A/N: I know it's been a few months. I ended up having to take summer classes. On the bright side, I have now finished my associate's degree and can transfer for my bachelor's in theatre!

Thank you to finkles89 and the guest review! Also, thanks for the new favorites and follows.

If y'all haven't checked out Learning to Cope Without Arthur, a new chapter was published a couple months ago.

Hope y'all enjoy chapter 25! Please review and tell me some things y'all would like to see! Sadly, things have to get worse before they get better though.

Sacrifice

An owl pecked at the window as soon as Arthur walked in. It was no surprise. This had been a regular occurrence the past week. He put the brown paper bag and take-out container on the small, unstable kitchen table. He then let the owl in. Arthur took the letter out of its beak. After reading over the letter, he tossed it with the others on the counter.

That letter made fifteen…in the past week…from the same person…saying almost the exact. same. thing. He read them all, nonetheless, but he never replied. He wanted to avoid any further conflict, so he stayed silent. This was getting ridiculous now. Clearly, she was extremely unhappy. Arthur couldn't ignore this any longer.

The owl pecked his hand, gaining his attention. Even though the owl never got one, it waited on a reply. However, tonight Arthur jotted down On my way. He gave the bird a few more treats so maybe it would deliver the note before he got there. It took off immediately after.

Arthur took a shot of liquid courage, finishing off that bottle. No doubt, this would not be a pleasant conversation. There was no way he could face his wife completely sober, especially with what he was about to do.

Giving the owl and alcohol a head start, he quickly ate the Chinese take-out. He banished the trash, empty bottles, and dirty glasses that littered the apartment. He stuffed the stack of letters in his back pocket then apparated to the Burrow.

Arthur took a deep breath before knocking on the old, weather-beaten door. Was he really going to sacrifice his marriage for his daughter? Molly had not been showing any signs of forgiveness and if it were not for his kids, he would be entirely alone. He hadn't expected anything from anyone after the past few months. He'd prefer the kids leave him alone, but they obviously still needed him.

Suddenly, the door swung open. Ginny's face lit up.

"Dad!" she blurted, bouncing across the gap between them, nearly knocking him off balance. .

Arthur returned the tight embrace. "I take it the owl hasn't been back yet?" he chuckled with amusement. As he said that, he realized how serious her letters must have been if she was that excited to see him. Then it dawned on him how hopeless she must have felt sending those letters, never to get a reply.

"No, it hasn't. You don't know how happy I am to –"

"Ginny, get back inside," Molly said, standing in the doorway. "What are you doing here?" she directed at Arthur.

Ginny didn't move. She stuck close to her dad, the joyful mood shifting to one of hostility.

"Ginny, now," Molly ordered.

Arthur took a step in front of his daughter. "No. This involves her," he calmly intervened.

Molly took a step onto the porch and gently closed the door behind her. "How is that?" she asked, hands on hips.

"Can we not discuss this inside? Civilly," Arthur suggested.

Molly visibly tensed. Arthur got the feeling there was something inside she didn't want him to see. Conner crossed his mind. If he made his suspicions known again, he knew nothing good could come of it. The thought of Molly with him made Arthur's blood boil. He shook that absurdity out of his head. He needed to focus on the task at hand.

"Arthur, why are you here?" Molly repeated.

"I've done some thinking." Arthur crossed his arms. "I want my daughter."

Unsurprisingly, Molly denied his request without hesitation.

When Ginny began to protest, Arthur intervened again. "Ginny, perhaps you ought to go inside." He looked her in the eyes. "I will handle this. I promise."

Confident her father would handle this, Ginny went inside without further argument.

Arthur pulled the stack of letters out of his pocket, including the few George had sent on his sister's behalf. "She does not have to stay somewhere she hates."

"She is well-taken care of here. Can you say the same if she stays with you?" Molly challenged.

"Of course."

Molly let out a humorless laugh. "This is coming from a man who thinks crisps and peanuts can be considered dinner!"

What? Where on earth did she hear that? Admittedly, Arthur did have that instead of a meal, but not all the time. Only when he didn't realize how late it was and most everywhere had already closed, which, actually, was quite often. It still didn't explain how Molly knew about it.

Before things could escalate, Molly threatened to get Charlie if Arthur did not leave. Arthur refused. He was not going anywhere without his daughter. Plus, he had made her a promise, and he intended to keep it.

"She is going nowhere," Molly reiterated.

"Would you like to read these and see just how unhappy she is?" Arthur asked, gesturing to the letters. "Or we could get her back out here and ask her," he suggested before calling Ginny. As if she had been standing just on the other side of the door, she was on the porch within seconds.

"Are you happy here?" Arthur asked Ginny.

Without hesitation, Ginny answered, "Miserable."

"And living with an aggressive drunk will be better?" Molly questioned, becoming a bit aggressive herself.

"I'm not a drunk," Arthur objected.

