Proud of Him, Molly, Rated G
Title: Proud of Him
Author: elucreh
Rating: G
Warnings: Psychotic six year old
Prompt: #63: I never wanted to be a hero, but on the other hand I am not anxious to cultivate cowardice.--Gertrude Stein
Summary: Never teach a child what you would not want him to know as an adult.
Notes: Thanks to adalanne for making this story less of a hash than it was. ^_~ Thanks to my preschool class, for teaching me. And thanks to jlmatthews for suggesting and debating guinea pigs with me.
"Molly, Arthur, may I have a word?"
"Of course, Remus, what is it?" Molly wrapped her hand in her husband's and followed them into the kitchen.
"Sit down, please, both of you." She frowned a little, but did as she was told.
"I have bad news." She froze. "Charlie was killed defending two Muggles from Death Eaters two days ago. I'm so sorry."
*******
"Just go out and let Mum finish supper, will you, Charlie? Please? Percy is finally asleep and I need some peace."
Charlie looked down at his model dragons for a moment before nodding a little sullenly and putting them back in their basket.
"Don't go too far," Molly called after him. "Supper's due soon. And stay away from the pond…I don't want to fish you out. And Charlie?" her voice was getting fainter as he trudged away. "Don't you go near the Fawcett children, they are not…"
*******
In the days that followed, it became clear Molly had shut down almost completely. She still cooked and cleaned and helped to organise the raids, but she didn't even shake her head at Arthur when he brought home a weedwhacker, and not even her new little granddaughter could get a smile out of her.
Molly didn't cry at the funeral, although even the twins' chins dripped with tears. She sat ramrod straight and upright, her lips pressed in a thin line, her arms folded. When Arthur turned to her, she pressed him close to her automatically, but there seemed to be no warmth or welcome in her arms, and he turned to embrace Bill.
*******
It was the squealing that drew Charlie to the grove. He had never heard that kind of grunting, high-pitched noise before, which meant-with any luck-that there would be a new kind of animal hidden in the trees.
He was right. Twice.
The squealing was coming from a rodent-like creature, shaped like a loaf of bread. It was squealing because it had just had Spell-O-Tape wrapped around it and stripped off. Holding it was Crockett Fawcett, who had a demonic grin on his face as he applied a new piece of tape to the little animal's sensitive underbelly.
"Crock? What are you doing?"
The other child looked up, still grinning. "Hey, Charlie, look. Some Muggle kid left it out in the garden…did you hear it squeal?"
Charlie's face was shocked for a minute before it took on a look of mulish determination. "Let it go, Crock."
"Why? It's just some stupid Muggle's pet." Crockett ripped off strip of tape. The little animal squealed again.
"Let it go." Charlie wasted no more time on pleasantries, butting the larger boy's head with his own and wrapped his hands around the animal, tugging so that it came free as Crockett fell backwards. Quickly, he set it on the ground and gave it a nudge to get it going.
Crockett let out a growl and lunged. Charlie threw himself in the way, and got punched for his troubles. "Go! Go!" he urged, struggling to hold on to the other boy, who was kicking and scratching and hitting to get to his victim. The guinea pig needed no further urging, but scurried into the undergrowth.
"Why, you…" Crockett gave up on the rodent and turned to its defender instead. "I'll teach you to…" Charlie's eye blacked. It was only the beginning.
*******
A small blonde woman walked the quiet streets of Ottery St. Catchpole, stopping to check a list of instructions on parchment. Beside her walked a little boy, sturdy and blonde and obviously freshly scrubbed and combed.
Finally, the woman left the town behind her and began to climb a winding path to the little stacked house with chickens in the yard. She smiled a little. She wouldn't need the directions anymore.
*******
Having had his head beaten against the rocks, Charlie had long since fallen unconscious, and Crockett was getting bored. He kicked the other boy a few more times, but there wasn't any reaction. A twig snapped, and Crockett took off into the trees.
Bill never really recovered from the sight of his brother lying on the forest floor.
