A.N. I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of his associates. That is all property of one J.K. Rowling, who I am not.

So there's a reason this fic is rated T and here's one of the reasons why so you have been warned.

Secrets We Hide

Ron hated mid-November, because it was too cold to spend time outside, even here in Devon. Albus seemed to be more affected then he was, so they spent most of their days inside, much to his chagrin. The early dark night also meant that he'd forced to bed early by his mother, no questions asked. He was having trouble sleeping, and the ghoul in the attic was making strange noises again. As a restless nine-year-old, Ron got up and opened his door, entering the fifth floor hallway quietly. He knew his mother didn't always come to check on them but he had to be careful just in case.

As he tiptoed, he suddenly heard paper crinkle under his left foot. Glancing down, he saw it was his weekly letter from Padma and Parvati. 'Must've slipped out with the wind,' he thought. As he reached down to pick it up he fumbled, sending the sheet of paper tumbling to the bottom of the stairs. Cursing his luck, Ron inched down the precarious staircase slowly, making great efforts to avoid the squeaking steps. As he made it to the second floor, he saw the letter sitting gingerly on the top step of the last flight of stairs to the main floor. Grabbing it successfully, he internally cheered, when he heard strange voices. He leaned inward to get a better look through the hole in the stairway wall, a secret the twins had taught him.

What he saw was shocking. Below him in the living room, his mother was sitting, with an unusual guest. He was an old man with long white hair, and an even longer white beard, dressed in the most absurd robes Ron had ever seen in his life. He pressed his ear against the hole to hear what was happening, and by the end of that meeting, Ron wished he hadn't.

-oOoOoOoOo-

Dumbledore was a very tired man. Having practically kept Magical Britain from falling apart since his defeat of Grindelwald, there simply never was any time to rest. Shaping a better world for future generations of wizards and witches had always been his drive, and that's why he still remained first and foremost Headmaster of Hogwarts. Some would argue he was a terrible person, but he had done what he need to in order to keep the darkness of the world away from their great island nation. So that what happened to his family could never happen again.

Yet that did not matter in the moments he had apparated on the Weasleys' doorstep, night already cloaking the countryside as it did after Samhain. Mrs. Weasley had always been loyal to the ideas he'd sought after, even when her brothers or husband had not. She had always been a voice to support him and he was truly grateful. However he knew she struggled to put all her children through school, like many others who simply couldn't afford or dropped out early. In many cases his hands were tied, but he felt it his duty to reward a loyal friend with this help.

"Good, evening Albus," she replied, visibly exhausted from her days work.

"Good evening Molly. I trust that all is well?"

"You know it's difficult, with four boys in school at the same time." He noted her humour was very taut this evening and he could only had an idea as to why.

"Is Arthur home?"

"Does it look like he's home?" So that was her reason for being upset.

"May I enter then?" he asked politely. She gave him a stiff nod, a continuation of her cold behaviour. Making his way into the Burrow, he noticed it appeared more run-down than the last time he had visited. 'Perhaps I need to give them more than usual,' he mused, brought back to his senses by the wafting aroma of aloe-fennel tea. Molly re-entered the living room which Albus hadn't noticed she'd left holding two cups. After offering him one, they sat down on the couch and got down to the matter at hand. He wondered if he should cast a Hominem Revelio beforehand but decided against it. Just this once.

"Has anything new shown up in Arthur's department of great importance."

"Arthur rarely talks to me about work anymore. In fact, in the last two years, he has barely been at home at all."

"Come now Molly," he chided, "You know that part of your end of the favour is to keep your ears open. I know you don't like charity so you and I agreed to consider this as payment. Think of your children Molly." He knew the tactic was fairly heavy, let alone under-handed but the Sorting Hat hadn't offered him Slytherin for nothing. She sighed deeply and descended into deep thought for several moments.

"He mentioned something about Lucius threating a few of the employees in his department to comply with the 'new' regulations set by the Wizengamot."

"I see, so the stronger legal bias towards wizards in that regard."

"Something like that," she mumbled. Albus could see the anguish on her face, and knew that he would need to be more generous with her to keep her faithful in the long term. With Voldemort gone, Albus knew that his efforts to keep the country protected from the outside had long worked, but he also knew that once again, threats from the inside were slowly gathering, and he knew he could not bear that weight on his shoulders alone. Allies would always be needed, especially in these desperate times.

