Long finale ahead folks! Enjoy!
Year Seven: Spring of 1968
Molly felt like she was floating as she filed down to the docks at the edge of the lake among the rest of the seventh years. A strong sense of deja vu gave the eerie impression that she was watching this scene unfold rather than experiencing it herself. The smell of fresh grass filled her nostrils, the sun's rays peeking through the patchwork of grey clouds that littered the sky above. All around the buzz of excited conversations could be heard, and the buoyant sensation that came with carrying a hopeful heart could be felt all around.
Two dozen boats bobbed up and down across the black, glittering surface as the horde of seventh years approached. Robes of burnt crimson, canary yellow, midnight blue, and bright emerald fluttered all around them. Each student wore their house colours on their way back across the lake where they'd toss their tassel hats and perform a myriad of magical spells, coordinated by each House, as was the tradition.
As Molly waited in the queue leading to one of the four docks, she turned to catch sight of the grand castle with all its towers, spires, and archways looming overhead. It had been something like a second home for her for the last seven years. And now she was abandoning it. Another hopeful, young witch eager to impress with her magical abilities would come this September in place of her. And Molly would hopefully be at Mungo's beginning her Healer training once she received her NEWT results.
It was an odd sort of feeling. A sort of sadness mixed in with the relief of finishing something she worked her whole life towards. And just as acutely as she felt that wave of relief, she soon felt a tightening in her lower belly of what her future might hold.
There were matters back home to consider.
But before she could ponder it too deeply, Arthur was calling "Hey Molls!" from a short distance away. She turned to face forward and caught sight of him, his feet planted firmly in a rocking boat beside the dock, hand outstretched for her to take.
She smiled, and closed the space between them, accepting his hand as she stepped in beside him cautiously. His grip was firm in hers, and she felt less anxious about boarding the rickety boat. Arthur and her sat at the back end, Mary and Reg seated at the front. While Arthur's fingers intertwined with hers, Molly remembered her mother's once melodious voice (a pang of melancholy accompanying this memory) and the words she spoke many years ago.
You'll change friends at least a hundred times while at Hogwarts.
It was partially true. Others had flittered in and out of their social sphere. And they'd fought and fallen out of favor with one another numerous times before mustering up the courage to offer forgiveness. And in the end, they mended relationships that mattered most. But Molly silently made an amendment to her mother's statement.
You'll change friends at least a hundred times while at Hogwarts. And perhaps you might fall in love with one.
She found herself watching Arthur as this thought crossed her mind. His left hand curled around his wand, eyes trained on the horizon. There was a determined quality in his expression. Something about it made her heart soar. He looked almost fearless, she decided. Like he could see straight ahead into the future clearly. Like nothing could alter whatever it was he was seeing. It lessened the anxieties she'd been feeling for the majority of the year. And she had never found him more handsome than she did in this moment.
After several moments, he caught her staring and smiled in return. He released her hand and loosely wrapped an arm around her neck. He drew her close and placed a chaste kiss at her temple. "Sad?" He probed gently.
Molly shrugged, "A bit. But it's like they say, the best is yet to come, yeah?"
Arthur pulled away and their gazes met once more. He arched a questioning brow, "Listening to Frank these days?"
"Frank does have a way with words," She remarked with a thoughtful smile.
"I thought you might come around to him," He answered with a hint of pride in his words.
She continued beaming up at him while the boats lurched forward before they fell into a steady gliding motion. They were well on their way.
The wind whipped through Mary's slicked back, raven hair. She cast her gaze to the other boats moving in front and beside them. Her nerves were on edge so she scooted a bit forward on the bench she shared with Reg. The boat rocked precariously, causing a bit of an uproar from one of the other occupants of the boat.
"Mary, I swear if we end up getting dragged down by merpeople...!" She heard Molly's terse, threatening voice from behind her.
Reg snorted at this, and Arthur went on soothing Molly as best he could. She hadn't been a fan of the boat ride across the lake in their first year, and it appeared that this phobia hadn't disappeared.
"All right, Mary?" Reg wondered, his left hand sliding across her leg and squeezing it reassuringly.
