Note: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters.
"Molly!" She could pick his voice out of a crowd any day, and she did just that as his voice rang out across the courtyard. He ran up to her, breathless, as he tried to adjust the hat that had fallen over his eyes, knocking his glasses askew. "Hello, Molly. I saw you and couldn't help but come talk to you. How has your day been so far?"
She blushed and stared down at the ground, rolling a pebble around beneath her shoe to keep her eyes from meeting his sparkling ones. She hoped that it wasn't painfully obvious that she had liked him since first year…and now they were fifth years. "It's been okay. I'm glad it's sunny today. It just makes me feel so…"
"So happy," Arthur finished with a smile and a nod. "It makes me happy too. Just something about it makes everything seem better, doesn't it?"
"Yeah…"
He cocked his head and gazed at her with a soft, caring expression. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, yes."
The smiling boy offered his arm to her. At her shocked surprise, he looped his arm around hers and pulled her closer, resting his hand on her trembling forearm. "Hey, what's wrong? It's okay, Molly. Come with me for a minute." She didn't even have a chance to respond before he pulled her off towards the gardens with a smile. He sighed contentedly as he strolled along beside her, gazing off into the skies and the trees. "Hey, Molly?"
"Yes?"
"If I asked nicely enough, would you consider this a date?"
Biting her lip, she nodded and tried to conceal the smile that was spreading on her face. She would definitely go on a date with Arthur Weasley and she wouldn't have to be asked twice. She willed herself to stop shaking when he smiled at her and led her off towards the gardens.
"So, Molly. I know we have known each other for a few years now, but I've been waiting for the perfect time to ask you out on a date. You're quite pretty, you know that, right? I'm quite fond of the fact that you're a fellow ginger."
She giggled and instantly felt herself relaxing. Arthur wasn't like the other guys out there, proud and conceited. He was easy to be around and made her feel comfortable, even if she did still blush under his gaze. His cheerful, glittery eyes and his spattering of freckles made him look completely gentle and at ease. She could definitely get used to seeing that face every day. "No, no one has ever told me that. No one looks at me like that. I'm not all skinny like a lot of the other girls…" She wished she had a time turner to completely erase that last sentence from his memory. Had she really just admitted to the guy she liked that she was a little rounder than normal? Humiliation washed over her as she expected him to look her up and down, decide she was right, and leave her there. Her gaze fell to the ground as she bit her lip.
"Well, that's good."
Her gaze snapped up to meet his. "What…?"
"That's good. I think you're gorgeous just how you are. Don't take this the wrong way, but I like a woman who can eat. I know I can eat and it's pretty embarrassing to be the one not eating like a rabbit when she is. I bet you're a good cook then, aren't you?"
Molly's humiliation evaporated in an instant, and she felt herself smiling. Even through that, he hadn't made her slip up awkward. He had found a way to turn the conversation so he still ended up being the sweet, charming boy. "People tell me that I am. I love it. I feel like I'm happiest when I'm in the kitchen, cooking away to present it to the family who has been working hard all day." She stopped when she realized that he was staring intently at her. "What…? Did I say something wrong…?"
"Molly Prewett…I think I just fell in love with you."