EPILOGUE
GEORGE was right to be patient with Pansy. In time, as the years passed and they stayed together, though their relationship continued to have its ups and downs, Pansy made George a good wife. She married George Weasley on October 31st, 2006, after he had taken Verity with him to let the Seer tell him which ring to buy, and asked Ollie for his permission and blessing, which the Auror was only too happy to give him.
Mrs. Weasley had never been more proud of her son on that day, hosting their wedding in the Burrow's backyard at her vehement insistence. It was one of the most festive celebrations Pan had ever seen. She had met more Weasley family members that day than she could count as she was welcomed into their family, officially, and was happy to see that even Draco had found his happiness in Verity as Verity served as her maid of honor and had brought Draco as her date.
It was, she learned, just as the Seer had predicted it would be, with Draco having gotten over Pansy come the year that she and George started dating and had found comfort in Verity instead.
They saw Verity at least once a week, with the Seer popping by to visit her old place of employment and George and Pansy. Sometimes Draco would accompany her, other times not.
The tension between Draco and George had been undeniable at first.
George admitted to Pansy that Draco Malfoy would never be a wizard that he could truly come to like or call a friend, which Pansy respected, but was just grateful that the two were cordial, if only for her and Verity's sakes.
Pansy was grateful that her friend and her ex could find happiness in one another and wished the couple well.
Pansy elected to stay on at the shop, finding peace in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes working alongside George and Ron, which she knew she would not find in the likes of the Ministry of Magic were she to pursue a career with the government.
Thanks to George insisting that Fred's portrait Pansy had created and Fred had taken care to hang in their shop, Pansy received several requests for private commissions, which she took on the side and signed every portrait with a flourish, proudly displaying her name. Pansy Parkinson-Weasley.
The witch soon grew a notable reputation within the art world of the wizarding world and painted during her spare time when she wasn't helping her husband at the shop or caring for their family.
Within two years of marrying, the couple welcomed their first child, a boy, whom they named Fred Weasley II, in honor of George's brother, her birth aided by Mrs. Weasley and Norah.
Little Fred was now three and going on four, and every bit a troublemaker as his father. Fred had inherited the Weasley trait of their famous red hair, Pansy's dark brown eyes, and her nose.
This cold autumn afternoon, the boy was making a habit of playing, skirting through the cemetery, and came to a skidding halt as he noticed his mum and dad standing solemnly in front of his uncle's grave. Freddie fell silent and listened, his parents were soon joined by his godparents, Ollie and Norah, and their son, Dominic. Dominic's best friend Teddy Lupin hung near his own parents' graves in the cemetery, wanting a moment alone.
"How is it, Pan, after years of knowing you, I—I could never see it?" George asked.
Fred's ears perked up at the solemnity in his father's voice and hearing how it broke. His grip on the large mausoleum that Freddie had ducked behind almost hurt with how tightly he clung onto the stone of some witch or wizard whose marker was now covered in ivy and lichen all over it. George's arms tightened around Pansy's waist, refusing to let go of his wife, letting out a soft smile as the wind tousled her bangs off her hair.
In the years that had followed, to George, Pan had only grown more beautiful. These days, she had a few more lines around her tired face, and her dark hair was cropped short, like Norah's, though George thought the look suited her. She could not hide behind her hair, and he liked to be able to see into Pansy's eyes.
George felt Pansy smile, rather than witnessed it, as her hands found their way around the nape of his neck, not caring if Ollie and Norah witnessed this moment.
"You did see me, George," Pansy spoke softly, fixing her husband with an odd look that the wizard did not know what to make of. "But you didn't know where to put me. I knew that when you offered me a job, you cared for me, why else would you have helped me? But I…I wanted you to discover your feelings for yourself, Luv."
George could find no words to express his feelings at that moment for his wife. He merely held her close until the sound of a twig snapping underfoot from behind him jolted him out of his thoughts. Alarmed, he and Pan both whirled around to find their son, stepping out from behind a gravestone that was much bigger than him.
Fred didn't hesitate to run to his father, who knelt into a crouch and scooped him up in his arms, smiling as Fred wound his arms around his neck.
"Can we go now, Daddy? It's getting cold out, and I'm hungry," he pleaded, as Pansy nodded an affirmative to Norah and Ollie, who returned their nods with ones of their own and turned to call for Teddy and Dominic, so they could all head for a spot of lunch.
