Title: It's a Nice Day for a (Weasley) Wedding Author: idea_of_sarcasm Pairing: Charlie/Katie (Angelina/George, a variety of side pairings) Summary: Angelina and George are getting married. Nobody said it was going to run smooth, and nobody said they were going to be the only ones getting together. Rating: R Warnings: Mild sexual activity and language Author's notes: Originally written for the 2009 wizard_love exchange on livejournal. Please let me know what you think here, or through my email address at the bottom of the page. Feedback is greatly appreciated! The light that came in through the window seemed to bloody hurt. As Katie's eyes fluttered reluctantly open, she had to concede they weren't the only things that felt unpleasant. Her head pounded, her stomach churned, and her tongue felt like a piece of cotton and twice it's normal size. Groaning, she turned her head back into the pillow she was laying facedown on. Her body wanted to commune with the bed for a few hours longer, but she knew it was a fruitless dream. Tilting her head to the side she found Angelina's face only inches from hers, and she could feel what she assumed was Alicia half sprawled across her legs. She was half hanging off the bed, and could only concede it was a miracle she hadn't slid to the ground over the course of the night. Not that she could remember the exact details of getting in the position. To anybody walking onto the scene it would look like they had celebrated Angelina's last night as a single woman with a lesbian orgy. Appearances of course were deceiving, but they presented the picture of debauchery. The three of them were half undressed, and Katie's hand slid along her body to discover she was only clad in a bra and knickers with her jeans half unbuttoned and partially down her legs. Bloody hell but they had gotten completely pissed. Not that it wasn't called for. It wasn't every day the first of the group of friends got married, and the one they all expected it the least likely to happen for. Still, in a few too quickly approaching hours Angelina Johnson was going to become Mrs. George bloody Weasley, Merlin help her. "Wake up," she murmured, shoving weakly at Angelina's arm. In her current state of awareness it sounded more like 'wmnannp'. Her friend didn't stir, but the harder punch to her arm did the job. "What. . . .fuck. . . ." Angelina cursed in confusion, scrambling around in the bed for the wand that was like an extra appendage for her. In the process she managed to kick at Alicia, who was knocked off Katie's legs and directly onto the floor. The resulting shriek was loud and indignant, just as Angelina finally brandished the found wand - looking at odds from the composed woman she normally was with her air mussed around her head, and a wild and confused look in her eye. Katie couldn't help it - she started to laugh, even if the action didn't help the pounding in her head. It took a moment, but awareness started to dawn in Angelina's eyes and she sheepishly lowered her wand. Alicia pulled herself into a sitting position, hanging over the edge of bed and brushing her short blonde hair back from her eyes - her very bleary and bloodshot eyes. As Katie's amusement died down, the door flew open. They all gathered blankets and discarded clothing to them, expecting to find the imposing figure of Molly Weasley in the doorway, but the redheaded figure was instead Ginny. Sighing in relief, they reverted to their half nude state, though the woman younger than them even did replicate her mother's disapproving stare quite well. "I was expecting to have to take you all to St. Mungos to have them give you an alcohol-flushing potion," she said reprovingly, "it's amazing you're all still alive." Despite being a bridesmaid, by virtue of her being George's only and therefore most dearest sister, Ginny had been the designated apparator for getting home. Katie at least thought she'd fulfilled her duties in that regard at the end of the evening, though how they got home exactly was a little bit hazy. At least the presence of all their limbs suggested they hadn't tried to apparate themselves, and no broken bones suggested they hadn't decided to try using their brooms. She felt bad for Ginny, considering she had a passing familiarity with Katie alone - and very little with the other two women, but most of the time the girl didn't seem to mind, even if she didn't entirely fit in when it was the women alone. It was hard when the trio of them had been best mates since the first year Katie had entered Hogwarts. "We can hold our liquor," Alicia snorted, but ruined the effect by lowering her head onto her hands. Ginny took in the scene in front her, and didn't really manage to keep the blatant sarcasm out of her voice when she said, "Obviously." It was hard not to be a little bitter towards her when she looked lovely and composed in a casual dress, and they looked like absolute shite. Not that a mirror was anywhere close at that moment, but if her friends were anything to go by, Katie looked a fright as well. Grimacing, Katie pulled herself finally into a sitting position, fumbling for her own wand and wondering if bridesmaids were allowed to see the groom before the wedding. She was fairly sure George still held the monopoly on best hangover cure-all potion he had developed with Fred when the lot of them had celebrated the Gryffindor Quidditch Cup win with a few too many bottles of smuggled firewhiskey. "Maybe we should have had the night of debauchery sometime before the eve of the wedding," she snorted. Angelina shook her head, "That might have worked if somebody hadn't insisted on portkeying in at nearly the absolute bloody last minute just a few days ago. Somebody who thought her Quidditch game was more important than her role by my side." "Oh shove it," Katie almost stuck her tongue out, "I'm here aren't I? Ready to wear a frilly dress and support you in your hour of need." It was true she had come in at nearly the last minute - and had escaped most of the horror of Mrs. Weasley bossing them all around in preparation. Quidditch wasn't more important, but at the same time she knew if she'd skived off from the last game she would have no bloody chance of starting the next year, even if her skill was there. She might be playing in a horrific second rate league in Italy, but it was Quidditch, and it was the only shot she had at getting noticed by a proper team. Not that getting noticed was likely considering they barely got local fans to give a shit about the team, let alone scouts. "Besides," she added after, trying to deflect the attention from her late appearance, "Audrey isn't coming in until this morning." One of the other bridesmaids - the last one being Angelina's sister-in-law Brianna who was too attached to her new baby to have come out the night before. Katie had yet to meet Audrey, but she'd heard enough of her. She and Angelina had been partners through auror training, though the other woman had been assigned to work in Edinburgh after graduation where there had been dark wizarding enclaves spotted. Though none of them were allowed to know about whatever super secret mission she was on, they knew it was enough to keep her away until more literally the last minute. "Lucky both of you," Alicia sighed, "you didn't have to degnome the garden. . . ." "Or polish the bloody dishes by hand because a scourgify just isn't good enough," Ginny did a pretty good affectation of her mother. Angelina rolled her eyes, "Or have to deal with the circus that was the 'musical beds' game as people started to descend on the house." All adults - and all more than consenting adults - were present for the wedding, and not even engaged couples had been 'allowed' to be in the same room together when it came to sleeping arrangements. She already knew though this last night had been the only one Angelina and George had spent apart since coming to the Burrow, and that had only been because of their separate 'last nights out' the evening before. Forcing her face into a serious expression, Katie took Angelina's hands in hers, "I know you must be confused by all that considering you've been saving yourself for tonight. Since your mum's not here yet it falls on me to tell you that when a man and a woman love each other very very much they express that love. . . ." The shove to her shoulder rather hurt. "Oh shut it." Ginny rolled her eyes, "To maintain my own sanity, I'm pretending George is still an innocent virgin. Just like Ron is, Fr. . . Percy is, Charlie is - and Bill is. Victoire was conceived immaculately I tell you." They pretended they hadn't heard the slide over the half mention of Fred since that seemed to be the way Ginny wanted it. It might have been long enough the grief had softened, but that didn't mean anybody would ever forget. They all snickered at that. "Percy, maybe," Alicia said dryly, "though I still say it's the seemingly repressed ones that let it all out in private." Katie pondered, "I might have bet on Ron considering his girlfriend, but I managed to walk in on him with Hermione's hand down his trousers when I got the wrong bedroom." Ginny grimaced - but they all snickered, taking no mercy on her. "If Charlie's never bedded a bird, I'm Merlin's daughter," Alicia grinned. "That man just oozes. . . ." She broke off, laughing, as Ginny covered her ears in reflex. "Fine then, I won't go on about his lovely biceps, or the tattoo we all know is hidden underneath whatever semi-respectable clothes he's wearing." This time, she grinned at Katie, "I also won't go an about a certain chaser for the Venice Vijjyhuffs who would happily deflower him if the position was available." Katie tossed a pillow at her. "Oh for Merlin's sake." Alicia tossed it back. "I'm not blaming you Katie darling. If Lee hadn't been kind enough to get the bloody balls to finally ask me out this year, I'd probably be having similar thoughts." They might have pursued the topic of Charlie Weasley further, but already the rustling around the house was starting, and Katie knew there was too much to do ahead. For that moment at least, she chose to entirely ignore Alicia's needling. Taking in Angelina's appearance, who would be the center of attention for the rest of the day, she had to consider again that going out the night before had probably not been the smartest move. The other woman looked like she was recovering from some sort of deathly hex, and Katie didn't know the first bloody thing about the beauty spells to take care of it. Angelina noticed her looking, and raised her eyebrows questioningly. Her response was one born out of years of friendship that ensured she knew she could get away with the blunt nature of it. "Merlin Angelina, you look like absolute shite. Not that I don't think George wouldn't marry you if you showed up in a paper sack and with the flu, but as it is you're going to be getting married with bags under your eyes and a look like. . . ." Angelina's face blanched, and Alicia rushed to reassure her, fumbling around for a mirror. "Honestly hun, it's not that bad. Really and truly. A proper shower, some hangover potion, a few beauty charms and we can. . . ." Even as she held out the found hand mirror though, Angelina pushed it away. "I don't bloody care about that." That reaction was a little more in character for her, considering though she did doll herself up as the occasion required, she was far from the girly sort. The three of them looked at her questioningly. "I'm getting married," she said incredulously, mentioning what revelation Katie's words had prompted, "today." Marriage - the only thing that could take her aback. "You're getting married." Katie repeated the words back to her, a grin sliding across her face. "Married," Alicia nodded, sounding incredulous herself, "you're going to be somebody's wife." "You're going to be a 'Mrs.' " Ginny slid that in. They were all grinning ridiculously, while Angelina sat there in shock. Finally, she shook her head, saying a little weakly. "I should probably get on with that then." ############################## Katie had left them discussing the proper beauty charms while she went in search of the potions that would restore them to their glorious selves. It wasn't that she was a tomboy, but she paid so little attention to that side of her appearance she only knew the most basic glamour charm - and that she used about once a year. It was true that she was thrilled for Angelina. She was. Truly. There was absolutely no jealousy. Well, maybe there was a little, not that she would ever admit to it. It's what came though when you hadn't had a worthwhile date in years it seemed like, not that the jealousy was really anything significant. The only thing that really detracted from her absolute happiness and support though was how much of a surprise it all was. She supposed it wasn't to everybody - after all she'd been in Venice for the last two years. Still, when she'd left Angelina had been single - and midway through this season she had been suddenly engaged, and now just after the playoffs she was about to be married. As far as anybody could tell it wasn't a wedding at wandpoint, though she had caught a few people looking suspiciously at Angelina's midsection. It wasn't that George was a bad bloke; in many ways she considered him a prince among men, though not one she'd ever want to date. It was just that he was. . . .George. He embodied all the qualities that had made Angelina end her fledgling relationship with Fred after the Yule Ball and two subsequent dates. Still, here they were, pledging forever to each other. Katie knew she couldn't know everything about the relationship from the outside, but at the same time that was what made her worry. The thoughts slid away though when she forced them out, and tiptoed down the stairs towards the kitchen. Her focus was for her pounding headache, and their queezy stomachs. At least if she could get them some sustenance it would help. It was a relief to find the kitchen still empty. Waving her wand she gathered assorted foods that could pass for breakfast, and a pitcher of orange juice that had been in the ice box. She was about to take it back upstairs when heavier footsteps entered the kitchen behind her, and she turned to find Charlie Weasley in all his shirtless glory. He yawned and stretched as the dragon tattoo that slid from shoulder to pelvis undulated almost in the process. All she could think of for a moment was Alicia's needling. Merlin knew the man was bloody