This is a little oneshot written for Morning Lilies' 'Forgotten Family Ties Competition.' My characters were Molly(I) and Molly (II) and my prompt was 'Clock'. If there's any confusion about which Molly I'm referring to in any line of the story, (I haven't used I and II through the story because it didn't seem right) please let me know and I will fix it.
I hope you like it! Please read and review!
Disclaimer: I don't own HP.
Molly smiled at the week-old infant Percy had placed in her arms. She knew this little girl would be one of her favourite grandchildren.
"We've decided to name her Molly," said Percy. He looked happier than his mother has ever seen him. "She's going to grow up to be a loving, caring, kind, forgiving, wonderful woman...just like her namesake."
Molly's eyes grew moist at those words and a little, hot tear splashed onto the little baby's face. The girl's eyes opened and her face scrunched up as she began to cry. "Hush Molly-Lolly, it's just your Grandma Molly," Molly whispered bouncing the baby up and down. The girl didn't quiet down.
"Here mum," said Percy. He brought his wristwatch close to his daughter's ear. Immediately, she began to calm down, slowly dozing off again.
Molly looked at Percy in surprise. He shrugged.
"She has this strange obsession with clocks. Audrey reckons the ticking soothes her," he said.
Molly smiled, looking at the Weasley clock on the mantelpiece, "Maybe someday she'll have her own special clock."
Little Molly's fascination with clocks grew with her. She especially loved going to the Burrow on her birthdays because she knew her grandma would have something clock-related for her while the others all have her something different in the hope of drawing her away from her strange obsession.
On her third birthday-
"Happy birthday Molly-Lolly. Here's your present."
Three-year-old Molly took the squishy package from her grandmother eagerly. She tore apart the wrappings and gasped. A plush alarm clock with a big smiley face lay on the table.
"I love it Gramma, thank you! I'm going to call him Tocky," she squealed.
"Push his nose," suggested the older Molly. Little Molly pushed the nose and squirmed with delight as it ticked softly, comfortingly.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said, nearly knocking her grandmother over as she tackled her in a hug.
On her fourth birthday, Molly received a jumper with a clock on the front. On her fifth birthday, her grandmother took her to see Big Ben. The look of awe and happiness on the little child's face made the older Molly extremely happy too.
On her sixth birthday, Molly sat on her grandmother's lap, eating a slice of (clock shaped) birthday cake. "Grandma Molly, why don't you have any clocks at the Burrow?" she asked.
"Oh I do have a clock, but it doesn't tell time," replied her grandmother.
"That's impossible! All clocks tell time!"
"Well this one doesn't." Molly lifted the little girl off her lap and went into the kitchen. When she returned, she was carrying the old Weasley clock. "You see, I don't need to know the time as much as I need to know where all my children are."
Six-year-old Molly gaped at the clock. "It's really pretty," she whispered.
"It was a wedding present from my brothers," the older Molly said, stroking the clock fondly.
Little Molly was peering closely at the names on the hands of the clock. "Why don't I have a hand on your clock?" she demanded indignantly.
Her grandmother laughed. "I'm sorry Molly-Lolly. I don't know how to make more hands appear. They just turned up whenever one of your dad's siblings was born."
Molly nodded slowly. She loved this new clock that didn't tell time just as much as she loved her Tocky.
But disaster struck just a few months after little Molly's seventh birthday.
The entire Weasley-Potter clan had gathered at the Burrow to celebrate Lily's birthday in the backyard. Like her father, Molly didn't like gatherings very much. She always felt a little uncomfortable with all the noise and crowd. Whenever she felt overwhelmed or claustrophobic in the crowd at any family gathering, she would go back inside with Tocky to relax a bit.
Today, too, she slipped inside when everyone began surrounding Lily. She clutched her favourite toy close as she sat in the kitchen. Her eyes strayed to the cabinet where her grandmother kept her favourite clock. She wasn't allowed to touch it when she was alone but she adored the clock. With a furtive glance around, she opened the cabinet and lifted out the rather heavy object, Tocky still tucked under her arm. As she walked back to the kitchen table, Tocky began to slip out from under her arm and in her haste to hold on to her favourite toy, she let Grandma Molly's clock slip through her little hands.
With a loud crash, the old clock fell. Nuts and gears and glass flew everywhere as it shattered. Molly gazed in horror at the mess. She heard footsteps running to the kitchen. Afraid of getting caught, she slipped out the back quickly, pretending as though she had been outside the whole time. When no one was looking, she slipped ran around the house to the kitchen window and listened to the voices floating out to the yard.
"Oh, Arthur, that was my favourite wedding present! The pieces are too small to repair now, even using magic," came Grandma Molly's sad voice.
"It was one of a kind too. Who do you think did this?" Grandpa Arthur said.
"I don't know, it could have been any of the children, they all knew where I kept it. It's a pity it's ruined." Grandma Molly sounded like she was crying. "And little Molly –" Molly stiffened outside, "- will be so disappointed. The little one loves clocks, this one in particular."
When everyone went inside, a dazed Molly found herself being hugged tightly by her grandmother. "I'm sorry, Molly-Lolly. I know that was your favourite clock," Grandma Molly whispered.
Molly pushed her back. "Aren't you sad, Grandma? It was your favourite to!" she said.
"Of course I am dear. I wish I could get it back. But I've had it for a long time and you've only enjoyed it for a year," her grandmother replied.
