Molly's Love Potion

Mrs. Weasley was telling Hermione and Ginny about a love potion she'd made as a young girl. All three of them were rather giggly.

"You're kidding me?" Ginny's eyes were wide. "You gave Dad a love potion?"

Molly's eyes twinkled. "Well, it's more complicated than that..."

Hermione grinned. "More interesting, you mean."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Molly teased.

"Come on, Mum!" Ginny cried. "You have to tell us!"

Molly looked down the table to make sure Arthur wasn't listening - his ears would be bright red if he knew she was telling the girls this story - then turned back to Ginny and Hermione and dropped her voice to a stage whisper. "It was our fifth year at Hogwarts, and Arthur was my best friend..."

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Molly lifted her eyes above the top of her book. He was still sitting across from her, engrossed in the thick volume of 'Muggle Liaisons: Everything You Need to Know for Successful Interaction with the Non-Magical World'. Molly frowned at the top of his head. Clueless. Absolutely clueless. I could stand naked on top of the North Tower and he wouldn't even notice!

She glared at him a while longer before finally standing up with a loud huff. "I'm going back to the Common Room."

Arthur finally looked up, said, "Oh, er... okay. See you later, then," and went back to his book.

Molly would have screamed were she not in the library. Instead, she spun around and marched indignantly back to Gryffindor Tower. When she reached her empty dormitory, she slammed the door behind her and threw her books on the bed. "Stupid prat," she growled at the mirror. "We've been friends for four years now and he still has no idea how I feel about him, and with only two weeks until the Valentine's banquet!" Her reflection just glared back at her - no help at all. "I just need some way to get him to notice me as... well, as a girl!"

She paced furiously around the room. There must be something - anything - that would just give him a nudge in the right direction... something like...

"Yes!" Molly dropped to her knees and peered under her roommate's bed, reaching out an arm to take hold of the book that was poking out from under the sheets. "The Gypsy Secret," she read, "'Love Potions for the Girl in a Hurry'. Brilliant!" She sat in the middle of the floor with the book on her lap and pored over the pages eagerly. Madame Rue was a genius, Molly decided as she read the recipes for a variety of potions. She'd heard of the old gypsy from her mother's Witch Weekly, but she would never have guessed the woman knew so much about making someone fall in love.

Some of the potions were extreme: "Make your arch-enemy swear his undying love and devotion to you and you alone with this easy five-step potion." But Arthur wasn't her enemy - he was one of her best friends. She figured she would only need a subtle potion to turn his platonic feelings into love.

After ten minutes of searching, Molly finally found what she was looking for. "Does your man need just a slight push into romance? This simple potion can be brewed and ready for use in twenty-five minutes, and your beau will be falling at your feet in seconds!" Grinning, Molly realized happily that she had enough of each ingredient and that she would still have supplies left over for her next Potions class.

"But when and where am I going to brew this up? I don't want anyone to see me." This was going to be more complicated than she thought. Madame Rue hadn't mentioned anything about hiding the potion-making process, nor had she given suggestions on how to get the boy to drink the potion... "Well, we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it, I suppose."

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At midnight that evening, Molly slipped out of her dormitory, cauldron in hand, and went down to the Common Room. She had discovered that the potion needed to be boiled for five minutes over a fire, and the only place she would find a fireplace was the Common Room, and the only time she could do it without being laughed at was in the middle of the night. Not her first choice, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Molly had never been high on patience, and she was certainly running out of it when it came to Arthur. If he wasn't going to make a move on his own, she'd make him do it.

After twenty-five minutes of chopping, mixing, and boiling, the potion was finally ready. Molly carefully pulled her cauldron from the fire and examined the contents. It looked... brown. Oh dear. Setting the cauldron on the hearth and rifling through the pages of the book, Molly read that the potion was supposed to be clear, like water. "Great. Well, it's definitely not."

"Not what?"

Molly screamed and spun around. "Arthur! What... what are you doing down here?"

He grinned, completely unrepentant for scaring her. "I could ask you the same thing - what are you making?"

Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. She quickly turned her back on him and began stuffing potion ingredients into her bag, covering up Madame Rue's book. "Nothing. I was just... er..." Her mind was blank. How would she explain this? I was just making a love potion so I could trick you into falling in love with me. Right.

But Arthur wasn't even looking at her. He was bent over her cauldron, stirring it with the spoon. "Apple cider?"

"What? Oh, er... yes. Yes, apple cider. I was... um... thirsty." This is not what I had planned. "Er, what are you doing down here anyway?"

"I was up studying and I heard a noise, thought I'd come down and see what it was." He smiled. "Glad it was you. And your apple cider. Can I have some?"

