A/N: So sorry it took me so long to update! Life has been crazy! As said previously, I do not own Harry Potter. I am not profiting from this story. Enjoy!!
Chapter 2: Life Changing Moments Part 2
George picked up the glasses and set them to wash. He quickly placed an order for fish and chips from the Leaky for himself and Fred. If he needed to break bad news to Fred, it was best to do that with his favorite food in tow. George put two muggle beers in the freezer to get them good and cold. Fred was going to flip when he heard what the git did. George ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath. It was going to be a long, long night.
Ron stood at the nursery window looking at his son. There was no denying that the beautiful red headed boy was a Weasley. Ron had seen his baby pictures. The boy was a spitting image of him. That's the only reason he allowed Lavender to name the child after him. He shook his head. This wasn't right. His little boy deserved Hermione for a mother. She is the best. She always wanted children, and they had talked about it on numerous occasions. They both wanted a big family. Not quite as big as his Mum and Dad had, but big all the same. How had he allowed this to happen? He didn't even remember Lav being at the wedding. Bloody hell, he didn't even know she was pregnant until he got the owl from St. Mungos when he got home from work last night. He had never been more thankful for Hermione's work ethic than he was in that moment.
"Mr. Weasley, Miss Brown is asking for you. We are getting ready to bring your little boy into the room to be with her." The Mediwitch said softly. Ron looked at the young woman, she was a little on the chunky side, tall for a woman, around five feet nine inches, with porcelain skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. She seemed familiar, but he couldn't place her.
"Thank you Miss..."
"Bulstrode, Millicent. But please, call me Millie." She said with a kind smile. "No introduction needed for you Mr. Weasley. I owe you a great debt. If not for you, your wife, and Harry Potter, my family would be dead, as would I."
"You were in Slytherin weren't you?" Ron asked, trying not to snarl when he said it. He had worked with a few decent Slytherin in the past two years. Hermione has helped him put that particular prejudice behind him.
"I was, but I can assure you, not every Slytherin wanted that insane megalomaniac to succeed." She smiled. "Now, come, lets get you into your son, shall we?"
"Yeah, okay." Ron said as he followed the kind mediwitch into the room. Ron stood in the door way as he watched Lavender pick up their son and put him on her breast to nurse. She looked at him and smiled softly. Her long blonde curls were in a ponytail that was pulled over the opposite shoulder. Her face was marred with scars from Greyback, but he had to admit that she was still very pretty. Not as beautiful as Hermione, but still pretty all the same. "Lavender, what happened?"
"Do you want to have this conversation now?" Lavender asked him softly. She frowned.
"I bloody well do. Lavender, I need to understand this. I didn't just lie to my boss about where I was, I lied to my wife. MY WIFE!!" He whispered loudly. He didn't want to risk making the baby cry.
"I hate to tell you Ronald, but because of this drunken mistake that we both made, she's not your wife anymore. I am!!!!" She said with a little force. A tear streamed down her face. "I didn't mean for this to happen Ron. I didn't mean for it to happen at all. I told Parvati, when she dragged me to your wedding, that it was a horrible idea. Ron, I never stopped loving you. It broke my heart to see you marry her, but I could see how happy you were. As much as I wanted to be with you, I wanted you happy. I don't really remember much after seeing you kiss Hermione and seal the marriage. The next thing I remember is waking up in my apartment that I shared with Parvati. I had a killer hangover, and absolutely no memory of what happened. I didn't even know the baby was yours until they did the wizarding paternity test when I went into labor."
"I don't remember much after the first dance and cutting the cake. I remember Harry giving me a sober up potion, with Ginny standing next to him looking disappointed and Fred looking absolutely livid. I do know Harry said that they wouldn't tell Hermione the state that he found me in. I don't remember being intimate with you after we broke up all those years ago." Ron ran his hands through his short hair. He was exhausted. He hadn't slept in close to forty-eight hours. "Lav, I love Hermione. She has been the love of my life for years. My wife for a little less than. How can I be okay with this?"
