Molly sat curled up in the chair by the fire. The rest of Gryffindors were spending the morning packing for break but she and her brothers had resigned to stay at the school for the holidays. Just as she turned the page in her book and pair of hands covered her eyes. "Good morning, Prewett." She brought her own hands up to bring down her mystery greeter's. As she did he came around for a kiss. "Arthur! Oh my goodness I wasn't sure what was going to happen to you after last night. I was so worried when Pringle caught you. Are you alright?" As she went in to hug him, Arthur winced. "I'm alright. Nothing a little rest won't fix." Molly knew he was probably trying to act tough for her sake, but she also knew the caretaker had a particular way of punishing students. She moved the thought from her mind as Arthur brushed a piece of her hair from her face. She liked to believe she was a strong independent woman but there was something about this Weasley boy that made her weak.
"Are you all packed for the holidays?" Arthur asked as they sat back down. "Oh we're not going home this year. My parents think we'll be more safe if we stay here given everything that is going on." Arthur looked down at his feet and shuffled them awkwardly as he mumbled in agreement. Molly smiled at him and snuggled up next to him, lying her head on his shoulder. "Is everything alright, my love?" Arthur relaxed a bit at the sound of her endearment. He stood up again and starting pacing in front of the couch. "I was wondering,well that is to say I was hoping, but only if you want, and Fabian and Gideon, of course, and…." Molly stood up and giggled. "Out with it already Weasley." Arthur took a deep breath. "Would you like to spend Christmas with me and my family this year? Your brothers are welcome to come too of course." Molly face was somewhere between realization and nervous shock but at the sound of being included Molly's younger twin brothers jumped over the couch to stand in front of the couple. "You mean we don't have to stay cooped up in this castle for the holiday. Count us in!" The twins high fived and then raced off to pack. Molly nervously chuckled. "Guess it's Merry Christmas at the Weasley house this year."
As Molly packed her trunk her roommates walked into the girl's dormitory. "Hey Prewett, we hear you had a real….interesting evening with Weasley. Care to share?" Rebecca English nudged Samantha Lane and they both started laughing. "It was actually quite a nice evening, thank you," Molly completely ignored the girls insinuation of Arthur being anything less than a gentleman. "Don't you ladies have somewhere else to be?" The voice came from behind them. The mean girls turned around to see Violet Sanders, Molly's best friend and Head Girl,standing in the doorway. "Run along now. Oh and Happy Christmas." The girls rolled their eyes and left the room. Violet bounded toward her friend and sat down on her bed. "I thought you were staying here for the holidays. What happened?" Molly tried to smile but she could only imagine what it looked like to Violet.
"Well...Arthur invited me to spend Christmas with his family." Violet's eyes lit up and excitedly said, "That's amazing. Though I care to wager that may not be the only thing he's planning on asking." Molly's heart skipped a beat and her eyes widened. "What's wrong love? Are you not excited about spending Christmas with your strapping young ginger?" Molly caught herself smiling at her friends description. "It's not that I'm not excited. I love Arthur and the thought of not being with him for two weeks does kind of make me feel ill. It's just… well...I've never met his parents. What if they don't like me? What if I make a fool out of myself? What if they think I'm not good enough for their son." Molly said all of this so fast she wasn't even sure the words coming out were in English. Violet stood up and placed her hands on Molly's shoulders to stop her pacing. "Molly Louise Prewett, you are a wonderful, beautiful, quirky woman and if they can't see that the two of you belong together than may the Weasleys be damned." Molly smiled. She could always count on her friend to give her the kick in the ass she needed. "Your absolutely right. I guess I have some Christmas presents to knit." She winked at her friend and returned to her packing.
