Sunday rolled around like a whirlwind. After Marcus had been publicly humiliated and fired from his job at the prophet, Millicent had taken over some of his duties. Shockingly, it seemed that Marcus actually did a lot of work; his job was to keep the Daily Prophet vendors happy, to oversee publishing in just about every country and, of course, watch over the employees in the office. Millicent found herself falling into bed exhausted every night; by the time Sunday came around, she was fully sleep deprived.

Fred popped through the floo to find Millicent yawning. There were dark circles under her eyes, she was looking pale and all-around drained. Stepping through, he frowned, "Millie, are you okay?"

"Fine," She said, smoothing out the winkles in her green dress robes. They still made her look positively Slytherin, but they were clean. Millicent hadn't even had time to do laundry since Marcus was fired. "I've been so busy at the Prophet lately; I haven't had time to do much of anything."

Nodding, he walked over to her, "Are you sure you want to go today? I'm sure my mother wouldn't be too upset if we begged off…especially if she thought you and I were celebrating our honeymoon or something." A goofy grin spread over his face, "She'd probably even send food to keep up in top form."

Millicent feigned scoffing, but couldn't help but laugh. "It's just that since Marcus was fired, there's been so much extra work for me to do. We need to hire someone, badly!"

He held out his hand to her and helped her up off the couch, "C'mon, they'll start to worry and since Fleur had the baby, she's been somewhat…frazzled."

That turned out to be the understatement of the century. Fleur looked like someone had been 'Crucio'-ing her for hours. Her usually smooth white blonde hair was frizzy and tied back in a messy braid. The second she saw Millicent, she rushed over and began kissing her on the cheeks, "Oh Millie, I'm so glad to see you! Hold Lila, if you will, I need to run Molly to ze loo!"

Before Millicent had a chance to breathe a tiny, fragile infant was placed in her arms and Fleur was off like a lightning bolt, carrying a giggling two year old in her arms. Looking down, she swallowed as the baby's bright blue eyes stared up at her. She looked up to see the rest of the family smiling knowingly at her, even Penelope, whom Millicent hadn't seen in years.

Bill laughed and patted Fred on the back, "She's been excited to see your wife for the whole week. I swear she must've mentioned your name a thousand times…in between midnight feedings and diaper changes." He was rubbing tiredness out of his features as well.

Molly, noticing the commotion, bustled out of the kitchen with Ginny at her side. "Oh, Millie," She gushed, "You must come see the Christmas tree!" Ushering Millicent in, she smiled at the twelve foot Christmas tree that took up nearly half the living room by itself. It was decorated with magically twinkling lights, popcorn and, of course, the Weasley Family Ornaments. Ever member of the family had one, a delicate glass ball decorated with love by Molly Weasley herself. "We have four new ornaments this year! One for Little Percy, his first Christmas and one for Lila, it's hers too! And of course, one for Florie and Millicent," She smiled, tears building behind her eyes.

Millicent also found herself getting teary eyed. Right next to Fred's ornament there was a dark green ball with little quills and the Daily Prophet logo zooming around. "It's perfect, Molly, thank you so much!" She leaned in, giving the woman a gentle hug while still holding onto the silent baby.

Fred felt his cheeks burning as he slung his arm around Millicent's shoulders. This was a ruse that was starting to feel very real…Millicent was a part of the family already. It was becoming unnerving, "Mother, we're starved. Is it time for dinner?"

"Oh," Molly cried, "The roast!" Bustling back into the kitchen, she let out a heavy sigh of relief. "DINNER, and it's not burned!"

As a general rule, women carrying or holding babies were seated first and Millicent, still holding Lila, was not exempt from the rule. She found herself sitting next to Penelope, her raven hair swept back in a ponytail and she was eyeing Millicent out of the corner of her eye. In Penelope's lap was a sleeping eight month old child, oblivious to the noise that the Weasley family was making finding their seats.

It was then that Millicent noticed that George was not in attendance. There was a seat suspiciously open next to Penelope. Fleur bustled back in, smiling and took her seat next to Bill; it became clear that she was getting in 'mother's training'.

