"You can always just bury it if you can't do it."

"No. I won't be able to have a clear conscience if it's not completely gone."

Sophia and Fred stood up on the hill with their hair blowing with the strong wind. The cottage was only a few paces down and small patches of sand divided the grass area. Fred was sitting with his legs crossed on the sand while Sophia stood with her wand pointing downwards. Her Sky map was unraveled and spread out in front of her, just waiting to be completely destroyed. But no hexes or curses emitted from Sophia's wand, and it seemed that she was struggling mentally.

Fred watched as she fiddled with the handle of her wand and looked down at the map on the sand. He couldn't make out any of the dots and constellations but he could tell that their voices were flowing into Sophia's ear. He didn't like seeing her so conflicted but it wouldn't be right to try to intervene and do it for her. It was her mother's map after all and it was a considered sacred object to her.

She sighed loudly and let her arm fall from its strong posture, turning around and started to pace back and forth. Fred held back his own sigh and waited patiently for her to pace out all her troubles. He hadn't brought his own wand outside in order to have no temptations to do the job himself. And he understood her struggle, but he didn't have the same attachments she had with the map. He saw it as too much trouble for what it was worth and that was it.

"Okay," Sophia stopped and brought her wand back up again. "Okay. Okay..."

Fred watched hopefully as she hyped herself up to finally finish it, only to deflate again when she turned on her heel and started to pace once more. Running a hand down his face, he followed her pointless walking with his eyes. He was starting to get cold as the sea breeze was getting stronger because of the evening drawing nearer, but he still didn't rush her.

"Bombarda," she muttered and a flame shot out from her wand, hitting the grass patch next to the map. Fred jumped in surprise and looked in anticipation at the scorched greenery and back at Sophia, hoping for another curse. But she only stood there while chewing on her bottom lip, glaring down at the map.

"Look love-" Fred stood up from the sand. "-I know this is hard but I'm getting a little chilly. And I know that you are too. We can do this another day when you're more prepared-"

"No," she stopped him. "I'm doing this now."

"Are you?"

She looked over her shoulder and shot him a half-hearted glare, knowing full well that he was right. She hated how indecisive she was considering how much she's gone through in order to have this map in her hands again. She started to feel frustrated and felt angry tears spring to her eyes. Was she betraying her mother? Should she consult with her father first?

"Come on Soph, let's just go inside," Fred softly said and placed his hands on her sides, ready to guide her back down to the cottage. "We can do this tomorrow-"

"Bombarda maxima."

The map burst into flames and immediately began to crackle from the heat. The parchment blackened as the flame spread to its wooden handles, the wind helping it to burn in a matter of seconds. Fred flinched back and kept his hands on Sophia's hips, eyes wide at the sudden explosion of fire. Swallowing dryly, he tried to appear like he wasn't affected by the spell and stood up straight while watching the map burn. He leaned his head forward in order to catch a glimpse of Sophia's expression and was surprised to see that she wasn't crying. She refused to let herself shed any tears for the damn thing, but she did look mildly upset.

Fred wrapped his long arms around her middle and leaned his chin on her shoulder, hoping to give her some sort of comfort. The fire eventually burned itself out and left a shriveled up ball of blackness in the sand. But Sophia didn't seem to be satisfied and she raised her wand again, pointing it at the helpless ball.

"Reducto," she charmed and the ball exploded into pieces.

"Confring-"

"Alright love," Fred reached forward and grabbed Sophia's wrist, lowering her wand with a nervous laugh. "I think you've done enough."

"Is it gone?" she questioned, staring at the scorched grass as if she was blinded by the pieces of parchment that began to blow with the wind.

"Yep. It's gone," Fred nodded. "You did it."

If the weight that fell off her shoulders before was relieving, this weight was like slipping into a hot spring. Sophia physically rolled her shoulders and held back the urge to moan in relief. The map was gone for good and she would never have to worry about it being taken again. She couldn't understand why she hadn't done this sooner as the payoff was euphoric.

"Do you think my mum would be mad at me?" Sophia asked.

"No. I think she would want you to be safe," Fred answered truthfully, his tone soft and calming. "Regardless of how much she liked it."

