Rating:
PG
House:
The Dark Arts
Ships:
Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Characters:
Molly Weasley Remus Lupin Sirius Black
Genres:
General Angst
Era:
The Harry Potter at Hogwarts Years
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix
Stats:
Published: 01/13/2004
Updated: 01/13/2004
Words: 2,775
Chapters: 1
Hits: 1,052

More of Mrs. Weasley's Woes

NotMollyWeasley

Story Summary:
This character study and expanded scene takes place between chapters in OoTP. Harry went to bed right after Molly Weasley had her confrontation with the boggart. What did Molly, Sirius & Remus discuss after the children were asleep?

Posted:
01/13/2004
Hits:
1,052
Author's Note:
This is my first fic. Thanks so much to Granger for beta reading this. You're the best, Ali!


"They're all to bed." Molly Weasley sighed, as she shuffled into the kitchen at Grimmauld Place. "I seriously doubt they're well-packed, but I suppose we'll have to deal with that in the morning. I've had quite enough for today. I can't believe it was just this morning that Ronnie got his Prefect badge," she said with a small, weary smile.

Remus watched her collapse into a chair across the wide table from Sirius. In one hand she still held the cool cloth he had provided earlier, and she again pressed it to her brow, closing her eyes and sighing deeply. Sirius looked at her, concern and unease etched on his face. Remus brought her a cut-crystal glass of water, warmly patted her on the shoulder and turned to extinguish most of the candles in the room; just a few now illuminated the table. He placed a bottle of whiskey and two more glasses onto the table, then sat with a deep sigh of his own. Fatigue and darkness fell heavy on the room as they all paused for a moment. Finally, Remus reached forward and poured several fingers of liquor into each glass, slid one across to Sirius, and hoisted his to his mouth. "Another toast, then, to Gryffindor's newest prefects, and another year at Hogwarts. May they at least have a little fun before hell breaks loose." A wry grin twisted Remus's mouth.

As he spoke, Molly finished draining her water glass, placed it heavily on the table before her, and slid it forward until it gently clinked against the bottle. She raised one eyebrow at Remus. He mirrored her expression in a look filled with both surprise and inquiry, but obliged her by filling the glass with whiskey. "I wouldn't have taken you for much of a drinker, Molly," he muttered, a hint of laughter in his voice.

She sat quiet and still for a long moment, staring at the now half-full glass upon the table, then grinned a little and took a drink. Lowering the glass, she took a breath to speak and, seeming to think better of it, closed her mouth again. At length, she seemed to settle on something to say.

"The.... You know, Remus, your children, they change you. Even in the short time they were with Harry, you must have seen it in James and Lily." Remus was still, his eyes distant and his thoughts lost in the past. "And you, Sirius," she continued "You're his parent, now. You must feel yourself shifting somehow - worrying about his future, over-reacting to ridiculous things, fearing that every mistake he could make might be THE one that he can't correct."

Remus snorted softly - he wasn't sure Sirius was all that fearful for Harry's welfare, and privately, that worried him a great deal. Sirius didn't acknowledge either of them. He stared down at his glass, swirling the inch of whiskey. Molly appraised him silently for a moment, opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again. Remus grinned a little into his glass - Molly Weasley rendered speechless twice in one evening. It really was rather unfortunate Arthur wasn't here to witness this.

Molly seemed to have decided not to comment on Sirius's silence, and she continued in a slightly lighter voice, staring into her glass. "Believe it or not, gentlemen, the twins didn't inherit their behavior from Arthur - that's all mine. I haven't always been this officious, priggish, Mother-person. Why, when Arthur and I were at Hogwarts..." she drifted off with a slight smile playing on her lips.

Sirius grinned at her self-description, and at the thought of a younger Molly. "Yes, Molly, we've met Ginny," he offered wryly. "We didn't think it came out of nowhere."

They all grinned grimly, and were quiet for several moments, each captured in thought and drink. Remus broke the silence by clearing his throat. "So, Molly, do you want to talk about the boggart at all? I know you don't want Arthur to know."

Molly didn't respond, so Remus fell quiet for a moment. Molly stared down at the table but suddenly gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.

Remus took a deep breath. "Well, one thing I found interesting was that you saw all the children except Hermione & Ginny. Hermione, I can understand - she really does take care of herself and, well... you never seem to mother her like you do the others, but I was surprised - "

Remus broke off abruptly as Molly barked out a laugh, something harsh & cynical, nothing like her usual merry laugh. "Oh, Remus. Remus, would you believe I saw Hermione first?" She groaned into her hand, and slid the glass forward for a refill. Remus obliged, and both men leaned forward slightly, brows furrowed in slight confusion.

