June 1979- Magic

I gripped my stomach tightly, staring into the bathroom mirror. I couldn't believe it, but I couldn't ignore all the signs- I was fatigued, my back and head ached, I was nauseous and running to the bathroom every ten minutes, and I had a ridiculous craving for almonds and bananas.

I, Molly Weasley, was pregnant. For the fifth time.

"Arthur?" I said, my voice cracking, so soft that I could barely hear myself.

"Arthur!" I called again, more loudly this time. I put a hand on the bathroom sink to steady myself and opened the door with my other hand, taking a deep breath.

He appeared almost instantly, peering in through the crack made by the open door. "Molly? Molly, everything okay?"

"I'm pregnant," I blurted unexpectedly.

He blinked. I couldn't tell how he felt; he seemed to not register the fact yet.

"A- Arthur? Did you hear me?"

"How did it happen?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Magic, Arthur. How do you think it happened?"

"Never mind, stupid question. But are you sure, Molly?"

I almost laughed. "Arthur Weasley, I've been pregnant four times, I think I'd know what's happening to me when it happens."

He beamed. "Well, then, congratulations! I mean, congratulations to us!" He picked me up and whirled me around, and I squealed, feeling like the young girl that I had been when I had gotten pregnant with Bill.

"Don't want to hurt the baby, do we now?" he murmured, setting me down. "Oh Merlin, another baby!" he added. I nodded.

"I know- I mean, another one! This is going to be a handful! What if it's another boy?"

"Well, it'd continue the Weasley tradition, anyway. Have you been to St. Mungo's yet, dear? Just to check?"

"Arthur, I found out approximately twenty seconds before you did. But d'you want to come with me to the hospital?"

"Who'll watch the kids?"

Arthur and I both froze at the same time. "When should we tell them?" we asked simultaneously.

"How about now?" suggested Arthur. I blinked slowly.

"N-now?" I asked, completely taken aback. Before, we'd waited at least two weeks to tell the kids, just so we could become completely adjusted to the idea first.

"Well, yeah, why not? I mean, they're probably used to it by now. I bet they wouldn't even look up."
We walked out to the living room, holding hands.

"Kids… Kids?"

Bill, Charlie, and Percy all raced into the living room. Fred and George cooed from their cribs. "What, Mum?"

"Um… well… Arthur?" I said, looking to him for support.

"You're going to have a new brother or sister," he said confidently. I was impressed.

The boys stared wide-eyed.

"Again?" was the first thing Bill said. I had to stifle a laugh.

"Yes, Bill, again. Aren't you excited?"

"Yeah," said Bill, and then ran outside. I blinked at Arthur, surprised.

"Well, I thought he would have a little more to say than that…"

Bill popped his head back inside. "Will he have to share my room?"

"No, but Charlie and Percy probably will."

At that, Bill, Charlie, and Percy ran to their room to try and divide up the space.

I was still rather taken aback. "Really? Was that it?"

Arthur shrugged. "I suppose so."

I knew that the questions would come a few days later- and I wasn't wrong.

But no matter how many kids Arthur and I had, the magic would never die.

July 1979- Insecurity

"Oh, Arthur, I'm so excited to be a parent again," I said happily, dusting the kitchen cupboards.

He grinned, but I could detect a hint of worry.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my smile fading slightly

"Molly, these are uncertain times, and they might get worse. The Dark Forces are rising. Slowly, but steadily. And our financial situation is strained already. I'm just as excited as you are, but there's so much insecurity- what if we can't provide this baby with a good future?"

"Arthur, don't say that. We have to keep hoping for the best. Insecurity will get us nowhere."

"I have to protect my family, Molly. You, and Bill, and Charlie, and Percy, and Fred and George, and this new baby. Nothing is certain."

"But Arthur, think of how much fun it is to be a parent. I'm so happy that I get to be a mother again- we get to have another baby to love, and hold, and to smile up at us and remind us of how children view the world. And we'll get to teach him or her to fly, and send the child to Hogwarts, and-"

Arthur chuckled. "Getting a little ahead of yourself, Mol. But yes, it'll be great to have another kid."

