Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable character or phrases (i.e. spells) they belong to J.K. Rowling.
A/N: NO FLAMES! Not accepted.
Chapter Thirteen – What Have We Done?
It was hard to comprehend really. What they had done. It was by accident. They just were a bit more loved up than usual. It just kind of happened. Holly sat, a few weeks later, on the edge of the bed, while George was showering; she stared down at the Muggle test that Hermione had sent her. It wasn't anything special. But it showed her a small pink plus sign. Positive. She planned to go to a Muggle doctor and get them to confirm. This was not good. Holly heard the bathroom door open and she stuffed the pregnancy test under her pillow.
"What's up Holly?" George asked a little worried that his fiancée was looking so upset. Holly shook her head slowly a small smile showing through. She wasn't going to let him worry about it. She'd get through it.
"It's nothing Georgie, really. I'm just a little tired and worried Freddie's not totally into this idea." She said.
"Baby, we've been together for months. He'd fine with it now. You know that." George said it was true; Fred was now back to his normal happy-go-lucky self and still asking questions about his uncle. Holly answered any questions he had along with George. Roxy found the whole idea of getting step-mum a bit scary but she thought the best-friends-to-lovers aspect so romantic. Fred who has once been against it was now all for it.
"George...it's nothing. I'm fine." Holly said, she couldn't and wouldn't tell him what was really bothering her, not right anyway. He didn't have to know that she was pregnant not yet. George was in the shop when she decided to tell Ginny and Hermione and maybe Harry and Ron too. She told George she was going to see Ginny about something and he didn't ask if she needed anything or anything, just asked her to say hi for him and went back to the shop. Holly knew she had to tell someone else, going up to their room first she looked into the portrait of Fred on the wall.
"Conflicted?" he asked, she smiled softly.
"You could always tell." Holly said softly.
"Why? You love him don't you?" Portrait Fred asked.
"Fred, we aren't married yet. I don't exactly want your mother to, as Freddie so eloquently put it; do her nut at us for having a child only days after we marry." Holly said, the tone of her voice told Fred that she was terrified of Molly and really who wasn't?
"I'm sure Mum will be fine with it once she knows that you and George love each other as much as Ron and Hermione did when they got married." He said.
"More." Holly looked at the doorway, Freddie stood there, now a tall strapping 14 year old; he looked even more like his Uncle. He smiled at his Aunt.
"Dad said you were stepping out to see Aunt Ginny. I want to know why and now I know. Why haven't you told him? Dad deserves to know that you're carrying his kid." He said; Holly gave him a wry smile.
"Thank you for putting it so delicately Freddie, just like you he is." Holly told his Uncle Portrait, Freddie shrugged.
"I'm known for that. I've finally found my funny. I have Rosie and Roxy in stitches at school almost always just by the looks I give Albus and James." Holly smiled; he was one funny kid now. He usually got Rose and Albus giggling in class and Holly more than once was close to giving him a detention. Holly took the offered hand from her nephew blew Fred a kiss over her shoulder with her free hand and allowed Freddie to take her by Floo powder to the Burrow. A scream alerted them to the fact that no one had been expecting them.
"I would have apparated but Freddie's not used to it and George has that spell on the shop." Holly said stepping out of the fireplace to be greeted by Hermione, Ginny and Molly. The look that she got from Hermione confirmed that the other Muggle-born witch had it all figured out. And she figured that Freddie knew it too.
"Grandma Weasley!" Freddie said embracing his grandmother tightly.
"Oh Holly, I heard that you and George have decided to get married!" A voice sounded making the witch squeal and turn. Harry and Ron stood side-by-side in the doorway. She smiled and nodded.
"That's right. I just came over to discuss something about the…somewhat…less substantial details with Ginny and Hermione…upstairs." Holly said, "Freddie…do something down here." Freddie knew, keep Molly busy.
"What's the rush, hot stuff?" Ginny asked as Holly almost threw her two friends into the Twins old room. There was another portrait of Fred there and the one from the apartment appeared.
"Oh no…Fred what are you doing here?" She asked, the other two squealed and turned around.
"I wanna hear how you're gonna explain this." He said smirking, he crossed his arms over her chest.
"I hate you." She snarled.
He shook his head still smirking "No you don't. Because you're in love with my other half. You can't hate me. You'd have to hate both of us."
"Twin logic. What's this about?" Ginny asked. Holly bit her lip.
"I'm pregnant." She said, "It's George's."
"Well of course it's his who else's would it be?" Ginny said.
"That's beside the point! The point is how do I tell him? I can't just tell him over tea! That's insane for a start." Holly was worried, totally worried about it. Ginny chewed her bottom lip in thought.
"Good question. How do you tell one that you're pregnant with his child?" She said almost teasing Holly. The girls worked it out after thinking about different ways to tell George about it. It just had to be said. She had to tell him there was no two ways about it.
