Fred knelt before the couch while Hunn sat nervously in George's lap. He placed his hands on her belly. He let his head rest on her leg and held her around the middle. She threaded her fingers through his hair, and George squeezed her tightly in his arms.
"I'm a dad," George whispered, slipping his hand down to her belly with Fred's.
Fred looked up at both of them and laughed. He fell back on his arse and laughed.
"Fred?" Hunn asked, smiling down at him.
He clutched his middle as he doubled over, "Shocked it didn't happen sooner," he managed to get out.
A lightbulb went off in her head, and she began laughing with him. Leaning into George's chest, she felt glad they weren't rejecting her or the baby.
"What am I missing?" George asked, rubbing Hunn's back.
Hunn scooted around to cup his face, "George, we're surprised it didn't happen sooner."
His brows knit together, and he made an 'O' face, "We've never bothered to spell it. Damn," he cracked up.
"Oh, god. We're so screwed," she whispered, grinning.
Fred climbed back onto the couch and laid his head on Hunn's lap, "If we keep this up, we'll have as many children as we do siblings, Fred."
"Oh God. Could you imagine? Seven small ones running around?"
Hunn blushed, "I wouldn't mind..." She felt their eyes on her, and she shrank away.
"You want a lot of children?" they asked, intrigued.
She nodded, "I was an only child. I was alone most of my childhood because muggles didn't react well to kids doing unexplained magic."
"How many kids do you want?"
She shrugged, "More than two, less than ten."
Their eyes bugged out, and she laughed, "How about we just see what happens?" she suggested, smiling as they looked at her with deep blushes. She felt a bit embarrassed, having admitted she wanted so many children.
They nodded, agreeing, "We'll see what happens."
They lay huddled together on the couch for a while and just basked in the silence. Their bodies were pressed against her, and she held them as close as she possibly could. It felt so right to be with them.
"I missed you," she whispered.
They hugged her closer and kissed her where they could reach.
"Can I ask you guys something?"
"Go ahead, love."
"Do you mind if I stay here with you two?"
They sat up, and each took hold of her hands in theirs, "Of course," George told her, smiling.
Fred chuckled, "We already planned to have you stay with us."
"Come on, Fred, let's show her around," George stood and pulled her to her feet. Hunn followed, walking between them through the house. They stopped in the hallway and turned her around.
She viewed the room they had just been in, "Here is the front room. The floo is in the corner, and the kitchen is on the other side."
The room wasn't decorated and seemed bare, "You haven't unpacked?" she asked, a bit confused.
They chucked, "We don't quite have the cash to furnish the place yet," George told her, pulling her down the hall, "There are two more rooms, and we kind of hoped you would make this place feel like home..."
Hunn felt her heart jump, "Of course!" she agreed, "I would love to!"
They stopped in front of an empty room, "This is going to be our office," Fred told her, "You can decorate this any way you want to."
Hunn pulled away from them and found a small bathroom further down the hall. The primary bedroom was at the end of the hall, in the corner of the loft. It was the most enormous room; the only thing inside it was a large bed, bigger than enough for the three of them.
"Is this for us?" she asked, blushing behind her hand.
"You know it," George teased from behind her.
"We know it may seem weird, but we've discussed it."
"Fred and I both agree. We don't like to be separated from you."
She looked up at them and smiled.
"Hunn, no one else may be able to understand us, but that doesn't matter."
She hugged them both and nodded, "I don't care what anyone thinks."
"With that thought, we decided we only needed one bedroom. You can sleep between us at night, and if you want the bed to yourself, we can take the front room and sleep there to give you space."
Hunn shook her head and smiled naughtily at them, "Never," she leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed George on the cheek and then leaned to Fred and pecked him on the lips, "Is there anything else I should see?" she asked smiling at them.
Fred looked over at George, and then they both looked down at her before silently leading her to the would-be office space. George tugged her inside by the hand. She looked around; there was nothing in the room. It was just an empty space.
Fred looked at the white ceiling and waved his wand, muttering, "Aparecium." In the next instant, there was a trap door on the roof, and Fred was pulling down a set of rickety stairs with his wand.
"What's this?" Hunn asked, confused.
Without another word, Fred climbed the stairs, and when he reached the top, he motioned for her to follow and helped pull her through the opening into another room. Her eyes wandered the room, and her heart squeezed inside her chest.