Fred knew exactly what they were doing…all of them. They were testing Millicent to see if she really fit in here among the Weasley's but, more importantly, if she'd be a good mother. She'd already passed the 'three kids under the age of twelve' test by showing Bridge, Lilliane and Molly a good time while Fleur was having Lila. Now, they'd test her to see how she dealt with young babies. Leaning over, he smiled, "I'll fill you a plate, love." The love slipped out and he knew it didn't go unnoticed by anyone at the table.

"Is there any news this week?" Molly asked, as she always did. "Ginny?"

The youngest Weasley huffed and rolled her eyes, "No mother, I'm not pregnant." Ginny didn't even blink when her mother scoffed indignantly and turned to Penelope.

Putting her hands on her hips, she looked over at Penelope, "Where's George today, Penelope? Don't tell me he's working again!"

Little Percy Weasley was the only Weasley thus far to ever be born with dark hair, the black hair of his mother. Penelope looked flustered for a moment before staring down at her plate, "Don't be angry, Mrs. Weasley," She said meekly, "George has an important job as Undersecretary to the Minister. Madame Bones needed his expertise in pranks to help solve the Belching Toilet scandal."

Molly's face darkened, "My son put toilets above this family?!" Her scathing voice calmed to a shriek when she sank back in her seat. "EAT!"

Soon everyone became engrossed in their meals. Millicent had a hell of a time supporting the baby and eating; after a few bites, she gave up and cradled the baby against her chest. Fred had filled her plate to overflowing and she couldn't help but smile as he watched her out of the corner of his eye.

Tentative conversation broke out when Bill began to gush about his new job and how he was getting paid double what Gringott's paid him for curse breaking. Penelope leaned in to Millicent, "I don't know if you remember me from school," She said quietly, eyes darting around the table, "I'm Penelope Clearwater-Weasley."

A smile worked its way onto Millicent's face, "Of course I remember you Penelope, you were a prefect after all. I believe you tore me out of a few very dirty fights in my day."

Penelope's high, breathy laugh brought everyone's attention to her again and she blushed, looking down. "Yes, I must say, you have changed a great deal." As quickly as she had spoken, she blushed deeper, "For the better, of course!"

It seemed that Penelope was used to walking on eggshells…Millicent found herself wondering what made the girl that way. Back in school Penelope had been quite a bawdy, outspoken girl…now she acted like a frightened mouse. "I knew what you meant," Millie said cordially. "You don't need to worry about offending me, Penelope. I have thick skin, I assure you."

Nodding, Penelope shifted the child in her arms. "I'm…" She leaned in closer, "I'm sorry about George's behavior last Sunday. He…" She swallowed hard, "He hasn't been the same since Percy died."

Millicent didn't know why Penelope felt a need to explain for George's bad behavior, as he hadn't even been there, but she gave her a smile anyway. The woman obviously needed to be reassured. "Your son is quite a good baby," She said finally, after the woman stared intensely at her…obviously, there was something she wanted to say or do.

"He really is," she smiled, "He never fusses and rarely ever cries! I can't say as I've ever seen a baby like Little Percy. I so wish we could have another baby," She said longingly.

"Why don't you?" Millicent asked absently and jumped when Penelope's fork fell against the plate with a loud clank. Lila was jolted out of her silence and began to wail loudly. Millie lifted Lila to her shoulder, holding her head carefully and began to rock her gently.

All eyes were on Penelope as she began to cry softly. "It's not that simple!" She said, her voice shaking with the tears building in her throat. "My husband won't even look at me! I'm disgusting to him! Even I lost all the baby weight, even though I try to be perfect for him! He doesn't want me!"

Millie knew she had asked a loaded question; damn herself for being so tired! If she had been thinking straight, she'd never have made a blunder like that. Looking over at Fred, she slowly lowered Lila into his arms and kissed him on the cheek, "I'll be right back." Grabbing Penelope by the arm, she pulled her into the kitchen and slammed the door.

Arthur shook his head when Molly started to get up, "This has been a long time in the coming, Molly…let Millicent handle it." With a firm nod of her head, Molly sat back down and there was silence once more.

With the two women in the relative privacy of the kitchen, Millicent found that she didn't really know what to do. Did she yell at the woman? Console her tears? She decided after a moment to get the woman a large glass of wine and sit her down, taking the small child from her arms so she had a chance to relax.

"Thank you," Penelope said after a long time. "I don't know what came over me,' she laughed embarrassedly.

