"It's the Little Things" chronicles various moments in the lives of the Weasleys, from the perspective of Molly and Arthur. Some such moments include when Molly and Arthur first meet, how they fall in love, their wedding, and many other aspects of their day-to-day lives as they raise their family and watch their children grow up in a world that they constantly try to make better. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: nothing is mine.

A/N: If you're squeamish about childbirth, there are a few sections you should gloss over. Just to warn you.

# 29: Birth

New Life

McGonagall manor sat majestically on a hillside that only few could see. It was one of the oldest Wizarding buildings in Britain, only nobody knew about it. Only the McGonagall line knew of the true extent of its history. The building had been unplottable for centuries, and nobody but the McGonagalls had ever graced its halls until now. It was the perfect setting for a covert headquarters. Minerva had volunteered it at once when Albus approached her about creating the Order of the Phoenix. Once it had been home to her and her family, but since her parents' deaths, it had been unused.

Now it bustled with activity. Molly Weasley had come and cleaned it up and pressed every room into use. Several meeting chambers had been created, as well as several living chambers. The dining room was used for the large meetings that Dumbledore held with increasing frequency as the months wore on. Molly had done a fine job, yet it was a full job for her. She had set up each room in the house specifically for distinct purposes, and charmed each room with appropriate charms according to the use of each room. She kept the house supplied with everything the Order would need. She cooked and cleaned, and she tended to minor wounds in a small infirmary she had set up in the basement. She had created an elaborate system of meeting schedules and managed the work and availability schedules for the Order's personnel. She worked to make sure each meeting went smoothly, and made sure each member was well fed. She rarely left headquarters, except to get groceries and supplies, and she made frequent rounds throughout the house to check on its occupants and ensure their safety. With Molly's outstanding help, the Order of the Phoenix had been quickly turned from a ragtag bunch of witches and wizards into a well-organized bad-guy fighting machine.

Molly shuffled about the kitchen, busily preparing dinner for the end of the evening meeting. She had a big pot of stew cooking over the hearth, pies in the oven, and now she set about preparing several vegetables for the stew. Humming to herself, she set the knives to dicing the potatoes, and bean to clean the celery and carrots in the sink. She was a busy woman of late, but she didn't mind. She absolutely loved this kind of work, and the fact that Dumbledore needed and trusted her with it was one of the greatest honors. She heard footsteps coming up to the doorway of the kitchens. With a flick of her wand, she sent the diced potatoes into another pot of boiling water.

"What smells so delicious Molly?"

Molly turned to see Albus standing in the doorway. "Albus! It's just the stew. Was there something you needed?"

Albus picked a grape off of a bunch sitting on the countertop. "Ah yes. The meeting is due to start in 15 minutes."

Molly nodded. "Good, good. Do me a favor and bring that fruit bowl in with you?" She indicated the bowl of various fruits from which Albus had just pilfered a grape. "I'll be in with the mead soon."

"That's quite alright Molly, I shall return for it."

Molly smiled at him. Ever since she found out she was pregnant, Albus had made sure to make use of her talents in ways that would not tire her out. She now set the vegetables to be chopped, under the knife that was idly chopping away at thin air. She shuffled over to the pot with boiling potatoes, took it off of the fire and drained it. She proceeded to sit on a stool in front of the worktable and began mashing the large quantity of potatoes, adding butter and cream as she went. It was quiet work, almost meditative.

More footsteps brought her out of the rhythm of her mashing. Arthur. She knew it was crazy, but she could always tell his footsteps coming along any hallway. The sound of his gait had become very familiar to her, as they had grown up together at Hogwarts. "Arthur!" she called as he entered the doorway. "You're going to be late!" He walked over to where she was sitting and leaned down to kiss her quickly. He patted her 8-month-along baby bump with one hand and attempted to stick his index finger into the newly mashed potatoes with the other. Molly slapped his hand away. "No you don't, that's for dinner." She smiled though; she loved messing with him like that. She got up and handed him the mead. "Here, bring this into the meeting with you, would you?" He ruffled her hair and grabbed the large bottle she had handed him.

