a/n: Written for Teddy (teddylupin-snape) as part of the 2014 Gift Giving Extravaganza. I hope you like it, Teddy (and also forgive me for it's lateness).
disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
-:-
There's no buildup, no forging friendships, no sidelong looks. He's never held her hand or asked her to dinner or bought her flowers. The only clothes she has ever worn in his presence are khaki shorts, ratty t-shirts, and the occasional pair of overalls.
But sitting side-by-side on the shore of the muddy pond that rests between their respective houses, licking ice cream cones while sweat beads grow on his forehead and her hair wilters under the humidity, Arthur Weasley falls headlong in love with Molly Prewitt, at the respectable age of seven and three quarters.
It happens so suddenly that he doesn't even realize what a humongous change has occurred until the next morning. And thus begins what he's since named The Game Plan.
-:-
item one - first date.
Dates are very important in a relationship, specifically the first. Arthur knows this from stories his brothers have shared; he will be the first to admit that his siblings are not always the most reliable in matters of the heart. They had to be right about something, though.
Various people view various activities as dates - his Mum is constantly telling his father that anything would be more romantic than dinner in a barn, but Arthur supposes it's just his father's way. He certainly doesn't let anyone else in the barn.
His brother Bilius took his girlfriend, Rebecca, to the Astronomy tower on their first date. Bilius claims that looking up at the stars is traditional romance at it's finest, which doesn't sound very true. Especially not when they used magical telescopes to see the deformed bits of Jupiter and all the ridges of Saturn's terrain.
Arthur can do better, without even having a wand, and he tells Bilius so. His eldest brother only chuckles and offers his help in Arthur's plan.
-:-
Dill, a stocky boy of eleven, is enlisted as the lifter. Arthur finds chefs and waiters around the neighborhood - pigtailed Susie from across the street, his brilliant mother, and Joseph who lives down the road and collects rocks for "magical" science experiments. Not a five-star group, he'll admit, but they are all sure to give their best efforts, and that's all he really needs.
The first thing he does is address payment. "I'll either do your chores for a day or give you three Knuts." No one objects; Arthur moves to nametags. He's already made them, and had his father place a Sticky Charm on the backs. Cedrella, reads the one he hands to his mother, who is the only one smiling at this point. "I just need a menu, and me and Susie are off," she says brightly.
Initially, Arthur hands her three different recipes, assuming that she would make a three-course meal. Obviously, he was mistaken, and after some tough negotiations, they settle on grilled cheese, milk, and a chocolate biscuit for each of them. This also happens to be Arthur's favorite meal.
-:-
In his experience (which is actually not his at all, but rather the Muggle's that he's read about), dinner, candlelight, and long noodles can never be beat. None of the other kids think it's a good idea, but then again, he's the only one that attends Muggle primary school, instead of being home schooled, so a difference of opinions is to be expected.
"You should at least be able to see each other," says Susie, pushing her hair out of her face irritably.
He sighs. "That's what the candles are for."
"Forget about candles," Joseph argues. "What's the point of this? Aren't you going to bring her on an adventure or get your older brother to magick a bouncy castle or anything?"
"It's romantic this way!" Arthur cries, but they aren't listening anymore.
-:-
Molly arrives promptly at six that evening; he had told her to be "properly casual" which she took to mean a blue skirt and yellow blouse. Between the shirt and the candles, he definitely won't be having any trouble seeing her.
Arthur escorts her to the table - a small wooden one, covered with a white bedsheet and decorated with red flower petals. She thinks it's delightful: the clanky music coming from next door (he'd asked Julie to play her sister's cello, which was, in hindsight, not wise), the petals, that eventually lead her to discovering three new flower bushes nearby, and when the staff arrives, he thinks her grin might overtake her face.
Dill carries a polished plastic tray with all the necessary dishes, cups, and silverware on it. He fumbles for a moment, but finally remembers - not without urging - the proper setup for them, as per Arthur's earlier instructions. Joseph shakily pours them both an equal amount of milk, as Susie plops a sandwich on each of their plates, smiling.
"We'll be out shortly with your dessert," she promises, and then curtsies, to which Arthur beams.
-:-
The night goes quite well; at first, Arthur feels a pressure to make everything perfect, but she's soon babbling about nothing at all, and he feels right at ease.
His Mum really does make the best chocolate biscuits in the world, Arthur muses as he bites into his fifteen minutes later. They're not as hard as his grandmother's, but not as soft as his aunt's -
"Guess what?" Molly asks suddenly, yanking him out of his reverie. Without waiting for his answer, she plows on, "My cousin Gertrude - she's a Squib - visited a few days ago, and she brought me a Muggle book. I find it horribly boring, but I knew you'd love it." Molly beams at him.
Arthur brightens instantly, his mind automatically flashing through all the stories he's heard his friends at the Muggle park mention. "Does it have a girl with B in her name? Or giant turtles?"
"I dunno. From what I read, it's about two Muggle kids who hang out in a treehouse that they say has magical powers. I think it must have a million Time Turners in it."
Molly bends down, pulls a small rectangular shape out of her knapsack, hands it to him, and instantly he loves her a million times as much as he did an instant before.
-:-
item two - first kiss.
It's a remarkably unremarkable event; he picks her a bouquet of dandelions and his Mum's petunias, which leads to her giving her a peck on the cheek.
I won't wash this cheek for the rest of my life, he thinks. This only lasts three hours; by that afternoon he'd lost track of which side of his face had been graced by Molly Prewitt's lips.
After all, though, it's the thought that counts.
-:-
item three - get married.
Ten years later, he has a slightly different view on their relationship - he doesn't note everything she does on an hourly basis anymore, to begin with.
But the night before, he does dig up an old list, checks off the third square.
The next morning, he becomes a husband, Molly becomes a Weasley, and his mind is so boggled with excitement, it takes him a moment to realize that the important part of this is that he's now Molly's husband.
-:-
Many, many years later, Arthur finds a bright blue binder with sagging pages falling out, the words Operation: Molly Weasley on the front, in an attic. He laughs.
Consequently, this occurs during a time in which laughter is rare and always requires provocation; he brings it to his wife, who adores it. The book seems to put her in a much more chipper mood, and the next day, she cooks breakfast for the first since her family was reduced by one.
Success, Arthur thinks.