It wasn't long before Charlotte heard footsteps out on the hallway, and she went out to investigate. People were coming in from every direction, walking people into the rooms, and tending to wounded or badly injured.
She tried to find someone who could explain, when she bumped into McGonagall
"Charlotte" She exclaimed surprised, before bending down and pulling her in for tight hug. "Oh I'm so sorry" She said, and pulled back. Charlotte looked at her confused.
"What happened?" She asked, turning her head to follow a boy who had an open wound in his head.
"Voldemort is dead – Harry defeated him" She said proudly with a tear running down her eyes. Charlotte had to repeat it inside her head, before she beamed at her.
"That's great! That's wonderful – fantastic!"
"Yes – " McGonagall started looking sad.
"But there's something that isn't as fantastic" Bill said behind McGonagall. McGonagall went out of the way, looking at Charlotte while she did.
"Before you explain, William" She said to bill, before turning back to Charlotte "Charlotte, where is Severus – don't be afraid, we already know – Harry told us everything" She smiled sadly. Charlotte pointed to the room where Severus was lying in.
"Don't let anyone else come in there – he needs rest" Charlotte said, as McGonagall walked towards the room. She turned back to Bill with crossed arms.
"What's wrong, what happened?" She asked – she could see he had been crying, fleur as well. Fleur tried to stifle a sob, but failed.
"Many people died – "he started, but then their dad came into view, carrying a gurney along with Charlie. Charlotte didn't have to turn her head much, before she knew it was Fred who was on the gurney.
"Oh no" She breathed, and walked over to them. "No, no" She repeated, as she looked down at him. She didn't know what to do – or if she could have prevented it. Tears fell from her eyes – she hadn't even noticed that her eyes had welled up to begin with. She turned back to bill, as her dad and Charlie carried Fred's body into a room.
"Who did this!" She asked angrily.
"Rockwood – Percy killed him" Bill said. Charlotte couldn't believe it – had she really missed out on so much, just in a few hours.
"Charlotte" She heard Percy breathe behind her. She turned around, and Percy pulled her in for a hug. He cried silently along with her, as more members of their family came around them, hugging them tightly as well.
It didn't make it any better when she found out that both Remus and Tonks were dead as well – Tonks had left their son with Tonks's mother, and gone to Hogwarts to fight.
She had to take all of the information in – she wanted to be alone.
She walked down into the lab – it looked closed to abandoned. She was down there for a few hours; until Simmons came down and told her Severus was awake again.
Charlotte took in a deep breath, and told her she would be up in a moment. She wiped her eyes, though she knew they would be red, and tried to get her act together.
The halls were full of both joy and sadness – joy that Voldemort finally was gone and they had won the battle, but sadness because they had lost a loved one.
She passed the room where Fred was in and stopped up looking at them – her family was in there, standing around his bed. George was crying on their mum's shoulder.
She lingered there for a moment, before walking past the room, and into Severus's. They had managed to keep other patients out of the room. She closed the door after her, and walked in, her hands were in the pockets of her jeans.
He was sitting up, looking at her as she entered. She walked over and sat down on the chair she had pulled over earlier. She struggled not to cry again.
"I heard what happened" He said to her, and took his hand in hers. A tear escaped her eye.
"At least Voldemort's gone" She said sadly, and tried to stifle a sob. She could tell that he didn't know what to do, but he moved over in the bed, and patted the space next to him, motioning for her to sit down next to him. She didn't have the will power to resist, so she stood from the chair, and swung her legs up into the bed. He laid arm around her, as she leaned her head against his chest, and cried silently. Not just for Fred, or Remus and Tonks, but for all of their losses. She'd seen them drag in bodies of teenagers, and children. They didn't deserve to die, not like that.
Harry came into the room a few hours later – she hadn't seen him in the hospital before that, and though she hadn't given it a second thought, she wondered if he had spent the time at Hogwarts instead.
Severus almost jolted up in the bed, sneering at the boy while doing so. But Charlotte scowled at Severus, and told him to lie down again, no matter his feelings for the boy.