"Mum! Mum! Come quick! Charlie's hurt! Charlie…he…he won't wake up, Mum…"
"What? Where…take me to him, Bill, quickly…oh my God…" They ran out of the house together and down to the little grove of trees to where Charlie lay, bleeding. "Oh my God…Charlie…what happened…"
"It was Crockett Fawcett, Mum, I saw him running off…"
Molly felt anger beginning to boil, but now wasn't the time. "Go back to the house and watch Percy, Bill. And send your father when he comes. No, go on, I can do this."
She drew her wand and began to wrap her son in bandages, checking his pulse and feeling his forehead, putting cooling charms on the clothes he had conjured for his bruises. "Oh, Charlie...you silly child…I told you to leave them alone, what on earth did you think you were doing?"
*******
"Yes?" Molly opened the door a crack and frowned a little at the strange woman on her doorstep.
"Mrs. Weasley? Forgive me for bursting in on you like this, but I felt I must see you. My name is Catarina…I knew your son in Romania." She spoke clearly, her English marred only a little by the edges of her accent.
Molly's mouth tightened and she nodded stiffly, unchaining the door to let the other woman in.
"May I take your coat? And…who is this?"
"This is my son, Joseph. Joseph, this is Mrs. Weasley. She is Charlie's Mama." Joseph's eyes widened and he nodded solemnly, offering a little hand. Molly took it and shook it gravely.
"Won't you sit down? You'll have to pardon the mess, I wasn't expecting anyone."
"No, your Mr….Lupin? told me how to find the Burrow. Of course I recognised it once I got here. Charlie has told me so much of his family."
Molly's eyebrows rose a little. "Has he now?" She turned to regard the little boy, tilting her head to one side as though searching for something.
"No, Mrs. Weasley…he's not Charlie's." Catarina smiled a little. "Not…genetically. But…we had hoped to be married."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Charlie and I…we were engaged to be married," Catarina offered her left hand, where winked a small diamond. "He didn't like to tell you until he could do it in person…there was such a security risk. I'm a Muggle, you see, Mrs. Weasley…and the Death Eaters…not that it helped, of course."
Molly nodded again, reaching out to wrap her hand around the other woman's.
"They may have told you-that he died, defending two Muggles? Those were me and…and Joseph. They were-they were torturing me when he got home. He got off his hexes, but not in time to-well. Not in time." She could see tears beginning to well in Molly's eyes. "Oh, Mrs. Weasley, please-"
Molly drew a shaky breath. "Molly. You must call me Molly…we were almost family…please."
"Molly," Catarina ducked her head. "I…I didn't come to distress you, but…I thought, perhaps, we might…comfort each other, a little? I loved him very much…and so did Joseph, too…and…I have so wanted to know you."
"Oh, my dear…" Molly reached out and clasped the younger woman to her. "Of course." She spared an arm to hold out a hand to little Joseph across his mother's lap. "And so you would have been my grandson? You must call me Gran, then, Joseph, that's what your cousin Marie will call me when she gets older."
*******
"Charlie…I told you to stay away from those Fawcett children. They're not…safe. What possessed you to make Crockett that angry?"
Charlie hung his head. "He had a Muggle's pet, Mum…he was torturing it! I couldn't just let him do that."
Molly pressed her lips together. She wanted to scream at him. He'd just spent two days lying unconscious! His body looked like an overripe plum! Where was his…Then she sighed, and titled his chin up to look at her. "Charlie…you need never be ashamed of defending someone else from harm. I promise you, nothing makes me happier than to know that you will stand up for those who can't defend themselves." She kissed his forehead. "I'm proud of you, darling. For doing the right thing."
****************************************************
"He really is a delightful child," Molly said to Caterina, as they shut the door on a sleeping Joseph. "I am so glad to welcome him to our family."
"Charlie had the most…amazing influence on him," Caterina said, smiling. "He worshipped him-and he's still trying so hard to live up to Charlie's expectations. He's been on his best behaviour for you…Charlie credited you with everything good we could find in him. Everything from good pies to good manners to his work for the Order-we've looked up to you almost as much as we did to…him. You raised a good man, Molly." She leaned over and shyly pecked the older woman's cheek. "Thank you for that."
Molly cried.
One final note...the character of Crockett Fawcett is named to indicate the upbringing he is being given. Crocket means "crook" in Old English, and anyway...wouldn't you be traumatised with a name like Crockett Fawcett?
