The haze surrounding Hunn's mind finally cleared, and voices were breaking through.
"I can obliviate her," Someone spoke softly.
Something crashed to the floor, "What the hell?"
"I can take this memory from her. She wouldn't remember the baby or the pregnancy at all, and in a few months, you'll be free to try again."
"How can you even offer that, you bloody twit!"
"Yeah! She's strong. She can make it through this!"
The other man sighed heavily, "You wouldn't understand. She grew this life inside her body, and now it's gone," He explained, "Many mothers who go through this don't ever come through it in one piece. She'll live her life feeling broken. You'll feel that way when you see the pain in her eyes, too."
They were talking about her baby. They said her baby was gone. She started to panic. She tried to think back to what had happened, but her head hurt, and her body wouldn't move.
"For months, she's bonded closer to that child than you would have in all the years of its life if it had lived. She's going to be devastated when you tell her that her first child is gone because of what that Death Eater did to her."
Death Eater? Oh God. The memories flooded her mind, and she screamed inside. They had taken her baby from her.
"Come on, sweetheart," Fred whispered, holding her hand tightly.
George took her other hand in his and squeezed. She looked at his hand and wanted to feel the warmth of his touch but didn't, "It's time to go home."
He stroked her cheek and smiled softly as he explained to her what had happened.
She didn't hear his words or feel anything.
All she understood was that the healer was releasing her from their care today after four weeks of being magically asleep. They said she had made a fantastic recovery from the Cruciatus curse. The healers wouldn't talk to her about her baby. They forced her to focus on healing her body rather than focusing on her lost child and a broken heart.
Fred and George packed away anything she had in her room and held her as she stood. Slowly, they walked from the hospital, receiving waves and smiles, which Hunn ignored.
They used the floo and headed back to the Loft.
Shaking the ash from her feet before stepping out, she looked around. It was all the same but somehow different, colorless, drab, and lifeless.
George took her to the kitchen and made her a cup of tea, just as she liked it, but she didn't drink it. He sat with her, holding her hand as she stared into her cup.
Fred joined them, pulling a chair up next to her, and they sat there in silence together.
Her tea grew cold, and the sunset.
They went to bed, but Hunn didn't sleep. She was broken inside, and as she lay in silence that night, she couldn't help but feel the emptiness of her womb mocking her. Her baby died due to the stress the Curse had inflicted on her body.
The healers had told her many times that the moment the Curse was muttered, the baby was gone, but something deep inside her told her that her baby had spent his last moments suffering.
Her mind mulled over these thoughts endlessly through the night. She repeated that night over and over in her mind.
Replaying the exact moment she ended her baby's life.
...
Hunn bundled up in her jumper again and told Molly to drop the gifts off tomorrow morning.
"Hunn, just wait a moment. George and Fred will be here soon to take you home," Hermione told her.
She waved her off, "Don't worry, the shop is just down the way. I can meet them halfway."
"You sure?" Molly asked, meeting near the door and helping her with her jumper.
She nodded, "I'll be fine, Mum." She hugged her and pushed her way into the night air. The stars hung high in the sky and beautifully lit her path home.
"Be careful, dear!" Molly called after her.
She pulled her jumper close to her and started her walk home.
...
She could have saved her baby's life with five minutes of waiting.
...
Hunn bundled up in her jumper again and told Molly to drop the gifts off tomorrow morning.
"Hunn, just wait a moment. George and Fred will be here soon to take you home," Hermione told her.
She waved her off, "Don't worry, the shop is just down the way. I can meet them halfway."
"You sure?" Molly asked, meeting near the door and helping her with her jumper.
She nodded, "I'll be fine, Mum." She hugged her and pushed her way into the night air. The stars hung high in the sky and beautifully lit her path home.
"Be careful, dear!" Molly called after her.
She pulled her jumper close to her and started her walk home.
...
Five minutes, but she had to meet them halfway.
...
Hunn bundled up in her jumper again and told Molly to drop the gifts off tomorrow morning.
"Hunn, just wait a moment. George and Fred will be here soon to take you home," Hermione told her.
She waved her off, "Don't worry, the shop is just down the way. I can meet them halfway."