"Yeah just...don't want to miss the signal," She remarked absentmindedly, her gaze moving towards the partly cloudy sky.
Rising high above them some five meters away was a lookout tower hovering across the dark surface of the lake. Headmaster Dumbledore and the other Heads of Houses were seated on the top platform. At each House's call, the students would toss up their tassel caps, and perform organized displays of magic.
Gryffindor planned on exploding their hats into red and orange sparks that would fly together to form the shape of a phoenix that flapped its wings before dissipating. Mary had heard Emmeline Vance and her friend Dolores Perigrin bragging about how Ravenclaw House were charming their hats to turn into shimmering trout that would fly between the boats in synchronized arcs. Ted Tonks had told them that Hufflepuff would turn theirs into a shower of golden bubbles that rained down on them. And no one knew what the Slytherins planned, but they were always known for trying to outshine the rest of the Houses, or for making a mockery of the tradition.
It was the most exciting part of the entire graduation ceremony, really. Once they each showed off their magical skill, they would dock on the opposite shore where their family awaited them. And then, the so-called "real world" beckoned them. A world that Mary wasn't entirely sure she fully belonged in.
Nothing particularly sparked her interest, career wise. Her mother was a homemaker and a Muggle at that. She never really impressed upon the importance that Mary set goals for herself or aim higher than what she had herself. Her father tried to push her towards a magical career, and yet, nothing she prepared herself for felt right. So her future at the moment was a summer job at a candy shop in Cornwall. She supposed she would figure the rest out as time went on.
But at this moment, her nerves were directed at her part in the graduation show. She was responsible for creating the front head of the phoenix, Arthur for the back and neck that attached to the rest of the body. While they practice nearly a hundred times, it felt important to get it right now. The rest of their class was watching, waiting for something to go awry. And it certainly hadn't helped that Perrin Nott, Damian Travers, and Corban Yaxley were making comments about how those with less than desirable blood status shouldn't be as involved in this ceremony as those from "the old order."
Reg's voice drew her away from her thoughts, calm with a hint of playfulness, "Oh we still have a way to go before that."
She was about to ask him what he meant, when she realized her words from before. Having come in third place for the House Cup, Gryffindor would have to wait for Slytherin and Ravenclaw to perform their spells before it was their turn.
Cracking a grin, Mary answered, "Still, I don't want to be responsible for the phoenix not having a head."
"Some might think it a good prank," He laughed at this, patting her thigh before removing his hand.
Just then, the booming, slightly wheezy, voice of Professor Slughorn shot from the hovering tower. "Slytherin's look sharp now!"
A wave of bright emerald green hats soared into the air, and hundreds of heads tilted back to watch while they suddenly transformed into green sparks. And with coordinated precision, the seventh year Slytherins directed the tiny green bursts of light into a serpent looking shape. After a moment, they made it swooped down in a diving motion towards the boats, prompting several students to cover their heads with their arms and duck instinctively.
Raucous laughter echoed from the boats full of Slytherin students, but they continued focusing their efforts on the glittering snake. It coiled around itself and then the bottom half morphed into an ovular shape up and around the serpent. The intent was unmistakable. A skull replaced the serpent's shape, the head slithering back into the open mouth. It closed and a shower of green glitter rained down upon them.
Before anyone could properly react to what they just witnessed, Professor Flitwick was screeching, "Ravenclaw's, look alive!"
But Mary didn't notice the Ravenclaw trouts, flipping and flopping in magnificent arches over the boats and into the lake. All she could think of was the statement the Slytherins made with their display, and how unsettling it made her feel to be in this world.
"Wretched little fiends," Marvin Prewett spat out, puffing furiously on his pipe. "Think they're as bold as brass…" He went on muttering, "...and that bloody Slughorn fool for letting them…"
"Yeah he's a git," Rose echoed with an air of disdain, after witnessing the mark that graced all the Sacred Twenty-Eight Clubs and organizations that promoted "the old ways," flicker across the sky. "Just like the rest of that bloody crew," She added under her breath before casting her gaze towards the makeshift tower where the Heads of House stood with Dumbledore.
