To Dare

A/N: Fair warning--the next few chapters are an arc, so each one will end in a cliffhanger of sorts. I will post the next chapter mid-week and the one after that next weekend, so you won't have to wait as long between installments. Happy reading!

To Dare

Chapter Sixteen

The old year ended and January ground along. Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes did brisk business by owl post at the start of the month that tapered off as students exhausted the money they’d received for Christmas. Ginny continued to send Fred and George updates on the uses the young witches and wizards found for the various prank items. That, in turn, sparked ideas for new and ever more outrageous products. In the meantime, Thalassa kept busy at Hartwell’s brewing cold remedies and staying out of her mother’s way. The brief cessation of hostilities that marked Christmas ended as soon as Thalassa informed her mother that Fred and George had moved into her flat. Euryale’s reaction had been all too predictably unpleasant, but Thalassa didn’t care. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley’s disapproval hurt far more than any condemnation her own mother could heap upon her.

Life at the flat began to settle into a pattern. The twins rose earlier than their usual time and cooked breakfast while Thalassa dressed for work. Because the apothecary closed earlier than the joke shop, Thalassa had dinner waiting when Fred and George got home. Their flat was crowded and cluttered with three times the clothes and other belongings stuffed into every available space. Thalassa demanded that they all tidy up every day. “I’m not your house-elf,” she insisted repeatedly until they learned to pick up after themselves without being told. Shopping for groceries was an adventure with Fred and George and they quickly became adept at using and exchanging Muggle money.

Learning how to live together required adjustments all around and progress was often measured in spats and squabbles. Fred and George indulged in an ongoing row over whose turn it was to do chores. That then grated on Thalassa’s nerves and she snapped at them over little annoyances. They became impatient with what they saw as her territorial attitude about her flat. By their combined efforts, though, they never went to bed angry at one another. As January rolled over into February, they reached a sort of uncertain balance. George played the peacemaker for Thalassa and Fred, while Fred could be counted on to help George and Thalassa find and laugh at the ridiculous aspects of their quarrels. Thalassa took a different approach to dealing with the twins’ arguments. To end a particularly heated dispute once, she finally made good on her threat to knock their heads together. After that, she had only to reach for her wand to let them know she’d had enough of listening to them snipe at one another.

One evening after dinner, George and Thalassa spread their respective ledgers out on the kitchen table while Fred experimented with a blank Howler and a few items that Thalassa was sure she didn’t want to examine too closely. “No explosions,” she warned. Her worktable already bore scorch marks from a previous experiment.

“It’s not that sort of process,” he replied absently, the better part of his attention already on chasing down his inspiration.

She just shook her head and turned back to her ledgers. George reached over and captured her free hand in his. They smiled at one another and he kept hold of her hand as they worked, idly caressing her wrist with his thumb. After a time, she set down her quill and shut her books. “I’m going to make tea. Do you want any?” she asked, standing and stretching.

“Sure,” he answered, frowning at the column of numbers he’d just copied.

While she waited for the kettle to boil, Thalassa stood behind George and kneaded his shoulders. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and letting his head drop forward. She dutifully massaged the back of his neck. “Your hair’s getting long,” she commented. It had grown past his collar and his fringe tended to fall into his eyes. Fred’s was no better. “Do you want me to trim it for you?”

He grasped her hands, brought them around to his mouth, and placed a kiss on each palm. “You do a wonderful job of taking care of us, love, but do you have to sound so much like Mum?” he teased.

She jerked her hands from his and turned away. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I just meant—oh never mind.” Tears gathered behind her eyelids and made her voice thick.

“Hey,” he said gently, standing to catch her by the shoulders and turn her around to face him. “I was only joking. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” He took her chin in his hand and tilted her face up. He watched her blink rapidly several times and noted the way her lower lip trembled. “Thalassa?”

“It’s okay. I know you were just teasing. I don’t know why I overreacted.” She took a shaky breath. “I seem to be doing a lot of that lately.”

George pulled her closer and wrapped his arms about her. “It’s no wonder with the way your mother’s been treating you. Having Fred and me invade your flat doesn’t help either, I’ll just bet.”