Not one to deny their son anything that was within their power to give, Pan and George agreed, Disapparating to the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. Norah, Ollie, and Dominic were already waiting for them. Pansy's godson at eight years old was growing like a weed and looked more and more like his father every day, but thankfully, had inherited his mother's quiet and calm demeanor instead of his father's temper, which they were all grateful for.
The boys, Teddy included, all clamored for a story while they all waited for their food and drinks to be delivered.
"Tell us, Dad," Dominic pleaded as Ollie wound an arm around Norah, his wife nestling her head against his shoulder. "Tell us again of the brave Auror who saved the Beautiful Veela from the bad Death Eater, Daddy, please?" he whined.
"Yes, please!" Fred chirped, eager to be entertained in hopes it would take his mind off the dragon in his stomach that roared whenever he was hungry, Mum teased. The pleading look their son shot his godparents caused Ollie to sigh in mock tiredness as he took a sip of his butterbeer.
"Don't you boys get tired of that one?" the Auror laughed, to which Norah rolled her eyes and shot a knowing look with Pansy, just as Madame Rosmerta delivered their food.
Platters of roasted chicken and ribs with mashed potatoes and cobbed corn soon covered the top of the table, the delectable scent wafting through everyone's noses and reminding them all just how hungry they were.
Eating in Hogsmeade every Sunday had become a tradition for both the Brennan's and now George and Pansy.
The couples met up with their children every afternoon at the cemetery where Fred, Remus, and Nymphadora were buried to pay their respects and put a batch of flowers at their gravesite, after which they would always go somewhere for lunch. Pansy exchanged a look with her cousin and smiled. Both women knew it was Ollie himself who had created their son's fascination with the story of how Dominic's father had saved his mother, years ago.
Though Pansy and Norah were both aware that Ollie loved sharing the tale again and again whenever he was asked to recant it, that he could put behind his past as an Obscurial for good and relish in the little family he and his wife had created.
"No!" the boys squealed in unison, their mouths watering as the hot plates of food were set in front of them and they began to dig in. "Please!" they all begged with their mouths stuffed full with bites of food, and practically leaned forward on the booth until they hung off the edge of their seats, much to Pansy's amusement.
"Well, alright. If you're sure," Ollie pretended to give out a sigh of exasperation, though he paused to reach a hand and ruffle his son's tuft of thick black wild hair that was so like his own. "Let's see how does it go again? Remind me, boys," he teased, a twinkle forming in his blue eyes.
"Remember, Daddy," Dominic urged, impatiently, his expression serious, his mouth bulging so full of mashed potato, it was a wonder the boy could speak at all. "It starts in the spooky alleyway." Ollie was sure his son could recite the story word for word but was quietly reveling in the boy's hero-worship of him as he waited.
"It does, Dom, you're right, I think I remember now," Ollie chuckled, tousling his son's hair one more time for good measure as the boy leaned against Norah's arm. That said, Ollie launched into the story as if he were an old-fashioned bard. "Years ago, in the dark alleyways of Knockturn Alley, on a night that was much like the storm we had last night, a brave Auror won the heart of his beautiful love, whose beauty bewitched any man she happened to come across, but this man was lucky enough to have won the witch's heart." Ollie gave Norah a reminiscent little soft smile. His wife eyed him lovingly with the same fond memories as her husband continued his tale for the boys. "She was a skilled dueler and the most beautiful thing the Auror had ever had the pleasure to see."
Ollie stole another lustful glance at Norah across the table, to which George and Pansy noticed and exchanged smirks with one another. Both of them suspected they would be babysitting Dominique tonight while Ollie and Norah had a much-needed date night tonight.
Not that the boys would complain when they could have a sleepover in Fred's room and stay up all night under the covers of their pillow and blanket fort and tell each other scary stories and gorge themselves on Pansy's stack of Chocolate Frogs and boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans that she kept in the art studio that she munched on to help herself concentrate while she painted.
"The brave Auror scared off an evil wizard who was trying to hurt the pretty Veela, but when he did, he won the heart of his true love," Ollie told the boys, who were hanging onto the edge of their seats, and his every word.
"That was you!" Dominique cheered.
"And Miss Norah," Teddy quietly chimed in as he took a sip of his pumpkin juice, the boy's mild-mannered and quiet mannerisms reminding George and Pansy of Professor Lupin more and more as the days passed.
It was almost painful for George, to look into Teddy's eyes and see Lupin and Tonks in the boy, just as he knew it was for Harry too, though Harry doted on his godson and spoiled him rotten in the way that he was sure Sirius always wished that he could have, had Black's life circumstances turned out better for him.