The room was empty. There was no furniture, but the carpet was plush and warmly colored royal blue. There were windows all along the walls, and the light streamed in abundance, lighting up the room. Between every window was floor-to-ceiling bookcases made from dark wood. The shelves were empty, but they knew she already had books in mind to fill every spot on these shelves.
Hunn turned to them, and tears sprang to her eyes, blurring her vision, "When did you do this?"
Fred shrugged, "It was George's idea, and together, we worked on the kinks to have the previous owners of the building come down and add this in. We gave them details, and they made it happen," He explained, smiling smugly.
Hunn looked at George, and he grinned to himself. "Do you like it?" he asked.
She nodded and jumped into his arms for a hug. He squeezed her back, nuzzling his face into her neck, "I love it. It's perfect."
Fred leaned over to her and kissed her neck softly, "We're having a baby," he whispered in awe.
She leaned into him and smiled, "Yeah, we're having a baby.
Hunn let out a yawn. She apologized, but they wouldn't hear any of it. They took her down to the bedroom, stripped her down to her knickers, and tucked her in for a nap. They kissed her lips and promised to wake her later so she could eat.
...
Hunn woke the next morning naked and snuggled in Fred's arms. He held her close to his chest with one hand wrapped around her middle and the other hand resting on her lower belly. He snored loudly in her ear and muttered in his sleep.
Hunn lifted his arm off, rolled over, and kept sleeping. She slipped on one of their shirts, strolled over to the kitchen, and found George sipping in a mug of tea.
He smiled, "Want some tea, love?"
Nodding, she sat on a stool near the counter, where he poured her some tea and sat beside her. She yawned and sipped the warm tea, sighing.
"Have you started production on the inventory you need for the grand opening?" she questioned while adding milk to her tea.
He nodded, "Yeah, we have the Snack Boxes ready and the individual components that can be sold separately for those who don't have the Galleons. We also created something new last night before you showed up," He waved his wand, and a few objects appeared on the counter, "This is our line of magical defense."
She picked up a pouch of powder and examined it.
"What you have there is Peruvian Instant Darkness power. Decoy Detonators, Working Sneakoscopes, Extendable Ears, Bombtastic Bombs, and a few more bits and bobs," He explained, pointing to each object in turn.
"This is amazing. This will fund the shop on its own. You two are creative thinkers," she praised.
"Well, thank you, my lady. We are ready to open. We need to set up the displays and get the outside of the shop ready to attract the crowds."
"We'll start today as soon as Fred wakes up," she told him, sipping on her tea, "I'll do as much as I can to help."
George smiled wickedly, "I think I can arrange that," He said, giving her a wink. He picked up one of the Decoy Detonators and tossed it toward the bedroom. The little waddling object moved toward the bedroom and out of sight.
"Cover your ears, love," he said. He poked his fingers inside his ears, and she did the same, not knowing what to expect. A moment later, the loudest bang went off, and Fred screamed. He rushed out of the bedroom butt naked and looked terrified.
"What in the bloody hell was that!" he screamed as the noise followed him down the hallway to where they were waiting.
Hunn walked up to him and gave him a good morning kiss, "Good morning, love. George was showing me the Defensive magic things you created," she explained innocently.
His eyes narrowed, and his brows knit together, "Yeah, I bet he was."
She walked off to get dressed and laughed when she heard Fred yelp and George laughing again. She dressed in George's jumper and joggers and joined them again.
"Go get dressed. I want to see the shop."
"We have a lot of work to do. Opening day is this Saturday."
Fred grumbled and walked off as Hunn sipped her tea and George pulled out paperwork. She knew today was going to be a lot of hard work.
After eating, they all went to the shop and started exploring the space. It was wide open and had plenty of room along the stairs to display. They went to work placing the items and decorating for opening day.
Hunn placed the fountain for the love potion display near the center of the main floor next to the colorful Pygmy Puff Fluffs. They scurried around behind her and made their soft squeaks. Fred and George moved the heavier signs around and goofed upstairs with their wands as she continued placing inventory around the building.
They worked through the afternoon. The shop was now filled with everything they could sell together and more.
"Where do you want to eat?" Fred asked, slinging his arm around her shoulders.
"We could go to the Leaky Cauldron?" Hunn suggested.
"Yes! To the Leaky Cauldron!" George agreed and pulled her by the hand out of the shop.
She couldn't help but giggle as they pulled her by all the shops and into the Leaky Cauldron. They settled near the back and whispered as they ate. Wizards and Witches walked through, entering and leaving. Hunn leaned into Fred and started to think aloud, "What are we going to tell your mum?"
