Being a Weasley

Arthur and Molly

---

Arthur

I put an arm around my wife's shoulder, and she looks up, a wide smile across her face. We're sitting on our couch, family photo album in lap. Molly has a box of tissues next to her, and I flip to the next set of pictures.

They are pictures of Charlie and Bill looking down at their newborn sister. Fred and George are in the background wrapping tinsel around Ron's head and Percy is stomping up, book in hand, demanding to be read to.

Molly giggles as we watch them fondly. Changing the page we look down to see Bill and his best friend Harold from Hogwarts, they're smiling broadly. Following that picture is one of him at work, holding up his first paycheck. Then him with his bride, Fleur, kissing their first kiss as husband and wife.

I change the page to Charlie, surrounded by small Dragon action figures. Then another of him receiving his first broom. And a picture of him at a recent Quidditch Party that he had sent of him and the famous Romanian Quidditch Captain, Oliver Wood.

I flip another page to find Percy getting ready for Hogwarts for the first time. Then him with his Head Boy badge. Then him piled under Fred and George attempting to get his Prefect badge from them.

Then there are more photos of birthdays. Photos of first steps and all the other firsts you can think of.

I flip to a page of pictures of Fred and George as infants, still managing to cause trouble by drawing on our walls in crayons. There's a picture of either Fred or George sticking his tongue out at the camera while he waits in line for ice cream. Then a picture of Fred and George with their girlfriends outside their brand new Joke Shop.

We beam as I turn the page to see Ron with a plate of spaghetti on his head, which he actually managed to put there, not any of his siblings. Then there is a picture of Ron and his best friends Harry and Hermione at the Burrow.

Then there are pictures of Ginny, and she's smiling brightly in each picture, no matter where she is. Even in the last picture of her and her guest, Draco Malfoy, as they sat lazily on the couch.

Molly sniffs and I shut the book, tears springing to my own eyes. Our daughter had disappeared with that boy, and though we both know that she hasn't been kidnapped, we want to believe it. We haven't heard from her in a very long time, and no matter how hard we try to find her, we always came up empty. It is as if she has vanished completely.

We sit in silence; listening to the even quieter house. It's eerie. For years we have always had one child or another banging up or down the stairs of our house. But now, there is nothing. We are completely alone, just the two of us.

"Molly," I say to her. "Everything is so quiet."

She hugs onto my waist, tears flowing down her face. "Oh Arthur! I miss them so much," she says as I wipe her tears away.

We have never imagined what it was going to be like without children. But we are slowly figuring it out, and truthfully we aren't enjoying it all that much.

The thought of more children however, to fill our now empty void, that is something we haven't voiced out loud quite yet. We both aren't sure if we're ready for that again. Also, we're getting older, and looking for retirement. I just don't know if we can stand all the loneliness.

All our children have moved on in some manner or another. Percy, Charlie, Bill, Fred and George are all involved in their work, and Bill is starting a family. Ron is traveling with Harry and Hermione for the Order. And Ginny has just gone away.

I have my work; but my wife, well she doesn't have much else except baking. And she's only going to be cooking for two now.

I tell her we have things we need to go over, life related things, when we get back from the war that is. She's coming to battle too, even though I insist she doesn't. She tells me it may be her last chance to see our children, and she can't lose any more moments. I won't fight her on it, because I know she won't change her mind.

---

Molly

Looking over all the pictures of my babies, I'm just reminded repeatedly that they're all grown up. I see each picture and notice how they've grown taller, how their faces loose that baby fat, how they change from young adolescents to mature adults.

My tears I weep are happy and sad at the same time. I love each of my children equally and completely. They're my life. And having them gone is like creating a hole in my heart. I want to fill this hole, fill it with more memories and laughter, and first steps, and first words. But no more of that will come if I can't see my children today.

It's the battle against You-Know-Who. My family will be there, fighting for what's right, and so, I will go too. I have to see them all again, because I cannot bare the thought of not having said goodbye.

Arthur takes my hand, smiling at me proudly.

That look in his eye I haven't seen in a very long time. I giggle.

"Put on the music," I say.

He wants to dance. And I really do miss it.

He puts on our song, and takes me from the couch, a hand in my hand, and the other around my waist. And we dance again, remembering our past, remembering all our times together.

The first time we danced, I ended up pregnant with my first child. It was the day we eloped, because my parents didn't approve of us being together. It seems insane now, everything that we did when we were young.

It's even stranger, watching my children grow up and make their own insane choices. Arthur and I have never tried to put boundaries on our children, well except for Fred and George in a manner of speaking. But we both knew that we had to accept anyone they brought home, regardless of status, heritage, or anything of that kind.

If I were to be my mother, Ronald would never be allowed to be with Hermione Granger, solely because she is not of Pureblood. And my dearest Ginny, my mother would have thrown that Malfoy boy out of her house the second he got in because of 'bad blood'; in this case I should have taken a lesson from my mother, because now my baby girl is gone.

Much of my life has been spent doing the exact opposite of what my mother would do. Letting Fred and George open their shop. Allowing Bill to marry a Veela. Allowing Charlie to run off to play with Dragons. I guess I couldn't really stop them if I wanted to, but I feel it's not my place to stop them anyway.

I don't think our children quite understand how much of the wizarding rules they break on a normal bases, at least the rules for Pureblood families. The key for Magical families is to always keep the generations coming. We're running thin, and we need to keep our Pureblood strong.