"So Weasley, you must really like our sister,huh?" Arthur was in the boys dormitory finishing up his packing when Fabian and Gideon walked in the room. "Of course I do. But why would you say it like that?" The twins came in and stood on either side of Arthur. "Well rumor in the halls is that there is a very specific reason you asked is all to come for Christmas and I don't think it has anything to do with how good your mother's Christmas goose is." Arthur dropped the pair of socks he was working on balling up. It rolled under his bed and he dived for it in order to hide the fact that his face had probably become as red as his hair. From under the bed the twins heard his muffled words. "I don't know what you mean. I just want to spend the holiday with my beautiful girlfriend and her brothers." Not ones to be ran away from the twins got on the ground and poked their head under the bed. Arthur emitted a sharp "yip" in surprise. "I dare say brother, I'm not sure if Weasley here is good enough for our sister." Fabian put on his best authoritative voice. Gideon looked at his brother confused but Fabian nodded toward Arthur who was hanging his head. "Oh," Gideon coughed and deepened his voice, "Well I don't know about that brother. He has potential." Gideon nudged Fabian and winked. Arthur dropped his head even further. "You're right. Who am I kidding? Molly is wonderful. Why would she want to spend her life with me?" Realizing how sincere Arthur was in his disappointment in himself, the twins crawled out from under the bed, crawled over it, grabbed Arthur by the ankles and pulled him out as well. "We were just giving you the mickey, mate. Molls loves you." Fabian said. Gideon nodded in agreement. "It's true mate. You're all she talked about all summer. Bit annoying really." The twins clapped Arthur on the back and he seemed to brighten a little. "Let's make this holiday a Christmas she'll never forget."
The students who were going home for the holidays were escorted down to Hogsmeade station to catch the train. It had snowed the night before transforming the village into a winter wonderland. The shop windows were all decorated and Madame Rosmerta was hanging a wreath on the door of the Three Broomsticks. Everyone was ladened with not only their usual trunks but also all of the gifts for their families. Molly carried several parcels as she had finished knitting all of her gifts the night before. Violet was talking excitedly next to her but Molly was watching Arthur walking with her brothers up ahead. The three men were enchanting snowballs to fly at each other and Molly giggled as Professor McGonagall reprimanded them. The girls caught up to them just as they reached the train. They found a compartment toward the back and were delighted to see it too was decorated for the holiday. The group spent the ride teasing each other with the mistletoe they found in the hallway and Fabian spent a fair amount of time flirting with Violet. When the Trolley Witch came around they bought so many treats they nearly cleared the cart. As the train pulled into Kings Cross the twins were just finishing a resounding rendition of Jingle Bells.
"Hey look! It's my mum and dad!" Arthur exclaimed as he peered out the window. All of the kids ran to stick their heads out of the car. "Oh and there's my dads!" Violet stuck her arm out the window and waved vigorously at her parents. When the train pulled to a stop everyone grabbed their belongings and started to exit. Molly hung back and took a deep breath. She peeked out the window once more to see if she could get another glance at her beloved's parents. There were so many families on the platform it was hard to make anyone out. "Are you coming, love?" Arthur, once discovering that Molly was not with the rest of them, had turned back. He could see the look in her eyes and closed the space between them. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of the her head. "Everything is going to be okay. They will love you as much as I do. Absolutely nothing to worry about." Molly smiled and with her hand in his they exited the train.
Molly's breath got caught in throat once more when they arrived at the spot where Cedrella and Septimus Weasley stood. Septimus had fiery red hair and it was easy to see which parent Arthur resembled. He had a warm smile and embraced his son when they approached. Cedrella, however, was much more poised. She seemed to be a woman who enjoyed for things to have a place and be in said place at all times. Whether she had been exiled from her family or not, she was raised in a home of refinement and it showed. But Molly noticed something about her eyes. There was a sense of a fighter behind those eyes. The world was becoming a dark place and Cedrella had seen too much of it already. She, too, welcomed her son home with a hug and a soft kiss on the cheek.
"Mum. Dad. I'd like you to finally meet Molly Prewett. The best thing that has ever happened to me." Arthur extended his hand to take hers, beaming as he said the words. Molly came in close to his side with a smile as wide as the Nile. Septimus jumped for joy and immediately hugged Molly which caught her completely off guard. When he let go she toppled slightly backward. Arthur laughed and caught her causing a giggle to come from everyone. "My dear you've had a very short life to assume anything could be the best thing. You have much more life to live." Cedrella stepped forward extending her hand. "All the same it is a pleasure to meet you my dear and we are honored to host you in our home for the holidays." Molly took her hand and did her very best to smile though this woman terrified her. Fabian and Gideon bounded forward, not ones to be forgotten. "Hiya! We're Molly's younger but much better looking brothers. I'm Gideon, that's Fabian. Oh wait nope. Switch that around. Blimey, mate. You didn't tell us what a looker your mum was. Pleasure to meet you ma'am." Fabian took her hand and kissed it. Cedrella looked as if she didn't know whether to be flattered or repulsed. "Very well, the car is around front of the station. Grab your things and lets get home quickly. They say it's supposed to start snowing again pretty soon. Let me help you with some of those, dear." Septimus corralled the group toward the front of the station after taking Molly's parcels from her.
