Madness


"But his soul was mad. Being alone in the wilderness, it had looked within itself and, by heavens I tell you, it had gone mad." -Joseph Conrad


"Again?" screeched Molly, looking as if she would pop a vein. She certainly would've but the twins dashed away again, wrecking havoc in the small and crooked house, so Molly didn't have time for something like popping a vein. She was much too busy chasing after Fred and George.

Unfortunately, she lost the will. It was just so exhausting!Chasing after the red-headed twins with nothing in their heads except mischief? For the entire twenty-four hour period? Molly, tired, slumped in one of the armchair. She figured she could rest until she heard an explosion or a crash.

Outwardly, she was composed. Kind of. Her hair was a bit on the frazzled side, wrinkles digging into her skin, but really, she was more on the fine side than awful. Inwardly? She was a mess. Just a stack upon stack of emotions. She began dissecting the pile.

There was panic, anxiety (What if Fred and George set fire to the house? Again?), exhaustion, and under it all, this bubbling anger. It was directed at the rest of the world who was luckily mischievous-twin-less, unlike her.

Her thoughts didn't make sense, but she wasn't in any mood to be sane.

How dare the world not have anything to do with Fred and George and crying Ron and Ginny? she thought to herself angrily. How dare they? And how dare they not have Bill and Charlie and Percy to take care of as well? Why did I have to deal with the seven of them?

And Arthur! How dare he have a job in the Ministry? Why couldn't he just stay home and tinker around his muggle things and take care of half the children? Three and a half children each! How much easier that would be!

Why did I even bother to have children? They're so loud and cranky and whiny and mischievous! she grumbled. I think I should just forget about this whole children rubbish! Send them away! To an orphanage! That's a great idea! Yes, an orphanage. Then I can sit back, relax, and have a cup of tea with a lemon slice without having to break up roughhousing between the twins and deal with Charlie complaining he wore through his dragon hide gloves. Again.

Molly jolted up, recollecting her thoughts. Had she really been thinking to get rid of her children just so she could have a cup of tea with a lemon slice? Grumbled at Arthur for having a job? Blamed the entire world for not having her children?

She burst out laughing.

"I'm going mad," mused Molly as she leaned back into the armchair which was rather stiff. "But I'm surprised I've lasted this long without going completely insane."

She sat back and muttered to herself for a while before she heard a loud crash coming from the kitchen. With a small sigh and a hint of a smile, she rose from the seat and murmured, "Coming..."