A series of knocks on Muriel's front door made Annabelle freeze where she'd been setting the dining table. Molly, Ginny, and Muriel near her also watched tensely as Arthur hurried to the door. He asked a security question before opening the door and ushering someone inside. Anna relaxed and set the rest of the dishes on the table as Bill entered the house, carrying a large suitcase and with a frail-looking Mr. Ollivander on his arm.
It was a few weeks after Anna had come to stay at Muriel's house, and very little had changed in the large household. Bill had contacted his parents recently to suggest Ollivander come to stay with them after he'd mostly recovered.
Moving around the table, Anna waited for Molly to help Ollivander to a nearby chair before she stepped forward and greeted Bill with a hug.
"Hey, how've you been?" Bill asked with a smile, squeezing her for a moment before he released her.
"I've been pretty good." Anna admitted.
"Yeah, you missed a lot the past couple weeks, Bill." George spoke up, suddenly appearing behind Anna with Fred at his side. "Anna and Fred finally stopped messing around and made her an official Weasley."
Bill's eyes widened slightly as he looked back and forth between Fred and Anna, who was blushing lightly. George enjoyed teasing Anna, especially the morning after their wedding when they returned to the house. George loved bringing up sex at every possible chance to make Anna blush.
"Wait, seriously?" Bill asked, a grin appearing on his scarred face. "You two got married? How did that-"
"Well, it's not legally binding yet." Arthur pointed out, taking the suitcase from his oldest son. "Since we can't just pop over to the Ministry, but I performed the ceremony and preformed the binding spell. A simple ceremony."
Bill grinned at Anna. "Well, congratulations, sis. Do your parents know?"
Anna grimaced. "No, but I'd like to tell them myself, preferably in person."
"And we'll probably have to have a second ceremony once all this war nonsense is over." Fred added, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"Oh, Muriel." Ollivander spoke up from where he was sitting. He held out a small box toward her. "This is from Miss Fleur."
"Oh, it'd better be what I think-" Muriel cut off when she looked inside. "Oh, thank heavens, it is. My tiara." She glanced toward Bill. "I'd started to think you'd stolen it."
"Love you, too, Auntie Muriel." Bill joked, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. "Anyway, I'd better get going. I promised Fleur I wouldn't be long."
Giving Ginny and Molly quick hugs, Bill walked back out the front door and into the night.
"Well, let's all settle down for dinner, and then Arthur can show you to a room, Mr. Ollivander." Molly announced.
"Oh, thank you so much, Molly. And you, Muriel. I greatly appreciate your hospitality." Ollivander told both women earnestly.
Anna sat between Fred and Ginny, eating the dinner she'd helped Molly make. After everyone had finished eating, Anna helped with the dishes while Arthur and Fred helped Mr. Ollivander up to the twins' room, as they had volunteered to move up to the attic to make room. After Anna and Fred got married, she could've moved into their room, as Molly claimed she wouldn't have minded. However, George couldn't move into a room with Ginny, for a couple reasons, and Anna would've felt bad leaving the younger girl alone. So, she stayed with Ginny in their room, apart from the couple times she fell asleep in Fred's bed with him.
Finished with the dishes, Anna grabbed a dish towel nearby to dry her hands when there was a knock on the front door.
Everyone froze; Molly standing next to Anna in the kitchen, and everyone else scattered around the dining room and living room. Then, a familiar voice called through the front door.
"It's Remus Lupin. Werewolf and husband of Nymphadora Lupin, known as Tonks, and Moony of the Marauders. I come bearing news."
Arthur stood up and hurried to the front door, pulling it open to let Remus into the house. His face was mildly pale, his graying hair windswept, and he was wearing a traveling cloak.
"Remus, what is it?" Arthur demanded, closing the door behind him as everyone gathered near the entryway nervously. "What's happened?"
"Dora had the baby!" Remus exclaimed joyfully.
Molly and Ginny squealed and rushed him. Anna's reaction was a second slower, but then she bolted forward and nearly tackled Remus and the other women in a tight hug.
"Oh, Remus, that's wonderful!" Molly cried, finally pulling back with the others. "What is it? Boy? Girl?"
"It's a boy." Remus answered, beaming proudly. "We named him Teddy, after Dora's father. Teddy Remus Lupin. He's a metamorphmagus, too." he added, looking at Anna, whose smile widened at the news.
"Is he changing hair colors by the hour?" Anna asked playfully. "Mum said that's what I did when I was born."
Remus laughed. "Well, he's only a few hours old, and doesn't have much hair. It was black when he was born, but turned ginger within the hour-"
"Kid's got good taste." Fred joked.
