– POST-WAR –
It was hard for Vega to come back from the Battle of Hogwarts, and she was sure that if she didn't have her loved ones around, she might not have been able to recover. There was so much going on with her body and in her mind that she did not know what to do or where to start. The loss of both Dora and Ted had been a very big blow to Vega and Andromeda.
Due to the malnutrition that Vega had undergone during her time out in the wild, and the sudden difference she faced from the lack of an Obscurus in her body, Vega was told that she needed to be hospitalised but she insisted on being at home rather than St. Mungo's.
There were a lot of Potions that were needed to be drunk, and there was a lot of Healing to be done for her injuries but Vega felt like she needed to be there for Andromeda.
When Vega saw Teddy for the first time, it was hard to not cry as she took him from her aunt. He was almost a month now and he was a big baby. Vega slowly took him into her arms, trying to smile at him as he reached to grab at her hair, his turquoise blue hair shifting.
It took her a moment, but it seemed worth it when Vega turned her hair to the same shade of turquoise as Teddy's and he broke into laughter, hurrying to match her.
"You're Teddy, aren't you?" Vega asked him, not even expecting him to understand. "You'll know about that, soon. I'm your Aunt Vega... I'm sorry we didn't meet sooner,"
The more Vega spent time around Teddy, the more she wondered about him and how Dora would've introduced him – would she have mentioned how Teddy had the same nose as Remus or the same shape of eyes as Dora? Or that he had lips like Vega and Andromeda? It made Vega feel lost and confused at times, but she just wanted to be there for Teddy.
Fred was the greatest help that Vega could've asked for – he helped her at every corner. Whether it was with cleaning up, helping around with Teddy or even arranging for Dora and Remus's funerals. It was too hard for Vega or Andromeda to think about it, the thought of Dora leaving forever, so it was a welcome that Fred took upon himself to do the work.
And the night following the funeral was the hardest on Vega.
"I'm staying the night again," Fred told Vega quietly as they sat in her bedroom, with the male helping – convincing – her to eat her dinner. "I told your Aunt, too,"
"You can stay here any time," Vega mumbled, swallowing the spoonful that Fred had waved around in front of her. "Aunt Dromeda doesn't mind you at all,"
"Let's get healthy quickly," Fred said, smiling gently at her. "I promised I'd make you some dinner but it has all been oatmeal..." He looked down at the empty bowl in his hand. "... but the Healers say that you need simple meals with nutrients that cover hours..."
"It's alright," Vega replied. "I'm better just with you around," She glanced past him and at the clock, noticing that it was around eight. "It's time for Teddy's dinner, too..."
"I'll get it, you should rest," Fred assured her.
While Fred left the bedroom to go and fetch the milk from the kitchen, Vega stood up to get Teddy from his crib, which was currently set in the corner of her bedroom. She and Andromeda were thinking of making Dora's room into his bedroom but they had chosen to wait until the funeral was performed. And besides, he needed to be watched for now.
Teddy was being entertained by Vega's puffskeins – Venus, Dorado, Virgo, Leo and Janus – who were in his eyeshot from his crib. He held his arms out to Vega and allowed her to pick him up, and she took him to her bed, being careful of Pluto the Crup on the rug.
"Are you excited?" Vega asked, smiling as Teddy swept his arms around and kicking his legs, right into her stomach and she groaned comically to make him laugh. "Of course, you are, my little love,"
The door opened, and Fred returned, grinning at Vega and Teddy, "He's all energetic again, is he? He gives me a run for my Galleons – and you know that's saying something,"
"Well, he is Dora's son," Vega said, taking the bottle from him and checking the temperature before helping Teddy have it. "You haven't seen how much trouble she got into..."
It was quiet between them and Fred sat down on the chair as he watched Vega concentrate on making sure that Teddy was drinking properly and not choking. The light in the bedroom was dim, and the warm milk was lulling Teddy off to sleep despite his energy.
