Falling (asleep) | Fred Weasley fanfic

11 Years Later (Alternate Ending)

Eleven years had passed since the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry had defeated Voldemort in the end, and finally, there was peace among the wizarding community. I had awoken in St. Mungo's on the afternoon of May 5th 1998. My parents had been there with my beautiful nephew Teddy, and Molly and Arthur when I woke up.
„Mum?" I mumbled as I opened my eyes.
„Pancake, sweetheart! You're awake. Ted! She's awake! Oh, thank Merlin!"
„Hi, darling," said Dad.
„What happened? Why am I here? Where's Fred? Where's Dora?" I asked.
„Shh, easy, darling," spoke another motherly voice.
„Molly, Arthur, what are you doing here? Where's Fred?"
„Pancake," my mum answered. „You're here because you were hurt badly during the battle. There was an explosion. Fred —" Molly broke her off, her eyes starting to water.
„He didn't make it, dear."
„Neither did Dora and Remus," said Dad and everything went black, my hair and eyes included.

The Weasleys had tried to keep in touch with me by writing to me on a weekly basis, I had found out that George and Angelina had married, as well as Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione, and Percy and some girl called Audrey, and Charlie was still together with Andrew, all of which made me very happy. Molly had been constantly inviting me over, but I kept declining the offers. I hadn't been able to bring myself to visit them. After getting released from St. Mungo's, Mum had told me I had, in fact, been pregnant. „Twin girls, ten weeks. But the healers couldn't save them. It was too late," were her exact words.
So every time I had told Molly I was either too busy with work or with Teddy, who I had decided to raise on my own. Harry, who had also become an Auror, was Teddy's godfather. Therefore, he picked Teddy up every Tuesday and Thursday, which were the days he wasn't at the office. Honestly, I only let him take Teddy, because I didn't want to seem selfish, but I actually hated spending time alone with my thoughts. My parents were still living at my grandparents' house. They had decided to sell Dora and Remus's house and used that money to buy Teddy and me a house two streets away from them. Although Mum took care of Teddy during the day, while I was at the Auror office, I had the sole authority when it came to his upbringing. That had been Dora's wish.

With every day that passed, my godson/nephew looked more and more like Remus but acted more and more like Dora. He was a very funny, smart and obedient toddler, but most importantly he was kind.
„You're gonna be a Hufflepuff, Teddy-Bear," I told him one night as I was helping Mum and Grandma in the kitchen.
„He's just like Dora, isn't he?" Grandma said and Mum and I nodded.
„By the way, Molly wrote to me again," Mum asked. My heart dropped. „She says you haven't answered her letters in months, she's worried about you, they all are."
„Mum, I just can't. Everything reminds me of him," I answered looking down at my hands. I still had the ring Molly had gifted me after I had gotten nine O.W.L.s, Fred's promise ring, my engagement ring and my wedding ring. Taking them off seemed like an insult to his memory.
„I know, Pancake. It's only been two years. But the least you could do is write back. She loves you. And you're not the only one who's mourning Fred. She lost a son that night."
„Besides", spoke a voice coming from behind us. It was Dad, he was holding the two-year-old in his arms. He had entered the kitchen followed by Grandpa. „Fred wouldn't want you to go through this alone. He'd tell you how strong you are and how you sometimes forget it."
„He would," I said as my eyes watered. I stretched out my arms to Teddy and Dad passed him to me.
„He and Remus were good men," Grandpa added.
„Teddy-Bear, would you like to go meet Uncle Freddie's family?," I asked.
„Fweddie," Teddy mumbled and wrapped his hand around my finger. I smiled with tears in my eyes and looked over at Mum and Dad.
„I'm taking that as a yes," I said.

„EDWARD REMUS LUPIN! WHAT ON DUMBLEDORE'S NAME IS THIS MESS?" I yelled as I entered my 11-year-old nephew's room.
„Sorry, Aunt Kay, I was looking for my favourite pair of socks and couldn't find them anywhere!" he replied.
„The ones with the dragons that Uncle Charlie sent you?"
„Yes!"
„I'm washing them!"
„Oh, oops."
„You better clean up this mess now. We leave in an hour," I warned him and closed the door to his room behind me. I went to my room and sat at my desk, grabbed some piece of parchment and a quill and began writing.