Title: You've Got Memories
Rating: K
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Molly Weasley, Minerva McGonagall
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Word Count: 670
Summary: Minerva provides comfort to Molly after the final battle.
Notes:
The Great Maze Chall/Comp: After getting some sage [advice], you take a left to see Molly Weasley crying over the loss of her son. Dry her tears and remind her of some good times she shared with her darling Fred.
Writerverse Livejournal community: Prompts Used – Hornet's nest, Hurt/comfort, I'm All In, Feast, Outlander, Clash
All Those Characters Challenge: Character Used – Minerva McGonagall
Procrastinated United Competition III
As Much As You Can Competition
Represent the Character II
At first, Molly is angrier than a hornet's nest at Fred's death. Then all she cares about is not losing anymore of her children, which is why she duels Bellatrix who goes after Ginny.
Now with the battle over, Molly lets herself weep, knowing she'll never see her darling Fred again.
Minerva finds her by the Black Lake. She rests a gentle hand on Molly trembling shoulder. "It'll be okay," Minerva says soothingly.
"No, no it won't be, and it will never be okay again."
Minerva sits down next to her. "I know it's hard. Everyone lost someone in this war it seems." Minerva doesn't think about Draco Malfoy who seems to come out of it relatively unscathed in the 'losing people' department.
Molly nods. "Poor Harry lost not only his parents, but Sirius and Remus. I'm not sure how he's going to cope."
"Harry is wiser than I ever gave him credit for while he was a student. He knows he'll always have the memories of Sirius and Remus to help him when he gets sad. And he has the photo album that Hagrid made for him, giving him some memories of James and Lily even if he doesn't truly remember them.
"Memories," Molly sighs sadly.
"Do you want to tell me your favorite memory of Fred? I'm all in, ready to listen to whatever you want to say."
Molly's sniffles diminish. "I guess. It was his and George's eleventh birthday. We had a huge feast despite Percy, Bill, and Charlie not able to be there. Arthur and I knew it would be the last birthday we could celebrate with Fred and George for awhile because the two of them would be at Hogwarts the next year so we wanted to do it right, even if it wasn't the whole family. We made sure to have all of Fred and George's favorite foods, though, and those two sure know how to eat."
Minerva smiles, rubbing Molly's back. "Besides it being the last birthday you celebrated before Hogwarts, why is that memory so good for you?"
"Both of my boys were so happy. That night, Fred told me it was the best birthday he ever had. How can it not be a good memory?"
"Do you remember when Fred first told you he was dating Angelina? I was there." Minerva asks.
Molly laughs. "How can I forget? He was glowing. I thought his smile might get frozen on his face. She was his first love, and such a nice girl that Angelina. I told Fred to make sure he treated her right because I wanted her to be my daughter-in-law."
"And Fred...?" Minerva prods.
"And Fred just guffawed. He said, 'Don't worry, mum. Angie will be your daughter-in-law before you know it.'" She laughs again, her tears now completely dried.
"See, you'll always have those memories."
"I just feel like an outlander, especially when I know one of my babies will never come home."
"I know, Molly, I know. You just can't forget all of those good times. Remember, Fred died as a hero. Without him and George's work, there would probably have been many more deaths. You can be proud of him."
"I know, and I know I will always carry the memories with me. It might not seem like enough right now and the pain may never go completely away, but I know from experience that it will lessen." Molly's mind flashes back to Fabian and Gideon who died in a fierce clash with Death Eaters. She never thought she would move on from their deaths, and even if it still hurt to think about her brave and wonderful brothers, she knew she no longer suffered like she once did.
Molly stands up, dusting off her skirt. "Minerva, thank you. I'll be fine, but right now I need to go take care of George. I think he'll need his mother."
Minerva nods. "Of course, Molly. I hope I helped."
Molly smiles, taking Minerva's hand. "You did. Thank you."