The next day, Charlie woke in his flat to a gentle whisper of his name and a feathery tickling on his face. He opened his eyes to see Lyra's face above him, and it was her hair that was tickling his skin. He smiled, blearily, before blinking several times in shock.
"Lyra!" He exclaimed, sleep still filling his voice. "What are you doing here! I was going to come to Grimmauld Place to meet you." He sat up in bed, flushing slightly as Lyra sat on his bed. She had never been in his bedroom before, never come so close to such an intimate situation. Even in Romania, when he had proposed, they had slept in separate bedrooms. Charlie hadn't wanted to intimidate her, knowing he was her first boyfriend, would be the one to take her virginity when he had had several partners and one night affairs when he was younger, before he had matured, before Lyra had been old enough to be his friend, before he had fallen desperately in love with a girl several years younger than he. So he had respected her. Avoided situations where she might feel uncomfortable. To find her in his bedroom on his bed in the morning when his mind had not quite caught up with his mouth made him worry, made him think about what would happen when they were married.
Lyra laughed,
"Charlie, I wanted to come and surprise you" she grinned, "besides, it's not as early as you think" Charlie immediately looked to his window, grinning sheepishly when he realised that though not high in the sky, the sun was definitely higher than it normally was when he awoke each morning.
"So Kingsley or Mr Prune?" Charlie said as he clambered out of bed, smiling smugly to himself as he noticed Lyra blush.
"Mr Prune?" Lyra said questioningly. "Then if we don't like him we can ask Kingsley. But I think your mum would like it if we had Mr Prune. It would be one thing that's similar to Bill's wedding." Charlie smiled appreciatively, before gathering his clothes and eyeing the door.
Lyra got the unspoken implication and blushed delightfully as she left. Charlie dressed quickly and soon joined her in the small living room of his flat. There, he was surprised, as Lyra had used her cooking skills that she had learnt from her time cooking for the Dursleys to lay on a feast that almost rivalled his mothers in size. There was still a pink tinge to her cheeks as he joined her which made him smile automatically.
They ate together, smiling at each other around their porridge and their toast, before finishing with a cup of tea each. As one, they rose together and dispatched their dishes to the sink before Charlie gallantly offered his arm to Lyra and with a laugh she took it, before they both entered the fireplace and threw down the Floo powder.
They appeared in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic, before advancing together to the visitors desk and presenting their wands to the shocked wizard who sat behind it. He took their details and nodded them on their way, bowing his head slightly and flushing when Lyra smiled at him.
Lyra's wand was held loosely in her hand, a reminder to each witch and wizard she passed that she was a formidable witch, able to hold her own, able to defeat Voldemort. Eventually, she and Charlie arrived in a department of the Ministry that was on the other side of the building to the areas that she had visited. The sign on the door, an ornate plaque with engraved calligraphy stated that behind it lay the Department of Magical Records.
When they walked in, Lyra was astounded to see that it was like a large library, with books upon books, files upon files, arranged alphabetically and chronologically along the shelves, which stacked upon each other and linked the floor to the ceiling of the huge room. In the centre of the room lay long tables with witches and wizards seated along the benches examining several more large books. To one side of the room lay a wooden desk with a wizard who was writing in a large black book information dictated to him by a teary couple wearing black. Next to him lay another desk, this time with a cheery witch cooing over a little baby that was held by its mother. She was writing in another large book. The third desk along the right wall held a man who had in front of him a white book, but he currently had no visitors.
Lyra started to walk towards the last man, but was stopped by Charlie's hand on her arm.
"No", he said quietly, "he's got the book for entering the records of the bondings. Every couple who gets married in the Ministry rooms sees him, otherwise the official will give him the records to transcribe when they return from the wedding. We want to see Mr Prune, who's office is this way." Charlie led Lyra to the left wall of the room, away from the three desks, the many shelves and the tables. Facing them was a desk with a smiley faced witch who made the customary glance up to Lyra's forehead but thankfully said no more. She invited them to sit, before fetching the man they had come to see.
Charlie and Lyra were waiting for just a few minutes before the old tufty haired man who had presided over Dumbledore's funeral and Bill and Fleur's wedding stood before them. He invited them into his office and took a seat behind his desk, looking at them enquiringly.
Charlie and Lyra between them explained at length why they were sitting in his office, and would he be willing to perform the ceremony which joined them together in the eyes of magic.
Maurice Prune sat before them, the rugged dragon tamer, the heroine. The old man remembered performing the last Weasley wedding, remembered Bill, remembered Charlie, and remembered the part Veela bride. And here he was, asked to perform the next Weasley wedding between Charlie and Lyra Potter. What could he do but accept, he could think of no other way to thank them for all they had done.
"Just let me know when you'd like the wedding to be and I'll be there" Maurice's gentle voice proclaimed.
"We were thinking you'd just tell us the dates you were free and choose one of them", Lyra replied, but Maurice was insistent.
"No", he answered, "I'm often free, but for you, my dear, I will change appointments. I can't do much else to thank you, so anything you ask for I will deliver."
"Really, Mr Prune, you don't have to thank me!" Lyra cried. Charlie squeezed her hand, but said nothing. Finally, Lyra conceded and together they decided upon the second of August, as it would be after Lyra's birthday but they could return for Ginny's.
"I hope, Mr Prune, that you understand that this is all confidential. We don't want any of our plans being published in the Prophet before we're ready for it." Charlie said firmly.
"My lips are sealed", Mr Prune replied. With all the details finally sorted out, Lyra and Charlie were ushered out of the office by the bowing old wizard. The date was set. They would marry in just a few months.