attractive, and a fun and nice bloke to boot, but it wasn't like she had a mindless crush on the elder Weasley. She'd got over those right quick by the time she was done with Hogwarts. Besides, she'd hated his guts for a solid few years considering he'd laughed and told her she was too bloody young when she tried out for Quidditch her first year at school and his last, even if that youthful pique had passed. As a woman now though she could appreciate his appeal, and had maybe entertained a fantasy or two of doing something with him that would shock his mother if she'd known Katie was thinking about it across the dinner table. It didn't help either that they'd been minorly flirting since she'd arrived. She knew she didn't mean anything by it, and she was pretty sure he didn't either - but it was titillating in its own way. Right then he was taking in her disheveled appearance and grinning. "Maybe I should ask how the other bloke looks?" It figured she would have to look like absolute shite in day old clothes rather than coming down in an attractive negligee. "Ha, bloody, ha," Katie retorted, once she'd torn her eyes away from his chest. "You really know how to charm a woman Weasley." He snorted, "You might want to consider learning my first name at some point today. There are enough Weasleys around to make that a bit confusing." "That would imply I cared enough to remember yours. See, I tend to reserve that honour for people who remember mine." Charlie had the decency to wince. "I apologized for that Katie," he stressed her name. "It's not my bloody fault it's been years since I saw you last, and I barely remember that Quidditch tryout besides. Besides, you were this knobby-kneed skinny little thing that hardly bears a resemblance to the woman you are now." His eyes almost imperceptibly slid over her, and he added with a tone she couldn't quite place, "So very little resemblance." Harmless and mindless flirting, and while a blush threatened, she knew not to takes his words seriously. She was hardly Patricia Garwinkle, who'd been dubbed the 'Slytherin pig' of their year (Merlin knew after the fact she was realizing exactly how cruel Gryffindors could actually be), but at the same time her breasts were still more mosquito bites than melons, and her legs were atrociously skinny. She rather liked her body, and Merlin knew it worked well for Quidditch, but it wasn't the type that blokes ogled. "You keep saying that like you would know what to do if you got your hands on a femme fatale like me," Katie cleared her throat, and tried to inject the confidence of hundreds of affairs into her voice; in reality, the number was a minuscule fraction. Charlie grinned widely. "I like to think I'd have a few good ideas. Still, I've always been a ready and willing student." A quick and easy retort didn't come quickly to her mind, but fortunately they were interrupted by George making his way into the kitchen. More adequately dressed, he only snorted as he took in the two of them standing closely together - having overheard the end of their conversation. "Leave Bell alone," he told Charlie, reaching for the cereal on the top shelf, "I've got enough on my plate without my prospective bride going on about you taking advantage of her naive little friend and ruining the wedding." Katie was about to take him to task for referring to her in that fashion, but it was Charlie who spoke, his eyes still lingering on her body. "I think she's the one looking to take advantage of me." That was easy enough to respond to, even if her mouth was a little dry in his presence. She rolled her eyes in exaggeration, putting her hand on his chest and pushing him back. "Try and deflate that ego." No offense was taken, though she couldn't tell if he was able to deduce her nonchalance was entirely faked. "Please," George was scoffing, continuing on from the previous point, "you get tongue-tied in the presence of anything the least bit masculine." This time her attention was directly back on the man of the day. Her eyes narrowed, and it was tempting to curse George. Merlin knew he liked to think of her that way, but she hadn't been that girl for a good number of years now - at least not entirely. It bothered her more than she wanted to analyze that Charlie might think she was that mindless little bint. It was tempting to throw her previous significant others in his face, but to do that aloud would make her sound like a little bit of a slut no matter what the small number was. Besides, he had a little bit of a point, considering she was hardly adept with her feminine and sexual wiles. She resigned herself to an inadequate, "Oh shove off," as she made a face at George. "My point is made," he smirked, and she couldn't resist laughing in exasperation. Realizing that time was passing too quickly, and they all had too much to do, Katie tried to redirect attention from her and Charlie, and onto the day at hand. "Do you have any hangover potion brewed?" She asked George, praying he said yes. "We all got a little. . . .happy last night." Charlie rolled his eyes, "Why do you think this one here's still standing? I had to pour some down his throat this morning just to get him out of bed. George is a shame to the Weasley name in the way he holds his liquor; even Percy managed a better showing. When we went to the. . . ." "Oi," George interrupted, "what happens at the stag night stays at the stag night." Charlie grinned, "I think somebody's afraid of his fiance." The snort George gave was loud and refreshingly unabashed, "Of course I am. Have you met Angelina? She could kick my arse six ways from Sunday." "Which I foresee her doing many times in the future," Katie interjected. "Now listen. . . potion. . . if I were looking. . . ." It wasn't that she wasn't enjoying the Weasley banter, or wouldn't prefer standing around with the two of them to going to girly herself up, but time wasn't that much of a luxury. It was to her relief when George waved his hand, speaking as he chewed on a large mouthful of cereal in inelegant fashion, "There should be a few bottles in the upstairs loo. The one with the purple cap is the kind Angelina likes - tastes like butterbeer." It did say something that he was knowledgeable about that sort of thing when it came to Angelina, and thoughtful enough to mention it. Nodding her thanks, Katie headed back up the stairs. ############################## "Fuck me these are awful," the obscenity escaped Katie's mouth before she could temper it. She was taking in her appearance in the mirror in front of her. Having hurried through her shower so the rest of the girls could take their turn in more luxury, she'd already shimmied into the dress robes that had been chosen for the bridesmaids. This was the first time she'd actually seen them - having sent her measurements in from Venice so they could be made without her presence being necessary. Dresses weren't her forte as it was, but an outfit that looked an awful shade of green and had more ruffles on it than she could count was enough to make her wish she could transfigure it into something that didn't make her look like a cupcake. As soon as the words were out, Katie bit her tongue, realizing how insulting it sounded, but Angelina was snickering behind her - Alicia in the shower right then. "I'm sorry," the other woman apologized, "I really am. I would have let you all wear jeans if I could, but they were cooed over by both my mum and Mrs. Weasley. I had to save all my willpower for getting the sort of wedding dress I wanted - I caved on the bridesmaids." Katie turned back towards her reflection, "Gee, thanks." After a few tugs to try and stop the robes from riding up on her hips, Katie gave up and resigned herself to looking ridiculous. Sighing, she flopped down on the bed, jostling the seating chart Angelina was doing last minute alterations on for the reception. She knew it had been a constant source of aggravation, especially since Angelina had let George get his hands on it for a few minutes. He'd thought it would be a great idea to seat McGonagall beside his cousin Stephen for a source of amusement - the latter having taken up the tradition of Uncle Bilius rather well. Angelina thought it might be a good idea to keep the new headmistress of Hogwarts out of Azkaban as she was likely to commit murder, and had been required to shift everything around all over again. Waving her wand, the animated little heads that represented all the guests shifted. "I have to get this done," Angelina sighed, "so the tables can be readied with place cards, not that anybody pays the first bloody bit of attention to these arrangements anyway. Convince me again it's a good idea we're doing this here instead of at some fancy hotel in London where they can do all the work and I don't have to worry about much. Or, as sounds even more ideal, a nice quiet little ceremony away from this all." If Katie was looking to get married, that would have been the way she would have chosen, but she knew not only did George's family want the wedding at the Burrow - George himself wanted it more personal like that, for all he mocked. "It's cheaper?" She tried not to make the possible point for the positive sound like a question. "It's uh. . . intimate." Angelina only sighed, closing her eyes for a moment in resignation, before continuing on. "Do you know how things stand between Oliver and Gwenog Jones? I want to know if I should have them on opposite sides of the room, or side by side." The newly minted captain of Puddlemere United and the untouchable star and captain of the Holyhead Harpies had an off-again on-again affair that was always entertaining for the public, and a source of consternation for friends. "We're shite at owl post so the last personal information I have from him is a recap of his latest match, but according to the Prophet they had a fight at the Laughing Dragon in London last week," Katie said distractedly. Normally she would mock the status of Oliver's love life, but right then she was concerned with more important things. She hesitated, wanting to ask, then bit her tongue. Hours before the ceremony was not the time to ask if Angelina was sure about all of this. It was tempting, because Katie wasn't convinced. Still, she had to keep reminding herself that she hadn't been in England to witness their romance, and even if she had been she wasn't in a position to judge. That didn't mean that she wasn't questioning it though, in spite of the fact that she knew George was a good bloke and enamoured of Angelina. It was partially the relationship, and partially the wedding itself. In so many ways it didn't seem like Angelina's. Over and over she had to remind herself that nobody would take kindly to her questioning anything, let alone making any kind of suggestion. "I love you, you know," Katie said companionably, tossing her arm around Angelina's shoulders. Angelina laughed, surprised. "And I love you too. Not that I don't enjoy that sentiment, but it's a little out of the blue." "I need an excuse to be affectionate?" "Katie, darling, being you - you certainly do. You used to flinch whenever Alicia and I would hug you, and you offer sentiment once in a blue moon. Also, it's usually when you're pissed." There was truth in that statement. She didn't do feelings well, and really even now only with her girlfriends given a comfort that was built on years of solid friendship. Katie simply shrugged, "Well, I felt it was time to offer it now, when I'm about to lose you to George bloody Weasley." It was hard not to get a little emotional at the idea. Oh, she knew friendship didn't end with marriage, especially when she was marrying a man who was friend to her as well. It would change though, because George was always going to be central in Angelina's life, and she was going to be part of a more important twosome than the trio the three girls had been together. The emotion came too because she wanted the best for Angelina, and she didn't like any feeling that the other woman might not be getting it. A voice from the door startled them both, "Katie, love, you don't have to lose her. I'd be happy to accommodate you in our bed anytime you want. Merlin, Alicia too and I'd fulfill the fantasy of every single bloke who'd. . . " It was George who had spoken, and he broke off when Angelina threw a pillow at him. "Close your bloody eyes," Katie said indignantly. She wasn't so much indignant about the pervy comment than the fact he was inviting bad luck by seeing the bride before the wedding. George waved aside the superstition, and Angelina didn't seem to mind his presence. At Katie's questioning look, she shrugged, "We've had enough bad luck to last us a lifetime, I don't think a silly superstition is going to mean much." Stopping, she paused, then added, "Well, I'm still not letting him see me in my dress before the wedding, but I think we can handle a sight of me in my fluffy blue robe." Katie averted her eyes for privacy as George walked over, leaning in for a kiss, "You know how that blue robe gets me going though." "Everything gets you going," Angelina laughed against his mouth, before kissing him soundly and putting her hand on his chest to push him back, "Now why aren't you prettying yourself up so we can get on with all of this?" "Because it will take me a few minutes at most," he snorted, "I don't have to worry about all that fancy shite you girls do." "Your mum will want to fuss with your hair." Angelina warned. "Maybe if I wait long enough she'll decide however I look will just have to do." After that he broke off, looking around the room with a curious expression on his face, and Katie had to wonder what the hell he was on about. Finally, his attention settled back on the two of them, close together on the bed. "I have to say I'm impressed," he continued only when they both looked at him questioningly, "I've found myself the calmest bride ever. Even Fleur was rushing about in a panic for most of her wedding day." Angelina rolled her eyes, "Give me an hour. One of my bridesmaids may not even be in the country yet, and the other one probably still has an infant attached to her breast. Besides, I don't even think everything is set up yet. I may find that source of inner panic yet." "I can solve the bridesmaid problem if you like. I'd chuck Percy from the lineup if that would make it easier for you, love." "Oh for Merlin's sake," Angelina snapped, "would you give on him already. He's your brother, and he's had a hard time of it." "He's also an