Please review! (Constructive feedback especially, please)
Author: elucreh
Rating: G
Warnings: Psychotic six year old
Prompt: #63: I never wanted to be a hero, but on the other hand I am not anxious to cultivate cowardice.--Gertrude Stein
Summary: Never teach a child what you would not want him to know as an adult.
Notes: Thanks to adalanne for making this story less of a hash than it was. ^_~ Thanks to my preschool class, for teaching me. And thanks to jlmatthews for suggesting and debating guinea pigs with me.
"Molly, Arthur, may I have a word?"
"Of course, Remus, what is it?" Molly wrapped her hand in her husband's and followed them into the kitchen.
"Sit down, please, both of you." She frowned a little, but did as she was told.
"I have bad news." She froze. "Charlie was killed defending two Muggles from Death Eaters two days ago. I'm so sorry."
*******
"Just go out and let Mum finish supper, will you, Charlie? Please? Percy is finally asleep and I need some peace."
Charlie looked down at his model dragons for a moment before nodding a little sullenly and putting them back in their basket.
"Don't go too far," Molly called after him. "Supper's due soon. And stay away from the pond…I don't want to fish you out. And Charlie?" her voice was getting fainter as he trudged away. "Don't you go near the Fawcett children, they are not…"
*******
In the days that followed, it became clear Molly had shut down almost completely. She still cooked and cleaned and helped to organise the raids, but she didn't even shake her head at Arthur when he brought home a weedwhacker, and not even her new little granddaughter could get a smile out of her.
Molly didn't cry at the funeral, although even the twins' chins dripped with tears. She sat ramrod straight and upright, her lips pressed in a thin line, her arms folded. When Arthur turned to her, she pressed him close to her automatically, but there seemed to be no warmth or welcome in her arms, and he turned to embrace Bill.
*******
It was the squealing that drew Charlie to the grove. He had never heard that kind of grunting, high-pitched noise before, which meant-with any luck-that there would be a new kind of animal hidden in the trees.
He was right. Twice.
The squealing was coming from a rodent-like creature, shaped like a loaf of bread. It was squealing because it had just had Spell-O-Tape wrapped around it and stripped off. Holding it was Crockett Fawcett, who had a demonic grin on his face as he applied a new piece of tape to the little animal's sensitive underbelly.
"Crock? What are you doing?"
The other child looked up, still grinning. "Hey, Charlie, look. Some Muggle kid left it out in the garden…did you hear it squeal?"
Charlie's face was shocked for a minute before it took on a look of mulish determination. "Let it go, Crock."
"Why? It's just some stupid Muggle's pet." Crockett ripped off strip of tape. The little animal squealed again.
"Let it go." Charlie wasted no more time on pleasantries, butting the larger boy's head with his own and wrapped his hands around the animal, tugging so that it came free as Crockett fell backwards. Quickly, he set it on the ground and gave it a nudge to get it going.
Crockett let out a growl and lunged. Charlie threw himself in the way, and got punched for his troubles. "Go! Go!" he urged, struggling to hold on to the other boy, who was kicking and scratching and hitting to get to his victim. The guinea pig needed no further urging, but scurried into the undergrowth.
"Why, you…" Crockett gave up on the rodent and turned to its defender instead. "I'll teach you to…" Charlie's eye blacked. It was only the beginning.
*******
A small blonde woman walked the quiet streets of Ottery St. Catchpole, stopping to check a list of instructions on parchment. Beside her walked a little boy, sturdy and blonde and obviously freshly scrubbed and combed.
Finally, the woman left the town behind her and began to climb a winding path to the little stacked house with chickens in the yard. She smiled a little. She wouldn't need the directions anymore.
*******
Having had his head beaten against the rocks, Charlie had long since fallen unconscious, and Crockett was getting bored. He kicked the other boy a few more times, but there wasn't any reaction. A twig snapped, and Crockett took off into the trees.
Bill never really recovered from the sight of his brother lying on the forest floor.
"Mum! Mum! Come quick! Charlie's hurt! Charlie…he…he won't wake up, Mum…"
"What? Where…take me to him, Bill, quickly…oh my God…" They ran out of the house together and down to the little grove of trees to where Charlie lay, bleeding. "Oh my God…Charlie…what happened…"
"It was Crockett Fawcett, Mum, I saw him running off…"
Molly felt anger beginning to boil, but now wasn't the time. "Go back to the house and watch Percy, Bill. And send your father when he comes. No, go on, I can do this."