"Exactly! And this time I'm positive that we know what we're doing, because we've been through it before, right?"

He was smiling now. "I'll get to teach the kid about spark plugs, and rubber ducks, and eckeltricity-"

I sighed, hiding a smile. "Fine, that too."

"It's going to be great to be a parent, Molly."

"I swear, it gets better every time."

August 1979- Warming

I tapped the wireless listlessly, catching vague snatches of news from various stations. "One disappearance… four break-ins… two dementor attacks…"

It was the dementor attacks that bothered me the most. If the Dark Lord really did have a few rogue dementors on his side, and they started breeding… My thoughts wandered off. Dementors embodied the very spirit of this war- the fear of the unknown, the possibility that all our happy memories might be wiped away… With every old schoolmate or friend that died, a little part of me died with them. I imagined what it would be like to lose my family…

Arthur walked in, jolting me out of my thoughts. His presence always made me feel more relieved, warming me from the inside. Like the wonderful husband he was, he saw the worried expression on my face and knew instantly what I was thinking about.

"Molly, dear, you can't stress so much. I know how you feel, but it's not good for the baby."

"I know, but that's just it. How do we know that everything- anything- that's happening is good for the baby?" I asked, my hands flying to my stomach. Even though the baby wasn't beginning to show up yet, it already felt like part of me. And I had to protect the child with my life. I grabbed a plate of scones, warming them up in the oven, trying to avoid looking into Arthur's eyes.

"Molly, love. We've had kids before, we've been through this. All you need to worry about right now is taking care of yourself and our kid. Have you been eating enough? Getting enough rest? Is there anything you need me to-"

"I'm fine, Arthur," I said, suddenly fighting the strangely warming and comforting urge to laugh. He did this every time- he'd become ridiculously overprotective, asking a million questions about my health, and I had to constantly remind him that I was carrying another life, not turning into glass. It had been just like this with Bill, Charlie, Percy, and the twins. The repetition was slightly reassuring; as though nothing had changed.

But unfortunately, I knew better.

September 1979- Dazed

"Right, time to pick a name for the baby!"

The kids cheered, but Percy looked confused. "But Mommy, we don't know if it's gonna be a boy or a girl!"

"Fair point, Molly," said Arthur, grinning at me. I was unfazed.

"Well, if it's a girl, we've had a name picked since I was pregnant with Bill, haven't we? Ginevra Molly Weasley. But if it's a boy…"

Arthur scratched his head, looking dazed. "Merlin's beard, this gets harder every time. Who's left that we can name our kids after?"

I sighed thoughtfully. "Well, we've already done Fred and George for Fabian and Gideon, and we've got Bill, which sounds like Bilius, and his middle name is Arthur... And your father was a brilliant man, but no son of mine will ever be named Septimus."

Arthur chuckled, thankfully not the slightest bit offended. "His middle name could be still Bilius. My brother would get a kick out of it. Although heaven forbid this child turns out like him."

I tried not to laugh. "Sure, Arthur. But we still need a first name."

"Hmm… how about Ron? You know, it was the name of King Arthur's spear centuries ago."

"You want to name our child after a spear?"

"Why not? Ron. It sounds rather heroic, doesn't it?"

I sighed, shrugging. "Sure. But just Ron? Shouldn't it be short for something?"

"Well, in the legend, Ron is short for Rhongomyniad…"

"No. Absolutely not."

"Yeah, I didn't think so."

"How about Ronald?" Bill piped up. I had almost forgotten that he was there.

Arthur looked thoughtful. "Ronald? It does have a nice ring to it."

Charlie and Percy nodded energetically. Arthur beamed. "Ronald, then."

"Ronald it is," I agreed. After the rest of the family had left, I felt the baby kick suddenly.

"I love you, Ronald," I whispered. "My little baby."

October 1979- Smiles

"Mommy's home!" I announced as I entered the house, carefully shutting the door behind me while trying to balance the large heap of groceries that was nestled carefully in my arms. Bill, Charlie, and Percy all chattered excitedly, eyeing the pile of food.

