The seventh of February was the day that Fred and Hermione moved into their small apartment that was soon to be a home for themselves and their child. Hermione hadn’t seen the apartment as of yet since Fred wanted it to be a surprise for her and he had been working on it for quite a number of hours everyday. When they apparated into the apartment her sight was met with a couple of boxes piled up in the hall way alone,, these must be the ones that Fred hadn’t had a chance to unpack yet.  

‘The kitchen is right down the corridor there,’ Fred muttered and led her behind him. He looked really tired, Hermione noticed but she guessed he had a right to be. Fred had been working extra all this week and would the next weeks to pay the rent and he was also busy getting the apartment ready for her. He didn't come to Harry’s house last night like he usually does to see Hermione, instead he had been in the apartment setting the furniture. Hermione grasped his hand tighter, thankful to have him in her life and she frowned a little as Fred yawned loudly.

They got to the kitchen and Hermione peered in after a small glance at him whereupon he smiled at her reassuringly. Hermione smiled as she looked around. The kitchen walls had been painted, no doubt by Fred, a light blue colour. There was a fridge and a cooker and some black counters that looked completely brand new. There was also a small wooden table in the corner with three chairs around it and the curtains were a lovely shade of blue too. Hermione turned and then explored the rest of the house. In front of the kitchen was a small and simple bathroom had also been painted and Hermione found herself wondering how long it took Fred to do all of this. The living room had a basic sofa and the TV that Hermione owned. The good thing was that Fred had moved his furniture out of his apartment since Draco didn't own it. The television was set up against a wall and there was a small table between the sofa and the TV. The whole room was a rich red colour and Hermione leaned against Fred as he smiled down at her.

‘I don’t know how to thank you for all of this, Fred,’ Hermione whispered and she looked into his eyes. It was as though Fred judged the quality of everything in the room according to how much Hermione liked it.

‘There’s two bedroom,’ Fred muttered low in her ear and the tone of his voice made Hermione blush. Fred chuckled as he kissed her neck, ‘want to see ours?’

Hermione let out a giggle and felt a sharp kick in her stomach. She ignored it but rubbed her stomach which usually calmed the baby. Hermione and Fred went down the hall and across a little bend as the apartment was in an L-shape. The first room she saw was completely empty and she guessed this was the baby’s room. They would have to get furniture soon and she couldn't wait to go shopping. Hermione was about to leave the room but Fred stopped her.

‘What?’ she asked.

‘Percy bought us a little gift,’ Fred muttered and once more he opened the door to the baby’s room.

Hermione, a little confused, peered into the room but still saw nothing but a sea of emptiness. Fred sighed and his hands went around her hips. He manoeuvred her forwards a little and turned her around. Behind the door was a cot. A baby’s cot.

‘It is absolutely beautiful!’ Hermione whispered and before she could stop it, tears ran down her face. She stretched out her hand and touched the long wood of the cot. It was a pure white cot with a little teddy bear taking residence in the corner. There were little flowers around the sheets. Everything sunk into Hermione. A real baby was going to lay in that cot and she would be looking down at it with Fred right beside her. She would be consoling it and loving it... Hermione turned to Fred and kissed him full on the mouth.

‘Remind me to thank Percy, will you?’ Fred panted a little out of breath after their kiss. Hermione chuckled and bought him down to her once again.

The second room was theirs. The walls were a green and blue colour, like the sea, and the bed sheets and curtains were the same colour. There was a double bed and a dresser in front of it that held a mirror. Fred had taken the time to adorn this room and all that was missing was Hermione’s perfumes and make ups on the other side of the dresser. Fred’s side was full of manly after shaves and a comb.

‘Like it?’ asked Fred, swiping his hands on the cover of the bed sheets. He knew Hermione had a weak spot for this colour. Hermione nodded enthusiastically and sat down on the bed. Fred got on his knees so that they were face level. She stroked his cheek with her thumb and Fred groaned a little at her touch, ‘I love you so much.’

‘I love you too,’ Hermione whispered, staring into his eyes. He was about to respond but his words were cut off with a gigantic yawn. He covered his mouth as he yawned and Hermione looked at him disapprovingly, ‘you need sleep, Fred.’

‘I’ll get some tonight but don’t wait up on me. I think I’ll be working late,’ Fred sighed and rubbed Hermione’s stomach. She felt the baby kick again as though excited that its father was there. Fred chuckled a little and pecked her stomach making Hermione blush and a deep stirring sensation erupted in her lower body, ‘I should get going...’

‘Do you have to?’ asked Hermione as Fred helped her to her feet and he nodded a little glumly. She was so huge now that there was no way she could be described as just walking... it was more like waddling. Of course, Fred reassured her that she looked great every time he saw her. One of Fred’s hand supported her back and they walked out of the room together, ‘I think I’ll move my stuff in today, okay?’

‘Don’t strain yourself by carrying anything heavy, okay? You’ve got about a week till your due date, darling,’ Fred muttered and buttoned his jacket. He was excited that he would be living with Hermione again since he could wake up to her face every morning. He kissed Hermione swiftly and then bent to kiss her stomach again, muttering words to it. Fred got up and his thumb smoothed over her cheek, ‘I’ll be home late. Eat something, rest and then sleep when you are tired, okay?’

 Hermione nodded and a couple of minutes later he disapparated with a sudden crack. The sun was still rising in the sky so Hermione went to Harry’s house to get the couple of clothes she had left there. She bought them back to Fred’s apartment – well... it was her apartment too – and dumped them onto the bed. Hermione made several trips from Ron’s house to her own, moving all of her stuff into her own apartment.