The Weasley owned a nice town car. The group was able to pile in comfortably in the back seat. Septimus found a station on the radio that was playing Christmas music and everyone settled in for the trip home.
The drive was a quiet one. Molly watched as the countryside flew by covered in a blanket of freshly fallen snow. As they approached the Weasley house she was pleasantly surprised. It looked like it belonged on a Christmas card. The fence around the house was draped in lights and garland. The walkway was flanked by a dozen miniature Christmas trees. The lights on the porch twinkled rhythmically. Septimus opened the door and the smell of apple cider and cinnamon washed over Molly. She felt as if she was being wrapped in a warm hug. Maybe this wasn't going to be such a bad break after all. Arthur came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He leaned in for a kiss but Molly spotted Cedrella out of the corner of her eye and turned her head and his kiss landed on her cheek. Molly smiled sheepishly and turned toward her boyfriend. "Where shall I take my things?" Arthur took her bags and started up the stairs. "Follow me, my love. I'll show you to your room. Plus I need to talk to you about something. " Molly was grateful for a moment alone and eager to know what was going on in Arthur's head. "Nice try, Casanova. I'll show your lovely girlfriend where she will be staying. You can go help your father in the yard. Your brothers will be arriving shortly." Cedrella started up the stairs leaving Molly to carry her trunk. "Are you coming, child, or do you plan to sleep on the floor?" Molly snapped back to attention, grabbed her trunk, and ran to catch up. Cedrella turned down the hallway. "This is where your brothers will be staying, in here with Arthur. My older sons share this room here. This is mine and Mr. Weasley's room. And here is where you will be staying." Cedrella opened the door and flicked her wand to light the room. The room was barely the size of a broom cupboard, the only light came from a single bulb above the very small cot. Not one to seem ungrateful, Molly turned to thank Cedrella. "Thank you Mrs. Weasley. I greatly appreciate you welcoming me into your home." Cedrella look down at Molly. "For the record, child, I was against you coming here. My husband, however, convinced me to allow it. As I've shown you, you have to pass our bedroom to get to either of yours and I have my eye on you young lady." She turned to go back down stairs leaving Molly standing dejectedly at the door of her room. Molly dragged her trunk into the room and squeezed in between the cot and the wall. She pulled the blanket she brought with her everywhere and laid it carefully on the bed. She laid back and stared at the ceiling. So far, her worst fears were being realized. Arthur's mother hated her. What was she going to do? How was she going to convince her that they belonged together?
"Are you going to stay up there all night sis?" Molly sat up when she heard her brothers voice. "We're building snowmen and we need your expertise." She stood up and straightened out her sweater. She couldn't very well hide up here for the next two weeks. As she came down the stairs, she could hear more voices who hadn't been here before going upstairs. She grabbed her coat and scarf off the hook by the door and opened the back door just as a snowball came flying right at her. "Sorry babe!" Arthur shouted from across the yard. Molly laughed and packed her own snowball. "Oh that's fine, my love! All's fair in love and WAR!" She threw the ball and it sailed perfectly across the yard landed directly in the center of Arthur's chest. "Good one, Mols!" Snowballs flew from all directions as the kids naturally separated into teams. Molly and her brothers against Arthur and the two men she assumed were his brothers. The next half hour was all out chaos until, "Kids, your mother said dinner is almost ready. Best get in here and get dried off." All six of them ran for the door and the boys fought to be the first one through. They fell into a pile on the rug in the entryway. "Now really, must you all act like animals. Go get dried off and changed and then I need one of you boys to help set the table." Molly saw this as an opportunity to get in Mrs. Weasley's good graces. "I can help, ma'am. Whatever you need." Cedrella cut her eyes at her. "My boys can handle it. Besides, nobody likes a brown noser." Once again, Molly felt a shiver go down her spine as though Mrs. Weasley had dropped a bucket of ice water on her head. The crew went up stairs and started grabbing dry clothes.