Arthur appeared, taking the groceries off of my hands. "How are you, love?" he said, kissing me softly on the cheek. "I'm sorry I couldn't come to the doctor's today; everything's incredibly busy at the Ministry," he said. Upon closer examination, I could see the darker, more pronounced bags under his eyes and the worry lines that creased his face. The war was taking its toll on everyone, especially those working at the Ministry, which seemed to have become a scapegoat for the rest of the Wizarding world. I rarely saw him smile when he was talking about work- but when he was surrounded by me or the kids, his face lit up like one of his Muggle lightbulbs.

"It's all right, don't worry about a thing. Except, the kids broke another plate today."

I sighed. Life was never quiet with five sons around. And after the doctor's visit, I knew that things were about to get a lot crazier.

"So, who wants to learn what kind of baby we're going to have?" This small revelation had become something of a family ritual by now.

"I think it's going to be a boy," said seven-year-old Charlie confidently.

Nine-year-old Bill poked him. "You just want another player for your Quidditch team."

"So? If we have six boys, plus Dad, we could start a real team. We could win the World Cup!"

Arthur laughed. "What if it's a girl?"

"Ew, a girl," said Bill and Charlie in unison with identical grimaces.

Three-year-old Percy looked affronted. "I think a girl would be nice."

Charlie laughed at him. "Percy wants to play with girls. Percy's a sissy."

"Charlie, be nice!" I admonished. "So, what's the consensus?"

"Boy," said Bill and Charlie together. "Girl," replied Arthur and Percy. Fred and George gurgled in their cribs.

"Well… it's a boy!" I said, clapping my hands. There was a loud cheer from around the table. Everyone smiled, happy that the family tradition of having boys was being continued.

Arthur looked slightly relieved. I knew that he had been worrying about buying new clothes and toys for the baby, but now that we knew that it was a boy, we could reuse everyone else's old stuff. I felt slightly guilty; what if this baby had to live with his brother's hand-me-downs forever? What if we couldn't provide for him?

Arthur gave me a knowing glance. He could always sense what I was thinking. "It'll be fine, Molly," he whispered quietly. "We'll manage."

I shot him a small smile, trying not to worry too much. In front of the kids, anyway.

November 1979- Star

"Merlin's beard, this baby is getting big," I groaned, leaning backwards on the sofa. Arthur sat down next to me, massaging my swollen feet.

"Did you hear about the Blacks? Orion, Regulus, and Cygnus, all dead. It was on the news this morning; the whole Ministry's buzzing about it."

I sighed. More casualties in the war. It was unfortunate that they were all from the same family, and one that was distantly related to us at that- although there were plenty of rumors about the Blacks being involved with the Dark Arts.

"I'm worried, Arthur," I confessed. I hadn't explicitly said so before now, but both of us were certainly aware of what was happening all around us. People were dying, shops were being ravaged, there were mysterious disappearances occurring everywhere. Any baby born in this time would have an uncertain future. What if me or Arthur were next? What if…

"Molly, don't think about it too much," Arthur whispered, placing his hand on top of mine. "We'll work everything out. I promise." He could sense nearly everything that she was thinking or feeling; having five children together had brought them closer than ever, and this one would be no different.

"I miss when we were younger," I whispered. Maybe I was ridiculously hormonal, but the words spilled out of me without even thinking. "I miss when we were carefree and innocent and we didn't have to worry about anything. I miss when we could wish upon a star and have complete confidence that everything would turn out okay."

Arthur put his arms around me, resting his hands on my growing stomach. "We can still do that, Molly. Actually, look, there's a shooting star right now!" he said, pointing out the window and discreetly firing a spell.

I saw the golden sparks trailing outside in the deep blue sky. "I know you did that, Arthur," I chuckled.

"I wanted you to be happy, Mollywobbles," he whispered, kissing me. I blushed.

"Thank you."

"And don't worry about a thing. Our child will have a future just as bright as every single one of the stars out there. And we'll have just as many children as all the stars out there."

I laughed. "Merlin forbid. And really, Arthur, thank you."

"Always."

December 1979- Forever

"Come on, everyone, it's time for New Year's Eve dinner!" I called, laying out six plates.

