A/N: One shot for Care of Magical Creatures. Prompts: Death of a child. DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. Blessed be J.K Rowling.

Maribel Weasley

Feb 1982

"Arthur dear…" Molly Weasley prompted her husband's attention over the breakfast table, when the oldest of their children had disappeared out into the yard. He made a noise to indicate he was listening but didn't look up from his newspaper. "Arthur…" she said with more insistence. The man cleared his throat and folded his paper, looking his wife in the eye.

"I'm listening" He said nodding.

"I'm pregnant" She said quickly. Arthur blinked at her for a few moments.

"Again?" he asked in disbelief.

"No…still." She said sarcastically glancing at her young daughter, sleeping soundly in her cradle, near the table.

"Of course, I'm sorry dear" he shook his head and gave her a grin, "it's just Ginny is so young, I was surprised, that's all" But the truth was he didn't think they could afford another mouth to feed, but he would never admit he was struggling to provide for his large and apparently growing. "Do we have the room?" he asked.

"Well Billy is off to Hogwarts this year…the baby can have his room?" She suggested.

"Alright" He forced a look of pleasure onto his face, "but this is the last one" he said seriously. Molly nodded, with a bit of sadness in her heart she loved being pregnant and having babies.

"Agreed." Molly said but she didn't really mean it.

"How far along?" He asked.

"Thirteen weeks" she grinned. Arthur nodded in a 'very well' sort of manner as he calculated how long until extra financial burden.

"We won't tell the children yet" Arthur added.

"Yes, safe to wait a while" She agreed.

Sept 1982

"Molly" Mr Weasley shook his wife from her sleep, "dear it's almost time to go to the station" he grinned, it was a big day, their first child was off to Hogwarts. She smile back sleepily, the pregnancy was making her so tired. She rolled over and looked at her husband.

"Should we tell them, before he goes?" She asked

"Nah, it will be a wonderful surprise when he comes home for Christmas, besides the glamor charm is working just fine" Arthur smiled and his wife nodded.

"The kids?" she asked him. He handed her their youngest and Molly whipped out a boob, to suckle her.

"Apart from Ginny's breakfast…" he nodded at the breastfeeding infant, "…they are ready."

"Good, I'll be down in a moment" she smiled and Arthur lent down to give her a kiss before hustling down the stairs.

An hour later the nine Weasley's were rushing into King's Cross Station and disappearing in between platforms nine and ten, without a single muggle noticing them. The platform was bustling with wizards and witches, mothers and fathers, daughters and sons. Arthur put Bill's trunk in a compartment, while their eldest said goodbye to each of his siblings, ending with a bear hug from his mother. She sobbed as he pulled away, hugged his father and boarded the train.

"Be good!" Molly called after him.

"See ya!" he called back, out his window. Arthur had to chase Fred and George as the train started to move, the four year old twins followed their brother as it started to gain speed and their father grabbed them by the collars of their t-shirts as they tried to jump off the end of the platform. Legs swinging he dragged them back to the rest of the family.

"Let's get these little ones home." He strained against the flailing boys.

Nov 1982

Molly woke suddenly, it was still dark out and she didn't know what had woken her. Her husband snored next to her in their bed. Now that she was awake she realised how much she needed to pee and knew that if she didn't go now she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. She flicked the blankets back and sat up. She grabbed hold of the top of her dresser that sat close to the bed and used it to help heave herself out of bed, she has so big now she struggled move around their compact house.

"oow" It wasn't until she returned from the bathroom that she realised what had woken her. She grabbed her stomach as it cramped and gasped as she sat back on the bed with a thump. Arthur jumped.

"Whoa, what?" He asked disorientated into the dark.

"Arthur, I think the baby is coming" She hissed.

"What it's not due for two weeks!" he exclaimed

"Well it wants to come now" She groaned

"Of course" he jumped into action. He turned on the lights, put a silencing charm on the bedroom, so they would not wake the children and helped Molly get comfortable on the bed, as he had with her other six labours, homebirths that went off without a hitch. Hours passed while she laboured, her contractions grew closer together and started to last longer and as dawn peaked though their bedroom window, Arthur rushed to gather clean towels and hot water, the twins were awake, banging around in their bedroom and Ginny was grizzling in the room next to theirs. He bought the things to his wife.

"The children are waking up…" He told her.

