Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter Hedwig and Fred would never have died.

Beta: Thanks for the wonderful help from my beta PotterizeMe.

Note: I know its been a while, I did add a note but its been removed for this chapter. I had a lot of rude/nasty comments that started taking things a little too far and personal. I took a step back, but decided not to let the bullies win. So, I'm back and ready to finish this. I have one more chapter which is good to go and I'll be uploading that Friday and this story will be finished. The sequel is a possibility in the future, but after taking such a long break, I'm getting myself into the swing of thigs and finishing my other stories first.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Hermione placed her hand over her mouth, trying to hold back a laugh. Sometimes living with the Weasley twins had its amusing moments;they always lightened the mood. After a lot of research, Fred and George were on their way to becoming Animagi. Remus had written down some instructions a few weeks ago when Hermione had owled him with questions. Professor McGonagall had also helped the boys in their quest to keep Bill company on a full moon. After several potions and digesting a few questionable things, the twins were ready to find out what form their Animagus took. She'd never seen the twins so peaceful and quiet; it was very unsettling.

For the twins to find out their forms, they had to find their inner selves. That was proving the most difficult part. They had been meditating for three weeks since the death of Fenrir, but they hadn't been able to do it. They had very poor attention spans and kept laughing at each other's attempts to relax. They were finally getting better at it now though, but still nothing was happening. They needed George's form to be a wolf, or else he could end up trapped in a part Animagus form if he continued his journey to be with Bill on the full moon. George was part wolf and part of a pack, so his chances of being a wolf were very high. Fred was so connected to his twin and the pack that Hermione had her money on him being a wolf too.

"What's your form?" Charlie asked, glancing at Hermione as they sat on the couch, watching the twins. Hermione had been doing some meditation to prepare herself for becoming an Animagus. She had also filled out the application form and gained her license to practice. She wouldn't be able to go any further than the meditation until after the baby was born. It was too risky, and Hermione couldn't take some of the potions required.

Hermione wanted to be able to change and transform, eventually. She wanted to have that closeness with Bill during the full moon when the boys were busy or needed a decent night's rest. Bill had hesitated about Hermione transforming, but he knew better than to try and stop her doing something. Once her mind was set, it was final.

"I'm not telling," Hermione smiled, glancing at Charlie. "You will all have to wait and find out together."

"Fine, give me a clue. Do you have a beak? Wings? Fur? Snout?"

"I'm not telling."

Charlie rolled his eyes and playfully nudged Hermione, "I know what I'm going to put my money on, I bet the twins have a betting pool going for your Animagus form." Charlie glanced at the twins, who were still trying to concentrate. Now and then one of them would open one eye, peer around and then go back to 'try' and focus. "Their attention span is far too short for this. Maybe we need to separate them and put them in dark rooms."

"I wonder what they'll see."

"Hopefully a wolf for George and I've got no idea for Fred. It might be a bit weird seeing the twins not identical for a change."

"He's pack; he could still be a wolf."

Charlie nodded, "Merlin, can you imagine them two as wolfs destroying the house?"

"We wouldn't dare," The twins spoke together, after being silent for longer than normal.

"You're both supposed to be concentrating, so stop talking and work on what the books said," Hermione told the twins firmly. It was going to take a while to get them relaxed enough to see their animagus forms. "They won't be like Bill during the moon, will they?" she asked Charlie.

"No, I think they'll be more like domestic wolves with smaller features," Charlie replied. The Dragon tamer had gone on the journey with the twins, but after some meditation, he'd seen smoke, fire and eventually a dragon. So, despite how small a chance it was for Charlie to be stuck, he couldn't risk being trapped in a half form. Charlie had been disappointed at first, but then he'd come around. He had been interested in dragons from a young age, so it was no surprise if he was being honest with himself. Having a dragon form as an animagus was also a pretty big deal. It was very rare-a sign of power, protectiveness, and strength. Hermione thought it was the perfect form for Charlie.

"So, pretty much like Sirius was?" Hermione replied in a low voice. "His size? I don't want a wolf Bill getting upset with more wolves in his territory."

"They're pack," Charlie shrugged. "I don't think Bill would attack any of us, even without the potions he takes. He's just too cautious and overprotective; he wouldn't risk it." Charlie glanced Hermione's way with a smile on his face. "Unless of course you're his mate and you sneak into his cage in the middle of the full moon."

"He told you about that?"

"No, I caught him strengthening the bars of his cage and adding a few anti-witch spells to the cellar the next morning of the full moon."

Hermione leaned her head against Charlie's shoulder. He smiled down at her, then shifted to wrap an arm around her, pulling her close to his side. "I'm sorry you couldn't join the boys during the full moon. At least I get to have you at my side while the other three play down in the cellar."I'm not too bothered by it anymore," Charlie admitted. "I was expecting a dragon as my form. I could still try, but it's not worth the risk. Besides, who's going to help you with all the children if all four fathers are downstairs playing every full moon?"

"Children?"

"You caught that, huh?"

