For the Headcanon Exchange on HPFC.

Ana: Molly and the Black Sisters went to school around the same time, and they bullied Molly relentlessly.

WC: 591


"Oh, look at the itty bitty third-year," a voice sneered behind her, and Molly froze. Since her first month at Hogwarts, she'd known what that voice meant.

It meant trouble.

The voice belonged to Bellatrix Black, a current seventh-year and Slytherin's reigning queen. She'd singled out Molly Prewett as her target, and now, everywhere she went, it seemed like she wasn't safe from Bellatrix.

"What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing. Why would I want anything from such a fat little twot?"

Molly's face flushed as red as her hair. She folded her arms over her stomach, glancing down at her feet.

"Sis, why are you talking to this scum?" came another voice, and Molly wanted to melt. Narcissa was only a year older than she, but she was just as bad as Bellatrix. She was accompanied by Andromeda. The sixth-year girl rarely said anything insulting, but her stony face never showed Molly any sympathy.

Molly tried to step around the three girls, but they blocked her way.

"Let me through. I need to get to class."

"My, my! The little lion's got claws! Well, nails at the very least. She seems to think if she orders us around, we'll obey her. I'm sorry, little pet," Bellatrix said, stepping closer and gripping Molly's wrist, "but we don't follow your orders. You follow ours."

"What's going on here?"

The Black sisters stepped back from Molly to regard the newcomer, and Molly nearly wept with relief when she saw who it was. Her brother, Gideon, and one of his best mates, Arthur Weasley, were standing there, wands out.

"Bellatrix, don't you have somewhere better to be?" Gideon asked sharply, and the girl glared, reluctantly taking a step back. Gideon was a prefect; he had a power over her that she didn't like to admit.

"Stay out of situations you don't belong in, Gideon," she said. "Your little sister owes us."

"Rubbish," Arthur spat. He stepped forwards, shifting his body so he stood between Molly and the Black sisters. "You're a bully and everyone knows it, Black. Leave her alone."

"Oh, look, Weasley's got himself a girlfriend!"

"More like I've got myself a sense of decency," he said drily.

"Decency is overrated," Narcissa said.

Gideon stepped forwards as well. "Look, all three of you leave my sister alone, or you'll be losing more points than Slytherin's got. Now, get on to whatever class you've got next."

Bellatrix eyed him coldly before turning on her heel and stalking off, her two sisters following behind like dogs.

"And you," Gideon said, turning to Molly. "Arthur and I aren't going to be around to rescue you forever. You need to take a friend with you whenever you're going somewhere. I don't want you getting caught by them again."

"I know, Gideon," she grumbled, and he sighed.

"Look, you're my little sister. I don't want to see you get hurt." He slung an arm around her shoulder and started walking her towards her next class, Arthur falling into step on her other side.

When they got to her classroom, the boys stepped back. "Love you, sis!" Gideon called as they headed down the hallway.

Molly smiled. "Love you, too," she said softly, then headed into her classroom.