"I'm sorry Ron. I truly am, I wish it didn't happen this way, but I wouldn't trade my son for anything in this world. Look at him. Look at our baby boy." Lavender said softly. She gently switched breasts, and Ron quickly looked away to give her privacy. Once she was covered and had the baby settled, he looked down at his son again. The love he felt for his baby boy was unexplainable and completely unexpected. How could he love someone so much that he just met.
"Can I hold him when he's done nursing?" Ron asked rubbing his hand against the back of his neck.
"Of course you can. He's your son Ron." Lavender said smiling up at him slightly. "That letter came for you. The Mediwitch brought it to you when you were staring at the babies in the nursery. I have already read mine. Ron, you need to read it, then you need to come to terms with the fact that you and I are now bound in marriage for the rest of our lives."
"The fucking ministry sticking its nose where it doesn't belong. I swear they enjoy ruining people's lives. I love Kingsley, but enough is enough." Ron said rolling his eyes and opening his letter. He knew what it would say. He knew the life he had fought so hard for, was over. He would never again get to hold his Hermione in his arms again. He hoped, and prayed to all the gods that she wasn't alone when she found out about his catastrophic mistake.
Fred had a pep in his step as he closed up the shop. He was bone tired, but the deposit in Gringotts was going to be one of the biggest of the new year. Locking the safe and setting the wards, Fred took off his Magenta robes, and trudged up the back stair well to his upper level apartment that he shared with George. Using his wand to open the door, he got a whiff of fish and chips. From the smell, he could guarantee that they were from the Leaky. His favorite. His mouth watered as he kicked off his dragon hide boots, and walked into the kitchen.
"What's the special occasion Forge?" Fred said looking at his twin, who had his head resting on the table. When George looked up at his older brother, by two minutes, Fred saw the angry tears on his face. His stomach fell faster than Harry Potter did after the dementors attack in the Quidditch pitch. He sank down in the chair across from his brother. "Georgie, What is it?"
"Hermione's here. She's staying in the spare room." George said through a scratch voice. "She's going to be staying here for a while."
"Is everything okay? Did something happen to Ron?" Fred asked. He was trying to think of what could possibly have happened that would have Hermione staying there with them.
"He's okay as long as he stays the hell away from here." George's anger was almost palpable. He knew something was wrong, majorly wrong.
"What did the git do? How much fun are we going to have pranking him?" Fred smirked, trying to make George smile.
"Freddie, I'm more worried about how we are going to keep Hermione from killing him, and to be honest, to keep you from killing him." George pushed the plate of fish and chips across the table, and summoned the muggle beer from the freezer. He opened one sliding it across the table to Fred, then popped open the second. "Freddie, he cheated on her, got that Brown bint preggers. She had the baby earlier today. This dissolved their marriage. Hermione was a completely wreck when she came through the floo with Neville."
"Who all knows about this?" Fred could feel the anger rising. He flexed his fists, and took a deep breath. Trying to remember the relaxation techniques he was taught to deal with his PTSD from the wall falling on him.
"Perce was the first to find out, he went to Harry for help, who brought Neville in, you know how close those two are, then they went to Hermione together. Charlie was there when she read the letter." George smirked a bit. "Char wanted to feed him to a dragon. Most of us voted for that, but Potter vetoes that. Neville's idea was better yet...he mentioned some plants to cause impotence."
"We have corrupted the quite one!" Fred said with a bitter laugh. "I like that one the best."
"We still have those products we were waiting to start testing for our WonderWitch line that is for the jilted witch. It would be fun to see how many different symptoms of muggle STDs we could give him." George said with a dark chuckle.
"Please don't." Hermione's soft voice said from the door. Fred turned to look at her, and his breath caught. Even with the puffy, red eyes, and a red stuffy nose, she was absolutely beautiful. Gods help him he was so deeply in love with her, he would do anything for her. Fred wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and hold her tightly. "Thank you both for allowing me to stay here with you. I know it must be an inconvenience."