uptight arrogant prat who. . . ." "Who learned his lesson and thinks that you all hate him for. . . ." ". . . with a persecution complex. . . ." Angelina stood up and walked over, grabbing his chin and making him look at her. "This will make me happy George, and listening to me will stop you from having regrets for the rest of your life." Watching the byplay between them gave Katie a feeling of both jealousy and contentment. It seemed at odds with logic, when you looked at their individual personalities, but they just seemed to fit together in a way that couldn't be easily explained. Somehow, that made it work all the better as well, that it didn't seem right based on convention alone. For a moment George looked like he wanted to curse Angelina, then sighed, resting a hand on her shoulder, "It's not enough you can kick my arse is it, you have to be smarter than me too?" Angelina only smiled, leaning forward to kiss him lingeringly, "You're a lucky man to have me - you'd do well to remember that." They both seemed to forget that Katie was in the room, and that they had a wedding to proceed with, as the kiss between them deepened and George's hands started to roam under the blue bathrobe Angelina was still wearing. She was torn between coughing loudly to remind them of her presence, and leaving the room and letting them have the comfort of one last illicit shag before they became an old married couple. She was saved making the decision by the reappearance of Alicia in the doorway. Her friend had forgot a robe and had made a dash back to the room in a skimpy towel and little else. When she saw George, she shrieked loudly, tearing the lovebirds apart. They looked a little sheepish, and George was kind enough to avert his eyes as he slipped past Alicia who was desperately trying to transfigure her towel into something a little larger with the wand she'd unfortunately left in the room before, but to no avail. "I love you," he mouthed at Angelina as he slid from the room, and she smiled back, the same emotion showing in her eyes. At that moment, Katie melted. Angelina's attention turned to Alicia, "Were you hoping to run into one of the Weasley siblings in the hallway?" "Well, if Lee had been out for a walk I wouldn't exactly have been upset but. . . " Alicia's attention was drawn from her near nakedness as she took in Katie's appearance, in all it's robed glory. Grimacing, she muttered, "I think after seeing me in one of those he's never going to want to shag me again." ############################## The bridesmaid dress had been temporarily exchanged for jeans and a jumper. Katie had found herself volunteering for the process of setting up the chairs for the ceremony as nearly all other family members and friends were otherwise engaged. She supposed it skirted the definition of 'volunteering' as it had only been voluntary by the most general sense of the word, but either way she found herself out on the lawn while Alicia and Angelina prettied themselves, and Brianna, who had finally made her presence known, played with Angelina's nephew in the corner of the room and kept them company. Ginny was already dispatched on another task, and Alicia needed more time for the beautification process so it was not to be interrupted. The fact she was more comfortable in the presence of babies also helped given the spitting and screaming bundle Brianna brought with her, so it made even more sense to dispatch Katie. Audrey, the final bridesmaid, had yet to show - and even Angelina was beginning to show some signs of stress. "One would think we could hire somebody for all this," Charlie said as they looked at the hundreds of chairs. He had been dragged out as well. His hair was also suspiciously shorter than it had been just hours before. One could only assume Molly Weasley had got her hands on him. It was hard not to stare and snicker. "At least we didn't have to set up the marquee," Katie sighed, as she waved her wand to get one of the chairs floating towards where the front row would be. The marquee above them was beautifully set, and could shelter hundreds of people. Rolling his eyes at her, he grabbed two of the chairs by hand and walked over to the one she had levitated, unstacking and setting them down. Katie could only chuckle as he walked back, the process taking much longer than her method. "Feeling the need to prove your manhood?" "There's something so much more satisfying in doing it manually than. . . " Charlie broke off, as two quick flicks of her wand had four chairs laid out in a moment. Katie lightly elbowed him, "Save satisfaction for a ceremony that we aren't preparing for under the wire." "Come on Katie, you deprived me of my chance for a few good comments about doing things the right way - and how the most satisfying and pleasurable jobs take the longest. Complete satisfaction is all about ta. . . ." She interrupted him again, "Charlie, for the love of Merlin, can you save the sexual innuendo till after?" "Taking that as sexual? Merlin, but you have a pervy mind. It's a lucky bloke who. . . " "Oh shove off and get moving! I don't fancy angering your mum or Angelina by skiving off for awhile." Shrugging, Charlie none the less waved his wand in deference to her wishes and sent a few of the chairs flying. "I'm not scared of my mum." As she followed suit, trying to get the job done, Katie murmured under her voice, "Yes, and I'm sure the haircut this morning was entirely your idea." When he looked at her to see if she'd spoken, she simply hid her head behind her arm, smothering a smile. The work wasn't manually intensive, but it was time consuming - even using their wands. They also had to charm a few of the chairs to support some of the. . . larger guests that would be attending. For the first few minutes, Katie and Charlie worked in companionable silence, but as they found their rhythm in sending chairs flying without hurting each other, they started to strike up conversation. Underlying flirting and sexual innuendo aside, Charlie was remarkably easy to chat with. "If I ever get married I don't want anything like this," Katie found herself saying as she pondered the chair she was working on, wondering if it would properly support Hagrid. "Really?" Charlie seemed surprised, and seemed to be urging her to go on. She hadn't really intended to say it, but she shrugged anyway, continuing. "Nope. It's not that this won't be nice, but the formality bugs me. Weddings are supposed to be all about the couple aren't they? Not this impersonal bundle of stress with people you don't even know well attending. If I get my choice it's going to be small and informal. Just people I care about, nice comfortable clothing, not ridiculous dress robes that make the wearer want to hide when the cameras come around." "If you think whatever you're wearing is bad, wait until you see the effeminate dress robes I sent my measurements for," Charlie snorted. "It's not just the clothes I suppose, it's more all this ceremony. Maybe I'm just weird, but it would never seem real if it was so staged. I could never appreciate it and enjoy it if all I did was stress about it." Katie broke off, knowing it was probably a boring as hell topic. It wasn't even one she had thought a lot about consciously, for all she was rambling now. In truth she knew she would never get away with something like that. Her family was large, it was pureblooded, and it was ingrained in many important parts of society. They would never forgive her if she didn't do the big wedding, and if they weren't allowed to invite all the people they wanted to appease. For all Angelina's wedding might seem a bit highjacked, she knew if she ever tied the knot hers would be even more so. It just seemed like it wouldn't mean the same thing, when it wasn't her day, or her husband's day - it was somebody else's. Slightly embarrassed, she shrugged, "Ah well, who knows if it will get to that point." Charlie smirked, "Was that a backwards self-deprecating comment where I'm supposed to reassure you that you are going to meet that special somebody one day?" "No!" Her answer was instantaneous, "I'm just not all that obsessed with marriage is all." That was truth enough, but then again Angelina never had been either, and somehow she had found herself very quickly engaged. Charlie looked rather dubious, and she couldn't blame him - it was the rare bird who didn't want a ring on her finger. It was hardly a topic to delve into though, and she tried to move on. "Come on Weasley," she reverted back to her use of his last name, "what do you picture with Mrs. Dragonkeeper? Making your pledges on the back of a horntail?" He laughed at that, "Charlie, you twat. And really, Merlin, revert to stereotypes why don't you? Going that way, I would start assuming you'd want to get married on the back of a broom." Before she could say anything else though, he continued. "Between Bill, other men I've stood up for, and now George - I've learned in the end it really doesn't matter what the bloody hell you want. First, there's your wife, and what she says is going to take precedence. Even if she's completely nutters about it. Second, there's the family, and if you're close to them in any way at all that's going to matter." Motioning his head towards the house, Charlie continued, "You think this is exactly what George wants? This is for mum and the family more than anything. His idea of the ideal marriage sounds like yours. Muggle jeans, about twenty people, and done in an hour. Instead, he's got all his remaining brothers and Lee standing up for him, and he gave mum a free hand with the guest list and arrangements. This is to prove to all of us that we're okay, we're a family - no matter whether Fred's gone, or what kind of trouble that we've gone through." Though the mention of Fred's name caused a pang, Katie liked that he didn't gloss over the loss, and the twin's absence. "A little too deep for a superficial conversation?" Charlie glanced at her. She shook her head, not saying anything in that moment. It wasn't, and she understood more than she thought she would. Katie knew too that it was about George proving thathe was okay; she'd been there for him in those months following the Battle at Hogwarts, when he'd tried to drink himself into oblivion. It was about showing that everything was fine, and that this was a good step and a real one. A bloody lot of pressure to put on a ceremony and a marriage, but it was there all the same. She could understand why Angelina was going ahead with it, as she imagined the other woman got it on a much deeper level than she herself did. They got the chairs set up with relative ease, and found themselves sitting in two near the front that would be reserved for Angelina's mum and brother later. Tom, Angelina's brother, was many years her senior. For all the years they had been friends, Katie had never actually met him. He taught potions at a wizarding school in America, where he now lived permanently with his wife and new baby. Angelina's dad had died during his course of duties as an auror years before, and as such Tom and her mum were going to be the ones walking her down the aisle, the reason he wasn't standing up with George as well. "If we go back inside we're either going to have to get dressed or be assigned a less palatable task," Katie sighed. Charlie groaned comically, "I vote for hiding here for awhile." "Maybe just a little while," Katie conceded. They both looked back towards the house with a little bit of revulsion. She was startled when his arm slid out, slinging around the back of her chair, but he never did anything beyond that - and she forced herself to relax though she was hyper aware of his presence. The attraction side of things she had shifted aside during their task, but with proximity it reared up again. She knew it meant nothing; he couldn't be looking for something no matter how casual, and she certainly shouldn't, but that didn't stop the fact he could provoke that level of sexual awareness in her with very minimal effort. "So tell me," Charlie said, "what have you been doing with yourself since I ruined your life with not letting you on the Quidditch team your first year at Hogwarts?" She ticked off her fingers like a checklist, "Almost getting killed a few times, graduating school, and trying to turn myself into a Quidditch player despite apparently being incredibly mediocre." Katie elbowed him lightly, "Maybe I should blame that on the fact I didn't get that extra year of playing." At her last statement he laughed, but latched onto the first part, "Those sound like stories I need to hear." "Which are also too long to get into when we have precious few moments of freedom," Katie snorted. In truth too, that would mar her enjoyment of the day - getting into the cursed necklace and her own injuries at the battle at Hogwarts. Charlie seemed to accept that, but she got the idea he would be probing later. "So, mediocre Quidditch player, huh? Does that mean you're one of the ones driving the Cannons further into the ground?" As they had been for too long a time now, the team from Chudley was atrociously bad yet again, and every player who was on the team had their reputations tainted. "Not even quite that lofty," Katie pushed aside pride and decided on truth, "you're looking at a chaser for the Venice Vijjyhuffs." At his blank stare, she grimaced, "That's okay, I don't think even the people in Venice have heard of the team. We're a developmental league team. The reason I was later than most portkeying in - our season is a little off from the League's." She was aware she was talking to one of the greatest players Hogwarts had ever seen, who had eschewed professional tryout invitations to pursue his love of dragons. It was rather demeaning, and she decided not to look up and read the pity in his eyes. Merlin though, she wasn't really a bad player, she just had been out of commission too long, and didn't have the resume to get professional recruitment. Embarrassed, she shrugged, "I love Quidditch, I can't help it." It was almost an apology as much as an explanation. When Charlie spoke though, it wasn't in pity. "Good for you." He said simply. Looking up at him then, she couldn't help but go, "Huh?" Charlie shrugged, "You're not giving up, and doing what you actually want to do, even if it's a hard fucking road. Good for you." He actually managed to say it without seeming condescending, which Katie appreciated. She must have looked surprised, because he smiled faintly and