DISCLAIMER: As everyone knows, Harry Potter's world and characters belong to the great and only JK Rowling, who I can't thank enough for the awesome adventures she has allowed me to live, not only during my childhood and teen years, but also now reading her fan's FF; because her books will always be a part of us.
APOLOGY: I like to start all my stories apologizing in advance for all the spelling and grammatical mistakes I'm surely going to make. As you will soon notice (if you haven't yet), English is not my native language and I don't have any beta reader because I don't want to (it just doesn't work for me). Any comment or advice about my language skills will be more than welcomed, as long as it hasn't a rude tone.
WARNING (Rated M): There is an implicit physical assault (rape with violence) in this part, and short moments of it will probably be described further in the story.
A/N: I had this idea a few weeks ago and thought it would be fun and interesting to write a HP story about other characters apart from Minerva, Severus and Albus... but, the three of them have end up in this fic as well. So I hope you like it.
It's very late and I haven't reread the entire part, so if you find any silly mistake, it is because I should have been in bed two hours ago.
While I usually check a lot of things for my stories, with this one, I've trusted my memory... so I'm sure there'll be some wrong things according to the books. For instance, I don't think Tonks and Lupin were already together in book 5, but I make them be.
Anyway, ENJOY ^_^
*** The story is set during the trio's 5th year (Order of the Phoenix, 1995-96)
MOLLYWOBBLES
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Part 1
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Arthur wouldn't be home until supper, which meant that if she was able to do all the housework on the morning, she would have time for a shopping afternoon in London, and maybe surprise her husband at the Ministry.
As much as she missed them during the school term, Molly had to admit that not having the children home helped a lot to reduce her chores list. It wasn't just because of the seven more beds she didn't need to make on the morning, it was also because of the mountains of clothes she didn't have to wash, the piles of dirty dishes she didn't have to see on the kitchen, the big mess around the living room she didn't need to clear out... Definitely, things were much easier to handle around the house when they were only she and Arthur, but she couldn't wait for the next holiday to have all her little kids back home again.
After sweeping the floor, Molly put the broom back in its place and walked towards the sink to see if last night dishes had finished magically washing themselves. She was pleased to see they were already getting dry on the counter, because now, all she had left to do was hanging up the laundry, and it wasn't even midday yet.
She instinctively glanced outside the window to check on the weather before grabbing the basket full of clothes. It was a sunny day, and a stranger was standing in her back garden.
Molly looked again, wondering who could her visitor be, and this time she noticed he was a masked man dressed in black clothes.
Not hesitating for a second, she grabbed her wand and ran towards the fireplace, but before she could reach the flu powder pot with her hand, it exploded into pieces, startling her.
Getting her wand ready to attack, Molly turned around to face the intruder, only to encounter herself in front of, not one, but four Death Eaters.
"Get out of my house!" she yelled, not willing to show them any fear.
They didn't reply, all they did was stepping forwards, shortening the distance between them and their prey. But Molly wasn't any defenceless little animal, she gathered her courage and sent several stunning spell against the strangers in her living room as she ran towards the closest door. One of the spells hit the wizard standing closer to her, pushing him some steps backwards, but not causing any real damage. If she could only put one foot outside the protective spells of the house, she would be able to disapparate from there; but just when she thought she would make it, she felt a spark on her hand and her wand escaped from her fingers.
As the magic wooden stick hit the ground, the golden hand representing Mrs. Weasley on the old family clock changed its position from "Home" to "Mortal peril".
...
Arthur Weasley knew there was something wrong the same moment he came out from the fireplace of his house and realized he was stepping on the broken pieces of what seemed their flu powder pot.
At first he thought he had left his dirty clothes on the floor again, or maybe that he had forgotten to tell his wife he was going to be late again, but as he raised his eyes and looked around the room he realized this wasn't just his wife being upset with him, it was something more serious.
All the pillows of the couch had been tore up, the shelves had been emptied, the drawers opened, the furniture broken... but what alarmed him the most was the blood, the several spots of blood that were almost everywhere.
"Molly?" he asked ignoring the mess around him and going upstairs, "Molly?!" he insisted, as he looked in every bedroom, but not getting any answer was only making him more and more nervous.
He came back downstairs with tears coming down his eyes, and suddenly, he heard a crack under his feet. He had stepped over Molly's wand. When he bent over to grab it, Arthur notice the front door was ajar.
He walked outside, wondering if his wife could be hiding somewhere, unaware that he was back. But it was something else what was waiting for him in the yard.
Above their sweet home, there was the Dark Mark floating on the air, sinking the burrow in a cold and dark shadow.