"What do you mean?"
George looked confused, "What do we need to tell mum?"
She smiled, "Well, you haven't told her that you've graduated early and left Hogwarts."
"We'll put it in a letter," Fred said as if it solved everything.
Hunn laughed if only it were that simple, "Alright, that's fine. What are we going to tell her about the baby?" She asked them. She watched as their faces fell and their brows knitted together.
"We can put it in a letter?" George said, not sounding so sure.
She laughed even harder, "You do that, and your mum will send a howler every moment until we visit."
"We could just go see her."
Hunn nodded, "Why don't we head over there now?"
They groaned in unison, and their heads fell, "Fine," They conceded together and stood to help her.
Hunn's heart beat wildly, and she felt so excited. She would get to tell them she was pregnant. They walked over to the bar and found Tom washing the glasses, "Hey, Tom."
"How are you doing, boys? Enjoy the food?"
Hunn smiled, "It was wonderful, Tom! Just amazing."
"You flatter me, young lady."
George kissed her forehead, "Do you mind if we use the floo, Tom?"
He smiled at them and nodded, "Not a problem."
They said their thanks and walked over to the floo in the corner. The twins went first, and Hunn followed after calling for the Burrow. In a swirl of green fire, she landed in the living room off the side of the kitchen and heard Molly screaming from the other room.
"Who's here?" she yelled.
"Mum, It's Fred and George! Brought you something!" They called out to her together.
They waited as they heard her steps get closer. She entered the room ranting and raving about not being at school and froze when she saw the three of them waiting.
"Oh, you brought Hunn along with you!" she raced over and hugged each of them tightly, "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at school, you three!"
Hunn hugged her again and squeezed her tightly, "We've come to tell you a few things."
Molly let her go, and she knitted her eyebrows together with her hands on her hips. "You couldn't send a letter?"
"Ha! I told you we should have sent a letter!" Fred laughed in victory.
Hunn rolled her eyes and walked Molly over to the table, "Sit with me, Mum. Let's have a cuppa tea," she waved her wand. The teapot warmed, and the tea floated to them in hot mugs.
Molly took hers and smiled, "Thank you, my dear."
The twins joined and sat on the other side of the table, far away from their mother, "Well, we wanted to tell you that we're not in school anymore. Any of us," George told her, leaning away.
Molly's eyes widened, and she choked on her tea, "What did you say? You've all dropped out? You can't do that! I demand that you go back to school this instant!"
Fred grimaced, "No, mum!"
"We didn't say we dropped out," George finished for his brother.
"What do you mean? You graduate in two months, so why can't you go back? I know you're seventeen, but that's no replacement for an education!" she started to sob when Hunn wrapped her arms around her.
"No, mum. We graduated," Fred told her softly.
She froze and looked up at them, "You graduated? How's that possible?" she asked, wiping her tears away.
"Yes, mum. Hunn convinced us we needed to graduate. So we talked to McGonagall, and she let us take our exams early, and we graduated a few days ago."
She leaped to her feet and hugged them, "Oh, I never thought I would see the day." She mumbled, hugging them tighter. She walked over to Hunn and hugged her, too, "Thank you for helping them, and congratulations on graduating, my dear."
Hunn's heart sank as she pulled away from her. The twins rushed to hug her and kissed her on the forehead, "It's okay, love," George reassured as Fred pulled her onto his lap.
Molly looked concerned and worried, "What's going on?" she asked, her face dropping.
Fred looked up and frowned, "Mum, she didn't graduate..." he told her softly.
Hunn stood up from her lap, "I'm fine. Don't worry," Hunn told them, but her voice shook.
"What happened? Why haven't you graduated?" she asked, taking Hunn's hand in hers.
"I haven't graduated. Umbridge expelled..." Hunn tried to explain, but her voice broke, and she lost her will to say it for the millionth time.
Molly's face went through many emotions: shock, sadness, and anger, "She can't do that! I will have a word with her!"
"There's nothing you can do," Hunn told her, smiling softly, "I wish I could return and graduate. But with so little of the year left, she's made this nearly impossible to fight. It would take months or longer. Even if I could, I just can't," Hunn said, placing a hand on her tummy and sighing, feeling tired.
Molly looked at her hand, and her eyes trailed back up to hers, "Don't be ridiculous. I'll send an owl to McGonagall now, and you'll be back before you can say NEWT," Molly spun around and grabbed her parchment and quill. She started to scribble her message down; her quill moved quickly, making Hunn's heartache.