"That girl..." Molly's eyes glazed over slightly as she clutched her drink. "So bright, so confident that she knows what she's doing, because she read it in a book somewhere, didn't she? Both boys just lean on her so, but Ron! Well, if something happens to her, I don't know what he'll do."

"Oh, Molly, she's going to be fine! I've never met a more capable young witch. And the boys won't let anything happen to her!" Sirius scoffed.

Molly seemed not to hear him. "And what a fine target she makes! Harry Potter's best friend, almost a family member to a bunch of Muggle-lovers, and Muggle born herself! And you know Ron - the boy has all the passion of a Weasley and all the hasty judgment I brought to the family - he fancies himself in love with her, I'm afraid, and if she were hurt I don't know what he'd do."

"'Fancies himself in love with her'? Molly, what the hell are you talking about? What, Hermione and Ron?" Sirius exclaimed.

Remus laughed at him "Good lord, Sirius, pay attention! Don't you even remember James and Lily? Those two have been dancing around each other for as long as I've known them! Fred and George have been running a pool on them at least since the Yule Ball last year; they tell me that Dumbledore has placed 15 Galleons, a large box of Every Flavor Beans, and a signed Dumbledore Chocolate Frog card on a Christmas wedding, three years after graduation. You and Ron are probably the last people in Wizarding Britain to know what's happening. Merlin, I think even Harry knows something is up between them."

Sirius broke into a grin. "Well, I'll be buggered. That's something nice, isn't it? I guess I need to start watching them more closely so I can get in on this action. Maybe if I'm lucky I can sweeten my bet with some of the rubbish around this place. That would serve my mother right, wouldn't it?" He gazed around distractedly, seeming to search for something to throw into the kitty.

Molly smiled weakly. "I should be excited for them, shouldn't I, or at least happy and hopeful? Not a one of my boys married, and the one with the most outstanding prospects for a real relationship, something solid and honest, is the youngest of the bunch. And I'm not even worried about something simple like him getting his heart broken or getting this girl in trouble. No, I'm worried about her being killed and him doing something rash in response to take on the menace of the wizarding world." Molly groaned. "Ohh, I just don't see how we can all do this again."

"Oh, Molly, it really is different this time -" Sirius began.

Molly's face darkened. "Yes, Sirius, it's much worse." She gave him a strange look as he shook his head and prepared to argue, and she blinked suddenly. "Oh. I forget sometimes that Arthur and I have 15 years on the two of you. That Bill was actually just a few years behind you at Hogwarts. You don't understand, do you? The first time You-Know-Who rose to power, Arthur and I were buried in nappies, training brooms, and the business of raising our little family. Percy and the twins were still very small, and Bill & Charlie were almost the age Ron and Ginny are now. We were catching our breath at getting the older boys ready and off to school, and of course the twins always were a handful. There was no way we could be actively involved in the war effort, and frankly, we were too scared for our little family to do much about anything. We were terrified of course, and appalled, but I just wanted to see them raised, a little older before we started tackling the world outside our home. No, we just did our best to stay out of everyone's way. We raised our children and lived our lives and hoped for the best."

"And now, we're facing another war, and this time we're all fighting it in some way or another, and they still don't seem old enough to me. Not a one of them is happily settled and married. This business with Percy has me nearly undone - I'm not sure I even know who he is anymore and that terrifies me more than anything going on around here. The twins will likely be fine - I'm not altogether thrilled with it, but now that they've secured backing for all their dealings with Mundungus and this little venture of theirs, thanks to your godson" she scowled briefly at Sirius "perhaps they may finally find some direction in their lives. Perhaps it will keep them out of the thick of everything."

"You know about that?" Sirius set his glass down abruptly, looking stunned.

"Wait - Harry gave the twins - money?" Remus was terribly confused.

Sirius held his hands up, disclaiming any responsibility. "I'm his godfather, I'm regularly kept apprised of his financial affairs in case he ever runs short of funds. As of the last accounting, his Tri-Wizard winnings have not been deposited in his Gringott's vault, but he's still pulling money out - it's like the money vanished. It didn't take much to put that together with the twins' sudden turn towards the acquisitive - Dung runs a cash only business and those three have been thick as - well - thieves." Sirius grimaced at his poor choice of metaphors. "Sorry, Molly."

Molly nodded. "And really, why would Fred and George be at all interested in buying dress robes for Ron? Who do those two think they're fooling? No, this has to be Harry's doing. It doesn't really matter - I figured out a while ago that the kids are always happiest when they're keeping things from their parents, and that's never been more true with any of my children than it is for those two...." She shrugged wearily, both palms in the air. She became quiet again.