Sophia nodded to herself and believed Fred's honesty. She held her head high as she began to descend down to the cottage with Fred in tow, no longer acknowledging the scorched Earth she left behind. It felt odd to be carefree and not in a constant state of worry. It had certainly been a while since she last had the feeling. Despite the dreaded thought that her father would have wanted some consultation first, Sophia felt proud of herself.

"So what now?" Fred asked as they walked through the front door and walked into the kitchen to sit at the dining table.

"You still want to get married?" she questioned and his eyes widened, clearing his throat before nodding strongly.

"Of course. If you're ready that is," Fred nervously scratched the back of his head.

"Should we go back to The Burrow and tell our parents?"

"I'm not that bothered if I'm honest. Mum will definitely be emotional and everyone's going to want to watch. The preparation's going to take at least a couple more months," he explained.

"Then let's have it here with just Bill and Fleur."

"Y-You don't mind?"

"Not really. Especially if you're gonna have to invite Aunt Muriel."

Fred wasn't expecting such boldness from Sophia as he was sure that she'd object to not having a full wedding like Bill and Fleur did. Even though he had fantasized the picture of her walking down the aisle in a glorious white dress with Remus holding her arm, he found his desire to just be bonded together more important than all the accessories. His mother would be furious, as well as the rest of the Weasley family. He might even be disowned. But did he really care? It's not like the world wasn't already in complete chaos and uncertainty for the future.

"But I want George here," Sophia spoke up, reaching across the table and taking hold of Fred's hand. "I think we owe him that."

"Right," Fred nodded in agreement. "Do you want me to get another ring?"

"No, I like this one," Sophia held up her hand and stared at the simple silver band around her finger, smiling lightly at its significance. "It would be a waste getting another one."

Fred smiled and couldn't believe how lucky he was. A girlfriend who didn't care for a big wedding that would costs thousands of galleons and a ring that would be maybe half of that. Not that money was an issue but it was the principle. It would settle his conscious knowing that they've already settled into married life before the big war that was bound to happen soon.

---

"So I bought this," Bill held up a small brown book. "To read some Pastor lines and stuff."

"So do I have to sit through half an hour of dreary Merlin stuff?" George groaned. "Can't you just skip to the end?"

"Sorry, I didn't know it was your wedding," Fred sassed. "I thought it was my wedding?"

Sophia sighed as the three brothers argued and Fleur walked in with the same disappointment. The girls stood side by side in the living room with the intent to start the small amount of planning but weren't getting very far. Bill had agreed to be the temporary Pastor and George had come over as soon as Fred's Patronus reached the Burrow. Molly had questioned him when he went to leave the house in a hurry and the poor woman was left unanswered when he disappeared into the field. He would be in for a scolding once he came home, and Fred didn't even want to think about the sort of scolding he'll get once Molly hears of their secret wedding.

Harry, Ron and Hermione had set off from the cottage with Griphook to continue their private mission of hunting Horcruxes. They hadn't been told about the secret ceremony and had left early that morning, Hermione looking terrifyingly like Bellatrix Lestrange.

Luna had also left this morning, saying that she needed to get back to her father. He had been extremely worried about her since her capture and she needed to return to Hogwarts, in case of more Snatchers coming to the house with inquiries on why she wasn't there. She had left with Ollivander who was going to be taken straight to St. Mungos for his poor health.

"What did you vant to vear?" Fleur asked Sophia as the boys continued to argue among themselves.

"Do you have anything white?" Fleur grinned and grabbed her arm, guiding her upstairs and towards the bedroom she shared with Bill. She brought her to the wardrobe and opened it wide, showing the many dresses that outweighed the amount of shirts, skirts and trousers combined. Poor Bill barely had any space for his clothes but considering how many times Sophia had seen Bill in a white t-shirt, a brown jacket and trousers, she doubted he had many anyway.

"Choose vhatever you like," Fleur stepped away and sat down on the king-sized bed, allowing Sophia to start rummaging through her dresses.