Remus grinned at him. "I wouldn't be surprised if it's blonde by the time I get back. I was just at Shell Cottage, telling everyone there, but I figured I'd stop by before I head home."
"Is Tonks with Andromeda?" Arthur asked with a smile.
"Yes, and Sirius, Aslan, and Wren stopped by to help for a bit and celebrate. We made Sirius and Wren Teddy's godparents."
"Oh, I bet my dad was over the moon." Anna laughed, her cheeks starting to hurt from smiling so much.
"Who does he look like?" Molly asked eagerly.
"Well, I think he looks like Dora, but Dora thinks he looks like me." Remus explained.
"We should celebrate!" Molly beamed, clapping her hands.
"Yes, would you like a drink, Remus?" Arthur asked, clapping the new father on the shoulder. "We've got firewhiskey and bourbon."
"I'd love to, but I should be getting back to Dora. And I already had a couple goblets of wine at Shell Cottage. Anymore drinks and I may not be able to Apparate safely home."
"True enough. Well, congratulations." Arthur told him again.
"Ooh, wait, we have a couple slices of chocolate cake leftover. Take it with you for Dora." Anna suddenly exclaimed, hurrying back into the kitchen. She grabbed the wrapped container of cake and hurried back, handing it to Remus.
"Hey, what if we wanted that?" Fred and George protested.
"You didn't just push out a baby." Anna retorted, making most of the crowd laugh.
"Thank you." Remus said with a smile.
"No problem. Tell my family I said hi. And Dora and Teddy, of course. I expect pictures next time I see you." she informed him sternly, pointing a finger in his face.
Remus chuckled. "Of course." Hugging her briefly with one arm, Remus bid everyone a good night and left out the front door again.
XXX
Anna was jolted awake when something bumped her bed. Lifting her head drowsily, she looked around and saw a blurry Ginny carrying in a pile of folded clothes. Rubbing her eyes with a tired fist, Anna blinked and watched the younger girl put the clothes in the drawer across the room.
"Ginny? What're you doin' up so early?" Anna mumbled.
Ginny turned and looked at her incredulously, her brows high on her forehead. "'Early'?" she repeated. "It's 11:00. Mum said lunch will be ready in about half an hour. I wish I could sleep in that late."
Anna's eyes widened and she struggled to sit up and look at the clock on the bedside table. Sure enough, it was only a few minutes away from 11:00.
"Wow. Sorry, I must've been tired." Anna told her, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.
"I guess. But you went to bed pretty early last night." Ginny pointed out, looking mildly confused. "Like, you headed up around eight last night and were asleep before I came up. Same thing a couple nights ago."
Anna shrugged. "Well, between helping your mum around the house, cooking, and helping the twins, I've been working kinda hard." That, and all the stress. Nearly every morning, Anna dreaded asking Arthur if there was any news in the paper or on the radio, and sometimes she struggled to get to sleep when thoughts swirled her mind.
Ginny hummed and then nodded. "I suppose that's true. You know you don't have to help out that much." she added. "You're making the rest of us look bad." The last sentence was said more teasingly.
Anna rolled her eyes and stood up. "Shut up."
A couple days later, Anna managed to wake up early enough to eat breakfast with the rest of the family, but she was still feeling a bit sleepy.
Passing the plates of food around the crowded breakfast table, Fred passed Anna a plate of bacon, which she passed on to George with a mild grimace. George took the plate from her, but paused, staring at her.
"What?" she asked curiously, scooping up some scrambled eggs with her fork.
"You don't want bacon?" George checked, holding the plate closer towards her. Anna instinctively leaned back, wrinkling her nose at it. The mere thought of eating the bacon made a bile fill her mouth.
"Uh, no thanks." she told him.
"Are you ill?" George asked with wide eyes, pulling the plate closer to him again. "It's bacon. Since when do you turn down bacon?"
"He's got a point." Fred agreed from her other side, making her look at him. "You love bacon."
"I-I just don't feel like bacon today." Anna stuttered, trying not to show that they had a point. "And I'm not that hungry yet. It's not that big of a deal."
"Yeah, guys, lay off." Ginny agreed. "We have bacon and eggs almost everyday for breakfast. Maybe she just needs a day without bacon."
Everyone chuckled in agreement and the matter was dropped. Anna's mind continued to repeat Ginny's argument. After all, she'd eaten bacon for breakfast almost everyday in the last month she'd come to stay at Muriel's house. Maybe her stomach finally got sick of the salty, greasy, crispiness that is bacon.
Everyone finished eating breakfast before Anna, who was taking her time. Her stomach still felt a bit funny, even without eating the bacon. When she finished eating, her and Molly were the only ones in the kitchen, the older woman washing the dishes by hand at the sink. Anna figured this gave her more things to do to fill her day.
