Ron was furious. His sister knew he had a hard time keeping secrets, and this one was a doozy. In the 2 weeks since she finally confirmed that she was pregnant, he'd had a hard time keeping the news in. To make matters worse, his mum suspected. She'd stare at him over breakfast or dinner, as if trying to read his soul.

The second family dinner in February was acutely awkward. Molly sat Luna, Ron, Harry and Ginny in a row across from her, and watched them eat the entire meal. She hadn't been distracted by Molly, Teddy and Victoire's antics, nor had she asked her usual intrusive questions of Angelina and Fleur. In fact, she didn't mention their pregnancies at all. Which was odd.

Everyone in the room (even Charlie, who was visiting for a few days) glanced at her nervously. That evening's dinner was the quietest Ron could remember.

Only Luna was unaffected. She ate her meal with her usual dreamy expression on her face, and chatted cheerily about Kneazles and Leprechauns.

As the pudding was served, Luna dug in and the room lapsed into silence.

"You OK, Mollywobbles?" Arthur asked. He'd been glancing at his wife all evening, as if deciding whether to ask her what was wrong.

Her voice artificially formal, Molly replied, "why thank you, Arthur for asking. You see, I'm concerned." She looked across the table at the two couples. "It seems my two youngest biological children and my two youngest adopted children are keeping an important secret from me. And I intend to find out what it is."

Ron and Harry shrank back, and Ginny stared at her defiantly. Luna stared at a spot near Arthur's head, oblivious.

"Ginevra? Anything you'd like to tell me?"

"Nope."

"Ginny…" Molly said with warning.

"Just drop it, mum."

Instead, Molly turned to Harry and Ron, who were sandwiched between the girls. Ron squirmed under her gaze, and Harry flinched as Ginny poked his side.

"Boys?" She crossed her arms. Arthur stared at his pudding uncomfortably. Luna started humming a song only she knew.

"Not my problem," said Ron, looking at his sister.

Ginny glared back. "Thanks, Ron."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Keep your giant gob shut for five minutes!"

"This pudding is delicious, Molly," Luna broke in with an airy voice. "And the roast was as good as at Hogwarts!"

Arthur cleared his throat and suppressed a smile, before staring back at his pudding.

"Thank you, Luna. I'm glad someone around here appreciates my efforts."

Ginny took the momentary distraction as an opportunity to drag Harry from the table (although he still had his spoon in his hand). Ron stood to follow, almost knocking his chair over. As he struggled with it, Luna wandered past him, following Ginny upstairs.

"We're not done here!" called Molly after them.

Ron sealed the door to Ginny's room behind him, then turned to his sister and best friend. "I can't keep doing this! You don't have to live with mum, and you know I can't keep a secret."

Harry shrugged and gestured toward Ginny. She looked to Luna.

"Well, I think you're past the point of worrying about a changeling," Luna said and waved her hand vaguely.

"See Gin? No changelings. You're good to go. We can all march back downstairs, tell mum about the baby, and I can go back to my usual peaceful existence."

Ron flopped on Ginny's bed and Luna curled up next to him. "Your life's not that peaceful, Ronald. Look where you work."

Harry, who had been pacing about the room looked at his wife. "I want to tell them. I want to tell someone other than Ron, Luna and Gwenog."

Ginny crossed her arms and set her jaw. Ron whispered to Luna, "he may not have his bits when this is over."

"You may not either if your sister hears you."

They watched the couple stare each other down. Harry and Ginny rarely fought (as far as Ron knew). So he had no inkling of who would win.

"I just want to be excited," Harry said, facing his wife.

"Well, I just want to get my head around this first. Right now, it's happening to me and only me and it's ruining everything."

Harry sighed with exasperation. "Not everything. You can go back to Quidditch next season. I'll stay home with the baby if that's what you want, or your mum can watch it. We have the space, and if you don't like Grimmauld, we can sell it and find something else. We've been over this."

"Your job is too dangerous." Ginny was grasping at straws. "I won't have my kid-" Ginny stopped, aware that she was toe-ing a line.

"Yeah, so I'll quit. Whatever you want."

"Ugh. And that's another thing. I'm tired of this "whatever you want, Ginny. I'll do what it takes, Ginny." She was doing her best Harry impression, which (to Ron) was actually pretty good. She even ran her hand through her hair like he did. "I want to know what YOU think, what YOU want."

"Fine, you know what I want? To tell everyone and be HAPPY about the situation. Not keep it a secret and mope around about it."

"Oh, like you're one to talk!"

Luna leaned in to Ron and whispered, "who do you think will win?"

"The papers say Harry's the most powerful wizard in England right now, so my Galleons are on him."

"Yes, but Ginny's…."

"Insane," supplied Ron.

"Well, I was going to say pregnant, but I guess that works, too."