“No it’s not that.” She leaned against him. “Maybe. I don’t know. I have gotten used to having my own way. I’d like to think I’d cope with the changes better than this, though. It seems like the smallest things set me off lately. I’m sure you’re both regretting your decision to move in.”

“Never,” he insisted loyally. “But—you do seem a bit more on edge than usual. Do you think it could be…” his voice trailed off.

“What?”

“Well, Mum and Ginny get moody and snappish, you know, every so often.”

Thalassa suppressed a smile as she finally caught George’s meaning. She thought for a moment, counting back to her last period and realized with a jolt that she was almost two week late. Oh Gods! She couldn’t be—her thoughts shied away from the possibility. George was good about remembering to do the Infertility Curse and she’d reminded Fred the few times the two of them had been together without George. No, she must be late because of all the stress. Her life had turned upside down in the last month or so. Aloud she said simply, “Oh, probably. Guess we’ll know in a few days.”

“Do we need to lay in a supply of chocolate? That’s what we throw at Ginny to deflect her rampages.”

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” she said dryly. “Just exercise a little more patience.” She leaned back in the circle of his arms. “So back to my original question. Do you want me to cut your hair or do you mean to grow it out?”

“What would you prefer?” he responded diplomatically.

“It doesn’t matter to me. I’ve only ever seen you with it short, but Bill’s looks nice.”

“Hmm,” he gazed at her through narrowed eyes. “Perhaps I should get my ear pierced, too.”

“Perhaps you should,” she agreed with a sly grin. “Are you going to talk Fred into getting his pierced as well? Otherwise I won’t be the only one able to tell you apart.”

The teakettle whistled then and he let her go with a laugh, all harmony apparently restored.

By the beginning of the next week, Thalassa was concerned enough to make an appointment with a midwife. The fleeting bouts of queasiness and the tenderness in her breasts, to which she’d previously not given much thought, took on an almost ominous significance. If she was pregnant, she needed to know. She didn’t want to think about what an unplanned and unexpected pregnancy would do to her relationship with Fred and George. They’d never talked about having kids, and she wasn’t sure they wanted any. She wasn’t sure she wanted any. It was too early in the relationship to think about such things. They’d only just started to work out the practical concerns of living together, and now…

Thalassa knew how her mother would react. After exhausting every possible variation of ‘I told you so,’ Euryale would tell her to take one of the potions that would terminate a pregnancy. A cold knot formed in the pit of her stomach as she thought of having to tell Mrs. Weasley. If Thalassa and the twins hadn’t actually broken her heart at Christmas, this would certainly do it. Don’t think about it, she told herself. Wait until you know for sure. For the next few days, she clung to that thin lifeline with one hand and her swiftly eroding calm with the other.

Her appointment was for the middle of Friday afternoon. She wanted to be done long before the joke shop closed. She feared she was going to need a few hours to think on her options before she could face anyone else. That morning at breakfast, Thalassa decided it was time to test the waters and get Fred and George’s feelings on having children. Even if she wasn’t pregnant, a possibility she didn’t hold out much hope for at this point, they needed to start thinking about the future.

“So,” she began casually, “how did Sunday dinner go? I forgot to ask.”

“The same as usual,” Fred replied. “A great, fat lot of stilted conversation broken up by reproachful looks and disapproving sniffs.”

“I’m so sorry,” Thalassa sighed. “I never meant for things to turn out this way.”

“It’s not your fault,” George said, covering her hand with his.

“And really, it’s mostly just Mum,” Fred added.

“Ginny owls us all the time asking how we’re all getting on and sending her love. Charlie’s known for ages and he’s fine with it.

“Percy’s being a complete git, but that’s nothing new. Hermione seems to be putting the right amount of pressure on Ron to get him to keep a cork in it.

“Dad goes along with whatever Mum says just to keep the peace, but doesn't have much else to say about it.”

“Well,” she said brightly, “at least your mum isn’t harping on about the two of you getting married and giving her grandchildren to spoil. That has to be a relief.”

“In a way,” Fred said uncertainly.

