On This Wild Night

X. Artemis

Arthur Weasley was drunk. Artemis had never seen him this drunk before. She might have actually preferred drunk Arthur to regular Arthur. Drunk Arthur was definitely more fun to dance with.

"Muggles call this one 'the sprinkler'," he informed Artemis, demonstrating a dance move.

"That's a great one," replied Artemis, copying him. "Arthur, what actually is a sprinkler?"

"I have absolutely no idea!"

Artemis laughed out loud as Arthur stopped 'sprinkling' and started to bob up and down, pinching his nose with one hand and wiggling the finger of the other hand.

"Where did you learn to dance like that?" she asked him.

"At a wedding, of course! Muggleborn friends. Excellent fun."

"As fun as this wedding?"

"No, this is the best wedding I've ever been to," said Arthur. He suddenly stopped dancing, and leaned in towards Artemis. "Don't tell my wife I said that."

"Don't worry, I won't."

"It's not that I didn't enjoy my own wedding. But, as a rule, weddings are more fun when you're not the one getting married. Less stressful, much less pressure."

"Even if you're making a speech?"

"Ah, that's nothing," Arthur said, swiping each of his hands across in front of his eyes with the two first fingers extended in a V-shape. "Just do what Ron and I did before ours."

"What was that?"

"Drink."

Artemis grinned. No wonder Arthur was dancing so flamboyantly.

"No, I love weddings," Arthur continued. He put his fists in front of his chest, stuck his elbows out to the sides, and flapped them like a bird. "A whole day dedicated to people being in love with each other, and bringing their families together. What could be better than that?"

It was lucky, really, that the music was so loud. It meant that Artemis was able to get away with not saying anything in response to Arthur's question. She forced a smile, and nodded her head in time to the music.

"Of course, today is a bit different," said Arthur, not seeming to notice Artemis' discomfort with where the conversation was heading, "because Harry's been a part of our family for so long. It's just that it's all above board now. Official."

"Yeah. Right," said Artemis, her smile slipping from her face.

"It's funny, him being my son-in-law. You know, I already thought of him as a son, in some ways. Molly, too. Adding the 'in-law' bit seems formal. Legal. I think it's a bit of a downgrade, don't you?"

"I dunno."

"I think they need a new word. For sons and daughters that aren't technically yours but might as well be. Maybe out-law. That would definitely suit you."

"What do you mean, me?"

"Well, you're already part of the family. Have been for years, haven't you?" Arthur started to walk backwards without taking his heels off the ground between steps. Artemis had stopped dancing. She might have stopped breathing. "Maybe we should start calling you our daughter-out-law. I'll suggest it to Molly later. I think she'll like having a name for what you are to us. Naming things makes them less complicated, I'd say."

Artemis threw her arms around Arthur with such force that he stumbled slightly, and almost toppled over.

"Sorry," she said, letting go and using her arm to steady him. "I just... Thank you for saying that, Arthur."