A/N: Sorry for the long delay. This chapter is an important one, and it took a lot to beat it into submission.

Once again, I own nothing you recognize.

"So, did you talk to her?" Rose was fascinated by the story she was hearing.

"No," George shook his head. "Well, not then. There were other things going on. It was only a few days later that Fred and I launched our offensive against Umbridge, and then we left Hogwarts for good."

"After that, you were so busy with the shop, we barely spoke." Hermione said to George. Then she turned to Rose. "Since he was out of school, I didn't really see him much until the following summer."

"By then, she and Ron had gotten closer, so I decided that the only honorable thing to do was step aside. He seemed to have grown up a little bit."

"I'm not sure what would have happened between us if fate hadn't intervened. I don't think Ron and I were suited to one another, and I'm so glad things turned out the way they did."

"Well, then I'm just glad Fate was watching and got us all sorted out." George leaned over and kissed his wife.

"I still don't understand, Mum. If you were with Ron, or at least headed that way, and Dad stepped aside, how did things change?"

August 1, 1997

The ceremony had been beautiful. Fleur had been a vision, and both she and Bill seemed incredibly happy. Hermione wasn't the type to be overly sentimental, but there was no denying that it had been very romantic. And Ron had finally asked her to dance. Granted, it seemed like it was to get her away from Viktor, but maybe, just maybe he had finally learned something.

They danced and danced. Poor Ron was a good sport about it, but she knew he didn't enjoy it. But it felt so good to be normal, Hermione couldn't help it. They were leaving any day now to go on the hunt for Horcruxes; she had no idea how long it would be before they got to experience normal again.

"You look really pretty," Ron said earnestly. "I'm sorry that I haven't always seen it."

"Thank you, Ron. To be fair, I think there are a lot of people that don't see you, too. You have many wonderful gifts also."

Ron looked at his feet. He was truly out of his depth here. He breathed a sigh of relief when she leaned in and put her head on his chest. That he could handle. He could be strong and take care of her. He just didn't know if he was prepared to talk about it at length.

George watched at a distance and sighed. Finally, he thought. George knew Hermione cared for his younger brother, even if he didn't know why. He just hoped that Ron knew how to treat her.

Fred glided by with Ginny, the two of them dancing an exaggerated tango which didn't match with the music at all. George had to laugh at their antics. Ginny let out a small squeal when she saw Ron and Hermione. Fred, on the other hand, let out a small sigh. He knew why his brother was stepping aside, but he still wasn't convinced it was the right answer.

Later in the evening, Hermione was watching Viktor. Viktor was speaking with Harry, though he didn't know it was Harry. Viktor seemed to be growing more and more agitated as they spoke. Hermione couldn't help but wonder what the topic of the conversation was.

A few minutes later, Viktor crossed over to Luna's father. Hermione watched with concern. Turning to Ron, she asked, "What do you think is going on over there?"

He shrugged. "I'm going to go get us some drinks. I need a break. Meet me over by Harry?"

"Sure," she said shyly as she walked away.

Ron crossed the room to get drinks. At the bar, Fleur's mother swooped in and started a conversation with Ron. He tried to exit gracefully; but Appoline was part-Veela, and Ron was never graceful. Before he knew it, he had been pulled into a very involved conversation with both of Fleur's parents and their younger daughter, Gabrielle.

Ron couldn't help but notice how Gabrielle was looking at him. It made him quite uncomfortable. She was just fourteen years old, but she was looking at him like he was the international Quidditch star. It wasn't so much the hero worship that was bothering Ron, but he also couldn't stop his own mind from thinking how lovely she would be when she was a grown woman. He forced himself to look away. Luckily, Mrs. Delacour said something that brought his attention back to the conversation.

Just then, there was a huge crash, and a huge silvery lynx landed in the middle of the room. Ron watched in shock. Shock quickly turned to horror when the animal spoke in Kingsley Shacklebolt's voice. "The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."

