FYI: This story will be two parts, so we're close to the end of part one, then part two will follow shortly after as a seperate fic.
May 2nd, 1999, 4:00pm
"Alright, Teddy's with Bill! Fleur was asleep, but Bill said to tell you that she sends her love," Charlie clapped his hands together as he walked into her room. He found her standing in front of her mirror, adjusting the deep green gown she wore. Charlie's eyes widened just slightly. The way the tulle skirt of it fell over her stomach hid the bump well- he could only see it because he knew it was there. At the same time, she had taken great care not to hide any of the scars on her arms that she had gained during the war. He could even see the scar on her shoulder from the Lestrange brothers. She'd yet to show the world what remained from her time fighting, and here she was, showing it all on the anniversary.
"He didn't give you guys a hard time, right? His separation anxiety from you has been bad," She met his gaze through the mirror as she put her earring in and she gave him a soft smile.
"Bill had his toys everywhere, kid didn't even glance my way," He chuckled a bit. He saw her eyes flicker over him, appraising the black dress robes he wore.
"Good," She smiled, "You ready?" She finally turned to face him.
"I am. But are you, Darling? You haven't publicly spoken since last year," Charlie closed the distance, grabbing her hands gently.
She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed as she thought back to last year. It was a blur, the day following Voldemort's death. All she could remember was Charlie and Molly reaching her immediately after Voldemort fell. Charlie had held her up in a tight hug, her body weak and malnourished while Molly cupped her face and thanked her.
Ron and Hermione were next to greet her, and the three of them fell into a heap together, laughing and crying all at once.
The rest of it that day didn't exist in her mind- except when she addressed everyone.
"We fought and we overcame, but we didn't win. No one did."
"I need to do this. I know you say I don't, but I do, for me," She stared at his hands on hers and then up to him. He kissed her forehead.
"Okay. But if you want to leave at all, you tell me the second you are ready."
"I will," She gave his hands a gentle squeeze before letting them go.
Charlie offered his arm to Maggie as she came out the floo right after him. She took it gratefully, her hand resting on his bicep as she glanced over at the security immediately in front of the Atrium. She could see how the normally busy and bustling reception area of the ministry had been transformed into a beautiful ballroom and it made her feel ill- that was the room where the war had officially begun. She never stopped to really look at it when she was working, but now she was forced to take it all in. It was where Dumbledore battled Voldemort. It was where she had killed Bellatrix. It was where the world saw her as a Mad Black.
Charlie saw her mind working and placed his hand over where hers rested on his arm, rubbing it reassuringly. Her other hand dropped to her stomach slyly and she rubbed it.
"Breathe, Maggie," He said softly as they began to walk. They fell into the short security line, the idea of Kingsley when Maggie had insisted on holding the Gala. As they were waved through, Maggie looked at Williamson and Harper, the long-haired man and the woman with the eyepatch she'd seen so many years ago when Arthur had taken her here for the trial. The pair sent her smiles. In her time working with them, she'd found them to be some of the best coworkers she could ask for. Williamson was the official head of the auror department, but traditionally let her have free reign to get things in order. After all, she was the deputy head auror. Well, she had been up until a week ago and Kingsley gave the spot to Ron until she was no longer pregnant. Williamson had been pouting when she came in for office work, telling her that their department was moments away from descending into chaos without her to keep things in order.
"I don't speak until 5:30," Maggie said, resisting the urge to rub her belly, "Ron, Hermione, and I are supposed to get pictures taken, which I'm sure you and the rest of the family will get dragged into. But if you don't, they are hors d'oeuvres and cocktails and I'm sure some of your old school mates are here."
Charlie's face fell and he had one of the saddest looks Maggie had ever seen from him. Then it hit her- Tonks wasn't there, his best friend from Hogwarts on.
"I think I saw Oliver Wood in security, I know he's going to want to pester me. I haven't seen him since I graduated and he found out I decided I wasn't going to the Quidditch big leagues," Charlie assured her before she could say anything, "She'd want me to be teasing him about it. She'd also not want you to feel guilty right now because she'd told me to do the same thing. You know Dora."
"She would be taunting us about our clothes," Maggie smiled, "And Remus would be rolling his eyes out of his head."
"That man would've killed me months ago," Charlie said, eyes flickering down to her stomach.
Maggie laughed a bit, "God, like Dora wouldn't have done the same? My dad would've too."
"Your dad is the only man to have ever truly scared me," Charlie said, grimacing a bit as if he was remembering something. Her brow raised.
"I have more questions about that later, but Ron and Hermione are making their way over here and they look irritated," Maggie said, eyes landing on the pair.
Her theory was confirmed as Hermione reached her first, a deep frown on her face. Before Maggie even had an opportunity to compliment her lavender dress and sleek curls.