Rose lifted her binoculars, and saw strained lines of fury stretching across Dumbledore's expression. Slughorn's head was bent, hands pressed together almost like he was praying for some sort of forgiveness.
"Looks like he had no idea, Mr. P," Rose added with a softer edge in her voice this time.
"Even so," He grumbled, placing a hand on Demelza Prewett's bony shoulder.
Rose felt another familiar tinge of guilt work its way into her heart when she took a minute to study them. Demelza, now bound to a hover chair, was thinner than usual, her robes that once accentuated her curves now just hung voluminous off her body. And her thick, flowing hair had been cropped short and close to her now bulbous looking head. It was stylishly done, but still shocking to Rose upon first glance. Marvin explained swiftly that it was easier for him to manage when Lucretia or Tessie were unable to come and help care for her.
But perhaps the most disconcerting alteration to Demelza Prewett's appearance was the vacant expression in her once brilliantly bright seafoam eyes. Rose found her eyes to be the most striking thing about her appearance, and wholly unique to the Enys family from which she hailed. None of her children inherited her eyes, and so now this particular mark of beauty would fade away as she did.
If only she'd gone with her that day. Maybe things would be different. But as Molly and then Gideon were quick to remind her in their many correspondences, things might have turned out worse than they already had.
"Moll-y…" Demelza rasped, a shaking finger pointing in the direction of the approaching boats.
"That's right dear," Marvin encouraged, squatting down beside her chair and moving his hand to the center of her back where he rubbed a reassuring circle there.
Slowly turning her head to face him, Rose caught him remove his pipe to cast a smile over at his wife. "Our darling girl has finished at Hogwarts," He told her softly.
Rose looked away, feeling like an intruder of sorts. Mr. P had been telling his wife this very thing all morning. How proud he was of Molly, how she was destined for great things. Sometimes Mrs. P made sounds of agreement or excitement, other times she seemed lost. Another side effect of the ancient evil that still lived inside of her, feeding off her lifeforce, off her magic.
Something like jealousy swallowed the guilt inside her chest like a dreadful, green monster. She wished her parents were proud of her like that. The only one in her family who seemed remotely proud of her for leaving Hogwarts early to make the Ballycastle Bats was her brother, Asher. But they barely saw one another, save when Puddlemere played Ballycastle, and even then it had been mostly business. And terribly awkward when their parents came to congratulate him at the end of the match, seeming to forget that they knew her.
And then the jealousy was replaced with a fiery anger. She clenched her fists at the thought of her parents and their frigidness towards one another and to her and how both of them were alive and flourishing without a care in the world. It wasn't fair. They didn't deserve that kind of happiness. Not like the Prewetts did.
Well piss on them, Rose thought bitterly. They weren't half the parents, Mr. and Mrs. P were.
Just then, Rose was coming back to reality as Molly rushed towards them. She hugged her dad round the middle first, then knelt down in front of her mum to take both of her hands. And then she was shrieking, "Rose you made it! I thought you'd have a match!"
Rose embraced her while Molly tossed her arms around Rose's neck enthusiastically. When they pulled away, Rose shrugged, hands sticking in the pockets of her green and blue paisley printed robes, kicking at the grass a bit nonchalantly.
Grinning a bit slyly she retorted, "Just because I couldn't be bothered to finish doesn't mean I didn't want to see what all the fuss was about."
Molly chuckled and shoved her in the shoulder in that familiar way they'd grown accustomed to over the years.
Before they could say anymore, there was a frantic call for pictures from those surrounding them. Rose had been dreading this moment all day, knowing she'd likely be the one behind the camera, offering this service to everyone else. Knowing she wasn't likely to appear in anyone else's photographs.
"Rosie Posie!" Came Fabian's trilling voice suddenly as he seized her around the middle and swung her around.
"Oi, you twit!" She tossed her arms around his neck with such force and kicked off her legs that he lifted her off the ground. They planted squashed kisses against one another's cheeks. When he finally let her down, she brushed at the front of his bright blue t-shirt, "How the hell are ya?"
"Bloody brilliant now that the OWLs are done!" He groaned at the sheer notion of it.