She pulled out multiple pieces and looked over them, eventually finding something she didn't like about each one and putting them back among the others. The priority of pulling out white dresses had soon morphed into pastel colours, before turning into any colour she fancied. Fleur sat patiently and occasionally gave some encouragement towards particular pieces, but never complained when Sophia put the dress back in the wardrobe in dislike.

When it seemed like she was never going to choose, she pulled out a silver dress that was made from a nylon material. It would reach to the middle of Sophia's thighs and was simple with its design, the top half being a v-neck with no sleeves and a partially frilled bottom half. It would be suitable as attire for a wedding but not for the bride, but Sophia didn't want a bride's dress. She wanted something that she wouldn't regret wearing to their DIY, heavily homemade wedding. It was perfect for her.

"Ah eet is simple," Fleur nodded and stood up, sensing Sophia's approval. "But pretty. I vould know. I bought eet."

Sophia watched as Fleur pulled out some nude flats and handed them to her, guiding her to the bathroom for her to change. The part-Veela squealed when they passed Fred and George in the hallway, shoving Sophia hastily into the bathroom so that they didn't see her dress. Fred didn't know what the big deal was and said that he'd gladly show what he was wearing, to which Fleur nearly had a fit at.

"Eet is not the same!" she cried. "You never see ze bride before the vedding!"

"I'm not even wearing shoes. We're gonna be on the sand anyway," George shrugged and walked off, Fleur glaring after him before turning back to Fred.

"Are you vearing shoes?"

"Erm, should I?"

"Are you sure you vant to marry this one Sophia?" Fleur knocked on the bathroom door with worry. "I hear Charlie is single too."

"Oi! That hurts," Fred clutched at his chest before also turning to the bathroom door. "You do wanna marry me right Sophia? Charlie isn't gonna turn up and object is he?!"

"Fred please just go get changed," Sophia groaned, her voice muffled through the door. "I will walk away from the altar if you turn up late because you didn't pull on your trousers in time."

With a grumble, Fred walked off down the hall to get changed in the spare bedroom. In the mean time, Bill stood waiting outside in his usual brown jacket and was reading through the small book in his hands. The wind was strong and whipped at his face, making him wonder why on Earth Fred and Sophia wanted their wedding on the beach. But it wasn't his wedding so he shouldn't complain. Unfortunately, George didn't have the same logic as Bill.

"This is bloody awful," George shivered. "I can hardly see with all the sand in my eyes. I get they want to be aesthetic and stuff, but this is just ridiculous."

"Don't complain George, it's their wedding," Bill mumbled without looking up from the small book. "They invited you and you only for this. Be grateful."

George huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, walking back and forth in an attempt to keep himself occupied. He made sure that he was going to be extra annoying during this ceremony and planned to continuously stick his wand where his ear should be, knowing that it annoyed Sophia to hell and back. Deep down, he admitted that he felt touched to be invited to his brother's secret wedding and was actually excited to finally see his favourite couple married. He just couldn't wait to start shoving it into his cousins' faces when he saw them next.

"Does this look okay?"

Fred had appeared in front of his brothers' in a white dress shirt and navy dress trousers, his hair slicked back only to be disrupted and blown everywhere once the wind hit it. He was continuously fixing his sleeves in a nervous habit and glancing over his shoulder for any sign of his fiancé.

"Yeah yeah you look great," George swatted Fred's hands away from the buttons of his shirt. "Bill, can you start now?"

"Sophia's not here yet you twit!" Fred snapped.

"Yes she is!" George nodded his head to somewhere over his brother's shoulder, making him turn around on his heel and spot two figures walking away from the cottage and down towards the sand. Fred gulped and took a few steps backwards, bumping into George who shoved him in annoyance.

Fred hadn't realised how many nerves he had brewing inside of him and they only chose this moment to burst, spreading from his chest to the tips of his fingers. His head suddenly felt heavy and he had to force himself to stand up straight and stop his head from falling to the sand. He silently thanked their decision to only have three people present for this ceremony, as he felt like he was about to faint. He was getting married. He had turned twenty only a few months ago yet he was already 'giving himself away' to someone else for life. He certainly wasn't getting cold feet, but he hadn't thought through this idea enough beforehand.