Pandemonium broke out. Ron knew he needed to get back to Harry. He started to cross the room to where he had seen them last, but a Death Eater appeared in his path. Pulling his wand, he cast a Stunner which dropped the Death Eater. He resumed his prior mission of getting to Harry when he heard a terrifying scream.

Someone had grabbed Gabrielle. Ron cast a Stunner at the figure, but it bounced off, and the man barely flinched. Gabrielle was struggling and screaming; the man was touching her pretty young face and whispering to her. Ron was disgusted. Charles Delacour had been stunned, and another Death Eater was holding Apolline and laughing at the grotesque scene.

Ron had to do something. He quickly disarmed the Death Eater holding Appolline. In his shock, he released his grip on her, and she managed to cast a Full Body Bind on him. Ron threw spell after spell at the man holding Gabrielle, but nothing was working.

Ron looked in horror as the creature turned to face him. Greyback. Rage and fear filled Ron and he cast a Conjunctivitis curse at the untransformed werewolf. Apolline took advantage of his momentary distraction and cast a Stinging Hex. Ron followed it with a blasting curse that threw him back several yards. The monster was tangled in the walls of the tent. This was their chance to get away. Ron grabbed Gabrielle and started to run back towards where her father had fallen. Apolline followed behind them closely.

"To the house!" He shouted to the woman behind him. Wrapping his arms around Gabrielle, he Apparated them to the house. Much to his relief, Apolline and her still unconscious husband appeared a moment later. Ron suddenly felt a strange sensation in his arm. Looking down at his arm, he saw that Gabrielle had dug into his upper arms when he Apparated them. The poor thing was terrified. Ron tried to remove her hand from his arm, but was shocked to see talons where her delicate fingers normally were. She forced herself to relax, and she quickly hid the talons behind her back, clearly ashamed.

"Ennervate," Apolline whispered to her husband.

He started to stir.

Ron looked at the family. "I have to get back. Please get to safety. They won't stay away from the house long. Don't use the Floo. Mr. Delacour, are you well enough to Apparate? Mrs. Delacour can take Gabrielle by side-along. "

Mr. Delacour nodded.

Mrs. Delacour embraced Ron quickly. "Thank you. You saved her life." She looked at his injured arm. "Oh dear, what's happened?"

"I'm okay. Look, I have to go. I'm sorry. Please get to safety." Ron Apparated from the house.

Mrs. Delacour turned back to her daughter. The look on her face was serious. "What happened to his arm?"

The little girl began sobbing. "I was scared! I didn't mean to." She held up her hand. Her talons were exposed.

"But-but, how can this be? She's only fourteen?" Mr. Delacour looked at his wife, clearly puzzled.

"In times of extreme stress, the Veela magic can manifest early. You didn't see what almost happened to her. We're so lucky Ron was still in earshot." She shuddered. "You will learn to control it, my dear. It is not your fault."

"But what does this mean?" Mr. Delacour thought he knew the answer to this question, but he needed to hear it from his wife.

"It means that both of our daughters will one day be Weasleys."

"I didn't mean to, Mama. But that man was hurting me, and Ron helped me. I was just scared; and I was thankful that he was rescuing us."

"Shhh, child. We have other things to worry about right now. We must get out of here. We should go to Bill and Fleur's new home. We'll figure out how to get home from there."

"Hermione! Harry!" Ron fought his way through the tent. He knew he hadn't been delayed long, but every second counted. He couldn't help put his hand to his arm. Oddly, the wound didn't hurt. And it seemed to be healing before his eyes. However, he was possessed by a very peculiar feeling that something significant had just happened. But it wasn't the time. He had just spotted Harry and Hermione. He ran to them and shortly thereafter felt the pull of Apparation once again.

A/N: There's another age change here. I have made Gabrielle fourteen years old in 1997. In canon, she would have been around eleven. Ron is seventeen.