Well, now's as good a time as any. "Of course. Help yourself." I hope its being brown won't change the effects. She watched anxiously as Arthur spooned some of the potion into his mouth. Would a badly mixed potion end up killing him?

"This is really good, Molly - did you put cinnamon in it? That's what my mom always uses."

"Er, yes. Yes. Cinnamon." And a toad's eye, and unicorn hair...

"Don't you want any?" he asked solicitously.

Oh, Merlin, no! She suppressed a grin. "No, thank you. I already had quite a bit."

"Mind if I finish it off, then?"

Molly didn't know what would happen if he drank the whole thing... but she didn't have any good excuses for him not to. "Sure. Go ahead." Merlin save us. Her stomach twisted as Arthur poured the potion into a glass and began to drink.

"I finally finished my essay for Muggle Studies," he told her between gulps. "I think I got most of the main points covered. Did..." He stopped, his eyes bulging, his face red. And then, as Molly watched in horror, he collapsed onto the floor, completely unconscious.

"Arthur! Oh no! Arthur, wake up!" Molly rushed over and began to shake him. What have I done? He wasn't dead - his heartbeat was strong and his breathing was normal - he was just out cold. "What am I going to do now?" She couldn't take him to the hospital wing by herself - he weighed at least twice as much as she did. And if she woke someone up, they would want to know what she had done...

"Molly? Are you okay?" Amelia stood in the doorway, looking bewildered. "What happened to Arthur?"

Molly had never been happier to see her roommate than at that moment. "Amelia! You have to help me!" Oh, just tell her what you did. "I... I made a love potion but it didn't turn out right - it was kind of brown - and then Arthur drank it before I was ready to give it to him... and then he just... fainted!"

Amelia's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? You gave Arthur Weasley a love potion? I thought you two were just friends!"

Molly frowned. "That's not the point. I need to get him to the Hospital Wi..."

"Hello, ladies!"

Arthur had woken up. Molly stared at him in disbelief. "Arthur... are you okay?"

He stood up and gave them a charming grin. "Of course I am! Never better." He swept a hand through his hair and winked at Amelia. "How are you two lovely ladies doing?"

Amelia and Molly shared a startled look. "Oh no..." Molly was horrified. The potion, when properly brewed, was supposed to give Arthur just a slight inclination toward romance, but this... this was too much! A poorly brewed potion, which was obviously what she had given him, had made Arthur into a... well, she wasn't exactly sure what he was.

She looked at him again. He was still winking and grinning at Amelia, who looked like she wanted to run for her life. Molly thought fast. I've got to do something!

"Um... Arthur?"

Arthur turned to give her his full attention. "Yes, Gorgeous?"

She stifled a groan. "Er... I need to go and see the nurse. Will you join me?"

He raised an eyebrow suggestively. "The nurse, eh? You know you don't have to make up excuses to get alone with me, darling."

Molly coughed to cover up the laughter that threatened. Oh, Merlin. I hope he doesn't remember any of this later. "Right... well, why don't we head that way and see what happens."

Arthur gave her a sleazy smile. "Sounds great."

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Five minutes later, the amusement of the situation had worn off. The walk to the Hospital Wing seemed longer than ever before. Arthur kept trying to pull her into empty classrooms for a little "alone time", as he said. Molly had to practically drag him down the corridors.

"Arthur, really," she said in exasperation as she pulled her hand away from his. "I just want to go see the nurse. Nothing else." Talk about a plan gone wrong.

"Oh, come on, Molly." Arthur winked at her for the hundredth time. "Just a little rendezvous in the broom closet..."

This is so awful. "No, Arthur. I don't want to go anywhere with you except for the Hospital Wing."

"Maybe I can change your mind." Arthur grabbed her hand again and, before she could react, pulled her into an earth-shattering kiss.

Oh, mercy. It was the most amazing thing she'd ever experienced... and yet, it was wrong. Arthur wasn't in his right mind - he would never do this of his own accord. Molly pushed away from him, tears stinging her eyes. "Arthur, I can't." Oh, but I wish I could.

He looked confused. "What are you talking about? Why not?"

"Because you're not yourself. I... I gave you a love potion, but I didn't make it right, and now you think you love me... but you don't, not really." You're so stupid, Molly. Why did you ever think this was a good idea? You don't want Arthur to love you because you made him love you. She sighed. "Come on. Let's get to the nurse. She'll set you right."

Arthur still looked confused, but he followed her without a fight, still winking at her every few steps. Molly ignored him - she just wanted to be alone in her room and have a good cry.