---

*Fred’s POV*

‘I’ll pay you back, I promise!’ Fred sighed as he untangled himself from his jacket. He turned around to look at Percy Weasley who was poring himself over some paperwork.  

A few weeks after Hermione had left him, Fred decided to start working so that he could get out of his parents house and buy an apartment. Living with your parents after twenty was not a good sign. The apartment he had bought for Hermione and himself had been sold to him for a cheap price by his older brother, Percy since he now sold apartments after leaving that horrible ministry job.

‘Don’t worry about it,’ Percy sighed, rubbing a hand over his face in a way to suggest that he was tired. Fred sat on the chair in front of his desk and stared at him. Percy sighed, ‘I lent you that money because Hermione’s pregnant. You’re going to become a father, Fred, you need that money. Just take it, don’t tell Hermione that I gave you the money to decorate your house and just live in peace. You don’t need to pay me back.’

‘Thank you, mate,’ Fred whispered, ‘I appreciate your help. If you ever need anything-’

‘I miss him,’ Percy interrupted suddenly. It was an abrupt interruption but his voice was so low that Fred didn't have the heart to call him rude. Percy shoved his paperwork aside and then looked up at Fred, ‘I can see the difference between you and George now. I couldn't before but now... it’s so obvious.’

‘Percy, don’t...’ Fred sighed. He hated crying in front of people as he saw it as a sign of weakness. He couldn't afford to be weak, he had a family to take care of and a life to live. He couldn't go about crying every time he saw himself in the mirror. Fred ignored the fact that he tried to avoid mirrors on the whole.

‘No. If only I had stopped Rookwood from killing him! He was right there next to him, I felt the swish of George’s cloak every time he avoided a spell and I... I should have known better than to let my brother fight in that stupid war! I should have known that George was too childish to take anything seriously! He acted like he was playing a game! I should have killed Rookwood myself before he even so much as touched George!’ Percy started shaking uncontrollably. He covered his face in his hands but Fred knew he wasn’t crying. Percy hadn’t cried since the war and he wouldn’t be crying now. He was mourning.

‘Percy...’ Fred breathed out silently. In truth of the matter he didn't know what to say or how to comfort Percy. Percy had kept all of his feelings pent up for so long that Fred had to say something. He gulped and the next words he spoke hit him in the heart like knives through butter, ‘George is dead. There was nothing you could do to stop it. It was his time and I’m sure he feels very brave for partaking in the war and I’m sure he’s happy that we survived.’

‘Don’t you miss him?’ asked Percy, looking up at Fred. He stared right into his eyes but Fred looked away.

There had never been a single second where I’ve not thought of George. I miss him. I miss him so much it hurts. I miss talking to him in the dead of night when we occasionally told each other of our fears or secrets in low whispers. I miss planning out different pranks to do on other people and making products for our shop. I miss the talks about girls that we had when we reached that curious age and the things we did when we passed that curious age. Nobody could ever understand me like George did, not even Hermione. I miss him so much that the word ‘miss’ seems like the understatement of the decade.

‘Of course I do,’ Fred sighed, ‘but he’s gone.’

With that last sentence, Fred got up and left the room. Percy stared after him, wondering if his brother would ever get over the death of his twin. Percy would have been surprised if Fred did ever get over the death. Percy went back to his paper work after a few seconds and he had no idea of how much Fred was hurting.

---

*Hermione’s POV*

‘How was work?’ Hermione asked.

No answer.

‘Did you talk to Percy?’

Nothing.

‘I’m leaving you, Fred,’ Hermione stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

‘What? Why? What happened?’ asked Fred worriedly. He turned the volume of the television down and turned towards Hermione.

‘I’m not leaving you! I was just seeing if you had lost the ability to hear me. It seems like you haven’t,’ Hermione said. Fred turned back to the television but Hermione wasn’t giving up so easy. She trailed little kissed on his collarbone but Fred pulled away. Hermione grabbed his face and turned her towards him. Fred unwillingly looked at her, ‘what’s wrong?’

‘Percy was a little upset today and... I found out why,’ Fred stated, Hermione’s hands stayed on his cheeks so that he wouldn’t look away.

‘What was the reason?’ asked Hermione quietly.

Fred debated whether to tell her or not. He didn't want to talk about it but he knew that she would get the wrong idea. Trying to avoid further discussion, Fred leaned forwards and kissed her. He leaned over her a little and pressed himself against her. Hermione pulled his back and frowned at him.

‘Is this about us? Is he not happy with us living here?’ asked Hermione, the distraction obviously had not worked.

‘No... Hermione, this has nothing to do with the house, our relationship or you. I just... don’t want to talk about it,’ Fred whispered, moving away from her.

‘Is this... about George?’ asked Hermione and she knew the answer just by Fred’s expression. She leaned against him and mimicked zipping her mouth. They watched television in silence and after an hour they went to bed, lying in the dark side by side and not saying a word to each other.

The wind howled in through the open window and Fred got up in the middle of the night to close it. Hermione watched him and her eyes never left him until he climbed into bed next to her.

‘I love you,’ he muttered into her hair.

‘I know,’ Hermione muttered back, ‘love you too.’

She cuddled closer to him until she found his lips. The kiss was short and sweet but held more love and emotion that Hermione could ever want.