"How are my sons?" she asked, slightly brighter. Albus smiled.

"Charles is doing well as Gryffindor's Quidditch captain. I assure you that their team will surely be spectacular. Percy remains one of the top of his class, and is clearly setting himself up to be prefect one day."

"And the twins?" she asked with much concern. The smile on his face vanished.

"They have…kept to themselves. However the sudden upturn in incidents around the school is no coincidence to me. I fear that they will face great trials in that place. It's a shame really. When I saw them they seemed like such bright boys." He noticed the fear on her face, and mentally he thought that it was all he could do. While he had once had respect for the Slytherin House's traits and qualities, the existence of a certain Tom Riddle had put an end to that. Following that boy's graduation, he had seen nearly forty-five years' worth of students from the Den of Snakes turn and seek after the dark. In his mind, if you were of that house you were already doomed. Few noble souls like his esteemed Potion's Master Severus were the exception, not the norm. "Molly, I know you care for your sons, but please be careful with them."

"When I first heard they'd been sorted into Slytherin I was absolutely furious. Looking back I think I made Ron's punishment for the stunt he pulled a lot harsher. Now I don't know whether to mourn for the twins, or condemn them," she said morosely. However he was curious as to what 'stunt' her youngest son had pulled.

"What on earth did Ronald do to warrant harsh punishment?"

"I left him with the Lovegoods for the day because I had to be at an event with Arthur. He and their son Albus-"

"Since when do the Lovegoods have a son? Let alone one named Albus?" Dumbledore was very confused by her statement.

"Over the summer, according to Evie and Xeno, they ran into a poor witch in London who had only one magical child named Albus and was struggling to feed the rest. She asked them to take her son, and they accepted. They told me he'd been covered in blood when they first saw him, and Evie did everything to nurse him back to health. They adopted him in July." Setting his tea down, Dumbledore pondered over the latest turn of events. He needed to have a tight group of friends for the Boy-who-lived, and Ron had been one of the potential children that could fit that bill. This might mean he'd have to wait and observe the muggleborns and other children of allies to see what could be done.

"That is interesting. I'm happy that Lovegoods did something noble like that," he said stroking his beard. "Far too often I'm saddened by the fact that not all the wizarding children out there can attend. I know that Hogwarts tuition is expensive, but unfortunately that's controlled by the board of Governors."

"Like Lucius Malfoy," spat Molly angrily. It seemed he'd touched a nerve with that last statement. Rising to his full height, he smiled, eyes twinkling, and took out a small pouch from a pocket within his colourful fuchsia robes.

"I must leave my dear Molly but here, as we agreed." He handed her the sack, and she took it, opening it to see its contents. Her eyes widened.

"Albus this is more than we agreed on!" she exclaimed, struggling to control her volume.

"Consider it an investment in the education of your youngest children. It would pain me to see them suffer because they could not go to Hogwarts," he countered calmly, hoping her love for her children would allow her to swallow her pride. It took her a few moments but she did relent, reluctantly agree to his generosity. He was glad that she had taken it, as she was one of the few he'd ever felt the desire towards. Like the Potter's, she and her husband had been favourites of his during their school years and he would hate for them to suffer or fall in with…less savoury persons. As they bid each other farewell, he felt the weight on his shoulders return as he was reminded of his duties to his school and to Wizarding Britain, of the peace he'd painfully stitched together in the name of the light. As he apparated back to his office and glanced over to Fawkes saying,

"I hope what I've done tonight may be another step to creating a lasting peace."

-oOoOoOoOo-

Molly was tired. Even when Arthur finally came home, her worried mind could not sleep. She had long wondered if her deal with Dumbledore was worth it. Even though she received the much needed money for her children's tuition, she felt as though she had betrayed her principles.