continued. "I sort of get it you know; I'm sure everybody tells you it's stupid, and you should get a proper job, and that's bloody hard not to give in to." It was amazing that he got it, and wasn't thinking the same; that she should just give up at this point and accept that a real career in Quidditch wasn't going to happen. Her parents had certainly said that a good number of times, and as brilliant as her friends were they had said or implied the same as well once or twice. She quite simply didn't talk about Quidditch much with them, because they didn't understand it. They didn't understand that even if it wasn't going as well as she planned, or as well as she wanted, she couldn't do anything else. As long as she was able, Quidditch was it for her. She'd resent the hell out of any other profession unless she tried to make a go of it first. "Are you speaking from any personal experience?" Katie asked, clearing her throat. He snorted, "Just a bit. Dragon handler wasn't clever enough for my mum, nor was it really understood by anybody else when they just assumed I'd play Quidditch. Then, it became too 'dangerous' as well when I came home with scars and bruises. Trust me, I can understand the pressure to give up." He shrugged again, with as much nonchalance as he could. "I love it though, what can I say. There's a reason I keep going back even though I'm getting on in years." At that she did laugh, she couldn't help it. "Getting on in years?" "It's a physical job," Charlie retorted, "it might not be all whips and restraints like some people think, but training those buggers isn't child's play. You get on in years, or you get injured, and you get shuffled into administration." She could understand his point, even if with his age and his physique that was many years off. "When it comes to that, I'll give in to that familial pressure and find something else to do entirely. I'm bollocks at paperwork and I don't have the patience for diplomacy." They sat there in silence for a moment. It was a bloody depressing thought to contemplate really. It was the same in Quidditch. Some year regardless of what league she was in, she was going to be too old to play, and she had no desire to be shuffled into some assistant to the assistant coach's position, or taking some useless job with the Department of Magical Game and Sports at the Ministry. Who knew what she was going to do then, but the day was going to come. "Thanks," she said finally, with a snort, "for making me contemplate my own mortality." Charlie laughed softly, "We really are a cheery sort right now, aren't we? Psychology of marriage, and having to give up the careers we love." "It must be the fear of having to get dressed," Katie grinned, knowing she was overreacting to the dress robes, as ugly as they were - but they were a fun target. "It's making us maudlin." "Quite right. That, or fear over the idea my brother is something close to being an adult. Are we sure he's fit for marriage?" They both snickered at that. As the laughter settled, Katie couldn't help but stare up at him. He really was an attractive bloke, and that was besides his lovely body. Oh, there was the attractive side to him that was more important that she was now discovering, the part that wasn't physical - but on the outside he was nice as well. She had the overwhelming urge to run her hand over his hair, to press her lips to the two tiny scars that lined his right cheek, to trace her finger along the swell of his lips. Lost in the moment, when Charlie cleared his throat it startled her. "Do I have something on my face?" He asked with a laugh, and Katie came back to herself with a blush. "No," she said quickly, "sorry." His grin only grew, "I think you find me attractive. I think you were staring at me, wondering what it would be like if we snogged, maybe even if we shagged." It was tempting to deny the accusation and get flustered, but Katie forced herself not to, knowing that in itself would be a dead giveaway. Going on the offensive was easier, and less embarrassing. "Oh please, I know it would brilliant, besides the fact I'm bloody amazing in bed." She paused, grinned, then continued, "You likely got your sex tips as a teenager from Bill after all, and now there's a man who looks like he knows how to please a woman." She almost thought she could hear a growl under his breath. Whatever moment they were having was cut off by the sound of his mum shrieking his name from the house. With a sigh, Charlie got to his feet, offering his hand to pull her up. "Back to reality," he said regretfully. ############################## "Listen, I know you're getting. . . ." Katie had opened the door of one of the loos expecting to find Alicia beautifying her face, as the other woman had apparently disappeared. Instead, her voice broke off abruptly when she was faced with the sight of a couple in front of her. A dark head of hair had his face pressed into a freckled chest, and the bodice of the green dress the woman wore was pulled down to expose her rather generous breasts. When they both realized they weren't alone, Ginny fumbled with a shriek, and Harry's head turned for Katie to see his glasses askew and a beet red expression on his face. "Sorry," she said, stifling a laugh as she backed out, closing the door firmly behind her. Through the door she could hear Ginny berating Harry for not casting a proper locking charm. With a shake of her head, Katie made her way back down the hallway. She was going on the assumption Alicia was probably off having private time with Lee somewhere. If Angelina wasn't currently being fussed over by her mum who had arrived about an hour before, Katie would think she was the only one not involved in some kind of sexual congress before the wedding. Making her way down the stairs, Katie was flattened against the wall by a little blonde fumbling her way up the stairs, followed after by her stunning as usual mother. Fleur spared only a smile and a glance for Katie as she cooed at her daughter, and tried to convince her she needed to stop pulling off her dress robes and come back to the kitchen like a good girl. From the obstinate look on the girl's face, Katie was fairly sure that it was going to be a losing battle. As she reached the landing, Katie cursed at the way movement had shifted her outfit, and fiddled with her dress again, trying to straighten it back to something that didn't look like a sausage casing - but to no avail. Giving up yet again on the dress robes, she looked up to find a lost looking woman standing in the front hall with her trunk beside her. Having already met Brianna who was in with Angelina and her mum, Katie made what she hoped was the obvious deduction about the identity of the other woman. "Audrey?" She asked, and was relieved with the other woman nodded and smiled. Nobody was allowed to take the piss for her being late after this; there was barely any time before the wedding's start, and they'd all been scared Audrey wasn't even going to make it. "I'm Katie," she said, walking forward and offering her hand. The other woman looked at it with bemusement, but took the hand and shook it none the less. Sometimes Katie forgot hand shaking was an almost antiquated practice, even if she couldn't get away from doing it. Mildly embarrassed, she clarified, "One of the other bridesmaids." Like the dress wasn't going to be a dead give away. "Angelina is going to be ecstatic you're here." To the other woman's credit, she grimaced, "I know - I'm so fucking late. Unfortunately dark wizards don't plan their activities around my schedule, much as I wish they would." Katie raised her eyebrows, "A convenient catch-all excuse?" Audrey looked surprised for a moment, but laughed, "I suppose so. Though Merlin strike me down the day I actually start to use it that way." Maybe there was a tiny little sprout of jealousy of the way the other woman had something so important consuming her life. She had an actual good excuse for being late - she was keeping the world safe. Katie had missed rehearsal because she'd been playing a game, and not even in an important capacity. This was not the time to be having a personal crisis, but the feeling was there all the same. Apparently it was going to be a day of jealousy overall, much as she tried to avoid it. "Angelina's told me a lot about you," Audrey was saying, shrugging out of her travelling cloak. "You would be amazed the things that get revealed when one's bored out of their mind, or even more so terrified for their lives." Katie had known auror training wasn't a walk in the park, but she'd never exactly expected it to be on that level. She supposed she'd never really asked Angelina as the other woman didn't like to talk about work. Her surprise only showed in the raise of her eyebrows as she said, "Only good things I hope." "The best," Audrey said with a grin, "I wish I'd had mates at school who would help me hex an ex-boyfriends dorm room." Katie groaned, remembering the incident with Angelina's first boyfriend Horatio Grissom whom she'd caught snogging Heidi Hornburg in the astronomy tower. They'd managed to get themselves into the boy's dorms, and proceeded to inflict every nasty hex they could think of to be triggered when he came into the room. Unfortunately Katie had managed to trigger one of their spells herself, and had ended up with pustules on her face for a week not even Madam Pomfrey could get ride of. From the widening grin on Audrey's face, she had heard about that part as well. Apparently, everything about her past was an open book. "After the honeymoon, I think I'm going to have to have a nice long sit down with Angelina and find out everything about you as well." Katie remarked dryly, "I feel a little bit at a disadvantage here." It was impossible not to like Audrey, as she smiled apologetically. "Don't blame Angelina. Life stories come out under stress. We spent so many hours together it was inevitable. Don't worry, I manage to get myself into embarrassing predicaments on a regular basis, so we'll be on even keel soon. Merlin, give me a bottle of elderberry wine to toast with today and I might be able to manufacture a few more on short notice." Their conversation was cut off by Charlie coming out of the kitchen and finding them both in the hallway. He smiled at Katie, but his attention was drawn towards Audrey. As he took in the presence of the new arrival, in Katie's estimation at least his eyes lingered. Assessing Audrey herself, she had to admit the woman was attractive. With a few inches on Katie, Audrey had the curves she'd always wished for, and the kind of muscles born of a training Quidditch didn't provide. She could wax on poetically, but to sum it up Audrey looked like she belonged on a Playwizard cover. Watching Charlie look at the other woman, Katie felt an irritating sensation at the back of her neck, raising her ire irrationally. Apparently it really was going to be a day of jealousy. She wasn't stupid, she could recognize the emotion for what it was, but she forced herself to push it aside as she forced a smile onto her face. "Charlie, meet Audrey. If the red hair didn't give it away, he's George's brother. This is Angelina's final bridesmaid, finally making her presence known." "Pleasure," Charlie smiled, holding out his hand. This time as Audrey took it, there was no bemusement as there had been with Katie, and more a look of female appreciation. "Same here," the other woman said with what Katie heard as flirting tone, and her eyes narrowed despite her intent to not give a damn if they were interested. Anything else they might have said was cut off when she broke the silence. "As much as it would be nice to chat, we've got to Audrey stuffed into one of these monstrosities if we're going to have any chance of getting the ceremony started on time." "My condolences," Charlie offered, a pained look on his face as he took in Katie's appearance. As his dress robes weren't without ruffles though they were sober and black, she gave him a pointed look, and he shrugged in return. Grabbing Audrey's arm, because she looked like she was going to keep staring at Charlie for awhile, Katie started to pull the other woman up the stairs towards the bedroom where the women of the bridal party were congregating. It was partially for the selfless reason of getting things going in proper fashion, but also because she had no desire to watch if those two were going to start what could only be called a prelude to shagging. "Damn," Audrey said appreciatively as they walked up the stairs, "I don't suppose I get to be paired with that one?" Katie's voice was sharper than she intended, "No, you don't. You get Percy, one of the other brothers." The other woman was automatically contrite. "Sorry, I didn't know you two were. . . ." "Oh no," Katie said quickly, "We're not. . . I mean, there's nothing. . . he's just George's brother." "Uh huh," at the other woman's sarcastic tone, Katie turned to look at her sharply, but before she could issue another denial Audrey spoke again. "No worries, I understand the off-limits vibe. From what I understand, there are enough Weasley brothers to go around, and if they're anything like that bloke I'm going to have no complaints." Katie wanted to make another emphatic denial, but instead she found herself snickering at the comment, "You haven't met Percy yet obviously." The other woman sighed at her amusement, "Not quite as fine a piece of manhood I take it?" "Oh, he's not a bad sort," Katie said quickly. In truth, she didn't know Percy well, except in terms of general priggishness from school, and exasperated stories from George and Fred. It wasn't that he was ugly either; just the nerdy sort, though she'd never seen what was under his robes as he never really unbuttoned. "Just a bit. . . uptight. I suppose it's just that he's not my cup of tea." There was a niggling voice at the back of her head that kept nattering 'he isn't Charlie', but Katie resolutely pushed it aside. Audrey shrugged casually, "Less chance of me ending up without my knickers at the end of the evening then I suppose. There's something to be said for inspiring good behaviour." The idea of the seemingly vivacious and more. . . loose Audrey with Percy seemed like the oddest matched couple for the day, but Katie could see the merit in it. Maybe they really would balance each other out. "Come on," Katie said, pushing aside the thoughts of men that weren't supposed to matter that day, "let's get you looking like an iced