For a while, everyone moved about the Great Hall, gathering with family and friends, grieving their losses, and healing the injured. Molly healed Fred's wounded arm, which Annabelle tried not to feel guilty for.
No one saw Harry for the longest time, and Anna could tell many people, her father included, were horribly worried.
Anna was sitting with Fred, George, and Angelina, all of whom were subtly grieving for Lee and Katie, whose bodies were in the line of casualties laid out in the middle of the Great Hall.
And then, the almost peaceful environment that had fallen over the Great Hall was broken by an eerie, cold voice echoing loudly across the castle.
"Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone."
Voldemort continued to talk, but Anna felt like she'd gone numb. She saw her parents rush from the Great Hall, as did McGonagall. Anna stood shakily to her feet, and felt hands hold her steady. She turned and looked up at Fred, who met her eyes looking just as worried, and even scared, as her.
They joined the mass of people hurrying from the castle. Anna didn't make it outside before she heard McGonagall's scream.
"NO!"
Anna flinched, her blood running cold. She'd never heard such a raw, agonized scream and almost couldn't believe it came from her reserved, strict former Head of House. More worried and scared than before, Anna shoved even faster through the crowd in Fred and George's wake. As they reached the front of the crowd that had stopped just outside of the castle, Anna heard Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Sirius scream in pain and denial.
Anna froze in horror as she stared across the castle grounds. Voldemort and his Death Eaters were spread out facing them. Hagrid appeared to be a prisoner, standing just behind Voldemort. Though his beard and hair hid most of his face, Anna could hear his sobbing from across the grounds, and in his arms…was Harry's limp body.
Anna's stomach clenched and she felt like she might puke again. Her legs shook and she almost dropped to her knees. This was the worst thing to happen. If Harry was dead, Voldemort would rule the world. Anna's hand went to her stomach, terrified for her baby. How could she ever protect her baby from Voldemort's cruel reign?
The conversation was a lull in Anna's ears. She saw Hagrid lay Harry's body at Voldemort's feet. She watched in a daze as Neville ran forward to challenge Voldemort. Her mouth fell open in horror when Voldemort put the Sorting Hat on Neville's head and set it on fire.
Then, everything happened at once.
Hundreds of people came racing across the grounds, screaming battle cries as they charged Voldemort's forces. Hagrid's giant half-brother, Grawp, slammed into some giants who were fighting for Voldemort and arrows suddenly rained down from the Dark Forest, causing the Death Eaters to scatter in panic.
Despite this chaos, every eye seemed to fix on Neville as he broke free of his Body-Bind Curse, pulled the Sword of Gryffindor from the flaming hat, and sliced off the head of Voldemort's snake.
Anna backed toward the front doors of the castle, covering her stomach protectively with her arm as she was pushed and buffeted by the crowd as many of them hurried toward the castle to escape the giants' enormous pounding feet. Centaurs were scattering the Death Eaters, hippogriffs and what Anna recognized as thestrals-she was seeing them now after seeing deaths in the earlier battle-were flying around the giants' heads and scratching at their eyes. Due to the stomping feet, people were being forced back into the castle to avoid being crushed.
George pushed Anna back toward the castle while shooting a jinx at some oncoming Death Eaters. Anna gripped her wand tightly in her hand and started shooting curses and jinxes, as well. Anyone who fell was soon trampled by the crowd rushing to get into the Great Hall.
Creatures joined the fight as centaurs and house elves raced into the Great Hall to join the fight. Anna was almost shocked to see Kreacher, the Black family house elf, at the head of the little creatures, wielding a knife and shouting, "Fight! Fight! Fight for my Master, defender of house-elves! Fight the Dark Lord, in the name of brave Regulus! Fight!"
Anna didn't have time to ponder Kreacher's strange words, because she had to shoot curses and jinxes at the Death Eaters who continued to stream into the Hall. It was clear the Death Eaters were severely outnumbered as wave upon wave of wizards, centaurs, and elves fell upon them.
After Stunning a Death Eater, Anna backed into the wall in an attempt to make sense of the madness going on around her; trying to find another target. Voldemort was in the center of the Hall dueling McGonagall, Slughorn, and Kingsley at once; Fred and George were slamming Yaxley to the floor; Flitwick was taking down Dolohov; Ron and Neville were taking down Fenrir Greyback; Sirius and Wren were dueling Rodolphus Lestrange…
And then, Anna's eyes found a moving target. Someone was weaving through the crowd, trying to get to the door of the Great Hall. Jaw set with determination, Anna ran across the space, dipping and dodging curses until she raced out the door and into the Entrance Hall on the man's heels.
"Stupefy!" Anna screamed. Her spell missed him by an inch, but it caused the man to turn and face her with an ugly snarl.
Marcus Flint shot the Cruciatus Curse at Anna, which she dodged.
"I see you broke free of my Imperius Curse." he taunted. "Kill any redheads while I was away?"