Hermione shook her head and turned to watch the twins. Nothing was happening; the twins looked like they were about to fall asleep more than anything else. Charlie had tried to help them, but it was no use. The twins couldn't relax; they couldn't block everything out like they were supposed to. Their minds were always on the go, thinking and planning the next big product for the shop, thinking something up for Hermione or the pack. It's what made them brilliant wizards and pack members, but it made them terrible at relaxing.

"I'm going to get that tattoo," Hermione said after half an hour of silence. She moved off Charlie, shifting to look at his reaction. "The dragon, the one that changes with mood depending on how the other person feels. I want to get It, for you. I have the twins names on my fingers, Bill and George's bites. I want something that's just us. I've never been very keen on the idea of tattoo's, but this will be more than a picture on my body. It'll be a representation of you. Of what we have together, outside of the pack."

"Hermione, you don't have to," Charlie protested. "It was silly really, I shouldn't have asked. I'm going to get it, but I don't want you doing something that can't be erased. If you did this, you couldn't take it back."

"I'm doing this because I want to," Hermione told him. She was certain. After a few weeks to think it over, she had decided she wanted to do it. Hermione wanted the dragon, a way to connect the final member of the pack to her. She wouldn't get a marriage like the other witches in her generation. She couldn't think of a way to marry four pack members. People wouldn't understand and besides that, marriage wasn't on the boy's minds. This was what she wanted, a connection to them all, a commitment. It didn't matter that no one but the five of them knew about the commitments, only the pack.

"I love you," Charlie smiled down at her. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Do I get to pick where you get it?"

"No," Hermione said with a push to his chest. "And I'm not getting it until after the baby's here. I don't want to get a tattoo only to have the pregnancy stretch it out."

"Plus you know how overprotective our alpha is at the moment. We don't want to finish him off by getting a needle too close to you."

"Can you two sod off and talk somewhere else?" Fred spoke up. "We're relaxing here."

Hermione and Charlie both smothered a laugh. Of course, the twins blamed them. It didn't have anything to do with them opening their eyes every five minutes to see if the other had made any progress.

Hermione grabbed Charlie's hand, and they left the room.

0o0o0o0o0o

"I want 'Dad'," George argued amongst the pack.

"Alpha should get the first choice," Bill protested. "There's plenty of names to go around."

"I've got a few suggestions for you three," Charlie grumbled.

Hermione shook her head and took a sip of her green leaf tea. The four pack boys had been arguing for the last ten minutes about what the baby was going to call them. Hermione had voiced her concerns, asking about the situation seeing as they had decided not to find out who the dad was DNA wise. They were all the father; they would bring the baby up together. Four fathers were bound to be confusing to a child though. Charlie had been the most sensible. He had said that the child wouldn't know anything different. They would grow up thinking a big family was the norm, which it was, for wolves.

The baby was going to be the most loved child ever. He or she was going to have four fathers and a mother that would do anything for them. The boys would love the baby; they would do anything for their child. Fighting over the names the child would call them was rather petty, with all things considered.

"Children have a wonderful talent for seeing things in very different ways," Hermione told the boys, sick of their silly argument. "In the end, I'm sure he or she will think of something to call you all. They'll probably just call you dad unless more than one of you are in the room."

Fred smiled, "Our clever little mate, let's hope the baby gets your brain."

"And not Bill's," George joked.

"I got twice as many OWLs as you two combined," Bill shot back.

"Yeah, but we only went to three of the exams each, that's all we needed," Fred said. "We didn't feel the need to show off like everyone else in this room."

Hermione shook her head and smiled at the pack's behavior. She was having a baby, but at times it already felt like she had four kids. Especially when they were teasing each other, something the four brothers always seemed to do. A sudden wave of sickness hit Hermione, and she swallowed, glancing away from the pack to keep her breakfast. Morning sickness had been hitting her rather hard over the last few days, and it wasn't just in the morning. Whoever had named the term 'morning sickness' must have been a man. It was all times of the day, most especially during important work events. Hermione had very nearly vomited on Kingsley's shoes the other day when he'd started talking about the budgeting for the Magical Creature's Department.

"Are you okay?" Fred asked, moving his hand to her back and rubbing a soothing hand down her spine. "Want to go lie down?"

"I'm all right," Hermione promised, now four sets of eyes were focused her way. "Just nauseous. Distract me, talking about something else."

Fred thought for a moment, "Did you know your fingers swell during pregnancy?"

"Feet too," George offered, leaning across the table with a smirk on his face. "Might have to get some extra-large gloves ordered for the winter because you won't be able to get those big fingers into a normal pair."

Hermione scowled at the twins, but she knew they were only teasing. It was surprising that they had been researching into the pregnancy. Bill had brought a few books on pregnancy for Hermione shortly after finding out. She'd read through them all rather quickly, leaving them out for the boys to read if they took up any interest.

"Merlin, if her feet get any bigger we'll have to enlarge the doorways," Charlie grimaced, "I can't count the number of times I've slipped on her work shoes."