Arthur looked around, he was desperate to find Molly. On the ground, all their chickens were lying dead; and a little further from where he stood, the garage door was opened. He passed through the horrifying image of their poor farm animals, savagely assassinated by the Death Eaters, and ran towards the small shed.
"Molly!" he cried out in despair, almost without a voice, as he knelt down next to his wife and looked for her pulse. She was breathing poorly, but still alive. He used his cloak to cover her tortured naked body, and carried her on his arms before disapparating.
...
The last time Mr. Weasley could remember being in that same situation was the day Ginny was born. There had been some complications and the doctors had to perform surgery during the birth. They had asked him to wait in the familiars room of the hospital and he remembered thinking what he would tell their children if anything happened to Molly. Fourteen years later, Saint Mungo had changed very little.
Arthur was pacing in the empty waiting room of the hospital, wondering when the doctors would tell him anything about his wife, when he saw a couple of familiar faces approaching him.
"Arthur," Nymphadora cried out as she embraced the man.
"Tonks, Remus," he replied, gently breaking the hug, "you didn't need to come."
"Oh, please," Lupin said, placing a comforting hand on Arthur's shoulder, "we're friends, we had to come."
Arthur had thought that if the Death Eaters had attacked Molly, they might go after any other member of the order; so he'd used one of the Hospital's owls to send a message to Remus.
Molly's been attacked. We're in Saint Mungo. Watch your backs.
"How is she?" Dora asked taking Arthur's hand and making him sit down with her.
"I don't know," Arthur explained, "the doctors haven't said anything yet, but she was very bad when I found her."
"What happened, exactly?" Remus questioned this time.
"They were gone when I arrived," Arthur answered, "but there was a Dark Mark above my house. I don't understand. Why would they go after Molly?" he inquired among sobs.
"Who knows," Remus muttered feeling unable to comfort his friend and suddenly walking away.
"Remus, wait," Tonks called, following him and leaving Arthur alone, "what's in your mind?" she whispered, so he wouldn't hear them.
"It's clear they thought Molly was the weakest of us, I must warn Sirius and the others."
"You think she might have revealed anything?" Dora wondered.
"Well, we can't wait for her to tell us," he said, "we must be careful."
Nymphadora went back to Arthur and sat next to him in silence. While they waited for Remus to come back, a doctor entered the waiting room and asked for Mr. Weasley.
"Your wife is alright," he said.
"Thank Merlin," Arthur sighted on relief.
"Mrs. Weasley¡s breathing was heavy because of the stress caused to her body, but there was no serious harm in her lungs," the doctor explained to both Arthur and Dora, "she did had lose many blood, but fortunately we were able to give her a transfusion. She had two broken ribs, and her left leg and right wrist bones were severely harmed too; they'll be completely reconstructed by tomorrow, but she'll probably feel sore during a couple weeks. The healing potions we've given her will help to heal the less serious of her internal and external injuries before we can do anything else."
"Can I see her?" Arthur asked when he thought the doctor was done.
"I'd like to have Mrs. Weasley in observation for a few hours more," the doctor answered, "but I don't see any harm on a short visit. You'll find her sleeping, but that's a secondary effect of the strong restoratives; that's why we'll wait a couple days more, before giving her a miscarrying potion."
"Miscarrying?" Arthur exclaimed alarmed.
"I-I'm so sorry, Mr. Weasley," the doctor muttered apologetically, "among the clear signs of torture in your wife's body, we have found evidences of sexual abuse. We have already collected the necessary samples for the auror department and the next step on the usual procedure is to give the victim a miscarrying potion."
"Arthur, are you alright?" Tonks asked, but he wasn't. Arthur had stopped paying attention at the doctor a long while ago. He was in shock. "Arthur, why don't you go to see Molly? You'll feel better after making sure she's alright."
"Yes, of course," he said, and he followed the doctor down the hall as Remus came back.
"Is Molly alright?" he asked to Dora, as they watched Arthur disappearing behind a door.
"She is," Tonks answered, looking at Remus in the eye, "but the doctor just told Arthur she was raped."
Arthur stepped into the hospital wing slowly, afraid that any noise he could make would disturb the peaceful sleep of his wife. He approached the single bed where Molly was lying and allowed himself to cry for a moment. He couldn't tell if they were tears of happiness for seeing her alright or if he was sorry for what had happened to her; but he promised himself he wouldn't let Molly see him crying once she was awake.