Anna didn't justify his taunt with a response, just fought harder to take him down, once and for all.
"Too bad we never got the chance to repeat that day in the supply shed." Flint continued to taunt. "As much as you denied it, I know you loved it."
Anna could feel her hair turning crimson as rage burned through her veins.
"Stupefy! Expelliarmus!" she screamed. Her first spell was deflected, but the second hit Flint and caused his wand to fly straight into Anna's free hand. As Anna caught it, she yelled, "Petrificus Totalus!"
Flint's arms and legs stuck together stiff as a board and he fell back, his body hitting the stone floor with a dull thud.
Breathing heavily, Anna slowly approached him, walking to his side so that she could look down at his ugly face. His eyes moved about before staring up at her, rage and a little fear in his gray eyes.
A calm swept over her, now that she wasn't fighting for her life.
"Some might say I should kill you." she said quietly, speaking more to herself. She wasn't completely sure if he could hear her. "But I don't want revenge for what you did to me. Not anymore. I want justice. I want you to rot in Azkaban, for being a Death Eater, and for what you did to me all those years ago."
That being said, Anna waved her wand. A rope shot from her wand and wrapped tightly around Flint's midsection. The rope then hoisted him up until he hung upside-down from the ceiling of the Entrance Hall. Anna stared up at him for a couple seconds, figuring he'd be secure there long enough so that he could be collected and taken to Azkaban when everything was finished-assuming the right side won. She turned away, telling herself to prepare herself to go back into the battle.
But then she paused. It was quiet. Too quiet. The chaos and screams of battle that'd been coming from the Great Hall had gone silent. As she strained to listen, her eyes fixed on the open door of the Great Hall, all Anna could hear was a couple quiet voices.
Moving cautiously toward the open door, Anna held her wand out, just in case. She moved toward the wall just beside the door, putting her back to the wall before carefully peaking around the corner.
All the fighting had stopped. Everyone was standing, frozen, as they watched two people who were circling each other like caged tigers. Anna's breath caught in her throat before she slowly stepped into the Great Hall to get a closer look.
Harry and Voldemort moved slowly, walking in a circle as everyone watched while giving them space. Harry was speaking to Voldemort, though Anna had no clue what he was saying. At the same moment the rising sun sent a red glow through the nearest window, Voldemort and Harry suddenly shouted spells.
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Expelliarmus!"
The spells met in the middle with a bang and burst of flame. Voldemort's wand flew through the air and into Harry's free hand while Voldemort's body fell to the ground, stiff and lifeless.
There was a moment of shocked silence until it was broken by cheers and screams. Everyone converged upon Harry like a wave. Anna could barely make out the occasional familiar face as they all gathered in the biggest group hug in history.
Part of Anna wanted to join in the celebration, but a bigger part was just exhausted. She leaned back against the nearest wall, slipping her wand into her back pocket. She covered her face with her hands, feeling as if the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders.
It was over. It was finally over. Voldemort was dead, his Death Eaters would be rounded up and arrested, and her child would be brought into a world of peace and safety. It would take a while for the grief to pass; they would always remember those who had died during this war, but they would not die in vain.
Taking a deep breath, Anna pulled her hands from her face and stood up straight. Exhaustion made her legs shake, but she forced herself to move toward the crowd that was starting to break up into smaller groups. Any remaining Death Eaters were fleeing, but several people were pursuing them.
Spotting her parents, Anna changed her course to reach them. Her mother pulled her into a tight hug, and Sirius wrapped them both in his longer arms, holding the three of them together. After several moments, they pulled away.
Anna was moved around the crowded Great Hall, hugging people here and there, though her heart wasn't in it. She wanted Fred. She wanted to find Fred and tell him about the baby.
Finally, she found a familiar mass of redheads. The Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione were standing in the middle of the Great Hall, talking excitedly and exchanging hugs. Anna hurried over to them, a smile stretching over her cheeks.
George saw her first and swept her up in a hug, spinning her in a circle that made her laugh as she clung to him.
"Now you and Freddie have to get married for real." George told her with a grin as he set her back on her feet. He grinned down at her.
Anna laughed, glancing over at Fred, who was laughing with Bill. "Yeah, I guess so."
Charlie moved around George and pulled Anna into another hug. "Excited to be a Weasley?" he asked playfully, pulling back and ruffling her hair.
Anna smiled, though they didn't know she was also smiling because she would be bringing a new Weasley into the world. "You have no idea."
She exchanged hugs with Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Molly before moving to Fred's side and wrapping an arm around his back. Fred easily dropped his arm over her back in return, giving her a grin.
"Can we go for a walk?" she asked quietly, looking up at him with a small, warm smile. Fred leaned down and kissed her forehead.
"Absolutely." he agreed. He quickly told George where they were going before they moved across the Great Hall. As they passed, she heard someone saying that Kingsley Shacklebolt would be stepping in as a temporary Minister. Voldemort's body was moved off to the far corner of the Hall, out of everyone's way. McGonagall was returning the four House tables to their places, careful not to put them down on top of anyone.