Anna set her plate in the sink, at Molly's request, and stood off to the side to finish her tea. She leaned her back against the edge of the counter, holding the mug between her hands as she sipped. Her eyes were fixed dazedly on the far wall, lost in thoughts that even she was unaware of. Then, her eyes focused on what she'd been staring at.
The calendar.
Blinking, Anna took the few steps to cross the kitchen and stood in front of the calendar. Arthur had taken to crossing off the days on the calendar as they went by, so Anna could easily see that the current date was the last day of April; April 30.
Furrowing her brows in confusion, Anna's eyes scanned the calendar. Her period should've been the third week of the month; it had always been the third week of the month since she was sixteen years old. But she was just noticing that hadn't happened this month. Then again, she hadn't been paying much attention to specific dates since the first of the month; the twins' birthday. But now that she thought about it, she'd had a bit of spotting and cramping a few days after the twins' birthday, and she'd assumed that was her period. However, she was just realizing that was a couple weeks early.
Anna took a sip of her tea, silently contemplating what this could mean. What would cause her period to be a couple weeks early? And so short?
"Anna?" Jumping in surprise, Anna looked over her shoulder to see Molly looking at her in concern. "Are you alright?"
"Oh, yes, I'm fine." Anna assured her. Finishing her tea in a gulp, she crossed the kitchen and placed the mug in the sink. "I was just thinking. I hadn't realized how long we'd been here."
"Oh, I know. It feels like it drags on, and yet it feels like we haven't been here that long, at the same time. Goodness, you and Fred have already been married for just over a month." she added in bewilderment.
Anna chuckled quietly. "I know. It's crazy." She took a couple of the wet dishes off the counter and dried them with a nearby dishcloth. However, mid-swipe of the cloth over a plate, she paused. It'd been a month since her and Fred got married.
It'd been a month since they had sex.
Anna looked over her shoulder at the calendar again. It couldn't be. Right? She couldn't be…
She couldn't be pregnant. Right?
Anna turned to Molly, her mouth opened to ask, but then she stopped. She couldn't ask her mother-in-law. Molly would freak out. She'd blow it way out of proportion. Sure, she'd know how to find out. She'd been pregnant enough times she was basically an expert by now. But she would definitely overreact. And Anna didn't want anyone freaking out if she was just blowing things out of proportion.
Now that the possibility was in her mind, however, Anna found she couldn't push it away. And things were popping up in her mind, now. Like the fact that she remembered her mum having aversions to foods she previously loved when she was pregnant. Just like how Anna had felt ill at the mere thought of eating bacon that morning.
Swallowing a lump in her throat, Anna suddenly felt ill. Not like she was actually going to puke, but like she had a nervous stomach. What if she really was pregnant? Her and Fred had only just gotten married, and even then, it wasn't legally binding yet.
Shaking her head, Anna put the last dish in the cupboard. Mumbling something about going to help the twins, she headed for the backroom, though she wasn't sure how much help she would be. But she had to distract herself. There was no actual proof that her suspicions were true. She was probably overreacting. Yeah, that was it.
Anna fed the Pygmy Puffs, who squeaked happily over the food as they ate. She then tried to help make a couple products, but after causing a small explosion, she decided to just take care of the owls and Pygmy Puffs. But no matter how busy she tried to make herself, she couldn't get her focus completely off her predicament. Finally, later in the afternoon, she made some excuse to go to hers and Ginny's room.
Laying in her bed, already feeling exhausted even though she'd hardly done anything, Anna decided that she couldn't go on like this. The uncertainty would drive her insane. She needed to find out the answer, no matter what that answer may be.
XXX
Anna forced herself awake horribly early on May 1. She'd planned it all out the day before while laying in bed. Glancing carefully at Ginny, Anna knelt on the ground by her bed, shielded from Ginny's view should the redhead awake. Pulling on some clothes and her traveling cloak, which she'd stashed under her bed, she grabbed her wand and cast a charm on her feet to prevent them making sounds. Then, she moved silently out of the room, down the hall, down the stairs, and out the front door.
The sky was dark navy, but the horizon was lightening slightly and only a few stars remained above. The sun would be rising in about an hour or so.
Glancing back to ensure no one noticed her leaving, Anna hurried down the walkway toward town. As she walked, she changed her appearance to that of a tan-skinned woman with black, curly hair. When she was sure she'd left the protective enchantments, she gripped her wand tightly, closed her eyes in concentration, and twisted on the spot.
She reappeared in a familiar, cobblestone alley and quickly backed into a shadow.
Diagon Alley was as dreary and battered as the last time she'd been there. Most of the shops were boarded up with broken windows and signs falling off. There was the occasional straggler wandering about, but as it wasn't even five in the morning yet, there weren't many people around.
