When Molly Prewett was in her fifth year, she had become prefect. And oh Merlin, she had been proud. She had strutted around the house for days, polishing it, showing it to her older brothers, who only rolled their eyes at her.
It was with a happy, smug smile that she ran onto platform 9 and ¾ September 1st, and ran to meet her friends, Alice Lightwood, Arthur Weasley, and Frank Longbottom.
" Oh, Molly!" Squealed Alice, who was already sporting her new school robes. " I knew you would get it. Honest I did. Nobody works harder than you!"
Frank murmured an ascent, and Molly turned to Arthur, expectantly. He only nodded and looked at the ground, and she felt a keen sense of bereavement. He was her friend! The least he could do was mumble a 'Congratulations'. She felt the famous ginger temper rising up inside her.
Then she realized, with a start, that he must have not gotten prefect. He had been wanting it all summer, and had worked especially hard all last year. She sat next to him, and threw her short arm around his narrow shoulders. " I'm sorry you didn't get prefect, Arthur."
He looked up at her and smiled faintly, and things were all of a sudden back to normal. Her arm stayed around him for the majority of the trip back to Hogwarts.
It was a shame! Molly thought angrily, a few weeks later, as she was marching down the halls on her prefect patrolling duties. I mean, it wasn't like Arthur wasn't hard working! And he got good grades! Sure, he was a little obsessed with the muggles, and scared half the muggleborns to death with his sudden and insistent questions . . . sure he wasn't exactly a people person, and he wasn't exactly a leader . . . but he would have been a bloody sight better than Ichabod Grubbs, a rather snotty Gryffindor fifth-year, her fellow prefect. And Arthur was much handsomer. Not that Molly would admit that to anybody. What had Dumbledore been ruddy well thinking?!
She spotted two people ahead of her, younger students by the looks of them. And up past curfew? Still fuming, Molly stormed up, ready to demand what they were doing. But before she could say a word, the boy of the pair spoke up-
" Well, if it isn't the high and mighty Molly Prewett . . . or not. You know, from the way your cousins go on about you, I reckoned you were actually somebody to watch out for . . . Guess not. You're not even that pretty come to think of it-"
The blonde girl hanging on his arm gave an ungainly snort, and the equally blonde boy grinned at her.
" Though, speaking of your cousins . . . isn't one of them a squib? And an accountant? Filthy."
Molly suddenly regained control of her tongue. " Twenty points from Slytherin for being out of bed! Now get back to your common room, and don't let me ever, ever see you speaking about my family again, do you hear me?"
Face as flaming red as her hair, she wheeled on the girl. " And I know who you are, Narcissa Black! And I know your sister! Don't think I won't get Nymphadora down on you!" Molly was not above invoking the name of the current Head Girl.
Narcissa rolled her eyes, but began tugging the other boy down the halls. " Ooh, you're so scary. Come on, Lucius, I want to show you something."
Molly was barely able to restrain her hands from snatching at the younger girl's throat. Honestly! Young people! No child of her's would ever behave in such a way!
And thus began the long, internal dislike of the entire Malfoy family by one Molly Prewett, later known as Molly Weasley ( what? He was very sweet!).
This disgust was furthur fueled by the way Lucius Malfoy squirmed his way out of Azkaban, after blatantly helping You-Know-Who, and also by the fact that he managed to get a better job than her Arthur! Her Arthur! And the few times she ever saw Narcissa or Lucius, they always smeared their huge gobs of money in her face.
She didn't care. After all Narcissa had only ever had one boy, a brat her Ronnie called him. Pale and entitled, she had disliked the child almost as much as her Ron and Ginny did. She had had seven lovely children, so Mrs. Malfoy could just eat it!
The years had gone by. Lucius and Arthur had gotten into a fist fight (right in front of that handsome Gilderoy Lockhart!), Ron had accidently hexed himself, though he blamed it on Draco completely (to this day he can't even eat a jelly slug without shuddering), and the Malfoy's had joined the Dark Lord again.
