Chapter 10: Fred the Second

Disclaimer:Anything you recognize belongs to J.K.R, and the things that you don't, it's all me :)

"If you don't believe in love at first sight, you've obviously never had a baby."

- Anonymous

It was around two in the morning and the Weasleys were still waiting for the arrival of the new baby. Andromeda had left around midnight and with Teddy's best puppy dog eyes; she decided to let Teddy spend a couple of days with Harry. The children had fallen asleep, too tired to meet their new cousin. Victoire and Teddy were sleeping on the couch in front of the fire, while Dominique and Molly shared and slept on an armchair. The adults had either gathered in the kitchen for a cup of tea or by the fire place.

Harry had taken his place by the stairs again, listening for any sounds from the baby and watching Ginny, who was sitting on a rocking chair, trying to keep herself awake. His eyes then roamed over to Bill, Percy, and Ron, who were by the fireplace talking in whispers. It had been about five hours since Angelina had gone into labor and Harry was beginning to get restless. He wasn't sure how long it took to give birth but he was starting to feel like something had gone wrong. Turning his gaze up the stairs, he began thinking about how wonderful it was for him to be here. He couldn't believe he had missed the past births of the Weasley children. He couldn't stop thinking about how much he missed everyone, especially Ginny, Ron and Hermione, but he was glad that he could be here for them now. Harry was soon shaken out of his thoughts by Fleur, who tapped him on the shoulder.

"Tea?" She asked, offering a cup of the hot beverage she held in her hands.

"Yeah, thanks," Harry said, taking the tea. "They've been up there for a while now."

"Yeah, well, giving birth doesn't happen within seconds, you know." Fleur said with a smile. "So, how are you? We haven't had the chance to talk."

"Yeah. Well, I'm good. Just anxious, that's all." Harry said, taking a sip from the tea. "I can't wait to see the baby."

"Same here. I guess we're all relieved that we're finally going to get rid of a very hormonal Angelina." She said, laughing softly.

"That bad, huh?" Harry said, chuckling.

"Yeah," Fleur said.

Both continued laughing, Fleur recounting some of the times where Angelina's hormones had taken over. They didn't stop laughing even when Bill showed up by Fleur's side.

"Hey, Potter!" Bill said, giving Harry a playful shove. "What's this? Trying to steal my wife right from under me?"

Bill wrapped an arm around Fleur's waist in a protective manner.

"Oh, you! We were just talking." Fleur said with a cheerful smile. "All you Weasleys keep him to yourselves. It isn't fair, you know."

"Yeah, mate. We were just talking. Plus, I got my eyes on someone else."

"What? Now, Fleur's not good enough for the famous Boy-Who-Just-Wouldn't-Die!" Bill joked, giving Harry another playful shove. The three began to laugh a little too loudly and were shushed by Ginny.

"So, you got your eyes on someone, eh? Is that someone my baby sister?" Charlie said as he walked up to the trio, winking at Harry.

"You know it is," Harry said, now looking at Ginny, who kept glaring daggers at them.

They continued talking only stopping when Harry walked to the kitchen to put away his cup.

"Harry," Mr. Weasley greeted.

"Hey, Arthur," Harry said, still a bit uncomfortable with using Mr. Weasley's first name.

"You'll get used to it. It took Hermione a few months to be comfortable with the whole first name basis deal."

Harry walked over to the sink and set his cup down. He had just realized that he never got the chance to ask Mr. Weasley's permission to ask Ginny to marry him. He figured now would be a good time as any, but before he got to say anything, Fleur burst through the door, a smile from ear to ear.

"The baby's here! We just heard it cry!" She said excitedly and walked back to the living room.

"Well, let's go meet my new grandchild," Mr. Weasley said happily, also walking into the living room with a spring in every step.

Harry walked into the living room to see all of the Weasleys, including the children who were now awake, tired but excited, gathered by the stairs.

A minute or two later, Susan came down the stairs, stopping midway.

"It's a boy!" She announced, "A beautiful and healthy boy!"

"Finally!" Charlie yelled, grinning like a Cheshire cat, excited to finally have a nephew to whom he would teach how to play quidditch and maybe even teach him a thing or two about dragons.

Everyone began to cheer, jumping for joy and waited anxiously for the chance to meet the new Weasley.

Soon enough, Mrs. Weasley came down the stairs and led Mr. Weasley upstairs to meet their new grandson. In the meantime, everyone sat around the room waiting for their turn.

"Did they name him yet?" Charlie asked Susan, who had stayed downstairs with the rest of the family.

"Yes, but I'll let George and Angelina tell you," She replied, a sad smile on her face, "I must go, I'm sure Ernie has been waiting for me. Congratulations, everyone!" She walked around giving everyone a hug and then flooed to her home.

