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"Why wait?" She had said. "Let's get married." She proposed. "Arthur, I mean it. Marry me."
Lord Voldemort had declared himself the new Dark Lord. Fabian and Gideon had revealed their intentions of joining the Order of Pheonix, and the world seemed to crumble before their eyes.
The Daily Prophet's headline featured two of their classmates, just married, murdered by Death Eaters. Every page was the same, someone they knew was now dead and it was only a matter of time before their involvement in the Order would be found out and they would join their friends on the pages of the Prophet.
Molly had been staring at the paper all day. She hadn't taken the news that her brothers would be fighting in the war well... I mean, how could she? Arthur knew it was frightening to imagine her brothers dying on the battle field. Family was everything to her. He had been making her tea when he heard her mutter the words quietly, and he couldn't quite believe that she had said them.
"Arthur... marry me." She had said. It was almost a whisper, like she couldn't believe the idea herself.
He thought she might have been joking at first. Of course he did want to marry her! There was no doubt about that... he just, hadn't been thinking she'd be the one to ask, much less at their dining room table over tea.
She still wasn't looking at him when she repeated herself, but she was sitting up straighter. Looking a mix of determined and surprised. "I mean it. Marry me." She turned to look at him.
"Well," he paused, what was he to make of this? What was the right answer? And why now? And- "I... I... I mean I want to, I... I had planned for it, we can..." He had trailed off not quite knowing what to say. He took a seat next to her and she grabbed for his hand.
"Arthur. Marry me. Let's get married." She had said with a breathy, nervous laugh. He looked her in the eye and almost as if reading her mind, he understood. She was scared. Molly Prewett with her fiery red hair, scowling eyes, and raging temper was absolutely terrified. "I mean... we're meant for each other... why wait?" Arthur stared at her for a moment stunned at her brilliance.
Molly's hand gripped tighter on his. "Arthur. Say something." She said quietly, looking almost embarrassed and very worried. His face broke into a wide smile, and her eyes got bigger with hope.
"I love you Molly Prewett." He said with a breathy chuckle, placing a hand on her cheek and bringing her lips toward his. They kissed like their lives depended on it, only breaking for air. They were so close now, he was hanging off his chair and she had manage to crawl nearly in his lap. "I will marry you." He said softly. "We can go tomorrow." He kissed her again like it might be his last chance.
Hours later, lying in bed, holding his future wife in his arms, Arthur heard the same small voice speak just as quietly as it had earlier. "If I die tomorrow, at least I'll have died knowing what it was like to be your wife." He could hear the tears caught in her throat, and feel the slight shudder in her shoulders. "I'll have died a Weasley."
Arthur held onto her as tight as he ever had. A silent plea that their forever was long enough to enjoy the wonders a life with Molly Weasley would bring him.