The mention of dinner was enough to bring my whole family walking (Arthur and Percy), running (Bill), jumping (Charlie), and crawling (Fred & George) to the table in under ten seconds flat.

Arthur looked confused. "Aren't you eating, Molly? You need to keep up your strength for the baby."

I sighed. "I can't eat chicken right now. I just can't. I've eaten ten tons of avocadoes already and I can't get enough, and the smell of chicken is just repulsive right now."

Arthur had a knowing expression on his face- he was all too familiar with my cravings by now. "All right, Molly, but I'll save a plate for you. This looks delicious, by the way, as always," he said, winking at me. "And I've saved up my work days from the Ministry, so I can take a few extra weeks off when the baby arrives. Thought I should mention it so you don't have to worry too much."

"Thanks, Arthur. Don't go to too much trouble, though, okay?"

He smiled at me tenderly. "Don't worry, Molly. I'll always be here for you. And the kids, and the new baby. Forever."

"I don't want anything to happen to any of us," I whispered.

"Like I said, Molly. We'll stick together forever."

"Promise you'll never leave, Arthur." I was incredibly emotional; I blamed my raging hormones for that. But even today, another five deaths and three disappearances had been reported. Today, on New Year's Eve, the war raged on.

"Never, Molly. My family will always be my number one priority. Because I love you, Mollywobbles," he said, drawing an embarrassed giggle out of me.

"I'll love you forever too, Arthur," I said quietly. Because even though I didn't know how long forever would last in this world, I knew I wanted to spend every minute of it with my family.

January 1980- Evidently

Arthur rushed through the door. "Molly, there's been incredible developments in the war; Millicent Bagnold has only been Minister for a week and has evidently been doing a lot of work already- Igor Karkaroff has been captured!"

"Oh, Arthur, that's brilliant! Who brought him in?"

"Moody, great man that he is."

"We should have him over for tea sometime."

"Mol, you know him, he'd probably go berserk and smash half our good china. How's Ronald coming along?"

"Oh, he's doing great, I went to St. Mungo's and they said the finalized due date is March 1. Could you take the day off work? And I'll arrange for babysitting for the children, just in case."

"It's going to be hard. They're working us all to the bone. Things are getting worse, Molly. Karkaroff was one victory, but He-who-must-not-be-named is swiftly gaining power." Arthur's good mood had largely faded, and I was beginning to doubt our family's safety. We might be purebloods, but the group known as the Death Eaters had already branded us as blood traitors.

I scrubbed the dishes harder, trying to absorb myself in my work and hopelessly attempting to avoid all the conflict around me. Maybe, just maybe, if I scrubbed hard enough, I could erase everything that was going on, and my family would be completely safe, and nothing would go wrong…

Arthur wrapped his arms around my waist, placing his hands on top of my busy ones and whispering in my ear. "Molly, we're not necessarily in immediate danger. And I swear, I'll do everything I can to protect us."

Bill whooped loudly from outside, doing who knows what with Charlie and Percy. I started to shush him- because who knows who could be watching us or eavesdropping, in times like these?- but Arthur stopped me. Evidently, he wanted to let the boys have their fun, before they had to grow up and become responsible. Before they became aware of all the bad things that were happening around us.

"Shhh, don't make the children worry," he whispered, glancing at the boys, who were still yelling and playing outside. "Just take it one day at a time, all right?

I nodded, taking a deep breath to steady myself. "I'll go make dinner and finish up the laundry." I sighed. "This is going to be a long war, Arthur."

"Evidently. But we'll just have to make the best of it."

"For Ronald."

"For Ronald," Arthur agreed, and went to go bring our large brood inside.

February 1980- Affinity

"Arthur, we've got an Order meeting in an hour," I called, buttoning my coat.

"Molly, are you sure you want to go? You don't need to rest or anything…"

I looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "Arthur. I'm going. This is important."

"It's not safe."

"Nothing's safe! But this is the best we can do!"

"Are we bringing food this time?"

"Yeah, treacle tart, I made it today. Lily Potter's absolutely craving it now, I talked to her yesterday," I said, chuckling. Lily had announced her pregnancy a couple weeks ago, and I wondered if our children would meet up at Hogwarts. Probably; maybe they would even become good friends.