Dumbledore was controlling her family, there was no other way to put it. Always seeking for new information from Arthur by means of her, and passively threatening dire consequences for the children if she refused. She felt she was in an abusive relationship she could not escape. It was ironic that one of the most powerful witches of her generation, who had gone toe to toe with her class rival Bellatrix Lestrange in seventh year, could do nothing for her family accept worry for them and fuss, unable to change their fortunes for the better. She had once believed that she and her husband could've made do in the Wizarding world on just his salary as a ministry employee. However, as their family had grown larger and larger, his earnings had remained just the same. When the tuition fees for Hogwarts began, she knew she had to seek help for her children's sake.

Enter Albus Dumbledore. While she had known him as her headmaster, she also knew he was a powerful man who wielded power from the sidelines as Chief Warlock, or so many said. She had also long been warned, by both Arthur and her parents, that to deal with Dumbledore was dangerous for one's safety. Even with all these warnings and the deaths of her brothers fresh in her mind, she sought the elder wizard's aid. Luckily, he took compassion on her family's plight and since 1983, Charlie's first year, had supplied her with money for her sons' school fees. She'd sacrificed much to keep up her end of the deal, and even now it seemed like it was difficult to make ends meet.

As the darkness of night ebbed away into the pale hues of morning light, Molly got herself to work on morning breakfast. It always reminded her of her school days when she'd be busying herself making all sorts of potions, from Pepper for her roommates before OWL's to, embarrassingly enough, the lone batch of Amortentia to douse on her now husband. The rhythmic whir of knives chopping and the aroma's of frying and boiling foods helped clear her mind. As she finished up the morning fare, Ginny made her way down the stairs full of energy, comparable to a Hippogriff or something of the sort. She was excited about going back over to Luna's and gave Molly full details of their plans in the Library. She was glad that Ginny had grown close to the other girl, but found it strange her daughter had become somewhat bookish. Arthur was the next to come down the stairs, surprisingly still at home due to his 'day off'. She was ready to drag Ron out of bed when he came trudging down the stairs looking like death warmed over.

"Ronald are you ill?" she asked firmly trying to find the cause of his stark appearance. He gave her no response.

"Ronald, did you lose your voice?" Again, motionlessly silent.

"Ron, your mother's talking to you," interjected Arthur politely.

"No, I'm fine," he muttered. She was glad that this sort of problem didn't emerge when she had a full house. Sometimes it was just a luxury to have two children at home, one she was only know growing to appreciate. They all settled in for breakfast as she engaged her husband in a discussion about the day's plans. She did note however, that there was a growing dark cloud hanging over the table, emanating from her youngest son. Upon finishing his plate, Ron stood up and began to leave, forgetting his plate on the table, directly disobeying her rules.

"Ron Weasley! Put your plate away!" His response shocked her.

"Do it yourself," he replied, voice dripping in a vitriol that she wondered if a nine-year-old could possess. Either way, she would not tolerate his cheek.

"You know the rules, and you've already defied me twice! You're already in trouble, you don't want to be in worse then you already are." Her threatening voice which was tried and true to get her sons and daughter to behave, only seemed to make his anger worse. As usual, her husband had faded into the background as he does during yelling matches and Ginny was simply watching with rapt attention.

"Why does it matter? You're going to throw us away anyway if we fail to follow everything you say!"

"You're on thin ice, young man! You have the guile to accuse me of things no parent would DARE commit!?" She was confused as to what her son meant, and where in Merlin had he come to believe such a perverted thought of his own mother?

"You threw away Fred and George when you were begging Dumbledore for money!"

Her mind went completely blank. 'He saw,' was the only thing she dared to think as she realised what her son said. The atmosphere in the kitchen had gone from stormy to frigid instantly as forks clattered and wide-eyed expressions shone on the faces of her husband and daughter. Yet he did not stop there.

"You took money from him for telling him secrets! You don't care for anyone put Bill, Charlie and Percy! You never did! You're just-"

CRACK! Before she had even realised what she did, there was a red print on Ron's face, and tears in his eyes, as he immediately tore past her to flee up the staircase.

"Ginny? I think you should go to Luna's now," said Arthur, speaking for the first time throughout the whole crisis. Judging from the dumbfounded look on the girl's face, and the icy tones her husband was using, it was a wonder Ginny wasn't out the door sooner. Still reeling from the bombshell, she turned and stared at her husband, whose eyes seemed to shine as though on fire, and his face matched the shade of his hair. It was a very tense silence, the calm before the storm.