Molly was in denial.
Hunn placed a hand on her shoulder, and she stopped, "Why can't you go back, Hunn?" Molly asked without looking up. Her voice was soft and laced with worry.
Fred and George took Hunn's hands in theirs for support, and she let go of the breath she had been holding and smiled, "Umbridge expelled me... because I'm pregnant."
Molly didn't say a word. She sat in the chair closest to her and stared off into the kitchen. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she wiped them away quickly. She took in ragged breaths and then walked away from them without a sound or sob.
Hunn watched her go and started to cry. Fred and George embraced their darling little witch and, filled with confusion, wondered why their mother had walked away. They had expected happiness, maybe a bit of anger, and scolding, but overall, they expected her to be excited.
Fred and George surrounded Hunn with their arms and took her into their space. They silenced her crying and rubbed her back as she sobbed.
"Love, it'll be okay."
"She just needs to think about this."
George chuckled, "She's probably just feeling old right now."
"Yeah, she's having a grand-baby, and that could make anyone feel a little aged."
The door near the garden creaked open, and Arthur walked in smiling brightly, "Hello, you lot! What are you doing here?" he greeted happily.
They released Hunn, and each placed an arm around her shoulders, "Just here to visit Mum," Fred told him with a small smile.
George nudged Hunn, and she looked up at him uncertainly. He smiled and encouraged her again toward his dad, who was starting to make himself some tea.
"Arthur?" Hunn asked nervously, fidgeting with the oversized jumper she wore.
He looked up and smiled brightly, "Yes, dear?"
"We came to tell you and Molly something important," she managed to get out.
He waited as she collected herself. Her heart raced, and she feared he would react the way Molly had and reject her and her baby.
"I'm pregnant," Hunn told him in a whisper.
He wasted no time in racing toward her. He scooped her up in a hug and squeezed her tightly, "Are you really?" he asked without letting her go.
With a small, still uncertain laugh, Hunn nodded and hugged him back. Tears fell down her face, and he didn't let go. She squeezed him back and cried, really needing comfort from him.
"Come on, Dad, let her breathe," Fred joked, but he didn't attempt to separate them.
Arthur turned on them, resting his arm on Hunn's shoulders. His eyes narrowed, and he pointed at them, "You're not getting off that easy, you two."
Fred looked taken back, and George looked surprised, "What do you mean?" they asked, "We haven't done anything."
"You got her pregnant!" he scolded them, his tone harsh and unforgiving.
Hunn giggled before sneaking off, leaving them with their father, and sought out Molly. She took deep breaths as she searched for her. The lower levels of the house were empty, so she traveled up the stairs until she heard the sobs. Stopping outside her bedroom and listening, she could hear her breathing, and her sobs broke her heart.
"Molly?" Hunn called for her softly before pushing her way inside the room, "Are you alright?" she asked, sitting next to her on the bed.
Molly sat with her head in her hands and cried. Hunn rubbed her back as she took deep breaths to calm herself. Hunn waited as she collected her thoughts, and she tried not to think about her running away.
She looked at Hunn, and Hunn felt heartbreak. Her eyes were red and swollen, and she looked sad, almost disappointed.
"I'm sorry..." Hunn began to tell her.
She threw her arms around Hunn and hugged her tightly, "Don't be sorry."
"You were upset about the baby..."
Molly shook her head and pulled back, looking at her with a small smile, "I'm not upset about the baby. I'm thrilled!" she wiped away her tears and laughed when she saw how confused she was.
"I'm having a grandchild! How could I not be happy?" she asked, genuinely happy.
"Why did you run away?"
"I'm thrilled you're having a baby, Hunn. I'm just sad for you..." she explained, "You'll end up just like me."
Hunn thought about her loving family, her huge warm home, and her husband, who adored her and became even more confused.
She took Hunn's hand and squeezed it, "I never got to follow my dreams," She started, "I always wanted to be something. When I was younger, I wanted to become a Medi-witch and help as many people as possible. But right out of school, I got pregnant with Bill. I figured I would wait a few years and get him off to school before trying again, but two years after Bill, I ended up with Charlie."
She stared off into space, and Hunn saw the emotion flicker across her face before she continued, "Arthur and I went to a muggle doctor, and they put me on something called 'the pill.'" She looked at Hunn to see if she understood.