Taking a deep breath, Anna pulled the hood of her cloak up over her head, tightened her grip on her wand, and crept carefully down the alley, sticking to the shadows as best she could.
She passed a few shops before she found the one she was looking for.
Flourish and Blotts was in as bad a shape as the other stores. The owner had clearly fled, as there were wooden boards across the front door and windows, though the glass was still grimy and broken, anyway.
Glancing around to ensure no one was watching her, Anna carefully stepped through a large gap in the broken window. Slipping into the building, she straightened and looked around. It was still full of bookshelves, but several books also scattered the floor, and it was dark and eerie inside.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Anna debated where she should look. Finally, she decided to start alphabetically. So, the letter 'P'.
Moving through the abandoned bookstore, she scanned the spines of books as she passed every shelf, occasionally letting her fingertip skim the dusty spines as she went.
She searched for at least five minutes, maybe ten, before she found a section with a few pregnancy books. Picking one at random, she pulled it out and held it in one open palm, using her other hand to turn the pages with a finger while it held her wand.
Luck seemed to be with her for the moment, because the first chapter was all about the signs and symptoms of pregnancy.
'Some of the earliest symptoms include spotting and/or cramping six to twelve days after the egg is fertilized. Another week or so, and your breasts might feel swollen, heavy, or tender.'
Anna noted that she hadn't noticed this, but now that she read this part, she realized her breasts had been feeling tender. She'd just brushed it off to being her period.
'You might start feeling unusually fatigued as early as a week after conception. Morning sickness is a well-known sign of pregnancy, but that typically takes about five weeks to show up, and even that varies. Some women might not even have any morning sickness. Less obvious are food cravings and aversions. Some of your favorite foods might suddenly sound disgusting.'
Anna swallowed and skimmed through the next page. She recognized a lot of those symptoms, and she'd already known about some of them. What she needed was a way to know for sure.
Finally, on the next page, she found a few ways to find out. The page said some women go to a hospital, such as St. Mungo's, for a checkup, but she obviously couldn't do that. Luckily, there was a charm listed that could tell if she was pregnant. Unlike muggle pregnancy tests, which take at least six weeks to show a positive, and still are not always accurate, a magical test would show a positive a week after conception, and are always right, due to the pregnancy causing changes in the magic in the woman's blood.
Anna read the instructions carefully, kneeling on the ground and placing the book on the ground in front of her. The book said to move the wand in a circle over the stomach area, around the bellybutton, while saying the incantation. If the wand tip glows light green, it's positive. If it glows white, it's negative.
Taking a deep breath, Anna slowly moved her wand in a circle around her bellybutton while saying clearly, "Gravidam."
The second she waited for the result seemed to drag on. She stared down at her wand, her eyes burning without blinking. Finally, her wand tip glowed.
It glowed green.
Anna stared in silent shock for several minutes.
Pregnant. She was pregnant. In the middle of a war. She was bringing a baby into a dangerous, warring world, while she was in hiding and her family separated. Her parents didn't even know her and Fred got married. Her and Fred weren't even actually married yet.
A sound brought Anna out of her panicked thoughts. Glancing around, she realized she wasn't in a safe place. She couldn't afford getting lost in her thoughts here. Pushing her revelation to the back of her mind, she put the book away on the shelf and moved through the shop until she reached the front again. With her wand at the ready and her hood back up, she peaked back and forth out the broken window before stepping out onto the lane. She hurried up the cobblestone lane a good distance before focusing on somewhere and twisting on the spot.
She reappeared in a strip of woodland just outside of a small town. She pulled her hood back down again, still disguised as a tan-skinned woman with black, curly hair. She held her wand subtly hidden up her sleeve as she left the cover of the trees and approached the town of Ottery St. Catchpole.
She approached the small marketplace in the middle of town and bought a large bag's worth of groceries. Of course, she subtly put a feather-light charm and extension charm on the bag so she could buy a lot of food without anyone noticing.
She'd planned this out the night before when she'd planned out the whole outing. On the chance the Weasleys notice her disappearance before she returned, she needed an excuse about where she went. Considering how many people were in the house to feed, Muriel had to go into Ottery St. Catchpole, which she lived near, every few days or so to buy food since no one else could leave the house. Anna figured no one could fault her for wanting to help out and get food.
When she had enough food to last at least a week, Anna went back to the nearby woods and apparated back to Muriel's house. She reappeared outside the protective enchantments and began walking up the path to the house, letting her disguise fall away to reveal her true self. She saw that the sun was rising, and it was probably about seven or eight in the morning.
Before she reached the front door, it swung open and Fred marched out, causing Anna to pause.