When the second Wizarding War was over, and done with, and Lucius Malfoy was in Azkaban, Molly breathed a sigh of relief. There had been much sorrow, that was true. Fred, one of the lights of her life, her brilliant, talented, handsome Fred had died at the hands of a Death-Eater. But the rest of her children were safe, and it was all over.
Her feud with the Malfoys could come to an end. They had been shamed and punished, and the Weasleys exalted, and Molly was nothing if not gracious. She would never have to hold herself upright, and act like their snide, blood-biased comments just rolled off her back, because the Malfoys were over and done with.
At least that's what she had assumed.
But sadly, Draco had felt the need to procreate, and having fallen madly in love with a pureblood girl, they had gotten married. It was a whirlwind courtship apparently, but a happy marriage, nonetheless. From the rumors in the streets, Molly had no reason to dislike Astoria Greengrass, other than the fact that she was now Astoria Malfoy. She had a sensible head on her shoulders, and put no stock in blood purity. In fact, it pleased Molly to no end to know that Lucius and Narcissa had disapproved greatly of the match.
But then the new Malfoys had had a baby. A son named Scorpius.
She had known about him, of course, after all she did read the Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly (now that that awful Rita Skeeter woman is gone), and she had seen the birth announcements, but she had nearly forgotten who he was until the summer of 2018, when her Rosie-Posie came to see her, after he first year.
" Grandmum!" She had screamed, and nearly toppled poor Molly over with a ferocious hug, her red hair spiralling out in ruffled corkscrew curls, her blue eyes squinted into a blinding smile. " I missed you, and I missed the Burrow, and I missed Grandpap, and I missed everything, Grandmum! But Hogwarts was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant!"
Molly smiled benevolently, feeling a warm feeling in her stomach. " I'm glad you liked it, dear. Now, what was your favorite class?"
" Oh, definitely Herbology, Grandmum. And not just because Uncle Neville's our new teacher! Though that's pretty great too. But the plants are just so interesting! Much better than boring old roses. I wish my parents had named me Mandrake instead. Wouldn't that be a cool name?"
Molly coughed slightly into her fist, and couldn't resist a grin. " I think it's a lovely name. A perfect name for my perfect little Hufflepuff." She gave Rose a kiss on her head.
Rose squirmed away. " Grandmum! And I wish I weren't in Hufflepuff. I wish I were in Gryffindor, like Albus and Lucy and Molly and James. They get all the fun. You should hear some of the pranks that James does!"
" Gryffindor's wonderful, dear, but take my advice. Sometimes bravery isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sometimes bravery is just a cover for stupidity, and sometimes happiness and hard work are the ways to go in life. Did you know your grandpap was almost a Hufflepuff?"
Rose's eyes lit up. " No . . . really? That's splendiferous! I should tell him all about it. And I don't really dislike Hufflepuff, that much, Grandmum. The dorms are in the basement, but honestly, they're really great. And yellow's my new favorite color! And my best friend Isabel is in Hufflepuff. But Sco- . . . some people say that Hufflepuffs just for lazy people and dumb people."
Rose's bright eyes dimmed, and her lip trembled as she looked at the floor. Molly felt a twinge in her heart, and her sharp ears couldn't help but hear what Rose hadn't said.
" Is somebody giving you a tough time, sweetheart?"
Rose nodded. " But he doesn't mean to, probably. A lot of people don't like Hufflepuffs. I don't know why. I think they must just not know a lot of Hufflepufffs, because we're the most fun! And it's not like our Quidditch team is bad this year!"
Molly stroked Rose's hair comfortingly. " I bet you're the best house in the whole school, dear. Now . . . who's been giving you trouble?"
Rose smiled up at her grandmother, and Molly couldn't help but smile back. " It doesn't matter anymore, Grandmum. Thank you so much. You know, I can probably get you a Hufflepuff badge, if you want one!"
Scooting off the stool, Rose dashed into the living room to greet the Potters who had just apparated to the Burrow. But while Rose was still young, and happy, and forgiving, Molly's stubborn streak wouldn't accept the fact that somebody was bullying her Rosie, so she questioned Albus later.