"What do you think about taking him to the park tomorrow?" Fred suggested in a low voice to allow Teddy to sleep. "You could do well with some sun, too,"
"That sounds nice," Vega agreed. "I'm sure Teddy would like that, too,"
Vega glanced down to see Teddy dozing off so she took away the emptying bottle, causing it to buzz slightly, and she leaned him against her chest, patting his back until he burped, causing Vega and Fred to share a grin with each other. And then, it was time for Teddy to rest in his curb. Vega pulled her hair out of her bun and let out a long sigh as she walked to Fred.
"Thank you for coming by so often," Vega muttered, taking a seat on his lap and wrapping her arms around him. "I love you, and I really do appreciate it,"
"I love you, too," Fred replied, giving her a quick kiss on her lips. He looked at her grey eyes and rubbed her back. "I love you very much,"
It had been hard for Fred, too, to know and realise that Vega was almost – was – gone, and Vega knew that he had been facing with his own fears. She felt sorry but she was still adamant that she wouldn't hesitate to do it again if it was to save her loved ones.
"You can come visit me at the shop," Fred whispered to her. "Bring Teddy along... I'm thinking of making a line for little children – nothing dangerous – he'll enjoy the shop, and I'm sure you feel better after seeing all the new students coming in and out..."
"I'll do that," Vega promised. "It sounds good just thinking about it... I haven't been able to see your shop very well, and you're already opening in Hogsmeade..."
"I'm going to handle the one in Hogsmeade," Fred told her earnestly. "So, when you go to school after summer, you can still visit me on the weekends – and not only Hogsmeade trips! I'm going to pester good old McGonagall until she agrees on it,"
Vega chuckled against his shoulder.
⚡️
– SCHOOL –
Harry and Ron had decided that they wanted to go straight to the Auror Department following the war, which was something that Vega helped with while she was at home over the summer months, but she chose to go back to Hogwarts with Hermione when the next term started. It was mostly something that Vega wanted to heal from within.
Fred had come to see her off at the train station, carrying Teddy along, who was now old enough to be cared for by Andromeda. Vega had felt cheered up and also a little sad that she was heading off to school. Teddy seemed to be feeling the same about it.
"I'll see you all soon, okay?" Vega said to the two males, giving both Fred and Teddy a kiss goodbye. "Very soon, I expect, actually,"
For McGonagall had allowed for Vega – as well as returning students Hermione and Neville – that she could return home through her fireplace any time she wanted (as long as it did not disrupt class, unless it was an emergency) which Vega was grateful for.
McGonagall also allowed them to take breaks over the weekends if they wanted, and Vega knew she'd take them just to spend time with her family as much as possible.
The days at Hogwarts were long, now that Vega wasn't fighting against time to defeat Voldemort, and she found a lot of time to spend with studying and other students.
Vega got to study more of the Magical Creature languages as she always wanted, and she got to do some writing for all the scholarly journals she wanted to write to.
There were so many things that she wanted to write about, Vega realised after the long journey, and writing brought a relief as she got to elaborate on her thoughts. It was slightly amusing to see Rita Skeeter write critical articles in the Daily Prophet about her works.
But her most important work at Hogwarts, Vega found, was just her mere presence – since she was there, among the students (especially the ones who had loved ones participate in the war) and when they found the courage to talk to Vega, it was clear that it helped.
It was helpful for Vega, too, and despite the heavy topics, she was always willing to listen to what they had to say, such as Dennis Creevey, who just wanted some closure.
Maybe McGonagall had realised this, for she had given Vega the title of Head Girl that year (while Vega had refused the Quidditch Captain and passed it to Ginny). That allowed Vega to be more accessible to other students, rather than being some sort of enigma.
Vega visited Fred every Saturday, regardless of the weather, and sometimes returned to the castle the following morning, having spent the night at Fred's flat over the new shop – which bustled almost suffocatingly on the Hogsmeade trips. All the students were always so eager to head there and see what knew came by, and Filch was all the more bitter.
Before long, the winter had arrived at Hogwarts, and Vega found herself staring out the Owlery every morning, looking at all the snow-covered grounds. December brought gloom to her feelings, remembering the six years she had studied at the school.
However, a case for happiness was right around the corner.
