One-shot: Molly/OMC, Percy/Audrey
Title: Not the Ideal First Meeting
Authors: mollywheezy and rumpelsnorcack
Characters: Molly Weasley/OMC, Percy/Audrey
Word Count: ~1900
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Summary: Molly's boyfriend meets her dad in less-than-ideal circumstances.
Disclaimer: JKR owns the universe-we are only playing in her sandbox. ;)
Author’s Notes: Sequel to Meetings and An Unfortunate Meeting. Thanks to rumpelsnorcack for wanting to write "fic of my fic". This story would not have happened without her! ;)
Mason really wanted a cup of coffee and went to Molly's kitchen to find some. He started in alarm when there was a red-headed man in the kitchen putting food out on the table. When the man turned around and stared at him, Mason knew it was Molly's dad-same color hair, same skin tone with a few freckles, same eye color. He was an older, male version of Molly.
Mason said hello, and Mr Weasley responded with a terse hello, then picked up his wand and disapparated, probably before even hearing Mason's frantic plea of "Wait, Sir!"
Mason stood there, staring at the spot where Molly's dad had just been. This was not the impression he had wanted to make. He knew Molly told her parents everything since she was very close to both of them, but she hadn't had a chance to, and her reserved dad seeing a bloke in a towel early in the morning in her flat was not going to go over well. Even worse, he knew Molly's periodic breakfasts with her dad were special to both of them, and he had interrupted that tradition.
Mason considered if the situation were reversed and one of his parents saw Molly in a towel in his flat. Well, firstly, neither of his parents had ever stopped by without flooing or owling first, but if they had, Mason thought they'd be so ecstatic he actually had a girlfriend they wouldn't care what state of undress they found her in.
Come to think of it, Mason actually had no idea why he had bothered with a towel, especially one that wouldn't go around his waist (he needed to buy Molly some larger towels), but given the circumstances he was thankful for it.
"You made breakfast?! I was going to cook for you with your interview this morning . . ." Molly's voice trailed off as she took a good look at what was on the table. "Dad was here?"
Mason nodded.
"What happened?"
Mason told Molly everything.
"This is not good at all! I owled them just this morning, but Daddy must have missed it!" Molly wrung her hands.
"Are they going to be really furious? They won't hate me now, will they?"
Molly thought for a moment. "No, they won't be really furious, and they definitely won't hate you. It's just not how I wanted my parents to find out about you." Molly gave Mason as hug and sat down at the table. "We might as well eat." After a few bites of food, Molly giggled. "I remember Aunt Ginny told me once that she flooed Dad, and he answered the Floo while trying to button his shirt . . . except it wasn't his shirt, it was Mum's blouse."
Mason chuckled. "Well, not the best way to see your Dad for the first time, but I guess it can only get better after this morning."
***
Mason hadn’t wanted Molly to know how nervous he was about this interview. She was already worried about how her parents would react to him (even before he had the unexpected encounter with her dad) without him adding his own stress to the cauldron. He walked into the ministry building via the visitor’s entrance while Molly had flooed from her flat. "Good luck," she’d whispered as she kissed his cheek. He’d squeezed her hand before she stepped into the fireplace. But now he was alone. And stressed. He took a deep breath and consoled himself with the idea that nothing during the interview could be as bad as having Molly’s dad seeing him in barely a towel.
Thanks to Molly's taking him on a practice run the previous day, Mason had no trouble finding where he was supposed to be. The receptionist he introduced himself to was very kind and showed him to the waiting area. Mason wiped his hands on his good robes as he waited, then gulped as the door opened and the three men who were to interview him came out. Taking a deep, calming breath Mason stood and held his hand out to the first man. "Hello, sir, nice to meet you," he said, pleased that he managed to sound confident and assured.
"I’m so pleased to have the chance to work at the British Ministry of Magic," he said to the second one as they shook.
Then he turned to the third. His throat went dry. He could tell Mr Weasley had recognised him too. Well, there goes my chance then, he thought glumly. He shook the other man’s hand. "Hello sir. It’s nice to meet you," he said, then startled himself with an internal snigger as he realised what he’d just said. Hadn’t he wanted to introduce himself this morning? And here was a perfect chance. If he could impress Molly's dad with his Ministry knowledge, language ability and speaking skills, maybe the incident that morning could be forgotten.
Mr Weasley looked at him quizzically as they all filed back into the room. Mason decided then and there to relax. The worst had happened; he wouldn’t get this job, but this was the perfect opportunity to practice his interview skills for the next one. He sat down, all his tension evaporating. The first two interviewers were thorough though friendly, and Mason felt like he was doing well. But he was always conscious of his girlfriend’s dad sitting there evaluating him. That Mr Weasley never said a word was becoming disturbing, and Mason could feel his tension returning. Finally, Mr Weasley cleared his throat, and Mason turned to him.
