When Harry stayed over at the Burrow for the first time, Molly noticed how happy Ron was. Sure, he had his older brothers and younger sister to hang out with, but they were always doing something that they wouldn't allow him to be apart of. But with Harry there, he was able to share things with Harry that his older brothers or younger sister weren't interested in. He was able to teach Harry all about the Chudley Cannons and all of the players. It warmed Molly's heart knowing the two of them found a certain bond with each other that the two of them never had before. Every once in a while, though, one of them would take a shower or do something that didn't require the other to be in the room and that night, it was Ron who didn't need Harry to help him. He was taking his nightly shower and instead of finding Harry in Ron's room, Molly found him in the kitchen, doing the dishes the muggle way.
"Harry, love, what are you doing?" she asked, startling him. He turned around and pushed a strand of black hair from his eyes with the back of a soapy hand. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
"I was doing the dishes. It looked like you needed help," he said as he went scarlet in the face. Molly's heart broke as Harry gave her a shy smile. She was only now starting to realize how badly the Dursley's mentally and physically abused the small boy standing in front of her. Without saying a word, she walked up to Harry and embraced him in a maternal hug. He had never been hugged like that, or at least not that he could remember. His aunt was never maternal towards him. She was always making him do chores, instead of letting him listen to the stories she would tell Dudley, or allow him to play with the many toys his cousin never played with. If heeven went a step out of line, she would verbally attacking him. It was not a suitable environment a child should be in.
Harry wrapped his arms around Molly's abdomen. It felt good to be engulfed in a hug by someone he knew wanted the best for him. Sure, he had only met Molly once before, but she had sent him a knitted sweater and chocolate last Christmas because Ron had OWLed her saying he wasn't going to get any presents that year. A woman who took the time to do something like that was bound to have a child's best interest in mind.
Harry didn't realize how tightly he had his arms wrapped around the older witch until she pulled back and cupped his face. "Sweetheart," she said as she rubbed a cheek with a calloused thumb, "you don't have to do the dishes. I can set them to clean themselves." Molly had never felt a child grip her abdomen as hard as Harry had just been. It was as if he had never been hugged in his life.
"I know, I just wanted to help," Harry replied as he pushed the same strand of hair out of his face, embarrassed by how tightly he had been hugging Molly. She smiled down at the younger boy, his green eyes piercing her soul.
"Thank you, love," she said as she planted a kiss on his head, giving him another hug. "Now go upstairs. I'm sure Ron's wondering where you are," she said when she felt another squeeze from the boy she already deemed her seventh child. Harry walked across the kitchen to the doorway, but before he made it, he stopped and turned around.
"Thank you," he said after Molly waved her wand and set the dishes to clean themselves.
"For what?" Molly asked. She was surprised Harry was still in the room with her.
"For everything," Harry said as he genuinely smiled at the redheaded woman.
"You're welcome, Harry," she said as she warmly smiled at the jet-black haired boy standing across the room from her that looked exactly like his father.