Epilogue
There were fireworks again, a little over 2 years later when Fred and Hermione announced they were expecting their first child. Fred was very attentive, reading every book on pregnancy that he could get his hands on and insisting on quoting his new found knowledge at every opportunity.
Hermione half-jokingly asked if they revisit the idea of Fred taking the vow to feel her pain during child birth. Fred never told her that she had, in actuality, broken 2 of his fingers during labor, however she did notice that soon afterwards he created a rubber arm for expectant fathers for the store and kept one in reserve for himself to use during the subsequent deliveries.
Any pain that he felt, however, vanished the moment that they handed him their first child, a little girl whom they christened Georgiana Grace. Holding his daughter and staring at his wife, Fred was certain that he had never been happier in his life.
The following years were mainly happy ones, adding two more children to the family. (Hermione put her foot down at the suggestion that they try to field their own Quidditch team.)
They had their issues, as all married couples do. However, whenever Fred's antics started to annoy her, Hermione would recall Molly's words in the kitchen years before and whenever Fred got frustrated with Hermione's need for order and organization, he remembered all of the chaos that she had lived through and reminded himself that there were worse things than always knowing where his socks and pants were located.
They also kept a series of pictures on their mantle – their wedding, the children, the loved ones they had lost- in order remind themselves that what they had was worth fighting for and so they overcame any obstacles that came their way.
Fred constantly bragged on his wife's achievements in regards to both her work and their home and Hermione boasted to anyone that would listen about her husband's brilliant creations and business acumen.
The bad dreams never completely went away for either of them but they continued to decrease in frequency and it was a comfort to know that there were always loving arms holding them when they awoke.
Both lived to a ripe old age. Fred got his wish as Hermione lived just long enough after his passing to ensure that the store was in good hands, that their children and grandchildren were taken care of and that Fred's obituaries in the Quibbler and the Prophet were both factually accurate and grammatically correct.
Fred and Hermione were buried together on a warm spring day in the cemetery near the Burrow, their graves located next to his parents and George. The headstone was surprising simple. It contained their names, dates of birth and death and two simple words – "Mischief Managed".