“I don’t know.” George shook his head, sitting back and letting go of Thalassa’s hand. “I rather miss it. It’s almost as if she’s given up on us.”

“You think so?” Fred raised one eyebrow.

“Perhaps it’s better if she does give up on you,” Thalassa said in a completely unconcerned tone as she looked down at the Daily Prophet and turned the page. “After all, it’s not as if I could marry both of you.” She sipped her tea and pretended not to notice the uncomfortable silence that followed.

“Er, Thalassa?” George ventured.

“Hmm?” she responded without looking up from her paper.

“You, ah, did you want to get married?”

She glanced up at him then. With a mischievous grin she cooed, “Oh George, I thought you’d never ask.”

He gave her an uneasy smile and flicked a guilty glance at Fred.

“Idiot,” she laughed. “Didn’t I just say I couldn’t marry both of you? No, I’m afraid marriage isn’t an option for us.”

“That doesn’t mean we couldn’t start on the other part of Mum’s wish,” Fred said with a leer.

Thalassa allowed an expression of surprise and confusion to bloom on her face and she exchanged a startled look with George before turning back to Fred. “What?”

“You know marriage isn’t required to produce babies. We could still give Mum grandchildren.”

“Fred!” Thalassa thought of every embarrassing thing she could until she felt heat in her cheeks.

George grinned wickedly, seeing the opportunity to bait her. “He’s right, you know. We could start on that tonight.”

“George!” She let exasperation creep into her voice. “We’ve been seeing each other since September. You two have only just moved in. Besides, your mum won’t thank you or me for giving her illegitimate grandchildren.”

“I’m reasonably sure she considers us the most likely of all her children to do just that,” Fred said more seriously.

“What about you?” George asked. “I mean, I realize it’s a little soon, but someday? Would you mind terribly helping to produce the next crop of Weasleys?”

“That’s not likely to happen as long as you and Fred don’t forget to perform the Infertility Curse,” she sidestepped his question neatly while trying to get them to remember if there had been a time when they had.

“As if you’d let us forget,” Fred complained good-naturedly. “Remember the time you made me do the Curse twice because it didn’t feel right the first time?”

She did remember. It was the day after Boxing Day and she hadn’t felt the familiar, icy sensation low in her belly that was a side effect of the Curse taking hold. When she didn’t feel the cold the second time, either, she assumed she had just grown accustomed to it and didn’t notice it as much any more. Could she have been pregnant even then? If she had been, the spell would’ve had no effect at all. “I’m sorry I doubted your ability to perform a simple curse,” she said to Fred. “I just reckoned you weren’t keen on becoming a father.”

“I don’t suppose I’d mind so much. Not right away, of course,” he hastened to reassure her, “whenever you’re ready.”

She finished her tea and folded up her paper. “I need to hurry or I’ll be late.” She rose and kissed each of them in turn.

“If you’d just Apparate you wouldn’t have to leave so early,” George complained.

“We’ve already been through this,” she replied impatiently. “I like taking the tube. Are we still meeting at the Leaky Cauldron for dinner?”

“Of course,” Fred said. “We’ll see you about half seven.” After she left, he turned to his twin with a puzzled frown. “Did she say whether she wanted kids or not?”

“No,” George sighed. “She did that verbal Sloth-Grip Roll she always does when she doesn’t want us to know what she’s thinking.”

“So do you think she does, or doesn’t?”

“I couldn’t begin to guess. We’ve known her, what, almost ten years and I still have no idea how her mind works. I’d hope that she’s just wary of complicating an already complicated situation because I really want kids, and I want them with her.”

“I do too,” said Fred, surprising both of them. “How soon do you think we can start talking her into it?”

“We should probably give it a couple of days and then tread very lightly. She hasn’t been her usual self lately.”

“I’ve noticed. She absolutely snarled at me the other day for leaving a wet towel on the bed. Not that I don’t think she had a right to be irritated, mind, but she didn’t have to bite my head off.” He took a gulp of his tea. “Is it us? Is she sorry she let us move in?”