"I do," Millicent said hotly and held Little Percy closer. "Your husband treats you like shit and you started believing it was true."

Penelope gasped, "Oh no, George loves me! He does!"

Narrowing her eyes, she watched the uncertainty flickering in Penelope's eyes, "Really? Because I could've sworn that we all just overheard you saying that George is a blind bastard…"

"I…never said th—"Penelope started, but Millicent cut her off. "Did you say that he didn't want you? I think that makes him a blind bastard, Penelope."

This time, Penelope laughed. It wasn't a happy sound, though; it was the sound of a thousand broken dreams that were finally being shaken loose after she'd held them inside for so long. For several long minutes she began engrossed in her wine, the dark chardonnay seemed to soothe her. When she replaced the glass once more, it was empty. "It used to be so different between us," Penelope whispered. Her voice was wrought with anguish and fear, "After Percy died I…I didn't know whether or not I could carry on. And I never told this to the Weasley's but," Her eyes darted to the closed kitchen door, "When Percy died, I was pregnant with his baby…not George's."

Millicent could feel this woman's pain radiating off of her. "And he married you so that the baby would have a father?"

Penelope nodded, her eyes bright with tears, "At first he was so wonderful. Especially after I lost the baby," A sob tore through her. "He held me and told me that it would be okay, that the baby was with Percy and we'd have other babies." Sobering, she forced the tears back, "Everything seemed fine after that. He didn't even make a fuss when we started going to sessions with a mediwitch to help me cope with losing Percy and the baby."

The air was thick with tension, not only from Penelope, Millicent thought. The conversation had halted since she had pulled Penelope in here. There was a sound of silverware and the occasional cough or sneeze but nothing more.

"Then, I got pregnant and everything changed. It was like…I don't know, Millie." She looked down at the diamond winking in the dim light. "He wasn't interested. Oh, he went to the baby appointments but he stopped coming to the mediwitch for counseling, he started working more and more…I barely saw him. I still barely see him. He doesn't want me and…I think he hates his son. I don't know what I did…what I can do."

Anger welled up in Millicent's chest. "Penelope, this isn't your problem. If I were you I'd kick George's ass to the curb!"

Shock flared in Penelope's eyes, "Oh Millie I couldn't!" She nearly cried. "What about Percy? It wouldn't be fair!"

"Oh, and it's fair that your husband is doing this to you?" Millicent folded her arms over her chest. "I'm not saying get your marriage dissolved, you know how hard that is, but you need to give him an ultimatum. Either he steps up and becomes a man or you're leaving him."

Penelope bit her lit, thinking about it. "To be honest, I've thought about it." She said quietly. "I…I think he's sleeping with another woman. I think it's the minister's daughter, Susan."

Sighing, Millie slung her arm around the woman. "It seems that George needs a wakeup call," she answered. "Are you going to be alright going back to dinner or do you want me to cover for you?"

The silent child in Penelope's eyes stretched and began to whimper. She smiled softly, "Guess that's my answer, he's getting hungry." She reached out, grabbing Millicent and pulling her into a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you so much!"

Awkwardly, Millicent patted her on the back before disentangling her from her new friend. She made sure the woman was safely secreted out of the kitchen before she walked back to where the Weasleys were finishing their dinner. Without another word, she stepped back over to where Fred was staring own at baby Lila. "I hope you were okay watching her, Fred."

Fred had been just fine but he wasn't sorry when she took the infant from his arms. Babies as small as Lila made him nervous; what if he dropped her? Or something bad happened? He was frightened by how frail and small she seemed. "Fine, Millie," He answered and stood to help her back into her chair.

Dinner after that was an extremely terse affair. It took all Molly Weasley had in her to stop from grilling Millicent about Penelope. But, as much as she wanted to know…she had the sinking suspicion that her son was responsible and for that, she had to confront him. Besides, angry confrontations were not for family dinners!

By the time dessert and coffee were served, the entire affair had been put to rest. Charlie and his wife had left early, Bill and Fleur were cuddling by the Christmas tree with Lila safely tucked in Bill's arms, Ron and Florie had settled in to play a spirited round of Wizard Chess while Bridget and Lilliane watched in awe, Molly and Arthur had put the younger Molly into Ginny's old room for a nap, leaving Fred and Millicent alone in the kitchen. Millicent had insisted on finishing up the last of the dishes and no one was about to argue with that. Ginny had stepped in—after some goading from her mother—to help put things away.