After a while, only Ginny and Harry were left in the living room. After meeting the baby, everyone decided to call it a night and went home. Ginny was pacing in front of the stairs, waiting for her mother to let her know it would be all right to go up to the room. Harry was sitting on an armchair, looking into the fire. He was excited to meet the new baby but he couldn't help thinking about Ginny's answer to his proposal. Now that they were alone, he kept resisting the urge to talk to her. But he knew it wouldn't be wise, since she was obviously only thinking about her new nephew.

"Ginny, Harry," Mrs. Weasley's voice cut through his thoughts. "You can go up to see him now."

Ginny ran up the stairs and Harry got up from the armchair slowly. He made his way up the stairs, only stopping when Mrs. Weasley gave him a hug.

"He's absolutely beautiful," Mrs. Weasley whispered in his ear. "I'm so glad you're here for this, dear." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and nudged him up the stairs.

Walking into the bedroom, Harry saw George sitting next to a very tired looking Angelina, who had a huge smile plastered on her face. On the other side of the room, Audrey was packing her medical supplies. Once she was done, she said goodbye and walked out of the room. Now, only Harry, Ginny, George, Angelina and the baby remained in the room.

Ginny was sitting on a rocking chair, next to the bed, holding a bundle in her arms. Harry could see dark curls protruding from the blankets.

"Come on in, Harry." George said, realizing that Harry was by the door.

Harry walked over to the bed, standing behind Ginny. He looked at the baby in Ginny's arms and smiled. The baby boy had his eyes closed, light skin, a small button nose and a bunch of black curls framing his small head. Harry saw that his small hand was wrapped around Ginny's index finger and he quickly counted to make sure he had five fingers in total. Harry was not used to being around babies, the last time he was even close to one was when he had held Teddy, but in Harry's eyes, he was truly perfect. Looking at the baby's face, he forgot about everything in the world. He just hoped that he would lead a wonderful life with no worries, except for those that one would get when starting Hogwarts for the first time, getting good marks on the O.W.L.s, going on a first date, etc. You know, the stuff kids and teenagers should normally worry about.

"You want to hold him?" Ginny asked, turning around to look at Harry.

"Yeah, sure," Harry said. To be honest, he was nervous to hold him.

Ginny got up from the rocking chair and handed the baby over to Harry. Harry made sure he was holding him right, one arm supporting the head and the other embracing the tiny body. He noticed just how incredibly light and small he was. A few seconds after being in his arms, the baby opened his eyes and Harry saw that the colors of his eyes were blue, the same color as most of the Weasleys. He looked up at Harry, arctic blues on emerald greens, and then he closed his eyes, quite content with who was holding him, and drifted off to sleep.

"You got a name for him, yet?" Harry asked, not taking his eyes off the baby.

"Yes," Came Angelina's raspy voice, "We've decided on Frederick Arthur Weasley."

Ginny sobbed softly, her hand over her mouth. Noticing this, George got up from the bed and walked over to his little sister. As he wrapped Ginny in a hug, she began to cry.

"It's okay, Gin," George said, his eyes beginning to water.

"I wish he was here to meet the baby," Ginny cried, "It's not fair."

"I know, Ginny," George said, unable to keep the tears from spilling from his eyes, "But, Fred wouldn't want us crying on such an amazing day, would he? I'm sure he's watching us now laughing at us for breaking down. Plus, we'll tell little Freddie all about his Uncle Fred, just like we have done with Vic, Dom, and little Molly."

Ginny nodded and wiped her eyes. She looked over at Harry and smiled at how adorable he looked with Freddie in his arms.

"Just like we'll do with the future little Weasleys as well," Ginny said, giving them a watery smile.

Harry walked over to the window with the baby, making sure not to wake him and he looked out into the starry night sky for a few seconds, then turned his face back onto the baby boy.

"You see all of that out there, Freddie?" Harry said, "That's what your uncle fought for. He fought so that you and all of your cousins could have a peaceful and deatheater-free life. You'll find yourself exploring it all one day. You'll most likely find yourself playing in this backyard with your cousins, playing quidditch, and catching gnomes. Maybe a few muggle games like, hide and seek. Then, you'll be off to Hogwarts and you'll befriend two great kids, maybe more, who'll become your best friends, like your Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione were to me. You'll have some amazing adventures there, and don't worry about breaking so many rules. Merlin knows that your father and Uncle Fred have broken every single one of them, so your dad wouldn't get too mad if you break a couple."

Angelina and George laughed softly at the mention of rule breaking and Ginny smiled, remembering all the rules that her brothers had broken, some were even done to keep her entertained on a boring day.

"Then, you'll meet a girl who will make you feel whole, like your Aunt Ginny has made me. Needless to say, you'll live a great life, Freddie. Thanks to a lot of people, especially your namesake, you won't have to go through what I went through," Harry kissed Freddie's forehead and he walked back to the bed, handing the baby over to his mother. Angelina laid Freddie on her right side, making sure he was cushioned well and she kept a protective arm around him.