"Fred!" Arthur called, hurrying after him. "I told you to wait. We need to ask a security question to make sure it's her!"
Fred stopped a couple feet in front of Anna and rolled his eyes. He looked tense and angry, his jaw clenched. "We know it's her, Dad. We just saw her change from the window."
"Humor me." Arthur told him, stopping at his son's shoulder and glancing between Anna and his son.
Fred sighed impatiently and met Anna's eyes. She shrank in on herself a bit when she saw how angry-and worried-his eyes were.
"What kinds of flowers do I always get you?" he finally asked quietly, his voice less angry.
Anna swallowed thickly. "Oriental lilies and tulips. The same kind I had at our wedding a few weeks ago." she answered quietly. Her mind flashed to their wedding night, which is what caused this outing, but she squashed those thoughts.
Fred glanced at his dad. "There. It's her. Happy?"
"Immensely." Arthur answered dryly, waving his arm to gesture Anna toward him. "Now, let's get inside. Come on."
Anna looked down at the ground as she walked past the two men and toward the house. Several people were just inside the doorway, making Anna even more embarrassed.
"Oh, Anna!" Molly cried when she entered the house. "We were so worried about you! What were you thinking?" she demanded, hugging Anna tightly and almost squashing the bag Anna was clutching to her chest like a lifeline.
"I-I just wanted to get groceries." she stuttered quietly, feeling Muriel, Ginny, and George staring at her. "We were getting low, and I just wanted to help."
"Oh, sweetie, you didn't need to do that." Molly told her gently. "You're supposed to be in hiding, like the rest of us."
"I disguised myself. No one knew it was me. And I just went to Ottery St. Catchpole." Anna explained quietly.
"And you couldn't wait until someone else was awake?" Fred asked, moving around her to look into her eyes. He didn't appear as angry as before, but he looked worried, and even a bit stern. "You couldn't have told someone? We woke up to find you gone. Do you know what that was like?"
Anna swallowed thickly, unable to meet his eyes. She looked at her feet, feeling herself start to tremble. What if he got so angry at her, that he wanted to leave her? What if he got angry about the baby?
"I'm sorry." she breathed.
"It's alright, dear. All that matters is that you're safe." Molly told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in a small hug. "Now, why don't I take those groceries into the kitchen and start on breakfast. Is there anything specific you want to eat? Maybe pancakes for a change?"
A bile rose in Anna's throat at the thought of eating, though she couldn't tell if it was because of the pregnancy, or because she was upset.
"Actually, I'm not hungry right now. I think I'll just go back to bed, if that's alright." she said, trying to hold herself together when she just wanted to break down.
"Are you sure, dear?" Molly asked worriedly. "No one's mad at you, Anna. We were just scared."
Anna couldn't help glancing in Fred's direction without actually looking at him. "No, thank you, Molly. I'm just tired. I'll eat later."
"Alright, dear. If you're sure." Molly finally agreed, though she sounded hesitant.
Anna nodded and passed the bag to Ginny when she offered. Without looking at anyone, Anna went up the stairs toward hers and Ginny's room, her tired feet dragging all the way. When she reached her room, she kicked off her shoes, tossed her cloak to the floor, and crawled onto her bed, curling up atop the covers.
She wasn't even alone for a minute before the door creaked open. With her back to the door, she couldn't see who it was. But the scent told her easily. Wood and gunpowder.
Fred sat on the edge of her bed by her back and was silent for a few moments.
"You wanna talk about it?" he finally asked. Anna didn't respond or move. "Anna, please talk to me." he told her gently. "I know you left something out when you told us where you went. I know you were telling the truth about going to the town, but you're leaving something out. Please, just talk to me."
Anna opened her mouth, but was silent for a few moments. She couldn't force out the answer. She couldn't say it yet. She had so much on her mind. She needed to sort some things out first. "I can't." she finally croaked, wiping a tear off her cheek.
"Why?" Fred asked gently. "Why can't you? You know I'm not mad at you, right? I mean, I kinda was, but I was more scared. To wake up to Mum freaking out because you were gone…I didn't know what to do; what to think."
"I just need some time, Fred." Anna sighed heavily, still not turning to look up at him. "I have a lot to think about."
There was silence for several moments, and it grew tenser with every second.
"What's there to think about?" Fred asked warily. "Is it…something to do with me? Us?"
Anna swallowed and shrugged a shoulder. "Kinda."
Fred gently grabbed Anna's shoulder and pulled her until she rolled onto her back. Anna found herself staring up into his eyes as he searched hers. He looked worried; scared even.
"Anna, please," he whispered, "tell me what's going on." he begged.
"I just need to think." she whispered desperately. "Please, just give me some time to think, Fred. I'll come down and talk to you in a while, but please, just give me some time."
