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Molly Weasley

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She approached the chimney and paused, realising that she had not picked up her bag. Moving quickly, Molly went back into her kitchen and got her bag before heading back to the chimney. She paused again, wondering where her shopping list was. Raising her hand to her head she jumped slightly when she remembered that it was still pinned to the fridge. Retracing her steps, again, Molly went to the fridge door and grabbed the shopping list down. Feeling very satisfied with herself, Molly put the shopping list in her coat pocket and returned to the chimney. Just as she was about to reach out for a handful of Floo powder there was a noise from the front door which was quickly followed by a shout of "Mum!"

Molly shook her head in exasperation. She only had one job to perform today and it was so incredibly important to her. If it was not her own memory hindering her process, it was the child who had turned up at her front door. Turning back around she soon saw a red haired child walk into the room. That was not an odd thing given the fact that all of her children had red hair, but it was odd that any of them should be there in the middle of the afternoon. All of her oldest children had moved out of home with Ron being the last one to move out just over a month ago. It left Ginny being the only child still living with her parents, but she was in her final year at Hogwarts and therefore not home until the holidays. Molly missed all of her children despite how most of them had spent seven years spending the majority of the year living at Hogwarts. She only had one baby left now and she was fearful of the day that Ginny 'grew up'. Smiling at her son though, Molly tried to ignore the fact that he was interrupting her. "Yes, Charlie, dear?"

Charlie was her second oldest and the son who lived the furthest away. Sometimes Molly really disliked Charlie's love of dragons and the necessity his passion had to cause him to live in a completely different country. It had never felt this bad when Bill had lived even further away, but back then Molly had all of the rest of her children living at home. Her job for the past twenty-odd years had been that of a parent and whilst that role never ended, she did fear that as soon as Ginny left, it would no longer be her job. On the other hand, she was about to be blessed with her very first grand-child. That was why she was heading to Diagon Alley, or at least that was what she was trying to do. "I was hoping to catch you." She looked at him questioningly and he quickly recognised her look – it said 'answer now because I do not have the time, son'. "I need some stuff from Slug and Jiggers Apothecary."

"Excuse me?" Molly shook her head at her child. That was how she would always see her offspring, especially when no matter how old they were they still needed her to go fetch and carry stuff for them. It never bothered them that she had other things to sort out or chores to do, because to her children she existed only for them.

"I need some supplies for when I go back to work."

"Well then, you can go get them yourself. Charlie, I'm having the whole family over tomorrow after the grand ceremony and before everyone heads back off, Bill and Fleur will be having their baby. I've got a lot of stuff to get and a lot of beds to make here. I don't really have the time to get your shopping too."

"I'll tidy the house, mum, and change all the bed-sheets. Please, Mum."

Molly was stern when she needed to be, but she was also a pushover when sometimes she did not really want to be. "Hand me the list."

"Thanks, Mum, you're the best!" He put his scrappy bit of paper into her hand and kissed her on the cheek before he disappeared back outside. Molly looked down at his list and could barely ready through his messy scrawl. In that moment she knew that she would end up buying the wrong stuff. Shaking her head, Molly put his shopping list in the same pocket as her own and picked up some Floo powder. Nothing was going to stop or delay her trip to Diagon Alley any further. Molly stepped into the fireplace and threw the Floo powder at her feet as she clearly said, "Diagon Alley." Within a mere instant Molly found herself standing in Diagon Alley and surrounded by slightly more than the normal amount of bustling shoppers. Everyone was preparing for the upcoming ceremonies and celebrations and it seemed as if a lot of the magical community had left their shopping until a few days before the anniversary. Molly had more reason than the others to be here at such late notice and needing as much as she did because she had been busy visiting Fleur every morning and helping her magically store meals that could be easily cooked after her baby was born.

As Molly started her shopping, knowing exactly what she needed and from where without looking at her list, she could not help but be distracted over thoughts of her soon to be grand-child. It had been a very difficult year for everyone within the Weasley family, but they had all survived. Molly could not deny that part of her survival was down to the fact that she was due to become a grand-mother within the week. Fleur was due on May the fifth, in just four days' time and Molly hoped that her grand-child was not born early and during the chaos of the anniversary celebrations. Molly entered Flourish and Blotts, her goal set on a particular book for her son and daughter-in-law. She could still not believe that after so many generations of not having a female born into the Weasley family line, there were going to be two in a row after her own daughter Ginevra and then Bill's daughter. Molly found the book she had been looking for – "1000 Tips for Parenting for the Modern Magical Family" – and headed purposefully to the counter. She did not recognise the young lady behind the counter, but both women smiled at each other.

The lady at the till took the book from Molly and placed it into a bag as Molly handed over the correct change. "Are you about to become a Grand-mother?"

Molly nodded as a familiar grin spread across her face. "Yes. Yes, I am. My first."

"This is a very popular book. I think there's a bit of a baby boom at the moment."