Anna let Fred lead, holding his hand tightly in hers, not ready to let him go anytime soon.
When they entered the entrance hall, they both looked over to see a couple wizards looking up at Flint's frozen body. Fred snorted as they paused by the pair. One of the older wizards, a middle-aged man with graying black hair, looked over at them.
"Either of you know if he's on our side or the Death Eaters?" he asked. "We're rounding up as many Death Eaters as we can so we can get them locked up in Azkaban."
"We just sent word a minute ago to release all the innocent people locked up there." the younger wizard, about 18, announced excitedly.
"He's a Death Eater." Anna informed them with a disgusted look up at Flint. "His name's Marcus Flint. I'm the one who put him up there."
Fred laughed loudly, looking down at her. "Oh, I love you! You are brilliant!" he exclaimed, letting go of her hand to pull her tight to his side. Anna blushed, but beamed proudly. She'd finally got the best of Marcus Flint.
The older wizard smirked at her. "Good job. I'll personally make sure he's put in a cell in Azkaban."
"Thank you." Anna told him gratefully before she followed Fred up the stairs and down a corridor of the castle. They walked for a while, and Anna found herself looking out the windows as they passed. The sun was rising over the distant horizon, dawning on a new day, and a hopeful future.
Eventually, Fred chose a bench against the wall and sat down. Anna sat next to him, still holding his hand tightly.
"So, why do I get the sense that this is about something specific, and not just a walk?" Fred asked, looking down at her.
Anna nodded, looking down at her lap. "It feels like forever ago, but…you remember last night? I said I needed to tell you something?"
Fred's eyes lit up in understanding. "That's right. I almost forgot about that. So, what did you need to tell me?"
Anna bit her lip, glancing up at him. "Remember how I said I went to Flourish and Blotts?"
Fred nodded, looking confused. "Yeah. You said you needed to research something."
Anna nodded, smiling at him. This news seemed so much happier now that the future was brighter. "I…suspected something, and I wanted to find out without telling anyone, just in case. I found a spell in one of the books that would give me the answer I was looking for."
Fred's brows were furrowed in confusion, and Anna knew she wasn't really making much sense. But she hoped Fred would understand when she showed him.
"If my wand glows light green, it's positive; if it's white, it's negative."
Fred still looked confused as he watched her pull out her wand. Anna took a deep breath before moving her wand in a circle around her bellybutton.
"Gravidam."
There was a second of stillness before her wand glowed light green. Anna smiled at her belly before looking up at Fred. He was also staring at her belly, his brows no longer furrowed, and his brown eyes slightly wide. As if feeling her gaze on him, he looked up and met her eyes.
"It's positive." he whispered, his eyes searching hers. Anna nodded, smiling softly. "You're…" Fred trailed off.
"Pregnant." Anna finished, hoping she was right in expecting him to be happy. When he stared at her in silence, she started to worry. Her brows furrowed in concern and she dropped her eyes, putting her wand away.
"I-"
She was cut off by Fred suddenly pulling her into his chest. He cradled her close to him, holding her tightly yet gently.
"I love you." he murmured thickly, pressing kisses to the side of her head.
Anna breathed a sigh of relief, melting into him and wrapping her arms around his back. "So, you're happy?" she checked.
"Of course I'm happy!" Fred laughed at the very absurdity of the question. After a moment, he pulled back and looked worriedly down at her. "Are you not happy?"
Anna smiled sadly. "At first, I wasn't sure. I mean, when I found out yesterday, we were in the middle of a war. I was scared about raising a baby in a war, especially while we were in hiding and wanted by so many evil people. But now…" Anna trailed off, smiling warmly up at him. "Now we don't have to worry about that."
Fred smiled, tucking hair behind her ear. "That's true." His smile faltered then. "Why did you come to fight, knowing you were pregnant?" he suddenly demanded. "The baby-"
"I couldn't just stay behind, Fred." Anna argued. "Besides, if I decided to stay behind, you all would've wondered why. And I couldn't just tell you about the baby going into the fight. You wouldn't have been able to focus."
"But what if you'd lost the baby?" Fred asked. "What if you'd gotten hurt and-"
"But I didn't." Anna pointed out. "The baby's fine, best I can tell. Although," she added, looking down at her lap, "maybe I should have stayed behind. Then I wouldn't have almost killed you."
Fred sighed heavily. "Anna…" He trailed off before pulling her into a tight hug. "Forget I said anything. You didn't get hurt, and the baby's fine. 'What if's are stupid anyway. And Flint is going to Azkaban for almost killing me, and probably a hundred other crimes. Everything is going to be just fine. But you are taking it extremely easy the rest of this pregnancy."
Anna nodded, relaxing again as she thought about the future. A future with Fred as her husband, and a happy baby, probably with red hair, growing up in a safe world.
