**NOTE** The following Characters are not mine, I just borrowed them for a bit of "What If?".

The Decidedly Awful Week of Molly Weasley

by PhoenixAnkaa

"You know bloody well the kind of day… no, week, I've had with YOUR sons." Molly growled, shaking her finger menacingly just millimeters from the tip her husband's nose.

Arthur, for his part, stared completely gobsmacked at his wife. If he'd known a simple question like, "How was your day, dear?" would elicit such a response, he would have stuck to a pleasant smile when he walked in the rear door of their home just moments earlier. The fact that she had just cursed in front of their four-year-old daughter was testament to the mood of the moment. A defensive retort came quickly to his lips; but the experience of years of marriage, as well as more than a few lonely nights on the couch, had taught him it was best to let her have her say.

"…how TWO eight-year-old boys can wreck so much havoc is completely beyond me!" As if to emphasize her point, Molly raised one flour-coated hand, and began ticking off fingers recounting the twins' escapades of the previous five days.

"Let's start with Monday morning, shall we?" Molly used her free hand to curl under the first of the five raised fingers. "After being sent to their room for convincing Ginny that her porridge would be better served if it were applied liberally to her hair, they proceeded to blast a hole straight through their ceiling into Ronnie's room, using that blasted cauldron and junior potions set Bill gave them for their birthday. You know, the one you had supposedly taken away from them."

"Yes dear, well… you see… about that…" Arthur's stammering was summarily cut short as a second finger was ticked off.

"Tuesday, it seems they decided that the good linens would be perfect to turn into hangings like the ones they had seen when we visited Charlie at Hogwarts last term. To my surprise, when I removed them from the wash, I found that they had been dyed deep maroon, along with all my personals that had been in with them. That little stunt gained them the privilege of de-gnoming the garden, a punishment I had thought they had performed without incident until I herd yelling from upstairs. It seems that instead of chucking them over the hedge and out of the garden, they thought it more fitting to collect them for release in Percy's room." Molly eyes narrowed, effectively quelling the smirk that had begun to form at the corners of Arthur's mouth. "It took me four hours… did you hear that, FOUR, to catch and remove all the little blighters."

"Now Wednesday," finger number three retreated, "apparently my potions cupboard was just too much for their curiosity. The Duo of Destruction decided to test what would happen if all the enclosed potions were mixed together in into a single concoction."

Arthur winced at the memory of a botched potion during his fifth year that had exploded, covering the entire dungeon in a sticky purple mixture. Molly smirked at his reaction.

"Precisely! It took three bottles of Madigan's Magical Mess Remover and countless castings of Scourgify to remove all traces of their creation from the walls and ceiling. This incident was punishable with the complete cleaning of the broom shed. I wish, dear, that I'd have known that the shed was as far as you had gone in disposing of the Filibuster Fireworks we confiscated from them this spring." Arthur wilted further under his wife's stern gaze and was beginning to find it hard to swallow past the large lump that had begun to form in his throat. "This useful information was brought to my attention, though, by the colorful sparks and smoke that poured from every crack and opening of the sheds walls and roof. Luckily, only a single dose of Hair Growth Potion each righted the only real damage. Oh, that is except for that new Muggle contraption out there of yours… somehow that was broken as well."

"This then brings us to Thursday, when Bill and Charlie decided to aid in their mischief by letting them loose on their brooms with Beater bats for 'a bit of practice' as they called it. I luckily happened across them in the orchard before the entire crop of this season's apples were turned to sauce. This earned the four of them a day of re-stocking the wood shed."

Arthur sighed quietly in relief; at least there was nothing in the wood shed that could add to their tomfoolery. "Unfortunately for me, a small colony of pixies had taken up residence there since the winter months, a fact that was once again emphasized by the three hours it took me to clear Percy's room. Needless to say your oldest sons won't be getting their brooms back until shortly before the start of next term." The lump in his throat was quickly being joined by a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Molly's face began to redden once again as her eyes darted between the one solitary finger left un-ticked and Arthur's face; somehow, he just knew this was to be the worst yet. "And then, there is today." Instead of the detailed explanation he was expecting, Molly simply re-directed her remaining finger from its upward pointing position and jabbed it forcefully towards the closed door that lead to the Burrow's kitchen.