" Oh-" Al said, stuffing a cream pastry in his mouth. " That'd be Scorpius Malfoy. He's a real prat to Rosie. Says a lot of stuff about her mum and her house, and that she should just leave the school. But don't worry, James hexed him about it once."
Al left, and Molly sat down on a stool heavily. It seemed that no matter how many generations went by, and no matter that blood purity wasn't important anymore, the Malfoys would always be there to taunt and to tease.
She just hoped that her light-hearted Rosie would be able to take the bully on, and not just be a target. She was slightly prone to being the victim. In a whole house of brave, stubborn, bossy Gryffindors, she was always the one being bossed, and Molly was afraid that she wouldn't know when to say no.
During the next year, Molly sent her grandaughter many letters, begging for information on her schooling, offering treats, sending Christmas and birthday presents, and Rose always, always replied enthusiastically. But she never said much about Scorpius Malfoy again.
Second year and Third year passed with almost no incident, but the summer before Rose's fourth year, Molly found her curled up on her bed, her pillow soaked with silent tears.
" Why! Rose! What in Merlin's name is the matter with you?"
Rose silently lifted her head, sucking on her lower lip, her eyes full of tears, threatening to fall. " I don't know. I don't know what's wrong with me. Why don't people like me, Grandmum?"
And like any good grandmother knows, Molly knew just what to do. Enveloping Rose in a warm, big hug, she let Rose cry for a bit longer. " Everybody loves you, Rosie Posie."
Rose hiccuped. " N-n-not everybody. Not Sc-Scorpius. Not his st-st-stupid friends!"
Molly gave an 'aw' of sympathy, and continued to hug her. " Well, ignore them, darling. They're just stupid ol' Slytherins who don't know any better. There's nothing to hate about you!"
" You don't think I'm ugly?"
Molly gave her granddaughter a good once-over, and smiled. " No, dear, I think you're the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen. You know, you remind me a lot of your mother at your age. Except you've got Weasley hair. Not quite as unmanageable as Hermione's mane was. Merlin, you should've seen her when she woke up!"
Rose gave a tiny giggle.
" You know . . . Scorpius' father used to give your father and mother and Uncle Harry a lot of trouble. And Scorpius' grandfather used to bug me and your grandfather so much ... .!" Molly gave a comical shudder. " So really, Scorpius bugging you just runs in the family."
Rose looked a little better at this news. " But he never stops, Grandmum. Even when I ask him too! And I never do anything to him!"
" Well then, maybe you should." Molly was never one to resort to violence but- oh, wait a minute. Yes she was. " Next time that boy bothers you, Rose Weasley, you just stand up and tell him what a coward he's being. Tell him he's sniveling, conniving-"
Rose let loose another giggle.
"-thick-headed, pratty-"
Another giggle, followed by two more.
" -slimy, hopeless, ugly, ol' git!"
Rose let loose a peal of laughter. " I'll do that, Grandmum! I promise I will! And then I'll write you about it!"
Molly felt justified, and went downstairs with a lighter heart.
Rose kept her promise. That year, Molly received an enormous epistle describing Rose's exact words (Molly was very, very proud), Malfoy's facial expressions (Ron particularly had enjoyed that), and the storming applause from both the Gryffindor table and the Hufflepuff table when Rose put Scorpius down in the middle of the Halloween Feast. After that, Rose never failed to tell Molly about her progress with Scorpius. While not exactly reformed, Scorpius was now, very much more wary of Rose Weasley, and Molly was comforted by her granddaughter's newfound confidence.
It was during fifth year that things started to change. Rose's letters full of Scorpius, which had tapered off during Rose's fourth year, were back with a full vengeance.
But this time, instead of complaining about that 'insufferable, slimy, Slytherin!', Molly found herself reading about how Scorpius 'had gotten so tall over the summer', and how he was 'ever so much nicer to me', and even how he had 'helped me with my Potions essay'!
Molly sent a worried note off to Albus, who replied quickly, if not a little sardonically, explaining in full force, that Scorpius and Rose were spending a good deal of their time together, and while Scorpius seemed to actually be a pretty decent guy, he, Albus, didn't trust him one lick.