“I don’t think so.” George rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for her, but I think whatever’s bothering her runs deeper than that. She took it real hard, Mum and Dad’s reaction at Christmas. You heard her just now, and she’s forever telling us how lucky we are and not to take the people that love us for granted. I think she misses the rest of the family.”

“Hmm. Well, if we can’t take her to the Burrow, perhaps we can bring a bit of the Burrow to her. It’s Charlie’s last night in the country, let’s owl him and invite him to dinner.”

“Good idea. Why don’t you do that right now?” George neatly delegated the task.

Fred grimaced, but pulled out his wand to Summon parchment and quill. “Maybe we can get Charlie to give us some pointers on dealing with temperamental women. Can’t be that different from dealing with dragons.”


That evening, Thalassa waited in the Leaky Cauldron carrying the biggest secret of her life. The midwife had confirmed her suspicions. Thalassa was indeed pregnant. As soon as she heard the words, she found she didn’t need any time to consider her options. Her doubts and fears had no significance at all. She’d have this baby. To do anything else would be a betrayal of her love for Fred and George, and of theirs for her. Her bag held parchments listing things she should avoid, helpful suggestions on nutrition and exercise, and what symptoms to expect. Following the Healer’s orders, Thalassa had forgone her usual beer and was drinking (she shuddered) milk. In her head, she rehearsed what she would say when she told the twins. At least she could anticipate a favourable reaction. Their comments at breakfast had done a great deal to calm her fears. She was even beginning to look forward to a little girl or boy with ginger hair and brown eyes. And likely full of twice the mischief of either father, she thought with a sigh and rested her hand just below her navel. She was surprised to realize she considered both of them the fathers. Intellectually, she knew that only one could be, but her feelings on the subject were quite strong. They were all in this together.

While she waited, she began reading over the parchments the midwife had given her. She already knew which potions and components she shouldn’t handle, and that Apparating was risky in the extreme, but the list of dos and don’ts was far longer than she’d have ever thought. She’d have to make time to fetch a Prenatal Potion from the apothecary, too. As the hour approached half seven, she divided her attention between her reading and watching the door. Fred and George finally arrived, only fifteen minutes late. Thalassa smiled in greeting, unsurprised at their tardiness. She was, however, a bit surprised to see Charlie follow them through the door.

Damn, she thought before hiding her frustration under a calm and composed mask. Ordinarily, she’d be pleased beyond words to see Charlie, but not today when she had such important and personal news to share with Fred and George. The rest of the family would need to be told soon enough, but Thalassa wanted a few days for the three of them to adjust to the idea first. She tucked her parchments away in her bag and stood to greet the Weasley brothers with a warm smile.

“Look who we found.” Fred grinned at the sight of Thalassa’s happy face.

“I see,” she remarked. “Hello, Charlie.” She gave him a hug.

“Hello, Thalassa,” he said returning her embrace. “You’re looking well. I was afraid these two would be running you ragged.”

“I managed to keep them out of trouble back at school while revising for exams and OWLs.” She waved dismissively. “They’re much better behaved than they were then.”

“Oh yes,” George drawled. “We’re very nearly housebroken now.”

“Hey, no monopolizing the witch,” Fred complained.

“Shush,” she scolded. “I rarely get to see Charlie. You, I see all the time.” But she turned to him to give him a kiss on the cheek and a hug.

“Yes, and I get to see you naked,” Fred whispered in her ear.

“There is that,” she agreed with a wink and a faint blush. He moved aside so she could hug and kiss George. “And how was your day?” she asked him.

“Brutal,” George groaned.

She chuckled. “Well, you had to open a joke shop. You couldn’t be bothered to play professional Quidditch,” she teased as she took her seat again and Charlie Summoned another chair from the nearest empty table.

“We couldn’t risk them splitting up the Fabulous Gred and Forge,” Fred laughed.

Thalassa’s smile faded. “I hate it when you call yourselves that, like you’re interchangeable. It’s creepy,” she complained and received surprised looks from all three Weasleys.

“We’re sorry,” George apologized immediately.

“If we’d known it bothered you that much, we’d have stopped,” Fred added.

