Chaser 2 of Magpies;
Prompt : Lavender (as inspired by Lavender Brown): Write about a character who is not able to trust someone they love.
Optional Prompts : (dialogue) "I wish you had told me before I… " / "What? Before you what?"; (song) Amnesia - 5 Seconds of Summer; (dialogue) "Never use my name and his name in the same sentence. Ever."
Disclaimer : I do not own HP
Word count : 1188 - as stated by Google docs.
A/N : Endings are evil to write. I'm not saying I'm evil, just that endings hate me. Also enjoy this story about Molly and Arthur :)
...And the dreams you left behind you didn't need them
Like every single wish we ever made
I wish that I could wake up with amnesia
And forget about the stupid little things
Like the way it felt to fall asleep next to you
And the memories I never can escape…
Arthur sat back, feeling satisfied, as he finally got 'the radio'—as the Muggles called it—working. He smiled, listening to the song currently playing. It sounded like something Ginny would love.
His smile faded as the words registered in his head. It reminded him of the conversation he had overheard between his wife and daughter.
He was still unable to believe Molly had done such a thing. To think that his whole marriage was built on a lie; that his wife had gone as far as to use a love potion to win his affections…
He had fallen in love with her the moment he met her—that's what he used to tell anyone that asked. But doubt now clouded his mind, making him unsure if that were really the truth.
Was he speaking the truth, or was it all just an after effect of the potion? What would that mean for their marriage? And the kids! What would the kids think once they found out?
Ginny seamed to take it well enough, but she was still a young girl, naive and unburdened by the knowledge one gained throughout the years. One day, she would fully realise the horror such knowledge invoked.
An even worse thought crossed his mind.
What if Ginny did the same thing her mother did? What of her husband; what would he do?
It would be a grim future, he concluded. It would do her well to figure that out now before she would regret it. He would talk to her in the morning; save her the pain and suffering such a thing would cause.
But enough about that; he had his own marriage to save. Ginny's possible future could wait.
What to do about Molly? He could not just pretend he had never heard anything. Already, his trust in her was fading. He had even caught himself unconsciously checking his food and drinks at meal time in case she added any new potions.
He never would have considered such a thing in the past, but he was unsure what to believe in anymore. He wished he were able to trust his wife, but he found himself unable to do so.
I wish that I could wake up with amnesia
And forget about the stupid little things
Like the way it felt to fall asleep next to you
And the memories I never can escape
'Cause I'm not fine at all
No, I'm really not fine at all
Tell me this is just a dream
'Cause I'm really not fine at all
He turned off the radio just as the song ended. It all hit too close to home. If only he actually could wake up with amnesia… It would be much simpler to go back to the blissful ignorance he had enjoyed for so long.
He looked up as he heard the sound of a door opening. Molly stood there, holding a steaming plate.
"You missed dinner again. Are you close to finishing? The kids are starting to worry. Fred and George were making jokes about getting fat from all the leftover food," she said with a laugh.
He didn't feel like laughing, but he still tried to smile. It must have come out wrong since she suddenly looked worried herself.
"Arthur? Is everything alright?"
"Yes, it's… no, actually, it's not alright."
"Is it the Muggle thing, the… the redio?"
"No, it's not the radio. It actually has something to do with our marriage."
"Our marriage? There's nothing wrong with it. The kids are alright, the food's alright; sure, your pay was cut back recently, but we have dealt with issues like that before and we'll deal with them once again!"
"It's not the money, Molly. It's about what you told Ginny earlier today, about the love potion…"
If she looked worried before, she was horrified now.
"The—the love… I… You have to understand—"
"I have to understand what? That you lied to me, that I have been living a lie for the better half of my life? That the woman I married may not be the woman I love? Is that it, Molly; is that what I have to understand?"
"It wasn't like that! I just did what I thought was needed for us to be happy. I was young and naive and a love potion seemed like a good idea at the time. But that doesn't matter anymore; we're happy and in love and have seven smart children. It's all in the past now."
"It doesn't matter? Molly, how can I be happy not knowing if what I feel for you is real or just a product of the potion? I think I was already in love with you before you gave me the potion, but I'll never know, now, will I? I will never know if I would have taken the final step and asked you to marry me had you not given me the potion."
"Oh, Arthur, I wish you had told me before I…"
"What? Before you what? Before you took away my free will to make sure you'd get the happy ending you wanted?"
Molly looked away, unable to say anything to defend herself.
"You're no better than your uncle Ignatius!"
That got her to rage in her full glory.
"Never use my name and his name in the same sentence. Ever."
"In any other conversation, I would refrain from mentioning it, but not this time. What you did is unforgivable. He, at least, is kind enough to only control who she speaks with; you took away my free will, Molly."
"Love potions have been around since before Merlin and are perfectly legal! And look where that little potion got us; we have a lovely house and seven beautiful children and we all love each other. Sure, the kids can get a bit too much at times, but we're all happy and that's the only thing that matters. We're happy, Arthur—happy!"
"Yes, but at what cost?"
He sat there, staring at Molly as she tried to come up with an explanation or an excuse.
"It's not that simple and it won't just go away if we ignore it. I cannot trust you right now. I want to—oh, Molly do I want to—but it's not that easy. It will take time before I can trust you again."
"Arthur…"
"I won't say anything to the kids—I don't want them to think differently of you—but I can't pretend that everything is like it used to be. I need time, Molly; I need time."
"Fine, I'll give you time, then." She turned around and walked to the door. "We will get through this, Arthur; we always do."
And with that, she left.
Arthur leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "I hope we can, Molly. I really hope we can."