As Molly stood in her tiny room there was a knock at the door. She opened it to find one of Arthur's brothers. "Knock, knock. Hey I just wanted to say sorry about my mum. She's like that a lot. You should see the way she's treated some of my old girlfriends. She's just extremely territorial over her boys. I'm Tristan by the way. We haven't been properly introduced yet. My little brother has no manners." As if he heard the insult, Arthur poked his head in the door. "Hey now, you're not in here trying to charm my girl, are you?" Tristan laughed before grabbing his brother in a headlock. "Wouldn't dream of it, bro. He's all yours." He said with a wink as he left the room. Molly smiled at Arthur, happy to be alone. "Well now that we're alone, about what I needed to talk to you about." But suddenly, there stood Cedrella. "Mum did you just apparate up here? Did you set some sort of sensor in Molly's room to detect when we were alone?" He laughed at what he obviously thought was a joke. "Yes. Yes I did." Cedrella said matter-of-factly. Molly stood rooted in her spot biting her tongue so hard she thought it might bleed. "Now get downstairs. Both of you."
Down in the dining room, the smell of roast filled the air. "Wow mum, smells great!" Arthur reached across the table. Cedrella smacked his hand away. "I taught you better than that. Where are your manners?" Arthur shook his hand as if shaking away the pain. Everyone sat around the table, with Molly sitting between Arthur and Fabian. Food was passed around and conversations were held quietly. Molly was introduced to Arthur's other brother Lance, who was getting along famously with Fabian and Gideon. Septimus clinked his knife against his glass and all heads turned his way. "We are so happy to have all of our boys home for Christmas. We are also honored to have you and your brothers here with us Molly." Cedrella scoffed. Molly had had enough. She couldn't hold her tongue anymore. She stood up and slammed her hands on the table. "What is your problem with me? You don't even know me and you've already formed what seems to he an unchangeable opinion. What could I have possibly done?" Cedrella smirked and stood. She folded her hands in front of before speaking. "Well this little outburst is a good start. But Don't think that Ms. Pringle didn't send us an owl about your little escapades last night. Our son was almost expelled, almost had his future completely ruined over some trollop. You're just a phase, my dear. All my sons have gone through them. You won't be around for long so what's the point?" At this Arthur finally stood up. "Mother you have no right. Last night was not Molly's fault. I convinced her to go out and break curfew. I was the one to convince her to run back to the tower and leave me. I would do anything for her even if it meant never going back to Hogwarts. I love her and I plan for her to be around for a very long time." He took Molly's hand and looked her in the eye. "Don't be ridiculous. You're 17. You're still a child." Molly took a deep breath. "Fabian, Gideon, clearly we are not truly welcome here. I feel like it's time to return to the castle." Arthur tried to stop her but Molly wasn't hearing any of his pleads. She quickly whipped her wand around her room to repack her trunk then went up the hall to do the same with her brothers. Enchanting all three to follow behind her Molly was back downstairs before the twins even had a chance to make it upstairs. Arthur was standing at the door prepared to stop her. "Arthur Weasley, move. There's no point in fighting me on this. She doesn't want me here and I'm not going to stick around some place just to be insulted. Enjoy your holiday and hopefully I'll see you when term restarts." Molly pushed past him as he tried to object again. "Let's go boys." Fabian and Gideon followed behind mainly just confused by the entire interaction. They shook hands with Tristan, Lance, Septimus, and finally Arthur as they walked out the door. Cedrella stood on the stairwell watching over everything looking quite pleased with herself.
Molly was already halfway up the street before she realized that everything had happened so fast that she hadn't really thought about how they were going to get back. She had her apparition license but the boys didn't. She'd never done a ride along but she was going to have to today. There was no way she was going back inside to use their Floo. The boys caught up to her as she stood in the middle of the road. "Well that was fun but is the end of your grand plan to get run over on Christmas eve?" Molly let a tear fall down her cheek. "Come on Mols. Only joking." Both her brothers hugged her tight. "Alright guys. Hold on tight. We're apparating back to school. I should be able to get us back to Hogsmeade." The twins looked a little worried but decided not to push it. They all held on to each other as if their lives depending on it and closed their eyes. There was the familiar pull in their belly button and then they felt their feet hit the packed snow. They opened their eyes and stood in the lane at Hogsmeade. "Everybody make it back in one piece?" The twins dramatically patted themselves down and then checked each other? "Might be missing a hair or two but other than that, all good!" They made their trip up the road to the school, Molly thinking about the travesty of Christmas Eve.
