Fool Me Once (Book One) - Fred Weasley

23. The Night

Aaliyah finds nights without Fred being okay extremely hard. She lies in bed, dreading sleep, because she knows when she falls asleep, she will be plagued by not only the nightmare that has been fluttering in and out of her subconscious for years, but now a new one. Now not only is it her mother that she sees in her dreams, but it's now Fred. When George and Aaliyah found him, he was lying the same way that Narcissa found her mother all those years ago. Cold and lifeless.

When Aaliyah finally allow herself to drift off to sleep these nightmares plagued her. And there has been more than one occasion when she had woken up screaming and looking for Fred in the bed beside her, only to remember that he wasn't there, he's still in the hospital wing, just as cold and lifeless and he was when they left him there. But thank Godric he isn't dead.

When talking to Madame Pomfrey in the hospital wing after she came back with Mrs. Weasley, she told Aaliyah that she was far further along in her pregnancy than she had previously thought. It wasn't just a few weeks like Aaliyah had thought, it was two whole months. So now she is carrying a baby that only herself and the healer know about, and she doesn't even know if her baby's father, the love of her life, will even wake up. And she is due at the end of March.

"Liyah, Liyah darling wake up" Aaliyah woke up one morning to someone gently shaking her. "Freddie?" she questioned still half asleep. This was the one night that Aaliyah had actually had a good dream. Fred woke up and the two were happy and the baby was healthy, a little baby boy. A blonde baby boy just like Fred had always wanted. "No, I'm sorry darling, it's me Draco." Draco looked down at Aaliyah and smiled while rubbing her arm soothingly. Aaliyah had taken to sleeping in Draco's dorm because her own dorm reminds her of Fred, the common room reminds her of Fred, and Fred's room, she can't even look in the direction of the boy's staircase without breaking down.

"What is it Dray?" Aaliyah asked sitting up slowly and rubbing my eyes. "Its Fred. Madame Pomfrey sent for you. He's awake Liyah." Aaliyah's eyes suddenly opened completely and she stared at Draco as if waiting for him to tell her it was a joke. "He's really awake Draco? You're not messing with me?" she questioned and when Draco nodded, she jumped out of bed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Draco. Can I go see him?" Draco nodded again and gestured towards the door. "Come on. I'll walk you."

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Draco left Aaliyah at the door of the Hospital Wing, he told her he would give her some time alone with Fred and then go and wake the others. Aaliyah smiled before she told him the password for Gryffindor Tower and he gave her a hug and left. When Aaliyah walked into the hospital wing it was silent. Eerily silent. But then she spotted Fred sitting up in his bed. "Freddie" she breathed causing him to look up at her. "Hi princess" he greeted her and coughed. His voice still raspy and cracked from lack of use over the last week.

Aaliyah started to walk over to him. Hardly believing her eyes. She really thought that this was a dream, and she was expecting to be brought back to reality at any minute. "Come here" Fred whispered and patted the bed beside him. Aaliyah walked over and sat at the end of his bed. Tears welling up in her eyes. "I've missed you" was all she managed to say before a sob left her mouth, she was so happy. "I know baby. I know. But I'm" cough "I'm here now. And I'm not leaving again. I'm not leaving either of you again." He gestured towards Aaliyah's stomach with a small smirk and she gasped. "You could hear me? You could hear what I was saying?"

"Every word my love. How long" cough "how long did you know before you told me?" He looked sad. As if he was upset with Aaliyah for not telling him she was pregnant sooner. "I only found out the day before we came to Hogwarts. I tried to tell you on the train but you were much more interested in-" Aaliyah started but Fred cut her off. "The whiskey I know princess and I'm so fucking sorry" cough "you doing know how fucking sorry I am. I'll do better for you okay. For both of you." Fred said but Aaliyah shook her head, if the pair were being honest with each other, she had to be completely honest.