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Fred was sitting in the living room reading when his twin daughters ran full speed into the room. He laughed as they jumped into his lap simultaneously, effectively knocking his book to the floor. They were getting rather big now and just as rowdy as he and George were at their age. Sighing, he smiled warmly at his daughters and wondered what on earth they had them all wound up today.
"You two are a force to be reckoned with, you know that?" he asked them as they giggled.
"We want to bake momma a cake," Sophie told her father, pushing her curls away from her face.
"It's her birthday," Lena explained, laying her head on Fred's chest. "Can we please bake her a cake?"
Pretending to ponder their inquiry, he watched their expectant faces for a long moment. Then, finally, he playfully tickled them, bringing the giggles back. "I think we can do that," he told them, laughing as they squealed with laughter.
Lena and Sophie jumped from his lap and darted for the kitchen, looking back for Fred to follow. Shaking his head at their eagerness, Fred stood from his chair, his book forgotten. Hermione would be out for a few more hours, so there was plenty of time to bake her a birthday cake. He should have planned something more than dinner at the Burrow for his wife, but it had slipped his mind.
Entering the kitchen, Fred found Lena and Sophie gathering bowls and cake ingredients. "You two seem to have had this already planned out," he noted, helping little Lena reach a large mixing bowl from one of the higher cupboards.
"We were in here trying to figure out what to get momma for her birthday while you were reading," Sophie explained, setting eggs and flour on the kitchen island.
Fred just shook his head. "You and Lena are too sweet," he said, then crossed his arms. "Okay then. Let's get started. Who wants to crack the eggs?"
"ME!" both girls shouted, causing Fred to laugh.
This was going to be an exceptionally fun afternoon.
Lost in their activity, Fred, Lena, and Sophie had no idea they were currently being watched from the doorway to the kitchen. The three were putting the final touches on Hermione's birthday cake, icing it with pink frosting they'd made from scratch. It wasn't until Hermione cleared her throat and spoke to them that they noticed her presence.
"What's this?" Hermione asked, a smile on her face.
Fred and the twins looked up at the same time to find Hermione standing in the doorway to the kitchen. She was smiling, hands on her hips as she watched them ice the lopsided cake. Fred set down the spatula and walked around the kitchen island to kiss her on the cheek.
"The littles and I made you a birthday cake, love," he explained before taking her hand and leading her over to the island.
Hermione sat down and observed her daughters push the finished cake her way. "What a lovely surprise," she said as she took in the side of the cake. "This looks delicious. Did you all make this yourselves?"
"We did," Lena said, licking the icing spatula.
Sophie hopped on the chair next to her mother and pointed to the cake. "It's strawberry!"
"My favourite," Hermione pointed out, leaning over to kiss Sophie's cheek. "Shall we dig into it?"
"After we sing!" Lena shouted, grabbing Fred's hand and tugging him closer.
Laughing a bit, Hermione agreed. "Of course. After you sing."
After Fred, Lena, and Sophie sang Hermione Happy Birthday, they grabbed a fork and dug into the cake. Hermione told them about her afternoon shopping with Ginny, and the girls explained in full detail how they baked the cake. Fred sat by, watching his family with a content smile. His heart felt whole when Hermione met his eyes and smiled just for him. Today had turned out perfect for his wife, and he couldn't be happier.