Christmas morning was pretty uneventful. Molly stayed in dorm most of the time. She went to her brothers room to give them their presents and to open hers. The twins each opened their packages to find knitted sweaters with their initials on them. They threw them on immediately trying to cheer up their sister. She smiled sweetly and opened her present from them. Inside was a new pair of enchanted knitting needles and some sparkly yarn. The trio also received parcels from their parents which held sweet treats and Molly got a new pair of warm gloves. When the twins decided to go downstairs to eat, Molly went back to her room greeted by an owl tapping on her window. Attached to his leg was a small parcel and a letter. She opened the window and took the package, letting the owl snack on treats on her bed. She opened the letter to find that it was from Arthur.
'My Love, I am sorry for everything that happened. I hope that you can forgive me for my mother's brash demeanor. I love you to the end of the Earth, Molly Prewett. If you don't hate me completely please take this token of my affection and meet me on the grand staircase as the clock strikes midnight on New Years Eve.'
Molly opened the parcel and inside was a small silver ball. She smiled remembering the first meal that Arthur spoke to her. The ball had come sailing down the table and landed in Molly's plate. Turns out Arthur had been playing around with some older kids and it got out of hand. It was still a few years before Arthur got the courage to ask her out but she still remembers that awkward sweet smile.
The rest of the week went by in a blur. Molly went down to dinner a few times with her brothers but most of the time she stayed in her room or studied in the library. Finally it was New Years Eve and some of the students had started arriving. Professor Dumbledore had planned a spectacular fireworks show that was sure to awe. Violet found Molly early in the morning and wanted to know everything about what had happened. "Your owl was a little lacks on details." Molly recounted her dinner from Hell. She also told her about Arthur's sweet note and cryptic message. "What do you think he's planning?" Violet asked. Molly had no idea. She had planned on going down to see the show in just her pjs but Violet was not hearing it. "No ma'am. We're getting done up." The girls spent the rest of the evening getting dolled up as Violet shared her Christmas stories.
The girls walked down from the tower together and all of the students who had returned were filing down the stairs. Blankets were set out on the lawn and platters of snacks were floating around. The Hogwarts choir sang celebratory songs to ring in the new year. Fabian and Gideon ran around the lawn chasing girls with sparklers. Molly looked around for Arthur but couldn't see him anywhere. Up in the sky Dumbledore had enchanted giant numbers to show the time and they currently showed 11:57. "I guess I should head inside. Do you want to come with me?" Fabian came running up behind Violet and tickled her. "I think I'm going to stay out here. But you'll be fine. He loves you. You know that." Molly walked in through the large doors at the entrance. There were students milling around in the foyer and walking from the Great Hall to the lawn. She still didn't spot Arthur. She walked to the top of the stairs to get a better vantage point. As she did the students parted ways and started to whisper. Molly had never felt more like people were talking about her than right this moment.
"Molly Prewett!" She turned and there was Arthur standing in the middle of all the students. "Molly, I love you. That much you know is true. I know I have flaws. I know my mother is, well, a witch. But I promise to work on it. As it's the time to make resolutions, let me tell you a few of mine. I resolve to always take your side. Even when it seems impossible that you're right, because you usually are. I resolve to always take you on adventures. You deserve the world. And above all, Molly, I resolve to love you for the rest of my life. I wanted to do this when we had a moment alone because I know you don't like huge scenes but I can't wait another minute. Molly Louise Prewett, will you marry me?" Arthur dropped to one knee and the crowd of students burst into cheers. Molly noticed her brothers and Violet standing in the front beaming at her. There was no question of her answer. The large clock began to chime midnight and the fireworks began to burst outside. Molly ran down the stairs right into Arthur's arms, nearly knocking him over. "You better believe I'll marry you, Weasley." She kissed him and all the noise of the crowd and fireworks faded away. There in that moment, standing in the school, with a war going on out beyond the wall, all that mattered was him.