Hermione whipped out her wand, and turned in her seat to face Charlie, who was sat on her left side, "I would think you boys would know better than to mess with a witch whose hormones are all over the place. Especially one that's taken defense classes. There's nothing wrong with my feet; I take after my father." Hermione's voice caught slight at the mention of her dad, and she turned away, the jokes stopped.

Hermione hadn't seen her parents in so long. After the battle of Hogwarts, it still hadn't been safe for Hermione to search for her parents. There had been too many Death Eaters wondering and looking for some way to get revenge on the Order. Hermione left her parents hidden in Australia until things were safe. Now that everything had settled, Hermione was starting to plan a way to find them and bring them back. She didn't want to be internationally traveling with the pregnancy, so had decided to wait until after the birth. The boys had been supportive, and Bill had spent some time helping Hermione work out a plan for next year when they were going to go together and look for her parents. There were no guarantees Hermione's parents would be okay, plus they couldn't be sure it was even possible to reverse the memory spell. The four boys had promised to help; they were all going to research and investigating it for Hermione. The thought of having a child when Hermione's parents weren't there was truly heartbreaking, as Hermione always imagined discussing pregnancy and child raising with her mother. Hermione had Mrs. Weasley for advice and support, but it wasn't the same as having her mother there.

"I'm joking," Charlie said, reaching for her hand. He obviously thought his joke had caused her silence. "You have very nice feet, very sexy feet in fact. Sign of intelligence, or so I've heard to have feet a little too big…"

"Charlie," Bill cut off with a roll of his eyes. "Not helping." The alpha leaned across the table and grabbed Hermione's other hand, seeing the hurt in her eyes. "We'll find them and bring them back. One day, they'll understand and accept us. I know you miss them and I can't wait to see you reunited with them again. I swear to you Hermione, we'll find your parents once the baby's here."

"How about this?" Charlie spoke up, "The twins are going away for business in a few weeks. Once they get back, we'll start investigating a bit more. We'll take turns and do a couple of nights away, preparing for when it's time for you to go and bring your parents back. It's going to take some time to find them and find a way to get their memories back. We'll start getting things ready for after the baby's here."

Hermione nodded, leaning over into Charlie's chest, "That would be wonderful, thank you. I know none of you like being away from the pack, so I really appreciate it." Hermione lifted her head from Charlie's chest and regained her composure. Charlie wrapped an arm around her waist, keeping her close to him.

For the rest of the evening, the four men spoke about work and friends, distracting Hermione from her worries and emotions. They were always good at distraction, especially with the twins cracking jokes and cheering everyone up.

It was so easy to be open with the pack. Hermione knew they didn't judge her; they didn't see her emotions as a sign of weakness. She was strong and was treated as an equal. Her opinions mattered, and they always sat down as a pack when someone wanted to discuss something.

The twins had held a meeting the week before, stating they were thinking of traveling to a few different countries to consider opening a new business. They had the funds and customer interest, and it would make a lot of money for the pack, especially if they ventured out into America. The twins asked for ideas and opinions. They took it all in and booked accommodation to travel in several weeks' time. They were going to be away for a while and had no return date. It made Hermione a little nervous, for the pack to be split but it was what Fred and George wanted to do. She wasn't going to try and change their minds; they were good businessmen.

"If you two come back from this trip with no idea what you're Animagus form is, I'm going to string you both up," Charlie threatened, looking between Fred and George. "Remus has the patience of a saint to be working with you two. He said this parts meant to be quick."

"He did work with Pettigrew," Bill pointed out. "Probably learned his patience from his teen years."

"This prat makes noises when he's concentrating," Fred said, pointing an accusing finger at George. "How can I sit and focus when he's making humming noises?"

"Remus said it could help!" George objected. "Besides, at least I saw some ears last time, more than you've seen."

Hermione laughed, "I'm going to make sure you two stay separated next time Remus comes over to help. Perhaps he can work with one of you and McGonagall might help the other. Then you two might be a bit less distracted when you're trying to concentrate."

Bill laughed out loud, "I can't wait to see her face when you ask her to work with one of the twins."

Hermione grimaced, "She agreed to help with the potions, she worked with me and helped me find my form."

"You're a swot though," Fred pointed out. "She never wants to see either of us two in a classroom ever again."

Hermione scowled and went to slap Fred's thigh, but he was too quick and grabbed her hand and leaned forward to press a quick kiss to help lips.

"Stop distracting me," Hermione smiled, pulling back from the kiss. Fred smirked, then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm going to miss you both so much. I still can't believe you're going to be away for so long."

"I know," George sighed. "Sorry you have to put up with the two ugly pack members for a few months Hermione, but we'll write and fire call."

"Prat," Charlie muttered playfully.

"We'll be back," Fred promised, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose. "Look after that baby, and we'll be back well before its time for the birth. We just have to do this Hermione; you know we wouldn't be leaving if we didn't think it was important."

"I know, just come back to me soon."

"We will," Fred and George spoke together.