Episodes
Every baby is special, and Molly loves every one of her grandchildren, but this baby is perhaps extra special. She holds him tenderly, stroking the downy hair with one finger, marvelling anew at the miracle of new life. The radio is playing, but it is unfamiliar. The Wizarding Wireless Network has provided the soundtrack for her life, but George, being George, has modified this wireless set to pick up Muggle stations. The song currently playing is hauntingly appropriate – "Isn't she lovely? Less than one minute old." Change the pronoun and it would be perfect. The little boy, less than an hour old, opens wide brown eyes and gazes up at his grandmother.
"Hello, Fred," she says.
WWN
Her mother always has the wireless on. Watching her cook, playing with her brothers on the rug before the fire, struggling with her letters and numbers at the kitchen table, there is always the murmur of voices or the sound of music in the background. For Molly, it feels like the sound of home. Her mother's favourite programme is "The Witching Hour", and Molly joins her waltzing around the kitchen to the songs of Marissa Maretti, Lulu LeVarre, Scarlett Tatti, and – best of all – Celestina Warbeck. Fabian and Gideon laugh at them, pretending to dance too, and howling like dogs in time with the music. Molly frowns and yells at them to be quiet, but their mother just laughs and says, "boys will be boys". When the programme is over, she gives all three of them all hot chocolate with marshmallows and extra cream.
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There are some moments you remember forever, and songs that will always be associated with one particular time and place. When Molly thinks of her brothers now, there are two memories and two songs that stand out.
It is Christmas Eve – their last one together, though of course none of them know that. The children are toasting marshmallows by the fire, with Bill vainly trying to keep the twins in order and Charlie eating more than his fair share. Little Ronnie is yelling because no one will lift him out of the playpen. Fabian and Dorcas have just announced their engagement and Molly is admiring the ring. "Joy to the world" is playing on the wireless. Now, when she hears that carol, Molly is transported back to her warm and cosy kitchen, she hears the children laughing and sees the smile on Fabian's proud face, she even tastes the eggnog they were drinking. It makes her smile, but then it makes her cry a little.
It is summertime, and Ginny is just days old. Molly is dancing around the kitchen to Celestina Warbeck's "You make my world magical" with the baby in her arms. Ginny seems to be as bad as Charlie was at going to sleep when she needs to. The door opens and Arthur comes in looking grave. It is the middle of the day; he should not be home now. He smiles sadly at Molly and leads her to a chair before telling her, but she knew when she saw his face. Her brothers are dead. The music continues as if nothing at happened, as if part of her world had not fallen away forever, and she cannot stand it. She hands the baby to Arthur, walks over and switches the wireless off. The silence is unbearable. She walks out of the room and up the stairs to her bedroom, walking like an old woman. Arthur lets her go. Now, "You make my world magical" is the only Celestina Warbeck song Molly cannot listen to. She turns the wireless off sharply if she hears the first familiar notes. Even they are enough to make her cry.
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"In France," Fleur says loudly, drowning out the voice of Marla Flady, who is being interviewed on "Witch Around the House" about the best spell to keep your kitchen sink really shiny, "we 'ave wireless programmes about matters which are more interesting zan zis. I 'eard one last week about 'ow to make your man 'appy in bed." She smiles serenely at her reflection in the back of a spoon. "Of course, I do not need such advice myself, but I sink it may be 'elpful for ze more ordinary witches."
She looks at Molly for a response, but Molly can think of nothing to say. She is not sure she can bear having this opinionated and self-assured young woman for a daughter-in-law. What on earth does Bill see in her?
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It is just the five of them at tea – Molly and Arthur with her brothers on the other side of the table, laughing and making jokes and eating slice after slice of her homemade bread, and Billy in his high chair looking on and smearing jam in his hair and trying to join in the conversation. It is less than a fortnight until Christmas, but the voice on the wireless is sombre, intoning dire warnings about dark forces and the increasing threat from an evil wizard the announcer is reluctant to name.
Molly frowns as Billy, who is obviously paying more attention to the wireless than any of the adults, triumphantly throws his plate on the floor and shouts. "Oo know oo!" at the top of his voice. She gets up to switch the wireless off and to put more water in the teapot and feels a twinge as she does so, followed by a distinct "pop" as her waters break. It seems that this baby, not due for another month, is keen to make his or her appearance.
More than keen. By the time the midwitch, hastily Flooed by Gideon, holding a squirming Billy firmly to keep him out of the way, has arrived, baby Charlie has been born on the rug in front of the fire. Arthur caught the baby, while Fabian held his sister's hands and tried not to look at what was happening. Ever after, Fabian maintains that Gideon, who is covered with jam from holding a very sticky toddler, and who has been yelled at and had his hair pulled for his trouble (because Billy knew something was going on, and was very cross at missing it), had the best of the deal.
