Disclaimer; I not do own anything from Harry Potter!
The Potter-Weasley clan were a tight knit family, like peanut butter and jelly, they simply mixed well. But there was always bound to be the black sheep of the family and unfortunately for Molly Weasley, the latter seemed to be just her luck.
There was a lot of promise from a young age that Molly would grow up to be just like her dad; strong-willed, powerful and striving to have a brilliant mind at academics. Although over the years she learnt quickly that promises were just excuses for empty words. Percy Weasley was anything but strong willed and powerful, he was a weak man with a stubborn streak who refused to love his family. At least this was Molly's perspective of life.
"Don't grow up to be the pompous fool I was," her dad would drill into her head after catching her playing well at Quidditch with her cousins. It seemed the elder wizard did not like sports very much and quidditch was a game for 'show off wizards' who weren't 'academically gifted'. Molly stopped playing quidditch at the mere age of eight when Percy refused to allow her on a broom.
If she could not play quidditch, Molly tried other ways to interact with her cousins. Exploding Snap was their favourite game of all, even if she only watched everyone else play. With Albus, who she shared the same age with, and Hugo sat around a table among her other older mischievous cousins James and Fred, they played bets on who would be the first to singe their eyebrows. Uncle Ron always found this part terribly funny, Molly still wondered why till this very day.
Then there were her other cousins; Roxanne and Rose were the ones you couldn't split apart and the two you couldn't join in with either. Often Molly watched them braid each others hair from a distance, she knew the boundaries and she learnt she wasn't allowed to hang out with them. It was after she had tried to do a simple plait in Rose's hair that her cousin had showed her first signs of spitefulness, pushing Molly away and calling her a squib. It wasn't her fault her cousin's had showed to possess magical skill before she had yet.
She loved the majority of her cousins more than she loved watching them play exploding snap every week. Fred was the one who managed to bring her out of her shell, even though he looked nothing like a Weasley with his dark hair and eyes, he walked and talked like one more than anyone else. After six hours on a sunday, once a week, Fred was the one to convince Percy to bring back Molly the following week to the burrow. Everyone either knew or sensed her dad wasn't keen on being there, a touch of awkwardness always fell around the room when he walked in. Although her grandmother, the other Molly, appeared to be the only one who didn't notice, the witch loved her family unconditionally.
It was when she hit the double figures, the big age of ten, when they stopped visiting the Weasleys and the Potters. Most of the family knew why, just no one wanted to clarify it; Molly Artemisia Weasley was a squib. Unlike her younger sister, Lucy, who showed magical talents from a young age, Molly was yet to blossom. It was an 'ill fortune' as her dad would call it, on the whole family. No one liked to associate themselves with Squibs, they were a hushed species by the magical community. Her mother was the first to acknowledge it and the first to break the news to Molly.
"I'm so sorry MoMo," she had said, her voice soft and understanding as she knelt down to her daughters height, "I know it's been your dream for a long time, but you won't be going to Hogwarts next year."
Molly was not really sure she understand; her dad had told her this magical school was where she would become the smartest and most powerful witch of all time, was it all only a dream? she soon realised a little while later it was just another empty promise.
Percy had refused to believe any of which his wife had insinuated, his first daughter was not a squib. He forbid to let her visit her cousins any longer, blaming the family's silly shenanigans for her lack of magical skill.
Hatred; that's what she felt whenever her dad would come home from work at the ministry. Everyday he would bring her home another spell book to learn from, and everyday she believed she was more muggle than witch. He never spoke to her or asked how her day was, all these questions were saved for her little sister.
Regretfully Molly grew hostile towards Lucy as their dad praised her for how one day she would make minister of magic. They never spoke , Lucy was the complete opposite of her. The other witch oozed confidence and self esteem whereas Molly became quiet and reserved. At dinner times whilst her family sat chattering away at the table, she would even sneak her dinner upstairs and eat quietly to herself.
The books her dad, or Percy as she called him now, had brought her were already read and stacked to one side. That was at least one skill she had learnt from him, to read and absorb information quickly. This was how her obsession with sports like Quidditch and winged horse racing began. It was a day in Diagon Alley after taking a couple of galleons from Percy's wallet, without him noticing of course, she had set off for the bookstore and purchased Quidditch through the ages and a book on winged horse racing. These books become her wizard version of the bible.
The long year from learning she was a squib passed painfully slowly. Her parents had sent her to a muggle primary school, much to Percy's dismay, and even there where she was surrounded by non magical folk like herself; she still daydreamed about being a witch. Soon the day arrived which everyone had been dreading; Hogwarts acceptance letters had been released.
Molly was stood behind the door to the living room that day when she heard her parents discussing how Lily and Albus had received their letters than morning. She peaked through the slit between the door and wall and watched silently. Sometimes she was glad she could act as though she was a ghost amongst the living, no one noticed her and she found she could eavesdrop on the most interesting conversations.
"We knew this day would come," Audrey spoke up.
Her dad was pacing back and forth the room, his head continuously shaking. "Don't patronize me, Audrey," Percy flicked his wife off with a sweep of his hand like the impatient man he was.
"We knew, and you won't face the truth," Audrey stated, standing her ground. Molly admired how strong her mother was at times like this, sometimes she wished she was more like her.
"Molly isn't going to hogwarts and that's that," she continued, "I know you still hold hope and I can understand that, but that ship sailed long ago. You need to stop flogging a dead hippogriff and accept her for who she is, Percy. She's our daughter first and foremost and we should love and protect her, can you do that?"
Now stood in front of her husband, Percy finally bowed his head in defeat, something Molly never thought she would see.
Dinner was more quiet than usual and what caused more silence was when Molly sat with the family at the table for the first time in a long time. Lucy, who was normally bragging about how she had levitated one of her dolls without even a wand, had not even spoken. It was awkward to say the least and all Molly could do was move the food on her plate around with her fork.
To make matters progressively worse, a knock came at the door in the middle of dinner and Percy hated nothing more than when anyone interrupted dinner. Molly watched, disinterested, as he stood from his seat to go answer it, she heard the slam of the front door and then she heard the flow of curse words that followed. Her father never swore without a plausible reason why, it was either the end of the world or he was granted minister of magic, neither seemed even possible.
Audrey briskly moved from her seat to the hall and even both sisters actually looked at one another when their mother screamed, "in the name of Merlin!".
As quick as their mother, the two hurried after her and it was Lucy who grabbed what was in her father's hands before Molly even had a chance.
"Bloody hell!" Lucy expressed, earning a slap around the head from Audrey, no nine year old of hers was allowed to swear.
To receive such reactions from her family made Molly believe that perhaps there had been a death in the family. Though with the smile her father beamed down at her, it couldn't be true.
"I knew it!" He enthused, clapping his hands together like a little child would in excitement, "I told you Audrey and you called me a fool, I knew it.. We have a witch in the family."
Molly blinked, it couldn't be right, it was downright impossible.
"Give it here," she almost commanded, taking the piece of parchment from her sister.
It was right there infront of her; a letter addressed to her name and the sentence 'You have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'. Her first thoughts was that this was a prank demonstrated by her cousins James and Fred, yet no one could forge the Hogwarts envelope seal. Merlin's beard, It was genuine, she couldn't believe.
She, Molly Weasley, was not a squib but a witch... a living breathing witch.
Authors note; Thank you for reading! as some know children have to show magical signs to be a witch and attend Hogwarts, although JKR herself stated the possibility of late bloomers which I plan to explore in my own words. Next chapter will skip to year six where we meet Scorpius and the real plot behind this story!