⚡️
– PROPOSAL –
The Christmas Holidays had arrived at Hogwarts, and while almost all of the Hogwarts students had returned back home immediately, Vega stayed back for almost a week and half to help out with all the arrangements for Christmas, and she personally went out of her way to buy gifts for all the young students that were staying back at the castle.
"To be fair, using that money for gifts for children is probably the most positivity that vault has seen," Vega admitted to Fred, referring to the Lestrange Vault, now under her care since Bellatrix was dead and both Rodolphus and Rabastan were prisoned.
Vega and Fred were tucked into warm clothes, the sun had set a while ago and the sky was covered with dark grey clouds. Snow was fluttering down onto the Hogsmeade street, the buildings looking just like gingerbread houses. It was a wonderful night.
Fred had closed his shop a bit early since it was Christmas Eve, and Vega was supposed to stay with him before they headed to the Burrow to celebrate Christmas with their family.
Hermione had headed off to her parents and was going to arrive with Ron, and Harry was hoping to get around early, too. Andromeda had informed Vega that she would drop Teddy to her and then later join them at the Burrow in the evening, hoping to visit Ted's family first.
While the night was still young and the winds strong, both Vega and Fred dropped by the Three Broomsticks to have a few drinks, sitting close as they shared their week to each other. There weren't a lot of people but it was filled with Hogsmeade-dwellers.
By the time that they returned outside, the sky was clearing up a bit and Vega could only see a few distant stars as she and Fred made their way to open fields to walk and relax before they headed back to the flat. It was still too early to turn it in each other's company.
"Can you see where your star is?" Fred asked.
"You still haven't memorised it?" Vega responded, looking mock-hurt. "I show you every night – you know, I get now why you didn't like Astronomy,"
"Well, the Vega I want is always right next to me," Fred answered cheekily and Vega shook her head at him, her cheeks blushing from a lot more than just the warm drinks. "So, where is it?"
"It's right there," Vega informed him, looking to the sky to point the faint light of the star through the misty clouds. "It's one of the few stars bright enough to look through the thin clouds – come on, you have to look quickly before the clouds cover it up again,"
But there was no response from Fred, and when Vega turned to look at him, she felt a strange feeling rush through her body when she saw him on one knee.
Fred was holding his hand up, holding onto a small red velvet-clad box that opened to reveal its white insides – and sitting snugly in its place was a : with a large beautiful ruby stone set in the middle, it was surrounded by shining diamonds, held by a silver waist.
"We've been dating for four years tonight," Fred told her, smiling widely, and Vega knew that because for every year, one of the diamonds in her turned to ruby. "And I've been hoping to ask you to marry me... I know that some would think that it is still very early for me to ask you but I think we've gone through a lot together, and I know – after all this – that you have always been and still are the only person that I would like to spend the rest of my life with. And if I am the same person to you – would you like to marry me, Vega?"
"Yes!" Vega whispered in a hushed surprise, and she watched as Fred stood up to eagerly take her hand in his, reaching to put the ring onto her finger.
Vega took Fred's face into her hands as soon as he straightened up, giving him an ardent kiss, and she felt Fred lift her from her feet slightly, his arms tight around her.
"I love you," Vega told him as they pulled back and she stared at him closely. "I love you so much,"
"I love you just as much," Fred confirmed, pecking her on the lips, grinning widely.
"This is really beautiful..." Vega whispered, taking a peek at the ring as if she would be struck if she focused too much upon it. "... thank you so much,"
"It looks beautiful because you're wearing it," Fred told her, smiling widely at her lit-up face. "Come on... I'll cook dinner for you tonight, your favourite, okay? You're my fiancée now, aren't you?"
Upon this, Vega's face was as red as the ruby-set ring.
The night was one of the best that Vega had spent in a very long time. She found herself smiling and laughing more than she had ever done the previous months, and the more she spent time with Fred, the more she realised that she couldn't wait to actually marry him. They had a very nice dinner, with Fred's steak and some delicious wine, and it only turned better as the time went on. Before Vega had realised, however, it was the following morning.