They didn't notice that their arguing friends were staring at them, arms still crossed.

"We've got ears, you know," said Harry.

"And we're standing right here," added Ginny.

Just before the Potters turned their ire onto Ron and Luna, Molly's hurried footsteps were heard on the stairs and she knocked on the door.

"Ginny and Ron, I'd like you to come back downstairs. Your brother is only here for a few days, and we're going to spend some wonderful time as a family before he goes back to Romania." Her voice held an artificial sweetness. It was the kind of voice she'd used to coax him out of hiding when he was in trouble as a child. Or a 22-year-old man. It was a threat.

"In a minute, mum!" Ginny said, her voice nearly identical, dripping with sweetness. Then she turned back to Ron, lowering her voice. "Charlie leaves on the 12th. Just keep it shut until then. I'll tell them Wednesday."

"What's in it for me? I'm the one who has to live with mum."

"She'll be nice while Charlie is here. Wouldn't want to ruin his holiday. Just…please do this for me, Ron." She was almost begging.

Luna looked at Ron and nodded her head. Harry seemed to agree as well.

"Fine. But you owe me, big time."

Ginny looked to him and Luna, then smiled. She whispered something in Harry's ear and he chuckled. "Deal," she said to Ron.

The three traipsed back downstairs to to 'spend some wonderful time as a family' with Charlie.

The rest of the week with Charlie was great. Ron had idolized Charlie as a child (after all, he had the coolest job in the world to an 11-year-old). As he'd gotten older, he'd come to appreciate Charlie's rebellion as well. It cleared a path for some of the more unconventional choices of the younger Weasleys. Ron shuddered to think of what life would have been like if it had only been Head Boys Bill and Percy before the twins came long.

Charlie helped out in the shop and picked up some of Ron's chores at home. He and Luna seemed to bond over animals. Luna knew a surprising amount about dragons and dragon lore, and she and Charlie got into several lively debates about the proper ways to keep dragons on the reserve.

"Keep that one around," Charlie said as the brothers drank some butterbeers in the garden one night, under a warming charm.

"Who? Luna?"

"No, Longbottom. His herbology work will really help you get on your feet again." He opened a new bottle of butterbeer and laughed. "Of course I mean Luna. She's good for you," Charlie said as he kicked his feet up on the little stone table. "So is this a long-term thing? You and her?"

"I dunno," Ron said, looking toward the hills where Luna's house was, just over the horizon.

"What don't you know?"

"It's only been six weeks."

"So? Bill knew within a month. Percy. Hell, I'm pretty sure George knew as soon he and Angie started shagging. Remember? He went from moping about to re-opening the store in 3 days."

"You wanna be the only bachelor uncle around or something? Why do you care?"

Charlie grinned at him. "I just know a good thing when I see it. And I can tell it's different with her. You and Hermione were too…I don't know...combative. I don't think anyone was surprised when you broke up. Not even you."

Ron shrugged at him. He wasn't wrong. He and Luna didn't fight like he and Hermione had. But that wasn't enough for a long-term relationship, was it? They sat in the quiet for a bit, Charlie glancing at Ron periodically.

"What?"

"So when's the wedding, Ron?"

"Whenever you move back to the UK."

Charlie's laughter echoed across the garden. "The Welsh reserve is quite nice, you know…"

"She doesn't cook, okay?"

"What?"

Ron sat up and looked at him. "She doesn't cook. Can't. Won't. Whatever. And apparently the fact that this bothers me means I see a future with her, but how could I stay with her if she can't cook?"

"You could learn. Is she worth it?"

"Yeah," Ron snorted, "like I could learn to cook."

"When I first moved to the reserve, I ate nothing but tinned beans for weeks. Got sick of it, picked up a few books, and here we are. I can keep myself alive, at least. You could do the same." Charlie paused to finish his beer. "Unless this is some sort of male pride thing."

"Dad doesn't cook."

"Just in case you haven't noticed, mum won't let him near the kitchen. He could if he needed to, I'd wager."

"But I don't need to," Ron insisted.

"No, but if you like her as much as I think you do, you'll eventually want to."

There was only about 2 hours left until Charlie's portkey back to Romania, and Ginny still hadn't said anything.

"You say something, or I will," hissed Ron when their mum was out of earshot.

Ginny huffed at him.

As the family gathered in the living room, Ron raised his eyebrows at her. Again. He wasn't joking…he was tired of keeping this secret for them. Everyone was here: Arthur and Molly; Bill, Fleur and Victoire; Charlie; Percy, Audrey and Molly; George and Angelina; Ron and Luna…

Drat, there it was again. No one questioned Luna's presence, not even him. Granted, the Weasleys had always been welcoming. Harry and Hermione had been treated like family long before the Potter/Weasley wedding (or Ron and Hermione had moved in together). But this was a family-only night, and still Luna was accepted without question…

Harry nudged Ginny a few times and she rolled her eyes. "Fine." She cleared her throat, but Bill and Percy kept up their conversation. Arthur kept singing to baby Molly, and Ron's mum kept tittering over Angelina's story about her Healer's advice.

