This is just a short little one-shot I couldn't get out of my head! Molly Weasley is probably my favorite female, and it makes me so sad she wasn't able to help Lily raise Harry and give her advice and all that cute stuff. So here's what I've got:
"How come you never make us two cakes?" joked Fabian, as Molly levitated the towering creation onto the table. "You realize we're different people?"
Molly just gave her younger brother a fond glare before lighting the candles with her wand. "Happy birthday to you...," she started singing, the rest of the party joining in. Fabian and Gideon, each holding one of Molly's twins, blew out their candles, the babies laughing happily.
After everyone received a slice of cake, the party shifted back into the living room. Molly began collecting the plates and cleaning the kitchen, Percy hanging around her legs.
"Do you need any help, Molly?" asked a voice, and Molly turned to see James Potter's wife, a Muggleborn, Lily, her name was, standing in her kitchen. She wore a timid, hesitant expression.
"Oh, I think I'm alright, thank you though," she said. Lily smiled lightly.
"When are you due?" She asked, looking at Molly's swollen belly.
"The end of February," she said.
"Mum!" said Percy.
"Hold on, Percy. The 27th. But I'm hoping she holds off until March, Arthur's birthday is in February, I think it's nice to spread around the birthdays so everyone gets a month,"
"You know it's a girl?" asked Lily.
"Mummy!" said Percy again, tugging on Molly's robes.
"It's rude to interrupt, Percy," she told him. "We don't know for certain but Arthur and I think so. I might be getting a little bit overexcited,"
"Mum!" said Percy, evidently about to burst.
"What is it, Percy!" she said impatiently, looking at her son who was peering up at her through a thick pair of glasses.
"Charlie took TWO pieces of birthday cake!" he said, holding up two fingers righteously.
"Well if Charlie gets a tummy ache he'll have learned his lesson, won't he?" she said. Percy frowned. Molly hoped Charlie wouldn't get a stomach ache, she wasn't sure she had the will to deal with it.
"I just - I just found out," said Lily. Molly looked up.
"Found out what?" she asked.
"I'm expecting," said Lily. Her face looked very young, and very afraid as she spoke. Molly was only ten years older than her or so, and she must have been about the same age when she got pregnant with Bill. But she was excited for her first pregnancy, not horrorstruck.
"It was an accident," she continued. "I just took the test yesterday. James doesn't know yet. I just figured I'd ask you...how you raise a child in a world like this?"
Molly heated up a kettle as she spoke, pouring out two mugs of tea. "After Percy was born, things started to get worse with You-Know-Who...but Arthur and I never wanted to stop growing our family. He said - I know, it sounds silly - but having this normalcy is exactly what You-Know-Who doesn't want,"
Lily nodded, her eyes still saucers.
"I told Arthur he's not allowed to go out and fight directly - not with the kids so young - but we try to do what we can to help. Besides, having Fabian and Gideon out there is enough to give me heart failure," she said, handing Lily the mug of tea.
"I don't think James will want to stop fighting," said Lily. "I wouldn't, if I were him," she added fiercely.
"It's no use being afraid," said Molly. "Your child will be lucky to have parents as brave and selfless as the two of you,"
"Thank you," said Lily, her cheeks reddening. "Is it hard? Being a mother?" She seemed to catch herself for a second. "I don't mean to give you the third degree, it's just...,"
"It's hard, but it's also the easiest thing I've done," said Molly, thinking about her boys. "Personally, I think the hardest thing is keeping them from murdering each other - Charlie and Percy are constantly at odds - but it's natural. More natural than you'd think,"
Lily let out a breath.
"You'll be fine," reassured Molly. "And if you need anything - I'm an owl away,"
"Molly? Fred's got a bit of a wet diaper, I think," said Fabian, coming through the door.
"Nothing's stopping you from changing it," said Molly, holding out her arms to take the boy.
"Mumma!" said Fred, nuzzling to her chest happily.
"Oh, and Fabian?" called Molly, snatching her brother's watch off of the table. "I found this on a gnome. Would you please keep track of it?"
"Merlin! I've been looking all over, thanks Molly!" he said, kissing her on the cheek and darting out of the room again.
"Excuse me Lily, duty calls," said Molly, smiling at the baby boy on her hip. She took her son into the laundry room, changing him quickly, and returned into the living room where the party was. She noticed Lily standing by James, who was now looking rather punk drunk.
Charlie rammed into her legs. "My stomach hurts!" he told her. Molly sighed.
"Well, maybe you shouldn't have had two pieces of cake, hmm...?" she chastised gently.
"Percy! You tattled!" said Charlie, whipping around to glare at his brother, who was pretending to be immersed in his book.
Lily beamed at Molly.
Thanks for reading!