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Chapter 2: Family Matters
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That evening, the Weasley family gathered around the kitchen table. Mrs. Weasley stood at the stove, putting the final touches on the stew she was preparing. Since going up to tend to Kira, she had been uncharacteristically quiet. After seeing to her injuries, she had given her a hot cup of tea with a special potion added to make her sleep. The girl needed rest, and she was such a nervous wreck that Mrs. Weasley knew that sleep would not come without some magical help.
Once she'd gotten cleaned up, the girl was quite lovely. Mrs. Weasley was vacillating between wishing Fred was here to knock onto his rear end and thanking the heavens that fate had seen fit to allow a part of her dead child to survive. The thought that she would be there to welcome Fred's child into the world was making losing him ever so slightly more bearable.
Mrs. Weasley waved her wand toward the table and eight place settings suddenly materialized on it. She took her seat, offering a weak smile to everyone assembled around it as the pot of stew floated around them, A ladle, guided by the hand of magic, was carefully filling their bowls. Arthur sat at the other end of the table from Molly. Along the side of the table to Molly's right sat George, Harry, and Ginny. Along the other side were Hermione, Ron, and Percy, who had just arrived via the Floo Network. They had also sent owls to Charlie and Bill and Fleur, apprising them of the situation.
"Well," said Percy, "we need to get down to the heart of the matter here. What are we going to do with this Muggle? Leave it Fred to get involved with one and leave us the job of dealing with his mess. How far along is she, anyway? Maybe we can get her to a Muggle clinic and have it taken care of. Muggles don't seem to mind killing their unborn, especially the illegitimate ones."
A stunned silence greeted Percy's statement. Only George seemed able to recover his use of speech. He stood up angrily, knocking his chair over. "You filthy prat," he yelled. "This is our niece or nephew you're talking about! Our dead brother's only child! Bloody hell, you haven't changed at all, have you?"
"Fred's only child? Right, so she says. I can't believe you're all falling for this. These people are scamming you," answered Percy.
"Yeah, right, Percy," said Ron sarcastically. "After all, this is the perfect plan for her to insinuate herself into our oh-so-wealthy, high society family so she can get her greedy hands on all our Muggle millions."
"Now boys, settle down," said Arthur. "Percy, I don't want to hear trash like that out of your mouth again. Understand? But, Percy did have one valid thought. How far along is she?"
"She told me upstairs that she and Fred last met in late April, about two weeks before the Battle of Hogwarts," said Molly. "So, she's about three and a half months along. That means the baby will be due at the end of January or early February."
"Well, we're going to have to sit her down and explain the entire magic thing to her," said Ginny. "She was already asking questions about how her cuts and bruises healed so quickly. She's not stupid, you know. Also, we have to go into town to get her some clothes and stuff. She can't keep borrowing my stuff forever. It doesn't even fit her. She's a bit bigger than I am."
"Right," said Arthur Weasley. "Absolutely right, Ginny. I know where her father lives. I'll go—"
"No, I'll go," said George. "Fred was my twin. It's my job."
Mr. Weasley looked at George worriedly. "All, right," he said. "But I want you to take Ron and Harry with you." He was concerned that George, who was emotionally still reeling from Fred's death, would go off halfcocked and get himself into trouble with the Ministry. Ron and Harry would be able to help keep the encounter with the girl's father low-key.
"She's a really nice girl, you know?" said George. "Fred had fallen for her and was looking forward to having you meet her. But then the Ministry fell. You know what they were doing to Muggle-borns and Muggles who were married to Wizards. He didn't want to put her in any danger. He would have been so happy. Hell. If it had to be one of us, why couldn't it—"
"Now you stop that, George," said Mrs. Weasley. "It shouldn't have been either one of you. If it had been you, you know darn well that Fred would be sitting here saying the same thing."
"Maybe we should wake her up and take some food up for her," said Hermione. "And, shouldn't she see a doctor or something? Just to make sure everything is all right. After all, she was beaten up pretty badly."
