Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and the kids.
Summary: Many men nowadays find themselves as the primary caregiver to their children. Fred Weasley deals with the perils of being a "Quidditch Dad."
A/N: To answer some questions, no, these stories are not in sequential order. They are random one-shots. If you're really curious about the sequence order, its: Charlie/Cassie, Fred/Angelina, George/Hermione, Percy/Tonks, Bill/Fleur, Remus/Ginny, Ron/Katie, Harry/Luna
Oblivious
"Fred, are you listening to me?"
Fred Weasley shook his head, clearing it. "Yes, dear," he said to his wife.
"Now, don't forget to pick the younger kids up at one o'clock from day school," Angelina reminded. "The twins get picked up at two."
"Yes, dear," Fred said.
"After that, Albus and Jeffrey go to Quidditch practice; Minnie goes to her music lesson; and Stephen goes to dueling," Angelina continued. "You'll pick Minnie and Stephen up an hour later, and I'll get the other two after practice."
"Angelina, I've got it," Fred assured her.
She looked at him skeptically but didn't say anything else. She gathered her broom and Quidditch equipment before kissing her husband and leaving for practice.
Angelina had been playing professional Quidditch for almost fifteen years. She was the Captain and star Chaser for Puddlemere. This was probably her last year of playing, but she'd been promised the coaching position after her career was over.
With the new season starting, she would no longer be able to take the kids to school and other activities, so Fred would have to take the afternoon off from the shop to do it. Needless to say, Angelina wasn't comfortable with Fred adhering to such a strict schedule. But he was her husband, and for reasons she could never understand, she loved him.
George returned from lunch that afternoon to the shop to find Fred sitting lazily on the counter, playing with some double-sided Galleons. George checked the clock on the wall.
"Fred, don't you have to pick your kids up now?" he asked.
Fred's eyes snapped up to the clock, and he swore loudly before falling off the counter to the floor.
"Damn it, George, why didn't you remind me?" he asked irritably.
"I thought I just did," George replied.
Fred glared at him before Apparating to his younger children's day school. He was lucky he hadn't splinched himself with how hastily he'd arrived.
"There you are, Dad," Jeffrey said irritably.
Fred stifled the urge to roll his eyes. Jeffrey was, as Angelina called him, the "dramatic one." With his black hair and blue eyes twinkling against his dark skin, he even looked dramatic.
"Sorry I'm late guys," Fred said, taking Jeffrey and Stephen by the hand. "Daddy was busy at his shop."
"Where're we going now?" Stephen asked. If Jeffrey was the dramatic one, Stephen was the delicate one. He was thin, small for his age, and he was the only one who had Fred's bright red hair. The six-year-old was very sensitive and was usually the one the others picked on, especially the mischievous twins.
"We've got to go pick up Albus and Minnie now," Fred said. He hurried down the street to the primary school with the two boys in tow.
The twins were a good mix of their parents, tall like Angelina, yet they had a stocky build like their father. They had a mocha complexion and big hazel eyes that always seemed to dance with mirth.
After collecting the two older children and briefly speaking with their Headmaster about their behavior again, Fred and the four younger Weasleys headed to Diagon Alley before their afternoon activities began.
"Dad," Albus said, "Mum always lets us have a snack after school."
Fred eyed him suspiciously for a moment before agreeing. Off they went to the ice cream parlor.
Almost immediately, Fred knew this was a mistake. The kids immediately started yelling at each other to see who got theirs first. Poor Stephen, the youngest and smallest, got pushed to the back. He looked pitifully at Fred, who scooped him up onto his shoulders.
After the kids messily ate their ice cream, they left, much to the pleasure of Florean, the shop's owner.
"We still have a half hour before Quidditch practice starts," Fred said, checking his watch.
"Mum always takes us to the shops if we have extra time," Minnie said innocently.
Stephen started to say something, but Albus and Jeffrey glared at him behind Fred's back.
"Oh," Fred said. "Right. How about the Quidditch store?"
"Yea!" the kids chorused.
Upon entering the shop, the children went in four different directions. Fred ran into Harry, who was buying his son James his first racing broom, and Bill with his boys Luc and Bradley. James wanted to try out for the Quidditch team next year at Hogwarts, but he needed a new broom to practice. Luc and Bradley already played Quidditch for Gryffindor, and they were excitedly telling James all about it.
The three men talked, but they were interrupted when the store's manager pulled Fred aside and asked him to take his children out of the store. Apparently, Albus, Minnie and Jeffrey had knocked over a window display and had run into several customers while chasing Stephen.
Bill and Harry snickered as Fred apologized profusely to the manager, offering to pay for any damages.
When Fred returned, Harry laughed aloud as Fred bellowed for his kids, telling them it was time to go.
"Merlin, Fred," Harry commented. "You're just like a football Mum."
"A what?" Fred asked.
"It's a Muggle term for a Mum who carts her kids around all day," Harry explained.