The midwitch tidies things up and establishes Molly in her bed with the new baby beside her. Billy is carried in by his father to meet his new brother. He regards him critically.
"Baby go now," he says seriously.
Downstairs, Fabian and Gideon are toasting heir new nephew with Firewhisky. The wireless news has moved on to the crowds of Christmas shoppers in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, and to warnings for wizards and witches to beware of cheap Muggle novelties sold by unscrupulous dealers. Neither of them are listening. They buy Arthur a Muggle remote-controlled car for Christmas, and he loves it, even though he cannot make it work.
WWN
They have the wireless on in an effort to distract themselves, but it is not working. They managed to concentrate on the news, which was depressing enough, but the current programme – a weekly Ministry-sponsored one about keeping yourself and your family safe – cannot engage them. Molly and Ginny know the theory well enough, but right now the larger part of their family is anything but safe. Molly has washed the plates and dishes in the sink by hand, just to give herself something to do, and is now drying them, her gaze moving to the window every few minutes. Why is no one back by now? Ginny cannot keep still, walking from the fireplace to the backdoor to the window to the fireplace in a never-ending circle.
Eventually she speaks. "They should be back by now," she says jerkily. "Some of them at least."
Molly's mouth is dry, and she has to swallow before answering. She switches the wireless off and the silence feels loud around them.
"I know," she says at last. "Ron and Tonks and your father and Fred."
Something must have happened. She does not say it, but they are both thinking it.
There is a noise outside and they both rush to the door.
"Harry and Hagrid!" Ginny screams. Her mother is already running towards them.
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After Percy has gone, and the sound of the slammed door has stopped ringing in everyone's ears, the only sound is of Molly crying. Even Fred and George can think of nothing to say. Arthur walks over and puts his arms around his wife.
"Don't cry, Molly," he says bleakly. "He'll come round. Just give him time."
Behind his back, Ron, Ginny and the twins exchange looks. They don't believe it, any more than their parents do.
George walks over and switches on the wireless. The sound of The Weird Sisters' "Do the Hippogriff" spills into the kitchen. It is jarring, but at least it fills the silence.
WWN
They say you always remember where you were when you hear this type of news. Molly remembers exactly where she was.
She is comforting Percy, who has had a nightmare with hot chocolate and cuddles, while Arthur walks to and fro with baby Ginny, who is yelling to be fed. Arthur has put the wireless on in the hope that the evening music programme will soothe the children. It does not seem to be working. Bill appears at the kitchen door, in his pyjamas and rubbing his eyes.
"Wha's goin' on?"
"Nothing, son," Arthur says reassuringly. "Go back to bed."
Instead, Bill walks across to his father and takes the screaming baby from him. She stops crying immediately and smiles up at him. As a result, they hear the news as soon as anyone else in the wizarding world.
"We interrupt this programme to bring you a special news item. It seems that the wizard known as…" There is a pause and they distinctly hear the announcer swallow. "Lord Voldemort, more commonly known as You Know Who, has been defeated. Details are sketchy, but it appears that Mr and Mrs James Potter of Godric's Hollow died in an attack by You – by Voldemort – earlier this evening. Their infant son, Harry, survived the attack, and V-Voldemort seems to have been killed. A friend of the Potter family, Sirius Black, is reported to have been arrested following an incident in a Muggle street. The whereabouts of Harry Potter are at this point unknown. More details when we have them."
Molly, Arthur and Bill look at each other open-mouthed.
"He's dead?" Bill asks. "He's really dead?"
Arthur nods. "Seems like it, son." His voice is hoarse.
There are a series of thuds on the stairs, and Charlie appears carrying Ron and followed by the twins.
"Is it morning?" the twins chorus.
"Can we have pancakes?" Charlie asks.
Molly wipes her eyes surreptitiously and goes to the pantry for flour, milk and eggs.
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Every baby is special, but this baby is perhaps extra special. A first grandchild, and born on such a day. Molly holds her tenderly, stroking the downy hair with one finger, marvelling at the miracle of new life. The door opens quietly and George enters.
"Can I hold her?" he asks. "I promise I won't drop her."
Molly nods and indicates the chair next to her own. She hands the baby over carefully.
"Mind her head."
"I know, I know. Bill told me at least four times."
The wireless is playing quietly in the background, the announcer reading out a long list of names of those who died in the fight against the dark. When "Fred Weasley" is read out, George leans his head on his mother's shoulder. The baby opens her eyes and looks up at them.
"Hello, Victoire," Molly says. "I'm your Granny and this is your Uncle George."
George smiles down at the baby, and his smile, on this day of all days, is a kind of victory in itself.
In the background, the wireless announcer continues reading the long list of names.