Before the Beginning

The next morning, the students of Gryffindor house awoke to find Professor Dumbledore standing in the common room. He seemed calm, but no one could really ever quite work out what the man was thinking.

"What is going on, Professor?" Elijah asked.

"All teachers are needed in a meeting all day and cannot teach their lessons, so I am afraid that classes are cancelled today. I know you must all be terribly disappointed, but life will just have to go on." Arthur couldn't help but smile a bit, even if things seemed to be wrong. "Please do not leave the castle for any reason. That is all." And before anyone could ask why, he turned on his heel and was gone.

"I wonder what's going on," Edmund said plopping down in a chair and dropping his books to the ground.

"Prolly has something to do with those strange men that hide their faces with hoods and masks when they attack civilians again," Arthur replied with eyebrows furrowed. "They've cancelled a lot of classes lately and I've been reading in the paper that there has been growing activity from that strange lot. It seems the dark arts are getting more popular as of late."

"How stupid," Lij said. "Why learn such an archaic art like the dark arts? Not to mention immoral..."

"It seems several wizards are getting up in arms about anyone that isn't a pureblood. I read in the Daily Prophet that some dark wizards had even been torturing muggles in broad daylight."

"That's sickening," Edmund hissed. His mother was a muggle and he took great offense to anyone that made a crack about their slightly ignorant counterparts.

"Hey! It's snowing!" Cap called from the window. Everyone suddenly forgot Dumbledore's announcement and crowded around the windows of the common room.

"Too bad Dumbledore said we couldn't go outside," Cap said with a groan. "We could have had a grand snowball fight."

"I'm sure the snow will still be there tomorrow, Cap," Aemilia said. "You can have your snowball fight then."

"So what are you going to do with all your free time, Arthur?" Molly said moving toward the tall red-head.

"Erm, I dunno. What are you planning to do?"

"Oh, nothing much. How'd you like to go to the astronomy tower with me?"

"Sounds interesting."

"Be good you two!" Cap yelled after them and then began to howl like a wolf.

"He is so vulgar sometimes," Arthur sighed as he made his way out onto the stairs with Molly.

"Sometimes, but he's usually pretty funny," Molly said with a shy smile.

"I suppose."

The long walk up to the astronomy tower would have usually been a tedious one, but Arthur was on cloud 9, especially when Molly slyly slipped her hand into his. He wondered what was suddenly making her so bold.

When they finally reached the tower, Arthur helped Molly set up one of the telescopes. She looked for a moment and pulled away suddenly with a frown.

"What is it?" Arthur asked.

"Whatever is going on with the teachers must be something big. They're all over the grounds with wands raised. I saw that newer teacher, McGonagall, near Hagrid's hut and Apollyon Pringle near the lake."

Arthur moved next to her and put his own eye up to the telescope. "There are a few I don't recognize too. Aurors maybe?"

"Maybe." Arthur noticed the mention of aurors seemed to upset her a bit. "I hear Cap hopes to be an auror when he finishes here," she said trying to mask the face she had made moments before.

"Yeah, he's always had a thing for the heroics," Arthur said with a smile. "I think it's the only job that would really ever suit him."

"It's so dangerous though," Molly said quietly.

"Yeah, but he lives for danger."

They ended up spending quite a bit of time up in the astronomy tower and then later began to explore the castle. They found several rooms they had never known about before and even got a quick snack from the house elves in the kitchen.

"So, Arthur, tell me about your family," Molly asked at one point.

"There really isn't much to tell," he said with a shrug.

"Please?"

He usually wouldn't give into someone prying about his family since it wasn't exactly something he liked talking about, but he couldn't seem to say no to her pleading eyes. "Well, a few generations back we were actually a very well to do family of purebloods. We were quite respected in many circles, however, one of my relatives got into debt with another wizarding family and we lost everything; our money, or possessions and our dignity. Now I never hear the end of it. 'The pureblood family that went sour!' It gets old."

"I would imagine. But I don't think it matters if you're poor or rich. I think all that matters is to have family and people that love you."

"You never cease to amaze me, Molly," Arthur said with a smile. "Well, I told you about my family, tell me about yours."

Molly suddenly started going on and on about two of her brothers, Gideon and Fabian. She was obviously very close to them and Arthur slightly envied her close relationship with them. He wasn't nearly that close with his own brothers.

They didn't even realize that they had been chatting and exploring for several hours.

"Wow, it's getting late," Arthur said suddenly.

"Arthur! We're outside!" Molly suddenly gasped, looking up at the blackened sky sprinkled with small stars.

"So?"

"Don't you remember? Dumbledore said not to leave the castle!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot. I didn't even realize we had left. I was having such a good time."

Molly smiled a bit, even though Arthur could tell she was nervous. "Me too." She shivered a bit. "I didn't even feel the cold. Aren't we silly!? Out here without cloaks or anything..."

Arthur, suddenly feeling quite bold, draped an arm around her shoulders. He grinned when she blushed. "We should probably start heading back to the castle. It's just about 3:30 in the morning." He was quite pleased when he felt her lean into him as they began walking.

