Chapter 11 – Truth Be Told
Saturday dawned to a slightly cloudy, but reasonably warm day. Charlie and Ginny began to setup the tables outside while Viktor and Luna worked on the food. Viktor had started preparing the day before and had the baking and prep work complete, so a good bit of the cooking was done. Everyone was due to arrive starting at 11:30, so shortly before 11 the couples went upstairs to get ready. Charlie and Viktor were downstairs minutes later, but Ginny and Luna took longer. At 11:20 they descended the stairs as Viktor and Charlie looked at them appreciatively. Ginny was wearing a soft green dress that was a perfect accent to her hair. Luna was dressed in a dark pink skirt with a frilly blush colored blouse. The skirt was just a bit tight and accented Luna's small bump. Charlie had tears in his eyes as he crossed over to her and laid his hand on her stomach. Luna smiled up at him. "Ginny loves this skirt on me and we thought it would be good to accent our addition."
Viktor and Ginny joined them in a family hug as they all took a moment to gather themselves and draw strength together. "Everyone ready?" Charlie asked.
"Sure" "I guess" "We'll see"
"Whatever happens. We are family. The four of us." Then Charlie kissed Viktor and Ginny kissed Luna and they stepped outside.
A minute after they arrived outside, the first apparition pop sounded outside the gate as Ron, Hermione and their kids arrived. Hermione rushed forward and embraced each of them. As she hugged Ginny she whispered "Thank you for doing this. The last couple of weeks have been difficult." Then Hermione stepped back and turned as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley popped in next. Mrs. Weasley took a minute to look at the house with a bit of surprise, then she crossed through the gate and made her way straight to Ginny. Seeing the look on Ginny's face, Luna put her arm around her partner and gave her a small squeeze of support. Charlie then stepped in front of Ginny to greet their parents.
"Hi mum, hi dad. Welcome to our new home." He leaned forward and gave his mother a small kiss and whispered in her ear, "please wait until everyone else arrives mum."
When he released her, Mrs. Weasley's lips looked a bit pinched, but she kept her questions to herself. Soon everyone else began arriving and the garden filled up quickly. The last to arrive were Aleksander and Stefania, who had apparated after a long floo trip from Bulgaria.
With everyone gathered and milling around the garden, Luna floated through the crowd and made sure everyone had drinks. Her obvious bulge was a topic of many comments and most of the women had to give her a quick pat as they grinned. The family hadn't been together for a while so everyone was given a few minutes to talk. Meanwhile, Viktor took Aleksander and Stefania around and introduced them to the family. When they were introduced to Harry, Aleksander dropped his drink as he clasped Harry with both hands. He was beside himself to meet the famous Harry Potter and soon Harry was blushing from the attention. After a few minutes, Charlie waved Viktor and Luna back over to him and Ginny. With the four of them together, they looked at each other and then focused on Charlie, giving him the agreed upon signal to begin.
"Hello everyone! Can you all please find seats." Everyone began the process of deciding where to sit. Charlie waited until everyone was settled and made a point of ignoring his parents' worried looks, then he began the statement that the four of them had carefully decided on.
"Thanks for coming to see our new home everyone. After we eat, we'll be happy to give a tour. Now I know there are a lot of questions and I want to get as many of them out of the way before we partake of an excellent meal. I am going to begin, but then I will let Viktor, Luna and Ginny speak as well. We will answer all your questions, but we ask that you let each of us speak first. Most of you are aware that Luna is expecting my child and we caused my parents some discomfort at our last family meal. I need to now explain why that was. I have not been honest with any of you for several years and I am tired of the deception. At one time I thought I could divide my life into two halves, but I have come to find that I cannot, nor should I have to, handle the stress that causes. I love my family and I hope you can all accept what I now must tell you."
Charlie paused for a moment while he sipped his drink and then continued. "Mum, dad, everyone, I am gay. The reason why Viktor stands next to me is that we have been partners for nearly three years."
Charlie stopped speaking as his announcement caused an eruption of murmurs, comments and gasps. Mrs. Weasley stared at her son and then looked at Luna and then back to Charlie as her mouth opened and closed and opened again. Mr. Weasley wrapped his arms around his wife and waited for Charlie to continue.
As the garden quieted again, Ginny spoke up next as they had pre-arranged. "So I know the obvious question everybody has then is how is Luna pregnant? We will get to that, but there are a few other details that need to be explained first. The first thing I need to tell you is that I also have been deceptive with you for a number of years, as I also identify as a mostly gay woman. Luna stands by my side as my partner for life."