"You sure?" Molly asked, meeting near the door and helping her with her jumper.
She nodded, "I'll be fine, Mum." She hugged her and pushed her way into the night air. The stars hung high in the sky and beautifully lit her path home.
"Be careful, dear!" Molly called after her.
She pulled her jumper close to her and started her walk home.
...
It was all her fault, and her baby paid for it.
...
Hunn bundled up in her jumper again and told Molly to drop the gifts off tomorrow morning.
"Hunn, just wait a moment. George and Fred will be here soon to take you home," Hermione told her.
She waved her off, "Don't worry, the shop is just down the way. I can meet them halfway."
"You sure?" Molly asked, meeting near the door and helping her with her jumper.
She nodded, "I'll be fine, Mum." She hugged her and pushed her way into the night air. The stars hung high in the sky and beautifully lit her path home.
"Be careful, dear!" Molly called after her.
She pulled her jumper close to her and started her walk home.
...
The sun began to rise outside the window, and they stretched when Fred and George woke.
"Good morning, Love," they said together.
George tugged her out of bed, untangled her hair, and helped her dress. Fred helped George bring her to the front room and started a fire to keep her warm. He wrapped her in a wollen quilt and kissed her cheek.
George brought her a book and something to snack on, setting it beside her. He sat beside her as Fred moved away and held her hands tightly, whispering sweet nothings in her ear.
Fred watched them sadly from the doorway before he and George walked down to open the shop. Her men had been with her constantly, only leaving to eat and bathe before returning to her. Today would be their first day back at work.
They expected her to read, eat, or do something, but she didn't. Her mind was full already.
...
Hunn bundled up in her jumper again and told Molly to drop the gifts off tomorrow morning.
"Hunn, just wait a moment. George and Fred will be here soon to take you home," Hermione told her.
She waved her off, "Don't worry, the shop is just down the way. I can meet them halfway."
"You sure?" Molly asked, meeting near the door and helping her with her jumper.
She nodded, "I'll be fine, Mum." She hugged her and pushed her way into the night air. The stars hung high in the sky and beautifully lit her path home.
"Be careful, dear!" Molly called after her.
She pulled her jumper close to her and started her walk home.
...
"Hunn?" Fred called for her, breaking her from her thoughts.
She looked up and found him kneeling at her feet. He looked worried and stressed as he squeezed her hands tightly.
Hunn looked into his eyes, and something broke inside her again. The pain that was shown in their depths and the deep lines and bags under his eyes were like a knife to her heart.
She had done that too, "I'm sorry, Fred."
He took her in his arms, relieved to hear her voice after so long, and buried his face in her hair, "Don't be sorry. I'm just happy you're okay."
She shook her head, and sobs built in her chest, "It's all my fault."
He squished her against his chest and rocked her as he cried with her.
"You did nothing wrong, sweets," George whispered in her ear, "You did everything you could to fight back against five Death Eaters. We were lucky you made it out with your life," He told her as his voice broke.
"I should have come out with both our lives. I failed our baby, George. I fucked up," Hunn wailed as her heart broke with theirs shattering into a million pieces until no one could tell what pieces belonged to who. George joined their group huddle and wrapped his arms around Fred and her, squeezing them tightly. Their family lost its youngest member, and none of them felt whole inside.
September passed, and Hunn lay in bed wide awake as the sun rose and shifted high into the sky as the hours passed. George offered to shut the shop down to stay with her, but she refused to let them suffer with her.
The shop was their pride and joy, and she would not be the cause of yet another loss in their lives.
Never again.
...
Hunn bundled up in her jumper again and told Molly to drop the gifts off tomorrow morning.
"Hunn, just wait a moment. George and Fred will be here soon to take you home," Hermione told her.
She waved her off, "Don't worry, the shop is just down the way. I can meet them halfway."
"You sure?" Molly asked, meeting near the door and helping her with her jumper.
She nodded, "I'll be fine, Mum." She hugged her and pushed her way into the night air. The stars hung high in the sky and beautifully lit her path home.
"Be careful, dear!" Molly called after her.
She pulled her jumper close to her and started her walk home.