Norah's blue eyes gleamed. "You're right, boys. It was us," the blonde quietly confirmed, her eyes washing lovingly over Ollie's broad frame. Ollie laughed and drew his wife and son closer to him. Even Fred's attention was fixated on his godfather and honorary uncle as he wove his tale for the boys while the adults ate.
Watching the surprised looks on the faces of his son, Fred, and Teddy, Ollie discovered an even greater passion for the images that his words painted for them.
Were they back at home and in the privacy of their own home, Ollie would have used his magic to create the images of the story he told the boys for him, but as such, for now, his words would have to do.
Norah and Pansy were astonished by the wizard's storytelling skills. It seemed the wizard grew braver and more handsome each time Ollie retold the story for their children. Ollie, inspired by the engrossed attention of the boys, became even more animated, describing the events of his tale. The Death Eaters Antonin Dolohov and Rodolphus Lestrange became more monstrous and wicked, the wizard's heartbreak devastating at thinking he had lost the love of his life, and the fight for his life to get rid of the parasitic entity attached to his soul even more harrowing.
The boys hung onto his every word, awe and wonder in their eyes as he continued.
"…and in the Burrow, the night of a blizzard, shortly before Christmas, the brave Auror helped deliver his lady love their firstborn, a son, and a fine young wizard in the making, with the help of one of the greatest artists who ever lived." Ollie regarded both Norah and Pansy proudly with the memory.
"That was me, Daddy!" Dominique interrupted gleefully, accidentally sloshing some of his pumpkin juice onto his shirt that would have ruined it, had Pansy not waved her wand at the last minute and caused his drink to re-pour itself back into his cup before the juice could splatter everywhere.
"Wotcher, Dom, try to be a little more careful next time, alright?" Pansy teased, though flinched at the brief saddened look in Ollie's eyes and she grimaced, internally cursing herself. She'd completely forgotten his old partner Tonks had used to say something similar when she was still alive. Her cheeks flushed, Pansy motioned with a wave of her hand for Ollie to continue his story for the boys, as Madame Rosmerta stopped by to drop off dessert.
Norah and Pansy quietly ate, finding themselves equally enthralled by the story as their sons were. The memories came to their minds as Ollie described them to the boys. The children's eyes were wide as he described the brave wizard, Lyall Lupin, who had taken it upon himself to rid the brave Auror of the accursed monster inside of him.
The boys practically quaked with excitement at how Mr. Lupin had prevailed against the monster, though the effort to save the Auror's life had nearly cost him his own as the Obscurus had been extracted.
When Ollie got to the part about how Dominique's godparents' wedding, Dominique and Teddy gave slightly uninterested yawns, and Ollie chuckled, recognizing to finish his tale.
"It wasn't long after those two married that you came on, squirt," Ollie teased, looking to Fred, who was not resting on his mother's lap lovingly.
"Me!" Fred declared smugly, satisfied, and happy.
"Yes, you, Freddie," Pansy teased, bending down and bopping her son's sweetly, smiling as Fred dissolved into laughter and swatted her hand away.
"Our family's nearly complete," Ollie came to the end of his story, for nothing more was yet written in his and Norah's lives, or Pansy and George's yet. "All of us are happy, healthy, and hopefully waiting for the arrival of another witch or wizard to fill our house with even more mischief likely to put old Vimly into a heart attack," he teased, giving Norah a loving look and flicked his gaze towards Pansy, as George traced his hand over the flat of Pansy's stomach, which was burgeoning with their second son or first daughter. She caught his fingers and brought them to her lips in a tender and grateful kiss.
Their second pregnancy was a surprise, but a welcome one. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were delighted that they would soon have a houseful of grandchildren to dote on, between George, Bill, Ron, and Harry's children. They had stayed up till dawn the night Pansy had discovered she was pregnant with their second, horribly sick to her stomach and couldn't stomach the smell of Molly's meatballs Norah had brought her a few weeks ago.
It was at Norah's insistence that Pansy let Norah escort her personally to St. Mungo's the following morning to confirm what they both suspected after Norah had bluntly questioned her, to Healer Jones himself.
After his initial examination of Pansy, the Healer was happy to announce what both witches suspected, that Pansy was pregnant with her second child. She smiled as the group finished eating, Norah paid their tab to Madame Rosmerta, and they all filed out of the tavern and down the streets of Hogsmeade, remembering their discussion.
