"Be careful!" Hermione called after him. She picked up her children and went over to the tent set up on the lawn. "Who wants lunch?"
"Anything but French toast," Emma answered, "I don't think it's my favourite anymore."
Everybody laughed as Dumbledore made goblets of pumpkin juice, turkey, bread and vegetable soup appear. Everybody sat down to eat, but Hermione was still worried. Fred should have been back by now. Hermione shook off the feeling and began to eat. Hopefully everything would go back to normal.
--
"Hermione." Ginny came out to her friend sitting on the front porch by herself. The twins had gone to bed in Fred and Hermione's bed and Hermione had promised to be up in a minute but she was still waiting for Fred to return. He had missed all of lunch, the interviews with the girls and dinner and now she was worried.
"Hey." Hermione smiled weakly, her girls were back and safe but now her husband wasn't.
"Here take this." Ginny handed her a beer.
"No, thanks." Hermione put in down.
"Cara just came down asking for you, but I sent her back up and said you'd be right there." Ginny said.
"They should be asleep already." Hermione fretted.
"They're scared Mi, Harry's sitting with them." Ginny said.
"I should go up." Hermione sighed.
"He'll be back and he'll be fine." Ginny promised.
"I'm just worried you know me. Get something back and have it all taken away again. It took eight years for him to come back and take my girls and eight seconds after we got them back I lost him. I can't handle this Gin." Hermione shook her head.
"You have to your girls are depending on you. And you haven't lost him, he's just been…misplaced, trust me." Ginny smiled.
"Thanks Gin, you always know what to say." Hermione hugged her friend tightly.
"I know, it's a speciality I have." Ginny smirked.
"And you're so modest." Hermione rolled her eyes.
"No, not really." Ginny shook her head, laughing.
"I'll go upstairs now. Thanks." Hermione smiled and left quickly.
--
Hermione lay awake, her children cuddled up to her. She had come up about 3 hours ago, but still couldn't fall asleep. Hermione stared up at the ceiling as the feeling from lunch came back. How could he have been gone for so long? He should have taken someone with him. she thought. Around 6 am she dozed off but woken an hour later by the twins.
"Mommy, Mommy. Is Daddy back yet?" Cara and Emma asked together.
"I don't know let's go downstairs and have breakfast and we'll see what we can find out okay?" Hermione stifled a yawn.
"Okay," they answered, grabbing a hand each. They had not left her side at all. They were petrified and Hermione felt it was her fault. They headed downstairs to the kitchen and Hermione shoved Pop-Tarts into the toaster. The girls ate hungrily and then went to their rooms to change. Hermione sipped at her cup of coffee as the doorbell rang and the door opened. "Fred?" Hermione called hopefully.
"Sorry Hermione it's the better half," George said as he walked into the kitchen, "So you haven't seen him I guess."
"No," Hermione answered sadly.
"It'll be all right. You'll see," George comforted.
"I hope your right," Hermione said. "Girls! Are you almost ready?"
She heard pounding down the stairs as the girls ran into the kitchen. "Uncle George!" they cried and tackled him off the chair.
"Fred has taught them well," George shouted above the giggles and screams of the girls.
Hermione smiled and headed upstairs to change. She came downstairs dressed in simple back jeans and a white tank top. She grabbed the girls' hands and followed George outside. She headed to the tent as Dumbledore emerged.
"Hermione, there's a phone call that I think you should take," Dumbledore eyed the children, "Alone."
Hermione's heart pounded as she pick up the phone. "Hello?"
--
"First take the girls and put them in chairs on the porch. Don't ask questions and pay attention. Put Cara in the left one and Emma in the right one. Then get that tent packed up and have everyone but your family leave including that Dumbledore I want him gone, he's too smart and I want no direct interaction between the two of you until after this is all over. Your family should all be lined up facing out the window to the driveway and they should all be locked in the house using 'Colloportus', don't tell them anything, your mouth shouldn't move at all before or after you tell them to pack it up. I don't want them to be able to get out of the house and I'm watching you so use the spell correctly. Then tie your daughters to the chairs but don't say anything to them and you have to do this after they've watched you lock your family in the house. I want them scared. Do this in that direct order and remember I'm watching. Finally be standing outside your house at the beginning of your driveway in an hour. And by the way I have your husband so watch it." Blaise hung up.
Hermione soundlessly moved over to the girls and picked Cara up, motioning for Emma to follow. Kissing Car's forehead she put her in the left chair and kissing Emma's forehead placed her in the right chair.
"Umm guys, we need the tent packed up and everyone out but the family, you have to go too Albus. I'm sorry I wish I could explain." Hermione said.
"What's going on?" Ginny asked coming up to her.
Hermione shrugged rounding up the Weasley's and leading them into the house showing them to the window and using the spell on the back door before exiting the house and going to the garage to grab some yellow rope.
"Mommy what's happening?" Emma asked standing up.
Hermione turned her daughter around and wrapped the rope around her wrists before picking her up and putting her on the chair tying the first piece of rope to the back of the chair.
"Mommy, let me out! Let me go! What's wrong with you?" Emma screamed wriggling around.
"Don't you dare." Cara stood her ground.
Hermione walked towards her daughter grabbing one of her wrists, trying to silently plea with her daughter.
"No." Cara struggled to get free.
Hermione started to weave the rope around the one wrist grabbing the other and tying it to the first then she picked her daughter up…
"No mommy don't! You love me don't you? Please…don't." Cara cried.
Hermione bit back tears putting her daughter in the chair and tying her to the back of it. Turning around she saw Emma in her chair sobbing and Hermione let a tear roll down her cheek going to stand at the start of her driveway she took a breath.