The garden went even more chaotic with Ginny's announcement. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked especially distraught and Ginny waved her wand to float two glasses of wine over to them. It was still early in the day, but she figured they needed it. Ginny's brothers were especially loud as the news sank in and cries of "bloody hell" "Merlin's beard" and "No, it's a joke, has to be" echoed through the garden.
After a few minutes, Charlie cleared his throat and everyone settled down. Viktor was the next to speak. "So our deception is over. We can all now be who we are. For myself, I want to thank my good friend Aleksander for keeping his knowledge of Charlie and myself in confidence for the past couple of years. I never told him directly, but I know he knew and I apologize for not telling him myself. Also, I want to ensure Charlie's family that he and I are very much in love and committed to spending our lives together. We have both worked with our solicitors to update all of our legal paperwork to designate each other as next of kin."
Viktor was about to continue, but the last bit of news caused Mr. Weasley to gasp and Aleksander exploded with a brief exclamation in Bulgarian. Once it was quiet again, Viktor continued. "Next, I know there are probably questions regarding our living arrangement. Charlie and I have been living together for about fifteen months and about ten months ago Ginny moved in on a temporary basis after her accident. The flat we had was really too big for two people and we all got on well so that arrangement became permanent not long after. At about the same time, Charlie and I became acquainted with Luna as she became a regular guest and Ginny divulged their relationship to us. A couple of months after Ginny moved in, Luna also moved in on a temporary basis. We soon found out that the four of us got along well and our friendship grew. What was to be temporary then became permanent. Now I will let Luna continue and answer some of the questions that I am sure are waiting."
Luna spoke next. "The first thing I want Ginny's family to know is that I love her. I have loved her for years, but due to her Quidditch schedule our relationship remained a passing item until ten months ago. Ginny and I have also made the same modifications to our legal paperwork that Charlie and Viktor have. We did this after Viktor was injured in a match and Charlie initially had trouble visiting him at the hospital. What you should know is that the four of us have been through a lot in the past six months and our relationships have only been strengthened. When I lost my dad recently, it was Ginny, Charlie and Viktor who stood by me when I said goodbye and spread his ashes. Viktor even made a point of taking a couple days off and coming home from Bulgaria to be with me and the family. Another challenge we have recently faced is my pregnancy and I know that in light of our disclosures, that is probably the biggest question you have. I want to assure you that the baby is Charlie's and he wants to be the one to explain."
Charlie gave Luna a quick hug and turned back to his family. "While I told you earlier that I am gay, I need to specify a bit more. I identify as gay, but I do have a bit of attraction to women, especially certain women. As you well know, I've dated women in the past, but most of them were passing interests, whereas every one of my boyfriends has been a long term relationship. What I feel for a woman is nowhere near what Vik and I have, but it is there. This attraction to the opposite sex is the same for all four of us, some more than others. We are all dedicated to our primary partners, but as we lived together and friendships grew, it was hard to ignore an occasional attraction. We all initially tried to deny it and small incidents caused tension in our household. We eventually sat down and talked it through and we came to a decision that we would try a switch up. It was to be a one-time occurrence, but has become something more regular. What this means is that I sleep with Vik most nights, but three or four times a month I will sleep with Luna. The same goes for Vik and Ginny. We all care about each other and I have a different but special love for Luna. It isn't the all-encompassing feeling that I have with Vik, but I do care about her. It was one of our nights together when we slipped up that led to Luna's pregnancy. Of course it was a shock, but we have all embraced our child. Yes, OUR child. As two gay couples, we would not normally have the joy of parenthood, but now we will. We plan on raising this child in a four parent household."
"Which brings us to the reason we bought this house. The flat was wonderful, but we all decided that we needed something permanent for our family. Moving here is the final declaration of our commitment to our unique blended family. The house will allow room for this child and potentially others in the future."
With that, the four partners put their arms around each other and grew silent, waiting for questions. Everyone in the garden looked stunned. Mrs. Weasley was crying into her husband's shoulder loudly and Ginny couldn't take it. "Mum, I know this is a lot to take in, but why are you crying? Is it because I have found love and happiness? A year ago I almost died. Ten months ago I was so lost I wished I had died. Now I have a fulfilling life. I am happy, successful and finally being true to myself."