"See you after the meeting?"

"Of course. There will be dinner."

Arthur smiled at that. "Love you."

Molly sighed in mock exasperation. "Love you too, now GO, you're LATE!"

Arthur jogged out of the door, leaving Molly to tend to the rest of the dinner. She flicked the vegetables across the room into the stew pot, and lifted the charm off of the knives, ending their self-chopping enthusiasm. She set the cooking utensils washing in the sink, and went to stir the stew. Molly dipped her spoon into the broth and lifted it to her lips. Tasting it, she grunted and set off to find the spices it needed. In the dining room, she could hear the meeting underway. As usual, discussion became louder as ideas were thrown about. Molly did not worry herself with the meetings much, she had much more to worry about right now. She pointed her wand at the giant cooking pot in the fire and muttered "Wingardium Leviosa." She directed the stew to sit on the worktable. Adding spices, she let her mind drift back to the meeting. Arthur had news from the Ministry about various new confiscated muggle artifacts. Electric plugs had been cursed to explode when plugged in, starting fires in several muggle homes. She heard a loud "POP" come from the room, and knew that Arthur had demonstrated one of the plugs. He was close to identifying the target, but each time the evidence he needed just escaped him. Arthur had spent many sleepless nights pondering the information. Molly knew. She begged him come to bed with her every night for the past week, but he would always stay up late and fall asleep on the desk in the large library they had here at headquarters. She hadn't seen him since he went to work that morning, and she wondered if he had yet found the answers he sought. Dinner was ready ahead of time, and so Molly wandered down the kitchen stair to do her rounds of the house, checking up on everything. She prepared a tray of food for Alice who was in the infirmary recovering from a curse that blasted a wall next to her. She was fine, except she was seeing everything through a fuzzy red haze. Taking it down to Alice, she chatted pleasantly with the witch for a time, and then continued her rounds. She returned to the kitchens just in time to hear the end of the meeting. She brought in the big pot of stew, the mashed potatoes, and the bowl of green beans that she had prepared for dinner. The food was welcomed heartily by the weary witches and wizards sitting around the table. They traded stories as they ate, and laughter rang out through the house. The truth was that they needed this dinnertime frivolity. All of them needed it. Voldemort had risen to power, instilling fear in the hearts of everyone in the Wizarding community. Nasty things were happening outside the doors of the secluded manor; things that made each at the table fear for their loved ones. The worst part was that they were certain it would have to get worse before it got better. The only way that Molly and the others could possible cope, was to laugh at whatever they could.

Molly got up and began to clear the table when Albus waved her off. "Go rest. I will take care of this here." He smiled and winked at her.

Arthur took Molly's hand and guided her to the sitting room, a mixture of grim determination and concern written on his face. They sat together on the small sofa facing the window, looking out at the snow falling in the late November night.

"How was work?" asked Molly, caressing Arthur's hand with her thumb.

Arthur sighed. "We traced the plugs to a small factory in Leeds. We think some git's in there cursing the things as they are made."

Molly turned to look Arthur in the face. She knew where this was going. "Who's going?"

"We think that by infiltrating the factory, we can get more information, we'd finally be able to pin him down."

Molly's face became deadly serious. "Who's going?"

"Frank, Benjy Fenwick…and me."

Molly nodded. Arthur continued: "Mollywobbles, I have to do this."

She nodded again, and caressed his cheek. "I know, love." They sat quietly for a bit. "Is Frank talking to Alice?"

"Yes."

"Ok. When do you leave?"

"Tonight."

Molly sat up from her comfortable position on Arthur's shoulder. "Tonight? It's November 27th. It's supposed to snow for days. If you're going to get to Leeds, you'll stand much better chance if you leave now before the blizzard hits." Arthur rested his forehead on hers, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. She sighed. "Come on. I'll help you get packed." They gathered the essentials the three would need for the operation, and packed them into a pack. Alice had come up with Frank, and was saying her goodbyes. Molly turned to Arthur. "Stay safe."