Harry merely wanted to say he was sorry – sorry that he had ever doubted Severus, sorry he had acted the way he had towards him, sorry because of everything that had happened, and he wanted them to start fresh. Severus didn't. But Harry merely laughed at him, saying he couldn't shatter the new found respect he had for Severus now, and Severus was allowed to hate Harry, but the feeling wouldn't be mutual.
When Harry left, Charlotte smirked at Severus, and he instantly told her to wipe that smirk off her face.
In the next couple of days, Charlotte tried to deal with the pain of losing her brother, all the while she tried to stop journalists and photographers to enter Severus's room at the hospital – they had all heard the story of how, if it had not been for Severus, Harry wouldn't have killed Voldemort, so now they wanted the story first.
It was so bad that on the fourth day, when Charlotte had went home to change clothes, she was attacked with questions, and photographers who wanted to know what was going on between her and Severus – they all wanted the exclusive story.
Unfortunately Charlotte had her own to deal with; She still hadn't told Severus about the pregnancy, as she was always interrupted by either healers, or reporters, coming in and out of the room he was lying in, not to mention that she feared his reaction – he wasn't known to love children, let alone caring for them – she'd seen how he had protected Harry, but he still loathed Harry with all his guts.
"Get out of my way" She hissed at them, as she tried to almost swim through the flock of people.
"Healer Weasley – what is your relationship with Professor Snape?" They asked, as she pushed her way through, and finally got to the door, and slammed it shut, locking it with magic, before going over to Severus, who was sitting up in the bed. She sighed out frustrated.
"Are the vultures still out there?" He asked annoyed. She handed him some clothes – he had been moaning about the hospital clothes, saying it wasn't comfortable.
"Yeah" She said exasperated and sat down on the chair. "I swear to Merlin, if they don't go away soon, I will make sure they will never get an exclusive"
Severus smirked at her, as he took off the hospital shirt. "You are really charming when you're angry"
She scowled at him "Oh, be quiet" she crossed her legs and leaned back against the wall.
"When do the trials against the death eaters start?" He asked, putting his arm through his own black shirt.
"In a month – Kingsley has asked me if I could get you to testify against them, but I told him you weren't interested" She smirked.
"And what if I am interested?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You're not – you don't have time to be interested" she said, rising her own eyebrows at him "When you're in a good enough state to leave the hospital, which will be around tomorrow, we are going to Australia"
"Will we now" he said with a serious face "Are you sure you are not trying to escape reality?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your brother is dead – you shouldn't even be sitting here, you should be home with your family"
She sighed, and looked down into the floor – she had been avoiding that part since they left the hospital. Fred's funeral would be three days from now, but she couldn't face that reality. She couldn't handle that her little brother was dead. "Not to mention" he continued "We have already promised to attend the funeral at Hogwarts – your family needs you"
She jerked her head up at him, and sighed. "I know – but it's just hard"
"I know it is" he walked down from the bed, and put his arms around her, gently kissing her forehead. "I am here to help you" She was about to open her mouth, but he shushed her "You have helped me, now it is my turn to help you – I won't accept a no" he bent down, and looked directly into her eyes. "You can't get rid of me now"
"I don't want to get rid of you" She said, smiling at him sadly. He had just leaned into kiss her, when the door opened, and Charlotte was about to point her wand over his back, when she saw it was just Simmons. Severus pulled away from her, and turned to look at Simmons.
"We have to end this nightmare out there" Simmons began. "Professor Snape, I can't force you to do anything you don't want to do but – "
"I will go talk with them" He interrupted her. Charlotte looked at him surprised. "They will not rest until they have their interview, meaning they will follow us everywhere we go – I will just change clothes, and then I will be right out" He said to Simmons.
"Good – just remember you are the one who are in control, not them" She smiled him. "I'll leave you to it" She walked out of the room again, and Charlotte could just hear her telling the journalists to calm down, and wait till Severus got out there.
Severus turned to Charlotte before she could say anything. "There is something I would like to do first though" He said, and bent down to stand on one knee. He took her hand, and looked up into her eyes.
"Charlotte – I am not good with emotions, and feelings. I therefore beg of you not to be disappointed in the way I ask you this" He took out his wand, and summoned a ring – a silver ring with a green diamond in the middle, surrounded by two smaller gems on either side of it – the gems were a light blue. "Charlotte Cedrella Weasley, Will you be my wife?" He asked.