“No, I’m sorry,” she sighed. “I’m overreacting again, aren’t I? Charlie, you can tell me the truth.”

“Perhaps just the tiniest bit.” He held up his thumb and forefinger, indicating a very small amount.

She grimaced apologetically. “I suppose the only excuse I can offer is that it’s been a very long week.”

“I keep telling you that you work too hard,” George chided.

“Well then you’ll be glad to know I’ve finally heard you. I won’t be working Saturdays any more.”

“That’s cause for celebration.” Fred grinned. “Butterbeers all around.”

“Not for me,” Thalassa interjected.

“That’s right, you prefer that Muggle stuff.”

“No, I’m afraid I’ve lost my taste for beer lately. Just pumpkin juice, please.”

“Is that what you were drinking?” Fred leaned forward and frowned at the glass in front of her. “Ugh, milk. No wonder you’re cranky.” He jumped as Charlie kicked him under the table. “Sorry,” he coughed. “Meant to ask if perhaps you were coming down with something. Not like you to drink milk.”

“It sounded good at the time,” she answered shortly. “So, Charlie, how are your dragons?”

He seized the opportunity to change the subject and launched into a tale of a particularly difficult rescue and rehab of an injured dragon. The rest of the evening passed smoothly and the ache in Thalassa’s soul began to ease. She’d been annoyed at first when Fred and George had brought Charlie along, but she now saw their reasons and appreciated their efforts. It was good to see Charlie again. Thalassa was grateful for the way he had kept their secret, giving them the opportunity to tell their parents about their relationship with her in their own way. It was time to start rebuilding her bridges with the rest of the family. She wanted the best possible upbringing for her baby and that meant being part of the Weasley clan.

At the end of the evening, Charlie insisted on paying for their meals. Thalassa protested, saying they had three incomes compared to his one and could better afford it, but he just brushed off her arguments. While Charlie settled up at the bar, Fred asked her, “Do you have any plans for tomorrow, since you’re taking the day off?”

“I thought I’d do a little cleaning around the flat, perhaps rearrange some things to see if I can give us some more space.”

“So, in other words, you’re still going to work as hard as you normally do, only you’ll be doing it at home,” George said.

She sighed impatiently. “There are things that need to be done.”

“Well, then tell us and we’ll do them,” Fred urged.

“And have you two accuse me of sounding like your mum? No thank you.”

“What is this?” Charlie had returned. “I leave you for two seconds and you’re already squabbling again? What did you say, Fred?”

“He didn’t say anything,” Thalassa defended Fred before he could protest. “I’m just too tired to be fit company.” They all made their way out into the frosty night. “Charlie, you know you’re always welcome for dinner over at my flat. It’s no trouble at all to put more water in the soup and I promise I’ll be better behaved than I was tonight.”

“Did you behave badly? I didn’t notice,” he responded gallantly.

“Thank you for that, but I know when I’ve been less than gracious.”

“No, I mean it. If these two give you any trouble, send me an owl and I’ll come knock their heads together.”

“Spoken like a true big brother.” Thalassa smiled.

“It’s late,” Fred reminded. “We should be getting home.”

“Are we Apparating?” George asked.

“Not tonight,” she said. “I’m too tired. I’d wind up splinched for sure. I’ve got enough to spring for a taxi if we can flag one down.”

“Allow me.” Charlie took out his wand and held it down at his side. He muttered a quick spell, stepped to the curb, and whistled. When he raised his empty hand in the gesture to hail a cab, one rounded the corner, much to the surprise of its Muggle driver.

“Nice,” George commented.

“Learned it from one of the Americans,” Charlie replied casually. “’Night, all.”


The next day, true to her word, Thalassa cleaned and sorted, packing some items and throwing others away. She levitated furniture around with her wand, trying to utilize the space they had more efficiently, not that it made much difference. She concluded that the three of them were going to have to find other living quarters before the baby was born. When there was a knock at the door, she welcomed the interruption. To her surprise, it was Bill.

She smiled in welcome and stood aside to let him in. “Hello, Bill. I—ah—I’m sorry for the clutter. I was rearranging the furniture.”