Taking the none too subtle hint, Arthur made his way to the closed door, pushed it open and took a single step inside. Turning slowly where he stood, the gobsmacked look returning to his face, he asked the only question that his mind was able to form. "Molly… WHERE is the kitchen?"

"For that, dear, you will have to ask them."

As Arthur's gaze followed the lone finger to where it was now pointing at the other side of the sitting room. It was then he realized for the first time that they were not alone. There on the couch sat his twin sons encased in full body binds, their lips moving a thousand kilometers a minute behind silencing spells.

"With that… I'm off." Arthur's head snapped back to face his wife, the gobsmacked look being replaced by a scared, questioning one.

Molly made her way to the rack by the door and removed her traveling cloak. "I am going to Diagon Alley, having a spot of tea at the Leaky Cauldron and then walking the shops until I feel I can return here without hexing those two five ways to Sunday. I expect the kitchen to be back to… well, just back by the time I return. Dinner, and the children, are yours!" Reaching up and removing a pinch of floo powder from the pot on the mantel, Molly turned and regarded her husband one last time as the green traveling flames roared to life. "Oh and dear, I do hope you had a good week away." And with those parting words, she was gone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Five hours later, a much calmer Molly Weasley stepped out of the swirling flames and into the familiar surroundings of the Burrow's sitting room. The time away had done wonders for her frazzled nerves and she looked back at the harsh treatment she had given her loving husband with a bit of regret. She knew it was not his fault that he didn't have to deal with much of the day-to-day trials and tribulations his children caused. On the contrary, she always felt quite blessed that he was such a hardworking provider for their family; even if it did tend to keep him away from home for long hours or even days at times.

There was still the fact that she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed at times, specifically times like the ones the past week had provided. She had spent the past fifteen years of her life dedicated to the raising of their seven children. And if that meant that sometimes she flew off the handle a bit… well, she felt that she was more than entitled.

Once Molly's attention began to re-focus from her musings she began to realize just how quiet the house was around her; a quiet that just did not fit this early into the evening. After placing her cloak back on its customary hanger she decided it was time to investigate how far her husband had got in restoring their home to its rightful state. As she was reaching out to push open the closed door, a tacked note caught her eye.

Mollywobbles,

Supper will be ready promptly at 9:00. If you are home in time, I took the liberty of drawing a hot bath for you to relax in while you wait. The children have all been properly cared for and the kitchen has been returned to its pre-twin state, but access to it is quite off limits to you at this time.

Love,

Arthur

Smiling contently to herself, Molly decided she could happily forego her fact-finding mission to the kitchen. Instead, she mounted the stairs and made her way to their bedroom. If Arthur was looking to pamper her, then she would be pampered. And if a relaxing hot bath was the precursor to this treatment, who was she to argue?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Arthur smirked at the clock when he heard the floo activate from his position in the kitchen. She had returned around the time he had expected she would, giving him an hour to finish his preparations. He knew what he had planned wasn't all that much to make up for the past week, but he sincerely hoped it would be a start. It never seemed to fail that the twins would pull out all the stops when he was away for the Ministry. He only hoped that Molly's time away this evening had succeeded in relaxing her enough so that she would be acceptable to his plans for the remainder of their night.

By Merlin's grace, restoring the kitchen had been easy enough. Once he was able to discern that it was actually still there, a simple revealing charm did the trick. How in Circe's name those two had caused it to become invisible in the first place was completely beyond him - or them, for that matter. He did have a niggling suspicion, though, that the initial mischief was orchestrated by a couple of older instigators. Though the duo's pleadings for mercy did not directly implicate his oldest sons, he could not help but detect their subtle influences. Well, they would learn now, wouldn't they?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Molly could hear the clock in the sitting room chime out the arrival of nine o'clock as she made her way towards the kitchen. It still amazed her how well her wonderful husband knew her needs and what exactly could calm her nerves. How surprised she had been when she first entered their bedroom and found the new floral dressing gown and matching slippers lying neatly across the foot of their bed. The silky fabric caressed her skin delightfully as she descended the stairs. And the bath had been simply elegant, with lavender and tea-rose bubbles slipping across the surface of the magically enlarged tub. After nearly an hour of soaking, with the soothing vapors of the bubbles playing at her senses, she garnered she was more relaxed than she had been in years. The stresses and cares of the previous week had slipped effortlessly from her mind and muscles.