XXX
Anna fell back onto Fred's bed, instantly curling up and hugging one of the pillows to her face. Due to her spending so many nights there in the past couple weeks, one pillow had a perfect mix of her and Fred's scents. That particular scent had been a surprising help with her morning sickness recently. Another saving grace in that department was peppermint tea with her breakfast each morning, which was bittersweet as Dora had been the one to tell Anna about that months ago. Without it, Anna was sure she'd be puking every morning instead of every other morning.
Fred entered the bedroom just then, wearing a t-shirt and boxers. He crawled into bed next to her and after some shifting around, they ended up on their sides with Fred spooned in behind Anna. One hand was rested protectively on Anna's belly, and his face was buried in her hair.
Anna had been going back and forth between staying at home with her family, and staying at the flat with the twins. The Black family's three bedroom cottage had been pretty crowded since the final battle. Harry had come to live with the Blacks for a while and was sharing a room with Aslan, who was over the moon to have both Harry and Anna back. Especially as Anna had returned his favorite blanket to him. And due to Sirius and Wren being Teddy's godparents, they'd been given full custody of the little baby, who slept in Anna's room. Andromeda visited and helped out frequently, which was helpful considering most of the household had fulltime jobs now.
Harry and Sirius had both been made Aurors and were helping round up the last of the Death Eaters. Umbridge had been one of the first to be thrown behind bars, and Anna's boss had begged her to come back to work. The Investigation Department was incredibly busy, making sure to investigate every arrest to ensure the right people were going to Azkaban and no one was getting off like the last war. Her boss sweetened the deal by offering to pay her overtime. And of course, Wren's job at the Department of Security was being flooded with work.
The whole wizarding world was putting itself back together. Fred and George had been fixing their shop back up and were getting ready to reopen within the next few weeks. Anna wasn't allowed to help as often or with big jobs, because Fred didn't want her to overwork herself. They hadn't told anyone other than George about the baby. They wanted to wait a little while. George was thrilled and loved to make jokes about how fertile Weasleys were.
Anna was roused from her sleepy thoughts when she realized her neck was wet. Turning her head, she shifted slightly away from Fred to turn over.
"Fred?" she whispered, trying to see his face. He pulled back and looked at her, his cheek resting on his pillow. His eyes were red and glistening with tears. Anna completely turned over to face him, resting a hand on his cheek. Her thumb swiped a stray tear from his cheek. She didn't need to ask what was wrong. It'd been a long day for everyone.
The war ending had not brought only cheerful news. There had been many funerals to plan and attend. They'd already attended Katie's, Lee's, and Remus and Dora's in the past week. Today had been Percy's funeral.
"Do you need me to get you anything?" Anna whispered, keeping her hand on Fred's cheek as she searched his eyes.
Fred shook his head and pulled her close to him.
"I shouldn't have been so mean to him." Fred whispered, his voice thick. "Our whole life, all I ever did was prank him and pick on him."
"It was all in good fun, Fred. Percy knew that." Anna assured him gently, running a hand through his short, ginger hair. "He loved you and George and your whole family. He regretted turning his back on all of you. You know that."
Fred nodded slowly, knowing she was right. His grief was just causing him to blame himself.
They laid in silence for a little while, Fred's face buried in Anna's neck while she held him close, comforting him in his grief. It was a nice change, in Anna's mind. Fred was almost always comforting her instead of the other way around. Especially since the war, as Anna occasionally had nightmares where she killed Fred while under the Imperius Curse. She was working on not blaming herself, because she knew it wasn't healthy, but that didn't mean it wouldn't haunt her for a while.
"Fred?" Anna breathed in the silence. Fred hummed against her neck, which tickled slightly though Anna didn't comment on that. "If…if we have a boy…would you want to name him after Percy?" she asked hesitantly.
Fred was still and silent for a few moments before slowly pulling away and looking at her thoughtfully. His eyes narrowed slightly as he seriously put thought into her question. Finally, after a few moments, he spoke.
"I love Percy…but I don't think I'd want to put my son through the torment of having that name." he answered jokingly, a small smile tugging at his lips. Anna lightly smacked his chest, smiling in return. "But it's a nice thought. Thank you for asking." Fred added sincerely, leaning down and kissing her forehead.
Anna smiled, unconsciously leaning forward into him.
"You should be sleeping." Fred said quietly after a while. "I'm sorry I'm keeping you up."
"Don't be." Anna whispered back, snuggling into his chest. "We needed this."
"Yeah. But we have an early morning and a big day. If you get tired, make sure to let me know." Fred ordered gently. The following day, Sunday, would be starting with Anna helping the twins continue working on the joke shop. Then, in the afternoon they had scheduled a meeting with a real estate wizard to look at a few houses. In their limited spare time, Anna and Fred had been looking for a house to buy.