"How long?" His voice was so cold she thought it was Lucius Malfoy, not Arthur Weasley who'd utter the words.

"Arthur, you're going to believe-"

"Yes, Molly I am. Your reaction was proof enough in my eyes to know he told the truth. Now, Mrs. Weasley I will ask you again. How long?"

"Since '83," she said finally, having let silence reign momentarily.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous of situation you've put us in? For SIX YEARS!?" The rage in his voice was so unlike her husband she reflexively defended herself.

"YOU DARE BE ANGRY? THE ONLY REASON I HAD TO WAS BECAUSE OF YOUR BLEEDING JOB!"

"MY JOB? HA! THAT'S A LAUGH. I HAD TO TAKE TWO JOBS TO EVEN BEGIN TO COVER THE EXPENSES OF HOGWARTS AND DAILY LIFE. NOW I REALISE WHAT WAS THE POINT, WHEN MY WIFE WAS SELLING HER SOUL TO THE DEVIL ANYWAY!"

"You think I WANTED to do that? I saw it needed to be done. IF I'D DONE NOTHING AT ALL, NO ONE PAST PERCY COULD EVEN GO TO HOGWARTS!"

"Yet you knew what happens when you make a deal with Dumbledore. You want to end up like your brothers, dead in an unmarked grave for your master?"

"You are horrible, you know! To even evoke their memories so disrespectfully!"

"Your parents were neutrals and they warned you, I remember! They didn't want any of you to be involved in that mess. They, along with my parents, saw what happened during the plague crises when they just kicked whole towns and villages out of the country! But did your brothers listen? No! And you followed in their very footsteps right after their deaths."

"You act like you're the saint here, but you're nowhere near it! Who helped house Order members discreetly during the Blood War!? AND, you get up long before everyone else and come home late, refusing to tell anyone what the hell you're up to! You think that I'm fine here, only able to focus on one thing that I cling to for sanity? I did that because, no matter what, you never even considered the fact that I would want to know what you work as or even work myself if we needed it. I did this because I . !" There were tears in both their eyes as they simply heard the other's insults and rebukes, and they simply broke down, collapsing to the floor, wild magic flying everywhere.

The kitchen was filled with heavy sobbing. Both sat there, crumpled on the floor, unable to comfort the other in their pain. Molly did not know how long they both sat there, on the floor, facing away from their spouse, breaking down in earshot of the other. After what seemed like hours, she glanced back to her husband, staring at her, his eyes red rimmed and sorrowful. From the way he looked at her, she judged she was in similar shape herself. They stared at each other, unsure whether to say anything as sunlight flitted through the kitchen windows, illuminating the thousands of mites of dust between them. Yet seeing the other in such visible anguish, they blurted out words simultaneously.

"I'm sorry." The surprise was evident.

"I…I didn't mean that you were Dumbledore's slave," offered Arthur lamely.

"And I never meant you were a heartless monster," she replied softly. They both hesitantly approached each other, eventually embracing each other awkwardly. Even with the awkwardness, it still felt very soothing to be in her husband's arms.

"I'm sorry Mollywobbles. It didn't tell you anything, and left you to worry without any idea what was going on. I felt you would reject me for it." As soon as he'd said those words, she recalled something he had mentioned during the firestorm.

"You said you have two jobs?" he nodded somberly. "Why?"

"Because like you noticed, we wouldn't have enough money to put all our children through Hogwarts with just one salary. To make matters worse, my views already made me a target in the ministry, even after Voldemort was gone. I didn't want the family to disappear or be shipped off to France or Ireland like back in the 50's. So I decided to take a job where no one could find me…"

"Please don't say Knockturn Alley," she pleaded. He sighed.

"No, but I'm not sure you'll be happy with the alternative. Since 82', I've been a milkman in Southwest London, Croydon, and Surrey." She felt as though she couldn't even respond. She never thought he husband would even consider working in the muggle world, but suddenly his little oddities made sense. The muggle gadgets in the shed, his constant cultural or work allusions that seemed off tangent, the ridiculous work hours, the FLYING CAR!

"You know, I thought you'd just stopped caring. You are hardly home, and when you are we don't utter a word."