He looked around at the flat curiously.

“Fred and George aren’t here. The joke shop is open until seven on Saturdays. I don’t expect them back for a few more hours.”

He finished his visual inspection of her flat and turned his gaze back to her. “I know. I came to see you.”

“Oh.” She strove to keep her calm. It’s just Bill, for Merlin’s sake, she told herself sternly. “I was about to make a spot of tea. Would you like some?”

“Sure,” he replied laconically.

She gestured to the kitchen table. “Have a seat.” Then she turned away to put the kettle on. An uncomfortable silence settled over them while she moved about the tiny kitchen. Bill’s silent appraisal was unnerving. She resisted the urge to fill the stillness with chatter and waited until the tea had been brewed and poured. “So what may I do for you?”

“I thought it time we talked. You have the singular honor of creating more turmoil at the Burrow than the seven of us combined. Quite a feat.”

The tea turned bitter in her mouth and she carefully put down her cup. “I’m very sorry for that, but I have little control over what goes on at your parents’ house,” she replied tightly.

“You don’t give yourself enough credit.” He sipped his tea. “When I met you at Christmas, you seemed like a sensible woman. Whatever possessed you to pursue this madness?”

Thalassa stood suddenly, accidentally bumping the table and making the teacups rattle in their saucers. She folded her arms across her chest and began to pace while she bit her tongue and counted to ten. She thought of and discarded several replies before answering simply, “Love.”

Bill laughed derisively at the idea. “Don’t you think they each deserve someone who can love them for themselves, as individuals?”

She felt the last shreds of her patience slipping from her grasp. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I do love each of them exactly for who they are.”

“And you couldn’t just settle on one and let the other be?”

“No,” she said shortly, her face flushed with the effort to maintain at least the illusion of civility. “I tried to convince them that we should remain just friends, because I couldn’t say I loved one more than the other. This arrangement was their idea. They won’t have it any other way.”

“Without any prompting on your part at all,” he said sarcastically. “Never mind that lads their age are easily swayed by,” he paused to let his cold gaze travel down her body and back up, “a pretty face.”

She inhaled sharply. “If you have a point, I suggest you get to it quickly. You’re wearing out your welcome.”

He stood, drawing himself up to his full height. “Here it is, then: end this before it gets truly ugly. You’ve caused enough heartache for our family. Mum cries all the time. Right before Ginny went back to school, she had a huge row with Ron. Percy’s even more of a pompous ass than usual, saying the scandal will ruin his chances for advancement.” Bill took a menacing step forward. “Break the twins’ hearts if you must, but do it now while they’ll still mend.”

“I have no intention of breaking their hearts, now or at any other time,” she said, the stubborn set of her chin very evident.

“Your life may become more difficult than you can imagine,” he growled.

She gave him a hard stare. “Really?” she asked softly. “And how do you propose to make my life difficult?” She began to pace once more, but this time it was the prowling of a caged animal, watching for the opportunity to turn on its captors. “Would you make my mother disown me? Too late. Throw the disapproval of the wizarding community at me? The only thing louder than the whispers is the silence. Vandalize my shop? Someone’s beaten you to it. Murder my tenant? Terrorize the Muggles that live around me? Already done, all of it.” She gave a contemptuous snort. “You’re holding a Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes trick wand and it just turned into a rubber chicken.”

Through narrowed eyes, he watched her move. The clues that had been nagging him fell into place. “Do they know you’re pregnant?” he asked suddenly.

Her mouth dropped open in shock. “H-how--?”

He closed on her, grabbed her hard by the shoulders and very deliberately sniffed her neck. “The clues are everywhere: the way you keep touching your belly, your posture, your scent. Have you told them yet?” He gave her a little shake.

“No.”

“Is it George’s or Fred’s?”

“I don’t know,” she snapped. “Take your hands off me!”

He let her go. “Perhaps it’s someone else’s entirely.”

Thalassa saw red. Her hand snaked out and connected with Bill’s face with a resounding crack. “Leave. Now. Before I forget you’re related to the men I love. Before I turn you into something more loathsome and unspeakable than you already are.” It was a cruel thing to say, but he’d rattled her far more than she wanted to admit, and she needed to regain the upper hand somehow.