"You are familiar with Ministry policy, are you not Mr Kokinos?"
Mason nodded and said, "Yes, sir. I’ve found the similarities and differences with Greece’s policies to be very fascinating."
"Good." Mr Weasley smiled then, and launched into the most in-depth and far-reaching questioning on the policy document Mason had ever feared he might encounter. He was extremely thankful for Molly's warning him how much emphasis her dad, and many of his Ministry peers, put on knowing correct policies and procedures. He was sweating and anxious by the time it was halfway done, but then he noticed Mr Weasley’s body language had changed. Rather than hunching back with his arms folded forbiddingly across his chest, he was sitting forward, arms on his knees, enthusiastically throwing ever more esoteric questions at Mason. He was, Mason realised with a start, enjoying this back and forth. Mr Weasley seemed to actually approve of his answers.
Still worried, still unsure, Mason nevertheless held his breath as he exited the room. He heard one of the other interviewers saying, "Blimey Weasley! I’ve never heard anyone ask such difficult questions!" as the door shut behind him. He surreptitiously wiped his hands on his robes again, and the receptionist smiled at him in sympathy. It seemed like an hour, but must have been only a few minutes, before the three men re-emerged from the room and asked him back in.
"Well, Mr Kokinos," the first man said with a welcoming grin, "it is our pleasure to offer you the job. If you still want it." He cast a sly grin at Mr Weasley, clearly indicating that his questioning may have been a little off-putting.
"Oh, thank you. Yes, of course I want it. It is a great privilege to be working for such an organisation."
"Congratulations, young man. I must admit I was most pleasantly impressed with you," Mr Weasley said. A slight twinkle in his eye let Mason know he had been expecting this to go badly after the towel incident of the morning, but he added, "Those questions often trip up prospective employees." Mason shook his hand again and left the room in slight shock. The only thing he knew was that he had to get to Molly as soon as he could. Unfortunately he didn’t know where her office was in this warren, so with a little help from the kindly receptionist, he sent her one of the purple memos the Ministry seemed to favour as soon as he got his wits back.
***
It seemed like he only waited seconds before Molly flung herself into his arms and was kissing him.
"I knew you'd get the job!" she squealed.
"I didn't," Mason chuckled weakly. "Not once I saw that your dad was one of the people interviewing me."
"Oh, no! Of all the rotten luck!"
"It worked out OK. He even said I impressed him."
"That is extremely high praise from dad, especially given what happened this morning."
"I thought so, too."
"Why don't I owl my parents and invite them to go out to dinner with us this evening to celebrate?"
"Wouldn't you rather celebrate on our own?"
"We can celebrate on our own, too, but while you're happy you got the job, and Dad's impressed with your interviewing prowess, let's set a meeting so there's no time for things to get awkward again."
"I can see your point. OK, then."
***
Molly side-along Apparated Mason to her parents' favorite restaurant in Diagon Alley to find them already waiting outside.
Molly hugged her dad tightly while Mason greeted her mother. He offered Mrs Weasley his hand. "Hello, Mrs Weasley. I'm pleased to meet you."
She surprised Mason by pulling him into a hug and saying, "Mrs Weasley is my mother-in-law. Call me Audrey."
Mason smiled as he pulled back from the hug. "OK . . . Audrey."
As Molly hugged her mother, Mason greeted Mr Weasley. "Hello, Mr Weasley," Mason said as he shook the older man's hand. "It's good to see you again." Mason was certain he saw Audrey give a pointed look to her husband, over Molly's shoulder.
Mr Weasley blinked his eyes at his wife. "Likewise, Mason, but, er, you may call me Percy."
"Er . . . Yes, Sir. I mean, Percy."
Audrey patted Mason's shoulder with one hand, and Percy's with the other. "I know you both had a difficult morning, but that's in the past. Just relax, and let's enjoy a delicious meal together."
Mason nodded. Percy seemed to snort, but Mason couldn't be sure what that sound really was. They all walked into the restaurant.
"I might be in trouble if I did this tonight, but sometime, Mason, I'll have to tell you about when Percy met my parents. It didn't go well, and they didn't really like him at first."
Percy laughed, "I'm not entirely sure your parents like me now. Except that I am half-responsible for giving them grandchildren."
Mason laughed.
Molly rolled her eyes and huffed, "Daddy! Honestly!"
The hostess showed them to their table, they ordered drinks, made polite small talk about the menu and ordered their food. As they waited for their food to arrive, Percy said, "So Mason, you mentioned this morning the fascinating differences and similarities between the Greek and British Ministries. I'd love to hear more about that."
Mason started talking, encouraged by interested questions from Percy. He saw Molly smile at her mum and Audrey's responding wink. He thought despite the inauspicious beginning this morning, everything might be OK after all.