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Molly got up early the next morning and went directly to the Hospital Wing. She had left Arthur there last night under the nurse's care - he was still acting like an idiot, making passes at the elderly Nurse Hopkins, who took it all in stride. "Happens all the time," she'd explained patiently. "Love potions are a tricky thing - they rarely work properly." Molly had been appropriately embarrassed and had gone back to her dormitory as soon as she was sure that Arthur would be alright.

Now she knocked on the large wooden doors and waited for Nurse Hopkins to open them. "Oh, hello, Molly dear. Come on in. Arthur just woke up and is eating breakfast."

Molly swallowed around the lump in her throat. Would he remember what had happened? Would he remember the kiss?

She walked nervously to his bed and sat down on the end of it. "Hi."

He grinned. "Hey, Mol. Interesting night, eh?"

Definitely more than I bargained for. "Yeah. So, er, I guess you remember what happened, then."

"Pretty much. Love potion?"

Molly bit her bottom lip. "Yeah."

"Why?" He looked intent.

It was probably the most difficult question she'd ever had to answer. She considered making up an excuse, but Arthur deserved the truth. "I was frustrated. With you, with myself. I just..." she sighed. "I just wanted you to want to spend time with me."

He frowned and stared down at his breakfast tray. "Molly, I always want to spend time with you. You're my best friend."

"I know that, but I want more, Arthur!" She could feel the desperation rising in her chest. "I don't want to spend my life as just your best friend! I want you to see me as a girl, as... as a girlfriend!"

He finally met her eyes, his own as big as saucers. "What? You want... really? I... you... what?"

Oh, Merlin. I've done it. I've ruined our friendship. Panicked, Molly stood up and took a step backwards. "Just forget it, okay? I've got to go. See you later?" Before he could answer, she turned and ran.

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Molly avoided Arthur for the rest of the weekend. She simply couldn't bear to face him - the humiliation was overwhelming. She knew he wanted to talk to her - he would want to try to smooth things over - but she just couldn't do it. She didn't want to see the pity in his eyes, the same pity she'd seen in everyone else's since the news of her love potion had leaked throughout the school.

On Monday afternoon, Molly stayed late after Charms in order to avoid the stares of her classmates. She pretended to polish her wand until everyone was gone, and then packed up her books and walked down to the lake, ignoring the biting February wind that stung her tear-filled eyes. I don't know how much longer I can do this. She sat down under the tree that she and Arthur always studied beneath. Maybe everyone will forget about it in a few days. Maybe Arthur will forget. Maybe I'll forget.

But she knew she wouldn't. She could never forget Arthur. He was her best friend, her other half. It's so unoriginal, but it's true. I need him. But we'll never be the same again, not after the love potion and my stupid confession. She sighed. And that kiss. Oh, Merlin, that kiss. She closed her eyes to hold back the flood of tears. I'll never forget that kiss.

"Molly?"

She gasped and jumped to her feet, hastily wiping away the tears from her cheeks. "Arthur! I... I didn't... I have to go." She tried to push past him, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Molly, please. I just want to talk."

She put her free hand over her face to block out his pleading gaze. Why do you have to make this harder than it already is? Why do you have to prolong my humiliation?

"Come on, Mol. Don't make me beg."

It felt like her chest would collapse with the pain, but she nodded, still avoiding his eyes.

Arthur tugged on her hand, pulling her a few steps closer. "I wanted to let you know that I remember everything that happened, and-"

"Arthur..."

"And it's okay. I know everyone's been giving you a hard time about the potion, but really, Mol, it's okay. To be honest, it was probably a good thing. Although I'll never be able to face Amelia again," he said dryly. "But I'm glad, because I never would have gotten up the courage to talk to you on my own."

Molly finally looked up at him. "Talk to me? But, Arthur, we've never had problems talking before."

He nodded. "I know, but it's been different lately. I mean, you're my best friend, but... this year has just been different."

She was feeling desperate. "Different how?" Different in the same way it's been for me?

"Different in that my feelings for you have changed," he said hurriedly, his ears turning bright red. "I... I love you, Mol."

Molly's heart stopped. "Really, Arthur? Do you really mean it?" Oh, Merlin. At his nod, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him with all the strength she had. "Oh, I love you too!"

He laughed. "I'm glad to hear it, or else you'd have a lot of explaining to do over that love potion!" He looked down at her and smiled. "You know you're the best thing that ever happened to me, right?"

She winked at him. "And don't you forget it."

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"And that was our first real kiss."

Ginny sighed. "Oh, Mum, that's so romantic!"

Molly looked down the table at her husband and smiled. "Yes, it sure was."

FIN

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