"That is an excellent suggestion, Hermione," said Mrs. Weasley. "I'll send an owl to the Healer who delivered all my children."
"Actually, Molly," said Arthur. "Maybe she'd be better off with a Muggle doctor."
"Absolutely not, Arthur. I remember when you were in Mungos and talked them into trying those barbaric Muggle treatments on you. It nearly killed you. I won't let one of those quacks anywhere near my grandchild."
"But Molly, she isn't a witch, and maybe the Healers at Mungos didn't do the treatments quite right."
"Don't try to fool me, Arthur Weasley. I know what you're up to. You just want to have an excuse to get inside a Muggle hospital," said Molly, stabbing the air with her fork as she spoke. "Besides, when it comes to having babies, we all go about it the same way, Muggle and witch alike."
Mr. Weasley had a look on his face not unlike that of a child who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Having finished eating, Molly got up and prepared a tray to take upstairs to Kira. She added two thick slices of her homemade bread to the tray, slathering them with butter. Then, she placed a tall glass of milk on it.
"I'll carry it up," said George. He immediately jumped up and carried the tray up the stairs to Percy's old room. Molly followed him up the stairs.
Once upstairs, George set the tray on Percy's old dresser while his mother awakened Kira.
Kira yawned and stretched and then, realizing she was not in her own bed, sat up with a start.
"Hello Kira," Mrs. Weasley said brightly. "How are you feeling? You've quite slept the day away. I've brought up your dinner. It's beef stew. You do eat meat, right?"
Kira smiled. "Of course," she said. "I was raised in a butcher shop, remember? I'm sorry you had to go to so much trouble for me. I could have come downstairs to eat."
"Don't be silly, dear," said Mrs. Weasley. "You've had a traumatic experience today, and you're very weak. You'll not be getting out of this bed for a while. Don't even try it."
"You'd better listen to her," said George in a conspiratorial whisper as he brought the tray over and set it on her lap. "She can get awful nasty."
Hours later, Mr. & Mrs. Weasley were making their way upstairs to their bed when they noticed the door to Kira's room ajar. Mrs. Weasley looked in and saw George standing at the foot of the bed, staring at Kira as she slept. The room was littered with two suitcases and a backpack of Kira's clothing that George, Ron, and Harry had retrieved from the Benning home.
The visit had been uneventful because Mr. Benning had already drunk himself into unconsciousness. Mrs. Benning had allowed them into Kira's room and had gathered her belongings. The woman's face had been in worse shape than Kira's had been. She had been relieved when George had told her that his family would be caring for Kira and her baby.
George had looked at the man, sitting passed out in his chair, his hand itching to pull out his wand and hit him with a hex that would have had him suffering the rest of his days.
"Come on, George, let's go," Harry had said, placing his hand on George's arm. "We've gotten what we came for."
"Wait a minute," said Mrs. Benning. "I have something I want you to give Kira." She stiffly walked down the hall to her room and quickly returned. She held her hand out toward George. "Here. They were my parents' wedding and engagement rings. She can sell them and use the money to start a life for herself. I want Kira to have them. No matter what, never let her come back here. Promise me that you'll keep her safe."
George had taken the rings and put them in his pocket. "Nobody will ever hurt her again, Mrs. Benning," he said. "I promise."
George was roused out of his musings by the light shining into the room from the hall. He saw his parents standing on the landing and joined them. "Mum, Dad," he said, "I've been thinking. I have an idea. Can we talk a few minutes?"
The three of them walked back down the stairs to the kitchen and sat around the table.
George cleared his throat and said, "I've been thinking about what Fred would have wanted us to do. Then, I realized I already knew. It's the same I would have wanted if I had died and left my pregnant girlfriend behind. I certainly wouldn't want my child to enter the world illegitimately. You heard what Percy said tonight. Even if people try to hide it, that's what they'll be thinking—oh, there's the Weasley bast—."
"Don't say it, George. It's such a nasty word to use about a baby," said Mrs. Weasley.
"What are you suggesting, son?" asked Mr. Weasley as he reached out to cover his wife's hand with his.