"I was on a muggle birth control as well before my parents passed," Hunn told her, looking away, her red cheeks lighting up, "I was too caught up in their passing that I never remembered to go back to make sure it kept working," she admitted to her.
Molly smiled and chuckled, "I followed all the Muggle directions and took it at the same time every day. I even got a relative to watch the boys while I went in for my training, but I never got to finish it. Three years later, I had Percy," Her voice got low, and she had tears in her eyes again, "I tried to retake the pill after he was born, and it worked for a while. But I never got to finish my training because the twins came along, and they needed constant supervision."
They both laughed together at that.
"You know, one time they tried to replace Ronald with gnome?" she told Hunn with a big smile, "They put poor Ron out in the garden, dressed a gnome in his clothes, and tried to pass it off as their baby brother."
They laughed for a moment before she said, "I'm just sad that you'll never get to graduate now, and because of that, you'll never get to follow your dreams."
It hit Hunn then that Molly didn't want her to feel trapped. She wanted her to be happy in their vast, crazy, wonderful family.
"Mum?" Hunn asked.
She looked at Hunn with such love in her eyes, "You're a mum," She said, choking up as she pulled her in for a hug, "How far along are you?"
Hunn smiled at her, "I'm a month so far. We couldn't wait to tell you. We also figured you'd be more upset if we waited longer to tell you of the newest edition."
She laughed a genuine laugh and smiled, hugging her tighter.
"Will you help us with the baby?"
She smiled brightly and nodded, "Of course, I will! When the baby is older, if you would like, I hope you'll consider letting me watch them while you work..." she offered with a small smile.
Hunn nodded and hugged her again. Her heart felt whole, knowing she was as excited as they were for this baby to come to be.
Molly rested her hand on Hunn's tummy and smiled, "There's also something you should know..." Molly started.
"What is it?"
She took a deep breath, "The Weasley men tend to have a lot of boys..."
"What do you mean? You have Ginny."
"We'll Ginny is our seventh child, and that's how it tends to be with all the Weasley men. You have male children up until the seventh. The seventh child is always a girl," She explained.
Hunn was shocked, six boys until they could have a little girl... Her heart beat like crazy, "Wow. I guess there will be a lot of love..."
Molly laughed and pulled her up to her feet. They walked downstairs together and found Arthur scolding the boys. They caught the tail end of his lecture, "How do you think you're going to support a child?" he asked them.
Fred smiled, "We figured we would make Hunn get a job while we stayed at home and did nothing."
George smiled at his brother's joke, "She could work until the baby is born, and after that, she can work full-time to support us while we take care of the baby."
Arthur looked confused, not expecting this answer from his son's in a million years. Hunn laughed and slapped George on his shoulder, "Don't do that to your dad," she scolded them.
They laughed, "Should have seen your face, Dad."
Fred howled with laughter as his father deflated, "What will you do then?" Arthur asked, looking concerned now after their joke.
Fred stood and took Hunn into his arms, "We've started our own business," He told them, smiling.
Molly looked shocked, and Arthur looked overjoyed that his sons weren't deadbeat wizards.
"A business doing what?" their mum asked, concerned lacing her voice like she was afraid they were selling drugs or something else unfavorable.
Fred and George puffed up their chests and gave her a wicked grin, "We've opened our Joke Shop!" Fred told them proudly.
They waved their wands, and three sparkling Ws lit up the small space. Fred grinned and shouted, "Weasley's, Wizard's, Wheeze's!" They exclaimed together. Their faces lit up with happiness.
Arthur looked pleasantly surprised, and Molly groaned, "Jokes..." She choked out, "You'll create more hooligans just like yourselves," She laughed, collapsing into a chair.
Hunn smiled at her, "I'll keep an eye on them, don't worry."
She laughed and hopped up to make them all a cup of tea. They chatted and laughed for a few hours before finally deciding to head back to the shop.
Molly grabbed the boys in a bug and kissed them on the cheeks, "Promise you'll come to visit."
Hunn hugged her before she could squeeze her, and she laughed.
"Mum, you can come to the shop this Saturday and look at everything when Ron, Ginny, and Harry are on their midterm break," George told her, stepping into the fireplace.
She smiled and nodded, "We will be there!" she promised as Hunn stepped into the floo.
"We love you, Mum," Fred promised, blowing her kiss at her.
"I love you three too!" she said, dabbing at her eyes as Arthur hugged her around the middle and smiled as they disappeared in a blast of green fire and a tight squeeze.