Author's Notes: Still don't own any of these guys!
=KEY=
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ = Scene/Time Change
----------------------------------------- = Day(s) Later
`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`* = Weeks/Months Later
~*~********************************************~*~
I spent the next few weeks just lounging around the house and reading, trying to avoid the August heat. It was unbearable. I must have re-read Quidditch Through the Ages fifty times...I knew it front to back, word for word. Go on, ask me anything!
...I didn't think so.
Percy avoided me at all costs. Oliver sent me another owl post. It went basically like this:
"Fred? Fred, are you okay? You're not in the hospital having them now, are you? You didn't answer me before so I was really worried! Send me a letter back with Landolin here, if you'd be so kind. I'm dying to know what's happening with you. I heard your father managed to score tickets to the Quidditch World Cup! Just write me back. Love you ~ You-Know-Who"
When I replied to him, I was rather apprehensive. I couldn't tell him that it was Percy who put the potion in my drink in an attempt to break us up because of his unrequited love. If I did, I most likely wouldn't have an older brother anymore. Well, actually, I'd have Bill and Charlie, so that was enough for me. But mum and dad probably wouldn't agree, so I left that little bit out. My letter basically went like this:
"Oliver, I'm perfectly fine. Thanks for worrying, though. And no, I'm not having them now. My due date is around December. Nothing too interesting is happening to me, and it's true that my dad got the tickets. We're supposed to be going soon. Hermione and Harry are coming with us, so that means that two more are gonna find out about me. But I trust 'em, since they're Ron's little friends. Besides, why would they go blabbing off to someone about it when they're just going to notice me in school? My parents know about you now, so please, please come visit me. It's been weeks since I've seen you and I miss you something dreadful. Bill and Charlie are coming to visit, too! They're coming early tomorrow morning. So, again, -please- come visit me. I'll let you sleep in my bed, or something. It's only Thursday, so if you get this owl before you have to go back to Puddlemere...Well, I'll just leave it at that. I love you ~ Fred"
I sent it back with Landolin like Oliver said. I watched the tawny colored bird flutter off into the distance and eagerly awaited the response.
In the meantime, Bill and Charlie arrived. So did Harry and Hermione. Each and every one of them did double takes when they saw me, and I had to explain to them the whole thing. It was really hard without stumbling over my words. I never had any problems speaking when Oliver was around.
Which was why what happened next surprised me so greatly.
"So basically, I'm carrying the two of them until December, and then--"
I heard a faint pop! Everyone else did, too. It was the sound of someone Apparating. At first I assumed it was dad because he wasn't around. But then I heard Harry and Hermione say, "Hullo, Oliver!" and "Fred was just talking about you!" respectively.
My heart nearly sank. Oliver was here? Oliver was here?!
"No greeting, Fred?" I heard the familiar accent that I could lose myself in for hours. "I'm crushed."
I nearly flipped out of the chair. I was quite larger, and running over to him sapped almost all my energy. He wrapped his arms around me and smiled, laughing. Merlin, it felt good to be in his arms again...to hear his voice...to see his face.
"I missed you madly," I said softly, looking up to him. He grinned down at me and kissed me right in front of Bill, Charlie, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Ron and Harry snickered, Hermione tutted at them and Bill smiled at Charlie.
"You haven't any idea how much I missed you," he told me.
"Oliver, how's Puddlemere?" Ron asked eagerly. "Anything interesting happen to you over--"
"Ron, be quiet! Leave them alone!"
"Yes, Hermione," Ron said dryly.
"We should leave them be," Charlie said matter-of-factly. "They probably want to be alone."
"No, no," I said. "We'll go. Up to my room. Anyone seen George?"
"He's ridding the backyard of gnomes with Crookshanks," Hermione informed me with a smile.
"Thanks, Hermione," I said. Oliver grasped my hand and I squeezed his lovingly, and the two of us went up the stairs.
When we arrived, I let Oliver in first and then closed the door behind us. He walked over to my bed and I did too, taking a seat beside him.
The first thing we did was kiss. It was something I never realized how much I had missed until I had it again. We were separated by my stomach, but Oliver didn't mind. He just ran his tongue over my lips and I felt my lower half spark awake for the first time in what felt like months. It sent a weird feeling through my body. Then I felt another one. I had to pull back.
Oliver looked surprised. "I didn't become a terrible kisser in our time apart, did I?" It was a joke, I knew.
"I think the babies just kicked," I said in a questioning tone. I felt a brief sting in my stomach again and I began to laugh. "He kicked! One of them kicked!"
Oliver's jaw dropped. "You kiddin' me? One of them kicked?!" He scooted as close as he could, placing his hand on my shirted stomach. Nothing happened for a few seconds, but then I felt the same feeling on the opposite side. He looked like he was about to faint. "Merlin, he did! One of them did!"
