Five-year-old Molly had always wanted a big family, ever since her brothers Fabian and Gideon went to Hogwarts and left her all alone by herself. She had cried for hours, because now who was going to play with her? It was then that she promised herself that she was going to grow up and have lots of little kids so she could be part of a big happy family.

When she was fifteen, she started going out with Arthur. He was everything she wanted- funny, brave, kind, caring, he believed in equality for Muggles- and he shared her dream of having a big family. He had grown up with only his brother Bilius, who was a bit loopy anyway. She had daydreamed, young teenager that she was, about marrying Arthur and taking care of a house and having a large family. Her classmates wanted to go on and do great things, like working in the Ministry or playing professional Quidditch, but Molly would be perfectly content at home with Arthur just being a mom.

By the time she was nineteen, there were plenty of rumors about a dark wizard about to rise to power. She was still together with Arthur and incredibly, marriage was a very real possibility. In the midst of all the rumors and confusion, she realized that her childhood dream actually might come true.

Age twenty, she married Arthur in a beautiful wedding ceremony. Not too fancy, because that wasn't her style, but it was beautiful anyway. She had never felt happier in her life, surrounded by her family and flowers and cake and everything and everyone she loved.

Age 21, their first child was born. William Arthur Weasley was everything that Molly had ever dreamed of. She had a family now. She was in love. She had a beautiful baby boy and she had her own house and she was really, truly happy. But of course, nothing was perfect, and she spent many long hours worrying about Arthur, about the war that was escalating quickly, about the safety of the ones she loved.

Age 23, Charlie was born. Age 27, Percy. Age 29, Fred and George, age 31, Ron.

Finally, after thirty-two years and six boisterous kids, Molly Weasley had a baby girl. Now she could dress her up, and do her makeup, and give her advice and tell her about her own schoolgirl experiences. She knew how to be a girl. She was good at it. And Voldemort had been defeated, what wasn't to celebrate?

She met Harry when she was 42. Immediately, she could tell that he was a great kid. There was all that pressure on him, though, and no parents too! She swore to treat him like a son of her own for as long as she lived, no matter how tight money was.

When she was 43, Ron had crashed their car into a tree. She was so exasperated she didn't know what to do. A tree? Where did he get this stuff? She had sent him a Howler, but later she had felt guilty. She was able to shake it off easily, telling herself she was just being a good mother, but Ron was her baby boy, and she felt bad.

Later that year, Ginny and Ron had nearly died. She couldn't describe the pain she had felt, the worry she had gone through. Ginny was her little girl and she could never lose her. Never. Molly wanted her family to be happy together forever, no matter how cheesy it sounded.

At 46, Percy had walked out on them. Molly had cried for hours and hours. What had she done? When had things gone wrong with Percy? He had never gone against her, he was the responsible son, but yet he had left.

Then, Arthur had nearly bled to death. Molly had felt an entirely different kind of pain, and sometimes she felt like she was nearly breaking, what with the stress of family and money and just everything. It was so hard to take care of everyone, but that was what she had signed up for, right? This was her family, and she was going to keep it together no matter what it took.

Molly experienced the worst loss of her life when she was 49. Fred. Fred had been taken from her. Her son, the twin, ever the source of comic relief when life got tough. No matter how much she yelled at him, she loved him more than anything in the world. She missed him so much. She couldn't put it into words. But what was bothering her, more than anything else, was that she had yelled at Fred just a few short hours before. She had gotten mad at him, just before he was taken from her. She couldn't forgive herself. Percy had come back and Fred had gone and now there was a huge, huge hole in her heart that would never ever be replaced.

Nineteen years later, she was 68 and everything was different. She had six kids, not seven. Five of them were married and she had twelve grandchildren. Including her and Arthur, there were twenty-five of them, but lurking in the corner of her mind was always the thought that there should have been 26. Fred should have been there, at family parties, at Hogwarts send-offs. Fred should have been there when his namesake and Ginny's sons had 'accidentally' set off a cartload of fireworks at Christmas. Fred should have been there when Victoire accepted her proposal from Teddy Lupin. Fred should have been there for Molly and Arthur's fortieth wedding anniversary, for their fiftieth birthdays. But as much as she thought it was insane, life had gone on.

Molly Weasley looked back on her life and realized that her childhood dream had come true. She had a beautiful family and she was doing what she loved best- caring for them.

But there was always that hole that would never be filled.