"Good girl. Now come to me." Blaise appeared at the end of the driveway and was holding Fred, pointing his wand to his temple.
--
Hermione walked up to Blaise as her legs began to feel like jelly. She thought she was going to faint as she stepped closer and closer to Blaise.
"No Hermione! Run! He's crazy! Take the kids and run!" Fred yelled at her.
"I can't Fred. I can't lose you again," Hermione answered, tears streaming down her face. She shot him a look that told him she had a plan.
"Hermione please," Fred pleaded.
"Mommy, Mommy please," her children cried from where they were tied.
"Everything is going to be okay," she called back to them. She whispered to herself, "Everything is going to be okay."
Blaise eyed her with great happiness, thinking he had finally won. Hermione stepped face to face with him and she looked into his eyes. She saw anger, greed, longing, hatred. Hermione had never seen anyone so evil, except Voldemort of course. Cara and Emma cried out from where they were and Fred looked terrified. "Fred," Hermione whispered.
"WHY ARE YOU TALKING TO HIM?" Blaise exploded, "YOU LOVE ME!" He shoved his wand tip harder at Fred's head.
"Fred don't hate me for this," Hermione said softly. She looked at Blaise and kissed him roughly. But as she kissed him, Blaise did not notice that Hermione pulled out her wand and shoved it into his gut. "STUPEFY!" she screamed and Blaise fell to the floor. Hermione fell to the ground and began to sob uncontrollably. Fred countered the spell that held the family inside. The girls were untied by Dumbledore as Fred ran to his wife. He lifted her up and hugged her tightly. Hermione looked into Fred's eyes and saw what she wanted. Love, concern, happiness, that is what she saw. Hermione began to cry again and whispered, "Don't hate me, don't hate me…" over and over again.
"Hermione," Fred said lifting her head to look into her eyes, "I would never hate you."
They kissed passionately as their children ran to them. Hermione and Fred hugged them tightly. They were a family once again.
--
"Emma please take your sisters hand." Hermione instructed leading them across the street.
"Ew mom, we're eleven we don't have to hold hands." Cara said.
"Do as you're told." Fred said.
"Mommy, where are we going?" Cara asked.
"To visit Mary and Danielle." Hermione told them (Charlie and Melly's girls that were just out of Hogwarts).
"Why?" Emma asked.
"So we can get your stuff for Hogwarts." Hermione explained shifting Brigita from one arm to the other; they were babysitting three-year-old Brigita as a favor for Fleur.
"Why are we going to there house?" Fred questioned wrapping an arm around Hermione's waist.
"Because I said so." Hermione led them to an apartment just a block away from the Leaky Cauldron.
"Fine." Emma shrugged, "Go ahead mommy." Emma held open the door to the building.
"Thank you." Hermione walked in, standing by the elevator as she waited for Cara, Fred and Emma to enter the building as well.
"I hate elevators." Emma gripped Fred's hand.
"Me too sweetie." Fred picked her up and swung her around as they entered the small space.
"It's fine, I've been riding them for years." Hermione comforted.
"Sure." Cara said sitting down in the corner.
"What are you doing Cara-bee?" Fred asked putting Emma down next to Hermione and crouching down to Emma's level.
"Nothing." Cara said with her eyes closed.
"Do you not like the elevator?" Fred asked.
"I'm fine." Cara said.
"Sure." Fred stood up and waited for Cara to grip his hand tightly which she did two seconds later.
"Here we are, everybody out." Hermione said.
"Tired." Brigita yawned.
"Me too." Hermione smiled at her niece.
"It's 2A, right?" Fred asked.
"Right." Hermione agreed.
"Here." Fred announced knocking lightly on the door.
"Knowing Mary there's probably a party right now." Hermione laughed at Fred's statement.
"I'm going in." Emma said opening the unlocked door and walking in to the room.
"Happy birthday Fred!" Everybody called out as they walked into the giant apartment.
"Whoa." Fred said dropping Cara's hand.
"I love you daddy." Cara said smiling and running off to find her cousins.
"I love you too." Emma followed her sister.
"Here Brig." Bill called and Hermione handed Brigita to her daddy.
"Wow." Fred said.
"Surprise." Hermione stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, smiling widely at him.
"Thank you." Fred said.
"Hey bro have some firewhiskey." George handed him a glass.
"Thanks." Fred downed it in one gulp.
"Let's get this party started!" George yelled and everybody started dancing and talking.
4 hours later most of the kids were asleep in their various rooms but not all of them. It was a shock any of them could sleep considering the kareokee going on out in the living room and the yelling from the kids in the other room. Hermione put her head in her hands and took a deep breath as the timer went off, she picked up the little stick and was not surprised to see a little pink plus sign on the end. 'Shit.' Hermione thought. There would be a twelve year difference between her kids and the baby. What was she going to tell Fred? Standing up she walked out of the bathroom and into the living room.
"There you are!" Fred said smiling at her and hopping off the coffee table.
"Sorry." Hermione smiled.
"That's alright. What's up?" Hermione asked.
"Umm, I don't think I should tell you here." Hermione looked worriedly at the ground.
"Come on it can't be that bad." Fred pushed.
"I'm pregnant." Hermione told him.
"You are?" Fred's eyes went wide and he smiled.
"Yep." Hermione agreed.
"Wahoo!" Fred picked her up and spun her around, "We're going to be parents!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.
Hermione smiled at him and thought 'Maybe everything will go alright this time...' And it did. Nine months later the new and probably last addition to this generation of Weasley's was born. Emily-Anne Weasley. Fred and Hermione's new baby girl...