Four hours later, little Molly sat on her bed, swinging her legs back and forth. She felt terrible. She had felt incredibly guilty when her grandma had told her that she was more sad that she, Molly, was going to be sad rather than because her favourite clock was broken. Two more tears leaked out of Molly's already red eyes. She had spoiled her beloved grandmother's favourite wedding present from her brothers. Molly knew she would be very sad and angry if someone broke Tocky or anything Lucy gave her as a gift.
Now, she had made Grandma Molly miserable. "I'll fix it," she told herself, "I'll get Grandma a new clock."
But she didn't know magic and she couldn't ask for help. An idea occurred to her. She picked up a big sheet of paper and began to draw…
Molly, the Weasley matriarch, walked into her kitchen the next morning and gasped. The cabinet that had held her old clock was open and inside, sat a large round sheet of paper. Carefully cut clock hands were pinned to the middle to make them movable and things like 'TRAVELYNG', 'HOME', and 'WORK' were written in red crayon around the edges. It was a perfect replica of her old clock but it was just drawn on paper.
Molly ran up to get Arthur and he too was delighted to see the new clock. "It's a pity the hands can't move on their own though," he commented.
Audrey turned up just then saying little Molly wanted to spend the week with her grandmother. Molly excitedly took her little granddaughter to see the new clock, gushing about how pretty and kind and thoughtful it was. She didn't see the small, secret, happy smile that brightened the child's face.
It turned out Arthur was wrong about the clock's hands being unable to move on their own. When Molly went to the kitchen at ten, all her children's hands were pointing at 'WORK.' Arthur's was at 'TOOLSHED,' and hers was at 'HOME.' When she came back around lunchtime to get things ready for Bill and Fleur who were coming over for lunch, Bill's hand was at 'TRAVELYNG.' When she went to answer the door a few minutes later and returned to the kitchen, Bill's hand was at 'HOME'. Somehow, the hands were moved around according to the Weasleys' daily routine.
This went on for three days. On the fourth day, Molly found out how it was happening. She had gone out to feed the chickens and was passing by the kitchen window. When she looked in, she saw little Molly moving one of the hands and then running out. In a flash, Molly understood. Little Molly was the one who had broken her clock and this was her way of making it up to her grandmother. Children never failed to amaze Molly. She didn't tell her granddaughter that she had seen her, however. She knew little Molly would tell her someday herself when she was ready.
That day turned out to be much later than Molly had expected. Little Molly found out what all the Weasleys were doing over the week with some innocent questions and updated the clock diligently. When she wasn't at the Burrow, she'd sneak in through the Floo and keep the clock's hands moving. When she got her Hogwarts letter, her grandmother gave her a brand new gold wristwatch.
Molly (not so little now) had looked guilty but she'd accepted the gift. Even when she was at Hogwarts, the clock's hands changed positions perfectly. Molly spotted the young girl Apparating in with a Hogwarts house-elf to keep the clock updated. When she had classes, she'd send the house-elf alone.
The older Molly was impressed. Most seven-year-olds would forget about their misdeeds but her little Molly-Lolly was doing so much to get her grandma's clock back. She suspected being Percy's child had something to do with the girl's sound morals too. When young Molly reached her fifth year, she learnt how to use a Protean Charm and worked the clock from Hogwarts.
She had no idea that her grandmother rather missed hiding outside the kitchen when her granddaughter came in to move the hands.
Finally, in the summer before her seventh year, Molly pulled her grandmother into the kitchen, a large package in her hands.
"What's this all about Molly-Lolly?" Molly asked. Her little Molly was a tall, beautiful young woman now. But she still looked as guilty as the seven-year-old she had once been.
"Grandma," Molly began nervously, "ten years ago, your favourite clock was broken." She looked down. "I did it. I disobeyed you and handled it on my own and – and it slipped – and – I didn't mean to drop it, I just –" Molly stopped abruptly as she felt a warm, wrinkled hand on her own. She looked up to find her grandmother smiling kindly at her.
"I know. I've known ever since you made me that fine replacement," said the older lady, nodding at the worn paper clock that still stood in the cabinet.
Molly's jaw dropped. "You knew it was me? You saw me changing the hands? But why didn't you say anything? You should have yelled at me! I made you so sad, I'm sorry."
"Molly, you broke my clock but you were caring enough to cry because I was sad. You were strong enough to feel guilty and you were loving enough to go to so much trouble to try and make me a new clock. How can I be angry with someone as wonderful as you?" Grandma Molly's words were gentle and loving.
Molly handed her the large package she'd brought. "Here Grandma, this is your early birthday present."
The older lady unwrapped the package curiously, just like little Molly had unwrapped Tocky on her sixth birthday. Her eyes filled with tears when she saw the gift. A large round clock sat on the table. The rim and hands and carvings were just like the ones on her old clock. But, there were more hands now. There was one for James and Victoire and Teddy and everyone. And the face of the clock was the very familiar smiling face of –
"Tocky," breathed Grandma Molly.
"I merged him into it. Now both our favourite clocks are in one," smiled Molly.
Her grandmother hugged her tightly. "It's absolutely wonderful! Thank you! I'm so proud of you."
Molly hugged her back. "Thank you grandma. Thank you for being my role model. Thank you…for helping me grow up into a real Molly."
How was it? Please do review and let me know :)