"Never." Fred said standing up and finally giving in to the need to hug her. She seemed to sink into his embrace a little bit. "Mione, Love, you are always welcome here."
"Thank you Fred." She said through her tears. He felt her body shake with a sob. His anger increased towards his brother. "I don't know what I would do without you and George right now."
"Thankfully that is something that you will never have to find out." George said as he joined into the hug making it a group hug. Fred looked over at George as he felt Hermione's sobs calm down. "We'll always be there for you 'Mione. Always."
"Thank you both." She said as she squeezed them both tightly.
"Did you see the tea I left for you?" George asked her as he took his seat back at the table.
"On the bedside table?" Hermione asked as she started to yawn.
"That would be the one. Why don't you go to bed before you fall down." George smiled at her.
"Come on love," Fred said as he wrapped his arms around her tightly, and started steering her towards the spare room. He kicked the door open more, and led her over to the bead. He helped her inside and tucked her in gently. Her eyes shut immediately. He leaned down and placed a tender kiss on her temple. "Sweet dreams love."
Fred sat on the side of his bed staring at the potion that rested on the night stand. He hadn't taken any Dreamless Sleep potion in over a month, but with Hermione being there, he knew it would trigger a flash back from when he saw her broken and bloody after her torture with Bellatrix Lestrange. He had been at Shell Cottage delivering a message from the order when they trio had arrived. He shivered. Trying hard not to remember how horrid she looked. How she would twitch with just a simple touch to her skin due to the nerve pain from the cruciatus curse. He wanted to remember, instead, the times where neither one could sleep, due to nightmares, and would share cocoa and biscuits at the Burrow.
Flashback to August 1998 The Burrow
Fred woke up in the middle of the night, sweat pouring down his face, his shirt, and sheets were soaked through from the sweat. He pulled off his shirt, and checked the time in the muggle clock his Dad loved so much. Three o'clock in the morning...he knew he would need to wake Hermione soon. Her nightmares were worse than his, and she, not wanting to be a bother to anyone, would rather keep a silencing charm around her bed than inconvenience anyone with her nightmares. Fred only knew about them, because after weeks of meeting in the kitchen in the middle of the night, she had finally confided in him about her dream, and he confided in her about his nightmare of being buried alive. He relished these early mornings with her. He would miss them when she returned to Hogwarts in a few weeks. Putting a silencing charm on his feet,he made his way, slowly, to the room that she was supposed to share with Gunny. Only himself, George, and Ron knew the truth, that Ginny stayed in Ron's room with Harry. She was the only thing that seemed to keep Harry from waking up the whole house. Ron would sleep in Ginny's room, but Hermione still silenced her bed so Ron wouldn't hear her screams. Once he reached the door, he silenced the hinges, and slowly opened the door. When he peaked around the door, he saw Hermione soundlessly thrashing in her bed. Her mouth opened in a silent scream. Fred felt his eyes well with tears. The woman he loved was hurting. The only woman he ever wanted to be with, but would never have. She belonged with Ron. They had been through entirely too much together to not be meant to be together.
Sinking down on his knees, he placed his hands on her shoulders, and gently shook her. She still the moment she felt his touch. After a few moments, she opened her eyes, tears streaming down her face, she lunged for Fred, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Moving on instinct, Fred picked her up bridal style and walked out of the room, down the stairs and took a seat on the worn out couch. Using a nonverbal, wandless spell, he started the hot chocolate and had the chocolate biscuits plated. He looked down at her. Her brown eyes closed tightly, body racked with sobs.