Charlotte had been astonished straight from the moment he had gone down on one knee. She didn't know what to say – well she did, but she didn't know how to get the words out – with everything that had been going on, she had not seen this coming.
"Yes" She answered astounded, as a tear rolled down her cheek. He smiled up at her, and glided the ring onto her finger, before standing up and crushed his lips against hers. When he pulled away, she looked at him, still astonished. "Are you sure that poison didn't get to your head?" She asked with a laugh. He smirked at her – there was the Severus she knew.
"I am quite positive it did" He answered before she pulled him in for a tender kiss. She pulled away from him, and looked him in the eyes. She didn't know how to tell him, but knew she would eventually have to tell him.
"I'm pregnant" It just burst out of her, and she held her hands up in front of her mouth straight after she had told him. She looked at him – he appeared not to be moving, thinking – he wasn't even blinking.
"You're what?" He asked after a few minutes. She took in a deep breath.
"I'm pregnant – I found out yesterday" She repeated. She hadn't expected that he would suddenly be smiling at her, and pulled her in for another kiss. When he pulled back, she was just as astonished as she had been moments before. "You're smiling" She stated.
"Yes I am – I know I said I never wanted any children"
"Yeah, you did say that" She smirked. "So what changed?"
"I was bitten in the neck by a snake" he said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Alright – I didn't think you would be okay with it, actually" She admitted with a relieved sigh.
"Why would I not – you are the mother after all" He frowned "Just as long as you don't act like your own mother, I don't think I could stand living with someone as over protective as her"
Charlotte smirked at him and flung her arms around his neck. "Well – I saw some pretty damn cool teenagers at Hogwarts a few days ago, and as far as I know their mother's weren't overprotective with them – one of them doesn't even have her mum anymore. So don't worry – I won't be over protective"
He smirked back at her. "Good"
When he had finished changing into his own clothes, they walked out, hand in hand, and faced the journalists. Simmons had told them to not shout at the same time, and whenever they wanted to ask a question they should raise their hands.
They only answered their questions for 10 minutes, before they continue walking toward the exit. Charlotte and Severus had some things to take care of – like helping with a big funeral at Hogwarts.
Everyone who had died at Hogwarts had been named heroes. They would be buried alongside Dumbledore, and would remain at Hogwarts forever.
The funeral was a beautiful but also very sad thing – there were over hundreds of people there, and many people held speeches.
George hadn't forgiven Severus for blasting his ear off – which was quite understandable, but he only scowled at Severus instead of insulting him with something.
The rest of the Weasley family tried to be nice to him, they tried to support Charlotte in her decision – apparently they had gotten their memory of her telling them they were together, back as well.
But Charlotte didn't want to focus on that – she wanted to focus on giving Fred, Remus, Tonks and all the others a proper funeral
The reception was held at Hogwarts as well – it had already been build up again, though the last time she'd seen it, Hogwarts was in ruins.
She didn't tell them about the pregnancy – she thought there were better things to take care of.
A month later, the trials against the death eaters started, going first with Lucius Malfoy. Severus had, again, been asked if he wanted to testify against him, but he had refused – he didn't want anything to do with death eaters anymore.
They had told her family, and evidently those at Hogwarts – McGonagall always apologized to Severus about how, if she had known she wouldn't have been to mad, and mean with him, but Severus waved her off dismissively every time, saying if he wanted to hear people apologize to him, he would read about it in the prophet, but they had told everyone about their engagement, though they didn't know when they would get married, and at the same time they had told of her pregnancy – that they by February would have a child together.
And after all that – after they had told them everything, and her mum had congratulated them with the words that she couldn't wait to become a grandmother, Charlotte and Severus took off, for some well needed vacation. They didn't tell anyone about where they were going, but Charlotte would give them hints, sending a postcard to them every time they entered a new country.
They first returned home at the end of August, where Severus turned down McGonagall's offer to come back and teach – he'd had quite enough of dunderheads, not to mention he had a life to live now.
Disclaimer - I do not own the Potterverse. Two chapters remaining, my dear readers. I'm thrilled that you've all been enjoying this story, and the reviews make me as happy as a child on Christmas eve ( I celebrate Christmas eve, and not Christmas day) Thank you all!