"Skeeter's interviewing us. Skeeter," Hermione hissed when she pulled Maggie into a hug, "I'm going to place a notice-me-not charm on your stomach, it should translate to the pictures. I know your dress hides it when you aren't looking for it, but Maggie, they are looking for it."
"Why the hell did Kingsley let her in?" Maggie whispered to Ron as Hermione quickly waved her wand and placed the charm.
"She's who the Prophet sent," Ron grumbled.
"I should just buy that bloody paper and fire her," Maggie huffed, "Why couldn't we have the Quibbler as the main coverage?"
"Luna and Xenophilius haven't hired enough help, plus Luna is stretched thin studying for NEWT's," Ron sighed, "And she's in the photos tonight."
"Skeeter wants to take pictures with Charlie also, with Fred and Luna," Hermione added.
Charlie and Maggie exchanged a look.
"Why?" Maggie asked, worry building in her.
"You know why Maggie. You two are consistently seen together and it's not a big secret that you two are raising your Godson," Hermione rolled her eyes, "Now come on, before she hunts us down."
Hermione linked her arm with hers while Ron tossed his arm over them both, squishing Maggie in the middle as they always had. Charlie followed them as they walked onward. He could see how many people quieted down and had their eyes on them, the Golden Trio. They walked with artificial happiness; those who knew them well saw right through it. They were miserable.
And it was Molly who saw it best from her spot across the room.
Ron: Her youngest and most loyal son that wanted nothing more than to be more than another Weasley. Hermione: The sweet bookish girl who never seemed to fit in that wanted nothing more than to have friends and belong. Magnolia: The little girl that entered this world not knowing who she was that wanted nothing more than to have a family.
They were still those children who were forced to become adults, heroes, in their attempt to find what they wanted.
And suddenly, Molly was utterly disappointed in herself.
All she had wanted for Maggie was a stable family and all she had wanted for Charlie was for him to be responsible.
It was part of the reason she'd named Charlie as the one to inherit the Prewett house. She wanted him to come back- he should've been the one doing the heavy lifting with Teddy. Maggie was a child and Charlie was an adult.
But, Molly regrettably realized, Maggie had become an adult about the time she was 12 and saved Ginny's life- when she nearly died a selfless death. And Charlie, Molly finally began to understand, left because he was trying to take something off Maggie's plate- himself.
In retrospect, she should've seen the relationship between Maggie and Charlie ages ago. The change had happened the summer after Sirius had died- perhaps even before that. They'd always been relatively close, but Molly thought it'd been sibling-like. She'd only noticed how comfortable they were with one another several months ago, just before it was revealed to her exactly how close they were.
"He loves her, Molly," Arthur whispered to his wife as the Golden Trio reached the reporters and shook hands with them, avoiding Rita Skeeter. Charlie greeted Fred and Luna, smiling at them both as the flashing of cameras began.
Molly saw how Charlie was staring at Magnolia, a spark in his eye at the way she posed with her two best friends.
"I know," Molly grabbed her husband's hand, "I just don't want them hurting each other. They're both too self-sacrificing."
"A fault we can only be proud of," Arthur smiled, "Those are our kids, Mollywobbles. You can fix it with them."
Molly could only nod.
The hour passed, with Maggie jealously watching as everyone around her got to drown their sorrows and memories with alcohol. At least Charlie stayed sober in solidarity, but she really couldn't blame anyone for drinking. Even Luna, the often aloof and calm Luna, was three cocktails in. Ron and Hermione had only had one each, knowing they both turned into sobbing messes when drunk. (Something they learned when they, with Maggie, went through a combined total of three bottles of wine and a bottle and a half of firewhiskey on Maggie's 18th birthday.)
Maggie's heart dropped as she watched Kingsley take to the stage.
She gripped Charlie's hand as Kingsley began to speak and the room quieted down. Charlie leaned down and kissed her temple.
"You've got this, Flower," He whispered, "Then we can eat dinner and skip the dancing to go home to Teddy."
Her reply was cut short by none other than Kingsley's announcement.
"And to commemorate the year of rebuilding and growth is none other than the one who saved us all, the Woman-Who-Conquered, Magnolia Black."
And then all eyes were on her.
She took a deep breath and walked towards the stage with every ounce of Gryffindor courage in her body.
It was silent. No one was moving, talking, drinking. Magnolia Black was speaking for the first time since the day the Dark Lord fell. Kingsley cast a quick and minor Sonorus charm on her as she stood in front of everyone.
Many of those in the room had fought alongside her, all in varying ways. Others had been victim to the war or lost people in it. This was supposed to be a celebration of the end of the war, but it didn't feel right.
"Hullo, everybody," Maggie began awkwardly. She hated this part. What she would give to just be a normal girl…
"It's been a long year, I think we can all agree," She continued. Many nodded or murmured to confirm. "I know it has been for me. When the war ended, all I could think about was living a quiet life, a normal one. Obviously, that hasn't happened- I'm up here, talking to all of you."