Molly didn't show these letters to Ron, but instead merely cautioned her granddaughter about getting involved with a Malfoy. Rose didn't ignore her, but treated her grandmother's warnings with a light-hearted touch, and though she took them to heart, she didn't feel like they applied to Scorpius any longer.
The summer before Rose's sixth year, Molly took Rose aside and warned her, face-to-face.
" Grandmum, you've got to understand. He really has changed, I swear! He said he was young and stupid before, and he knows he was wrong, and he doesn't hex anybody now! And he doesn't bully anyone, and he even said a couple months ago that Hufflepuff was pretty cool."
Molly sniffed, and there was a wrinkle between her eyebrows. " I just want you to be careful, Rosie. I mean, you're a very, very pretty girl-"
And it was true. Rose had shot up, inheriting her Weasley height, and her red hair fell in curling waves to her slim waist. Her lips were full, her cheeks round, her eyes bright, and she had a smile that lit up a room.
" - And you never know what a young man might think. I just want you to be careful."
Rose grinned. " I will be, Grandmum, I promise."
It was during Rose's sixth year that Molly Weasley got the first chance to see Scorpius, however briefly. Hufflepuff had made it to the finals, thanks, Ron was quite sure, to Rosie's talent as a Keeper. In fact, Ron made never-ending comments about how that part of her was from him. It was quite annoying. As if he were the only Weasley to have ever played Quidditch! Please!
Hufflepuff was going against Slytherin, and it was supposed to be a close game. Headmistress McGonagall (yes, she was still alive, thanks for asking), was allowing families to come and watch, and the Weasley family came with passion, all decked out in yellow and black clothes.
Molly herself had specially knitted everybody a yellow jumper with a badger on the back. Though surprisingly, not a lot of her relatives seemed to be wearing theirs' . . . that was odd.
But the game! Molly scolded herself. Got to watch the game! Molly watched as she saw her red-headed granddaughter shake hands with the other Captain, who had . . . wait a second. Molly Weasley would know that hair anywhere! A tousled mop of white-blonde hair falling around a handsome pointed face . . . It was a Malfoy.
And not just any Malfoy.
It was Scorpius.
She watched interestedly through a pair of omnioculars she had stolen from Arthur, as Scorpius reached down and . . . by Merlin. Molly felt faint. He had kissed her! Granted it was on the cheek, but by Merlin, he had kissed her!
Ron let out a muffled oath, and Hermione let out a gasp. Rose was turning bright red now, and hurrying back to her broom. They were kicking off now, and the game started.
It was a hard game, that was true, but some of the Weasleys, namely Ron and Molly, were busy trying to figure out the relationship between Scorpius and Rose.
Scorpius was a Slytherin Chaser, which meant he was trying to score on Rose. Rose put up a valiant fight, blocking goal after goal, until her pale arms were red with welts from the ball, and her hands were stinging.
The score was 50-0, with Hufflepuff in the lead, and Molly was screaming herself hoarse, but then, with another Chaser by his side, Scorpius began zooming up the field towards the Hufflepuff goals. Out of nowhere a rogue bludger came pelting after them. Scorpius ducked, zooming past the goals blindly, but the bludger hadn't been aimed at him.
'Thwack'! The bludger hit Rose's leg with a sickening sound, and she let out a shriek of pain, falling towards the ground, her broom hovering in midair.
Faster than the speed of light, Scorpius Malfoy had dropped the red Quaffle, and was speeding towards Rose's falling body. The entire Weasley family held their breath, until he safely caught her, and lowered her to the ground, unconscious.
The referee was madly blowing his whistle, but he couldn't stop the storm of people racing onto the Pitch. The entire Weasley family surrounded Scorpius, with Rose in his arms, but he ignored them all, a determined glint in his gunmetal grey eyes.
" Move. Move!" He yelled, shoving past Al who was trying to grab at Rose's Keeper uniform.
Running towards the hospital, Scorpius darted up the front steps, still carrying Rose. Molly was not far behing, followed closely by the other Weasleys, and they followed obediently until Scorpius came to the Hospital Wing.