When Vega woke up, she found her eyes go straight to Fred. He was still sleeping, on his stomach, and his face stuffed into his pillow right next to her head. One of his arms was wrapped around her and holding her against himself. Her skin was warm due to the touch of Fred's body, and she felt comfortable – until she realised how bright the room was.
"Fred, you've got to wake up," Vega said, pushing herself up and looking at him. "We're getting late – Teddy's going to arrive in an hour, and we have to go to the Burrow later to help your Mum –"
"It's okay," Fred assured her. "You can take the shower first,"
"You're right," Vega replied, and without a care about her nakedness, she got up and rushed to collect on her clothes and towel as she headed for the bathroom. Fred laughed.
However, Fred joined her fairly quickly after.
"We have to hurry, don't we?" Fred said, grinning at her and Vega shook her head to herself.
Just as Vega had finished dressing up and making breakfast, the fireplace turned green and out came Andromeda, carrying an eight-month-old Teddy Lupin. Upon the sight of his Aunt Vega, Teddy started to yell babyishly for her to take him, holding his arms out, "Aun' Ve-ga!"
"Oh, my, Teddy's here?" Vega asked, reaching to take him into her arms, allowing him to wrap his arms around her neck the best he could. "I missed you so much! You're so big now! Merry Christmas to you and Aunt Dromeda, I've got so much toys for you!"
Vega looked around to Andromeda and saw her having noticed the new ring on Vega's finger.
"Aunt Dromeda," Vega said as she moved closer to her, holding her hand out to her. "Fred proposed to be last night... for marriage. And I said yes, of course... and I was hoping to tell you first, actually,"
"Fred mentioned it to me beforehand," Andromeda replied, taking at her hand to look at fondly. "He wanted to ask for permission formally, even though I mentioned that if there's one person that I trust will always keep you safe, it's him," She looked at Vega. "He's a good boy, I'm happy for you,"
"Thank you very much," Vega said, feeling emotions build up in her throat and behind her eyes. "I'm very... happy, too. I don't think I would've managed this far down... after everything... if it wasn't for him," She wiped at her eyes with her free hand. "It still feels unfair that I have someone like him..."
"You know, he said something similar about you," Andromeda replied, stroking her hair. "I'll meet you in the evening, okay? Have fun with Teddy and Fred. Merry Christmas, pass my greetings to your fiancé, and apologies for leaving so quickly,"
"I will," Vega said, blushing.
If Andromeda's reaction to Vega being proposed was calm, Mrs. Weasley was on a different spectrum. It seemed like Fred had mentioned it to his mother, too, because the moment that they arrived at the Burrow, Vega was being swept into a bone-crushing hug.
"Be careful, Mum!" Fred exclaimed as he arrived behind Vega, holding Teddy in his arm while his free one held onto the boy's stuff for the day. "You're hurting my future wife!"
By the time Harry, Ron Hermione and Ginny made their rounds to congratulate Vega and the black-haired girl had gone rather red in the face. She looked up as Fleur slid over to her, looking down at the finger and then smiling at her.
"It's really beautiful," Fleur said to her in French, giving the hand a squeeze. "I think the colour red really suits you – Fred chose very well," Vega smiled.
"Thank you very much," Vega replied.
And such was the reaction at the Christmas afterparty that George (and his girlfriend, Angelina Johnson) threw at the shop's open flat (previously Fred's area) where their former schoolmates, Hogwarts's alumni, joined them on the evening of 26th of December.
"Oh, you guys are engaged?" Alicia asked, excitedly as she noticed Vega and Fred together, and the ring that had been the topic between the women. "Congratulations!"
"Thank you so much," Vega replied, smiling widely.
"And who is this?" Alicia inquired, looking toward Teddy, who was in Vega's arms, sucking his own fist as he looked around the place with wide grey eyes. "I didn't know you and Fred had a...?"
"Oh no, it's my cousin's son, his name is Teddy," Vega answered as she, too, looked at Teddy, whose hair and eyes were currently resembling her.
"He's a big boy now," Fred commented, appearing out of nowhere (after going to go and annoy Percy, who was trying to chat with a girl he 'knew from work') and taking Teddy into his arms.