Gideon's voice came from behind her, and she felt a light shove to her shoulder while he asked, "How's fast life on The Pitch?"
Whirling around to face the other Prewett twin, she threw her arms around him into a tight embrace and exclaimed, "Cracking! We're third in the whole league!"
As they disengaged, Gideon admitted with a bit of a shy smile, "We missed you this year."
He always did have a bit of a thing for her. Or for any half decent looking girl. And if she'd been different, she probably would've indulged his fancy. But life would never be that simple for her.
Smacking the side of his cheek softly, she offered a sort of half smile. A conciliatory gesture to the words they'd never speak, but words that were nonetheless felt.
"Yeah, Li did his best as Seeker, but he was no Rose Jorkins." Fabian interjected, clapping an arm around each of their shoulders so that he stood between them.
Tossing back her head, Rose bemoaned with a sinking sensation in her chest, "Do I even want to know who won The Cup?"
"Ravenclaw, thank Godric's Galleon!" Gideon supplied.
Fabian remarked gleefully, "Yeah Slytherin's been sucking pretty grand, actually."
Rose chuckled at this, a sort of relief overcoming her. Those gits might have gotten what they wanted out of their graduation ceremony, but at least The Quidditch Cup remained out of reach for them; tenth year in a row.
Just then Marvin Prewett was striding towards them. "Boys," He cast them both a sharp glance, "time for a picture, yeah?" Shooting Rose a slightly apologetic glance, he handed her the camera, "D'ye mind?"
"Course not, Mr. P," Rose grinned, taking it from him.
They moved towards the lower edge of the bank where Molly knelt beside her mother's chair. Demezla was stroking Molly's hair affectionately, and if Molly found this embarrassing she didn't make it known. Marvin stood behind his wife, his hands on top of her shoulders. Fabian knelt on the opposite side of Demelza, planting a quick kiss at her cheek.
"'Lo Mumsie," He crooned, inspiring her to turn her head, a faint smile twitching at her mouth.
Gideon stood behind Fabian, leaning forward to kiss his mother similarly, "Hiya Mum."
Rose set the camera to run for five seconds, signaling for all of them to smile and wave. Or in the cases of Gideon and Fabian (and then eventually Molly once they broke her resolve and she recognized Demelza wanted in on this too) funny faces. This prompted Rose to chuckle amusedly.
After this rather silly shot, there was a somewhat serious one, a cheery one, and then an utterly chaotic one where Fabian and Gideon picked up Molly between them and planted kisses at both of her cheeks before threatening to toss her in the lake. And then just when Rose was ready to hand over the camera back to Mr. Prewett, he surprised her.
"Arthur!" He called to the tall redhead who stood a few feet away chatting animatedly with Mrs. MacKenzie. "Come take the next one will you?" He gestured for him to take the camera from Rose.
"Rose," He beckoned her to join the rest of the Prewett's on the low end of the shore.
Her heart stopped for a split second, her face growing hot around the edges. She began a bit uneasily, "Oh Mr. P I wouldn't want to impose…"
But her protestations were soon drowned out by the three Prewett siblings arguing against her feeble remark that she didn't feel right intruding on a major family moment.
Fabian cried, "Come on Rosie Posie, you're as good as family!"
"Yes, Rose! Come on now! Come stand next to me!" Molly eagerly waved her over while bouncing up and down with a broad grin.
"Don't be an idiot, get in the frame!" Gideon chastised lightly from his position on the other side of Demelza Prewett.
Feeling her cheeks aflame, Rose shuffled beside Molly, who placed her arm around her waist. Rose took a deep breath as Arthur ordered everyone to assume a position, and managed a smile, learning her most important lesson yet: sometimes your family chooses you.
The Three Broomsticks was overrun with seventh year Hogwarts students all clinging to the normalcy of drinking and celebrating with their classmates. There was the familiar low buzzing of many conversations transpiring at once. Occasionally, the murmurs were broken up by a high pitched squeal or low rumble of laughter. And upstairs in the tiny establishment, a small folk band played lively tunes to add to the orchestra of noises.
