Mudblood • Fred Weasley

30. apologies and weasley jumpers

WILLA HAD NEVER FELT SO FREE. Still, she was friends with Harry Potter and had to keep mind of that. But, for the first time since Lucius knew of her, she had the same freedom as the rest of the group. Her nausea came and went - mostly staying throughout the day - and she slept like a bear at night. The twins were ecstatic that the baby shared their birthday (or so they hoped).

Willa had taken up work at the shop. She had decided she would discuss further education with McGonagall after the war was over, if there was any Hogwarts left. For now, while she was pregnant, she'd be keeping shop with twins.

"One moment." She called as the bell on the shop door dinged. She finished putting away what she had in her hands, turning around to face her own eyes: Draco.

"Hey." He smiled softly, but sadly. Willa hadn't been able to reach him since the incident, though she'd tried several times.

"Hey." She whispered back, shocked he was standing before her. She ran around the counter and hugged him tightly, bumping him with her growing belly as she did so. Draco smiled softly and looked down.

"Growing well, I see?" He smiled. "Can we talk?" Willa nodded, the twins had since came out of the back room and Willa nodded to them, signaling it was okay.

"I'll go with you-" Fred began, but Willa cut him off. He had been insanely protective of Willa since her pregnancy was announced and even though she'd told him countless of times Draco saved her, he wasn't convinced. After all, he was going to kill her until she told him her condition.

"Let him come, Will. I need to clear the air." Draco nodded. Willa nodded and the three went upstairs to talk.

•

Fred put on some tea and the three sat in the living room. "Put your feet up, love. They look swollen." Fred said gently. Draco marveled at how he was with Willa, how much he loved her. Draco had always assumed the twins were immature and rowdy; he had never seen this side of Fred before. Willa obliged and put her feet up, Fred reaching her a piping hot cup of tea. She rested it on her belly. Draco smiled as Fred handed him a cup.

"So, what'd you want to talk about?" Fred began, still weary of Draco.

Draco sat the cup down on the coffee table, "my father gave me the assignment to kill you because I failed in my first one: killing Dumbledore." He shook his head. "When he told me he wanted me to kill you.. I wanted to kill myself. I wrestled with this for months, Willa. I hoped I never found you so I wouldn't let him down. Merlin, why I even cared what the man thought is beyond me. I just didn't want to lose my mum. If I betrayed him, I knew he wouldn't allow me to see her anymore and..." he sniffled, batting his eyes and trying to hold back tears. Then, Fred done something Willa never thought she'd see: he placed his hand on Draco's shoulder and squeezed it, as if telling him it was okay to cry.

"Draco, you don't have to explain to me." Willa whispered, raising up to hold his hand. "I've told you for years you have good inside of you.. that you're exactly who I'd be if it wasn't for how I was born." Draco shook his head.

"You don't understand, Willa. I've been avoiding your letters. I've been throwing them away. I don't want to face it, I feel so guilty already, Willa. So guilty I even brought you there in the first place. I don't know why I thought it was my only choice." He sniffled, wiping his eyes. "When you told me you were pregnant... I knew then. You're my family, too. That baby," he pointed at Willa's belly. "Is a part of me, too. I couldn't let anything happen to it. I promise you both," he looked at Fred, then Willa. "As long as I'm alive, that baby will be cared for. I will protect it with my life." Willa was already crying before Draco could finish his sentence and, though he wouldn't admit it, Fred was too.

"Your mum?" Willa asked, wiping her eyes.

"She's moved in with Andromeda." Draco sniffled, "what I'm asking is - I want to fight on the good side. I want to fight with you all. I want to make the world a better place for my nephew."

"Draco, we don't know the gender yet." Willa laughed.

"Nephew." He insisted, smiling.

•

Draco got to experience all the good things he missed as a child. Warm cookies, homemade hot chocolate. Thanksgiving dinner with loud, laughing faces. The Burrow and how warm it was. Molly, while slightly suspicious of the boy, welcomed Draco with open arms as she had many children before him: Thatcher, Lukas, Hermione, Harry, Willa. She slowly warmed up to him, as well as the rest of the family. Draco was a lot like Willa, once his father's pressure was off of him.

Christmas came. Draco had spent many christmases playing with expensive presents with the house elves. To little Draco, the presents didn't matter. He just wanted to spend the holiday with someone. Now, he had that opportunity.

"Mollywobbles?" Arthur asked.

"Yes dear?" Molly asked, sorting through the packages under the tree. Willa had just waddled past Arthur and was heading towards the couch, hand on her back.

"Doesn't Willa's belly look awfully familiar?" He winked, pointing out the size of it. There was no way there was just one baby in there. Fred smiled at his mother as she nodded.

"Oh yes, there's two babies in there indeed."

Willa playfully rolled her eyes, she kind of that that feeling as well, but insisted there was only one. "Just one, I promise." She groaned her back ached from carrying the load around.

"You okay?" Draco asked his sister as she sat between him and Fred. Fred rubbed his wife's back gently.

"Yeah, just over being pregnant."

As Molly handed out the packages, everyone already knowing what it was, she laid one in Draco's lap. Draco looked at her, puzzled, not expecting to get anything.

"What's this?" He asked, unwrapping the parcel. He held up a dark green jumper with a "D" knitted into the front.

"Your very first Weasley jumper. It's official now, mate." George nudged his arm. Even Harry, Hermione and Ron had came around to him: they had admitted that he was much better than before.

"Welcome to the family." Ron said quietly, reaching out to shake Draco's hand.