cupcake." ############################## The bedroom that had seemed too small to house Katie, Alicia and Angelina the night before had started to feel minuscule. The bridesmaids had crowded in, and a bemused Tom had taken the squalling infant away from Brianna to leave with a well-meaning Johnson relative for the rest of the ceremony. Angelina's mum was in there as well, along with Mrs. Weasley. Everybody was dressed and ready; it was a room full of taffeta and frills and too heavy handed beauty spells in some cases. Everybody was ready that was, except for the bride. Angelina's hair had been styled with the deft hand of her mother, and she was currently standing in her slip and knickers as Alicia and Brianna helped her into her dress robes. Once it had been transfigured to adhere to her body without falling down, they all were able to get the full effect. She was beautiful. Whatever was lacking in their bridesmaid dresses was certainly made up for in hers. The ivory of the dress was in stark contrast with her dark skin. It was a strapless dress that she had the chest to pull off, and it fell down to her feet in overlapping swathes of material. Below the waist it gathered in pinches, secured by charmed pins that fluttered. It was over the top, but it didn't matter because it was gorgeous. Katie knew her approval was shining on her face. For her part, Angelina's mum had tears in her eyes as she cupped her daughter's face in her hands. "You're beautiful," she said quietly, kissing her on the cheek before pulling back. It was obvious she wanted to offer a moment of sentiment, to acknowledge the fact the baby of her family was growing up and leaving her, but she held back. Katie wished it was only the two of them in the room so she could have the chance, but they all knew it was different with the multitude of people around, and they all didn't have time to vacate. The woman limited herself to a soft, "Your father would be so proud." Angelina, who was the type to think that sentiment would be better offered for something more substantial then getting leg-shackled, teared up all the same and hugged her mum tightly, ruffling her perfect appearance but not really caring. It was a rash of tearful hugs after that. Merlin help them all from a room full of women. Katie found herself beside Alicia whose lips were red from something other than lipstick, and a little swollen, as Molly Weasley started on about how pleased she was Angelina was going to be part of the family. "Run into Lee?" She asked wryly. Alicia's self satisfied smirk was answer enough. Their attention was all for Angelina though in that moment. She was tied up by family and obligation, but the three of them were their own little family in a way. "I still can't believe this is happening," Alicia said with a sigh, "I'm thrilled for them, but it doesn't seem like we're old enough for this. For marriage and lifetime commitments, for babies, for careers and houses. When did we become adults?" "I'm still not convinced I am," Katie snorted. "Besides, wasn't it just yesterday we were all toasting Quidditch victories in the Gryffindor common room with a bottle of firewhiskey Fred used to be good at smuggling in?" There were a million memories they could slide back into; of school, but more importantly of friends. Alicia's tone was heavy, "It's all going to change isn't it, all of us?" "It already did," Katie said ruefully, "when we moved all so far away from each other. Besides, it's not like she's going to stop being our friend, just because she has a husband and a different last name." She sighed, "Still, you're right, it's going to be different." "Do you suppose Tom did the big brother thing? Threatened George's manhood if he so much as makes her cry? I'd hate to think he's getting off easy just because we've known him most of our lives and haven't done the same." That made Katie laugh with honest and genuine amusement. "It doesn't matter if he did or not, George is properly scared into being the best husband he can be by the best person for the job." At Alicia's questioning look she added, "He knows Angelina will take care of him herself." They both smiled in amusement at that, even if they knew it wasn't the same, as true as it was. "Katie," she looked up quickly as she heard her name being called. Molly Weasley was motioning towards her. As she walked up to the group, the older woman said, "Go see if the men are ready. Everybody's assembled, and we don't want to keep the guests waiting." ############################## The men's pre-wedding gathering was different. In that there really wasn't one. Katie had expected to find them all congregated in George's room that had formerly been allocated for him and Fred when they were actually at the Burrow. Instead, it took her a good while to find them. After a good amount of searching she located the lot of them around the corner of the house; away from the guests and the marquee in the back and away from air drifts that would take the smell to the windows of the upper bedrooms. As she walked around the corner the odour of cigar smoking tickled her nostrils, and she wrinkled her nose as she approached. "I thought cigars were supposed to wait until after," she grimaced, "or you know, until the first baby or something." With her approach they'd all shoved the cigars behind their backs guiltily, but had relaxed when they realized who it was. Even Arthur Weasley was taking part, as was Tom and all the groomsmen - as well as the prospective groom of course. Percy looked distinctly uncomfortable with the cigar, but was dutifully trying his best to fit in. "Give me something today," George said, balancing the cigar between his teeth as he walked up to her, "bemoaning the loss of my bachelorhood in the dying moments." Then realizing who he was talking to he grinned, "Or you know, celebrating it's loss. Whatever you'd prefer to think." Katie rolled her eyes as he slung an arm around her shoulders, "You realize you lot are going to stink to high heaven?" It was Lee who responded, "Turns out there's this handy little spell that. . . " He broke off, demonstrating instead. With a wave of his wand over George, and a muttered, "olfactory concealo," the odour of cigar from the man beside her disappeared and was replaced with a light flowery scent. "Brilliant, isn't it?" George asked with a grin, giving her shoulder a pat and pulling away. Katie would place bets on Molly Weasley's nose ferreting them out regardless, but she had to appreciate the effort and the brilliance of the spell. She couldn't resist the urge to needle the group, though she kept it quiet enough Mr. Weasley couldn't hear, "You all must be insanely secure in your manhoods to be smoking those things." It was Bill who raised his eyebrows questioningly. Katie resisted the urge to stumble in her jest. She might not exactly have a 'thing' for the eldest Weasley brother, but he disconcerted her all the same. She could never quite place her finger on it, but she thought it might be because he seemed to much like a man. Oh, not that the rest of them were - at least not always - immature boys, but he seemed leagues above the rest of them. It must have been the marriage and the child. Merlin, did that mean she was going to look at George in the same way soon? Pushing that aside, she continued bluntly, "Phallic symbols." As a good number of them looked at the cigars a little more distastefully, Katie pushed aside jesting and said what she was coming for. She had a habit of getting distracted by talking even when there was a task at hand. "Mrs. Weasley sent me down. It's time to get things started - Angelina's all ready. So you lot get yourselves smelling respectable, and all lined up." They all waved their wands to vanish the cigars, and started casting the charms to mask the odour. As George straightened his dress robes, he started to look a little nervous. It was Mr. Weasley who walked up, clapping a hand on his son's shoulder. They didn't exchange words, it didn't seem their relationship was the type, but George relaxed at his father's reassuring smile - and they did a quick manly hug before stepping back, not caring that they were doing it in front of the entire male contingent for the wedding. Katie smiled at the display of affection, and as she turned to go, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she found Charlie delaying her. He dropped his head to speak quietly so the words were for her alone. "Katie, if you think a little cigar like that is phallic, you've been sleeping with the wrong men." With a smile and a wink he patted her shoulder and turned back towards his brothers, leaving her with a curl of arousal in her belly and a remarkably dry mouth. Cursing her inability to give him a proper retort, and the fact she was now picturing the. . . cigar inside his trousers, Katie headed back towards the women inside. ############################## For what essentially amounted to a backyard wedding, the setup had been done beautifully. Nothing to do with the chairs of course, but the decorations the Weasley family and friends had set up around the yard were gorgeous. It had still been a lot of work that they could have foisted off on others at different locations, but it had worked out lovely in the end. There had been many discussions over the arrangements, whether or not the groomsmen should walk with the bridesmaids down the aisle, but instead George was standing with his brothers and friend beside the witch officiating the ceremony. Katie couldn't help but snicker as she peeked out to have a look. It might be appropriate, and it might be the right thing at the right moment, but there were way too many of them all in the wedding party. Her eyes lingered over Charlie, looking dapper in his dress robes, even if they perhaps weren't the most masculine sort. She tried to not think about how she would like to have the opportunity to divest him of said robes later. Turning back to the girls, and Angelina's mum and brother, she watched as they all straightened themselves at the last minute. From her seat at the front, Molly Weasley waved her wand, and the muted strains of 'Charmed by you' started to air across the backyard. Ginny gave Angelina a quick hug, murmuring words about being glad to have another sister, before grabbing her flowers and starting the slow walk down the aisle. Katie was fairly sure Fleur hadn't gotten the same type of reception initially, even if she was technically a 'sister' as well. As she waited her turn, Katie reminded herself sternly that she was not to rush down the aisle as was always her temptation, having no patience for the slow stroll that was required. Alicia as the maid of honour was to go last before the bride, and Katie was just before her. Therefore when Angelina went into a panic, it was only the two of them left, besides of course the woman's mum and brother. As Audrey started her walk down the aisle, Angelina all of a sudden gripped Katie on the arm, and looked desperately at her and Alicia. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck," she started to murmur under her breath, "you have to stop this. I'm not sure I can do this. Oh dear Merlin, we've got to stop this." Alicia and Katie looked at each other in panic as Angelina slowly backed away. Tom and her mum had been oblivious, but following her retreat just looked startled. As Angelina backed her way into the backdoor of the house, Alicia following behind, they left Katie standing at the top of aisle with hundreds of people looking expectantly at her. She froze, she couldn't help it, having no idea what to say. George was looking flabbergasted at the end of the aisle, as was the whole lot of them, when there was nobody else heading down. "Slight. . . wardrobe malfunction," Katie gulped, her voice breaking. Public speaking she was shite at, especially when she was making up hippogryff dung on the spot. Forcing herself to speak louder she offered weakly, "Just have to go look up the proper charm. . . we'll be right back." It was bollocks, considering every witch in the crowd probably knew a spell to fix a broken heel, a stain, or a ripped dress, but she'd had no bloody idea what else to say. Leaving the multitude of people murmuring amongst themselves, she moved as fast as her dress robes would allow into the house, following the other two women. Angelina's brother made a motion to follow, as did her mum, but then hesitated and stayed behind. When she stumbled into the kitchen the backdoor opened into, she found Angelina squishing her flowers mercilessly as Alicia patted ineffectually at her shoulder, looking helpless. "What. . . ?" Katie asked, not knowing what else to say. "I think I'm making a mistake," Angelina said, her voice almost unrecognizable with how quiet it was, "I'm pretty sure I'm making a ridiculous mistake." Katie closed her eyes, wishing it wasn't happening like this. "Why?" Alicia was the one who asked the question bluntly. "I'm too young to get married, aren't I? Oh Merlin. . . the rest of my life. . . and maybe all that taking the piss got to me, but. . . well, it is George and. . . ." The rambling and panic was entirely unlike Angelina, and Katie forced herself to step into a different role than was normal for her, staying calm and trying to get it all sorted in the matter of moments. "Did he do something?" She asked, wondering if maybe there had been something to prompt this, "Did you catch him shagging one of the multitude of bridesmaids, saying nasty things to his brothers about you, I. . . ." It was George, Katie couldn't really think of hideous things he would have done to prompt this kind of turnaround. "No," Angelina said quickly, "no, nothing like that. I just. . . oh Merlin, what if I'm making a mistake? In so many ways he's everything I chucked Fred for in our short lived relationship." "You didn't love Fred," Alicia pointed out quietly, "not as more than a mate anyway. Do you love George?" Her answer to that was quick as well. "Of course. I didn't think I could feel this way about anyone ever, but everybody always says things about him that imply it's not going to work out. He's too immature for me, he'll drive me nutters within a year, he's never going to grow up. . . .you two have said the same things yourself." They both started guiltily, never realizing good natured teasing and minor reservations would have led to this. "It's not a matter of love, because I know he loves me too, it's just. . . ." she trailed off helplessly. Alicia started to speak, but