DELETED SCENE/ALTERNATE ENDING

AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I said in the epilogue note, I was halfway through this chapter when I realized it was taking me much too far away from Percy and decided to cut it from the story. But I really liked the direction it was going, so I wanted to finish it (where I actually ended up circling back around to Percy – if only I had known!) and share it with you all. I hope you enjoy.

Audrey and her parents spent most of her pregnancy in hiding. What had remained calm in the month since the attack on the ministry soon shifted, and it became very clear that muggleborns weren't safe. And it didn't seem like it would be long before muggles weren't either. So they hid. Fred and George were their secret keepers, because who would expect the prankster Weasley twins as capable holders of a Fidelius charm?

They were visiting on the day she expressed concern for the legality of some of their products while flipping through a catalog.

"Look around," George said. "Somehow I think Skiving Snackboxes and Portable Swamps are the least of anyone's concern."

"True," Audrey said, "but I choose to believe that our side will win eventually, and my child will grow up in a world without You Know Who. And I'm just saying, when that day comes, and things go back to normal, you're leaving yourselves open to a lot of costly lawsuits."

"Really," Fred asked, sitting down next to her. "How so?"

She spent the better part of that day putting her legal knowledge to good use, pointing out their vulnerabilities and what they need to say to limit their culpability in the event of accidents or foul play with their products. It wasn't long until she was writing up disclaimers, warranties and waivers. Even her parents – graphic designers in the muggle world – worked to mock up new packaging that would be pleasing to the eye, yet prominently feature the legal notices.

And the day she suggested a new joke product that left the twins in stitches on the floor – for she could have a wicked sense of humor when the mood struck – they offered her a permanent position with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

But as the war raged, they found more of their energy going into the defense products. Clothing with protective charms, darkness powder, distraction makers and tiny emergency backup wands the size of a muggle pencil, built with enough magic to cast three preset spells with mere waves of the hand. And then there was The Doppelganger.

The concepts behind it were simple, but the execution was anything but. Part polyjuice and transfiguration, part emergency wand and portrait magic, the idea was to create a double, imbued with just enough personality, locomotion and power of its owner to move freely, be a decoy, and even cast one or two spells before reverting to its original, pre-transfigured form.

They were only able to make one prototype before the Battle of Hogwarts, but it saved Fred's life.

He was with her the day Audrey finally went into labor. It was the most curious of sensations when her water broke. They were talking about quidditch when a feeling of release and flowing liquid overcame her mid sentence. When she looked back to Fred, he was staring at her, wide-eyed.

"Is that...Is it...Baby?"

"Get the phone," Audrey said with a nod and a smile. It was finally happening. Fred fumbled for a moment to find the mobile phone, which Audrey realized to him must still look more like something you lay down to cobble a street with than something you use to communicate. When he handed it to her, she immediately dialed her mother, who was at the market, finally giving in to the idea of old wives' tales, if there were any chance they would make the baby come. The phone rang in her ear twice before they heard a tune coming from the sitting room. Fred investigated.

"There's one of your...those...tethered to the wall in there," he said.

"No worries," she said with a sigh. "We'll just call Da- oh, god." she was about to call her father at the office when a wave of pain rushed through her, turning her legs and arms to jelly. She almost dropped the phone, but Fred knelt by her side and took it from her slipping grip. "Fred," she said through shaking breaths, "call an ambulance."

Fred rose to his feet, looking panicked for only a second before he spied the sheet of paper attached to a small corkboard on the wall. Though it had made Audrey feel like a child at the time, she was now incredibly grateful her mother had left detailed, step-by-step instructions, just in case this very unlikely event happened.

When the ambulance arrived, a chipper young woman and burly man rolled a gurney inside.

"Hello, mum," the woman said as she helped Audrey get situated. "How far along are we?"

"Two weeks past," Audrey said through gritted teeth as another contraction hit. "I thought this was supposed to start slow." The last word was drawn out and faded to a whisper as the contraction passed.

"Never any telling," the woman said. "Some babies take their time getting ready, and then when it's time to go, they just GO. Is this dad, over here," she asked, gesturing to Fred.

"Oh, erm-"

"Yes, yes he is," Audrey said quickly.

"Well, come along then, dad," she said with a smile. "Time to meet Junior."

Fred hurried to her side, just a tinge of pink visible at his ears, and they rolled out of the house.

They were alone in the hospital room during a brief moment of calm. Fred was absently twisting a small plastic bracelet around his wrist. "P. Weasley" and a birthdate two years older than him was typed on it in neat letters.

"I'm sorry," Audrey said. "I just didn't want to be alone, and I thought this would be easier. I didn't think what it must be like for y-"

Fred released the bracelet and took her hand in his.

"It's all right," he said. "Honestly, I always wondered what it must be like to Percy, and this is probably the closest I'll ever get." He smiled, and she couldn't help but laugh just a little. "Plus, I've never been in a muggle hospital. Dad would be so jealous."

"I'd think your father has seen enough births to last a while," she said. This time, he laughed.

"Speaking of, the nurses got hold of your dad," he said. "He's picking up your mum, and they should be here soon."

"Oh, that's-" her grip tightened around his hand, "-probably not soon enough," she grunted just before screaming.

The birth was actually quicker than she expected, but the pain was far worse. Fred never left her side and hadn't let go of her hand since grasping it. He used the other to wipe sweat and hair from her brow.

"You're doing great," he said. "It's all good. Everything's fine-"

"STOP TALKING!" she yelled.

"Don't worry, son, they all say that," the doctor said from between her legs. "Now one more big push."

Audrey pushed and let out a scream that she felt surely could have been heard by the entire hospital, half of London and maybe even Diagon Alley, but as the pain subsided and she ran out of breath, the sound was replaced by the wailing of her baby.

"Wow," Fred said, quietly enchanted next to her.

"Is it...is everything..."

"It's a boy," Fred said. "He's... he's perfect."

When the nurses handed the baby to her, she erupted in happy laughter and a wide grin. She looked up at Fred, about to say something when her smile wavered and her laugh briefly turned to a sob. For just a moment, she had forgotten.

Fred pulled her and the baby into a close embrace.

"I'm sorry I'm not him," he whispered into her ear.

Audrey sniffled, shifted her bundle of joy and brought one hand to Fred's cheek, pulling him closer and kissing the other.

"I'm glad you're here," she said softly.

"All right Mum, Dad, Baby: Say cheese!"

They looked up just in time to smile for the nurse holding a large camera. The frozen image was ready almost instantly, and once Fred was done marveling over its stillness, they both gave it a good, long look.

"Now, we're family," Molly had said nearly a year ago. And it was true. They had the photograph to prove it.

AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: I also have an account on Archive of Our Own (under the same name). This story hasn't been uploaded there yet, so I think I'm going to give it one more hard edit – adding a reference to Davis's tattoos in the pub chapter with Arthur, and maybe trying to squeeze this chapter back in and make Audrey/Fred an official thing in the epilogue – and post it there, as well. (This is what happens when one-shots spontaneously grow into mammoth things, I guess).

I don't know exactly when I'll get to that, but if that idea interests you, keep your eyes out for it.