"Except in Fred's case, he's a Quidditch Dad," Bill joked. He and Harry laughed loudly, but Fred just glared before leading his children out of the shop.
Fred took Albus and Jeffrey to the park for Quidditch practice before taking Minnie to the elderly witch's house where she had her music lesson.
Lastly, he took Stephen to his dueling lesson. He and Angelina hoped these lessons would improve the young boy's confidence and help him ward off attacks from his brothers and sister.
Later that evening, after all the children had been collected from various activities, Fred, Angelina and their children Floo'ed to George's and Hermione's for dinner.
Angelina looked exhausted but exhilarated about the start of a new season. Fred just looked exhausted.
"Long day, Fred?" George asked his twin.
"Merlin, how do you do it?" Fred asked, sinking into a chair, as George put dinner in the oven. The children were off playing in the yard, and the women were discussing the birthday party for Ginny's youngest.
"Do what?"
"Keep up with all your kids and their activities," Fred replied.
"Easy," George replied, setting a bottle of butterbeer in front of Fred. "Hermione has a lovely color-coded chart for each day of the week."
Fred took a sip of his drink and looked thoughtful. "Think she'd make one for us?"
"One what?" Hermione asked from the door.
"One of those very spiffing organizational charts for the kids' stuff," George said with laughter in his voice.
Angelina rolled her eyes as she stood behind her husband. "We wouldn't need one if Fred would just pay attention," she said, giving Fred's hair a small tug.
Fred reached behind him and awkwardly pulled Angelina down to kiss him. When he released her, he winked and said, "If my wife wasn't such a beautiful distraction, I'd have better luck concentrating."
Angelina kissed him again and whispered, "Flattery will get you everywhere."
Fred grinned at her before George cleared his throat loudly.
"Sorry, brother dear," Fred said, squeezing Angelina's hand once more.
"So, what happened, Fred?" Hermione asked, taking a seat on George's lap.
"I'll tell you," Angelina said authoritatively as she sat down.
George and Hermione exchanged a smirk as Angelina began her tale.
"First of all," she said, "Fred was late picking them up from school."
"Now, hang on just one minute," Fred interrupted. "I was only late getting the two younger ones. We were perfectly on time for the twins," he said proudly.
"Oh right," his wife replied, rolling her eyes. "You're just father of the year, aren't you?" She shook her head in frustration before continuing. "Will you let me finish, please?"
"Yes, dear," replied Fred.
"So after he gets the kids, he gives them ice cream."
"No!" Hermione cried. George shook his head.
"Fred, even I know not to give kids sweets in the afternoon," George placated.
Fred's face wore an expression of a deer caught in wandlights.
"And then, he takes them to the Quidditch store," Angelina said. "And you can imagine how that went. When I went to get my broom cleaned after practice, the manager told me he had to ask them to leave!"
The two other adults laughed hysterically.
"I know!" George exclaimed. "Bill Floo'ed me!"
"I didn't know!" Fred cried.
"Face it, Freddy," George said through his laughter. "Those kids ran you over today."
Fred leaned his head onto the table in defeat. Angelina rubbed his back affectionately as she laughed with her in-laws.
"So he manages to get everyone to practices and lessons successfully," she said and everyone cheered. "But then he forgot to get Stephen after picking up Minnie. He gets home, and the poor dueling club bloke has to Floo him to come get Stephen."
"That's not the worst part," Fred said, his voice muffled by the tabletop. "Little Stephen was in a right state when I got there, crying and everything. I felt horrible!"
"You should," Hermione said sternly. "Leaving your child like that. Why, I don't know what I would do to George if that happened."
Fred raised his head sorrowfully. "I said I felt horrible," he insisted.
George and Angelina snickered, and Fred sat up fully. "Look, I don't know how I got elected to be the caregiver for the children," he pouted.
"Well, would you rather I quit the team and stayed home?" Angelina asked rhetorically. "Do you want to give up our nice house and all our Gringott's savings?" Fred shook his head. "I didn't think so."
Fred sighed. "There's just so much to keep up with, all their activities and things."
Hermione sighed. "All right, Fred," she said. "I'll make you a chart."
"Thank you, Hermy!" Fred exclaimed, leaning across his brother to kiss her cheek. "You're the best…er… after Angelina, of course."
George made a sound like a whip cracking, and Hermione snickered as she went off in search of her parchment and colored quills.
"What was that noise, George?" Fred asked.
"Nothing," George said innocently. "I just didn't realize Angelina wore the trousers in your marriage."
"She doesn't," Fred said indignantly. "I'm the head of this family."
Angelina coughed loudly and followed Hermione across the room.
"No, I just let him think he is," she whispered to the other girl.
"That's all you can do until he learns," Hermione said with a sigh. "I have to do it with George, too."
The sisters-in-law giggled as their husbands struck up a conversation about Puddlemere's chances this season.
"Think they'll ever figure it out?" Hermione asked.
"Probably not," Angelina replied with a laugh. Fred winked at her from the table, and she laughed again.
"But Merlin, help me," she said. "I love that man."