"MUM! DAD!" I shouted.
Oliver winced. "Why don't we just go down and find them?"
Too late. I heard footsteps running up the stairs. My door flew open and Bill, Charlie, mum, Ginny, George, Ron, Hermione, and Harry were all standing in the doorway. It was awfully crowded.
"What happened?!" Bill asked quickly.
"Oh, this is Oliver?" mum asked. "Why didn't anybody tell me he arrived?"
Oliver waved some at my mum and smiled sheepishly. "Hullo, Mrs. Weasley."
She pushed her way through the group and placed herself in front of the two of us. She looked sort of worried and anxious. "What was it you called me for, Fred?"
I grinned widely. "The babies kicked! They kicked!"
Her eyes became as big as dinner plates. "Oh my! Did they? This is wonderful!"
I heard Hermione and Ginny giggling. Harry and Ron looked sort of confused, most likely wondering why it was such a big deal. Harry might not have known, but Ron had been through it before with Ginny. He still probably didn't care much. Bill and Charlie were smiling and I caught a brief brush of their hands together.
Mum moved forward and placed her warm hand on my stomach. Nothing happened. I wasn't exactly expecting anything to happen, myself. It might have been a one time thing. She took it off shortly after, and I continued grinning.
"Well, it's bound to happen again, Fred," she reasoned. "I can just feel it later." She turned her attention to Oliver. "Pleasure to meet you, Oliver!"
He was kind of blushing. I think the fact that there were eight people in the room besides the two of us was something wasn't used to. Poor thing. He'd have to learn to deal with it if he was going to come here more often.
"Pleasure to meet you too, Mrs. Weasley."
Everyone was listening in. Mum turned in their direction, giving them a look that I couldn't quite see. Whatever it was, though, caused them to scatter and head back downstairs or wherever they were. She walked over to the door and shut it, then came back over to us.
"So, how are you doing today, Oliver?" she asked conversationally.
"I'm....doing all right. Thanks for asking. And yourself?" He shifted about on the bed. I could tell he felt like he was going to be interrogated.
"I'm fine, thanks. When did you get here?" Her voice was sweet.
"About ten minutes ago," he replied politely. "I would have waited downstairs to meet you had I known you were here."
She seemed to like that. "Ah, what a polite young man you are! And handsome too, if I might add."
His cheeks turned a darker shade of pink. "Thank you."
There was a pause between them. I think mum was racking her brain for more questions and Oliver was attempting to come up with some good responses.
After a minute or two of continuous silence, mum finally stood up and folded her arms over her chest.
"Were -you- the one who did this to my son?"
Oliver was about to speak, but I cut him off. "No, Mum! Don't blame him! Oliver would never do something like that."
She looked at me some before glancing at Oliver. Her hand reached forward and fixed my hair, and when she pulled back, a faint smile was on her face.
"At least my son knows how to pick 'em."
Mum left it at that. She left me and Oliver alone, shutting the door behind her. I heard an exhaled breath of relief come from Oliver, which made me laugh a little.
"I thought she was going to hate me..."
I reached into Oliver's lap and grasped his hand, squeezing it gently. "No, no! Why would you think that? Give her time and she'll absolutely love you. You'll see. She'll treat you like one of the family. It's sometimes too much. I mean, look at Harry and Hermione..."
"I've always wanted a big family," he said with a chuckle.
"Now's your chance, love." I ran my thumb over the back of his hand, resting my head on his shoulder.
"Wish I could stay by your side, Fred..." he whispered into my ear. "I'd take such great care of you..."
I didn't say anything in response. I was afraid I'd make some kind of choking sound. Plus, I would have asked him to get rid of Percy, and that wouldn't be very good. The last thing I needed was that bastard of a brother threatening me again. Did he really know how to get rid of my children...?
"I'll come visit you at Hogwarts whenever I can..."
Still, I said nothing. As long as I focused on the here and now, I'd stay happy. If I thought for even a second that Oliver would be leaving tomorrow and I wouldn't see him for weeks, I'd break down into tears. Couldn't have that. No, absolutely couldn't have that.
"I'll be looking forward to them," I said softly. "Because they'll be the only thing I can look forward to there..."
`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*
The last week of August was horrible, weather-wise. It rained constantly, and because of the rain, my joints were acting up. I could barely move my hands without my wrists hurting, and sitting? Merlin, I thought I'd die every time I did it. My knees were swollen and my feet were just like platforms to me. I didn't have toes, oh no. I just had these things that felt like painful protrusions of my legs.
Finally the day to go to Hogwarts arrived. Dad couldn't get us Ministry cars, so we had to use muggle taxis. It was...interesting, to say the least.
On our way there, my trunk popped open and one of my Filibuster's Fireworks shot out, scaring the living daylights out of Crookshanks, who then scratched everything and everyone, but most specifically the taxi driver.