Reg stood shoulder to shoulder with Arthur at the bar, trying to flag down the barmaid who was struggling to keep up with the surmounting orders of overly excited students. After several unsuccessful attempts of waving her over, he then leaned forward, shaking his coin pouch with a genial grin. The pretty barmaid with long, curly blonde hair and round hips caught his gaze and strode purposefully towards him.
Giving him a curt nod, she asserted, "Yeah? You?"
"Four butterbeers, a gin and giggle, and two shots of firewhiskey please," He half shouted over the noisy din into her ear.
She uncapped and laid four bottles down in front of him and he gathered his coins while she directed her wand to mix the gin and giggle water while she hand poured the red, smokey liquid into two short glasses. He shoved the galleons and sickles in her direction, flashing a grin before informing her, "Keep the change."
Arthur tried passing him some coins, but Reg held up a halting hand. His friend shot him a quizzical look, brow arching while Reg then passed him a shot glass.
"What?" Reg questioned, clinking the edges of their glasses together. "Cheers to a job well done, or so we hope!"
Arthur snorted at this, bobbing his head before downing the shot alongside him. Arthur was good like that. He went along with Reg's sardonic humor when it came to things that deeply disturbed Reg. Unlike some others, Arthur didn't brag about his abilities, nor did he make Reg feel like he'd done less than stellar by agonizing over what he did wrong versus right in the NEWT exams. Instead, Arthur led him to believe that he either did just as good or just as bad as Reg.
Either way, Reg appreciated his friend's willingness to feel somewhat celebratory in this moment. It's what emboldened him to confess without warning, "I'm thinking of asking Mary to marry me."
Arthur's other brow lifted to the middle of his forehead and then he peered into his empty shot glass. "Woahh..what was in this?" He mused with a wry half grin.
"I'm serious," Reg clapped a hand on his shoulder, leaning forward and lowering his voice to suggest he meant business. "She's got this mad idea of going back to Cornwall and living as a Muggle again."
"Cause of her Mum, I assume?" Arthur remarked with a careful edge to his tone.
Reg inclined his head, taking a pull from one of the five butterbeers. Smacking his lips, he added, "And cause of what those Slytherin gits just pulled."
Arthur rolled his eyes at the sheer mention of this, shaking his head. He picked up one of the bottles and joined Reg in taking a sip.
"Can't believe they got away with that," He remarked, anxiously picking at the paper on the bottle.
"Yeah…" Reg agreed, catching a group of them clustered in a few tables beneath the staircase. "It ain't right thinking along those lines."
Arthur grinned teasingly, "All for Muggles rights now, are you?"
This question disarmed him. While he believed in basic rights for all, he wouldn't consider himself nearly as progressive as Arthur. And his friend knew this. But there was the matter of being with Mary. And the prospect of having Mrs. MacKenzie, a Muggle rather fearful of their kind, as a mother-in-law. He found himself constantly walking the fine line between what his parents raised him to believe, and what his feelings for someone like Mary entailed.
Somehow Reg managed to stammer out, "Well...not...I mean...I'm not going to join the bloody department like you but...I dunno...I feel like maybe if I propose...things might be different."
Arthur didn't say anything, but took a long sip of butterbeer. His eyes remained trained on the bottle, his overall expression unreadable on the matter.
Reg felt a knot in his stomach form at his best friend's reluctance. Exhaling heavily he admitted, "I couldn't bear to lose her." He took another swig, regarding his friend with a studious expression.
Arthur nodded pensively, drumming his fingers against the glass. He broached the topic with an air of caution, "So you think marrying her would be enough to keep her in our world?"
He shrugged, "I have to try." Then it occurred to him, "What if it were Molly? Would you do whatever you could?"
A faint smile danced across Arthur's mouth at the mention of Molly. His eyes flickered up, a sort of shy quality shining in them as he disclosed, "Without a doubt."
Reg leaned forward, curiosity taking hold of him in the moment, "Have you thought about it?" When Arthur shot him a questioning look, he elaborated, "Marrying Molly, that is?"
His face immediately grew warm as the smile threatened to betray his next words. They were masked with an air of secrecy, but Reg knew Arthur better than that. "I think another round of firewhiskey is required to answer that."