He touched the spot where she’d hit him. “Remember what I’ve said,” he snarled.

“Until my dying day,” she spat. They glared at one another for a moment before he turned and left. She stood there, shaking with fury for long minutes. Gradually, her anger cooled and reaction began to set in. She wobbled over to the couch and collapsed, crying into her hands. She eventually cried herself to sleep there, only waking when Fred and George arrived home.

“What’s happened?” Fred demanded, pulling her into his arms.

She shook her head wordlessly.

George glanced at the tea things still on the table. “Who was here today? Was it your mother?”

“No.” She scrubbed at her face with the back of her hand. “Just let it be.”

“Tell us who’s been upsetting you,” Fred urged.

She flatly refused. “It’s my problem to deal with,” she insisted. “I’ll make dinner. You two must be starving.” For the rest of the evening, she determinedly kept the conversation on neutral topics. Though Fred and George occasionally exchanged worried looks, they allowed the matter to drop.

Inside, Thalassa was still seething. Damn Bill, anyway, she thought. It was hard to decide what was the most insulting thing he’d said to her. Even more maddening was the fact that because she’d fallen asleep, she hadn’t had time to make a special dinner tonight. She’d wanted things to be perfect when she told Fred and George her news. Perhaps later, when we go to bed. The thought finally dissipated her anger and brought a small smile to her face.


Finding Thalassa asleep on the couch when he and George got home from work had surprised Fred. Realizing she’d cried herself to sleep in the middle of the day gave him a nasty turn, especially when she refused to tell them what was wrong. George was just as frustrated with her stubborn silence, but he counselled patience with a meaningful glance and a subtle gesture. They allowed her to steer the conversation where she would and eventually her mutinous expression gave way to a serene, if secretive, smile. Fred began to entertain the hope that she’d confide in them eventually.

Later, when they were getting ready for bed, he allowed himself the pleasure of watching her undress. She was no longer as rail-thin as she’d been a few months ago. Living with him and George was having at least some beneficial effect on her. Fred had a feeling that she skipped more meals than she ate when she was living alone. Normally, he enjoyed seeing her slowly reveal the curves she was regaining, but when she unfastened her robe and began to slide it off her shoulders, he gasped in shock. Livid bruises stood out on her milk-pale skin.

“Who did this to you?” George demanded furiously before Fred could say anything.

She glanced up, an expression of pure panic on her face. “What?” she squeaked.

“You have bruises all over your arms and back,” Fred answered, his anger reaching the boiling point. “Who was here today, Thalassa?”

She jerked her robe back on, a dull red flush creeping unevenly up her neck.

“Bloody hell!” George spat out and stomped into the living room.

Thalassa fumbled with the fastenings of her robe and ran after him. “George, wait!”

Fred followed them in time to see George standing in front of the security mirror. “Who was here today?” he practically shouted at his reflection, and Fred’s heart stopped when the image answered, “Bill Weasley.”

“I told you it’s my problem to deal with,” Thalassa said sharply.

“Not any more it’s not.” George growled and slammed out of the flat.

She turned to Fred, her eyes desperate and pleading. “You have to go after him,” she begged. “Make him see sense.”

“I’ll go after him, all right, but he’s making perfect sense.” Fred followed his twin, but George was already gone. Since the corridor was clear, he pulled out his wand and Disapparated.

A/N: In case anyone was wondering how the Temporary Infertility Curse worked and why it wouldn't have any effect a mere two days after conception, here's my reasoning. The Curse works in two ways, first by making any ova that are ready to be fertilised temporarily Impervious to sperm, and secondly, by making the uterus a hostile environment for the little swimmers. The Curse can fail if not cast with enough will--like Unforgiveables, one has to mean it--or if a particularly hardy and determined sperm manages to survive until the part of the spell blocking the ovum fades. It only works on unfertilised ova, although loose sperm would still be vulnerable to that part of the spell. And if that was TMI, you have my apologies.