Needless to say, it took the poor cat the rest of our car ride to calm down.
When we arrived in London, the rain was still pouring. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to walk so well. But, to my surprise, I managed to get myself over to the platform. With George and Ginny by my side, I slipped through the barrier and made my way onto the train.
George and I occupied one of the cabins near the middle, much like Oliver and I had. He took a seat beside me and started showing me some of the ideas he had for our Wheezes.
"So, if we can just manage to enchant a couple of these things, I think we could--"
My stomach made a strange rumbling noise that interrupted him. George quirked a brow curiously and eyed me.
"Just what was that?"
"I don't know," I said. "I don't even know my own body anymore. It just does what it wants. I bet it's because of Will and Brett."
"Will and Brett?" he asked.
I blushed a little and looked away, out the window. "They're the names I was thinking of for the twins."
George was grinning when I turned back to him. "Nice names. Will Weasley and Brett Weasley."
A nervous chuckle escaped me. "Um...Well, they won't be Weasleys..."
The grin disappeared. "Wait, what? What're you talking about?"
"Well...I was thinking that they should have Oliver's last name...He's their father and all..." My hands were resting on my protruding stomach, thumbs twiddling together.
"Why not make it Wood-Weasley or something?" George suggested.
"Will Wood-Weasley? Merlin, the poor boy would have a speaking disorder." I shook my head, blinking.
"Just a thought," he said. "I'm sure mum and dad would agree with me."
I thought about that. The thing is, George was right. My parents would kill me if the children didn't have my name. But poor Will...
"Oliver came up with 'Will'," I said out of nowhere. "Said that, if he ever had a son, that'd be his name."
"Did you do the whole, 'I name one twin, you name the other' thing, like mum and dad did?"
I nodded with a thin grin. "Yeah. It was only fair."
"Only fair?" George rolled his eyes. "You're carrying the children, you dolt. You have the right to name them."
"But what about Oliver?"
"What about him?"
"He'd have no real connection to them, other than being their father. If he didn't get to name them, then he'd basically--"
"Fine, fine. Forget I even said anything about it. It's your relationship, not mine."
I snorted. "You act like it."
George grinned. "Aw, I just care about you, Freddy. You'll have to learn to deal with it."
"I've dealt with it for as long as I've known you, haven't I?"
He narrowed his eyes and then stuck his tongue out. "Funny, Fred."
I patted his back and nodded. "I try, Georgie, I try..."
`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*
The first month of school came and went. So did the second. Time was passing by rather quickly, and with each passing day, I grew bigger and bigger. I was worried that there was something wrong, so I pondered on seeing Pomfrey.
We were well into November before I actually decided doing that. She told me I had no reason to worry, and that I was looking just like I should, though I had gained slightly more weight than she had assumed I would. But Pomfrey brought to my attention the fact that pregnancies were different for everyone, so it wasn't something we should be too concerned about.
Most of the students were surprised to see me so large. Some of them even gave me some nasty comments, which, with my surprisingly large amount of mood swings lately, sent me down the tubes faster than I would have imagined. I avoided Slytherins at all cost, whereas last year around this time, I'd be stuffing their bags with candies that engorged their tongues or chocolate that made pus-filled blots appear all over their face. But no, I wasn't able to do that anymore, and it totally ruined my fun.
Oliver had only been to visit me once or twice so far. One weekend near the end of September and on Halloween. But on Halloween he had to rush away, because the Puddlemere team was having a party and he was invited. I felt terribly alone, which added to my pain. George was off with Angelina most of the time, so I hardly ever saw him. I had learned that I was my own best company. Well, me and the twins.
I'd begun talking to them when I was by myself. Mum told me they would learn to recognize my voice. I didn't get how, since they were inside me, but I didn't argue. The woman had given birth to seven children! She knew what she was talking about.
I got letters from Oliver all the time. They were like novels, sometimes, full of apologies as to why he couldn't come visit me. I'd believed the first few of them, but after a while, I just sort of ignored the apologies and went on reading the rest of the letters.
After the last letter I had received from Oliver, time passed by really slowly. The first task of the Triwizard Tournament was coming up. Harry had somehow been entered, which was extremely weird. George and I attempted to enter, but we ended up having beards for a week.
You want to know the worst part?
People were calling me Santa Claus!
I know that I probably looked like it, but that didn't mean I deserved it. Those stupid little Slytherins soon realized that, while I may be 'fat' and 'out of shape' that I can still kick their butts. Well, I didn't kick their butts, per say, but I did make sure they didn't mess with me again.
Let's just say that Slytherins are the brightest house in the bunch when it comes to knowing what's a trick and what isn't when it comes to food and sweets.