" Madame Mora!" Scorpius called. " It's Rose!"
There was a flurry that all seemed vague in Molly's horror struck memory. Ron and Scorpius had laid Rose's frail body on the bed, with the tall Healer woman next to them, hastily charming Rose, and making her swallow potions.
There was blood on Scorpius' green Quidditch robes.
Albus was screaming at somebody.
Hermione was clutching onto Ginny and Angelina.
Ron was consistently swearing underneath his breath.
And Scorpius was motionless, his face frozen in horror, just staring at Rose. His hand still held hers tightly.
That was the moment when Molly Weasley knew that this boy wasn't like the others. He wasn't going to tease and dump her poor Rose. He wasn't going to revert back to his old pureblood ways. He was good. He was decent. He might even deserve her Rose.
There were a few facts stuck in Molly's head after that day. The fact that the match had to be rescheduled, but Hufflepuff eventually won. The fact that Rose really was brilliant at Quidditch . . . and the fact that Scorpius Malfoy hadn't left her side, not for one hour, in all the time that she was in the Hospital Wing.
It was the summer before Rose's seventh year, however, when things finally came to a head. Rose had celebrated her seventeenth birthday at the Burrow, with many tears from Molly and Hermione, and much misty-eyed grunts from Ron. Rose had thought them all nutters.
She had gone out, to Diagon Alley, to meet 'friends', but as Al said, we all know what that means!
Molly however, saw no problem with Rose dating a Malfoy. At least not that Malfoy. He was a good sort, she was certain. Any bloke who cared that much about her Rosie . . .well, he was just a good sort, that was all.
She was washing the dishes, and examining her wrinkled appearance in the clear glass window, when she suddenly heard the crack of somebody apparating into their yard.
" Arthur?" She called, but then mentally smacked herself. Of course it wasn't Arthur, he had retired a long time ago, and was probably in their garage tinkering away at an old American '67 chevy Impala, he had found. Well, as long as it didn't fly . . .
But then Molly stepped out her front door, drying her hands on a towel, and gasped loudly. Rose was lying the front yard, gasping for air, a man draped across her lap, his blonde hair stained with thick, scarlet blood.
" Grandmum!" Rose called, and burst into tears.
But Molly Weasley was not one for such hysterics. " Rose Nymphadora Weasley, calm yourself!" She snapped, and bent over Scorpius Malfoy. " Now what happened to him?"
" G-grandmum! It was his g-g-g-randfather . . . . he hexed him! And he said . . . I can't . . . Scorpius! Blood- curses- didn't know where to go-"
" Wingardium Leviosa!" Molly Weasley said smartly, and levitated the unconscious teenager into the house, thick drops of blood falling from his limp body. " Rose Weasley, go find your grandfather and tell him to owl your parents. It's too late to take him to St. Mungo's, he might die in the attempt."
Rose gave an unconscious gasp at the word 'die'.
" Rose Weasley, I said go!" Her grandmother commanded, and Rose was off like a shot towards the garage.
As calm as she outwardly was, Molly was panicking inside. She hadn't seen wounds this bad since the Wizarding Wars . . . it must have been a very dark spell. But why on earth would Lucius Malfoy hex his own grandson? The Malfoys were normally rotten to the core, but she knew that they adored family above almost all else.
She lay Scorpius down on the couch, not bothering to cover it with anything, and began to remove his tattered, blood-stained shirt. Large gashes were slashed across his pale, ribbed chest, and he was barely breathing.
" Oh, Merlin, please let somebody come quick!" She murmured. She wasn't a healer, but she was a mother of six boys, and one girl who was as good as a boy when it came to bloody scrapes, and accidental wounds, so she set to work.
Clean, bandage, hydrate, clean, bandage, hydrate- she chanted in her mind, wrapping her clean dish towel around his torso. " Episkey!" But her charms made little work on his torn flesh.
" Molly, what's going on?" She heard Arthur say, and she felt weak around the knees with relief.