"George?" He looked up from the book he was reading and smiled softly at Holly as she sat down on the couch near him. He pulled her against his chest and wrapped his arms around her waist holding her close.
"What's up, Holly? You seem tense." He noted softly in her ear.
"I have something important to talk to you about Georgie." She replied, in reality she was shaking she was so nervous. George knew this was important.
"I don't understand…are you…breaking up with me?" He asked, she gave a weak laugh.
"No. I love you too much. But George…I'm…I…" Holly couldn't say it, it was just too hard.
"She's pregnant." A voice made them look up. Freddie stood in the doorway.
"Thanks Fred." Holly said standing up, "I had meant to say it myself."
"Wait…you're…pregnant?" George got to his feet slowly, Holly looked at him and nodded, tears filling her eyes at the disbelief on his face. She walked away before he could say anything; both heard the bell on the door yell a goodbye to her as she left before, Fred glanced out the window to see her disappear.
"Well that went well. I suppose she wanted you to cheer or something, Dad."
"What am I supposed to say Freddie huh? My Fiancée has just told me she'd pregnant with my child, when I already have two beautiful kids?"
"I'd advise that you don't say that to Holly's face, Dad. She won't like it and I don't think Roxy really wants to deal with them right now." Roxy wasn't yet out of school but she'd patched her father up a thousand times when he had been experimenting. George shook his head as he sank back down onto the couch. Greys were beginning to show in his ginger hair and his hairline was slowly beginning to recede. But he was still George Arthur Weasley and he was still Holly's fiancée. Freddie knew where she was going and he took a deep breath before grabbing his jacket and telling his father he was going to go for a walk.
Fred arrived at the cemetery to find Holly on her knees, next to his uncle's headstone sobbing about being pregnant to George.
"I'm so sorry Fred!" She cried, "I know we were meant to get married and live happily ever after together in that apartment you wanted to badly for us. But now…now it's with George that I spend the rest of my days. Oh Fred…" She was so distraught that Freddie was almost afraid to approach her, but he also knew that she needed a hug. Stepping out of his hiding place he made sure to step on a twig, surprising his Aunt but also letting her know she wasn't alone.
"Uncle Fred doesn't mind Aunt Holly. He knows that you love Dad. He knows that Dad loves you. Why do you feel like you're betraying him? Uncle Fred would want you to be happy. I know it." He said, Holly got to her feet and narrowed her eyes slightly, confused.
"How?" She asked, Fred smiled softly and took a deep, shaky, breath before going on.
"Dad and you, Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, everyone in the family has always said to me 'Freddie, you are so like your Uncle Fred, it's uncanny,' I never knew what that meant. I thought they meant I was clever and funny, just like him. But I'm not as funny as he was. I'm not nearly as clever. But I feel like now I know what they mean. When Uncle Fred died, his spirit, or part of it at least, lived on in me. It lived on in you and in Dad. But mostly in me." He put his hand agasint his chest, right above his heart.
"Freddie…Fred's dead. He doesn't live on in anyone!" Holly said her voice rising slightly.
"Is that what you believe?" Freddie asked, angrily, as she began to walk away, "you really want to disgrace his memory but believing that he can't be kept alive by any of us? You loved him Aunt Holly! You were going to marry him! For Merlin's sake in 6 months you are going to be a mother and a wife! You are going to be Roxy's mother, you are going to a mother to me, Fredrick Weasley, don't you get it?
"It doesn't matter what you do Holly, it doesn't matter how much you don't want to believe it, it's true. I will be your son. You are going to be the person I go to when I get a girlfriend. You are going to be the person I go to, because I'm only 14, when I have one of my nightmares again. My nightmares, which, might I add, are of things I've never seen!" He snapped, he was angry, she had tried to taint the memory that he held so dear to him that he had just snapped. The same way, oddly enough, that Fred did when he didn't get his own way. He'd talk sense.
"What do you see in these nightmares Freddie?" Holly asked, her voice stiff and strained, like she didn't want to cry or yell at him, but she didn't turn around. If she did she'd cry again.
"Hogwarts. The battle of Hogwarts. The battle that you didn't fight in. I see my father and my Uncle fighting for my freedom. I watch my uncle die! Right in front of me and I'm powerless to stop it, but believe me if I could I would. Then my mother would still be here! Your one-of-a-kind teaching would still be really cool and one more thing – Fred would still be alive!" He said, he came up next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and Freddie could see it in her eyes. She knew he was right. She turned and buried her face in his shoulder, something that Fred wasn't used to from his soon-to-be step-mum. But he held her to him and rubbed his hand in comforting circles on her back slowly. He just wanted her to feel better to know that what her and his father had done wasn't a bad thing.
"Oh Freddie…what on earth have we done?" She whispered.
"You've done nothing wrong. You've given my father one of the best gifts in the world." He replied kissing her cheek softly and she returned it.