"I'm suggesting that I marry her," he answered. "It makes perfect sense. It's not like I have girls lining up to get anywhere near me, especially not since I lost my ear. This way, the baby can be born with our name, and be raised within the wizard world instead of the Muggle one—."
"But George," interrupted Molly, "what about love? A marriage should be based on love, and the two of you don't love each other."
"I want my brother's child," he answered simply, as if that, alone, explained everything. "Besides, I do care for her. Heck, I saw her first, but Fred pretty much cut me right off at the knees. She's a decent sort of girl. Maybe, given time, we'll come to..." He let his voice trail off.
"Do you think, maybe, she'd be willing to let us raise the baby and just go on with her own life?" asked Mrs. Weasley.
"Would you?" asked George.
His mother smiled. "No, I suppose not. But the girl has pride, George. I doubt she'd be willing to marry you knowing you were only doing it because you think you have to. We do have time, you know. Maybe it would be best if you just spend time with her to see if you can come to care for each other. As it is, we still have the hurdle of telling her about the magic. What if she cannot accept it?"
"You know how Fred and I used to go into the village to impress the girls with little magic tricks." George smiled as he began to think back. "We met Kira when she was about fifteen. Her father used to chase us out of his shop when he caught us in there talking to her. Then, two Christmases ago, she was outside shoveling snow. She didn't even have any gloves or a hat on and she was freezing. Fred sent her back into the shop and melted the snow with his wand. Then he'd said he was going to go inside and ask to be paid for his labor with a kiss. Later, when I'd asked if he'd gotten the kiss, he'd just laughed and said 'what do you think.'"
"You know, George. I'd have told Fred this same thing. It's different being married to a Muggle. You'd need to live in a place set up for her gadgets, with electricity and stuff," said Molly.
"Well, maybe I could help out with that!" exclaimed Mr. Weasley brightly. "I have one of those refriggerater things in the shed. And I've been working on modifying it. I just about have it perfected. It keeps things cold but it seems to be lactose intolerant. It gets terribly flatulent."
Er...Dad...really, it's okay. Me and Fred...I mean Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes has turned enough profit to let me buy a house. Wherever I live, I can hook it up to the Floo Network and get to work that way. Maybe we could live here in town. We'd be close to you guys, and there are enough other wizard families around Ottery St. Catchpole so the baby would have others to play with, and Kira would have a lot of Muggles around too. And she'd be able to have her electricity and refriggerators and stuff."
"But what will you do with your flat over the shop?" asked Mrs. Weasley.
"Ron and I have been meaning to talk to you about that anyway. The store has gotten too big to run by myself, and we...I mean, I had been thinking of opening a second location in Hogsmeade. So, Ron is going to take Fred's place as my partner in the business and move into the flat. He only needs to clear it with Hermione, and we don't think it'll be a problem. I really want to do this, Mum. Why are you throwing up all these roadblocks? Do you have a problem with one of us being married to a Muggle?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "It's not that at all, and you know it. I've never been like that. I have a problem with one of my children being unhappily married."
"What makes you think I'd be unhappy? Did you look at her? She's a pretty girl, and she's nice, and truth be told, I'd have asked her out myself if Fred hadn't beat me to it. And there'll be the baby. We have to think about what's best for the baby, don't we? And I don't want to wait. I want it done as soon as possible. I don't want any gossip or snide remarks about the wedding barely beating the birth."
"He has a point, Molly," said Mr. Weasley. "We do have to think of what's best for the baby. I think George has thought it through pretty well. He's taking responsibility and is determined to do whatever it takes to make a happy home for the baby. Often, Molly, people are happy or unhappy because they choose to be."
"You're still going to have to tell her about the fact that we're all witches and wizards, and get her to agree to marry you. And she's got to agree without you slipping her any of those little Wonder Witch potions you sell in your store. That's always a recipe for disaster. Understand?" said Mrs. Weasley.
George smiled in relief, happy that he'd gotten his parents on board. "She'll go along with it, Mum. Have you ever seen anyone successfully resist to the old Weasley charm?"