"We haven't got any children yet," Vega said to Alicia, pink in the cheeks. "We're okay with Teddy for now, but we might have kids... of our own, later,"
But Vega knew that they both hoped to spend some years together as an engaged couple, and marry before they decided upon it –
⚡️
– WEDDING –
Vega and Fred did not arrange a wedding until the summer of 2003 by when they had turned 23 and 25 respectively. They had been busy with their careers, and they were busy with each other. They took time to travel together, discover more about each other, and found all the more reasons for them to love each other as they grew up together.
The wedding was to be held on a clear, beautiful summer day, and it was going to be held in the grounds of the Tonks Residence while the was to be held on the other side where had been arranged (which Andromeda was overlooking as she had also baked the personally). Vega was still in her room, being helped into a dress.
While Angelina, Fleur and Aubrey (Percy's fiancée) were overlooking Vega's clothing and jewellery, Luna was commentating and Katie, Hermione and Ginny were looking over five-year-old Teddy, who was the ring-bearer for the ceremony. The were two-year-old Victoire and one-year-old Dominique. George had stopped by to give the rings over, and Vega chuckled her anxiety away as he joked with them before leaving to 'make sure that Fred doesn't faint of his own nerves'.
For the wedding, Vega's choice of colours were hues of pink, purple and lavender, and the aesthetic had been rather rustic. The role of the Maid-of-Honour had been assigned to Hermione, while Luna, Ginny, Katie and Angelina agreed to be the bridesmaids and they wore those rather beautifully.
On the other hand, Fred had chosen George to be his Best Man – naturally – and taken on Harry, Ron Lee Jordan and Percy (to annoy him) as the two groomsmen.
Since Vega did not have a father-figure anymore, due to the loss of Ted during the War, she had reached Andromeda and asked if she would like walk her down the altar, and Andromeda agreed.
"Girls, it's almost time for you to head down for the ceremony," Mrs. Weasley said as she knocked on the door and opened it, smiling widely when she saw the new bride.
Mrs. Weasley had escaped the fate of a full-body bind by Fred because the wedding was being held at the Tonks Residence. Since Andromeda did not have any sons of her own, and only one girl left, she had insisted on handling it, and that allowed peace for Mrs. Weasley.
"Oh, you look so beautiful, Vega!" Mrs. Weasley breathed as she reached up to pat the girl's cheeks. "You look already so pretty but as a bride... how did Fred ever get so lucky?"
"I'm the one who is lucky," Vega replied to her mother-in-law, trying and failing on suppressing her smile. "Out of Fred and I, it's certainly I who is luckier,"
"And always so good with your words," Mrs. Weasley said, chuckling. "Your aunt is coming up to escort you down. Come on girls, and you, two, Teddy,"
"We'll see you outside!" Hermione whispered, unable to speak in the excitement.
"Fred will die," Ginny commented, grinning, whose own wedding was within days. "Good luck, Vega!"
Vega watched as they all walked outside, closing the door, and she looked toward the mirror to see herself all up in white, her wedding flowing around her and the clinging over her body. Her signature coal black hair was half-up and half-down, allowing their waves free, and a tiara sat upon her head, trailing the pearl-veil behind her. She looked up as Andromeda entered.
"How do I look?" Vega asked, smiling and she watched as Andromeda smiled widely in response.
"Stunning as always, you've always been a beautiful child," Andromeda told her. She reached over, easy with her height, and helped her bring part of her veil over her face. "Magnificent,"
Andromeda was dressed in beautiful robes of maroon, and Vega took her help on getting herself down to the floor below. Vega looked outside the window to the scene.
Fred was already standing by the altar, joined by his best man George. Pluto the Crup was sitting nearby with his bowtie, and his forked-tail wagging without pause. Aquila and Aerglo were more patient on their positions, and it made Vega giggle.
The right side of the altar was filled with the Weasley family and their friends, while the left side was filled with friends from school, work and otherwise as she personally did not have a magical family. At the very front, she had left several chairs empty – for Ted, Dora, Remus, Dobby and all the others that she had lost over the years to the unforgiving War.