Anna rolled her eyes. "Yes, Fred." she obeyed mockingly. Fred scrunched up his nose at her before rolling onto his back and pulling her onto his chest. He rested his other hand on her stomach and kissed the top of her head.
"Goodnight." he breathed into her hair, rubbing her back with his other hand.
"Goodnight."
XXX
Anna knocked quickly on the front door of her parents' cottage before letting herself and Fred in. The first person she saw was her mother, sitting on the living room couch feeding two month old Teddy a bottle of milk.
"Hi, Mum." Anna smiled.
"Hi, Anna. Hi, Fred. How's the shop doing?" Wren asked kindly. After they finished fixing up the joke shop, Fred and George reopened the shop near the end of May.
"Better than ever, thanks." Fred answered with a grin.
"Anna!" Aslan came racing from the kitchen, his hands in the air in a silent demand that his sister pick him up. Anna laughed gently as she obliged, setting him on her hip. Sirius followed his son from the kitchen, carrying a bottle of butterbeer.
"Anna, Fred. How's your day been?" Sirius greeted them both with a smile.
"Busy." Anna answered with a slight laugh. She'd got off work a couple hours prior and met Fred at the shop; as she'd stayed at the flat the past few nights to get in some last minute wedding planning.
"Are you hungry? We have a bit left over from dinner." Wren told them, nodding toward the kitchen.
"No, we just ate, but thank you." Fred told her. "We actually stopped by because we have something we need to tell you." he admitted, trying not to sound nervous.
Sirius and Wren exchanged a glance.
"Alright, let me just put Teddy down. Aslan, why don't we go upstairs and you can draw a picture for Dromeda?" Wren suggested. Anna set Aslan on the ground and her brother excitedly scurried on up the stairs. Wren followed him more slowly, patting Teddy's back as she went.
"Either of you want something to drink?" Sirius offered. "We've got firewhiskey, butterbeer, pumpkin juice,…"
"I'll have a butterbeer, thanks." Fred answered.
"Um, I'm good. But thanks, Dad." Anna answered, knowing she couldn't drink anything alcoholic, and she also didn't want to have to pee in a few minutes. Being pregnant, even in the early stages, seemed to have shrunk her bladder or something.
Sirius got Fred his butterbeer, and all three of them sat around the living room; Fred and Anna on the couch and Sirius in an armchair. When Wren returned, she sat on the couch on Anna's other side, closest to Sirius's armchair.
"So, what's going on?" Wren asked, looking between Fred and Anna curiously. "Is it something to do with the wedding?" The wedding was set to happen in the next week, near the end of June.
"Um, sort of." Anna answered, taking Fred's hand in hers. "We have some news that we're going to announce at the reception."
"But we figured it'd be better to tell you both in person." Fred finished. "Out of respect for you both."
Truthfully, they were worried about Sirius getting angry and didn't want that to happen at the wedding.
Wren smiled, glancing between them. "Well, thank you for the consideration. What is this announcement?"
Anna glanced at Fred with a smile before turning back to her parents, meeting both their eyes in turn. "Fred and I are having a baby." she admitted, trying to hide her nerves.
Wren's face lit up and she yanked Anna into a tight hug. "Oh, that's wonderful, darling! Congratulations!"
Anna released a breath, squeezing her mother back just as tightly. After a second, she looked over her mum's shoulder at her dad, who was watching them with a blank expression. And with that, Anna's nerves returned. Pulling away from her mother, Anna offered her a small smile before looking at her father.
"Dad?" she asked uncertainly.
Sirius looked over at Fred, his expression still blank.
"You got my daughter pregnant?" he said, his tone unreadable.
Fred returned the look carefully. "Technically, after we got married. And we both have successful careers ahead of us. The shop's successful enough I could take care of Anna if she wanted to quit her job. You know I'll take care of and love her and our child."
Sirius nodded slowly, though his expression was still unreadable.
"Sirius, you're going to be a grandpa." Wren pointed out with an amused smile.
Sirius glanced at his wife, and Anna thought there might have been a glimmer of amusement in his gray eyes, before he looked back at Fred and stood up. Fred also stood up, and Anna followed suit, nervous about what was going to happen.
Sirius stared at Fred for another long moment before he smiled and offered his hand. Fred relaxed, a smile spreading across his face as he took Sirius's hand and shook it.
When Sirius released him he grinned happily at his daughter, pulling her into a tight hug. "Congratulations."
Anna buried her face in her father's chest, tears pricking her eyes. "Thanks, Daddy."
XXX
"Ready to marry my brother?" Ginny asked with a smirk as she fixed Anna's hair. "Again?"
Anna laughed nervously. "Yeah. If I don't pass out first. Or puke again."
"Oh, you'll be fine." Ginny assured her, stepping back after she was satisfied with Anna's hair.
