Letters From Molly

I would just like to say a quick thank you to my pre-beta Nattieb; she has been a wonderful help to me with this chapter. I would also like to say thank you to Melandry, my beta, for taking this story on. I hope you all enjoy this first chapter.

Letters from Molly

Molly Weasley was old. Her long life was slowly coming to an end. Was she sad? Yes and no. She would be leaving behind her husband, her six boys, her only girl, their spouses and her twenty-six grand-children. But she had lived a good long life, her body was old and tired, and she was ready for her life to come to its end. So while yes, she was sad, at the same time she wasn't. She thought on this as she lay in her bed looking out of the window. She needed to tell Arthur and the kids one last time how much they each meant in her life and how much she loved them all. Talking for long periods of time made her weak now, so she decided to write them each a letter.

"Arthur?" she called out to her husband.

"Yes, Molly dear?" he answered as he came slowly shuffling into their room. He too was older, his body bent and low with age, but he stayed strong for her.

"Would you please bring me my writing board and supplies?” He nodded at her request and she watched him as he gathered her parchment, ink, quill and lastly the writing board he had made for her. As he helped her sit up and arrange her things, she looked up and gave him a strong smile. Gingerly he sat down beside her holding her hand.

"What are you going to write?"

"There is so much I want to tell the kids before I go. I know I can't tell them with my voice, so I am going to write them each a letter. It's something they will be able to treasure so much more than any words I would speak."

Taking a deep breath, Arthur struggled to fight back tears at hearing his wife so ready for death. He patted her hand and stood. "I'll leave you to it then my dear. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you."

"I will." She picked up her quill and watched as he exited the room.

Quill poised, she stared at the first piece of parchment, once again reflecting on her life. She had lived through so much. The first war came to mind; so many had died, family and friends; each leaving such a void in her life. During this time she never knew if the next morning would come or not; fear was just the way of life. Because of this, she and Arthur had married young; they knew they couldn't live another day not being married. The love they shared seemed to conquer their fear and for a short time they knew if they had each other nothing else mattered.

Then she had her William, Billy as she called him back then. Having him had made her realize she was born to be a mother. It was the one thing that brought great meaning into her life. Bill had filled their life with such joy in a time full of so much sorrow. Her times spent alone with him while she was bathing him, changing him and most of all nursing him had led her to make a strong connection to her eldest son.

When she became pregnant with her second child, Molly was sure she wouldn't be able to handle two children so young. When her Charles was born she was proven wrong. He was a quiet and pleasant baby. For three years there was lots of fun in the house. The two boys were best friends and occasional enemies but she had been sure to run a tight ship, helping them to end their squabbles and pleased that it was usually just a stolen toy that caused the trouble. She was elated when she learned she was pregnant yet again.

Her pregnancy with her third child was a hard one. She couldn't put her finger on one thing that made it different; it was just different from the first two. But she didn't have toddlers running around her heels the first two times, either. Finally her third son was born. When Percy entered the world she knew he would be different from her other boys. Even at an early age he was striving to be the best and do all he could to gain Molly's attention and she always gave it to him. She saw so much in that little boy’s eyes. Percy had brought her heart so much joy and so much sorrow. While he did come back to the family eventually, tension with his brothers was forever there. He was always distant.

She soon started home schooling her children, knowing they would never fit in at a Muggle school. Bill and Charlie were doing so well; both were very smart, and Percy, not wanting to be left out, learned to read at age three and by age five was doing the same work as his brothers, which helped Molly considerably as she soon learned she was pregnant once more.

From day one this new pregnancy was different than her others had been. She was sicker, more tired, and she started showing long before she did with her other three. The other boys were a great help, especially Bill, who was now getting so big that he was able to help with Percy and Charlie when needed and hold the fort down while Molly would rest during the day after their schooling. She could honestly say nothing had ever surprised her more in her life than that April Fools Day when the doctor told her she had twins. Once the boys grew into their personality, she always said no other day fit them more than that one.

Once the twins were born life just seemed to run at one speed for her- fast. Some days she didn't think she would make it through. She schooled the older boys, played with the twins, and still some how managed the house. She often told herself that she wouldn't have made it if she were a Muggle. In her fast paced life she became pregnant once again. Her final baby boy, Ronald, was born in March and the next August her last baby was born, her only girl, her princess, Ginevra. The war ended shortly after Ginny was born, but this didn't help Molly's life to slow down any.

It wasn't until after all her kids were out of the house and off to Hogwarts and starting lives of their own that she had time to breathe and often times she didn't get that. Ron and Ginny made sure of that. The second war began and raged strong for years, herself and her children in the midst of it. When the war finally ended with the defeat of Voldemort (she no longer feared the name) she was quickly bombarded with weddings and the births of grandchildren quickly followed those. Her house was empty once again, but her life was fuller than the house had ever been.

Smiling sadly at her parchment, she dipped her quill and began to write the first of her eight letters.