Fred stared at her intensely, his eyes searching hers desperately for a sign. Finally, he deflated with a sigh.
"Okay. I'll leave you alone." he agreed slowly. Hesitating, he leaned down and kissed her forehead gently, his hand moving down to brush a tear gently from her cheek. When he pulled back, he told her quietly, "I love you."
Anna smiled sadly, tears stinging her eyes. "I love you, too, Fred."
Fred forced a smile before standing and leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
When he left, Anna rolled back onto her side with her back to the door. What she'd said was true. She had a lot to think about. She was going to be a mother. Yes, Fred would be a father, but…he handled things better than her. She wasn't sure she could do this. 'This' being raising a baby, a child, in a war. If anyone, Death Eaters, found them hiding out at Muriel's house, they would have no problems targeting her child. The child of a bloodtraitor and a 'filthy halfblood'; the grandchild of Sirius Black. If Bellatrix found out about the baby, she'd probably want to torture it, slowly and painfully to make Anna and everyone involved suffer. Just the thought made Anna ill. She couldn't let anyone hurt her baby.
She had no idea how Molly and Arthur had done this; raised not one, but seven children in a war. It was petrifying.
A knock finally pulled Anna from her jumbled thoughts. Glancing warily over her shoulder, she saw George in the doorway with a tray.
"Hey." he greeted her easily, approaching her bed with the tray in both hands. "Sit up."
"George-"
"It's lunchtime." he informed her. "And you haven't eaten anything yet. You either eat this with me watching, or Mum's going to come up here. And I don't think you want that."
Anna hadn't realized how long it'd been, but her stomach grumbled. Sitting up, Anna leaned back against her pillow, waiting silently for George to place the tray on her lap. It had a steaming cup of tea and a peanut butter sandwich. George moved around her bed and sat on the edge of Ginny's, his eyes fixed on Anna's face while she took a slow sip of her tea.
"You don't have to stay." she whispered, setting the mug back down.
"Yes, I do. If I don't, Mum will come up here and spoon-feed you. Plus, I wanted to talk to you. After you'd taken a few bites of that, first." he added when Anna looked at him.
Sighing in defeat, Anna lifted the sandwich and took a bite, chewing it slowly in case her stomach rebelled. "Happy?" she asked after she swallowed.
"Not really." George admitted. "What's the deal with you and Freddie?"
Anna's brows furrowed in confusion. "Nothing."
George's brows rose doubtfully. "Really. Well, you've got him in a right mood, worrying you're going to divorce him or something."
"What?" Anna asked in shock, her eyes going wide.
"Yeah. Said that you said you needed time to think. That you had a lot to think about, regarding you and him. He thought that meant you wanted to leave him."
"No!" Anna nearly shouted, sitting bolt upright. "No, no, that's not it. I swear it! I love Fred; I love being married to him. That's not it at all!"
"I figured." George agreed with a nod. "But that doesn't change the fact you've got him scared. And the longer you stay up here, holed up away from everyone, the more scared he's getting. You need to go down there and talk to him, tell him what's going on. The whole point of marriage is helping each other. Let him help you."
Anna took a deep breath, slouching against her pillow. "I'm scared." she admitted weakly. "I…I just found something out, and…I don't know what to do."
George's brows furrowed worriedly. "Is someone hurt? Did you hear some news or something? Did you hear about Gringotts?"
"No, I-wait, what happened at Gringotts?" Anna asked, even more worried now.
"Oh, it was on the radio. Harry, Ron, and Hermione broke into Gringotts and stole a dragon. Don't know why or what the point was in that, but I'm sure they've got their reasons. Anyway, if it's not that, did you hear something else? With your parents or something?"
"No, nothing like that." Anna shook her head. "And if I'm going to tell anyone, it's going to be Fred, but…I'm just freaking out a bit, is all."
"Yeah, well, you freaking out is freaking out Fred. And that takes a lot." George told her, partially joking and partially serious.
Anna smiled weakly over at him. "I'm sorry. I'll come down and talk to him in a bit, I should just eat this first."
"Yeah, that's a good idea." George agreed lightly.
"Can you tell Fred…just tell him he doesn't need to worry?" she asked quietly, her eyes tearing up. "I swear, I'm not going to leave him. I love him more than anything in the world."
George smiled softly at her, reaching over and holding her hand in his. "I know that. And you're both good for each other. I'll tell him all that, and that you'll be down in a little while. Don't make me a liar, though." he added jokingly.
Anna laughed tearfully and nodded. "I won't. I'll be down later."