"Alright then," He waved the barmaid over insistently, ready to place an order for two more shots.
Arthur exhaled, "Come on mate, I didn't literally mean…"
"Another round of firewhiskey, please," Reg smiled nicely at the barmaid, sliding his coin across the ledge.
He'd likely regret spending it all tomorrow, but he supposed that's what inheritances were for. While his wasn't particularly grand, it was a nice enough sum to get started on his own, hopefully with Mary MacKenzie (soon to be Cattermole) by his side.
"No," Arthur argued, dragging the coins back over to Reg.
"Yes!" Reg nudged his hand out of the way, moving the coins back to the barmaid. "We're contemplating proposing to our girls. And this one here, needs all the encouragement he can get," Jerking his thumb over at Arthur, he explained all of this whenever she paused midpour, unsure of who to take direction from.
She smiled at Arthur and then slid back Reg's coin, "It's on the house then."
"Molly's going to kill me if I get hammered," Arthur contended while he accepted the smoking glass from Reg. "We're supposed to head to her parents after this."
"Bet you'll need some liquid courage to face Marvin Prewett," Reg couldn't help but instantly tease
"Yeah, but I'd rather not get sick in front of him," Arthur remarked warily.
"All right, fair point, last one then. Cheers!" Reg clinked his glass to Arthur's.
Frowning, he asked, "To what?"
"Jobs at the Ministry and beautiful wives!" Reg roared loudly, prompting Arthur to shush him and glance around rather swiftly to see if any of the girls heard them.
"Relax!" Reg slammed his glass down on the bar ledge, "No way they heard that."
"Come on then," Arthur gathered up his and Molly's butterbeer along with Rose's gin and giggle water before jerking his head towards the table against the front wall. "We better get back before the girls are whining about warm drinks."
Reg picked up the one intended for Mary and followed. He slid into the booth beside her, depositing the bottle drink into her waiting hand.
Her grey eyes were alight with usual suspicion as she asked, "How many shots of firewhiskey did you throw back?"
"Only two," He assured her with a tense feeling inside of him.
She took a long sip from her bottle, her eyes not leaving his face. "Any excuse to eye up that new barmaid, yeah?"
"No, actually," Reg angled his face towards her with a soft smiling spreading across his lips. "Just talking about the future with dear Artie over there."
Arthur caught Reg's eye, Molly and Rose also noticing this brief exchange.
Mary arched a curious brow, drawing his attention back to her, "Oh? Anything in particular?"
Feeling his heart stall from the soft, questioning look on her face, he replied softly while his hand sought hers, "Just hoping it's a good one. And hoping you're in it."
"Oh Reg…" She lowered her gaze through thick lashes as he brought her hand up to his lips. A faint blush crept across her pale, angular cheeks before she lightly swatted his chest with the back of the hand in question. "Not here," She hissed with an edge of embarrassment.
"Looks like Reg got some game since I went away," Rose chided, prompting him to make a face at her.
"He is quite the gentleman," Mary called back to Rose with a beaming smile and a slight roll of her eyes that suggested she was half smitten, half annoyed by the idea.
They descended into various topics of conversation. At first it was the more immediate stuff: the current Quidditch season, impressions of their ridiculous NEWT examiner, the new DADA professor who kept sprouting boils anytime they got real deep into counter hexes and jinxes. And then it all drifted back to the good old days. When Rose and Arthur played Quidditch together, and won The Cup in their fifth and sixth year. When Reg made Gobstones Club Captain, ensuring his name an engraved spot on the golden trophy at Hogwarts forever. When they all organized their own Wizard's Chess tourney on a weekend where the weather was complete shite. Mary had shockingly beat Arthur, who then sided with her in her match against Reg. Which was actually cheating as Reg told Arthur later on, but Reg was trying to win favor with Mary, so he didn't make too big of a stink about it. Then there was the time they all went to Hogsmede and visited the infamous Harpy Lounge, an establishment with questionable repute that had shut down about two years ago. This was followed by talk of the delightful evening that was Molly's seventeenth birthday. Reg and Arthur had convinced Gideon and Fabian to take them down to the kitchens to pocket all kinds of food for that event. Then whenever Mary and Arthur made Prefect and both of them took the job seriously for about three months before Rose told them to shuck it all. And then the girls were tossing about their own memories of when they all stayed up late in the dormitories, experimenting with spells to do up their hair, face, and nails, and how some of them went horribly wrong.