"There was after the first war, too. A lot of rushed marriages as well. I thought that about my son and his wife at first, but they've changed my mind and now they're going to give me a lovely precious grand-daughter." Sometimes Molly could not believe how large her grin could get when she thought about or discussed her grand-daughter. Her cheek muscles had not been so exercised in years yet they never tired of working hard. At first, Molly had not been sure about Bill and Fleur discovering the gender of their unborn child, but Fleur made the decision that they were going to and that was that. With hindsight, Molly knew that it was the correct decision for them because from the day Fleur knew she was having a girl, she began planning. Bill had been forced to paint their child's bedroom the very next weekend whilst Fleur took a trip to visit her parents to avoid the paint fumes.

"Congratulations." Molly took her purchases and smiled at the lady.

"Thank you." Turning, Molly headed out of the shop and back into the crowded main streets. She still needed to go to Madam Malkin's Robes to collect the newly cleaned ceremonial robes for all the members of her family and then she would head to Slug and Jiggers' Apothecary for ingredients for both herself and Charlie. Next after that, Molly was going to check out the Quality Quidditch Shop to look for a school leaving present for Ginny. She continued through the crowds of people and saw Sugarplum's sweets in front of her and considered that she should stock up on sweets for Ron. Oh, and then she would pop into Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to see George. Molly still found it amazing that George had made such a success of the shop. It was not that she had no faith in her son, but at first when the twins had left school without their final qualifications, Molly had doubted their ability to make the shop successful. The twins had always been so laid back and fond of trouble that she had found it hard to imagine that they could knuckle down and actually work. They had proved her wrong before the war had invaded every element of people's lives. In the past year, Molly had had no doubt that George could not work hard at the shop but she had worried how he would do that without Fred by his side. On many occasions she had wondered how he would get from one minute to the next without his twin. George had surprised her, as had Ron who, after his year of battling evil forces and being one third of the Golden Trio, had gone to work a nine-to-five job and in all of that time not once had he been late or even called in sick. It had been a terribly hard year for the Weasleys' but they had all made it through and things were looking brighter.

As she passed a jewellery stall, Molly was stopped but the stall holder who was holding out an arm full of necklaces. She looked at the stall holder and smiled back at him nicely. Like most of the stall holders and peddlers in Diagon Alley, they would try and pressure her into buying whatever they were selling. Molly always tended to find that if she were polite to them they would give up quicker than if she attempted to ignore them.

"Madam," he said, "with your lovely, lovely fiery red hair, well, just look at this." He held up a particular necklace in front of her face and Molly could see her face reflecting back from the green stone pendant. "This emerald green gemstone brings out the fire of your hair. And it compliments your oh-so bright brown eyes." Molly's lips curved into a polite smile. She had heard such compliments before from people trying to sell her things in Diagon Alley before. Humouring the vendor, Molly studied the pendant and knew immediately that it was not an emerald and she was pretty sure that the chain would stain her neck green after just a few minutes and that did not compliment her eyes, hair or skin tone.

"Maybe later," she lied. "And if you will excuse me, I still have a lot of shopping to get done before tomorrow."

"Ah, yes," the vendor nodded. He put his arm down and put the necklace away. "For everyone it is such an important day and they need to look the part." There was a twinkle in his eye and Molly knew where he was heading.

She shook her head. "I really am very busy. I still need to get a lot of things down here and then I still need to head to a grocers and buy the food to feed my brood."

"Yes, yes. You're a Weasley, aren't you?" Molly nodded. The Weasley red hair had always made the family very recognisable, but it was even more of an identifying mark since the war. "Proud of your son, I'm sure. It's Ron, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is."

"I assume you'll all be at Hogwarts tomorrow with him?"

"With the whole family. I really am sorry." Molly stepped away from the vendor. "But I have a lot to do." She quickly stepped away before the vendor could say anything else and she continued on with her shopping, heading towards the apothecary. As she walked, Molly needed to get out the shopping list she had obtained from Charlie. She shook her head at how easily she had been persuaded to do his shopping and she knew that she would return home to find none of the chores completed.

Molly Weasley knew her children too well.

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I first met her on the Hogwarts Express. I think I can vaguely remember seeing her as I stood on the platform and trying to file onto the train. It's quite common to naturally gravitate towards those that will be in the same house as you after sorting and it was no different on that day. I was only eleven, and found it such an exciting prospect: I was heading to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I really could not believe it. I ended up sitting in a compartment with someone who, completely unbeknownst to me, would remain with me for my entire life, and then she poked her head into my world. I knew from the first moment that I fully saw her that there was something entirely different about her. She was different to everyone else on the train, different to everyone else that I had ever met. I didn't know it at that point, despite my suspicions, but she was unique.

I had no real idea that she and my new acquaintance would become permanent fixtures in my life forever. Her hair was what first caught my attention and it's that feature which I believe I saw as I tried to fight my way onto the train. She barely acknowledged me and at that moment I didn't really care. Come on, I was eleven and she was a girl. I had no idea that she would become my wife, that she would become my life. I had no idea what I would do for her and that acquaintance who became my friend.

Maybe I didn't love her from that moment she looked down her nose at me on the Hogwarts Express, but I soon fell head over heels for her. Little did I know at that point that my life would forever be entwined with hers.

Little did I know that I would fight and kill for her.

At the age of eleven I had no idea that I would have to take revenge on those that killed my first and only love.