George left her to finish eating, and then Anna took a shower. She knew she was kinda putting off going to talk to Fred, but she finally forced herself to go downstairs. Leaving her dishes in the sink, she passed through the living room and paused in the doorway to the backroom. George had his back to her on the far side of the room, working on something at a work table. Fred, also, had his back to her, but he was staring out the window in front of him from where he sat, lost in thought.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Anna lightly knocked on the doorway.
Both guys turned to look at her. Fred's eyes softened slightly, and Anna knew he noticed how she anxiously crossed her arms over her stomach. Taking a shaky breath, she moved into the room and stopped about a foot away from Fred's chair.
"Hi." she whispered.
Fred smiled softly at her, reaching up and taking one of her hands in his. "Hi."
"I'm gunna get some food." George announced loudly, crossing the room. "You guys want anything?"
Anna shook her head while Fred answered, "No, thanks, Georgie."
George nodded and smiled reassuringly at Anna before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.
Anna glanced around, unsure what to do. Fred tugged on her hand, pulling her attention to his face. He was looking up at her worriedly.
"Anna, come on. It's me. You know you can talk to me." he told her gently.
Anna took a deep breath and sat on the edge of the table. When she looked at Fred again, he raised both eyebrows and scooted his chair back a bit, patting his lap. Anna smiled softly at him and moved to sit on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her to his chest with her head pressed under his chin.
"You can tell me anything, love. Just talk to me." Fred told her gently, running his fingers up and down her back.
"You were right." Anna admitted quietly. "I went somewhere else before I went to Ottery St. Catchpole. That was just my excuse if someone asked where I'd gone. I went to Diagon Alley."
Fred paused, his hand stilling in the middle of her back. "Why would you go there?" he asked; not angry, just confused and a bit concerned. "You weren't checking on the shop, were you?"
"No." Anna shook her head slightly. "I didn't even think of that, to be honest. I went to Flourish and Blotts."
"Why?" Fred asked, completely caught off guard.
Anna looked down, snuggling closer to his chest. He instinctively tightened his hold on her and helped pull her even closer. "I needed to…research something. And I didn't know where else to look. It's not like I could go to the Hogwarts library. Flourish and Blotts was the first place that popped into my head."
"And…what did you need to research?" Fred asked hesitantly.
Anna chewed on her bottom lip nervously. She wasn't sure how to answer, or say it. Could she just blurt it out? Or should she explain how she found out?
Anna opened her mouth, still unsure of what was going to come out, when a set of loud, pounding footsteps cut her off. Sitting up on her husband's lap, Anna looked over her shoulder in time to see the door to the backroom fly open. George and Ginny stood there, both pale and breathing heavily.
"We've got to go to Hogwarts!" George exclaimed urgently.
"I just got a message from Neville." Ginny explained, holding up her D.A. coin. "He said that Harry's back, and they're going to fight. Come on! We've got to go!"
Anna scrambled off Fred's lap, and he stood up quickly after her.
"Wait, like we're going to fight?" Anna questioned as they all hurried out the back door and toward the protective charms. "Fight You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters? At Hogwarts?" Was this it? Was the war about to end, one way or another?
"I think so. Why else would Harry be at Hogwarts?" Ginny asked, leading the others in a fast pace toward the orchard behind Muriel's house.
"Oh, what were you trying to tell me earlier?" Fred suddenly asked, slowing a bit and looking over at Anna.
Anna opened her mouth, but gaped silently for a moment. This didn't seem like the right time, to just blurt out that she would be having a baby as they're going off to fight a battle. Plus, knowing Fred, he wouldn't want her to go to the battle if he knew about the baby. And he may not be able to concentrate if he knew.
"It's nothing important." Anna told him. "It can wait until this is all over."
Fred eyed her doubtfully for a moment. "If you're sure. You'll just have to make sure to tell me when this is all over, then."
"It's a date." Anna agreed with a forced grin.
They reached the edge of the wards, and Apparated in pairs; George with Ginny, and Anna with Fred. They reappeared in Hogsmeade, and Ginny lead them to the Hog's Head Inn. Surprisingly, Lee Jordan was already there briefly talking with the old man who ran the place.
"Fred! George!" Lee exclaimed, greeting them joyously with claps on the back. "Merlin, am I happy to see you guys!" Turning back to the older man, he asked, "So, it's just through this passageway?"
"Yes." the old man grumbled. He was tall and thin, with long, gray hair and a matching beard. When his eyes met Anna's, she recognized the bright blue eyes behind the spectacles, though they lacked the playful sparkle she used to see. Turning to Fred, the old man added, "And tell Longbottom I can't get in a kip when my bar's turned into a railway station."
"Sure thing, Aberforth." Fred saluted the man before following Ginny, who'd already hurried into a passageway in the wall, which had previously been hidden by a portrait of a young girl.
