Interlude

Dinner in the Weasley household was never a quiet affair. Fred and George had somehow tampered with Harry's food, which alternately made him shriek with laughter at anything even mildly funny (rather like Luna Lovegood, Ginny thought) and grunt impressively whenever asked a question. This greatly amused Ron and Ginny, and even Mr. Weasley, who was doing an abysmal job at hiding his mirth from his wife.

Mrs. Weasley, however, didn't rise to the occasion. On a normal evening she would have been in a right rage at the twins, especially as it was Harry who was the object of their mischief. Instead, she rose to her feet rather mechanically and banished her empty plate to the kitchen. "Well, I'm going to catch up on some laundry," she said, too cheerfully. "Ron, Ginny, will you clear up when everyone's eaten? And Fred, George, that will do."

Nobody paid her much heed as she left the room. Oh stop it, Molly she admonished herself aloud. You're just in a funk, and there's no time for that when there's cleaning to be done. But doing the washing didn't help, and neither did puttering around the house tidying up. Resigned to her bad mood, she settled on her favorite bench in the garden with a mug of strong herbal tea. Sighing, she leaned her head back and let the sweet scent waft into her nostrils.

It was at that moment that Arthur stepped over the threshold into the warm summer air. "Molly dear, are you out here?"

"Arthur? Oh yes, it's me... I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly like that. I'm fine, really... just being childish, dear."

He gave her a penetrating look. "Molly, you know you can't lie to me. What's troubling you?"

She made a funny sort of noise, somewhere between a laugh and a snort. "It's about time those roles were switched, isn't it?" She gave a small smile, warmth and some other emotion showing in her eyes.

He took a seat next to her and wrapped her in his arms, resting his chin on her head.

"Arthur, I don't... Oh Arthur, I miss Percy! Where is he? Fred and George are having to resort to Harry to pick on, since he's not here, and... oh, what if something happens? We've been lucky so far, too lucky, and... "

Arthur was silent for a moment, his brow furrowed, looking out beyond the broom shed. "It'll be okay, Molly. The Ministry knows he's back now. Percy will come home. He will." He cleared his throat and, chuckled. "And it's good for Harry - Fred and George, I mean. Tonight was the fist time I've seen him smile, really smile, since... well, you know. It's good to see him enjoy himself for once."

Molly allowed herself a tiny smile. "You're right... it is good to see Harry back to normal. It'll be a long time until he's fully healed, but I'm glad he's okay. You know..." The worrying had a strange effect on her, she noted. "Maybe, since Harry's in such a good mood, and it'll be good for him, you know, to laugh... you could have him show you what that thing you've got in the garage is all about. You know, the one with the wires?"

His eyes widened. "And I'll just let the twins carry on, then?"

"Arthur! You'll do nothing of the sort! If you..." She trailed off. "Oh, all right, then. You know, I think we're all overdue for a bit of fun."

Getting to his feet, Arthur offered Molly his hand. As she stood and leaned into him, he smiled down at her. "Shall we go in, then?"

"Into the flames," she smiled, feeling more confident than she had in a long time. "It'll be okay."