After the Victoire and Dominique had finished throwing out the rose petals, it was turn for Hermione, Ginny Luna, Katie and Angelina to head forward and take their places. Vega noticed Fred joke with them but even she could see he was too nervous to really laugh.
Harry, Ron, Lee Jordan and Percy took their own places, greeting the officiator of the wedding, and Vega looked toward Andromeda when she held out her arm to the girl, and a thrill of anxiety went through her.
"It's time?" Vega whispered, and Andromeda nodded. "Okay..."
Andromeda led the way out, and Vega averted her grey eyes to the ground the moment people stood up to watch. She tried not to bite on her lipstick-clad lips but instead tightened the hand she had on her . She felt like she was out of it for the most part because the moment she raised her head and met eyes with Fred, it all seemed to be lost to the airs.
When Vega neared the , Fred immediately reached out for her hand and Vega smiled breathlessly as she allowed him to take it. Andromeda smiled at the two of them, and then took a seat by the left. Vega herself climbed the two steps to the altar.
Evening was starting to fall, and the skies were reflecting on the river beyond them, with the glittering of hanging lights and the sparkling fairies that were excitedly over-looking the wedding from their nearby tree, completely lit up by their presence. Miranda, ever the emotional, could be heard crying – well, only to Vega who knew their words.
Now, Vega and Fred stood across from each other, and Vega found herself blushing as always as she met his intense brown gaze, and his dazzling smile through her veil. She looked at him and he mouthed to her 'You look perfect, love' and she turned smiled unashamedly at him.
"Ladies and gentlemen," spoke the officiator in a small a slightly singsong voice, who was the same small, tufty-hired wizard, the same person who taken over Bill and Fleur's wedding. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls..."
All of it, however, went by almost in a breeze as Vega continued to look up at Fred, the person who had been a friend, and then a boyfriend, then her fiancé and now finally to be her husband. It was such a strange thought, yet she couldn't wait to be with him in a new chapter of their life. She felt strangely sad one moment, and jubilantly happy the next –
"Do you, Frederick Gideon, take Vega-Nova Cassiopeia...?"
"I do," Fred answered in a clear voice, grinning as he reached to take her hands into his, and Vega smiled widely back at him, her grey eyes glinting with tears held-back.
"Do you, Vega-Nova Cassiopeia, take Frederick Gideon...?"
"I do," Vega confirmed, nodding her head slightly and blinking away her tears as Fred beamed back at her, his cheeks looked almost ready to break now from the way he was continuously smiling.
"... then I declare you bonded for life,"
The officiator motioned toward the back and Vega looked over, cheering up even more at the sight of Teddy walking down the altar carefully, only tightly on a cushion and his eye trained on the rings that sat upon it. Fred knelt on his knee to take it from him.
"Thank you, I knew I could keep them safe with you," Fred said, winking at the boy and Teddy grinned before looking toward Vega.
"Thank you very much, Teddy," Vega added, allowing him to give her a hug as he was uncertain of the long dress and she chuckled as he bounded over to the two flower girls.
Now, with their , Vega and Fred turned to each other. Fred held his hand out to her and Vega placed hers to his palm, smiling at him as he carefully slipped the dainty but lovely ring onto her finger. He grinned as Vega held her own hand out to him, and he allowed her to slip the ring onto his left hand, the ring he knew was every shade of his wife's eyes.
"You may now kiss the bride,"
Fred didn't need to be told twice, and he reached carefully to raise the veil from her face and Vega met his sparkling brown eyes briefly before his lips swept her lips away in a kiss. His palms rested on her blushing cheeks and she kissed him back passionately.
⚡️
– CHILDREN –
Vega and Fred both knew that they wanted children, and they tried for them just months into their wedding. It was cool November morning, and Vega and Fred had moved into their new home – a beautiful cottage with great gardens and fields on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, set right next to a long river and a large pond in one of the gardens.
Evening was dawning as Vega checked onto the potion for the umpteenth time, making sure that her mind was not making it up – she had skipped her monthly period, and she had immediately brewed the quick potion to see if she was pregnant: she was.