Arthur put on a brave face and tried to smile. "I always try, love." In a private moment, he took Molly's head in his hands, and stared into her eyes. He lowered his head and bent to kiss Molly's belly. "I love you baby." He whispered to their unborn son. He returned to Molly's face, once again taking her head in his hands and gazing into her eyes. She was tearful but did not look away. He kissed her so tenderly. Without pulling away, he wiped away a stray tear. "I love you Molly. I love you forever."

Molly began to cry in earnest. She took his head in her hands just as he had hers, and she whispered between tears, "I love you too. I love you forever." They shared one long last kiss.

"Arthur? Arthur, it's time."

Arthur pulled away slightly. "I have to go."

Molly nodded. She wasn't going to say it. She would never say goodbye. "I know."

She let him go, and he followed the other two through the door. She watched as the door closed. She sighed, and wiped off the extra tears that had fallen. Enough of that. There was work to be done. She turned and smiled a little at Alice. "Come on then Alice, lets get you your potion. With any luck you'll wake up tomorrow with your sight fixed."

"That'd be great."

Molly guided her down back to the infirmary, where the potion had been brewing all day. Molly knew that keeping busy would make her feel better. The potion bubbled as she ladled it into a cup for Alice to drink. "There you go." Molly watched as Alice drank it, and then put Alice to bed. She went upstairs and made her evening rounds, checking on the current residents staying at headquarters that night. She checked on the kitchens, making sure Albus had put the stew back over low heat for anyone who might come in late and want a bite. Finding everything satisfactory, she made her way to the entry room and placed all of the locks on the door. She retreated to her room in the manor, a small but cozy room. Lying down, she noticed how sore her feet had gotten over the course of the day, and she wished Arthur could be here to rub them. She flicked her wand and turned out the lights, and tried to go to sleep.

But sleep would not come. She could not stop worrying over Arthur. She wondered when he would come home.

The next day came and went without much incident. No meetings were scheduled, and Molly spent most of her time in the kitchens, creating tasty foods for the Order members in the house. Alice woke up fully recovered, and returned to work at the Auror office. Molly had gone to get groceries, and stopped at her apartment, in which she maintained the pretense of living. She was an unemployed witch as far as the ministry was concerned, and it would not do well to vanish off of the face of the planet. That would certainly raise suspicion among the ministry's eyes, and nobody in the Order knew which eyes in the ministry could be trusted.

The baby was a bit more active than usual that day, and Molly was sure he just was feeling her missing his father. Molly worried. She did not know how long this mission would take. She worried for Arthur's safety, and not for the first time, she wondered if she would see her husband again. "It's just a routine mission…" she told herself as she walked back up to the doors of McGonagall manor. "Arthur's been on at least three others just like it since this all started." But that did not provide as much comfort as she had hoped. She knew that "routine" operations often went wrong. Just last month, Gideon, Fabian, and Dorcas had gone on a "routine" mission, and Fabian had nearly come back dead. He'd arrived in Gideon's arms straight in the infirmary, and Molly had done her best to stabilize him before he could be moved safely to St. Mungo's. That thought…those images still paraded vividly through her mind every time she closed her eyes.

She put the chickens to roast and made her rounds. It was a quiet day for the Order. Not even Albus had made an appearance at the Headquarters that day. She settled down for the evening, reading a good book. Eventually she fell asleep in the comfortable armchair in the library.

"Molly."

"Molly…wake up…"

Molly felt a long thin finger poking at her shoulder. In her dream, a mysterious Death Eater was jabbing his wand at her, and she woke with a start. Opening her eyes she saw Minerva McGonagall standing in front of her. "Well, that's better. Did you sleep here all night?"

Molly rubbed here eyes. "Is it morning?" She looked out the window, to find that it was indeed morning.

"Come on Molly. Breakfast's on the counter waiting for you."

Molly sat up straight. Usually she was the one to make the breakfast. She looked startled at having missed it, but Minerva just laughed at her. "I am quite capable of making breakfast Molly. Come and tuck in."