Very carefully, Arthur caressed her bruised cheek, and then brushed her lips with the tip of his finger, feeling the several small cuts around them. There was a long burn, probably the trace of a spell, that went from the back of her ear, to her neck and then disappeared under the immaculate hospital white sheets she was covered with. Only her left arm was on top of them, showing a bruised shoulder and deeper cuts in her skin.
"Mr. Weasley, I'm afraid it's time to leave her rest," the voice of the doctor brought him back to reality.
"Sure," he replied, as he gently held Molly's hand and bend over to leave a kiss on its back, "I love you, Mollywobbles."
Once he was back in the corridor, Arthur took a moment to breathe deeply. He was upset.
"Did you see her?" a female voice asked him, and Mr. Weasley turned around only to find Dora walking towards him, "How is she?"
"Sleeping," was all Arthur could manage to say.
"Remus told everyone about what happened and some came to check on Molly and you," she explained, "I thought you might not be ready to see anyone else..."
"No, that's alright. I can use the company of some good old friends," he said, and they walked together back to the waiting room, where Remus seemed to be chatting with a big black dog sitting on one of the chairs, Moody and McGonagall were playing on a small floating chess board, and Dumbledore and Kingsley were having a very agitated conversation.
Everybody became quite when Arthur stepped in, and both Remus and McGonagall stood up and approached him.
"Arthur," Minerva said, "how is Molly doing?"
"She's resting. Thank you, Minerva." he answered, "by the way, you didn't..."
"Oh no, I didn't tell any of the kids," she reassured him, "I guessed you would like to wait and tell them yourself when it's time."
"Thanks," he said.
"I didn't tell Bill or Charlie either," Remus added, "I only owled them warning them about a possible attack."
"Thank you very much," Arthur insisted, "I just don't want to worry them yet, and I don't think Molly would like them around either."
"Arthur, I'm so deeply sorry," the voice of Albus Dumbledore spoke from behind the transfiguration mistress, "If there's anything you need..."
At that moment someone else entered the room, and Arthur turned around to see who it was just in case the doctor was back with more news. But it wasn't the doctor, it was...
"You! I don't want you here!" Arthur yelled, all of a sudden, branding his wand against non other than Severus Snape.
"Arthur, calm down," Lupin said.
"No! He's supposed to be a spy, he's supposed to warn us about this things..." Arthur kept shouting, as he approached Severus, who was standing at the same place, staring at his attacker impassively, "you knew they were coming!"
"Arthur, please, this are nonsense. Severus isn't aware of everything the Death Eaters plan to do," Kingsley tried to put some sense on his mind.
"They came to our house," Arthur had his wand at Severus neck, who hadn't said a word yet, "they found her alone, and they not only tortured her, but raped her!" tears were coming down his cheeks as he yelled, "In our house! I found her almost dead, abused, naked..." his hand clenched around his wand, "Avad-"
"Arthur," Minerva spoke his name calmly, interrupting the curse, and placed a hand on his shoulder, "I don't think killing anyone is going to make you or Molly feel any better," she said, as she used her other hand to take Arthur's wand.
"You are right," he finally came to his senses, "I'm sorry," he apologized, "but this will," and suddenly and with a fast move he punched Severus on the face, causing him to bleed.
"Oh Merlin!" Minerva cried as Kingsley and Moody held Arthur and made him sit down.
"That was a good punch," Dumbledore stated.
"Don't joke, Albus," Minerva said, handing him Arthur's wand, "those were very serious accusations towards Severus," she turned around to face him, but he was gone, "where is him?"
"I've been looking for you," Minerva said as she went into a small cabin of the emergency wing of the hospital.
"I guessed that since I was in a hospital I could get cured faster, but they seem to have better things to do," Severus explained, from the stretcher he was sitting on with a bleeding lip.
"I would have said you were running away, but I guess you know better," she said as she walked closer and began to wonder in the nurses' cabinet.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"He wasn't wrong, was him?" she asked, completely ignoring him, as she picked some gauzes.
"Who?" Severus moved back when Minerva used her left hand to hold his chin as she cleaned her injure.
"Arthur," she said, slowly tipping the skin under his lip to remove all the blood to have a better look of the cut.
"What do you mean?" he questioned as she went back to the cabinet.
"I mean that you did know," she said as a matter of fact, coming back with a small surgical needle, "you knew that Molly was going to be attack."
Severus was going to reply, but Minerva held his head in place and without any notice, she sticked that needle in his skin. After making two stitches, she cut the thread and applied some potion on it to make it heal faster.
"What makes you think that?" he asked, feeling the sewing under his lip with his fingers.
"I know you well enough to know that you would have never allowed Arthur to punch you, otherwise," she said.
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TO BE CONTINUED...