Pansy looped her arm around George's and watched as their son waddled along ahead of them, chatting animatedly about the scariest story in the Tales of Beedle the Bard Mum had read to him last night, about the warlock who cut out his own heart after the witch he loved had rejected her, to Teddy and Dominique, anyone who would listen.
"How many more should we have after Weasley number two, Luv?" Pansy gave George the best earnest stare she could muster up before dissolving into laughter at his expression.
George rolled his eyes and regarded his wife in a look of abject mock horror.
"More?" He feigned disbelief, knowing Pan's charade was just a game. Pansy looked innocently into her husband's face, as the wizard appeared to consider her request for a moment, his expression solemn. "I think…ten more ought to keep Mum and Dad happy," George chuckled good-naturedly.
A wry little chuckle escaped Pansy's lips as her hand moved downward and caught his hand in hers, their fingers slotted together perfectly as though they were meant for one another, and she knew they were.
"That sounds about right to me, George," Pansy smiled, pleased with the outcome of her little joke to the man she loved. She sighed deeply, resting against George's chest, safe and secure in their marriage and their love for one another, and the lives they had built together.
They caught up to where Ollie and Norah were waiting with Dominique, Teddy, and Fred. George approached his son and regarded Fred very seriously.
"I think we could all use a day outside in the fresh air," he offered, glancing towards the grey sky above their heads. It looked like it would be thundering within the next few hours. George and Pansy had been promising to visit Bill and Fleur at Shell Cottage soon. He looked questioningly towards Pansy. George hoped he hadn't spoken too soon as he realized Pan was already looking tired, and that in her pregnancy, she felt up to it. "What would you lot think…" George asked Fred and Dominique and Teddy without ever taking his eyes from his wife. "…If it is not too taxing for your mum, Freddie…" George paused to wink at Pansy, as her hand settled to rest on top of her flat abdomen lovingly. "…about spending the afternoon at Shell Cottage?" George grinned hopefully as the breeze tousled his hair.
The children shrieked and whooped in excitement, much to the amusement of their parents.
"Please, Dad, please, Mum?" Fred squealed, practically throwing himself at Pansy's legs and tugging on the skirt of her dress. "Please say we can go," their son all but begged. Fred's little fists clutched onto fistfuls of Pan's long dress, with the boy looking like he was in agony as he waited for his mother's answer.
Pansy thrilled in her son's anxiousness. She knelt into a crouch so she could be at eye level with the boy who held her heart, touching his cheeks. Pansy looked up and held George's gaze, his eyes meeting his wife's gleeful expression with a convincing plea as his brows receded onto his forehead pleadingly.
"What d'you say, Pan, please? The fresh air would be good for the boys," George joined in with their son's pleading, his face contorted in the exaggerated plea. "Perhaps even a picnic dinner later to watch the sunset?" he suggested romantically, smirking at his wife, and looking to Norah and Ollie, who nodded their agreement.
Ollie chimed in with his two Knuts. "How could you possibly say 'no' to these little faces, Pan?" he shrugged.
Pansy laughed out loud at her cousin's husband's quip and threw back her head in delight.
"Well, alright, mate," she sighed. "Since you put it that way, Ollie, I guess George and I have no choice." She searched the boys' sweet faces. "How could I possibly say no to you lot?"
Dominique and Teddy gave each other high fives, as Pansy rose to her feet, returning George's adoring gaze, even more in love with her now that she was his wife and the mother of their child and soon-to-be second child in another seven months than he was when he had first started to take an interest in Pansy.
When they got to Shell Cottage, the warm sun was already dipping into the sea. A soft breeze floated in from over the waves, carrying with it the strong scent of salt and far away lands Fred dreamed of visiting.
George and Pansy spent the rest of the afternoon with their son, barefoot in the sand and supervising Fred as the three-year-old tried to compete with Teddy and Dominique's attempt to make a sandcastle version of Hogwarts.
Fred was only too delighted to splash around in the small ocean Pansy and Norah had created as a sort of makeshift tide pool that surrounded the back of the boys' castle, pretending it was the Black Lake.
Norah even used her wand to conjure a moving figurine of a miniature Giant Squid that delighted all the boys, as George moved to Pan's side, and Ollie to Norah's.
True to his promise, once the children's desire to play at the beachside of Tinworth was satiated and the boys began to complain about it getting too cold, George suggested that the boys go inside Bill and Fleur's cottage while the adults picnicked on top of one of the dunes, happy to spend some time away from their children.