"Can you ask Charlie to make breakfast for Percy and the twins and then take them out to the…" She paused and writhed as another contraction hit her, "to the, garden and can you bring the babies in here so we can watch them" she said when she could breathe normally again. He did as she asked and returned with their two youngest. Molly breathed deeply as Arthur deposited them into the crib next to the bed, the one they had all slept in as newborns they would be safe in there. He gave them toys and bottles of water.

"Good morning my darlings" Molly smiled at them, as they looked at their parents unsure. Molly contained her pain on her next contraction she didn't want to scare them. Molly reached down under her blanket and turned to Arthur.

"Arthur, can you hand me a towel now please, I can feel the head." He nodded, he knew the drill. She wiggled forward on the bed and Arthur climbed in behind her to give her support. She flicked the blanket back and wiggled the towel under her bottom. She took a deep breath and started to push. Molly leaned back against her husband, as he hooked his hands under her knees and pulled to help her bear down. She gave a grunt as the baby crowned and she stopped to breathe. When her next contraction hit she took another huge breath, and pushed. Experience told her not to scream but to use the energy to push and get it over with quickly, even though she wanted to yell with the pain of it.

"Ah…Ah" she gasped as the head broke its way through.

"You're doing great!" Arthur encouraged her. While she rested, Molly looked over at Ginny and Ron. Ginny had fallen asleep, but Ron was watching his parents, through the bars of the crib with wide, curious eyes.

"Hello, Ronnie" She whispered weakly. The two year old grinned at her.

"Toast" He said and stuck his small hand through the bars.

"Soon, baby. I'll get you some breakfast soon" She promised him. He pulled back his hand and used it to throw a stuffed rabbit over the railing, it landed on the floor with a squeak. Molly's attention shifted again as she prepared to push again. She heaved and hissed as one of the baby's shoulders popped through, the rest of the infant rush out moments after with a gush of pink liquid and goo.

"Arthur!" Molly snapped and leaned forward so he could get out from behind her. He jumped up and grabbing another towel and his wand, he quickly cut the cord.

"It's a girl" he grinned as he wrapped her.

"Why isn't she crying?" Molly said with a panic in her voice.

"Actually she is a little blue" Arthur echoed her panic.

"Take her to St Mungo's and quick!" Molly nearly yelled and Ron started crying, he could sense the change in atmosphere. Arthur disapparited and the commotion had woken Ginny too, she started to bawl as Ron was.

"Shhh, Shhh, it's okay darlings" Molly tried to calm the children, but she could not yet get out of the bed to go to them.

"Muuuummmm" Ron wailed at her and she burst into tears because she couldn't help him until she passed the placenta.

"Shh…Shhh" She hushed again.

Later that day

Arthur returned with a medi-nurse some hours later. Molly was gingerly moving around the kitchen preparing lunch for her children who were playing in the living room. A mother's work doesn't cease because she has just given birth.

"Good day, Mrs Weasley, I'm Nurse Thomas" The young nurse greeted her as she entered the kitchen.

"Hello…" Molly replied a little unsure why the nurse had come, she had given birth without a nurse many times. She glanced at the kitchen door to see that it was closed. "Arthur? Where is the baby?" she turned her attention to her husband next, because he was empty handed.

"Molly…I'm" He faltered and she turned on the nurse.

"Where is she?" she demanded, "Oh…No" she read the expression on the nurse's face.

"Mrs Weasley, I'm sorry to have to tell you this…" She started to say.

"NO…NO…NO then don't tell me" Molly begged and Arthur went to her side.

"I'm sorry, she did not make it" She informed them in the politest manner she could.

"Merlin no!" She cried. The kitchen door creaked and Arthur rushed the door to keep the children from seeing their mother cry. "Why can't I see my baby?"

"Molly, I signed her body over to the hospital" Arthur told her as returned to her, but she pulled away.

"You what?" she snapped at him.

"It's standard procedure, I'm sorry Mrs Weasley" the nurse stuck up for him.

"Stop saying you're sorry!" she said uselessly.

"I'm…" the nurse stopped herself from apologising again, "I know this is difficult for you both, but I need a name for the birth and death certificates, have you thought of one?"

"I…I" Molly's voice trembled as tears spilled, "We were going to name her Maribel" she said in disbelief "Maribel, my sweet girl" She cried and slowly walked out of the room, up the stairs and climbed into bed.

"Thank you Nurse, we will get through this" Arthur saw her to the door. She gave him a nodded and disapparited from the doorstep. Arthur pressed his forehead to the frame of the door and breathed deeply this was going to be a long year.

End.

A/N: please review!