...
When the sun shone in her eyes, she shook the memory away and moved to sit up. The weight in her chest made it hard to move, holding her down. Fighting against it, she sat up and gazed out the window, watching the owls fly by with packages tied to their ankles.
The heavy, all-consuming weight hung low in her chest, and tears burned both her eyes as she struggled to take a deep breath. Pain filled her chest. She felt lost. Adrift in her body, held down by nothing and no one, she sat in bed and gazed out the window.
She stood on shaky legs and made her way to the window. Outside the street, people walked in and out of the shop below, laughing and smiling, utterly oblivious to her inner pain and struggle. Everyone walking in the streets of Diagon Alley had their own lives and pains, and it was unique and individual to who they were and why they were alive.
"Sweetheart?" George called from the doorway.
Turning, she saw him leaning against the door jam, and when their eyes connected, he gave her a small smile. He was just as handsome as he was a year ago when they met in the hallway after a Ravenclaw V. Slytherin match. He held her close and reassured her as Fred dished out a beating in her name.
"Yes?" She choked out, her voice rough.
"How are you feeling?"
She shrugged, "Heavy. Numb. Lost," Her voice came out in a whisper. She didn't even know if he could hear her from where he stood.
He took the length of the room in four long strides and wrapped his arms around her middle, "I know it hurts, love. I hurt too," His hand brushed her belly, and that's when he faltered, "Our little boy is gone, but I can't lose you too," He told her softly, holding her eyes with his.
She saw all his passion and pain burning in his eyes. She nodded and hid her face in his neck. He held her close for a long moment, "Mum is here. She wants to talk to you about something," George pulled away and kissed her cheeks before leaving the room.
Molly walked in and sat next to her on the window seat. Molly took her hand and held it tightly, "Hello, darling."
Hunn said nothing and looked at Molly, knowing the other woman could feel her pain and heartbreak.
"It's been months, darling. You can't stay in this little room forever."
"I can't leave. I feel so messed up."
"I know, baby. I know that it's going to hurt for a very long time. Maybe even forever," Molly told her honestly.
Pain blossomed in her heart again, "How could you know, Molly? You have several beautiful children that are all here today when you need them," Hunn lashed out, yanking her hand away from her only mother figure.
Molly breathed deeply, "Not all my babies are here today, Hunn," She whispered.
Hunn's head snapped up, and Molly gazed down at the streets below and smiled when a young girl started to laugh.
"What do you mean?"
Tears rolled down Molly's face, "There was a time when Arthur and I didn't have any children, let alone seven, to give us grey hair," She let out a soft laugh, "When Arthur and I were still newly married we found out I was pregnant with our first."
A moment of silence passed between the two women, and it lingered until Molly let out a small sob, "I was five months along when we lost our son. It was during the first war when the fighting was most dangerous. We didn't have time to grieve our loss at the time, but when it was all over, we decided to name him Johnathan."
"Johnathan?" Hunn whispered. Molly nodded and held her arms around her adopted daughter tightly.
"How did you do it?"
"Arthur was with me. I don't know what we would have done without him being so strong for us."
Hunn thought over Molly's words, "I don't know what to do, Mum. I feel so empty inside all the time," Hunn trailed her hand to her belly and cried, "I feel so empty. I felt my baby kick, I felt him move, and now there's just nothing."
Molly grimaced, "Darling, I'm not saying this will be easy. This will take months or even years to be even the smallest bit bearable."
"Everything reminds me of him. I imagined every day holding him and smiling with him," A strangled laugh escaped, "Fred even joked about finding him his first girlfriend. Or sending howlers when he's done his first prank at school."
Molly laughed through her tears and wiped them away, "There's no doubt that any child of Fred and George will get many, many howlers, and you'll receive many letters home."
"How did you get through it?"
Molly paused and, for a long time, gazed out the window. The sun was rising high; they had spent most of the morning together talking, and the voices outside had dulled to a low murmur.
