The next weekend, Hermione found herself visiting the twin's shop under the guise of needing more pimple reducer cream. Since the war, the twins had come out with a whole line of skin care products as well as witchwear products that Hermione was actually very pleased by. They used simple ingredients that were basically allergen free, but managed to still get the job done. The twins really were brilliant and she knew that they're ego inflated a little more each time she would buy one of their products, but she didn't mind. They were using their brains for good and as long as they kept it going, she would feed their ego in any way she could. She'd hate to admit it out loud, but she'd gained a soft spot for the twins that she didn't have back at Hogwarts.

There was a whistle as she made her way into the shop. "Look at that beautiful bird that just flew in." George gave her a wink and she rolled her eyes at him. He'd always been the biggest flirt out of all the Weasley children. "What can I do for you, gorgeous?"

"Just came to refill my potion cabinet."

"Ah, that time again, huh?" Grabbing a basket off the counter, he handed it to her. "Lucky for you, it's WonderWitch sale day."

"George..." Anytime she came to buy something, he always found a way to discount the products. "I can afford to pay full price."

"Nonsense. Beautiful birds like you should never pay full price for anything. Let the ugly gits like Ron pay." Turning her, he patted her butt to get her going. "Go on, love. Anything you can fit in the basket is an extra twenty-percent off."

"George, stop groping the customers!" Verity popped up, giving Hermione a wink. "You're going to scare off what's left of them!"

As she made her way toward the WonderWitch section, Hermione giggled at the two of them. Verity had become a good friend to all of them and she couldn't help but feel like they were one big family. It reminded her how blessed she was. Swallowing back tears, she realized that she might be the cause of it fracturing, too. She knew that she had to tell Fred. She couldn't keep it a secret much longer. She was almost in her second trimester and she would be having her first ultrasound soon. Her initial consult had gone well and all of her levels were perfect, so there was no need for one until now. When she had gone, there was a part of her that wasn't ready for that step anyway. She was worried she would burst into tears right in the middle of her appointment already.

Now, she had no excuse. The baby was coming. She could even see a small bump forming under her naval. She found herself wearing looser clothing, worried that anything tighter would give her away... even though it just looked like she was just bloated. For a short time she had thought about hiding it as long as she could and then admitting it to the family and saying that it had been a one night stand and she didn't really know the father, but that evening she had a dream that she birthed a child that was a carbon copy of Fred and she realized that she couldn't take the cowards way out.

She knew that if she told Fred and he didn't take well to it, there might be a need for her to step back from the family. She wouldn't force Fred to be around a child he didn't want and she didn't want the family to wonder constantly about who the father was... especially if the baby came out looking Weasleyish at all. She might be able to talk to Kingsley about transferring to another facility and she could concentrate on her work and her child by herself. She could still see Harry and she could make new friends.

She wished her parents were there. A few years ago she made the hardest decision of her life to walk away from her parents, leaving their memories as they were. She wasn't sure she could return their memories anyway and when she found out that they adopted a child, she just couldn't mess things up. They were so in love and so happy with their new daughter, that she couldn't risk the damage that the spell might create. Suddenly, she felt lonelier than ever.

She moped around the store a little longer, her palm absentmindedly rubbing her stomach, while trying to ease the ache in her chest a little before making her way back to the front.

"Find everything alright, Hermione?" Verity gave her a bright smile and Hermione found herself smiling back at the sweet witch.

"Yes, more than alright, unfortunately." She laughed, knowing she always bought more than she should while she was there. At least George gave her a discount.

Verity rung her up and charged it to her vault.

"Have you seen Fred?"

"Yea, he's in the potion room."

Hermione chewed her lip, unsure if the potion room was really safe considering her condition. "Mind if I step back and say hello?"

"Of course not! I'll leave your bags behind the counter until you're ready."

Hermione gave her an appreciative smile and stepped behind the counter and through the doorway to find him.

"You can do this, Hermione. It's now or never." She whispered to herself, knowing if she thought anymore about it that she'd chicken out.

She found Fred on a tall stool, leaning over a cauldron with safety glasses on. He had his wand in his hand and was stirring the liquid using a spell. She knew that if it the spell required a specific number of stirs, that getting his attention could cause a waste in product. So, she stood, leaning against the open doorway that separated the storage room and the potion room while she watched him work. She enjoyed watching him work so intently on something. He was a potion master and he always took his potion making seriously. It warmed her heart to see him consumed by something he loved.

"You can come in, Mi. The potion won't hurt you." He spoke through the quiet, not bothering to look up. "Come have a seat."

"I didn't want to disturb you."

A grin formed on his face, but he refused to look up. "You failed."

Laughing, she had a seat across the worktable from him. "I noticed."

Finally, he lowered his wand and slipped his eyewear off so he could see her properly. "What can I do for you, love?"

She gave him a guilty grin. "Can't a friend come say hi?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Considering you've never come searching for me just to say hi, I'd say no."

Sighing, she found herself twiddling her fingers in her lap. "Yea, well, there is something I need to tell you."

He cocked and eyebrow at her and sat straighter. "Yea? And?"

"Well, do you remember the night of that party? The one where we celebrated your new Hogsmeade location?"

His lips turned up into a large grin. "Oh, yes. That's a night I'll never forget."

Her face tinged pink at his words. Oh, Merlin.

"Well, something happened."

"Happened? What do you mean?" His blue-gray eyes left her brown ones and he looked past her, his position tensing. "Katie."

"Katie?" What did she have to do with anything? Turning, she found Katie standing at the doorway, smiling at the two. "Oh, hello, Katie!"

Hermione watched Fred stand to greet Katie and he met her halfway, giving her a kiss hello. Hermione's stomach dropped. It hadn't even occurred to her that he could have a girlfriend. The guilt in her stomach twisted and she felt like she was going to hurl right in front of them.

"Good to see you, Hermione." Katie gave her a sweet smile as Hermione stood and she hugged her.

"You, too, Katie! I'm going to head out and let you two enjoy each other." She gave them both a warm smile and started to head toward the door.

"Hermione?" Fred was still as confused as ever.

She shook her head. "We'll talk later. See you at the Burrow tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Of course."

Turning on her heel, she hurried back to the front and grabbed her items before disappearing into the crowds in Diagon Alley. She felt more sick and guilty than ever. Katie was such a sweet girl and she knew that the blonde witch had her eye on Fred for years. It seemed that Fred finally got his head out of his arse enough to notice that Katie was head over heels for him. How could Hermione threaten their newfound relationship? Poor Katie. She didn't know what to do. How was she going to tell him now? The news would break Katie's heart.

Enjoying so far? Let me know!