Angelina was off on another tangent, "People think it's unhealthy you know, me getting married to George, considering Fred was my significant other of sorts. They think I'm confusing the two, trying to replace one twin with the other in grief. That George is doing this out of some kind of. . . misplaced obligation." That was complete bollocks, which would be apparent to anybody who actually knew the two of them and their history - and her and Fred's history as well. She and Fred had never had a doomed romance; they'd been mates who had temporarily tried something more and then reverted back to the norm when it didn't work out. Even if it hadn't been exactly like that underneath though, Angelina hadn't lost herself in grief and wasn't trying to replace a dead boyfriend. It was just. . . .so bloody ludicrous on so many levels. Watching Angelina working herself into a panic though, Katie knew logic wasn't the thing to appeal to her with. Trying to reason this out wasn't going to work. It was funny listening to her, because the doubts she was listing were the ones Katie'd had initially when she was looking on the outside in. But knowing them, and seeing them together now, she'd been convinced that this was so bloody right even if they would drive each other round the bend on occasion. It might have come as a surprise, but that didn't make it any more invalid. She couldn't know that it was the right thing, nobody could really know that, but seeing how much George truly cared for her friend she believed it had as good a chance as any of being right. In the end though, it was far from being her decision to make. Before Angelina could ramble on about every doubt she'd ever had about the relationship, Katie took the other woman's hands in hers, forcing Angelina to look at her. It calmed Angelina down slightly, as Katie spoke, "If you don't want to get married, I will support you every step of the way." Alicia was nodding along, still patting Angelina's shoulder. "I will break the news to every single person out there, I will find us a portkey to the French Riviera where we can ogle rich half naked blokes, I will do whatever you want. No questions asked, no recriminations, because I love you and I want you to be happy. But do you really believe, deep down inside, that you're making a mistake here?" They all paused in that moment, and Angelina's face fell, before she murmured silently. "No, I. . . I don't. I just. . . .this is forever, and when I start to think about it logically it makes it so much harder." Katie had to bite her tongue against suggesting she get her arse out there and get married then, but she knew it was something Angelina had to come around to. If there were truly that many hesitations for her, Katie had meant it when she'd said she'd support her in whatever she wanted to do. She wasn't capable of legilmency, but she was fairly sure Alicia felt the same. "I love him so much," Angelina closed her eyes for a moment, "fuck, I actually love the prat so bloody much." Running a hand over her face, she looked up with an expression that was suddenly remarkably calm, "I'm being a fucking idiot." "You? Never." Alicia said supportively, smiling as she gave Angelina a half hug, being careful not to mess up her dress and hair in the process. "Well, at least not until this moment anyway." Angelina returned the hug, and gave Katie's hand a quick squeeze. "I'm getting married," she said resolutely, and before they could say anything else she offered quickly, "Yes, I'm sure. No, there are absolutely no doubts. I just. . . please don't tell anybody I panicked. I don't panic." Except apparently when it came to George. Smiling softly at both of them, she added, "I'm really lucky to have friends like you, you know?" Obviously unable to resist, she added, "All ready and willing to brave the Weasley clan for breaking the heart of one of their brood." They all smiled at each other. In that moment, Katie actually felt really happy, because she knew in essence it would never change, not really - the three of them. George would come first, as he should, but their real friendship was not going to fade - not even if Angelina had a gazillion little red-haired babies and moved to Venezuela. In the next moment, she felt panic. "Shit," she said, grabbing Angelina's arm, "as touching as this moment is, we've got hundreds of people and your lucky groom out there wondering that the bloody hell is going on." They rushed out after that. Angelina's mum and brother looked relieved when they saw their daughter emerge from the house, smiling and composed again. As she peeked around the side of the marquee, Katie could see George beginning to make his way down the aisle towards them, and she frantically shook her head, motioning him back. He hesitated, but obliged, taking his place beside the rest of the men standing up with him. The crowd had been murmuring, but they quieted slightly when they saw Katie standing at the top of the aisle ready to go. She caught the eye of Mrs. Weasley, who although looking a little perturbed, started the music up again and Katie began her slow walk down the aisle, Alicia following behind the requisite ten paces afterwards. As she neared the front of the aisle, the guests around her were getting to their feet, and she was lucky enough to see the look on George's face when Angelina started to walk down the aisle with her mother and Tom. He looked like he'd just won the Quidditch cup single-handedly; like he was the sort of person who didn't even need felix felicitas to get what he wanted; like he was in complete and utter awe, and like he could lift mountains. The grin across his face was wider than she had ever seen it, and completely genuine, for once not a bit of mockery in his gaze. George looked so bloody happy, and so bloody in love, as he watched his bride to be walk down the aisle towards him. It was schmoopy, and it was out of character from the type of person she thought she was, but Katie didn't even care as her eyes started to tear up. This was what she wanted for her friend. ############################## At the reception Katie had snagged a seat next to Charlie at one of the tables that had sprung up after the end of the ceremony; the plans for walking back down the aisle had been pushed aside in favour of a smoother transition. They hadn't had much time to talk, except for a comment he'd muttered quietly about the things the dress did for her arse. She was still fairly sure he'd done it just in an attempt to make her blush as one of the many Weasley cousins had procured a wizarding camera to help commemorate the wedding. On her other side Alicia sat very close to Lee. Katie was carefully trying to avert her eyes from that direction as she was fairly sure Alicia's hand occasionally kept drifting towards the area of the man's crotch. Ron and Ginny had sat down with their respective significant others, making some attempt to follow the mostly botched seating plan, but the four of them were a group onto themselves as seemed the norm - chatting with each other rather then the rest of the group. Katie had invited Brianna and Tom to join them with their son, but they had joined Angelina's mum and the Weasley parents, as well as Bill with his wife and daughter. Katie had been tempted to make a crack about it being the 'domesticated' table, but she wasn't sure how well that would go over with everyone. "You're not a bad dancer Weasley," Katie elbowed him lightly. Already she'd snagged a glass of champagne and was sipping slowly at it. "Charlie," he corrected her. "Fine, Charlie," she emphasized with a roll of her eyes, "I assumed you had two left feet." "Because. . . " "I don't know, you're a bloke." He snorted, "You really are big on stereotypes aren't you?" "It's not exactly a stretch." They'd taken to the dance floor after Angelina and George had been allowed their solo dance, followed by being joined by the parents. She wouldn't welcome it herself having a solo dance like that, considering her grace was limited to the broom alone, but Angelina and George hadn't seemed to have too many problems being the center of attention. Not that it had been taken too seriously, as he'd slid her into a fast dance despite the first song being of a noticeably slow and romantic beat. For all Angelina normally might have clapped him upside the head and told him to behave himself, this time she only grinned and laughed as she went along. Apparently marriage mellowed people, or maybe that was just happiness. When the wedding party had joined in, and Charlie's hand had slid to her waist, Katie could only be glad for the planned pairing. If nothing else than his ability had kept her afloat and stopped her from stepping all over his toes. "I'm a very good dancer," Charlie said, grinning at her, "of course I'm even better at the horizontal kind." "Bloody hell, do you ever think about anything besides sex?" His hand slid to her chair as he leaned closer, speaking close to her ear, "Not when I'm sitting here beside you." Merlin but that was a horrible line. It was cheesy, overused, over the top and he probably didn't mean it any more then he would with any reasonably attractive woman - but damn if it didn't make her stomach flutter all the same. Katie cleared her throat, trying to sound sultry - or whatever the hell somebody adept at sexual flirting would sound like. "Talk like that Charlie, and we're going to have to find ourselves an empty room to retire too." After that statement she expected a quick retort, maybe a little upping of the ante, but Charlie fell silent for a moment, simply looking at her. Katie almost raised a hand to her face to see if there was something on it, but then he looked away - almost as if he was checking around them to see if anybody was listening. She was confused, and raised her champagne to distract her, but already Charlie was turning back. "Listen Katie," he said, sliding a hand from the chair to her hip, "I know you're not exactly the femme fatale type, and I'm not exactly suave and debonair. I work with bloody dragons every day, who aren't exactly great for conversation, and are only good for sexual interest for the most sick fucks out there. Straight out, for all we've been dancing around it - in truly pathetic fashion - I want you. A lot. And before you get your knickers in a twist, I don't just mean for sex. I'd like to. . . get to know you better." Katie looked at him rather dumbly. That, she hadn't been expecting. After a few seconds he snorted, "Saying something would be a good idea." What the bloody hell was she supposed to say? Oh, the obvious choice would be 'me too', but her brain didn't go to the obvious when it was presented with a male like Charlie Weasley with serious interest. Merlin, but George had had the right of it earlier, annoying prat though he was. She could do the banter and the rest of it when it was casual, and more a joke. In truth though, when faced with any man who wanted her for more than that, and who came at it rather abruptly, she didn't have the first clue what to do with him - let alone with a man like Charlie. It was the byproduct of being the girl who was normally always 'friends' with the blokes, rather than yes, the femme fatale type. At the back of her mind too there was the completely irrational thought that she wished he wasn't being so nice about it, so polite. Wasn't she attractive enough for him to just want to shag? Did she seem like the type who needed words, and months of conversation first and. . . whatever else. Merlin, all right, maybe in some ways she was, but that didn't mean she relished it. Before she could say anything however, their conversation was interrupted by Audrey plopping down at the table, dragging Percy in her wake as she pulled him down into the chair beside her. Disconcerted, Katie reluctantly turned her attention away from Charlie to the rest of the table. She could hear him curse under his breath before doing the same. Percy was muttering something under his breath to Audrey, obviously trying to pull away and leave. "They don't want. . . " he hissed. Katie missed the next few words, then heard, ". . . somebody needs to make sure the charms on the. . . " Before he could finish, it was Charlie who spoke, "How are things at the Ministry Percy?" Percy had returned to work there only the year before. Katie hid a smile behind her hand at the overenthusiastic nature of his tone. She was fairly sure Charlie didn't give a hippogryff's arse about the Ministry of Magic, but was making the effort for his brother's sake all the same. It had been the theme with the Weasley brothers, trying to make the effort to make their brother feel included and welcome. Perhaps in the case of George the effort was a little more forced, but that didn't mean it wasn't forthcoming all the same. It had been a slow process, Percy coming back into the fold; Fred's death had widened the chasm that had narrowed when Percy had changed back to his family's side, even if it was all in the mind of the more uptight Weasley brother. Percy seemed startled by the question. "Oh, just fine. We've been rewriting the regulations on. . . ." With that he was off into a mind-numbingly boring speech about cauldrons and wand length and. . . things Katie didn't quite catch due to her attention drifting, but at least he stopped trying to get up and leave. "Percy," it was Audrey who interrupted him when there was a stop for him to take a breath, to the relief of them all, "be a love and waive down one of the waiters. I've yet to get myself a glance of champagne." He looked startled, but obliged, reaching for his wand to send sparks up in the air and get one of the men in the plain robes to come over with his tray. Alicia and Lee had turned their attention back to the table as well, and Katie was hoping to Merlin they were keeping their hands to themselves. "It was a lovely ceremony," Alicia said with a wistful sigh. Lee and Charlie exchanged pained glances, so it was left to Katie to humour her friend as Audrey was staying annoyingly silent as the only other female at the table paying any attention. "It was," she agreed, "the uh. . . the flowers, and the lovely charms that came after they exchanged their vows and the uh. . . " Snorting, Alicia shook her head, "Katie love, don't worry, I'm not making us discuss that sort of thing. I meant the two of them, you know." That she could agree on, and the wistful look that had been in Alicia's eyes, now shone in Katie's as well. It wasn't