Rose went back to the bar with Arthur and Molly for another round. And suddenly it felt like the perfect moment. Mary was positively radiant, her cheeks flushed from the single drink she polished off. His insides were fantastically warm, but his mind was sharp as ever.
"Mary," He began, rifling around the front pocket of his robes for the item in question that he'd spent a sizable portion of his inheritance on. When his hand finally found the square, velvet box, with an unsteady hand he slid it towards her.
Her mouth dropped open slightly, and she gave him a probing look. He nodded for her to go on and open it, and the moment she did, he saw the shock spread plainly across her face.
Inside was a solid gold band with a diamond shaped light blue stone, two smaller diamonds cut into the band on either side of it. He saw it one day over their last break in Junction Jeweler's while he was out and about with his mum, and he knew immediately it was meant for her.
Her eyes widened and she inhaled sharply, her voice barely above a murmur as she eyed Reg, "It's a ring."
"I know the future isn't certain for you, Mary," He went on a bit anxiously, keeping his focus on the ring as opposed to her face. "But one thing is for me. And that's us being together." He paused and then chanced a look up at her utterly stunned expression while he inhaled and asked in a single breath, "Will you marry me?"
She gasped out loud at this, in spite of seeing it coming. The surprise slowly dissipated into that of sheer elation, and she threw her arms around his shoulders, planting her lips at his with a firm kiss.
He barely heard the yes dance across his mouth, but he felt the heavy weight inside his chest lift as she slid the ring on her finger as though it was the most natural thing in the world to do.
As time wore on, Reg and Mary had been reduced to low giggles and kisses that made it nearly uncomfortable to be in their presence. Rose had left an hour ago, having to catch up with her teammates in Cardiff, where they were scheduled to play the next day.
Molly leaned heavily against Arthur as they sat on one side of the booth. She smelled of butterscotch and a delightful fragrant soap. He could stay like this forever, his arm slung over her shoulders, inhaling her delicious scent. But time marched forward without any consideration for these feelings. Consulting his watch, he knew her parents were expecting them soon.
"We ought to go," He bent his face low enough for her to hear through the din of murmurs and lively folksy music playing from above.
Shifting to an upright position, she glanced over at Mary and Reg who seemed otherwise occupied. Her gaze then met his, and she snorted, "Think we ought to say goodbye?"
Arthur cleared his throat, which was largely ineffective as their friends seemed intent on sucking off one another's faces while they celebrated their recent engagement.
"Mary! Reg!" Molly snapped loudly, startling them both to the point where they reluctantly broke away. "We have to go," She informed them, her round lips pouting in a rather adorable fashion that prompted Arthur to smile.
"Awww…" Mary pleaded with an air of exaggerated sadness, "...can't you stay just a bit longer?"
"Yeah, let's celebrate some more!" Reg cheered, lifting up an empty bottle of butterbeer.
Molly exchanged a brief look with Arthur before slowly shaking her head at them. "'fraid not. My parents...they planned a dinner and cake so…" Her voice trailed away apologetically and she shrugged.
"Besides, you seem just fine doing a little celebrating of your own anyway," Arthur teased, prompting Mary to glare at him and Reg to crack a similar grin of understanding.
"We'll see you this summer though," Molly placated, reaching across the table to squeeze Mary's hand.
"You better! I'm having a smashing engagement party by the sea!" Mary's eyes darted between both of them.
Arthur inclined his head and raised a hand in understanding, "You got it."
"And Rose...Rose needs to come too!" Mary's hand tightened around Molly's while she insisted this point.
Arthur and Reg's eyes met from across the way, and while Molly was explaining to a slightly emotional Mary that she would do everything possible to secure Rose's presence, they slid out of opposite ends of the booth.
"Well mate," Reg started, reaching a hand outward for Arthur to shake.