It was a first time for Vega, and she felt a strange feeling rush through her every time. Vega wanted to talk about it to Andromeda, to Mrs. Weasley, to even Fleur, or Ginny and Angelina, both of whom were currently pregnant themselves. But she wanted to tell Fred first.
Fred arrived home a while later, and while Vega had dinner early as always, her head was still rushing to think of words that would string together and tell him –
"Um, Fred," Vega spoke as she trailed around him as he did the dishes. "I was wondering if we could have a word? You're not... mentally busy, are you?"
"No, go ahead," Fred replied, glancing at his wife in wonder as she acted extra clingy, her head resting against his arm. "Wait, let me dry my hands, I'm finished,"
When Fred turned to look at her, he found his wife making strange expressions – she seemed to do that a lot now when unsure of how to reach a conclusion. It was cute to him, but it also concerned him since he did not want to see her so agitated so he took her shoulders, "Is everything okay?"
"You know... periods, right?" Vega asked and Fred nodded. "And that I have them every month...? Well, it skipped this month, and I was concerned so I checked what could be the matter –"
"It's nothing serious, is it?" Fred inquired, concerned.
"No, not at all," Vega replied. "Well, not in that sense but it is an important issue still – well, you see, I used the potion to check on my health, and well... I'm pregnant,"
The words were very clear, and Fred heard them clearly yet it took him several moments to fully process what she had said, and his head whipped around to her, his eyes wide.
"You're pregnant?" Fred asked, his voice low, shocked.
"Yes..." Vega answered, her hand going to her stomach reflexively. "I'm pregnant..." She looked at his big brown eyes. "I'm going to be a Mum, and you're going to be Dad,"
Fred wrapped his arms around her, and Vega smiled as she reached up to kiss him.
The first child – no children – that Vega and Fred had together turned out to be twin boys. And after seeing how George and Angelina welcomed Arthur Weasley II, and Ginny and Harry welcomed James Sirius Potter, Vega had been waiting eagerly for it.
So, when Vega held Rigel and Regulus Weasley in her arms, she could hardly believe her own luck. Teddy was bouncing nearby, looking at the twin boys, and Fred was flattering around busily to make sure that there wasn't anything wrong with Vega and that they would have everything ready for the pair of boys as the guests came to visit them at the hospital.
"How are you doing?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "You don't look tired at all!"
"Fred's got me all energised," Vega replied, smiling widely as she glanced at her husband greeting more arrivals. "He told me he loved me about fifty times, and then I lost count... I just feel happy that they're healthy," She nodded at her two boys.
"They look just like you," Hermione commented with a grin as she reached out to give her a hug. "Congratulations! Fred told me you named them Rigel and Regulus,"
"Blimey, Vega, how did you manage to push out those?" Ron asked and groaned when Hermione slapped his arm. "Sorry, congratulations,"
"Thank you, you two," Vega replied, chuckling. "I agree... they're pretty big – the Healers were quite concerned, too. It's a good thing I managed them, huh? Fred said he was feeling quite guilty,"
Vega and Hermione laughed amongst each other and Ron looked confused.
However, Rigel and Regulus were not the only children that Vega and Fred had. Just a year later, Vega gave birth to a daughter that she named Carina after the woman who had done so much to protect her so long ago, and continuously from then. The last child that they had was Theodora, named after both Ted and Dora simultaneously.
Rigel and Regulus, as it transpired, turned out to be both Metamorphmagus and were actually ginger with grey eyes, and Vega had a good headache when dealing them and Teddy – all of them were totally under Vega's thumb but that didn't stop them from teasing her, either.
But Carina, an identical to Vega, brought the peace to the house that Vega craved. If Rigel, Regulus and Teddy were keen on wreaking havoc, Carina was their opposite – she was quiet like Vega, and very keen with her studies. She almost seemed to be a prodigy at Potions, which Vega eagerly worked on helping her cultivate all the more.