like the words the couple had exchanged had been any different from any other wizarding wedding ceremony, elite pureblood or otherwise, but it had been lovely to hear the two of them saying them. Maybe it helped that she finally knew the people involved, and wasn't attending the wedding of a peripheral family member or influential friend of her family's, but so much of it was that it was lovely to see two people who actually seemed to mean it. Also, two people who hadn't been able to stop themselves from sneaking grinning glances at each other while the witch officiating the ceremony had been talking, and who'd snogged for much longer than was necessary. "Birds," Lee said under his breath, shaking his head. Alicia's eyes narrowed as she swatted him on the arm. "Oh shove off. You can't tell me you weren't just a little moved. It's not going to call your manhood into question to admit it." "Oh fine," he conceded, "even if I think this sort of thing is bollocks. I'll admit the two of them do seem disgustingly in love, and it made me happy to see George happy. Before Angelina came into his life, it didn't happen near often enough this last while." "I'll toast to that," Charlie said quietly, raising his glass of champagne they'd recently snagged from the waiter, and they all followed suit. A somber moment followed, as they were all remembering why George had been faced with such a hard time of it, and Katie seized the remembrance of Fred to try and move them all past it rather than let it get them down. "Merlin, can you picture if Fred was here?" Surprised eyes turned to her at the question, but she carried on, "He wouldn't have let his twin get married without a few good pranks; I think the only thing safe would have been Angelina's dress as she would have hexed him but good if that got ruined." Smiling a bit wistfully, she added, "Not that I think it would have been too much of a bad thing, mind, the livening up a bit." Rather than getting maudlin about who wasn't there, at least not overly, Charlie took her approach. "Well, at least this way we came out with mum's sanity intact. I think I would have liked to see what he'd come up with though." Alicia grinned. "I think I could more picture him wrapping his arms around George's legs, begging him not to get married. Now there was a man allergic to commitment." Perhaps for all it brought back bittersweet memories of their friend and brother respectively, in some ways it relieved the load to be able to talk like this. She could in no way imagine what it had been like for the Weasley family, but she knew even amongst friends it had been impossible to really talk about him. Offhand mentions were always glossed over in the sadness that came with them, and memories that included him were rarely touched on directly. Or, if they were, they omitted him somehow - like he hadn't been there; they did it like they thought doing it that way would make some sort of difference in how much they missed him. "I think it would have been the opposite," Percy was the one who spoke quietly next, surprising them all. "I think he wouldn't have wanted a single thing to mar this day, even something that was second nature to them both. I think he would have gone over the top to make it absolutely perfect for George. He would have done everything to ensure. . . " He broke off, embarrassed. He ducked his head, cleaning his glasses as a cover, but they all could see there were tears in his eyes. As they all were silent for a moment, and Katie knew for her part it was trying to think of what to say that wouldn't seem out of place, Percy got purposefully to his feet mumbling an, "Excuse me." As he strode away, Charlie got up and made move to follow him, but Audrey shook her head, pushing to her feet. "Let me," she said quietly, "sometimes somebody a bit more on the outside isn't a bad thing." They watched as she walked away. Katie turned sad eyes towards Charlie, "I didn't mean to. . . " He waved it off, "You didn't say anything wrong." She hadn't, that was true, but she hadn't meant to upset Percy either. What did they think though, that they had been going to get through the day without anybody thinking about Fred? Merlin, but in that moment, she wished he was there. He'd always been good at diffusing every situation, and swinging them all around to a better mood no matter what was going on. That was one of the things she missed about him the most, even though she did miss everything. Percy had had a point; once Fred would have got past sharing his twin with a woman, she could picture him being obsessed with making everything perfect for the two of them. Charlie's hand was on the table and she took it, threading her fingers through his from the top. It was comfort for both of them. He didn't say anything, but put his other hand over hers. "I hate this song." Lee didn't exactly have the same knack for diffusing any situation and turning it for the better, but his comment didn't exactly hurt. Their attention turned to the song some of the wedding guests were currently dancing to. 'If I can't have you (without amortentia)' had been playing on the wireless way too bloody much for the year previous, and the teenage witch who sang it sounded like she was under crucio. They all cringed as the song played on. "If I ever get married," Alicia began, "it's going to be all instrumental music playing." Apparently that was the common conversation of the day amongst the single guests - how they would do things if they had the choice. In the end, it wouldn't matter. Katie still wasn't sure who exactly had the control when it came to planning weddings, but she was fairly sure nobody got everything they wanted in the process. ############################## Over the course of the evening, Katie had found herself twirled around the dance floor by more men then she could keep track of - a good portion of them some relation of the Weasleys. The most memorable had actually been with Angelina's brother Tom, as the three minute waltz had been their longest consecutive conversation, and her best chance to actually get to know him. She could see shades of his sister in him, despite their differences in age, and it made her take to him all the quicker. Of course it was obvious he was head over heels for his wife and son, who sat in a chair off the side of the dance floor with her waving the boy's arm at them, which made him all the more endearing as well. It also meant she'd lost track of everybody she had started out the rest of the night chatting with. All in all everything had gone smoothly save a few minor clothing emergencies, a few embarrassing dances from drunken uncles and cousins, and one unfortunate shouting match between a (soon to be divorced, Katie was assuming) couple. They'd done some toasts at the end of the evening, when people were too far down in their cups to care, and Katie had stopped caring that her eyes were watering fairly frequently despite the fact it was a reaction she completely wasn't used to. She and Alicia had done an overly sentimental toast to the bride, which had got Angelina tearing up as well. Lee's toast to George was a little more light hearted, though with no less sentiment - even if it wasn't explicitly stated. The rest of the toasts Katie hadn't paid much attention to, guzzling down something deliciously alcoholic to relieve the stress of the public speaking. As the wee hours approached, Angelina and George had been packed off by portkey on their honeymoon, and the numbers in the crowd had dwindled to next to nothing. Katie had offered her services for cleaning to the Weasleys, but Molly had shrugged her off, saying George had insisted on hiring out somebody to come and do the job the next day. Therefore she was one of the last ones around as she sat at one of the empty tables and pulled off her shoes, the cushioning charm she'd placed on the pinching heels having worn off hours before. As she let out a relieved sigh, Katie massaged her feet for a moment. What she wanted to do more than anything in the world was get some sleep, but Lee and Alicia had retired, and knowing the sleeping arrangements as she did for this last night - Katie was fairly sure the room was where her stuff was would be currently occupied with those two. Apparating to her parents place a few miles out was a shite idea considering she'd had a few glasses of champagne and she liked her body parts where they were, so she supposed she was consigned to trying to find a sofa or spare bed somewhere in the Burrow. "I meant it you know." A shadow fell over her, and Katie looked up to find Charlie standing over her, hands in his pockets and the ties at his neck from the dress robes undone. "Hey," she smiled, "I think I lost track of you about the time you and Hagrid decided you wanted to do a duet over in the corner." He momentarily let himself be distracted, his expression rueful, "The scary thing is, we belted out that song stone cold sober. Well, I did it stone cold sober - I think Hagrid had taken a few nips even before the ceremony earlier. I think I need to stop hanging out with that man at weddings, much as I do like him." "Dancing. . . singing. . . .you really are a dream come true," Katie teased. In truth his voice wasn't all that great, though it had been a sight better than Hagrid's. That allowed him to return to the subject matter she had been dancing around. "Speaking of - I think I propositioned you earlier. Something which you have been deliberating avoiding. If my ego wasn't so well developed, I'd think you weren't really interested in me at all." "I'm interested," she responded automatically, even if she hadn't exactly meant to, and watched as he grinned. Charlie grabbed her hand, gently pulling her to her feet. Her shoes lay forgotten on the ground, and it made her even shorter than him and forced her head to tilt up. "Fantastic," he said, sliding his hands to her waist. It seemed natural to slide into his arms, but too easy. It seemed like she had skipped some monumental step in the process of getting to this point, whatever this point was, but really what else was there? Maybe she was spoiled by the stories. He seemed to notice her hesitation however, and raised his eyebrows, "You sure about that 'interested' thing?" This time she did roll her eyes, "No, I'm lying Charlie. I don't think you're fit, I find your personality repellant, and my knickers don't get wet when I think of your hands on me." She nearly blushed at the rather dirty comment, even if maybe it was a good thing - that she was able to joke around with him again despite his words of interest. Maybe though underneath she thought he didn't really mean this 'interested' thing, and that he was just toying around until he could find somebody a little more like Alicia in the crowd. She was a bloody confusing bint, especially to herself. "I think I'm flattered by the heavy sarcasm," Charlie murmured, his hands managing to make her stomach tingle despite never leaving her hips, "and I know I'm keen on any effect I can have on your knickers - preferably of the 'removing' variety, but I think I'm sensing some hesitation." "If it's the fact I'm Britain living-challenged," she couldn't help laughing at his phrasing as he continued, "I've got portkeys available every time I have two consecutive days off. Only way they can get blokes out to such a remote location for an extended basis. I wasn't exactly kidding about wanting to date you, lest you think I'm a lustful perv who can't think with anything but his prick." How could she explain it, without sounding nutters? Those had been things she'd been wondering, considering he didn't exactly live in the country. For that matter most of the year neither did she, but portkeys could take a person to Italy as well. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't that much of an obstacle to trying something between them considering neither of them were overly needly. It was obvious he could tell she was hesitating still, and raised his eyebrows in question. "I don't know how to handle you," she blurted out, a slight flush crossing her cheeks, "I mean you're. . . .you, and I'm. . . yeah. Innuendo and flirting, that's not me. I think I've been implying a lot more than I'm. . . used to." "So you're not going to be the best sex I've ever had?" Charlie asked, a smile playing with the corners of his mouth. She did blush slightly, "I think I did say or imply that at some point didn't I? I do say the most blatant things when I don't think they're going to go anywhere." "Katie," this time his tone was more firm, "you are being bloody ridiculous, you realize that? Listen, I might like to know if you're a virgin in spite of the dialogue, just so we can. . . " "I am not." ". . . okay, well then, I don't bloody care if you don't know every dirty trick in the book and don't have the testimonials to back up anything. In fact maybe I kind of like it." He grinned, "We can discover things together. Now you see I'm a virgin. . . " she socked him in the arm, and he broke off laughing. "Listen, this isn't about my experience level which we are not discussing. This is about the fact that I lost all ability to. . . " she stopped her speech short, grimacing. "You know what, I am being fucking ridiculous. Please let's just ignore every little word that came out of my mouth. Except, you know, the part about me being interested." "I'm all for that," as Charlie spoke the words, his mouth was already lowering slowly to hers. The man knew how to kiss. His hand splayed across her lower back, bringing her closer to him - and as she slid her arms around his neck she could feel the swell of his erection against her stomach. Not that she was paying much attention to that evidence of desire as she was more preoccupied with his lips on hers. He kissed her slowly and deeply, and her head was spinning as she tried to get as close to him as she possibly could. As her tongue mingled with his, his hips arched instinctively as if searching for relief, and she started to moan her approval. She moaned her disapproval then a second later, when he pulled away slightly. "Maybe we should. . . wait," he said, breathing heavily, "I've got a break coming up in a few weeks - the entirety of which can be spent here or in Venice, wherever you are." "Do you want to?" Katie asked, shocked. "No," his response was instantaneous, "but like you said, the innuendos, the flirting, they're not. . . " She grabbed the loose strands of the tie that had been wrapped in