Authors: mollywheezy and rumpelsnorcack
Characters: Molly Weasley/OMC, Percy/Audrey
Word Count: ~1900
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Summary: Molly's boyfriend meets her dad in less-than-ideal circumstances.
Disclaimer: JKR owns the universe-we are only playing in her sandbox. ;)
Author’s Notes: Sequel to Meetings and An Unfortunate Meeting. Thanks to rumpelsnorcack for wanting to write "fic of my fic". This story would not have happened without her! ;)
Mason really wanted a cup of coffee and went to Molly's kitchen to find some. He started in alarm when there was a red-headed man in the kitchen putting food out on the table. When the man turned around and stared at him, Mason knew it was Molly's dad-same color hair, same skin tone with a few freckles, same eye color. He was an older, male version of Molly.
Mason said hello, and Mr Weasley responded with a terse hello, then picked up his wand and disapparated, probably before even hearing Mason's frantic plea of "Wait, Sir!"
Mason stood there, staring at the spot where Molly's dad had just been. This was not the impression he had wanted to make. He knew Molly told her parents everything since she was very close to both of them, but she hadn't had a chance to, and her reserved dad seeing a bloke in a towel early in the morning in her flat was not going to go over well. Even worse, he knew Molly's periodic breakfasts with her dad were special to both of them, and he had interrupted that tradition.
Mason considered if the situation were reversed and one of his parents saw Molly in a towel in his flat. Well, firstly, neither of his parents had ever stopped by without flooing or owling first, but if they had, Mason thought they'd be so ecstatic he actually had a girlfriend they wouldn't care what state of undress they found her in.
Come to think of it, Mason actually had no idea why he had bothered with a towel, especially one that wouldn't go around his waist (he needed to buy Molly some larger towels), but given the circumstances he was thankful for it.
"You made breakfast?! I was going to cook for you with your interview this morning . . ." Molly's voice trailed off as she took a good look at what was on the table. "Dad was here?"
Mason nodded.
"What happened?"
Mason told Molly everything.
"This is not good at all! I owled them just this morning, but Daddy must have missed it!" Molly wrung her hands.
"Are they going to be really furious? They won't hate me now, will they?"
Molly thought for a moment. "No, they won't be really furious, and they definitely won't hate you. It's just not how I wanted my parents to find out about you." Molly gave Mason as hug and sat down at the table. "We might as well eat." After a few bites of food, Molly giggled. "I remember Aunt Ginny told me once that she flooed Dad, and he answered the Floo while trying to button his shirt . . . except it wasn't his shirt, it was Mum's blouse."
Mason chuckled. "Well, not the best way to see your Dad for the first time, but I guess it can only get better after this morning."
***
Mason hadn’t wanted Molly to know how nervous he was about this interview. She was already worried about how her parents would react to him (even before he had the unexpected encounter with her dad) without him adding his own stress to the cauldron. He walked into the ministry building via the visitor’s entrance while Molly had flooed from her flat. "Good luck," she’d whispered as she kissed his cheek. He’d squeezed her hand before she stepped into the fireplace. But now he was alone. And stressed. He took a deep breath and consoled himself with the idea that nothing during the interview could be as bad as having Molly’s dad seeing him in barely a towel.
Thanks to Molly's taking him on a practice run the previous day, Mason had no trouble finding where he was supposed to be. The receptionist he introduced himself to was very kind and showed him to the waiting area. Mason wiped his hands on his good robes as he waited, then gulped as the door opened and the three men who were to interview him came out. Taking a deep, calming breath Mason stood and held his hand out to the first man. "Hello, sir, nice to meet you," he said, pleased that he managed to sound confident and assured.
"I’m so pleased to have the chance to work at the British Ministry of Magic," he said to the second one as they shook.
Then he turned to the third. His throat went dry. He could tell Mr Weasley had recognised him too. Well, there goes my chance then, he thought glumly. He shook the other man’s hand. "Hello sir. It’s nice to meet you," he said, then startled himself with an internal snigger as he realised what he’d just said. Hadn’t he wanted to introduce himself this morning? And here was a perfect chance. If he could impress Molly's dad with his Ministry knowledge, language ability and speaking skills, maybe the incident that morning could be forgotten.
Mr Weasley looked at him quizzically as they all filed back into the room. Mason decided then and there to relax. The worst had happened; he wouldn’t get this job, but this was the perfect opportunity to practice his interview skills for the next one. He sat down, all his tension evaporating. The first two interviewers were thorough though friendly, and Mason felt like he was doing well. But he was always conscious of his girlfriend’s dad sitting there evaluating him. That Mr Weasley never said a word was becoming disturbing, and Mason could feel his tension returning. Finally, Mr Weasley cleared his throat, and Mason turned to him.