Molly followed Minerva to the kitchen where eggs, bacon, and a bowl of porridge waited for her on the worktable. "Thanks Minerva."

As she ate, she wondered about her former professor sitting opposite her. "Minerva, not to pry, but why aren't you at school?" She glanced at the older witch. "Not that its not wonderful to see you…"

Minerva shrugged. "I was not needed there today, it is Sunday, so I came to check up on things here and retrieve a few things for Albus. Glad I did too, you look like you could use a break."

Molly opened her mouth to protest, but a yawn hit her instead. "See what I mean?" said Minerva with her usual firm yet kind manner. Molly decided she would be grateful for the help today. They finished breakfast, and then the two witches made their morning rounds. They made a list of elixirs needed to replenish the infirmary, and other items that the Order needed to replenish. As they walked their rounds, Molly felt sharp pain go through her abdomen making her gasp and lean against a post. Minerva came to her side. "Molly, what is it?"

Molly winced. "Oh, owwwww." She gasped. "It's the baby I think."

Minerva transfigured a nearby crate into a soft armchair and guided Molly to it. "It's ok Molly, just breathe."

Molly shook her head. "It's too early. I'm barely 8 months!"

Minerva lowered herself to be face to face with Molly. "Molly, listen to me. Everything is going to be just fine. Just breathe." She breathed with Molly for a few moments until Molly began to relax. "Ok. Now, lets get you to St. Mungo's, shall we?"

Molly got up with Minerva's help. "We have to Floo" she said between breaths. "I can't apparate while I'm this far along."

They moved to the sitting room where the fireplace was connected to the floo network. "Wait…" Molly looked worried. "Arthur….I need Arthur."

Minerva glanced at her. "Come on Molly, I'll see if I can get him to meet us there."

They made it to St. Mungo's and Molly was admitted to a room while they waited for her Healer. Minerva had left Molly to see if she could contact anyone. Molly waited alone in the room, munching on ice chips when the pain got worse. She couldn't believe the timing. Her son just didn't understand that she was afraid to do this without Arthur by her side. "Oh Arthur, where are you?"

"Hey there little sis."

Molly looked to the door to find that Gideon was standing there. He moved to stand over her next to the bed. "Hey Molly. Minerva found me and told me you were in labor." He held onto her hand, and smoothed the hair away from her face. "Fabian went off to see if he could find Arthur, but we're not sure exactly where they are right now." Molly could not bear it. She turned to face away from her brother. He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "But I'm going to stay right here the whole time, ok? I'm not going anywhere, I'll be here for you the whole time, ok?"

Molly smiled a little. Despite their antics and pranks, her brothers could be so wonderfully sweet when it really mattered. She nodded and winced as another contraction hit. She felt wetness and knew from her books that her water had just broken.

Molly's Healer came in and out of the room, as the hours wore on. He had told Molly she had been dilated at only 4 centimeters for a while, but that he wasn't worried. Labor took time, he said. Molly slammed her head back into her pillow and screamed in frustration. The afternoon hours wore on, and Molly wanted Arthur more than anything. "It's ok Molly." Gideon stayed true to his word and never left Molly's side, distracting her when he could with his antics and jokes and did his best to make her comfortable. Molly looked out the tiny window of the room. It was now dusk. She felt another contraction hit and Gideon looked at her. "They're getting closer together. They're coming quite frequently now." He sent off a patronus to call the Healer. "It won't be long now Molly." She winced again, and Gideon mopped her forehead with a cool, damp towel. "It's ok Molly." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Love you sis. You're doing great!"

The Healer came in and examined Molly. "It looks as if it's time. You're going to see your son in about 15 minutes!"

Gideon squeezed her hand. "Ok. Here comes the hard part" began the Healer. "When I tell you, you have to push as if your life depends on it. Do you understand?"

Molly, who was already breathing heavily, nodded. She just wanted this to be over, and she wanted to see Arthur.

