Disclaimer: all Harry Potter realted material belongs to JK Rowling

The Brave Hero

"Mummy!" whined Roxanne "Fred won't leave me alone."

Angelina turned from tidying up her children's Golden Trio action figures that George had insisted on buying them (much to Harry, Ron and Hermione's displeasure). Roxanne was tucked in her bed and Fred was snatching her teddies one by one and hiding them under the bed.

"Fred," Angelina sighed "Give your sister her teddies back, its bedtime."

"Fine," Fred huffed, lifting the teddies back on to his sister's bed. At aged seven, he was already following his father's footsteps with the exception that he was generally slightly more obedient than George had been at aged seven according to Molly Weasley.

"Tell us a story Mummy," Roxanne begged.

"What story do you want tonight?" Angelina asked sitting down on her five-year old daughter's bed.

"The Warlock's Hairy Heart!" called Fred as he vaulted onto his bed with a crash.

"NO! squealed Roxanne "It's scary!"

"Well you'll have to agree," Angelina smiled.

"I want a new story," Roxanne said after a moment "Something we've never heard before."

"Yeah!" Fred nodded enthusiastically "Can it have a ferocious battle in it?"

"And a brave hero," Roxanne inquired.

"But he can't have a girlfriend," Fred made a face "Yuck! Only soppy boys have girlfriends."

"Fred, you're seven," Angelina told him "what do you know about girls?"

"They're annoying and yucky!" Fred replied "But the brave hero can have fangirls – you know like Uncle Harry has."

Roxanne nodded "He has to be popular."

"And he has to kill the bad guys." Fred added as an afterthought.

"Let me think," Angelina said trying to think of a story that would fit her children's description then something hit her "Alright, I think I can tell you a good story."

Fred and Roxanne immediately quietened down and made themselves comfortable.

"There was once a man called Fred," began Angelina.

"Yes! Mum named the hero after me!" Fred grinned.

Angelina smiled "He had lots of brothers and one sister."

"So he's like Daddy then," Roxanne interrupted.

"Yes, he was very much like your Daddy," Angelina agreed quietly then continued with what her children thought was a fictional story. "He was very popular with the girls," Roxanne smiled "But he didn't have a girlfriend." Fred smiled.

"He lived a very happy life with his friends and brothers and sister until he was seventeen years old. Then a very bad man named … Tom," Angelina figured it was best not to tell them Voldemort's preferred name at their age.

Fred snorted "That's not a very scary name."

"Well that was his name," Angelina replied "Tom was a very, very bad man. And when Fred was seventeen, Tom started plotting to take over the world!"

Roxanne and Fred gasped. "NO!"

"Yes," said Angelina gravely "And gradually he became more and more powerful with lots of followers. He had giants and Dementors on his side as well as many evil wizards and witches."

"Witches! But only men can be bad guys," whined Fred.

"Not in this story," Angelina shook her head "There was one woman called Bellatrix and she was almost as bad as Tom."

Roxanne shuddered and Fred looked affronted that this Bellatrix was worse than the wizards.

"So our hero, Fred joined an army to fight Tom," Angelina went on, remembering Dumbledore's Army as Fred's face lit up "Everyone in the army was quite young but we – I mean – they were all as determined as the grown-ups to defeat Tom."

"Grown-ups aren't as good fighters anyway," Fred nodded along "They're all old and their joints seize up and they might have to get a hip replacement like Rose and Hugo's granny."

Angelina made a face at the thought of getting your hip replaced – the things Muggles come up with!

"Good point Fred," Angelina nodded; she loved the things her children came out with "Brave Fred was an excellent fighter and he and his brother didn't go easy on anyone when the army practiced duelling – not even the girls." She had been bruised for weeks after Fred and George had decided to use her and Alicia as targets for stunning.

"That's not very nice," Roxanne cried indignantly.

"No one minded though, it was good because that's the sort of thing the army could come up against," Angelina said quickly "And then after Brave Fred left school he joined another … army of sorts." Angelina wasn't sure how to describe the Order. "And he got involved in lots of dangerous battles."

"Oh like what?" Fred asked interested.

"One of the biggest one was the Battle Over Little Whinging," Angelina answered "Brave Fred was in disguise as the man Tom and his followers were after and risked being captured and killed."

"Wow, he is brave," Roxanne said looking like a fish.

