Two Loves in a Day
Summer 1965
"Are you sure it's all right to be down here, Molly?" Fifteen year-old Arthur Weasley said, tripping on several steps down the dark and dusty staircase.
"Oh, nonsense, Artie. My old Aunt Muriel hasn't been down here in ages." Molly's wavy, ginger hair seemed to glow in the dim light as she laughed.
"Well, yes, that's true, but – suppose there are doxies or spiders lurking about."
"Honestly, Artie, we're fifteen. We're practically of age! Where's your sense of adventure?"
Molly lit her wand, Arthur following hastily. He and Molly had been close friends for ages, but it struck him as surprising that she'd asked him to meet her here out of the blue.
"And just what did you say we were looking for down here?"
"Oh, just this and that," she grinned. "Oh look, these must be the postcards from my Uncle Ignatius – Muriel never did approve of his career as a flying carpet salesman."
Arthur picked up a brush from a small desk. "I don't think this was your Uncle Iggy's."
Molly stifled a laugh, smacking Arthur playfully on the arm. "Don't be ridiculous, Artie; that's Muriel's, and she'll skin you alive if she sees anyone tarnishing the silver."
He twirled it coolly in his hand. "I suppose it would look nice running through your hair."
"What did you say?" She looked at him inscrutably, trying to decipher what he'd meant.
Honestly, Arthur wasn't even sure himself what he'd meant. It had just sort of – slipped out. "I, er, well, look at that – Iggy must have gone to Mexico…" He shuffled over to the postcards and began staring at the top one with far too focused an expression.
"You know, Artie. It's all right to compliment friends – even if they're girls."
"Of course," he muttered, "it's just Mexico…"
"Arthur Weasley, that is The Great Wall of China!"
He jumped at Molly's shout. "So it is," he answered sheepishly. "Oh, and look, Iggy's written something on the back. 'Do not regret growing old. It is a privilege denied to many.' "
The quote seemed to have distracted Molly from her rant, as she now was leaning close to the postcard to get a better look. Her hair smelled like wildflowers…
"What a complete load of rubbish," Molly interrupted his scattered thoughts. "Growing old, having families – such old fashioned notions."
Arthur frowned. "You don't want to have a family someday?"
Molly peered up at him, and to his surprise she blushed scarlet, turning away quickly. "Well, perhaps someday – with the right person."
They poked around the dimly lit room for a few more minutes when Arthur spotted several glimmering reflections from the opposite side of the room.
"What's over there?" he breathed with curiosity.
She tugged him over to an old work table, and her eyes brightened widely. "Oh, Artie, you're going to love this!"
Molly abruptly put out the light in her wand, and Arthur suddenly couldn't agree less.
"Molly, we really ought to leave one of our wands lit incase—" Without warning he felt Molly slide between himself and the creaky table in front of him as she rummaged around. "—incase…"
"I know it's here somewhere. Accio. Accio."
Arthur thought about telling her it would be easier to summon things with a light on, but she kept shifting in front of him, and all rational thinking seemed to float right out the window.
"Er, Molly, perhaps you shouldn't—" Merlin's socks, he couldn't even finish a sentence.
Without warning, she turned to face him, and Arthur couldn't help but notice that their bodies were now flush against each other.
"What was that, Artie?"
"Well, I—" he swallowed thickly, feeling the red rise in his cheekbones. "—It's just that you …"
Molly laughed lightly. "Oh, come on, Arthur Weasley. You're not afraid of the dark, are you?"
"It's not exactly the dark I'm concerned about…" he trailed off dizzily.
"Well, what is it then?" He could hear the teasing smile in her voice.
"Well, you and I, Molly – well, we're best friends, and—"
He felt Molly creep up on her tip-toes and wrap her arms around his neck, Arthur shivering as she leaned in to whisper in his ear. "—And we'll always be best friends, Arthur."
Arthur was about to reply when he felt Molly's lips brush against his. A fevered heat immediately started to wriggle its way from the pit of his stomach into his chest, and his hands began moving of their own accord, wrapping themselves tightly around her shoulders.
Merlin, how could he have been so dense? Their kiss lengthened, going deeper with each passing second, until Molly pulled away unexpectedly.
"Of course – now I remember where I left it!"
"Hold on, what?" Arthur was more confused than ever.
"Accio!" He heard a dull thunk land in Molly's hand as she squealed excitedly.
"So you really did want to show me something then? We didn't come down here just to…"
He blushed profusely, not willing to finish his statement.
"Of course not, Artie; don't be silly! I know you've never seen any muggle contraptions up close, and when I found this I just had to show you."
Arthur grimaced slightly. "And just how are we supposed to see this contraption in this absolutely pitch-black cellar?"
"Just you wait and see, Arthur Weasley."
A button clicked, and suddenly the entire room was aglow with a bright yellow light.
"What in Godric's grandfather's name is that?" Arthur's eyes lit up with wonder and amazement.
Molly beamed behind the contained blaze. "This – my dear, best friend – is a torch."
Arthur was astonished, gazing right into the oddly shaped, shining bulb. "And you say muggles made this?"
Molly grinned. "I learned about it in my Muggle Studies course. Muggles are a fair bit more intriguing than you give them credit for."
"You don't say…" He was hardly listening. Arthur took the flashlight in his hands, feeling the cool edges of the silvery cylinder in his fingers. It was utterly amazing that someone without magic could make something so perfectly fascinating. What other miraculous objects had muggles made? Arthur was suddenly dying to know…
"Artie?" Molly waved a hand in front of his face. "Arthur, have you heard a word I've said?"
"What was that, Molly?" He lifted his head vaguely.
"I said you can keep it if you like. There's plenty of muggle odds and ends down here anyhow."
Arthur's smile was uncontainable as he grasped Molly, pulling her into an impromptu kiss. After several seconds he pulled back breathlessly and grinned again.
"I love it, Molly." …I love you, Molly.
End.
Thanks for reading! I've never done a Molly/Arthur pairing before and found it to be much more difficult than I would have thought, but I enjoyed working outside the box. Hope you liked! -V