complicated fashion around his neck and pulled him closer to her. "Charlie, we're forgetting everything I said, remember?" "Good point," he grinned, bending his head down to hers. "Then again," Katie continued, cutting him off before he could kiss her again, "it is awfully gauche of me isn't it, and fulfilling the horrible stereotype? The loose and easy bridesmaid at the wedding." Charlie winked, his hands starting to roam. "Don't you remember Katie, you're all about the stereotypes?" It took her a moment, but she flashed back to all her other earlier comments about his marriage as a dragon handler and his supposed lack of dancing ability as a man. Just when she'd been about to concede the point, his lips had descended once again, cutting off exactly what she'd meant to say. Not that she had any complaints, as right then she was about to lose herself in the moment. She happily forgot there were still a few people lingering about, some related to him closely and some not. When his hands slid up to cup her breasts though she was the one who broke away abruptly, grabbing his hands just for a moment before they could toy with her nipples through the flimsy material of her dress. "Too public," she muttered, even if all she'd wanted to do was continue. He nodded his assent, cursing. "We walk in, we're going to run into mum and dad in the kitchen." "You up for apparating?" Her hands were toying with the buttons of his shirt of their own volition. "There has to be an empty bedroom somewhere. Yours maybe?" "I haven't had that much to drink, so it's worth a shot," Charlie gave a strangled laugh as her fingers found bare skin. Katie took great pleasure in being able to disconcert him. With his comment though, she glanced down to the vee of his thighs. "So long as you don't splinch the most important part." For a moment she thought he was going to resume where they'd left off, right in the middle of the tent, but instead he cursed and let his hand slide around her waist to side-along apparate them both to whatever venue he could find in the seemingly much too small Weasley house. When the crack of apparition landed them awkwardly in a bedroom on the upper floor that she could only assume was his, Charlie didn't waste any time, fusing his lips to hers as his hands then slid over her with no hesitation as he braced her back against the wall behind her. His knee slid between her legs, raising up until she straddled his thigh, and she moaned at the pressure and friction that hit at just the right spot. Desperately, she began to work at his clothes, trying to get him as naked as she could, as fast as she could. The sound of a muffled, "Bloody hell," behind him, with some more sounds of fumbling, was a nearly instant mood killer. Embarrassed and worried, she pushed at Charlie's chest and fumbled away from his leg, not that there could have been any real doubt in what they had been doing. It was obvious he hadn't heard the others in the room, because he was looking at her with absolute shock. Behind her, she could see Harry and Ginny fumbling for blankets to cover themselves up, the latter with her dress hitched up around her hips as she straddled her boyfriend whose trousers were lying on the floor beside them. It was obvious they had been interrupted mid-coitus, even more so than she and Charlie had been. By the time Charlie had heard the sounds, and turned, they'd covered the naughty bits. Ginny's blush aside though, there would be no way for them to gloss over what had been going on. "What the bloody hell are you doing?" Charlie began, irate, as they both scrambled. "Shove off Charlie," Ginny retorted, "we've been dating for nearly years now; you can't honestly have believed that we'd never. . . ." "You're my little sister, and Harry should have more respect for you than to. . . " They were both talking over each other, and yelling loudly. Harry for his part looked downright miserable, and Katie was glad her wand was still tucked in the folds of her dress as she reached for it and cast a muffliato around the room. "Charlie," she reached for his arm just as Ginny was calling him a complete boor, "we are getting the bloody hell out of here." It was a challenge getting his attention to focus on her, but finally he obliged. "Do you know what they've been doing?" "Well, yes. Much as I know it grates, we're going to leave them to it too." "She's my little sister. . . " "And an adult. Who's probably shagged her boyfriend a hundred times now; once more won't make a difference. Listen, pot calling kettle black, yeah?" She lowered her voice, "It wasn't like we're not about to engage in a similar activity." It was obvious he still wanted to maybe hit or hex Harry a few times, as he glared daggers at the younger man, and Katie increased the pressure on his arm. She didn't really care all that much about the younger couple's love life, but she cared about her own. Standing up on tiptoes, she whispered in his ear, forcing herself to use the crude words that didn't come naturally. "If we stay here, you're not going to have the opportunity to fuck me properly." His attention was completely caught then. For a moment he spared another glare for the two of them, but his arm slid around her waist and they were cracking out of the room - apparating into another dark room she could only assume was one of the bedrooms. "George's," he murmured against her lips as his head lowered once again, "and he's off on. . . " This time he heard the noises the same time she did. A glimpse of blonde hair, and a red ponytail moving as he thrust into her, and they didn't need the shocked French epithet to know who they had interrupted. Katie didn't have to prompt Charlie to apparate them out of there right away. Apparently the wedding had been an aphrodisiac for all couples present. They'd popped out in the hallway this time, the only thing tempering both their amorous advances, though their hands continued to roam. "There aren't too many bedrooms left," he muttered desperately, "and I bet ickle Ronniekins has holed up in one with Hermione. Maybe where you girls were. . . " Katie shook her head. "Alicia and Lee. I've got no ambitions to see his bare arse, thanks, nice as your brother's was." The growl that came was out of jealousy and frustration. "Fuck. I want to. . . " This time the sounds came from the bottom of the stairs, not of fucking but of love all the same. They could hear the soft laughter and the conversation of Molly and Arthur preparing for the night ahead. She would have happily ducked into a closet to avoid them as she was fairly sure she'd not come out well in this situation if Mrs. Weasley thought she was defiling her son, but as they continued Charlie and Katie had another reason to make themselves scarce as well. As the lights were extinguished below, they heard a shocked and titillated, "Arthur!" from Molly that they both took to mean one thing. This time it was Katie who slid her arm around his waist, apparating them both away as fast as she could. When they stood after the apparition, this time she had taken them outside. Not back towards the tent, but out towards the grove of trees that bordered the land the Weasley house was situated on. They'd hid out here before as kids, playing hide and go seek when they'd come out here on a school leave from Hogwarts one year. Of course it had been a fairly short game once they'd learned the homenum revelio charm, but she remembered the location of the grove all the same. The night was cool, especially away from the warming charms that had been placed around the tent for the wedding, but she barely felt it. It might not be ideal, but the light of the moon was enough, and she already had her wand at the ready to cast a few lumos charms and transfigure something in a blanket at the very least. "Is this okay with you?" She asked, slightly nervous, "I know it's not exactly a luxury suite but every bloody room in that house seemed occupied and I couldn't wait. . . " Before she could finish, Charlie stalked towards her, muttering as he went, "If this is fine with you I don't bloody care, so long as I can finally get my hands on. . . " His statement didn't finish either because their lips had finally fused together, falling to the ground in a tangle of dress robes and wandering hands as they realized they were finally without interruptions and together. Her breasts were cupped roughly with his hands, and then Katie gasped softly as he tugged down the top of the bodice of her dress and bra to rub his thumbs across the tips. "This truly is the most hideous set of dress robes," Charlie laughed against her neck as she struggled to pay attention with the things his fingers were doing. "Mind if I get rid of them for you?" "By all means." It took two tries to get the words out because he'd pinched her nipples lightly, and they hardened to tiny little nubs under his touch. She'd expected him to divest her of it quickly, or maybe even rip it a little bit - not that she'd mind, she didn't plan on wearing it again any time soon. Instead, a wave of his wand and a muttered evanesco sent her dress robes into oblivion - leaving her clad only in bra and knickers. The grass was surprisingly soft against the bare skin of her back, not that she exactly relished that part of the situation. Especially when he was still fully dressed and looking entirely too put together. "You. . . " Katie was at a loss for a moment for what epithet was appropriate, "I've got to get back into the house after this!" "We'll worry about it after," Charlie muttered, as he knelt between her thighs, his eyes lit up wickedly. As his hands slid up the bare skin of her legs and danced attendance at the wet material of her knickers, Katie stopped caring about her dress robes. Ugly or otherwise. ############################## After, they found themselves entwined on the hard ground. They hadn't had the presence of mind to do much wandwork of the literal kind beforehand, but had since had the brilliant idea to place a cushioning charm on the ground, and transfigured the outer garment of his robes into a blanket to cover them both. Katie was trying not to think about all the creepy crawling things that existed on the ground because she didn't really want to move, even if she wasn't entirely comfortable. "Brilliant," she sighed, her head rested against his chest. Her knees might have grass stains and scrapes on them from the second go around that had expanded her sexual repertoire, but she didn't care about those even if they had started to sting once the pleasure had worn off. She could feel the rumble of his laughter through his chest. "You really do lovely things for my ego." "Don't get used to it Weasley, I. . . ." "Charlie." "Don't get used to it Charlie," she rolled her eyes, patting his stomach with a limp hand, "I was just going through a pathetic dry spell. Any sex was going to leave me spent." Especially the mind-numbingly and lovely orgasms he'd given her, not that she was going to say that now. "Give me a day to get used to being a sexual creature again, and I'll go back to busting your balls." "I can think of a much better use for my privates," he snorted They lay together in companionable silence. It was startlingly silent, save a slight rustle of the leaves above them from a gentle wind. As gooseflesh formed along her arm, Katie snuggled closer to Charlie - more for comfort than for anything amorous right then. He might joke around, but she was fairly sure that they'd shagged him out - at least very temporarily. Her hand slid to rest on his chest, and she clenched her hand for a moment when she became consciously aware of it, but realized how ridiculous any hesitation was to touch him when they were naked and entwined - and she was already resting on him as it was. "So," Charlie broke the silence finally. When he didn't speak, she tilted her head up to find him grinning at her. "I think this is the point where I should ask you out on a proper date." "Pff," Katie scoffed, "I've had my wicked way with you already. What do I need all that touchy feely stuff for?" It was amazing, but he'd seen her completely starkers and she was almost more comfortable with him right then then when they'd started. His hand slid over to tickle her, catching her by surprise, and she shrieked in laughter, trying to push him away. Giving quickly, he gathered her back to his side again, and she didn't resist. Charlie feigned a heavy sigh. "Fine, I suppose I can come back and let you use me just for sex again." Katie laughed, "I do wonder if you'll be able to get it up without us attending a wedding first." Charlie pretended to think. "Hmm, good point. I think you're going to have to stay tomorrow too just so we can test that theory out right away." "I've already got enough foliage on my arse and knees already, thanks." "There has to be a spare bedroom someplace in there," Charlie pondered, "if not, we can lure them out of the house under false pretenses. I'm sure I could come up with something brilliant." Katie rolled up over top of him, resting her chin on her crossed hands that sat on his chest. Winking, she offered, "Well, even if you can't, we could always join Bill and Fleur." The expression on his face was priceless before he laughed. There was some solace in the fact no desire had come up at the idea, no matter how ludicrous, of any kind of sharing with his Veela sister-in-law. "Bloody fucking hell - what happened to that shy little thing you apparently faked being?" "She started to recede the moment I let you fuck me - multiple times- in the middle of a bloody forest." Katie only stumbled slightly over the crude word. In truth, it wasn't like any kind of fabulous sex had really changed her, but she was having fun right then all the same. His hands started to slowly run up and down her back, and she could feel his interest stirring again, perhaps not quite as shagged out as she'd thought. "Maybe you should let me know what type of sexual creature you're going to end up being. I have a feeling in the end I might have to play catch-up." Katie slid up, lowering her head to kiss him. "Merlin, I confuse myself, and really have no idea. I think it's different when it comes to you anyway." She grinned against his mouth. "I think it's going to take lots of. . . .practise though to figure it out." The End Please let me know what you think here, or through my email address at the bottom of the page. Feedback is greatly appreciated!

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