"If you mean my dad, then yes," Ginny replied hotly. "That will be a hundred times better than living here."

Crossing her arms, her mother coolly replied, "When it's not as great as you thought it would be, don't come crying to me."

Arthur opened the door for his daughter. "Ginny, you and Harry go get packed."

"If you leave, you can't come back home," Molly threatened, clearly grasping at straws.

"Why would I want to come back to an overbearing, self-centered control freak? You have turned into a real world-class bitch and this hasn't been home for months now!" Ginny yelled before storming inside, slamming the door behind her.

Molly stood, dumbfounded, before rounding on Arthur. "I can't believe you let her speak to me that way!"

"Who am I to stand in the way of the truth?" Arthur deadpanned.

"Did you put those thoughts in her head?"

"Nope." Arthur dropped the letters at her feet. "It's all in there, but apparently, she felt you needed to hear it for yourself."

The door swung open. "Mum, what's going on?" Charlie asked. "We came in the back and things were boiling over." He looked forward from pulling the door shut behind him. Upon seeing Arthur, he became defensive. "Why are you here?" he asked harshly.

"Why does it matter to you?" Arthur countered.

Molly intervened this time. "It's okay, Charlie. He's picking up Ginny and Harry."

"What? No."

"We've already discussed it," Molly informed her son.

"You can't be serious. She won't be safe."

"She'll have Harry," Molly assured.

"She won't need Harry. I make one mistake and can't hear the end of it," Arthur griped…Okay, more than one, but everyone makes mistakes. No one is perfect. He tried to pass Molly and Charlie to enter the house, but was stopped by both of them.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To see if the kids need help," he honestly answered. Once again, the suspicion of another man being in the house arose. That would be the only logical reason as to why they were being so secretive. Nothing else would cause them to act this way. He gently pushed past them.

The house did not look any different. Arthur heard noise from upstairs – Ginny and Harry, no doubt – but he also heard movement in the kitchen. Harry had told him about Ron and Hermione going to Australia, so he knew there should only be four people in the house. Someone in the kitchen would make five. An argument was the last thing he wanted, but he looked into the kitchen. His suspicions were confirmed.

Molly had lied to him again. He had expressed his concerns and told her how he felt, and she completely ignored it and so had the other man. If Arthur was in Conner's position, he would have backed off the moment he felt he'd crossed a line. Conner had crossed several, yet he kept coming around. There was nothing else Arthur could do. He had screwed up royally. Some of his kids had forgiven him. The person whom he sought forgiveness from the most clearly wasn't ready yet – if she would ever be willing to forgive was a mystery at this point.

.On his way up to Ginny's room, Arthur slipped into the master bedroom. He had only planned to get Ginny, but now he found himself unclasping his necklace. It was not an ordinary piece of jewelry. It was a knut. A lucky knut, in fact.

The young couple walked down Hogsmeade's main street. They were fresh out of Hogwarts and had been dating for just over four years. Most of their dates were in Hogsmeade, so this was not an unusual occurrence. However, unbeknownst to Molly, tonight was a very special night.

As the evening progressed, Arthur found it more and more difficult to stay calm. He had spent months planning out this date. Every possible obstacle, problem, and outcome had crossed his mind and he had planned for every single one. To say he was nervous was an understatement. He was sure Molly would say yes to his proposal, but he wanted the night to be perfect. Then there was the possibility she had changed her mind about him. What if she didn't want to spend the rest of her life with him? What if she decided he would be better as a friend instead of a fiancé or husband? Her parents had never liked the idea of Molly dating him and had even threatened to disown her. What if she wasn't willing to risk that?

"Oh!" Molly's exclamation caught Arthur's attention. Before he could stop, their intertwined hands jerked him back. "A knut! You nearly stepped on it. Here," she said, handing it to him.

A goofy grin spread across his face as he accepted it. Alright, that had to be a good sign, right? In a few short moments he would pop the question and this worn, old knut shows up on the sidewalk.

And as they say, the rest is history. Arthur proposed, Molly said yes, and they had eight kids together. From that point forward, Arthur kept the knut in his shirt pocket every day and set it safely on the nightstand every night. That is, until his and Molly's first wedding anniversary…

Arthur woke up and began his usual morning routine. When it came time to put his lucky knut in his pocket, he couldn't find it. He knew it was silly, but he would not go anywhere without it. He would ask Molly. Perhaps she knew where it went.

"Molly," Arthur called, entering the kitchen, "have you seen my lucky knut?"

"Hmm? No, I haven't. Don't you think it's time to stop calling it lucky though?" she giggled, turning around from the stove.

Arthur was offended. How could she make fun of that? She knew how important it was to him. "I can't find it anywhere. Are you sure you haven't done anything with it?"

"I'm positive," she assured. "I'll look for it while you're at work. I promise. It's around here somewhere."