When the time came for the First Task, I wasn't able to go. I had really bad pains in my lower back, and I had a hard time getting up. Pomfrey marked me bed-ridden. I missed the beginning of the tournament, and that was far from fair. But luckily George was there to tell me about it. While I was in the Hospital Wing, he came to visit me.
I was reading up on my Transfiguration when he arrived. We were to be transfiguring our fellow classmates soon, and I wanted to make sure I had it down. Granted, I had no one to practice it on, but reading and reading and yet more reading proved to lock the info in my head.
"Hullo, Fred!"
I put the book down and glanced over toward the double doors at the opening of the wing. George had some bags in his hands and I grinned at him.
"Ah, hullo George. What d'you have there?"
"Chocolate. For you." He dropped himself into the chair beside the bed and placed the chocolate on my little table.
"Where'd you get it?" I asked. Then I nearly smacked myself. Of course he got it from Hogsmeade. How could I be so stupid not to realize that?
"Honeydukes. Pomfrey checked it over thoroughly and said you could have some."
I reached for the bag and opened it, pulling out a block of the brown substance. I broke off a bit and plopped it in my mouth.
"Merlin, I misth'd da taste of dis stuff..."
"Don't eat it all now," George warned. "You don't want to end up with a stomach ache or anything."
"Pomfrey only lets me eat healthy garbage," I muttered. "A stomach ache would be welcome. Well, not really, but you know what I mean." I shifted on the bed and grumbled a little. "Good god, these two keep pushing on my bladder and it's really bothersome...I just went a few minutes ago..." I moved to get up.
"Y'ever think that maybe they do it intentionally? Maybe it's their way of letting you know that you're getting too fat."
I glared at him. And no, this wasn't playful or joking. It was a dirty, angry glare. Mood swing!
"Did it ever occur to you that you wouldn't want me to sit on you and cut the oxygen supply to your lungs?"
George's eyes widened. He lifted his hands up and looked down to the floor. "Calm down, Fred, I was just joking."
My glare softened a bit as I finally put my feet on the floor. "You're not funny, you know."
"You say now," he retorted. "But just wait until those little kids pop out of you. Then you'll think I'm funny again."
"I surely wish they'd plop out of me," I said flatly. "I'm getting tired of carrying them...I feel like my body's betrayed me in nearly every way, shape and form. It's bothersome..."
I disappeared for a minute or two into the bathroom offset the wing itself. When I came back, George was nibbling on some of my chocolate. I let it pass because he was my close friend. Either that, or I was just too lazy to do anything about it. I could yell, but I felt no need. I simply crawled back into the bed, nearly dying as I situated myself. My stomach was like a fifty pound weight stuck on the front of me.
"Elastic clothing is utterly atrocious," George said with his nose in the air. He was trying to make me laugh. It would have worked if I wasn't feeling so sick all of the sudden.
I wanted to get my mind off of feeling sick. So I changed the subject.
"Tell me about the First Task."
That seemed to make George happy.
"Merlin, you wouldn't believe it! Dragons, Fred, dragons! Charlie was here, taking care of them!"
"And he didn't visit?" I said, slightly shocked and hurt. Mood swing. "Well I feel hated."
George waved his hand dismissively. "We only saw him for a few minutes. We had to go back inside. Anyway! Pretty boy Diggory started things off, you know? He transfigured this boulder into a dog, in hopes that it'd chase it. The dragon fell for it, and Cedric got the egg that he was trying to get--"
"Wait, what egg?"
"The champions had to steal and egg from a nesting mother dragon. It was gold. Er...The egg, I mean."
"Oh. Fascinating." I felt kind of sad I missed it. "Go on."
"Anyway! Diggory got burned in the process of getting his egg. Next was Fleur Delacour, the girl from Beauxbatons. She put the dragon under some kind of trance, but it only lasted for a short amount of time and she got a full blast of fire from the mummy. Robes aflame!" He was laughing. "It was a riot."
"What about Krum and Harry?" I asked eagerly.
George scooted in. "Well, Krum used this...Curse, if I remember right. Yeah. Yeah, the Conjunctivitis Curse. Dragon went mad when it couldn't see and crunched its own eggs while Krum was going for the golden one. He lost a lot of points over that. As for Harry..."
"What did he do???"
"Harry summoned his Firebolt and egged the dragon into flying. When it was attempting to squash him, Harry dove and got the egg. High marks from everyone but that Durmstrang git, who gave him a four."
"Favoritism," I muttered under my breath.
"You're telling me. But that's the gist of what happened."
I yawned briefly. "Thanks for visiting. I'll probably be up and around tomorrow morning. With all these frequent trips to the bathroom, I'm sure that I'll have the strongest legs in the world."
George nodded, pushing himself from the chair. He took another piece of my chocolate and grinned at me, waving. "See you tomorrow, Freddy."
"See you later, Georgie."
~*~********************************************~*~
Author's Notes: Can we say review?