Remus prompted her, "So, that just leaves Ron & Ginny. Your babies." He smiled indulgently. She needed to talk, she needed to share, and this should get her started again. And Sirius needed to listen to this - he needed to hear what it meant to be a parent, from this woman who'd been on the job for well over 20 years.

Molly nodded. "And, really, the reason we're here instead of home at The Burrow. For whatever reason, my youngest two are drawn to Harry like a magnet, and their lives are all tangled up in his, and so our entire family will fight this - this war will tear us apart, no matter what happens. Ron is his best friend, and he's a very loyal friend. And Ginny has been mad about him since the first time she saw him, and of course there was that awful diary a few years ago. Their lives are all twisted together, and I do fear that it will be all of them in it together at the end. The Gryffindor in me should be terribly proud of their bravery, but I feel more like a scared little Hufflepuff some days. This is what I mean about your children changing you. I haven't always been so worried and scared of my own shadow. There was a time when I might have confused a boggart sprung from a cupboard, because I knew so little fear. You-Know-Who has scared me, that is certainly true. But the most terrifying thing I've ever done is send our children out into the world, time and time again. And that kind of constant fear, that low-level anxiety changes you after a while. And perhaps that's the most dreadful thing of all." She began to weep again, this time silently. This was past mourning and past despair - these were the tears of quiet acceptance, of painful acknowledgment that love and destiny had rendered her incapable of protecting those closest to her.

Remus sat for a moment watching her. He realized that he was fundamentally incapable of truly comforting her. This was something Molly had been battling for a long time, and would continue to fight. His eyes swept over to Sirius. His old friend was staring again into his glass, unable to look Molly Weasley's pain in the face. He wondered again if Sirius was aware of what parenting Harry would mean to him; if he was ready to face the decisions that Harry would have to make and, even worse, the times he would be unable to make any choices at all. Harry's path was set, and he had Sirius to help him walk it. Remus was unsure if any of them knew what that would mean.

Remus sighed quietly and was just rising to try to at least console the mournful woman when Arthur stepped through the door, followed closely by Bill. "Hello, Sirius, Remus, Molly dear. All clear around here tonight. Mol, you went to Diagon Alley today, yeah? Did you remember to pick up more Floo Powder? Because we.... " He stopped as he raised his head from fiddling with the fastenings of his cloak and noticed Molly's tears, causing Bill to stumble into him. "Mol?" Arthur asked, gently.

"Yes, Arthur, I picked up a rather large box of it; Albus needed some as well. It's with the other packages in the hall. I'll help you find it." She surreptitiously wiped her face with the cool cloth that was still on hand and rose to meet him with a tiny sniffle.

Arthur crossed to her quickly, placing his hands on her shoulders and easing her back into her chair. "No, Molly darling. Sit, please. What's bothering you? What's happened?" His eyes, widened and slightly unfocused, sought Remus's in silent inquiry; he seemed on the edge of panic. His hands began to move on her shoulders, picking up a rhythm long established and well known to both of them. This was the simple comfort that only intimacy could provide.

Remus sought to reassure him and maintain Molly's confidence. "She's fine, Arthur, everything's fine. Molly's just been sharing a drink with us and we're all a bit tired so the conversation took a turn for the morose. Why don't the two of you head up to bed? I'll take care of reapportioning the Floo Powder; you will have to be up early in the morning to get the children organized, breakfasted and out of here. I don't know how you do it, Molly!" Remus tried to steer matters back toward the everyday; perhaps Molly could take refuge from the maudlin in the mundane.

"Sounds perfect to me. Yes, Molly?" Arthur dropped a kiss on her head and gave her shoulders a final, firm squeeze. She nodded and rose to stand with him, pushing her glass to the center of the table.

"Yes, that sounds nice. Thank you, gentlemen, for the drink and for - for keeping me company this evening. And thank you for taking care of the Floo Powder, Remus - there's a scrap of parchment in with the packages that has all the details you'll need. I've set out everything for breakfast for tomorrow, so...." Molly's voice began to fade and she swayed back just slightly to lean against her husband.

Remus, Sirius and Bill hurried them off to bed, Bill bending slightly to kiss his mother on the cheek as she slipped out of the room. As she left, Bill sank into the chair she had vacated and reached across the table for the bottle, sighing just a little. He poured a healthy drink into the glass his mother had abandoned. Bill looked up at the other two men, nodded, raised his glass, and drank.