Mrs. Weasley looked up at her daughter, but before she could say anything, Percy spoke up. "So Charlie, you're with Viktor but you knocked up Luna, so that really makes you bisexual?"
Charlie grimaced. "No, I consider myself gay. It's what I feel I am. I cannot describe it better. None of us really likes labels though. We are what we are."
George spoke next. "So you have legally listed each other as next of kin. Are you going to do anything to formalize your relationships? Can you?"
"I don't know of a way we can George. And none of us really feels the need. We've made the commitment to each other and that is all we require."
Bill looked pained and finally blurted out. "So whose name will the baby have? Luna's or Charlie's?"
Ginny smiled. "I'll take this one. We've talked about this quite a bit. We haven't decided yet if we will try to have more children, but if we do then I will probably be the next one to try, which would make Viktor the father. Again, we aren't definite yet. If we do though, we want the children to have the same name, so we have decided that our child or children will carry the name Krum-Weasley."
That brought another round of murmurs and the partners waited again for questions. After a couple of minutes when no more questions were raised, Charlie spoke up again. "I know this will take time to adjust to. Please come to us with any questions you may have in the future. The four of us have learned the importance of communication and we desire to keep that open with all of you. We now ask that you accept our family as it is, the four of us and our child. If you cannot accept us as we are, then we respectfully ask you to leave our home." As Charlie spoke, the other three closed in around him and looked around the table, making it obvious that they were all in agreement on their demand.
No one moved for a moment, then Ron shot up out of his seat. "Bloody hell! You expect me to..NO." Then he stormed out the gate and apparated away. Ginny was stunned and looked to Hermione.
Hermione choked back tears. "I'm here Ginny. Ron will come around. It will just take time. I should probably go find him, but I'll leave the kids if that's okay? I'll be back as soon as I make sure Ron is alright."
Next Mr. Weasley spoke up. He was holding Mrs. Weasley and they had been whispering between themselves. "Charlie, Ginny, your mum and I love you, but this is all a bit much. We need some time. I'm going to take Molly home now."
Everyone was surprised at the elder Weasleys leaving and Ginny finally gave in to silent tears. Luna sat down on a bench and pulled Ginny onto her lap. She spent several minutes wiping Ginny's tears and whispering to her until Ginny gained control. Charlie and Viktor had also sat down next to them and for a few minutes the four partners existed in their own world. The rest of their family and guests watched, while still absorbing the information. When Ginny finally gained control and they broke apart, it was George who spoke first.
"Blimey! I can't say I understand, but you're in love so what the hell."
George's statement broke the tension a bit and everyone began talking again. A few, including George and Angie and Katie and Harry made a point of getting up to hug the each of the four partners. As Harry hugged Ginny, he whispered in her ear.
"I guess this explains some of the issues we had when we were together."
Ginny smiled and hugged him back, glad that her first love was willing to accept them. Percy was the only one who did not join in the conversations. He sat on the far end of the table and scowled, but Audrey did come over to them and assured them that Percy just needed time.
As everyone settled into the news, Luna spoke up. "Thank you everyone for trying to understand. I know this will take a while. Now, this pregnant witch is hungry. Are we ready to eat?"
Charlie and Victor laughed and pulled out their wands to summon food from the kitchen. Lunch consisted of steak and kidney pie, grilled fish, kyufte, pasties, tureens of vegetables, Yorkshire pudding, sausages, and a variety of cheeses. Although alcohol hadn't been planned for the noon meal, soon wine and mead began circulating around the table. The meal dragged on and the combination of family, food and drink began to loosen everyone up. Even Percy no longer looked like he'd swallowed a toad. As lunch was winding down, an apparition pop sounded and everyone looked up as Hermione and Ron came through the gate. Rose squealed and climbed off Angie's lap to go to her father. Ron still looked pained, but he approached Charlie and muttered a brief apology. It was obvious that he wasn't fully accepting, but at least it was a step. Ginny got up to hug her brother and sister in law, then she urged them to sit and eat. Everyone waited while Ron and Hermione had their lunch and various conversations developed around the table. There was much discussion about Quidditch and Aleksander made Ginny promise him a trip to her shop before he left. Charlie was in deep discussion with George and Ron on the magical properties of dragon blood and dragon scales. Luna, Percy, Audrey and Katie discussed recent events within the Ministry and how they were being reported in the media. When Ron and Hermione finished eating, Ginny brought out dessert in the form of a cake, several puddings, baklava and custard. By the time everyone worked their way through the sweets it was three in the afternoon and everyone was feeling better than they had at the start of the meal. The only downside was that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had not returned.