"That's because two years ago I was promoted to head of my miniscule department. It really meant that I was given mountains of extremely useless or redundant work. So I've been juggling the two workloads, while keeping one hidden from the other." Molly felt a pool of remorse for having accused her husband of incompetence, when he'd worked twice as hard to make sure ends meet. It was then that the original problem reared its ugly head.

"So how much did you 'borrow' from Dumbledore?" he offered softly. She hesitated before answering.

"Forty-Thousand Galleons," she replied cringing as she saw Arthur's jaw nearly hit the floor.

"I don't even make that kind of money to even begin thinking of paying him back. With that kind of debt, if we even consider bowing out without payment, he'll be out for blood." Molly knew the dangerous gamble she had played and now was left with only one escape out. Swallowing her pride, she offered the one thing she would have never thought possible.

"I'll pay of the debt." Her husband's eyes went wide.

"Molly? Are you well?...what about the children?"

"It was for them that I took this debt on, and it's for them that I'll work it off. Remember when we decided that we'd work for our living," she said, full of guilt, apparent of her transgression to their promise. "I will stick to that. I failed us once Arthur, don't let me do it again." He pulled her closer as they began crying again.

"You know, we have to pretend like everything is fine."

"I know."

"We're treading thin ground for dealing with someone who can't be trusted."

"That's what worries me," relied Molly, looking up at her husband through her cascade of red hair. "It means the bill will only get bigger. Who on earth will take me if they find that I'm paying off a debt," she moaned. "I don't even have work experience!"

"What about doing what I did?"

"Remember the muggle world's more sexist? I doubt I could get a job there."

"What about working for Sita Patil."

"Do I look like a muggle businesswoman or a cultural diplomat?" Her husband opened his mouth, only to close it again. Then, a wicked look came to her husband's eyes.

"Molly remember your potions marks?"

"O's, why?"

"Evie Lovegood."

"Ask to be her assistant?"

"It's perfect!"

"Really, Arthur?"

"Don't really Arthur, me," he said jokingly, his usual mirth returning to his voice. "I'm serious, Evanna always seems so busy with her booming potions business that she seems to never have time, no?"

"You're right. She seems…flustered every time she visits."

"Exactly. Ask her!"

"Well…" Her hesitation caught him by surprise

"Well what?"

"She might make me learn occulemency as a condition."

"Wait, why?

"She's a potioneer. They guard their secret recipes quite jealously."

"Even better! We have to keep the job a secret from Dumbledore…along with other things." She could see the point of her husband's reasoning, turning to look her husband straight in the eye.

"Let's give it a try." His eyes were gleaming at her response.

"Love, I know life isn't going like we planned, but I still love you."

"I didn't think that we'd be doing all this when we settled down, but I guess we didn't look at the world changing around us.

"It's never too late to open your eyes." Molly smiled as they shared a sweet kiss of apology, mutually forgiving the other for their grievous mistakes. It was at that moment they heard the distant but distinct sobs of their little boy, echoing from his room. Arthur smiled weakly.

"Sounds like someone needs a few sweet words or comfort," he said, rising from the position on the ground and glancing around at the mess they'd made during the spat. "And perhaps a word of forgiveness." She looked at her husband indignantly.

"He's my son, and he needs to know that he cannot disrespect anyone like that!"

"But he also thinks you hate him right now. Remember what he said about Fred and George?" She sighed as the words her mouth had uttered where coming back to haunt her.

"Fine, but you're helping me clean up the mess when we're done. I wasn't the only one throwing magic around when we fought." They laughed softly, as they began to slowly pick up the pieces, and the wounds began to heal in a conflict so old, they'd forgotten it was even there.

AN. THANK YOU to all those who've Favourited and Followed this story. It really means a lot to know that you guys like what you're seeing :D

So this chapter took forever to write, (Thanks to Dumbledore). I hope he came out well, as he's supposed to be a man with the right intentions, but some ruthless tactics.

Reviews and Critiques are appreciated. If you have any concerns, PM me or leave a comment.

as always enjoy. I may not post for more than a week, because I have a cascade of exams papers and labs that are due this week. Ill start next chapter after the fiasco is up. Until then, enjoy!

Cepheus