Lastly came Theodora, a copy of her father with endlessly deep brown eyes and fiery red hair that swayed like fire. She was endearing, a fluff-ball who had Dora's clumsiness, Vega's excellence and Fred's fascination with creating stuff. Vega was always concerned about her as she is creating havoc by randomly blowing stuff up without meaning to, but was grateful when Fred assured her that he would care for her – she was always a welcome guest at the Joke Shop.
⚡️
– CAREER –
The moment that Vega left Hogwarts, she took up work as an Auror, and then worked up the ranks to the Head of Incarceration at the International Confederation of Wizards by the age of 23 as she was given work to look for Death Eaters that had fled to different countries and her effectiveness of catching them brought her to the international attention even outside of her as the Girl-Who-Lived and her role in bringing down Voldemort with Harry Potter.
This was a job that Fred found rather hot, especially due to her uniform robes, but Vega knew that it had all been a ruse to pretend that he wasn't very concerned for her safety. She was a dearly disliked person amongst the Death Eaters, and he knew that they wouldn't let go if she was the one who showed up to capture them. But she was just too shrewd to deceive now.
In the same year, Kingsley had appointed Vega as the British Delegate to the International Confederation, given that she was so good with her words, and the following year she brought to the title of Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot within weeks of giving birth.
Most of the people in the Ministry expected the blossoming woman to set her eyes on the Minister's seat but Vega surprised them by suddenly taking up the job as the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts, fulfilling her long-time wish to become a teacher.
In Vega's opinion, she was not keen on sitting at the big seat all day, every day and was much more interested in teaching students and making them come up to their best selves, and she was keener on helping out children who had grown up as orphans like herself and Teddy.
Every child deserved to be cared for, and Vega was always eager to help them out in any way that was possible – Christmas gifts, personal necessities or desires. She felt like she had a lot of wealth that didn't matter, and she was still earning so it almost came as a natural thing for her to do – and she often hosted children to her home over summers in case their situations weren't stellar.
McGonagall had allowed Vega and Neville, the Herbology teacher, to pick whom amongst them would become the Head of Gryffindor. Neville let Vega take the title since he felt it was something she really suited, especially due to her big-heartedness.
Five long years passed as Vega continued to work as a Professor, a British Delegate, the Chief Warlock and the Head of Incarceration and was named as the youngest Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation – and Teddy was already fifteen, Victoire and Dominique started school at Hogwarts in 2012 and 2013.
Fred wasn't very keen on this job at times, mostly because Teddy always came home to tease him how all of the boys in his class had crushes on her. But word had always reached Vega that Teddy wasn't quite fond of these 'crushes' very much either –
"If anyone gives you trouble, let me know, okay?" Teddy would tell her, ever the protective of the woman due to how attached he was to her. "You're my favourite aunt,"
"Technically, I'm your only aunt," Vega pointed out.
"You know what I mean, Aunt Vega-Nova," Teddy replied and Vega gave him a look.
On the other hand, Fred was mostly – "Jealous, yes, I'm jealous," He stuffed his head into Vega shoulder with a whine. "I haven't been this jealous those men gave you the Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile after that Lockhart nutter and you blushed like a girl –"
"Three of those men aren't even interested in women, and one of them is happily married," Vega told him, biting her lip. "I do blush whenever you compliment me, too,"
"Dad, why are you acting like this all the time..." began Rigel and Regulus finished, "... when you know that Mum's always been a looker,"
"You're just saying that to get on your Mum's good books after the stunt you pulled," Fred told the two boys, his eyes narrowed at the pair of them.
"The stunt that you told them about from your 'golden years', dad," Carina muttered, busy feeding Aquila some of his favourite Owl Treats.
Teddy snorted and stifled it with a spoonful of his late-breakfast, which appeared to be very amusing for Theodora, who laughed so hard that she ended up spilling all of her cereal onto the table.
Amongst all the chaos in the kitchen, Vega stood by the sink and she turned to look at every single one of them by turn. She looked at Carina, who shaking her head, she looked at Fred, Rigel and Regulus now arguing who did the stunt better in their time, at Teddy laughing and helping Theodora clean-up, who was giggling endlessly, and Vega smiled to herself.
It was complete chaos –
but Vega loved life just as such.
⚡️