"Here dear," Molly said, handing Helen a mug of tea. "Try to buck up. They're probably just a little late. Worrying won't do anyone any good. The baby least of all."
Helen nodded and sighed, taking the mug and setting it aside after only a sip. She started to stand up and Ginny rushed to help her very pregnant sister in law. After she was up, Helen walked outside the house, and Ginny went to bring her back in but Molly held her daughter back. "Leave her be. We're all worried. Let her be alone for a while."
How could they all be so late? This was supposed to be the best plan they could have come up with. And yet…something must have gone wrong. Otherwise they would have all been back by now. A pop resounded to Helen's right. A rusted oil can had appeared. So Tonks and Remus had missed their portkey. Fred was supposed to be back after that. She waited to hear the next portkey, eyes closed anticipation drenching her in sweat. And then she heard it. To her left there was an old sneaker.
Just as Helen's heart was going to tear itself from her chest, there was a large pop in the distance. But this time there were people. Harry and Hagrid had arrived. "Oh thank Merlin!" Helen called as she ran to them, embracing Harry in as large a hug as she could give with her belly before her. Molly and Ginny came up a moment later, followed by Molly rushing back inside for a bottle of brandy for Hagrid. Ginny explained the situation to Harry and Helen kept her eyes on the stars for Fred.
"Mum!" Ginny called. There was a blue light in the distance out of which came Lupin and George spinning. But the moment Helen saw George she knew something was wrong. He was covered in blood. Harry helped Lupin carry George inside and Helen followed afterward, wand out and ready.
Helen barely heard anything as she tried every healing spell she knew. It was clear she had stopped the bleeding, but there was nothing that could be done about his missing ear. It wasn't growing back because it had been cursed off. Helen, defeated, sat back on her heels and listened to Lupin and Harry arguing about Harry's lack of use of deadly spells in the face of danger tonight.
"I won't blast people out of my way just because they're there. That's Voldemort's job," Harry said coldly. The yelling was over, but this was a harsh comment. Lupin didn't seem to have anything to say to it so Helen jumped in. "That enough," she said, "both of you. There's nothing we can do to change what's been done, and frankly Remus I don't think Harry did anything wrong. Given the chance I couldn't have killed Stan either."
"Will George be okay?" Harry asked.
"He'll be all right but there's no chance I can replace his ear. It's been cursed off."
There was commotion from outside, and Harry and Lupin dove for the door to see who it was while Helen summoned a cloth to clean George's face and neck. By the time everyone came back inside, Kingley and Hermione. "It could have been worse," Molly said to everyone. "He's alive."
"I can't believe it. I've fixed noses, arms, legs, and lips but I can't grow back his ear."
Molly patted her shoulder. "There there, dear. It was done by Dark Magic, there's nothing more you can do." Molly helped Helen up and sat her back down in the nearby rocking chair.
Before long there was a crash in the kitchen and Arthur was yelling at Kingsley. "I'll prove who I am after I've seen my son!" Arthur came storming in to look at George and Fred came in right behind. Without needing the help Helen leapt from her chair and thrust herself into Fred's arms.
"Oh, Merlin, I was so worried! When your portkey came back without you I thought…I thought…"
"Shh," Fred soothed her and smoothed her hair. While shuffling over to see his brother, who in response to his mother's query about how he was feeling, was saying, "Saintlike."
"What's wrong with him," Fred said. "Is his mind affected?" Fred had paled and looked absolutely terrified.
"Saintlike," George said again. "You see, I'm holy…holey, Fred, geddit?"
Fred didn't laugh. Helen sure did, though Molly sobbed even harder. "Pathetic," Fred critiques his brother. "Pathetic! With the whole world of ear related jokes before you, you go for holey?"
Fred helped Helen sit back down on the couch and made her comfortable with her feet up while they waited on the rest to arrive, Moody and Mundungus, Ron and Tonks, and Fleur and Bill.
Helen wasn't sure when she dozed off, but she did. It seemed like only a moment later and she awoke to being moved into another position on the couch. Seemed everyone had gone to bed. Fred smiled at Helen when she opened her eyes and gently filled her in on everything that had happened. Everyone made it back fine except for Mundungus and Moody. Dung had disapparated as a killing curse was shot at him and it hit Moody instead. After Helen was over her initial shock Fred filled her in that Bill and Lupin had gone to look for Moody's body and Kingsley had gone back to work and everyone else, as she had suspected was either gone home or in bed.
"I'm thirsty," Helen said as she got herself up with Fred's help. As she was walking toward the kitchen, Fred called to her, "Helen, did you wet the bed again?"
She looked back and saw Fred brushing his hand over a wet spot on the couch. Helen looked confused, but then a sharp cramp in her lower stomach. It was so intense that Helen nearly doubled over while she clutched at the family table. Fred rushed to her to help her stay steady and sit her down. "You're all right. How long has this been going on?"
Helen grasped at Fred's hand and breathed through her pain before blushing as she responded. "I've been having cramps and contractions all day but I didn't want to distract you. Your mother knew, but she said it was just preterm labor. She says all women get contractions a few days before the big show."
Fred sighed. "All right, stay here, I'll be right back."
Fred ran up the stairs and into the bedroom where George was being kept in, Charlie's old room. Molly was sitting up, making sure to keep and eye on her son. "Mum," Fred said quietly so as not to wake his brother. Molly looked up. "Mum, it's time. I'm taking Helen to St. Mungos."
Molly stood up and went to her son at the door. She hugged him and with a tearful voice asked, "Would you like your father to go with you?"
"No," Fred said pulling back from his mother's embrace. "We have a birth plan with our healer, we'll be fine." But just as he was turning away to leave with Helen, Fred stopped in the shadow of the hallway and said, "You know…I think maybe I'd like you to be there. Helen could use someone who's done this a few times." Fred turned back to his mother with a smile.
Molly woke Arthur while Fred got Helen's bag for the hospital. Arthur took up Molly's place beside George and together Molly, Fred and Helen through the Floo Network.
At three in the morning, Helen gave birth to a baby girl. Fred chose her name. Winifred Molly-Anne Weasley. They fought over the middle name for almost an hour. Whose mother's name should get the middle name? in the end they decided to hyphen it.
When everyone in the Weasley who had come by to see the new family addition briefly that afternoon had gone, Helen sat up in bed nursing Winnie and said to her husband who sat watching with a look of amazement on his face, "You had better play it as safe as you can, Fred Weasley. You have more than just me to look after now."
Fred chuckled a little. "You never let me look after you anyway." He stroked his daughter's cheek. "I'm going to be a good father you know. No goofing around, no trips to the mansion, more experimental items in the house…I'm going to make sure she's safe. Always."
Helen looked up. "I know you will." She stroked the scruff on his face and sighed as Fred made himself comfortable beside her on the bed. The little family rested in their private room for another day before Fred and Helen brought little Winnie home to their house on the northern shore of the Isle of Moscata in the English Channel, hidden by magic from prying eyes, wizard or otherwise. That was however Helen's plan. Off the map, invisible. Plans didn't always work, as they had all learned tonight, no matter how carefully thought out, but hopefully this one would.