Here's my contribution to the Alphabet fiction challenge.
Title: Molly Confesses
Summary: After Molly fights the Boggart, she and Arthur have a quiet conversation.
DISCLAIMER: I of course, do not own most of the text in this fic that honour goes to the Miss J.K. Rowling, as she created these characters for us to play around with. :)
INSPIRATION QUOTE:
"I see them d-d-dead all the time!" Mrs Weasley moaned into his shoulder. "All the t-t-time! I d-d-dream about it..."
~*~
Molly Weasley yawned widely as she heard her youngest son begin to go on a tangent about the broom she had gotten him for being made Prefect. She was proud of him, but there was only so much broomstick and Quidditch talk a woman could take in one night.
“Well, I think I’ll sort out that Boggart before I turn in…Arthur, I don’t want this lot up too late, all right? ‘Night, Harry, dear.”
As she crossed the kitchen of number 12 Grimmauld Place, the Headquarters for Dumbledore’s Order of the Phoenix, she took several deep breaths, knowing that she would need her wits about her if she was going to tackle a Boggart. Especially since she had been having nightmares about her loved ones recently. She shook herself, knowing she shouldn’t think about that, and pushed open the door to the drawing room. Gathering her Gryffindor courage, she took out her wand and opened the drawer to the writing desk.
As the Boggart approached her, it immediately turned into an image of a dead Charlie, and she quickly thought of one of Ginny’s dresses and Ginny’s long hair to make the image look funny.
“Riddikulus!” She shouted, pointing her wand at the image. Her plan backfired however, instead of a Charlie with long hair and a dress, the figure turned into Ginny herself, also as a dead figure. She fought to hold back tears as she tried again, but Ginny’s figure turned into Ron’s. Without realizing it, she had backed herself against the wall, and she was sobbing freely.
“Mrs. Weasley?”
Molly barely recognized the voice as Harry’s, but she didn’t turn towards him, instead, she focused on her task, which was becoming more and more impossible. With each Crack, the Boggart changed into another one of her family members. Bill. Arthur. The twins. Percy. Harry. With each new figure, sobs took her and she felt very helpless.
“Mrs. Weasley, just get out of here! Let someone else-”
“What’s going on in here?”
She recognized the voice as Remus’s and she looked at him, trying to keep from crying hysterically, after he had banished the Boggart. She gulped as she broke into a storm of crying, cradling her face in her hands.
“Molly,” Remus said bleakly, as he walked over to her, “Molly, don’t…” The next thing she knew, she was sobbing her heart out on his shoulder, while he tried to calm her, patting her head. “It was just a Boggart, Molly. Just a stupid Boggart…”
“I see them d-d-dead all the time! All the t-t-time! I d-d-dream about it…D-d-don’t tell Arthur,” Molly managed to gasp up as she gulped and wiped her eyes frantically with her cuffs. “I d-d-don’t want him to know…Being silly…”
She took the handkerchief Remus offered her and blew her nose. “Harry, I’m so sorry, what must you think of me?” She began shakily, not quite sure how to handle the situation before her. “Not even able to get rid of a Boggart…”
“Don’t be stupid,” Harry said, and she could tell he was trying to smile.
“I’m just s-s-so worried,” she said, feeling the tears begin to spill over again. “Half the f-f-family’s in the Order, it’ll b-b-be a miracle if we all come through this…and P-P-Percy’s not talking to us…What if something d-d-dreadful happens and we had never m-m-made up? And what’s going to happen if Arthur and I get killed, who’s g-g-going to look after Ron and Ginny?”
“Molly, that’s enough,” Remus said firmly. “This isn’t like last time. The Order are better prepared, we’ve got a head start, we know what Voldemort’s up to-” As Remus said the name, Molly gave a little squeak of fright. “Oh, Molly, come on, it’s about time you got used to hearing it-look, I can’t promise no one’s going to get hurt, nobody can promise that, but we’re much better off than we were last time, you weren’t in the Order then, you don’t understand, last time we were outnumbered twenty to one by the Death Eaters and they were picking us off one by one…”
“Don’t worry about Percy,” Sirius interjected, “He’ll come round. It’s a matter of time before Voldemort moves into the open; once he does, the whole Ministry’s going to be begging us to forgive them. And I’m not sure I’ll be accepting their apology,” he said rather bitterly. Molly looked up, not having noticed that Sirius had come into the room too.
“And as for who’s going to look after Ron and Ginny if you and Arthur died, what do you think we’d do, let them starve?” Remus asked, and Molly noticed a slight smile on his lips. She returned the smile and continued to mop at her eyes.
“Being silly,” she muttered again, and she made her way out of the drawing room and to hers and Arthur’s bedroom.
After changing into her nightgown, she climbed into bed to wait for her husband, deciding that Arthur needed to know her fears, however irrational they may be.
“Are you all right, pumpkin?” Arthur asked, coming into the room and noticing the slight puffiness around his wife’s eyes as if she had been crying earlier.
“Not exactly-” she answered, looking down at the coverlet and wringing her hands nervously.
“Molly, what-ever it is, you can tell me, you know that. There’s a reason why we’ve made this marriage work for almost thirty years now,” he commented, smiling slightly as he sat on the bed next to her and wrapping an arm about her shoulders. When she remained silent, Arthur decided to press her for information. “Did something happen with the Boggart?” Feeling her jump, he guessed that he had hit on the right topic. “Tell me,” he whispered, placing a kiss to the top of her head.
Molly took a deep breath, closed her eyes and leaned against him before answering. “I’m just so scared, I see you and the kids dead in my dreams…” Arthur pulled her into a tight embrace and he heard her voice fill with tears.
“I know, darling, I know. We lost a lot during the first war, but I will promise you, I’ll always be with you, all right?”
“What do you mean, Arthur? No one can promise…”
“Shush. I’ll be with you. Whether here in the flesh, or spiritually, all right? As long as you keep me here,” he placed a hand over her heart, “I’ll be with you, you hear me?”
She nodded, wiping away more tears as she leaned into his embrace. “Arthur, I don’t think I could live without you though, you’ve been there for me through every major event in my life.”
“Molly,” he said gently, slipping a hand under her chin, “what we have is amazing. We’ve been each other’s best friend and confidante, and we’ve built a strong love and marriage out of that relationship. It’s not something that’s just going to go away. It will still be there, even if I’m gone, okay? Look at the kids, Molly, you’ve always said that they look extremely like me, especially the boys.”
“Well they do, they take after their father,” she said quietly, shifting her eyes down again. “They’ve got your mannerisms, your sweetness, your kindness-”
“They got all of that from you too, my dear. I see as much of you in those children as you see of me in them.” He stroked his thumb across her lips, and then leaned down to kiss her softly. “You all better now, love?” He asked, stroking her hair with his fingers.
Molly nodded, and Arthur kissed her again, before getting ready for bed himself. When he climbed in next to her, he slipped his arms around her, holding her tightly, and planted a kiss on her forehead before keeping watch over her until she had fallen into a peaceful sleep.