Despite the fact that she was now Mrs. Malfoy and had all the money that the title entailed…but Ginny Weasley was still the same girl she'd always been. Her second hand robes had been rolled up to avoid getting anything on them and her red hair was pulled into a high ponytail as she cast cleaning charms over the kitchen.

Millicent finished the last of the dishes and collapsed against the counter with a sigh. "Finally, that's all finished."

"Mum used to make us do it without magic, something about the dishes getting cleaner without it." Ginny rolled her eyes skyward. "So, you want to spill what's up with you and Fred or do I need to hex it out of you?"

"Oh really," Millicent laughed. "Well I'd like to see you try. But since I wouldn't want Draco coming after me while I sleep I'll just tell you."

Ginny poured herself a cup of coffee and smiled. "Underestimating me, I see. But that's alright, Millie, I suppose I've underestimated you as well." She took a long sip, drawing her robes tighter around herself. "I never thought I'd see the day when Fred looked at a woman the way that my dad looks at my mum."

A crimson blush spread over Millicent's face. "I don't think he looks at me like that."

"Guess you're blind too," Ginny joked and set her cup down again. "Fred's always been the strange one of the bunch. The rest of us wanted to grow up and get married, have children…Fred never did. He has always said that he doesn't want what we had growing up: too many mouths to feed and not enough sources of income. But he married you, didn't he? You must've made an impact on him somehow."

Millicent found herself frowning; did everyone believe that lie? Ginny's words got to her though, "You mean he didn't want to bring children into the world if he couldn't provide for them?" Fred had told her that he didn't want to get married; as for children, he had said only that he wasn't going to have children without getting married and it didn't seem possible for him otherwise.

Ginny thought about it for a moment, "I think that's part of the reason." She started, tapping her nails lightly on the counter. "But I think he also felt as if he wasn't adequate to raise kids…I don't know why."

Why was Ginny telling her this? It wasn't as if they were friends…tentative allies, maybe. But that didn't mean that Ginny was obligated to tell all of Fred's deep, dark secrets. "He's great with kids, I saw him with the girls. He's a wonderful uncle."

"As an uncle, he can give the kids back when he gets too overwhelmed or tired," Ginny said gently. "He can't give back children that are his…and he wouldn't want to. That's why he's so afraid, I think. He doesn't want to say forever because he can't predict forever."

Suddenly the images of fear and pain in his face when he talked about Percy's death; everything was clicking into place. "You're saying that he's pushing me away because he's afraid that he'll fall in love with me and lose me…the way he lost Percy?"

Ginny nodded, "Among other people. Look at George…he may be alive, but Fred's lost him too."

Millicent's heart tightened; this was the answer to everything. Looking up, her eyes met Ginny's, "Why did you tell me this?" It didn't make sense for Ginny to be telling her this; she was effectively betraying her brother.

"You make Fred happy, Millie. I've never seen him look as happy as he does when he's with you." She said sincerely, and then she chuckled, "Can't say that I understand it, but it's what he wants. Even if he doesn't know it yet, you're the one he wants."

A smile spread over Millicent's features. "Thank you, Ginny."

"Don't thank me yet," She said, seriously. "Saying it out loud changes nothing about what Fred feels…you're still going to have to convince him that he's better off loving you than living in fear for the rest of his life."

Millicent nodded again, "In other words, easier said than done." She found herself frowning when Ginny nodded her assent as well. It was a good start that she had been able to get closer to Fred, that she was here with his family and that despite animosity in their past, they wanted to help her. "Well, chances are if we continue down the path we're going...I think we can work it out."

With a quick look around, Ginny came to stand in front of Millicent. "Do you love him?"

The question shocked her, "Love Fred? Ginny, I…we haven't known each other for all that long."

"That's not what I asked you, Millie," She said firmly. "I have to know, I love my brother and I want him to be happy. If you don't love him and don't plan on pursuing him, all of this has been a waste."

Biting her lip, Millicent hesitated for only a second, "I think I do love him." She said her voice barely a whisper. "I love him because he's funny and because he knows just what to say…and because he doesn't blame me for what I was in school. But most of all, I love him because I don't know how else to feel."