She drew her wand and began to wrap her son in bandages, checking his pulse and feeling his forehead, putting cooling charms on the clothes he had conjured for his bruises. "Oh, Charlie...you silly child…I told you to leave them alone, what on earth did you think you were doing?"
*******
"Yes?" Molly opened the door a crack and frowned a little at the strange woman on her doorstep.
"Mrs. Weasley? Forgive me for bursting in on you like this, but I felt I must see you. My name is Catarina…I knew your son in Romania." She spoke clearly, her English marred only a little by the edges of her accent.
Molly's mouth tightened and she nodded stiffly, unchaining the door to let the other woman in.
"May I take your coat? And…who is this?"
"This is my son, Joseph. Joseph, this is Mrs. Weasley. She is Charlie's Mama." Joseph's eyes widened and he nodded solemnly, offering a little hand. Molly took it and shook it gravely.
"Won't you sit down? You'll have to pardon the mess, I wasn't expecting anyone."
"No, your Mr….Lupin? told me how to find the Burrow. Of course I recognised it once I got here. Charlie has told me so much of his family."
Molly's eyebrows rose a little. "Has he now?" She turned to regard the little boy, tilting her head to one side as though searching for something.
"No, Mrs. Weasley…he's not Charlie's." Catarina smiled a little. "Not…genetically. But…we had hoped to be married."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Charlie and I…we were engaged to be married," Catarina offered her left hand, where winked a small diamond. "He didn't like to tell you until he could do it in person…there was such a security risk. I'm a Muggle, you see, Mrs. Weasley…and the Death Eaters…not that it helped, of course."
Molly nodded again, reaching out to wrap her hand around the other woman's.
"They may have told you-that he died, defending two Muggles? Those were me and…and Joseph. They were-they were torturing me when he got home. He got off his hexes, but not in time to-well. Not in time." She could see tears beginning to well in Molly's eyes. "Oh, Mrs. Weasley, please-"
Molly drew a shaky breath. "Molly. You must call me Molly…we were almost family…please."
"Molly," Catarina ducked her head. "I…I didn't come to distress you, but…I thought, perhaps, we might…comfort each other, a little? I loved him very much…and so did Joseph, too…and…I have so wanted to know you."
"Oh, my dear…" Molly reached out and clasped the younger woman to her. "Of course." She spared an arm to hold out a hand to little Joseph across his mother's lap. "And so you would have been my grandson? You must call me Gran, then, Joseph, that's what your cousin Marie will call me when she gets older."
*******
"Charlie…I told you to stay away from those Fawcett children. They're not…safe. What possessed you to make Crockett that angry?"
Charlie hung his head. "He had a Muggle's pet, Mum…he was torturing it! I couldn't just let him do that."
Molly pressed her lips together. She wanted to scream at him. He'd just spent two days lying unconscious! His body looked like an overripe plum! Where was his…Then she sighed, and titled his chin up to look at her. "Charlie…you need never be ashamed of defending someone else from harm. I promise you, nothing makes me happier than to know that you will stand up for those who can't defend themselves." She kissed his forehead. "I'm proud of you, darling. For doing the right thing."
****************************************************
"He really is a delightful child," Molly said to Caterina, as they shut the door on a sleeping Joseph. "I am so glad to welcome him to our family."
"Charlie had the most…amazing influence on him," Caterina said, smiling. "He worshipped him-and he's still trying so hard to live up to Charlie's expectations. He's been on his best behaviour for you…Charlie credited you with everything good we could find in him. Everything from good pies to good manners to his work for the Order-we've looked up to you almost as much as we did to…him. You raised a good man, Molly." She leaned over and shyly pecked the older woman's cheek. "Thank you for that."
Molly cried.
One final note...the character of Crockett Fawcett is named to indicate the upbringing he is being given. Crocket means "crook" in Old English, and anyway...wouldn't you be traumatised with a name like Crockett Fawcett?
Please review! (Constructive feedback especially, please)