"Ok. Push Molly! Push!"

"GAH!" Molly pushed as hard as she could. She screwed her eyes shut, and squeezed Gideon's hand so hard that she was sure she had crushed his bones. She started to feel dizzy.

"Ok. Good now breathe."

But Molly felt like she couldn't. Pain racked her body. Gideon reminded her: "deep breaths Molly. Slow. In and out. That's a good girl."

"Ok, again. Push!"

Molly screamed again as she pushed with all her might. The pain made her blind and numb. She had a hard time catching her breath, and she felt as if she would soon pass out. Her head hung limply to one side as she tried to recover her breath. The healer was talking to her, and she summoned the last of her energy to listen to what he was saying.

"I can see the head! Come on Molly, you've got to push! PUSH!"

Molly wanted to scream. "You push damnit! GAH!" The pain coursed through her again, and she collapsed onto the bed.

"Ok. One more, he's almost out!

With one last, loud, scream of pain and frustration, Molly closed her eyes and collapsed back onto the bed. A distant part of her mind was telling her she heard a noise. Focusing a little, she heard tiny screams. Molly opened her eyes to see Gideon staring at her.

"Great job Molls! You did it!" The Healer had cut the cord and had wrapped the tiny infant in a blue blanket. He came over to Molly and placed the boy in his mother's arms. "Congratulations! It's a boy! He's a bit small, but he seems healthy."

Molly looked at the tiny bundle, gazing at his face. He could see red tufts of hair beginning to grow on his head already. He looked at his eyes. Arthur's eyes, exactly. Molly smiled.

Gideon and Molly heard footsteps thudding down the long hallway that led to Molly's room.

Arthur and Fabian ran as quickly as they could through St. Mungo's. From the moment that Fabian came to tell Arthur of his wife's labor, Arthur had gone mad trying to get back to her. Problem was that he was undercover infiltrating the plug factory trying to flush out the death eater planting the exploding plugs. After much deliberation, it was decided that Arthur would tell his "supervisor" that his wife was sick and needed him at home. Needless to say, Arthur's supervisor was less than happy with this, and Arthur was fired, leaving Frank and Benjy to carry out the mission without him.

Arthur and Fabian had apparated to St. Mungo's and now were running as fast as they could toward the maternity wing. Arthur saw Gideon poke his head out of one of the rooms. "Where is she?" Arthur demanded. Gideon smiled and said, "don't worry. She's in here."

Arthur ran straight into the room at top speed, halting abruptly and staring at Molly, catching his breath. "Molly…" he exclaimed in between gasps. "Molly….I'm sorry….are you….is that…..I'm sorry….."

Molly smiled at him. "Arthur, slow down." She waited for him to catch his breath, and then held her arms out to him. "Arthur, I'd like you to meet your son."

Arthur took the tiny bundle from Molly's arms. He gazed at his son in awe. "Hello. I'm your dad! You're my son!" He looked back at Molly. "Oh Molly, he's perfect." He sat down in a chair next to the bed, handing the boy back to Molly. "Molly, I'm so sorry I wasn't here. I tried to get back as quick as I could. Are you ok? Did it go smoothly? I went mad trying to get here."

Molly smiled and grasped his hand. "I'm fine Arthur. Gideon here has been great help. I'm just glad you're here now." The family sat quietly for a moment. "Arthur?"

"Yes love?"

"I was thinking…What if we named Gideon the godfather. He was so wonderful with me, I just know it's the right thing to do."

"I think that's a great idea."

At that point, Gideon came in with a few more visitors, including Minerva, Fabian, and Alice. "Some people wanted to come say hello!"

Molly showed off her new son, and as Gideon cradled his new godson, he asked: "so what's his name?"

Molly looked at Arthur and he nodded at her. "His name is William Arthur Weasley."

Their visitors drifted in and out for most of the evening, but as midnight arrived, Arthur and Molly were left alone with their son.

Molly cradled him close to her. "Your mummy and daddy love you very much. Welcome to the world, William Weasley!"