She saw Charlie snort in laughter while Ron and Hermione exchanged grins while everybody else seemed unsure how to react. So many of them worked by her side in the ministry, others she'd met throughout her years in the wizarding world. How things had changed, from the time she was young.
"Last year, the last time you all saw me like this, I said that we fought, and that we overcame, but no one won. I stand by that. We all said the war was over. I realized something, though:
"It is never going to be over. The actual fighting is over, the threat is gone, but that's not the end of it. Trials are still being held. There are Death Eaters still out there. We suffer still, grieving those we lost. We are fighting to heal, to rebuild. That is still part of the war. But it's the good part, learning to move on while honoring those who died for us to be here. Look how far we have come: Hogwarts held classes a mere four months later. The Ministry, who I can now be proud to work for, has been up and running better than ever before for ten months. Diagon Alley has been operating for eleven. Let this war never be over so that we never have one again. Thank you, everyone, and have a wonderful night."
Maggie scurried off stage and straight for Charlie, face red in embarrassment as people clapped. She cancelled the charms on her as she reached her destination, only to find Charlie waiting with Arthur while the rest of the Weasleys heading towards the exit.
"What's going on?" Maggie asked, worry on her face.
"Fleur's in active labor, Bill sent word while you were speaking. Ginny ran ahead to get Teddy, she's meeting us at Saint Mungo's. And apparently, so is everyone else," Charlie was grinning broadly.
"Let's be on our way," Arthur beamed, "Brilliant speech, Maggie, my girl!"
"Thank you, Arthur," She let out a small laugh as they began to head off. Charlie held her hand tightly.
"Leave it to the newest Weasley to get us out of the rest of this bloody thing," Charlie laughed softly to her.
"My favorite niece, that's for sure," Maggie agreed.
Little did they realize, as they all but ran out of the atrium, the cameras were capturing every second of the Weasley family escape.
The healers were less than amused by the amount of people in the waiting room. Between the Weasley clan with Maggie and Hermione all decked out in their formal wear and the Delacours, it was a madhouse. (Luna, much to their amusement, had wandered off not long after arriving, insisting that she had to find the right plants to bless the new addition to the family.) Fleur had kicked all but Bill and her mother out of her room when it came time to push.
Teddy was busy playing with the toys Fred had conjured, amused by his uncle and his antics, while the entirety of the family waited excitedly.
"Is it going to be like this when I give birth?" Maggie asked Charlie as they sat in the waiting room seats, looking around at the large family. Ron was pestering George about the shop, Hermione and Percy were discussing the state of policy proposals in the ministry, Ginny and Gabrielle were talking about quidditch, and Arthur spoke to Monsieur about work.
"Oh Magnolia, everyone is going to try to be in the room with you," Molly answered softly.
Maggie went rigid and Charlie's arm stiffened around her. Molly sighed softly.
"I'm sorry, Magnolia, Charlie," Molly began, "I've treated you both horribly, I don't expect you to forgive me, but I am still so very sorry."
"Mum, I don't think-" Charlie began. Maggie placed a hand on his knee, sending him a reassuring look.
"Molly, we can talk later on, can't we? I know Teddy has missed you," Maggie said. Charlie frowned with a questioning glance at Maggie.
"I would love that, Dear," Molly gave her a gentle smile. Maggie gave her a tight smile before turning her attention back to Charlie and patting his leg. He huffed at her but placed his hand on her belly after a nod of confirmation.
How the pair endlessly intrigued Molly.
Before Maggie or Charlie could say anything more, Bill came down the hall to the waiting room with a proud smile on his face.
"Well, you sure are the best dressed bunch to meet a baby," Bill grinned, "Victoire Apolline Weasley, 6 pounds, 8 ounces, born at 7:44 on the evening of May 2nd, 1999."
He saw both of the twins start to open their mouths and he raised his hand to stop them.
"Yes, she has red hair."
Charlie whispered in her ear with a goofy grin, "I bet ours will have red hair."
Maggie rolled her eyes and placed both her hands over the one he had on her stomach, "How ever did you figure that out?"
"Magic," He deadpanned. They fell into giggles and laughter as Charlie scooped Teddy up with his free arm and kissed his cheek. Maggie leaned over and kissed Teddy too as she slipped her hand into Charlie's.
August 26th, 1999
The day had started out so well, Maggie thought as her child moved and kicked inside of her.
But here she was, in the cool summer evening air, watching the father of her children do his best to protect the lives of her and their child growing inside of her, his wand raised at the two monsters in front of them.
"You killed my wife, you Bloody Bitch!" Rodolphus screamed as the sun officially set and the moon began to rise. Charlie clutched Maggie's hand tightly and gave her a despairing look.
All Maggie could do was hope, as Charlie kissed her hand.
"I love you," He whispered as it hit him that there was no escaping this.