"Um, Arthur... the thing I was going to tell you that day at The Three Broomsticks..."

"Yeah?"

She stopped and faced him. "Well, this may seem sort of forward and sudden, but I wanted to say... I... I think I'm... I'm in love with you."

Arthur was glad it was so dark. He didn't want Molly to see how red his face was at that moment. He didn't really know what to say at that moment. He hadn't expected that from her, even though he was very pleased.

"I... uh... well, I..."

She seemed upset suddenly. "I understand..." She began to walk away. Arthur quickly grabbed her arm.

"No, Molly, wait! What I was trying to say is... I love you too."

Her whole face lit up with an award winning smile and she threw her arms around Arthur's neck.

"Oh, Arthur!"

He pulled her away from him and looked into her eyes. He couldn't understand why such a lovely girl from a well-to-do family would want anything to do with a poor boy like himself. He wasn't one to question destiny, however. Slowly he leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips. The light kiss soon turned into one heck of a round of snogging and Arthur and Molly found themselves down on the snowy Earth.

"Who's out there?!"

Both students quickly sat up in fright.

"We're going to get in trouble!" Molly whispered, panicked.

"No, we're not," Arthur said shoving her into a bush.

"Arth...!" It was too late. He was already running toward the castle with the caretaker, Apollyon Pringle, close on his tail.

She had to muffle a scream when she saw the number of hexes flying from Pringle's wand. Arthur fell to the ground as stiff as a board. She watched nervously as the caretaker dragged him by the feet back into the castle.

When she was positive she was in the clear, Molly quickly made a run for the door. Running as fast as possible, she managed to make it to the painting of the Fat Lady in record time.

"Wake up! I need to get in!" Molly hissed at the sleeping portrait.

"Well, I'll be! What are you doing out so late, Child? For God's sake it's four in the morning!"

"I had business to attend to. Now please let me in!"

"You're lucky I'm not one to rat students out. But in all my days... four in the morning?! Probably out to meet some boy... hussy."

"Excuse me?! I am not having this conversation with a painting!" Molly exclaimed as quietly as she could.

"You don't have to rub it in," the Fat Lady huffed. "Password please."

"Pickled beets," Molly stated, exasperated.

The portal opened and Molly quickly scrambled in.

"Arthur?" she called softly. He either was already up in his dormitory, or still being punished. She sadly knew which one of the two it was.

She dropped into a large, red armchair in front of the fire. She was determined not to fall asleep until Arthur returned, however fatigue overcame her willpower and she fell asleep.

She awoke to someone shaking her.

"Molly! Molly, dear, wake up!"

"Arthur?" Molly asked still half asleep.

"No, silly! It's me, Mariana."

Molly sat up slowly and focused her eyes in on her dark-haired friend.

"Oh, sorry, Mariana."

"Why did you call for Arthur?" Mariana asked with a giggle. "Is he the reason you slept down here?"

"That's quite sordid of you, Mariana! He got in trouble last night and I wanted to make sure he was okay, that's all," Molly assured her friend.

"I heard he's in the hospital wing. Had quite an array of hexes on him I guess. I heard some of the marks might be permanent. He must have done something pretty awful," Mariana said, flippantly.

"Yeah..." Molly said, sadly.

"I heard Curan gloating about it in the hallway after breakfast. I think he's the one that tipped off Pringle."

"What?!" Molly exclaimed, fuming.

"He saw him and someone else leave the castle and couldn't wait to get back at Arthur for what he said to him yesterday," Mariana said, biting her lip. "Was the person he was with you?"

Molly's ears went pink.

"Oh my gosh, Molly! You could have gotten in so much trouble!" Mariana exclaimed. Molly was about to defend herself, but was interrupted by Mariana saying, "You have to tell me all the details!" Molly just grinned.

After giving Mariana all the details of her walk with Arthur, Molly went off in search of Curan so she could sufficiently curb her anger.

"Well if it isn't little miss Prewett," Curan said with a sneer from his spot on one of the window sills.

"How could you do that to Arthur!" she spat at him. "If you were half the man he was..."

"Man? You jest. Arthur Weasley is nothing but a bottom feeding oaf. He'll be lucky if he can find a box to live in when he leaves this place. And I for one will take great pleasure in watching him shine my shoes for a living."

Molly's fist made contact with Curan's jaw with a loud crack. He staggered back in pain, not having expected such a small girl to pack such a powerful punch.

"You'll be sorry for that, Prewett!" he called after her when she walked away; a large grin plastered on her face.

"Oh, go suck a lemon, Curan."

Later on in the day Molly stopped Arthur after Potions class.

"I'm really sorry you got hexed. You shouldn't have covered for me."

"It was nothing. I'd walk through Hell for the one I love," Arthur said with a wink.

Molly blushed hard. "T...thank you."

"By the way," Arthur said with a grin, "I saw Curan's bruised jaw. Good punch."

Molly just smiled.