it from here if you want to leave." He didn't want her to stay, he couldn't handle it. Him and her in a bed without having sex? It was not happening. Not now and not ever!

Rolling her eyes skyward, she slowly removed herself from the bed. "Fine, you wanker, you explain why I'm not here in the morning." Storming out, she found herself face to face with Bridget and Lilliane.

"Are you leaving Auntie Marlene?" Lilliane asked, lip quivering.

Bridget reached out her hand without a word and took both her sister's and her new aunt's hand. Leading them into the bedroom, she gave her Uncle Fred a chilly look as she climbed into bed, followed by Lilliane.

How could he not have seen it? Bridget was obviously a seer…she acted like one, she even talked like one. Eventually it would've come out, of course, but the signs were so obvious. And he knew, even without the sight, that he had been wrong. "Marlene, I'm sorry…come back to bed."

Hiding a smile, Millicent climbed into the bed that had magically grown to accommodate all of them. Molly snuggled against her again and this time Lilliane did too. "Goodnight girls," She said, kissing all of them again, "and goodnight Fred."

"I love you Auntie Marlene," Lilliane said quietly, "I love you Uncle Fred."

"I love you too," Millicent answered in unison with Fred, "And you Bridget, and Molly too."

The firelight dissolved into embers as they snuggled in bed, warm and safe. Fred looked over hours later to see all three of his nieces huddled against the new woman in his life and her arm circled them protectively.

How had this happened, he wondered? A week ago he had been Fred Weasley, bachelor extraordinaire with not a care in the world; and today he was in the bed with four women and there was nothing remotely sexual about it! Everything in the world had gone batty, absolutely everything…

Or maybe, he thought, he was starting to become sane.