Eventually, Molly looked at her and smiled, "I didn't. Every day, I wake up and wonder what life could have been like. I sometimes cry and wonder what taking him to the train would have been like. How he would have been the best big brother in the world," Molly wiped her eyes, "The only thing that gets me through is taking it one step at a time. I let Arthur lead me when I felt weak, and I led him when he couldn't lead himself. We're a team, and we live one day at a time, loving each of our children, even the ones who aren't around to cause trouble."
"I love my baby," Hunn whispered.
"Good. Love your baby daily, and I will love my grandbaby daily. Did you pick out a name yet?"
She thought momentarily and nodded, "I want to name him Leo."
"Leo Weasley," Molly whispered, "It's a perfect fit," She confirmed.
Molly stood and pulled Hunn to her feet, "Come on. Let's go tell the boys."
Her hair was greasy, and her clothes were rumpled, and she had been wearing them for three days, but even though she was feeling a little gross and worn down, Hunn followed Molly down to the shop anyway. She stood close to her mother-in-law and held her hand as they walked. Molly brought her comfort and understanding that helped ease her panic.
They could hear George ushering a few students out the door as they approached the bottom of the steps.
"Good night! Come again tomorrow! Bring your friends!" he shouted, waving with a huge smile. When he turned away from the door, his grin dropped, and anyone could see the wear and sleeplessness etched into his features.
"Come here, Fred," Molly called, waving him over to where they stood.
George grinned, "I'm George, Mum."
"Oh, sorry, dear."
Geroge strolled over and wrapped his arms around Hunn, hugging her close.
"How are you, darling?" he whispered, kissing her forehead.
"I feel better."
He looked doubtful but smiled when he saw the light twinkle in her eyes.
"We came up with a name!" Molly told him excitedly.
"A name?" he asked, looking a little concerned. His gaze traveled between his mother and his little witch.
"I chose a name for the baby, " Hunn explained.
He watched her expectantly, "Well, out with it!" he exclaimed, laughing when his mother pinched him.
"Leo."
"Leo Weasley," He whispered, "Leo Weasley."
He looked pleased beyond belief, and tears welled in his eyes as Molly snatched him up in a tight hug.
"Go on, dear! I want to talk to George. Go find Fred and tell him the news," Molly said, waving her off with a huge smile.
"Where is Fred?" Hunn asked, looking around. She couldn't see her loud, goofy man anywhere.
"He's in the back training the new girl," George said, pointing to the back workshop.
Her brows knit together. They had never told her anything about a new girl, "New girl?"
"Yeah, when you wouldn't let us shut the shop down to be with you. We hired a young girl on summer holiday to help out. Her name is Martha, I think."
"How young?" Molly asked, looking put off.
"She's about sixteen. Almost seventeen, I reckon," He shrugged, not thinking anything about it.
"I'll go find him," Hunn told them, walking off.
She made her way to the back room, and as she got closer, she could hear soft giggling and laughing coming from behind the closed workroom door. She pushed her way in quietly and saw Fred and a young girl sitting close together. The girl was practically in his lap. Their heads bowed, and the girl's long blonde hair shielded their faces.
"Oh, Fred!" she lightly slapped his arm, and he looked up, grinning wide. He looked up at her and smiled. Mary leaned in closer, their faces inches apart, and placed a hand on his cheek, holding his face where she wanted it. The girl touched him with such soft, caring familiarity, and Hunn's heart hurt.
"Fred?" Hunn choked out from the doorway.
The girl sprang away from him and looked anywhere but at her. Fred's head snapped up, looking her way, and guilt washed over his features, "Hunn?"
Hunn turned and walked out of the room just as quickly as she had stepped in, leaving them alone. She practically ran to where George and Molly were laughing, running from Fred's fast-approaching footsteps.
"It wasn't what it looked like, Hunn!"
She didn't look back; she threw herself into George's arms and tried blocking him out.
"Fred? What's going on? Where's Martha?" George asked, wrapping his arms around her tense shoulders
"It wasn't what it seemed," Fred told her, ignoring his brother.
She could feel his eyes boring her back, but she couldn't look at him.
George tightened his hold on her, "What's going on, Fred? What isn't what it looked like?" George's tone was getting dangerous, a voice he only brought out when he was flying and in the middle of a game with a beaters bat in his hands.