Her dark brown hair was curled into ringlets, and the pieces by her face were pulled back from her face and clipped at the back of her head. She was dressed in a loose fitting set of white dress robes with a sweetheart neckline and short sleeves. The dress did a fairly decent job of hiding her three-month baby bump, which was a tiny bit bigger than she'd expected it to be. George had been relentlessly teasing her about it probably being twins.
Anna and Ginny were currently in the Weasley's garden, surrounded by Anna's bridesmaids: Hermione, Angelina, Alicia, and Fleur.
Footsteps approaching from the direction of the orchard behind the Burrow caused the girls to turn to see who was approaching. Sirius arrived carrying Aslan, both dressed in simple, black dress robes.
"We're ready whenever you are." Sirius announced, smiling warmly. It was a very nice change considering how down he'd been since Remus's death and funeral.
Anna took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Okay. Okay, yeah, I think we're ready."
"If the bride doesn't pass out." Angelina joked lightly.
"You were not this nervous the first time." Ginny pointed out, amused. "I still can't believe you were so nervous this morning, you threw up."
"The first time was in front of a handful of people." Anna pointed out, omitting the fact that the puking was most likely due to morning sickness. "This time there are a lot more people, who will see if I fall flat on my face."
"Come on, we won't let you fall. Will we, Aslan?" Sirius joked, bouncing his son lightly on his hip.
"Yeah!" Aslan exclaimed, throwing a fist in the air and causing the others to laugh.
"Alright, so, if we're ready…" Ginny trailed off questioningly, to which the others nodded, "let's get this party started."
Ginny took the lead and began the steady walk across the grass and toward the thick orchard of apple trees. Hermione, Angelina, Alicia, and Fleur all followed in turn, each carrying a small, white bouquet of oriental lilies and tulips.
Anna had to sacrifice the ability to carry her own bouquet of her favorite flowers, because both of her hands would be occupied during the wedding.
Sirius set Aslan on the ground and knelt in front of him.
"Okay, remember what we talked about, Aslan? You and me are going to hold Anna's hand, and take her to Fred in the orchard. Just like we practiced. Okay?"
"Okay!" Aslan agreed excitedly. He hurried to Anna's side and took her left hand in his little one. Sirius stood up straight and offered his arm. Anna slid her right hand into the crook of his elbow, smiling happily up at him.
"You ready for this?" Sirius joked. "It's not too late to change your mind."
"It's a little too late." Anna joked back, referring to the baby in her womb. "But I wouldn't change my mind either way."
"Good." Sirius gave a small, satisfied smile before leading her across the yard toward the orchard.
They were out of sight of the wedding guests until they rounded one large tree and entered the large orchard. By then, every head in the crowd was turned back to look at them.
Anna took a steadying breath, trying not to focus on the dozens of pairs of eyes fixed on her. Her and Fred had agreed to a small wedding, but while making up the guest list they kept thinking of people that they just had to invite, and soon the guest list totaled up to around 90.
Hagrid took up a large chair in the back row, which also consisted of people from Dumbledore's Army and the Order of the Phoenix. People like Neville, Seamus Finnigan, Luna, and Dean Thomas. Oliver Wood sat with them. Farther up were some of Anna and Fred's favorite teachers like McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout. Several Weasleys and Prewetts sat on one side, including Muriel, Arthur's brothers, and some of Fred's grandparents and cousins. On the other side were people from Anna's family, mainly consisting of her aunt Kendra, her husband Colton, and their children Audra and Wilson.
Andromeda was sitting in the second row holding a baby Teddy, and Wren sat just in front of her with Molly and Arthur.
Finally, standing up front included Anna's bridesmaids: Ginny was closest to the middle as the Maid of Honor, and next to her were Hermione, Angelina, Alicia, and Fleur, who was just reaching her place as Anna and Sirius entered the orchard. Kingsley was standing in the middle, as the new Minister and family friend was marrying Anna and Fred.
The Groom, of course, was standing just next to Kingsley; Fred was beaming at Anna, looking even happier than the first time they got married. Next to him, of course, was his Best Man George. Next to George were the Groomsmen: Charlie, Ron, Harry, and Bill.
The wedding party was standing under a pair of trees in the orchard which, like all the trees in the orchard, had blossomed with pinkish-white flowers. Some of the petals had already fallen and decorated the ground. It was one of the reasons they'd chosen the orchard for this time of year. They hardly had to decorate when nature provided the most beautiful decorations on it's own.
Anna managed to remain calm as she walked down the isle. Aslan was practically hopping along at her side, causing quite a few people to chuckle or 'aw'. Finally, the trio reached the front of the isle, stopping in front of Kingsley and Fred.
"Who gives this young woman away?" Kingsley asked warmly.
"Her mother and I do." Sirius answered.
"And me!" Aslan shouted, making several people, Anna included, laugh. Kingsley couldn't help a chuckle, as well.
Sirius shook Fred's hand, giving him a nod before he passed Anna's hand to Fred's. Aslan also released his sister's hand, and Sirius and Aslan moved to sit in the front row with Wren.