"You are familiar with Ministry policy, are you not Mr Kokinos?"
Mason nodded and said, "Yes, sir. I’ve found the similarities and differences with Greece’s policies to be very fascinating."
"Good." Mr Weasley smiled then, and launched into the most in-depth and far-reaching questioning on the policy document Mason had ever feared he might encounter. He was extremely thankful for Molly's warning him how much emphasis her dad, and many of his Ministry peers, put on knowing correct policies and procedures. He was sweating and anxious by the time it was halfway done, but then he noticed Mr Weasley’s body language had changed. Rather than hunching back with his arms folded forbiddingly across his chest, he was sitting forward, arms on his knees, enthusiastically throwing ever more esoteric questions at Mason. He was, Mason realised with a start, enjoying this back and forth. Mr Weasley seemed to actually approve of his answers.
Still worried, still unsure, Mason nevertheless held his breath as he exited the room. He heard one of the other interviewers saying, "Blimey Weasley! I’ve never heard anyone ask such difficult questions!" as the door shut behind him. He surreptitiously wiped his hands on his robes again, and the receptionist smiled at him in sympathy. It seemed like an hour, but must have been only a few minutes, before the three men re-emerged from the room and asked him back in.
"Well, Mr Kokinos," the first man said with a welcoming grin, "it is our pleasure to offer you the job. If you still want it." He cast a sly grin at Mr Weasley, clearly indicating that his questioning may have been a little off-putting.
"Oh, thank you. Yes, of course I want it. It is a great privilege to be working for such an organisation."
"Congratulations, young man. I must admit I was most pleasantly impressed with you," Mr Weasley said. A slight twinkle in his eye let Mason know he had been expecting this to go badly after the towel incident of the morning, but he added, "Those questions often trip up prospective employees." Mason shook his hand again and left the room in slight shock. The only thing he knew was that he had to get to Molly as soon as he could. Unfortunately he didn’t know where her office was in this warren, so with a little help from the kindly receptionist, he sent her one of the purple memos the Ministry seemed to favour as soon as he got his wits back.
***
It seemed like he only waited seconds before Molly flung herself into his arms and was kissing him.
"I knew you'd get the job!" she squealed.
"I didn't," Mason chuckled weakly. "Not once I saw that your dad was one of the people interviewing me."
"Oh, no! Of all the rotten luck!"
"It worked out OK. He even said I impressed him."
"That is extremely high praise from dad, especially given what happened this morning."
"I thought so, too."
"Why don't I owl my parents and invite them to go out to dinner with us this evening to celebrate?"
"Wouldn't you rather celebrate on our own?"
"We can celebrate on our own, too, but while you're happy you got the job, and Dad's impressed with your interviewing prowess, let's set a meeting so there's no time for things to get awkward again."
"I can see your point. OK, then."
***
Molly side-along Apparated Mason to her parents' favorite restaurant in Diagon Alley to find them already waiting outside.
Molly hugged her dad tightly while Mason greeted her mother. He offered Mrs Weasley his hand. "Hello, Mrs Weasley. I'm pleased to meet you."
She surprised Mason by pulling him into a hug and saying, "Mrs Weasley is my mother-in-law. Call me Audrey."
Mason smiled as he pulled back from the hug. "OK . . . Audrey."
As Molly hugged her mother, Mason greeted Mr Weasley. "Hello, Mr Weasley," Mason said as he shook the older man's hand. "It's good to see you again." Mason was certain he saw Audrey give a pointed look to her husband, over Molly's shoulder.
Mr Weasley blinked his eyes at his wife. "Likewise, Mason, but, er, you may call me Percy."
"Er . . . Yes, Sir. I mean, Percy."
Audrey patted Mason's shoulder with one hand, and Percy's with the other. "I know you both had a difficult morning, but that's in the past. Just relax, and let's enjoy a delicious meal together."
Mason nodded. Percy seemed to snort, but Mason couldn't be sure what that sound really was. They all walked into the restaurant.
"I might be in trouble if I did this tonight, but sometime, Mason, I'll have to tell you about when Percy met my parents. It didn't go well, and they didn't really like him at first."
Percy laughed, "I'm not entirely sure your parents like me now. Except that I am half-responsible for giving them grandchildren."
Mason laughed.
Molly rolled her eyes and huffed, "Daddy! Honestly!"
The hostess showed them to their table, they ordered drinks, made polite small talk about the menu and ordered their food. As they waited for their food to arrive, Percy said, "So Mason, you mentioned this morning the fascinating differences and similarities between the Greek and British Ministries. I'd love to hear more about that."
Mason started talking, encouraged by interested questions from Percy. He saw Molly smile at her mum and Audrey's responding wink. He thought despite the inauspicious beginning this morning, everything might be OK after all.