As Viktor began the cleanup, Charlie stood to speak.
"Well, now that we are all suitably stuffed, if you feel you can move I'll give you a tour of the house. I will remind you that we've only been here a week, so the place is still a bit sparse."
Everyone began to get up to follow Charlie, but Angie was having a hard time with Roxy and Hermione had a similar issue with Hugo. Viktor had finished clearing and happily took Hugo, while Ginny took her niece. Luna prodded everyone to follow Charlie while she looked after the other sleeping babies and the small children running through the garden. Soon only the three adults remained in the garden with all the kids. Luna was off making games with the older children while Ginny and Viktor sat next to each other holding the fussy babies. Ginny looked at Viktor as he rocked Hugo and made faces at him.
"Viktor you look like a natural. It's hard to believe you don't have any experience with babies."
"Well, I've held a few. I'm an only child, but I've got friends with children."
"Still, look at Hugo. You calmed him right down. You know in a couple of years I might not mind having one of my own once our first grows up a bit."
"Just tell me when Ginny. I'll happily make a donation."
Ginny laughed and leaned over to kiss Viktor. As they finished their kiss, the tour group was exiting the house. Ron and Hermione were in the lead and Ron groaned as he saw them kiss and he turned to Charlie, who was standing by his side. Ron was about to say something, but then he saw his brother's face light up seeing Viktor and Ginny. Ron suddenly realized that Charlie really was happy in his strange mixed relationship. Ron was so shocked by his revelation, that he stopped walking and blocked the doorway. George gave him a push from behind as he said "budge up little bro, you act like you've never seen a kiss before." Ron finally moved and the rest of the group left the house.
Out in the garden, everyone began discussing the house and complimenting the couples on their new home. Soon drinks were finished and parents began gathering children and leaving for home. As each couple left, they stopped to say goodbye, shake hands and hug Charlie, Viktor, Ginny and Luna. Even Percy was quite civil. The real surprise came when Ron and Hermione prepared to leave. Ron hugged Ginny and Luna both and gave firm handshakes and backslaps to Charlie and Viktor. As he turned to go, Ron paused and turned back around.
"Sorry about the way I acted at first. I don't take surprises well. I can't say that I fully understand, but I can see you're happy and we're family so I accept you all." Ron then turned back around and took his daughter in hand as Hermione reached his side and gave him a squeeze before they left the garden.
Once all the family departed, only Aleksander and Stefania were left. Viktor took them to the guest room to settle in while Charlie started the kitchen clean up and the ladies started in the garden. Once Aleksander and his wife settled in, they joined Viktor and Charlie in the kitchen. They sat on stools, sipping wine and chatting with the couple while the kitchen cleanup continued. At one point in the conversation, Aleksander grew quiet and seemed to be thinking hard. Then he took a large sip of wine and prepared for what he had to ask.
"Viktor, I understand your family now. Was surprise of course even though I know you and Charlie are couple. Question I have now is do you want to keep secret or do you tell team?"
Viktor turned to his coach and mentor. "I think I will need to tell the team. They deserve to know. They are another family to me. Also, when Luna has the baby I will want to be there and I'll need to explain that. I think it will be best if I tell them before. My concern is that I don't want to hurt the team. I don't want anyone to treat me different."
Aleksander pondered for a moment. "I understand. I think it good you tell them. Maybe at first practice of new season in couple months. Give time for news to settle before matches. What you think?"
"Yes that sounds good. It won't be easy, but after today I think I can handle it. I'd like to have Charlie, Luna and Ginny there with me."
"Of course, we arrange."
Soon the cleanup was finished and the couples settled in on the new couches in the living room. They talked until late in the evening, consuming several bottles of wine and a bottle of rakia that Aleksander had brought. Stefania had a background in magibotany and she and Luna became friends quickly. Quidditch was discussed some, but then the topic switched to dragons. Aleksander had heard some of Charlie's stories, but was again impressed at the breadth of his knowledge. As the evening wore on, Luna brought out a tray of leftovers and everyone grazed as they talked. When they finally decided to go to bed everyone except Luna were all quite inebriated, but happy and relaxed after a long and trying day.