Ordinary People

Ordinary People

Breathing a sigh of relief, Molly looked down at her youngest son asleep in her arms. Even though he was terribly tired, Percy hadn't wanted to go to sleep. The other two boys, Bill and Charlie, were in their beds in their own room. They probably weren't sleeping, but Molly was happy as long as they stayed quietly in their beds.

Molly kept rocking, thinking of everything that was going on in her world. This You-Know-Who was a terrible person, but she couldn't see the sense of ordinary people like herself fighting him. That was the Ministry's job and she thought that, if she joined the fight, she'd just get in their way. She'd had a dreadful argument with Gideon and Fabian just the day before, at little Percy's birthday party. They'd tried to talk her into joining them, along with Arthur. Although she'd agreed that a couple of powerful wizards like them were likely to be more help than hindrance, she wouldn't join herself. They'd quarreled but Molly had insisted her two brothers not leave until they'd patched things up. She didn't agree with them fighting outside of the Ministry; however, they were her brothers and, if anything went wrong, she didn't want their last words to be words of anger.

She must have rocked herself into a doze because the sound of the Floo woke her with a start. Before she could start to worry, however, she heard Arthur calling, "Molly? Where are you?" He sounded upset.

She quickly put Percy in his crib and went to the hall, closing the door behind her. Bill and Charlie were poking their heads out from their own room. "I just put Percy down, dear. What's wrong?"

Arthur was standing at the bottom of the stairs, his face pale and drawn. "Boys," he said, "go back to your nap or play quietly. I have to talk to your Mum." The boys did so, probably from the novelty of having their father home in the middle of the day. "Molly, come down please. We have to talk."

When Molly got downstairs, Arthur closed the kitchen door and, after thinking a moment, cast a Silencing spell on it. "Arthur, what is it?"

"The Ministry just found . . . them," Arthur said quietly. "Gideon and Fabian."

"Oh, no, what have those two done now?" Molly asked, feeling exasperated.

"They've gotten themselves killed. We don't have many details yet, but it looks like it was quite a battle . . ." Arthur stopped so he could hold Molly. "I'm so sorry, love. They're gone."

The next several days were a blur to Molly. No one she knew had ever been murdered, before. Gideon's and Fabian's friends from The Order of the Phoenix were everywhere; whenever Molly needed help--with the boys, the house, the funeral, anything--there were always an abundance of hands to help her. Molly hadn't known the other members of the Order and she'd always worried about the company her brothers kept. Now she knew--they were all good people.

Nearly fifteen years later, Molly welcomed Albus Dumbledore to her kitchen. "Thank you, Molly," he said gravely, accepting a cup of tea and a plate of her homemade biscuits. "I do appreciate your allowing me to talk with you here."

To her surprise, Molly heard the door open and saw her two oldest sons, Bill and Charlie, walk into the kitchen. Charlie warded the door and quirked a grin. "The little kids are doing everything they can to listen in."

"The first time we fought Voldemort, you had your hands full raising your family," Dumbledore began. "This time, they're grown or nearly so and we need your help."

"Of course." "You bet." You have it." The three men said, almost in unison. Molly was so proud of the three of them that she felt she could burst with it.

To her surprise, Dumbledore turned to her. "And you, Molly?"

"What use would I be?" Molly asked. "I'm just a housewife; I'm no fighter."

"You're also a mother," Dumbledore said, his bright blue eyes intent. Somehow, they reminded her of Ron's. "And one of the most important people in this fight, if only because Voldemort has targeted him as such, is Harry. I should think the value of someone he can go to for mothering would be obvious."

Molly looked at her hands, tears filling her eyes. "The night before they died, Gideon and Fabian tried to convince me to join the Order. I suppose I should have listened."

"At this point, it doesn't matter," Dumbledore said, covering her hands with his, "what you did over fifteen years ago. Can the Order count on you now?"

Molly looked at Arthur, who was smiling at her. Then, she looked at the two boys. Not boys anymore, but men, and as determined to fight as her brothers had been. And now, she didn't have the same faith in the Ministry. Not after they'd refused to listen to the eyewitness account of You-Know-Who's return just because he was only fourteen and a celebrity.

Her chin up, even if her hands were shaking a bit, Molly said, "I suppose someone needs to make sure you all eat."