"Merlin, everyone's got some great affinity for having kids right now… Madhari Patil's pregnant too; it's twins! And so are Frank and Alice, and d'you know Amelia Bones' sister-in-law? Her too…"

"Good, Ronald will have plenty of friends when he arrives at Hogwarts. We should all have some giant baby shower sometime…"

"Molly, the baby's due in less than a month. You're not the slightest bit nervous?"

"Done it before, Arthur, ready to do it again."

"Fine. Just be careful, don't go all ballistic about Sirius Black's motorcycle like you did last time, because you just overworry yourself…."

"Arthur, he was going to crash it through the roof. Let's go, we're going to be late, and I hate disappointing Dumbledore."

Arthur grinned slightly. "Ah, Dumbledore. D'you think he'll still be around when Ronald goes to Hogwarts?"

"Well, he's been around for a while, hasn't he? He has this great affinity for the school; he'd never leave. 'Til death do us part', right?"

I laughed. "That's good. I swear, he's the best headmaster that Hogwarts has ever seen. Oh, imagine baby Ronald going to Hogwarts already! He's growing up so fast!"

Arthur eyed me incredulously. "He hasn't even been born yet. And we've still got five other kids to put through."

"Yeah, but… oh, never mind. C'mon, let's go help save the world. One dish of treacle tart at a time."

He laughed, opening the door. I felt the cool evening breeze on my arms and almost felt like twirling around outside like I had done when I was younger.

"You'll be here soon, Ronald. And then you'll get to feel the breeze yourself," I said to the large bump in my stomach.

He kicked. I supposed he could feel the breeze already.

March 1980- Spirit

The first day of March was clear, bright, and cheerful. I hoped that was a good sign; maybe it meant that Ronald would turn out the same way? Judging by the amount he'd kicked me already, though, he was already full of spirit.

Unfortunately, I had to spend that beautiful day in a hospital. Because lovely Ronald had decided to pop out at seven in the morning, and after he had been born I had no energy to do anything but stare at the little bundle of joy that I had just delivered and was now in Arthur's arms, being rocked back and forth.

"Let me hold my son, Arthur," I said quietly, stretching out my arms. Arthur beamed and handed Ronald to me, sitting down on a hospital chair. I chuckled; sometimes I felt like the birth of my kids was more stressful on Arthur than myself. He fussed so much, but really, with men, sometimes it was best to let them think whatever they wanted to.

I felt the small weight of my baby in my arms, fidgeting slightly. His head was covered with a small orange cap that I had knitted ages ago, back when I had first found out I was pregnant, and he was wrapped in a white blanket.

I almost laughed, watching little Ronald squirm in my arms. He kicked suddenly, his little arms shaking restlessly. Merlin, he had so much spirit… and the cutest little pout on his face….

It felt so good to finally be able to hold him, after nine months of waiting.

"Who do you think he looks like?" I asked, smiling at Arthur.

"You. Definitely."

"No, he's got your nose! And your hair, I think," I said, squinting at the small fuzz that lay on top of Ron's head.

"Ah, well, he'll learn to live with it someday. Just hope he hasn't inherited the Weasley ears," Arthur said, chuckling.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I always loved those ears," I said, examining Ron's tiny little head.

"I love this baby so much. So much!"

Arthur smiled at me, completely understanding. "I know, Molly."

"Everything will be okay, right? With the war and everything?"

"Molly, you don't have to think about that now. Just think about Ron, and the rest of our family, and how happy we all are. Right here. Right now."

I nodded. "I love you, Arthur. And you, Ronald," I whispered to the spirited little baby fussing in my arms.

"Say, Molly…"

"Yeah, Arthur?"

"What do you say about having another kid?"

"It's a possibility, Mr. Weasley," I said, winking. "But for now, let's just focus on the one we have right now."

"I have a feeling he'll be a handful," Arthur chuckled.

"Come on, Arthur, come hold your baby."

We sat on the bed together for what felt like hours, holding Ronald between us, and just like every other time that I held one of my children, I felt like the happiest woman in the world.

Fin