"I was sitting with Mary in the back..."
"She was practically in your lap, Fred!" Hunn yelled, spinning in George's arms to look at him with fury in her eyes.
"No, she wasn't!"
"She was leaning into you, holding your face!"
"No, we were just talking, Hunn!"
"Don't lie to me!"
He threw his hands up, "I'm not lying to you! She means nothing to me. She's just an employee!"
Mary crept out from the back room and tried to sneak around us, but she wasn't fast enough to escape from Molly.
"Fred? Is that the girl you wrote home about in your third year?" she asked, looking hard at the girl who didn't want to be seen.
Fred shook his head, "No."
George looked at the girl, "This is the Mary?"
Hunn looked up to George, "Who?"
George shook his head, "You couldn't be that dimwitted mate."
Fred looked down and avoided their eyes.
"Tell me what was going on, Fred Weasley!" Molly demanded.
"It was a stupid crush. I haven't thought about it in years," Fred muttered under his breath.
Molly looked enraged, "Tell us what happened, Fred."
"I hired her because she needed a job."
"Did she know you were engaged?" George asked, immensely pissed at his brother.
Fred shrugged.
"Mary? Did you know that Fred and George were engaged?" Molly asked, turning her sad eyes to the girl trying to hide.
All eyes shifted to her, and she looked uncomfortable before shaking her head no, "I think I heard something about it, but I figured it was just a rumor. Can I go now?"
"Yes, and please don't come back," Hunn told her without another glance.
"I'm fired?" The dimwitted witch asked, looking to Fred for saving.
"Yes. Now get out," George confirmed, waving his hand toward the door.
She ran without fighting, and the door slammed behind her.
"What were you thinking, Fred?"
He looked up, and his eyes were sad, "I got caught up in the moment, and it's like she brought me back to being in my third year. You've been pushing me away, both of us," He pointed between himself and George, "You haven't even let me hold you in months. She made me feel good about myself like I was still wanted."
"Why would you do this?" Hunn asked, her voice breaking.
"You didn't want me, and I felt so guilty about losing our son. I just got caught up in not feeling awful that I forgot you might get hurt."
"Well, I am hurt. How could you do this to us, Fred? To feel better about yourself. You're so selfish."
George buried his face in her hair, "Our family is going through so much already."
"I know! She just gave me confidence. I wasn't ever going to do anything with her. She's not you, Hunn. No one will ever be you. You're the woman I want to marry. The one I want to have children with. You're the woman for me."
She shook her head, "I knew we shouldn't have done this. That spellbound us together, and we were not ready for it."
"What spell?"
"We performed some magic over the summer. Hunn came to stay with us. She translated it, and Fred and I bound ourselves to Hunn permanently."
"Old magic?"
They nodded, and she laughed, "You are too young to perform that magic successfully. Even grown adults can't always get it right."
"What do you mean? We feel the bond every day. It keeps us together," Fred told his mum.
She laughed again, pulling out her wand, "Semper Pedum Solvere," She muttered softly.
An air swept about them, and something pulled and yanked at their hearts until it felt like they would be pulled out of their chests. The air left their lungs, and when Hunn was going to fall, George caught her and held her close to his chest.
The tugging disappeared, and they were left standing breathless.
George tugged on a strand of her hair and smiled, "Guess what?"
"What?" Hunn whispered.
"I still love you," He whispered, capturing her lips in a soft, fierce kiss.
All eyes turned to Fred, and he stared deeply into her eyes, "Hunn?"
"No, not now. Don't say anything," She begged him.
"But I lov..."
"Don't. I don't wanna hear it, Fred, unless you mean it."
He rushed to her and dropped to his knees, "I do mean it, Baby. Hunn, I love you."
"I wanna believe you, Fred. I really do. Because I love you more than anything, but I don't know if you mean it anymore."
"I do. I mean it. Please. Believe me."
She shook her head.
"At least tell me what you were so excited about earlier."
She looked into his eyes and nearly cried, "I choose a name for our baby, Fred."
His eyes glazed over, "What?" Pain flooded his voice.
"Leo."
"Leo Weasley?"
"That's our baby, Fred. Leo Weasley."