"You're okay love. I've got you. Nothing bad is going to happen to you." Fred whispered to her softly. After a few more moments of repeating this over and over, her sobs quieted, and she loosened the grip she had on his neck. The cups of cocoa and plate of biscuits levitated into the living room, setting themselves down on the coffee table. At the quiet thump, Hermione grabbed the cup closest to her, wrapping her cool hands around it, and took a long sip of the hot liquid, allowing it warm her chilled body. Fred watched as she picked up a biscuit and nibbled a bit. "Same one?"
"It's always the same. I swear, Fred, sometimes I feel all of it again. Like it's still happening." Her voice sounded hoarse and hollow. He tightened his grip on her as he felt her body tremble slightly.
"Mione, I know you don't want to burden anyone with this, and you know that I don't mind helping you in anyway that I can. After all you have done for this family, and for George and me, it's the least I can do. What else can I do to help you?"
"Being here, being my friend, that's helping me." She said softly. She raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "This doesn't help you with your nightmares?"
"No, it does. I sleep like a baby after our talks and cocoa, but I just want to help you get better." Fred said as he picked up his cocoa and took a sip. She looked down, and Fred saw the blush raise to her cheeks. He smirked softly. She seemed to have realized that she was still sitting in his lap. She quickly slid off his lap, to the other end of the couch, sitting on her feet, she faced Fred. "Do you sleep well after our little talks?"
"Honestly, it does help some. There was only one time that keep the nightmares completely away." She said as she looked down at her cocoa. Her blush seemed to deepen.
"Okay. Now your blush has me curious."he said with a smile on his face. What ever it was, it had to be good. There were only a few things that made Hermione blush like that. She blushes like that anytime someone makes any mentions of physical touches or intimacy. He felt his stomach fall, his smile vanished. What if the only night she had dream free was after she and Ron...he quickly shook his head, and looked at her again. Fake smile plastered on his face. "Now, Miss Granger, tell me what has you blushing so much?"
"Well, as silly as it sounds, do you remember the night a few weeks ago, when we fell asleep on the couch. George woke us up before anyone else came down." She asked looking up at Fred under her lashes. He nodded and smiled softly. Encouraging her to keep going. "That time, it was the first time I have been able to sleep without a nightmare. It was the most peaceful four to five hours of sleep I have had in ages."
"Really! I thought you mean that you and Ron had..." he looked down.
"You thought I slept with Ron?" Hermione whispered and shook her head. "No. As old fashioned as it sounds, I am waiting until my wedding night for that. That's why I don't talk about it. That's why I blush when people bring it up."
"So you're a virgin?" Fred smiled when she nodded.
"Yes, and I'm proud of it! So don't you dare make fun of my Frederick Gideon Weasley!" Hermione said raising her eyebrows.
"Never would dream of it, love." Fred said holding up his hands. After that, the conversation came freely, talking about everything from her upcoming final year at Hogwarts to the success he was already seeing at the shop. After a few hours, they both fell asleep on the couch. His hand gently touch her leg, that she had propped up in his lap over time.
Present
Fred smiled at the memory. That was the final time that they were able to stay up talking. Ron had come down the steps and confronted Hermione as to what was going on. After that, she would share a bed with Ron, and her nightmares resolved. It was at that point that he turned to the potion he was currently looking at. Just as he started to reach for the bottle, there was a knock on the door. He dropped his hand, and waved his wand, putting the potion in the drawer. If it was George, he would flip if he even suspected that Fred was thinking about taking it again, especially after overcoming his addiction to the stuff. He cleared his throat "Come in."
"Fred?" Hermione's voice said from the door as it slowly opened.
"Everything okay Mione?" Fred asked walking over to her and wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
"Nightmare, but this wasn't like my old. It was different. I don't want to talk about it." She looked up at him. "Do you ind if I sleep in here? Sleeping next to someone helps. That's how I made it through my seventh year. Ginny stayed with me."
"Of course, what ever you need." Fred cleared his throat, and walked her over to the bed. He helped her into the side of the bed that he never slept on, then he climbed in next to her. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he listened as her breathing evened out, signaling that she had finally fallen into a restful sleep.
