Authors Note: So I finished my finals today and I kind of wanted to celebrate, so I figured a companion one-shot to 87 Years was in order. Technically this isn't another story and I thought it might offer some insight to the relationship of Hermione, Fred, and George through past lives. I hope you guys enjoy it.
86 AD
Gaius cringed as Helena let out another blood curling scream followed by a low moan of pain. His twin, Flavius, shared a look with him before going back to his pacing. It was no easy thing to listen to their woman as she brought their first child into the world and as the second day of child labor began to slip away their fears were starting to intensify. She had been complaining of lower back pain for the last couple weeks but all three of them had discounted it as the same aches that had plagued her for most of the pregnancy.
As he was want to do when anything went wrong, Gaius was blaming himself. The trio was a young one, Flavius and Gaius 24 summers and Helena only 16, but upon seeing each other their magic had made it clear they were meant to be. They had known that Helena had slight hips that were not good for child bearing and they had agreed that it would be best to give it a couple more summers before trying for a baby in the hopes that age would widen them. Every time they made love either Flavius or Gaius would do an anti-conception charm, but somehow they had forgotten and Gaius blamed himself.
The midwife, also a witch, stepped into the hall where the twins paced. She looked calm and collected, as though this was a normal birth she was attending. She certainly kept assuring them it was, telling them that their anxiety was not helping Helena in the least.
"Both of you need to come in, I want you to feed her some of your strength. We're nearing the end and the poor dear is just so tired," The midwife gave them a reassuring smile and urged them to enter the small bath room.
Helena glared at her bond mates as the entered, resting in the warm water of the bath pool between the contractions that were getting closer and closer together, "What took you so long?"
As Flavius neared the pool she grabbed her rounded stomach and released another piercing cry, not bothering to remove his robes he slipped into he pool and supported her as she worked through the contraction. Gaius followed suit, offering his had for Helena to hold.
Carefully the two wizards funneled magic through their bond offering their wife the strength she needed to deliver their baby. With each contraction the red haired men were sure that she was going to break their hands and the midwife offered words of encouragement to all three. Helena found herself sitting between the legs of Gaius, running his fingers through her damp curls as he begged for forgiveness for doing this to her while Flavius rubbed her aching back and kissed her stomach.
Shortly before dawn the midwife entered the pool and coached the young witch through the final pushes, catching the hairless infant and depositing him in his mothers arms. Cutting the placenta and setting it aside so that it could be used in the rituals that would assure a long life the midwife smiled. Spelling the water clean she left the small family together knowing that she had been right.
"Gaius, Flavius, he's beautiful," the new mother whispered the pain and long labor not forgotten but no longer important.
"You did wonderfully, love."
"We couldn't be prouder of you."
Still holding Helena, Gaius watched Flavius stroke the small head that was suckling eagerly from his mothers breast.
"I think I'll name him Sempronious," Helena said, smiling at her wizards.
1991
Their life during the Roman era was one of Fred's favorites for a few reasons. It had been a relatively peaceful time for them, where they lived on the edges of Roman muggle society and were immersed in wizarding culture. None of them had died prematurely, nor had any of their children or grandchildren. They also looked a lot like they did in this life, certain characteristics followed them through every life such as his and George's red hair and Hermione's curls. In many ways Fred saw that life as what their life could have been without Voldemort and without his own death.
The more time that Fred spent dead the more he was able to remember too, and those memories would be what got him through the next 80 or 90 years so that Hermione and George could live the kind of life they deserved.
If Fred tried hard enough he could feel what it had been like when he was Flavius, stroking his new born sons head and enjoying those moments of utter contentment.