"Brave Fred and his Dad managed to escape all the evil followers and get back home to their family," Angelina grimaced as she recalled that was the night her husband lost his ear. She wasn't going to tell he children that though – they were still under the impression George had lost it while fighting dragon which was trying to kill Angelina. Obviously that story had been a creation of George's.

"When do the girls come into it?" asked Roxanne.

"Brave Fred's brother got married to a very beautiful woman who had lots of beautiful French cousins," Angelina explained.

"Like Auntie Fleur," Fred cut in.

"Yes, Brave Fred's brother married someone very similar to Auntie Fleur. And at the wedding Brave Fred danced with lots of the French cousins and they all really liked his quick wit and humour."

"But he was too brave and manly to marry any of those silly girls," Fred interrupted "They were just his fangirls."

Angelina chuckled "If you say so Fred."

"What happened to Brave Fred next?" asked Roxanne eagerly.

"He had to be very careful because his family wasn't liked by Tom and Tom's followers and after a few months, he was forced into hiding," Angelina continued.

"Hiding! What sort of hero goes into hiding," Fred protested.

"Brave Fred hated being in hiding, he kept trying to do something to help defeat Tom but he was locked up in his horrible aunt's house with his brother, sister and parents."

"Oh no," gasped Roxanne "Did they escape?"

"It was for safety, sweetie," Angelina assured her "They weren't really locked up."

"Good," Roxanne sighed in relief hugging her stuffed hippogriff close.

"Soon however there was a big battle and Brave Fred and his brother and sister left the safe house to fight. They're parents followed afterwards. Tom's followers and Brave Fred's side had a really big fight," Angelina said suddenly rather chocked up; she rarely spoke about the battle and had never told her children about it.

"Are you alright Mummy?" Roxanne asked reaching over.

"I'll be okay Roxanne, but something very sad happens in the story," Angelina replied.

"Does Brave Fred get hurt?" Fred asked sadly.

Angelina nodded "Yes, Brave Fred gets hurt very, very badly, dear. He fought so bravely and did everything he could to destroy Tom. But he was hurt very badly – Brave Fred died fighting."

Angelina suddenly wished she hadn't told them that and looked up to see her children's reactions. Roxanne gasped and covered her face but she didn't cry like she did at the Warlock's Hairy Heart. Fred looked very shocked and not like his usual happy self.

"Why did he have to die, Mummy?" asked Fred.

Roxanne had wide eyes "The hero of the story never dies."

"I don't know why he had to die Fred, he should never have died but he did. And that makes him all the braver, Roxanne, he gave up his life so Tom wouldn't win," replied Angelina.

"He's the bravest man I've ever heard of," Roxanne said after a moment.

Fred nodded "I like that bedtime story, even though it didn't have a happy ending."

"I hope I didn't scare you," Angelina fretted.

"I'm a big boy, I don't get scared," Fred told her.

"I'm alright too Mummy but I want to sleep now," Roxanne yawned.

"Alright sweetie," Angelina tucked her in and kissed her forehead before doing the same to Fred. "Goodnight."

At the door Angelina was about to turn the light off when Fred spoke again.

"Mummy, Brave Fred is Daddy's brother isn't he," he said "Because in Grandma and Grandpa's house there are photos of Daddy and someone the same as him. Victoire told me he was our uncle who died a long time ago."

Angelina walked back to her son "Yes dear, Brave Fred was your uncle. Daddy and Uncle Fred were twins."

"I'm glad I have such a brave uncle," Fred yawned.

"You're a lucky boy," Angelina said with a small tear in her eye "I'll tell you loads more tomorrow but its past your bedtime now."

"Goodnight Mummy," Fred muttered already falling into sleep.

Angelina tiptoed across the room, turned the light off and opened the door to see George standing with an Extendable Ear and a sad smile.

"I'm glad you told them," he whispered to her. "I wish we'd told them sooner."

"But now we have all the time in the world to tell them about their Uncle Fred," Angelina replied wrapping her arms around him.

"Yes, Fred would kill me if I didn't tell our children about their uncle," George chuckled weakly.

A/N: I don't actually think George and Angelina wouldn't have told their children about Fred for so long but I liked teh idea of them learning about him in a bedtime story but they needed to at a bit of an older age in this stroy so they understood. I just love Angelina/George and I've always wanted to write something with their children in it too so hope you enjoyed :)