After a few minutes silence, Angelina finally spoke.

"Harry, Ginny," She said, tearing her eyes away from her newborn to look at Harry, who was sitting on a chair he had conjured, and at Ginny who was back on the rocking chair. "We would like the two of you to be Freddie's godparents."

"Are–are you serious?" Harry asked, surprised that George would agree to such an important decision, "How about Lee? Shouldn't he be godfather?"

"Well, I'm sure we'll be having another one in the future, he will have to wait for the next one," George said cheerfully, "Harry, if it wasn't for you, none of us would be here right now. You gave Weasley's Wizard Wheezes its start and have been such an amazing member of this family. I know your Teddy's godfather as well, but I'm sure another godson wouldn't hurt. I'm sure Fred would approve."

Harry contemplated what George had said. He didn't expect to be chosen as Freddie's godfather, he still didn't know how to be a good one for Teddy. But looking over at George and Angelina, hope in their eyes, he knew he couldn't say no.

"Well, what do you say? Will you be our son's godfather?" George asked, hopefully.

"Of course," Harry answered, looking over at the baby and then looking over at Ginny, who was kneeling in front of the bed, softly playing with the baby's curl.

Harry and Ginny stayed with George and Angelina for a few more minutes, before deciding to go on home. Walking into the living room with his cloak draped over his arms, Harry made for the fireplace. He was about to grab some floo powder but stopped when he heard someone say his name. Harry turned around to see Ginny, her cloak already on, standing by the stairs.

"Hey," Harry said, turning back to the fireplace, but instead of grabbing the powder, he just stared into the fire.

"Harry, we need to talk." Ginny said softly, now standing by the couch right behind Harry.

"Alright," Harry walked over to the couch and sat down.

Ginny sat beside him and she looked a little nervous. For a few seconds, all she could do was play with the small black velvet box that Harry had given her earlier.

"Look, about the proposal–" Harry began to say but Ginny interrupted him.

"Harry, I love you." She said, grabbing one of his hands.

Harry was taken by surprise. She's not going to say yes, surely not. Harry thought to himself.

"I love you, but I can't accept this." Ginny said, giving Harry the small box.

"Gin . . ." Harry was at a loss for words. He stared at the box in his hands for a few seconds and then looked up at Ginny, who stared back.

"Harry, I told you I needed some time to think about things. A few hours really doesn't cut it. Although, I have to admit that I still love you, I always will. But this," She gestured toward the box, "is too sudden. How about we start off as friends?"

"I thought you said you didn't want to start over." Harry said glumly. "Starting as friends sounds a lot like starting over."

"I know, but I really can't continue from where we left off if it means getting engaged. Harry, please, can we just be friends, for now?" Ginny held out her hand for Harry to shake.

"Friends," Harry said, and this time he surprised Ginny by giving her a hug. "But why do you all of sudden want to be friends? Being friends does mean having some form of contact you know."

"Well, when Ron was at my flat, he made me realize how I was going to make myself crazy over this. Not seeing you and not speaking to you when you had finally come back home was going to make me miss you even more. He thought it would be better if you and I just became friends." Ginny said.

"Ron said that? Well, he's full of surprises, isn't he? I would've pegged him to say that you were doing the right thing by staying away from me." Harry laughed.

"Ah, but Ron works in mysterious ways. He shocks us all," Ginny said, winking at Harry.

Ginny and Harry just sat there for a few seconds. Ginny finally got up from the couch and Harry followed suit.

"Well, see you soon, Harry." Ginny leaned over and gave Harry a kiss on the cheek, then walked away toward the kitchen. He put his hand over the cheek where she had just kissed him. Coming to his senses, he called out for Ginny. Ginny stopped before entering the kitchen and turned around. She made her way back toward Harry, but he met her halfway.

"Why don't you hold on to this?" Harry put the velvet box in Ginny's hands and then turned around, making his way back to the fireplace.

"What?" Ginny asked confused, holding the box as if it was a ticking bomb.

Harry grabbed some floo powder and threw it into the fireplace. Before he walked into the fire, he looked over at Ginny. "You know, for when you say yes." And with that, he walked into the fire, said "The Leaky Cauldron." and disappeared.

Author's Note: I'm not sure if Fred's name was Frederick and was just nicknamed Fred. If anyone knows, please let me know and I'll change the name to Fred. I just thought that Frederick Arthur sounded better than Fred Arthur. Also, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to MY Uncle Freddy who passed away 3 years ago. The 3rd anniversary of his death will be in November but I didn't want to wait until then to post this chapter and make the dedication. I would also like to dedicate this to another uncle that passed away 2 weeks ago. He was an uncle by marriage and even after he and my aunt divorced, I still enjoyed his company at our family parties and his wise advice. But he's finally back with his partner in crime, my uncle Freddy, up in heaven or wherever it is that we go when we die and I know they're looking after our family with wide smiles on their faces.