Upon entering the kitchen, Molly couldn't help but chuckle softly to herself. Not only was the kitchen back to its normal state, but every surface seemed to sparkle from cleaning. Apparently her dear husband wanted to make sure he was once again in her good graces. There was no trace of the twins' mischief; the only change being a large vase of freshly cut peonies with a simple note attached.

Supper is waiting in the garden, and so am I.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Arthur was waiting to take her arm when she emerged from the rear door of the Burrow, dressed in his best robes; the emerald ones she had insisted he buy for himself for the Yule Ministry Dinner the previous year. Candles lined the rough fieldstone walls surrounding the garden and at the center, a small table and two chairs sat awaiting their occupants.

Molly was nearly speechless at the sight before her, the work he must have gone through to get everything ready. "Oh, heavens!" she gasped. "But look at me, I'm… only in my dressing gown… I should…"

"Nonsense, love, you look simply breathtaking." Arthur cut in, quelling her train of thought. "Do you like it?"

"Yes, it's lovely. And so soft… it must have cost a fortune."

"Sometimes, it's good to treat ourselves to something special." Arthur leaned down, placing a soft kiss on her cheek. "It's from that little shop you've always liked to window-browse when we are in Hogsmeade. I remembered you commenting about the display when we were there last."

"I had forgotten about that," she marveled.

"I hadn't. Even though we may not have a lot, it doesn't mean I don't wish to still treat you to something nice sometimes. I just felt this was the perfect time. I know I forget sometimes that just because you don't leave the house to go to work, that your job around here isn't just as hard as mine, if not more so. Taking care of this lot, myself included, has to be quite stressful. I promise from now on to try and not take that for granted. Hopefully this little bit is just the beginning. Now come." Arthur reached down and gently took her hand, leading her to where the intimate table was set just for two. "Supper awaits."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I hate to break the mood after such a lovely evening, but I do have to ask," Molly began hesitantly, not wanting to upset her position next to her husband on the garden swing, "where exactly are our children tonight? You didn't stun them and lock them in their rooms, did you?" She jested, only with a slightly serious undertone.

Arthur snickered at his wife's apparent unease. "As appealing as that may sound at times, no, they are not stunned in their rooms. Percy, Ron and Ginny are with your Mum."

"And the rest of our sons?"

"Well now, that is a whole other story. I recalled a conversation I had a few weeks back with old Mr. Thompkins up the road. It seems that he lost his farm hand after last seasons harvest and he has to yet find a replacement. Since that time, the state of his property and barns has been declining. So as a lesson to our dear boys, they most graciously offered to help out for the weekend at no charge. They will learn first hand the pleasure of slopping out a pig barn."

"And when will our children be returning?" Molly asked hopefully.

"I am all set to collect them Sunday evening before sundown."

"And that means?"

"That means that we are alone for the entire weekend, just the two of us, for the first time since Bill was born."

Molly beamed as tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. "Have I told you recently what a wonderful husband you are? This is the best gift I've received in years!" Standing, she took Arthur's hand and began pulling him back towards the Burrow.

"Heading in already, are we? The evening is still young."

"If you think I'm wasting a moment of this alone time together, Arthur Weasley, you are sorely mistaken!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As she lead Arthur into their bedroom of the past sixteen years, Molly picked her wand up from where she had set it earlier on the bedside table. With well-practiced ease, she preformed a quick spell that Arthur did not readily recognize.

"Dear?"

"Well, I'm fairly certain the potion is still working, but precautions, you know. Unless you were hoping to take a chance at an eighth…" She jested with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

Arthur's grin threatened to split his face in two as he caught the gist of Molly's cheek. "I believe seven will be just fine, love, but that doesn't prevent us from keeping in practice."

"No, no it doesn't," Molly purred, her hands slowly working her tie loose.

As Molly's dressing gown slid tantalizingly to the floor, Arthur lifted his wand and happily whispered, "Nox."