Lee waved Anna through after the twins before following. Cho Chang arrived just then and hurried in after them.
"Did you all get Neville's message?" she asked from the back of the group.
"Yeah, just a bit ago." George answered, glancing back at her.
"Hey," Anna poked Fred's back, "who was that 'Aberforth' guy you talked to. He looks like…well…"
"Dumbledore?" the twins guessed quietly.
"Yeah. That's Aberforth Dumbledore. Dumbledore's brother." George told her. "We don't know him too well. We just…sometimes we'd do our…less than legal business in the Hog's Head and we had a few conversations with him."
"You guys did business without me?" Anna asked, partially joking, but also a bit surprised.
"You probably wouldn't have approved, to be honest." Fred admitted, glancing back at her with a grin.
"Can't be doin' that anymore, Freddie." George joked, clapping his twin on the shoulder. "Now that you've officially handed over your bullocks to your wifey, you can't be keeping secrets."
Anna blushed and whacked George's back while Lee exclaimed a 'What?'
"You got married?!" he shouted. "And I wasn't invited?!"
Fred and George both laughed.
"Sorry, mate, but if it makes you feel any better, it wasn't legally binding. So, when the war's over we're gonna have a kind of second wedding. You'll be invited to that one."
"I should hope so. And I know I'd be pushed to the bottom of the list considering the number of brothers you have, but I should at least be considered for groomsmen. Or DJ."
Anna laughed along with the twins, letting the mood be lightened up as they continued the long trek in the smooth, stone tunnel. Brass lamps hung from the walls, causing their shadows to dance on the walls. Eventually, it started to go up steeply so that they had to lean forward at they walked.
Finally, they turned a corner and seemed to finally have reached the end. Ginny lead the way up a small flight of stairs and pushed open a door that looked like the back of another portrait. It swung open and they all climbed out.
As they stepped into an unfamiliar room, several people called out cries of greeting, and Fred passed along Aberforth's message while Anna looked around.
Standing several feet in front of them was a cluster of people from all Houses, surrounding Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Even Luna and Dean were there, probably having gotten Neville's message. Most of the students in view looked battered, Neville and Seamus the worst with several new scars and black eyes.
The room itself was very unfamiliar. It was huge and looked like the inside of a tree house or cabin. There was a balcony that ran all around the walls, and hammocks hanging from the ceiling. There were tapestries for three of the four Houses decorating the walls: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. There were bookcases full of books, a few broomsticks propped against the wall, and a wireless radio in the corner.
"We're in Hogwarts, right?" Anna asked, more to herself, as she looked around.
"Yeah. The Room of Requirement." Seamus told her, having come up to briefly greet the twins and Lee.
Harry appeared to be having a hushed argument with Ron and Hermione, and Fred and George started telling jokes to distract the people nearest. Part of Anna wanted to move closer to the twins, but she also didn't want to risk Fred asking what she'd been about to tell him.
After a moment, Harry called everyone's attention. He explained rather vaguely that he was looking for something that belonged to Ravenclaw. Her lost diadem was mentioned, but it seemed like a long shot since it'd gone missing centuries ago.
Cho Chang offered to take Harry to the Ravenclaw common room, where there was a statue of Rowena Ravenclaw wearing the diadem. When Harry agreed to go, Ginny was quick to suggest, rather defensively, that Luna should take Harry instead. Anna couldn't help a tiny grin at how possessive Ginny still was of Harry. So, Luna lead Harry out of the Room of Requirement through a small cupboard in the corner.
"So, what's the point in Harry having to find this diadem of Ravenclaw?" someone nearby asked another person.
Anna glanced over to see the person shrug. "Whatever it is, it might help take down You-Know-Who."
Sighing, Anna headed toward the wall a few feet over from the entrance and sat on the floor, away from the crowd. Her stomach felt queasy, and she wasn't sure if it was some kind of pregnancy thing like morning sickness, or nerves, or both.
"What are you doing over here?" George asked, leaving the group Fred was entertaining farther into the room. George sat down next to her, looking at her curiously.
Anna shrugged. "Nothing. Just feeling a bit sick, to be honest. Nervous and all that. Do think this is really it? Do you think we'll really fight to the end today?"
George shrugged, leaning his head back against the wall to watch his brother. "Hard to say. Harry's not the most careful bloke, is he? With his luck, he'll get caught or spotted before long, either on his way to Ravenclaw common room or back. Then someone'll likely call old snake-face here. Then there'll likely be a fight. I'm ready for it to be over, to be honest. Being stuck in Muriel's house is driving me mad."
Anna smiled sadly, glancing over at him. "Same here. I just hope it ends in our favor."
XXX
We're nearing the end! Let me know what you all thought of this chapter and Anna's little discovery!