Ginny cleared her throat again. No one quieted down.

"Oi, shut it. Ginny wants to say something," Ron yelled over the din, ready to get this over with. One by one his family members quieted down.

"Thanks, Ron." He couldn't tell if she was sarcastic or not. Ginny continued, "uh, Harry and I have an announcement…" She fell silent, her face red. Ron hadn't seen her this flustered since her first year at Hogwarts.

However, the grin on Harry's face could have lit up the entire Burrow. Fleur was the first to notice his face, and she began clapping her hands excitedly. Ron's mum caught on next, and tears shown in the corner of her eyes.

"I knew it!" Ron's mum cried, rushing over to embrace both of them, oblivious to the confused glances of the men in the room. The witches caught on quickly, falling into the excited clucking that so often permeated family gatherings.

George leaned over to Ron in confusion. "Knew what? "

"I'm pregnant, you arse," Ginny called from across the room. "Try to keep up."

The men in the room looked at one another as the news sank in. Everyone was talking at once. Victoire had all kinds of questions, and crawled into Harry's lap to ask them. This, of course, disrupted Molly's interrogation of the couple.

"Well, this explains her cheerful disposition," George said to Ron, joining him and Luna on the sofa. Angelina followed him over, relieved that the attention was off of her for once.

Angelina narrowed her eyes at Ron and Luna, who also had not joined the crowd around Harry and Ginny. "You knew already?"

"Yeah, Luna figured it out awhile back."

George clapped him on the back. "Glad that one is sticking around then, she's the sanest of everyone." This earned him a smack to the back of his head from his wife. "Won't be long before the two of you are adding to this little brood. Three in one year…crazy, huh?"

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Angelina yelled at Ron. "We saw each other every day!"

Ron could swear he heard Charlie mutter something about "too many hormones in one room."

"I promised Ginny, okay? She owes me big time. Blame her, not me." He hadn't been aware that the rest of the family was listening in. In the silence that followed, Ron watched Ginny's face fall. He knew it had been hard on her, but it was her own fault, keeping it a secret for so long.

Ron's mum's voice became harsher. "You did! You knew!" She looked to Ginny. "When are you due? November? October? How long have my children been keeping this a secret?"

Fleur gave Ginny a sympathetic look. As if it strengthened her, Ginny shook her hair back and raised her chin, "August. We think the baby is due in August."

"August?!" Molly screeched, then caught herself. She'd been trying lately (at the urging of Bill, who urged her at the urging of Fleur) to be less intense with her children. She took a deep breath "I'm sorry, Ginny. August will be so exciting! So you're about three months along?"

Ginny nodded, eyes wide.

"Well," said Molly, dusting her hands off, "I'm sorry I've missed out on your first trimester, but I'm sure we can get started on planning now! I've got some great spells to expand your clothes, and I'm sure we've got your old cot upstairs. Bill and Percy didn't need it, and Angelina's dad is building one for them."

"Mu-um, can we do this later?" Ginny pleaded.

Arthur put an arm around Molly as she said, "of course, sweetie. Just let me know what you need."

The family spent the dwindling hours of Charlie's visit chatting. Ginny relaxed as the attention shifted from her. She seemed less anxious and irritable now that things were in the open. Harry, of course, was probably the happiest wizard in all of England. Bill had taken him to the kitchen, and was giving him all kinds of advice on fatherhood. Ron and George spent most of the remaining time with Charlie.

After Charlie left to grab his portkey and Ron's remaining siblings floo-ed or apparated home. As he said his goodbyes to Luna, he tried not to think about the offhand comments of his brothers, let alone the way Luna seemed to blend seamlessly into his family.

Once he came back in, he found his mum puttering around the kitchen, making tea. She motioned for him to sit down, but they were interrupted by a pecking at the window. To his surprise, Futterwacken was waiting on the window ledge, a parchment attached to his leg.

Ron,

Thank you for keeping things to yourself the past few weeks. I told you I owe you one, so here's an interesting piece of information:

Luna's birthday is tomorrow. Good luck with that!

Your favourite sister,

Ginny

Ron heard the words come from his mouth before he really thought about them. But once they sank in, they seemed to make perfect sense. Yes, it was too late to follow through by tomorrow, but it was something that seemed to fit.

"Hey mum? Do you think you could teach me how to cook?"

A/N I've been looking through the bits and pieces I've written for this story (since they're kind of disjointed), and I've pulled out a bit of it out into a separate story. This one is about Ron and Luna's kids going off to Hogwarts! You can find it through my profile at "Of Ravenclaws and Gryffindors"