Anna smiled warmly up at Fred, who returned it as he took both her hands in his as he pulled her closer to face him. "You look beautiful." he whispered almost silently.
Anna mouthed 'thank you'.
Kingsley performed the ceremony very similar to how Arthur had originally, though with a few changes considering the unique circumstances. Fred and Anna re-placed their wedding rings on each other's fingers, having removed them the night before. They said vows and repeated some of Kingsley's words. Since they were magically married, Kingsley didn't need to perform the spell Arthur had. They would be signing the legal paperwork between the ceremony and the reception.
Finally, Kingsley said the words Fred was probably looking forward to through the whole service.
"You may now kiss the bride."
Thankfully, Fred was nicer than their last wedding, and gave Anna a short, sweet peck as opposed to snogging her in front of so many people.
Anna and Fred returned to the Burrow with Kingsley to sign the official papers that named them as husband and wife, and by the time they'd returned to the orchard the chairs had been moved to several round tables. One long table off to the side had food and drinks, provided by Molly, Andromeda, and Wren. A table at the far side of the orchard already seated most of the wedding party, where Fred and Anna were supposed to sit. A large space in the middle of the orchard was left bare for a dance floor and soft music was already playing.
Anna took a sip of her pumpkin juice to wash down the simple roast beef she'd been carefully nibbling on. She didn't feel nauseous at the moment, but she didn't want to push her luck. Running off to throw up at her wedding would be just a little awful.
An arm appeared over the back of Anna's chair and she glanced over at her husband curiously, giving him a smile when she saw him already watching her. Fred leaned down so he could talk near her ear.
"Should we make our announcement?" he asked quietly.
Anna glanced out toward the rest of their guests. Most people were still eating, and the few people who were already done were moving around and talking to people. They'd be having the dances soon.
Anna turned her smile back toward Fred. "Yeah, now's a good time."
Fred kissed her cheek before standing up. He lifted his goblet of champagne and tapped it with his fork.
"Excuse me! We have an announcement to make!" Fred called over the hum of voices. Everyone quieted down and every eye turned to look at him. Fred held his glass up with one hand, his other resting around Anna's shoulders where she was sitting at his side.
"Thank you all for being here to celebrate with us. Anna and I greatly appreciate it. After everything we've all been through, a good celebration and party was just what everyone needed.
"That being said, we have a pretty big announcement." Fred continued.
Anna looked out over the guests, everyone watching curiously. The only people who weren't curious was George, Sirius, and Wren, who all knew what Fred was about to say.
"As most of you know, Anna and I technically got married back in March, while we were in hiding. So, no one can get mad at me for this announcement, because Anna and I were technically married." Anna ducked her head, both in embarrassment and amusement. She could tell George was laughing, too. Fred remained quiet for a few seconds for dramatic effect before shouting, "Anna and I are having a baby!"
There were a few shrieks, mainly from Molly and Ginny, before several people swarmed across the orchard. Anna stood up as people crowded around them. Molly shoved everyone out of her way to hug Anna to death.
"Oh, sweetie, this is amazing!" Molly shrieked. "I'm going to be a grandma! Oh, Fred!" Molly quickly moved over to hug Fred, too. Anna laughed when Fred rolled his eyes, but he was grinning happily.
George nearly lifted Anna off her feet when he hugged her even though he'd already known. "You excited to give me twin nephews?" George smirked deviously.
"Stop! You're going to jinx it!" Anna protested, though she was laughing.
"Is it twins?" Ginny demanded, shoving through her brothers to hug Anna. "Do you know what it is?"
Anna laughed. "No, we don't know yet. We have an appointment at St. Mungo's set for after our honeymoon, and we might be able to find out then."
"How far along are you?" Angelina asked, having stood up and was waiting her turn to congratulate her friends.
"Three months." Fred answered, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Ooh, a wedding night baby?" Ginny teased deviously. Anna lightly shoved her and then smacked Fred on the shoulder.
"Shut up, both of you." she laughed, her face turning red.
"Shouldn't be that much of a surprise." Charlie cut in, having joined the group with Bill. "We Weasleys are a fertile breed." he teased, leaning down and hugging Anna tightly.
"So I've heard." Anna commented dryly, rolling her eyes. Bill laughed and hugged her when Charlie released her. Harry stepped in next with Hermione to offered their own hugs and congratulations.
A few more people stepped in to offer their congratulations. After a few minutes, Fred looked at Charlie.
"Should I tell everyone that other surprise while we have everyone's attention, or should I wait and tell Anna later?" Fred asked his older brother playfully. Anna looked between them curiously.
Charlie hummed, pretending to think. "You might want to wait until later. It's really more of a surprise for Anna."
"What surprise?" Anna demanded, looking between them.
"Are you sure you want to know now?" Fred asked, mostly to mess with her.
"Yes!" she exclaimed.