Arthur fretted over it all day. It had become like an extra appendage. He couldn't wait to get home. If anyone could find it, Molly could. But how could it have gotten lost in the first place?

To his dismay, Molly said she had not found it. However, when he was getting ready for their anniversary dinner, she came up behind him and clasped a necklace around his neck and pecked his cheek. When Arthur looked down, it was his knut. He could tell from every little nick and scratch on it. Molly had taken it to be turned into a necklace while he was gone. No matter how silly she thought that lucky knut was, she knew how important it was to him.

After turning it over in his hand, Arthur hung the necklace on the dresser mirror. He no longer had a need for it. Apparently, Molly was right. It was only a worn piece of metal. Or at least it was now. His luck had run out.

Before he left, Arthur looked around the room. Nothing was out of place. Not a speck of dust could be found. The pictures sat how they had for years. The bed was neatly made. Molly's nightclothes lay folded at the foot…But that wasn't her nightshirt; it was a man's shirt. Arthur was ready to go down and confront her, but then he realized it was actually his shirt. He thought he had gotten all of his things when he left, but his favorite shirt had been missing. He could only think that he had dropped it in the rush to get out.

If Molly was still wearing his shirt, that had to mean she still loved him. But why did she not show it? He understood she would still be angry with him for his one night stand, but wouldn't she want to forget about him completely then – at least for the time being? Why was she defying him and seeing this other man? Her actions behind closed doors contradicted her public actions. Arthur wished she would stop playing these games. He wished she would stop toying with him, because all this was doing was confusing him and making him feel worse.

oOoOo

"Mum," Charlie began.

"I know," Molly responded before he could get another word out. She wasn't sure what Charlie was going to say, but she guessed. Either he was going to remind her that Conner was inside or tell her that he smelled alcohol on Arthur's breath.

"You're going to let him take Ginny like this?"

Molly wasn't sure what to do. On one hand, she knew Ginny would be happier away from her; on the other, Molly knew she wouldn't be as safe with Arthur. And she did still care for him. She still loved him. How could she not? She was afraid that if she told him no, it would push him further away. Maybe if he had his daughter to take care of, he would come to himself. So, her fear of losing him completely out-weighing fear for their daughter, she would let him take Ginny.

She replied to Charlie," Yes…I-I am."

She hoped Arthur hadn't seen Conner. That would only make things worse. Seeing as her husband hadn't stormed out of the house, she assumed he hadn't seen the Irishman. There really was nothing to worry about, like she had told him half a dozen times before. Trying to hide the fact that Conner was there would not look good though.

Molly knew Arthur didn't want her near him, but she had to do what helped her. Conner was the only person she knew that had been through something similar. But, in all honesty, she and Conner had not been discussing the situation as much as they had at first. The past couple of weeks, she would invite him for dinner just to chat. Ron and Charlie got on well with him, and it was nice to have a distraction. No one had realized how frequently Conner had been coming over.

When Molly and Charlie went back into the house, Charlie stood at the bottom of the steps, waiting for Arthur to leave, and Molly went into the kitchen. Conner informed her that supper was ruined. Nearly everything was burnt. She accepted his offer to take them to dinner in the village.

Footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. Conner stayed in the kitchen while Molly went into the sitting room. Ginny and Harry came into view, bags packed, with Arthur close behind. As usual, Harry was polite and cordial, but Ginny gave her the same cold treatment she had for the past five weeks. She wasn't expecting Arthur to look at her let alone speak to her, but he did.

"Let me know when you've figured out what you want," he said before following the kids out.

Molly wasn't one hundred percent sure what he meant by that.

The whole time they were in the village, Molly's mind was preoccupied. Would Ginny stop despising her now that she got what she wanted? Would she be safe with Arthur? Would this turn things around? Did she want to work things out with her husband? He had been aggressive when he was sober before she left him and worse when he was drunk. That was mostly her fault though – No, it wasn't. Arthur had never acted that way in his life. The way he suddenly became domineering baffled Molly. Only having seen him a handful of time since then did not help her decide whether or not she was ready to forgive him. His actions were never consistent.

Once they returned to the Burrow, Molly disappeared to the master bath. The hot water soothed her immensely. The stress she thought would decrease after the war's end had only intensified. She allowed her mind to clear from the dozens of buzzing questions.

Her relaxed state soon ended however. When she went to put on her nightclothes, she noticed Arthur's shirt lay in a heap instead of neatly folded. Evidently, Arthur had been in the room earlier that evening. Why hadn't he taken his shirt back? Did he realize how much she needed it? She was glad he had left it. For some reason, it comforted her.

As she dressed, something on the dresser mirror caught her eye. She immediately knew what it was. To her, it was just a silly necklace, but to Arthur it was much more than that. In the past twenty-nine years, she had never seen him take it off. She could not imagine why he would remove it.

During her bath, Molly thought she would finally be able to sleep well, but yet again, Arthur prevented that.