The music ends and Arthur holds me near, I place my head on his chest and take a deep sigh.

This is it. If we survive in this, then life is going to be completely different in the morning. If we survive, then we're going to have a whole new set of problems to deal with.

"Ready to go?" he asks.

I'm not ready, but we have to go anyway. I nod, and we Apparate.

---

Arthur

Battling dark wizards has never been my forte, nor is it Molly's. But we're doing fairly well, working together to fight off the coming enemies. Mostly we're holding back the Death Eaters for Harry, so that he can get to the Dark Lord freely.

Though we've been fighting in the same dark field that our children are, we haven't seen them anywhere. I know Molly is keeping an eye out, and so am I.

It's Ron who I suddenly see Apparate a few feet before us. He's with Hermione and they separate almost immediately.

Molly sees him also, and she almost is so distracted that she narrowly misses a curse.

"Watch out," I say to her. "Be careful."

She nods and refocuses. That is, until we see Percy storming after someone weeping. We exchange looks as I knock out a Death Eater.

"I can't handle this," Molly says in a gasp.

"It's alright," I whisper to her. "You should get home, I'll be alright here."

She shakes her head furiously and tells me she has to stay. She takes a shaky breath and casts a spell at a Death Eater's back.

"Are you sure, Molly?" I ask.

"Please, Arthur," she whispers, her eyes pleading. "Don't worry about me."

We continue our fight; the war is raging on, but slowly coming to an end. It's just as the last Death Eater standing falls to the ground that we see her. Our Ginny. She's lying on a pile of rubble, her eyes open, talking to a blonde-haired boy.

Molly gasps, and we run towards her, forgetting about anything else. That's when she sees us, her mouth falls half open, unsure of what to do, and the blonde turns to see us. It's Draco Malfoy.

"Move away from my baby!" Molly cries. Pushing towards them.

I watch Ginny lean up and whisper to the boy, something we cannot hear, he nods.

As we reach her, Molly throws her arms around Ginny.

"Ouch, mom," Ginny grumbles. "Let me go."

Molly pulls away, tears shining in her eyes, and I look down at my daughter.

"I'm so sorry," Ginny says to us. "I'm so sorry, I have to go," she repeats and then takes Draco's hand. The two disappear, and Molly lets out a horrid gasp. I clutch onto her, tears springing to my eyes as well.

"She-"

"It's okay, Molly, dear," I say, trying to keep my voice strong. "She...She knows what she's doing." Ginny doesn't believe we'll accept her decisions.

We turn around when we hear a loud gasp from someone on the field, and the sight I see is completely unexpected. There is our Charlie, and he's kissing someone right on the field, and not just any someone, but the Quidditch player, Oliver Wood, from the picture.

"Merlin," I mutter, but I'm not disgusted or mortified. I'm just overwhelmed at how much I just have to take in.

---

Molly

I don't think I can handle many more surprises, but yet they keep happening all around me. I see Bill with Percy, walking together as brothers should; I never thought I'd see the day that Bill would forgive his brother, yet here is the day. I turn back to Charlie and Oliver, and I still can't believe it.

"Charlie?" I gasp.

Charlie pulls away from Oliver, and he turns to look at me.

"Mum, Dad," he says, talking Oliver's hand and walking towards us. "I-"

"Why didn't you tell us?" I ask, staring between the two. He had never said anything about this before...not a word.

He looked down, and it was Oliver who replied.

"Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley," he said. "I'm Oliver Wood."

"We know who you are," Arthur replied in a soft tone.

"Oh," Oliver said, his mouth making a large 'O', he turned to Charlie curiously, then back to us. "It's nice to meet you finally, I've heard a lot about you."

"Yes," I mutter. "But, Charlie, are you, I mean...are you dating him?"

Charlie nods oh so very slowly.

Oh. I don't know what to think. I had never imagined this before.

"I didn't know how to tell you," Charlie said, hurt wavering in his voice.

"Oh, Charlie," I say. "You could have told us anything."

I pull him into a huge hug, never wanting to let my boy go. Oliver is watching us, his expression blank, but his eyes so full of love for Charlie.

We pull apart and Arthur looks at him, unsure himself of what to say.

"Dad," Charlie says. "Are you...I mean, are you okay with this?"

He smiles warmly at him. "I'm fine with anything you decide to do."

Oliver takes his hand again, and whispers something in his ear. I shift uncomfortably, but stay rooted to the spot.

Charlie glances at us. "Only one way to know," he says in a low whisper, and then nods.

Oliver smiles and turns to us. "Mr. Weasley," he starts.

My heart nearly falters when I realize what he's doing.

He's about to...

"May I have permission to ask your son to marry me?"

That about does it, my heart jumps a few beats, but I'm still glowing at them, and I am still a little confused, but happy nonetheless.

Arthur blinks, clearly not expecting that question.

"I, err, yes you have my permission."

Oliver graciously thanks him, and then turns to Charlie, bending on one knee. I realize my hand has flown to cover my mouth in shock.

Charlie is about to cry, but he says yes immediately, and Oliver stands up to kiss him. They turn back to us, happy as can be. This sparks happiness I haven't felt in a long time.

Arthur smiles broadly, and shakes Oliver's hand.

I beam at them. "Welcome to the family, Oliver."

FIN