After they ate, Norah and Ollie went home, without their son, as Pansy and George had already agreed to let Dominique and Teddy stay over to give the Brennan and Mrs. Tonks much-needed time to themselves.
Mrs. Tonks was becoming increasingly close with Remus's father, the two bonded in the shared grief of losing their children, and whatever comfort Pansy could offer, she would.
Pansy had an inkling that perhaps it wouldn't be long before their increasingly warm friendship over these last few years would evolve into something more down the line. Following dinner, Pansy and George took the boys home and put them to bed after a couple of rounds of Exploding Snap by the fireplace.
When the kids were finally asleep, sometime around ten-thirty, the couple was content to sit by the fire on the rug.
Though Pansy would never admit it out loud, her pregnancy was exhausting her, and she fell asleep not long after the kids went to bed. George held his wife in his arms, marveling at how lucky he was, brought back from his cherished memories of their time together following the Battle of Hogwarts by the sound of Pansy's sighs as she slept soundly against his chest. She hadn't woken, though the look on Pan's face was so pleasant and euphoric that George couldn't help himself. He leaned down and pressed his lips against her temple. Softly, the wizard trailed kisses into her cropped dark hair as Pansy's smile widened in her sleep. He hoped his wife was dreaming of him.
After a moment, her dark eyes fluttered open to find George staring lovingly down at her. She stretched lazily, stifling a huge but adorable yawn, and slid her fingers up to his arms where his hands now rested protectively around her small waist.
"Mmm," she mumbled something incoherently but happily so.
"You were sleeping, Pan," George answered, unable to stop the amused little chuckle from escaping his lips.
"Was I? How is that funny? What's so hilarious, you funny guy?" Pansy questioned, her tone teasing her husband, her groggy dark eyes heavily lidded but sparkling, a yawn escaping her lips despite her attempts to hide it from her husband with the heel of her hand.
George kissed her forehead by way of response and answered his wife sweetly. "You were smiling in your sleep, Luv," George told Pansy, his own dark eyes dancing with mischief that had not been in his eyes since before Fred's death, that had reignited when he'd dated Pansy. "Tell me, what is it that has my wife so delighted as she sleeps? Hmm?" George stuck out his bottom lip in a slight pout and feigned jealousy and hurt feelings toward his wife.
Pansy frowned, playing along with his act for a moment. She chewed on her lips and raised her brows as she rolled her eyes to the ceiling.
"Hmm, lemme think, George," she groaned as if she couldn't decide which of the sensual and lustful thoughts that had filled her dreams to describe to her husband first.
George sat up straighter as Pansy did and pretended to eye his wife suspiciously.
Unable to keep up her charade any longer, Pansy's lips curled upward into a loving and affectionate smile at George as she wound her arms seductively around his neck.
The witch then brought up her hand to tenderly caress the wizard's jaw.
"I dreamed of you, George," Pansy sighed, her eyes growing heavy and lustful with desire for him, as she drew George into her passionate kiss, using her body weight to push him down onto the floor so they lay on by the fire, happy in one another's embrace.
She was glad that she had learned to look between the lines when it came to her husband, for George Weasley filled in the missing holes of her heart and had stolen her heart before she had even known that it was gone.
Her past with Draco was seldom spoken of, and she was glad that George had found joy and adoration in her, as she hoped her husband would always think of her as the other half of his soul.
Never did George or Pansy take their love for granted. Each morning, their smiles at one another sought to brighten a world that was an adventure for them and their family. Every night ended in one another's arms.
On nights like this, when they were both spent from their passions, Pansy was grateful for all that she had been given. She had a kind and caring, intelligent son who loved her and George unconditionally, another son or daughter on the way, and the love of George, nestled deep in her heart.
There was nothing else Pansy thought she needed to be complete. Despite everything that she had lost all those years ago during the war, she'd finally found true lasting peace. Though George had his doubts about the worthiness of his wife's affections, and tonight was no different, Pansy was not shy about proving it to him, as she had just made love to her husband until both of them were too exhausted to do anything but sleep. George knew that he would wake up in her arms, ready again to face the world with Pan by his side, always. George had never been happier than he was with Pan by his side. She'd brought him true peace and joy since Fred's death, and he knew, that no matter what the future might hold for them and their son, and their family going forward, he would never stop loving her.
And so he didn't.