"Oh, alright." Fred cleared his throat. "I have one more thing to announce, since my lovely wife is too impatient to wait for her surprise!" he called for everyone to hear. Everyone quieted again, listening intently. Fred turned to Anna, speaking to her even though everyone was listening.
"You remember that house we were looking to buy? The one with the big property and a barn and shed that the real estate wizard said we might not be able to buy because someone else was also looking at it?"
"Yes." Anna answered warily, hoping she knew where this was going.
"Well, don't freak out, because I have multiple surprises." Fred ordered before continuing. "He owled me the other day and said…we got the house. I'm not done!" he added when Anna's mouth fell open excitedly. "For our honeymoon, we'll be staying tonight at our new home, and tomorrow…we will be starting our official honeymoon in Romania. And Charlie expects us to visit him at least a couple times while we're there. Okay, now you may freak out."
Anna gaped at him for a second. "Are you serious?!" she squealed.
"No, Sirius is your dad." Fred joked, causing several people to laugh.
Anna swatted him but then leapt into his arms for a tight hug. "I love you, I love you, I love you!" she squealed, her arms around his neck as he lifted her toes off the ground.
"Hey, what about me?" Charlie complained. "I'm helping pay for this honeymoon of yours. Don't I get a thank you?" He barely got the words out before Anna released Fred and leapt on him, hugging him just as tight.
It took a while, but everyone eventually settled down and returned to their seats, watching as Fred pulled Anna onto the dance floor for their first dance as a married couple.
"So, a week in Romania, huh?" Anna asked lightly as they swayed to the slow music. Everyone was watching them, which made Anna mildly self-conscious, but she tried to ignore it as she had a quiet conversation with her husband.
"Yep. One whole week in Romania." Fred nodded, grinning proudly at his idea.
"Am I allowed to know any details?" Anna urged curiously.
"Hmm. Well, we'll be staying in a small cabin, and we'll visit a few places. Charlie obviously offered to show us around the dragon reserve and a few other places, and we can stay with him for a bit if we want. Other than that, you'll just have to wait and see." Fred told her.
"And who's going to help George out with the shop while we're gone?" Anna asked curiously. "And what about my job? I didn't ask for any time off."
"That's okay. I owled your boss and got the time off for you." Fred told her with a grin. "As for the shop, Verity's back and wanting a bit of overtime to help her family, and Ginny wanted a summer job so we've been training her for a few days. The shop will be just fine."
Anna smiled. "Now, here's hoping my morning sickness cooperates while we're there."
"Yeah, that would be nice." Fred agreed lightly. "Oh, and I have told you yet how beautiful you are?"
Anna couldn't stifle her smile. "A few times. But you can say it again if you want."
"You are the most beautiful woman here." Fred told her quietly, kissing her forehead.
When the song ended, most of the guests swarmed the dance floor to join them. Anna had to take a turn with nearly all her brother-in-laws as well as Harry, her dad, and Arthur. Anna went around catching up with her old teachers and friends. Aslan had a fun time playing with his cousins Audra and Wilson. The three even gave Wren and Andromeda a break by watching Teddy once in a while, though 14 year old Audra was the one more-trustworthy to watch the baby.
Eventually, Anna had to return to her seat, too winded with aching feet to keep dancing. Of course, given she wasn't doing much, she offered to watch Teddy for a bit while she rested her feet, giving everyone else a chance to have some fun.
Sitting back slightly in her seat, Anna held baby Teddy in the cradle of her arms. She kept glancing between the guests and the baby. Guests were doing anything from enjoying drinks, nibbling on more food, dancing, or talking among themselves. Fred and George were entertaining the kids.
Teddy was blinking sleepily up at Anna, his eyes temporarily a bright blue. His hair was dark and very curly, probably an imitation of Sirius's hair. Anna smiled down at him, imagining what it would be like to hold her own baby, something she often thought of when holding Teddy.
"Having fun over here?" a familiar voice asked as Fred sat in the chair next to hers.
"Yep." Anna smiled at him.
Fred smiled in return, looking down at the baby in her arms. He reached out and offered his finger to the baby's tiny fist, and Teddy grabbed it, his grip tight despite his tired state. "Hi, Baby Moony." Fred whispered lightly.
Anna rolled her eyes. "If he's Baby Moony, and Aslan is Baby Padfoot, what are you going to call our kid?"
Fred tilted his head thoughtfully. "Padfoot the Third?" he joked. Anna laughed, shaking her head in amusement. "You excited to start our life?"
Anna smiled, once more looking out over the crowd of guests. It was such a peaceful and happy time, so very different from a couple months ago. In moments like this, the war was almost like a dark, fading memory, or a nightmare that never really happened. The future may not be all rainbows and sunshine, but if they could get through the war, they could handle anything.
Anna smiled over at Fred, who was waiting patiently for her answer.
"You have no idea."
XXX
Oh my gosh! We're almost done! Next is the epilogue!
Please review to let me know what you all thought!