" Arthur, please, it's the Malfoy boy! Can you owl-"
" Already done, dear. Now let me see him." Arthur stepped around, and stared at the boy, before beginning his own charms. " I don't know if this will work . . . you know I wanted to become a Healer, Molly, wanted to study at a university for Muggle doctors-"
Molly nodded absently. " Arthur, this is not really the time . . ."
There was a burst of green flame, and Ron and Hermione stepped into the room, followed quickly by Hugo and the Potters. There was a general exclamation of surprise and horror, and the Aurors got to work, using their field training to patch Scorpius up as well they could.
" Is he going to live?" Asked a very small voice, and Molly could hardly recognize her Rose, as small and pale and scared as she was. " Please. Please say he'll live. This is all my fault!"
She was obviously fighting hysteria, and Al put an arm around her shaking shoulders. " This isn't your fault, Rosie. Come on, you didn't hex him, did you?"
" I might as well have! His grandfather hexed him because he was dating me! Because of me! This is all my fault!" Rose burst into tears, and leaned down on the blood-stained couch, next to Scorpius' torso.
" He'll live-" Harry said briskly, and Molly looked at him gratefully. " But he'll have those scars for the rest of his life." Molly saw Harry's hand twitch, and knew that he had almost reached for his own scar. Ginny took his hand and squeezed it.
" What do you mean you're dating a Malfoy?!" Ron exploded, but Hermione simply grabbed his hand as well.
" Ronald, please, this is not the best time. Can't you see that Scorpius is willing to defend Rose? Please don't choose this time to be a complete prat!" Hermione wrinkled her nose and sniffed angrily.
Humbled, Ron looked down.
Rose was still silently weeping. " We began dating at the end of last school year! And it was wonderful . . . but he wouldn't tell his grandparents. He said they wouldn't like it. But his parents liked me, and I- I-" She burst into tears again. " I thought he was exaggerating! So I owled his grandfather, and told him to meet us at Diagon Alley, and I told him we were dating, and I told him everything! And then we went there, and Scorpius didn't know anything, and then his grandfather comes and hexes him, and Scorpius was screaming, and his grandfather was just screaming about mudbloods and purity, and I couldn't . . . I couldn't stop him!" Rose said, and buried her face into her arms. " So- so it's all my fault! You can't say it's not, Al!"
Scorpius twitched, and suddenly everybody stopped talking, and looked at him. His hand moved, and gently stroked Rose's hair. " Rose." He said clearly, and then his chest rose and fell three more times. " Stop . . . crying . . ."
Rose gave a weird half laugh-half sob of relief, and made to hug him, before cringing back. " I'm sorry, Scor, I'm so, so sorry . . ." She kissed his hand, but he didn't stop stroking her red hair, spread out next to him.
" Stop . . . apologizing . . . Rose." And then he was silent again.
Harry and Hermione exchanged knowing looks, while Ron looked on in half awe-half horror. " A Malfoy!" He whispered. " A bleeding Malfoy!"
Molly hit him.
Scorpius was moved to St. Mungo's the next day, when Harry said he was ready. There he stayed for another week, as their best healers worked on them. Draco and Astoria came, and never left, but stayed in the waiting room. Draco was horrified by what his own father had done, and refused to speak to him, when he came to visit.
Lucius Malfoy was later condemned to a year's sentence at Azkaban, and was to be carefully watched after, though Molly thought bitterly, it wasn't like they weren't supposed to be watching him this time!
Scorpius was released from the hospital with nothing but several large pink scars, and a new energy. He and Rose were appointed Head Girl and Head Boy, and made their last year, their best year.
And, Molly thought happily, as she watched the bride walk down the aisle, their life was only beginning.
She had thought that the Malfoy-Weasley feud would have ended after the second Wizarding War, but now she realized that the feud had truly ended, now that the two families were joined together.
She snorted as she saw Ron awkwardly eye Draco who was sitting on the front row.
Whether they liked it or not, it seems.
AN: I've had this idea for a while now, but wasn't quite sure how to execute it. I really liked the idea of it being in Molly's POV, and kind of getting to explore her more as a character. Review and tell me if you liked it or not. Thanks for reading! :D