Ginny didn't say anything more after that. She patted Millicent's shoulder gently and headed back into the living room to collect her belongings and her husband before heading out the door.

In the meantime, Draco had gotten a stern look from his wife that told him he had better try and make conversation with Fred or risk getting no sex for the rest of the week. He decided that as much as his pride stung, having a warm bed was far more important than ignoring his brother-in-law.

Fred had been standing near the Christmas tree, fingering over the ornaments. His hand lingered on the one that Molly had made for Millicent this year. He barely realized that Draco was behind him until he turned around and nearly slammed into him, "Hey, watch it, Draco!"

The blonde Slytherin grimaced but managed to bite his tongue. He would not apologize to a Weasley, but he could change the subject. "I see that your mum made Millie an ornament this year…"

"What, jealous Malfoy? You got yours last year," He said snarkily. It wasn't that Fred disliked Draco…it was just that old habits died hard. He was positive that if he started being nice to Draco that the poor boy would become paranoid.

With a scoff, Draco folded his arms over his chest, "Come on, Fred. I'm trying to avoid sleeping on the sofa for the next week. Would you give me a chance here?"

"The sofa?" Fred queried, then he laughed, "With all the bloody rooms you have in that manor you'd let Ginny put you out on the sofa?"

"It's a figure of speech, Weasley. I don't expect you to understand it, you and Millie haven't even started shagging yet." This would get him; Fred hated to seem second-best when it came to sex. He was a notorious flirt and was very proud of his standing with the ladies…at least, he had been up until recently.

Fred's eyes darted around the room and he stalked away from where the rest of the group was sitting. There was no reason Bridget or Lilliane needed to hear that he had, indeed, been shagging Millicent…and it was the bloody best sex he'd ever had in his life. "I'll have you know, Malfoy, that Millicent is the best shag that ever lived."

Draco moved to argue, for the sake of his lady fair…but decided that telling his brother in law about what a minx his sister was in bed, was not the way to go about coming home in one piece. "So you have shagged her then?"

He leaned in, looking proud, "The woman is unlike anyone I've ever met before."

"So, is that why you married her?" Draco asked, looking smug. Ginny would be forever in his debt.

Fred only looked angry, "Been spending too much time with your head up your arse, Draco? What makes you think I'm going to marry her or anyone else for that matter if they were just a good shag?."

Pink tinged Draco's cheeks…maybe this wasn't going to well after all. "Look, Fred," He cast aside the joviality and plastered on the Malfoy sneer that he had perfected over the years, "I've been friends with Millicent since before you even knew she existed. I don't think you want to go around playing with a girl like her."

"Playing with her?!" Fred half-shouted, "She's the one who won't leave me alone! She keeps invading my life and I can't stop her."

"She's your wife!" Draco shot back, "That's her right! What else can she bloody do?"

For a while there, Fred had almost forgot that everyone in his family thought that he and Millie were Mr. and Mrs. Fred Weasley. "Millie can do anything she sets her mind to," He said hotly. "She's beautiful, intelligent and she's a damn better person than I am."

Draco nearly recoiled from the anger in Fred's voice, "Bloody hell, you're really in love with her, aren't you?" He hadn't believed it at first…the marriage was so sudden after all, he had assumed that Fred had gotten her pregnant or that she was in some kind of trouble with the law.

Anger blazed in Fred's face, "I don't know what I feel about her, okay? Are you bloody happy now, Malfoy?" He shook his head, "She's not like any other girl I've ever dated or been with. I've told myself that I'm not letting her get to me but…"

"She still bloody does," Draco finished for him. Ginny had been much the same way. He had pushed her away for a thousand different reasons but in the end, it just didn't work anymore. She loved him and he loved her and damn the consequences.

Fred nodded in agreement, "Yeah, she bloody well still does." He leaned against the table, staring down at his hands. "I don't know what I feel but I know damn well that we have a lot of problem to resolve." Like the fact that they really weren't married and every day was a day closer to Christmas and therefore a day closer to their "family wedding". "Hey, don't tell Ginny about this, okay mate?"

Draco nodded, "You've got my word."

With that, the two parted to their respective women and, after a while, the Burrow was quiet once again…well, at least as quiet as the Burrow ever could be.

I couldn't help myself...and persistance gets you what you want.

Enjoy!