Chortling at his friend, Arthur shook his head, "Put that away." He opened his arms up and Reg stepped inside. They embraced firmly, patting each other on the back. "Congratulations again," Arthur told him whenever they broke apart.
"Thanks..." Reg shrugged with a scrunched up look, "...hopefully we'll see each other at work. Assuming I got enough NEWTs."
"I'm sure you did," Arthur offered encouragingly. Reg was always a bit down on himself about his capabilities, so Arthur took it upon himself to bolster his friend's spirits in spite of his lingering doubts, "Until then, though?"
Reg nodded just as Mary stepped up beside him.
"Arthur," She embraced him, kissing both of his cheeks amicably. "Take care, alright?"
"You too, Mary," He offered similarly.
Molly and Reg exchanged a friendly goodbye of their own, and then she was beaming all around them before announcing once more. "Well we best be off then."
Taking her hand in his, they waved goodbye to their friends and headed outside The Three Broomsticks. The sun was setting in between the distant mountains. The effect casted a golden glow on the crooked houses and shop fronts that rose up around them.
They could have just as easily Disapparated, but Molly fancied a bit of a stroll down the lane one last time. He wasn't complaining really. Any opportunity to spend more time alone with her was a welcome one. Even if he did feel nerves bouncing around in the pit of his stomach. Even if her next exploratory remark made him feel rather anxious.
"How about that? Mary and Reg getting engaged?" Her tone was light, eyes focused purposefully ahead.
Swallowing back the dryness in his throat he answered, "Yeah."
"Did you know Reg was planning that?" She wondered.
"Well, not right then and there."
That was the truth. He had no idea that Reg had already gone to such lengths. That he'd already procured a ring. That he was on the verge of proposing whenever his comments to Arthur felt as though they were pitching an idea that would take shape much further down the line.
He heard the canniness in Molly's next words as she inquired, "That's why you were doing shots, wasn't it?"
"Maybe," His mouth twitched, eyes traveling to the corner of his peripheral field. She was glancing up at him in a rather open, studious manner.
She exhaled, and he felt the pressure that'd been building inside of him dissipate momentarily. "Good for them," She added in a rather undecipherable tone of voice.
And it was his inability to read her thoughts at present that prompted the doubt to sow its seeds deep within him.
Should he have planned something similar? Is that what Molly had wanted too? A proposal? He knew they'd broached the subject once before, although both of them were admittedly pissed at the time. Not to mention, Molly was a bit emotionally on edge what with her mother's condition. Perhaps she forgot the conversation altogether? It wasn't something either one of them had acknowledged since it happened. Arthur was starting to wonder if he should have.
These conflicted thoughts and feelings must have been written across his face, for Molly asked softly, "You all right, Arthur?"
"Yeah," He insisted a bit too swiftly, prompting her to stop walking. He then suggested with concern flooding his voice, "Are you? Should we Disapparate now?" His viage must have taken on a somewhat alarming quality as well for he saw it reflected in her gaze.
"Arthur?" She took his other hand in hers, eyes narrowing a bit as though she didn't quite believe him, "Are you quite sure? You look a bit peaky."
"Do I?" Surprise invaded his tone this time. Surely he didn't look that bad. Turning away from her to resume walking, he insisted, "Perhaps I just had too much to drink."
"Perhaps," Her voice floated after him a bit warily, her footsteps following after him.
Everything felt hot around him. He felt like the air was suddenly sucked out from all around him with the ferocity of a vacuum. His breathing came in a bit raggedly, and he tried to steady it along with his racing heart.
"Hey," Molly called to him again, reaching for his arm and then tugging it on it. "Slow down you." She jabbed lightly, "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to run from me."
A peal of laughter danced across his mouth, and he slowed his long strided gait for her benefit. "No I...no, I wasn't...sorry…" The words came out a bit nonsensically, and he felt Molly pulling him off to the side, away from the middle of the road.
She stopped whenever they reached a low, stone wall and she hopped up on top of it. Patting the spot beside her, she gestured for him to sit with her. Her hands reached for his and she turned to face him on the wall.
"Arthur," With a certain softness only she could speak, she drew him from his swirling thoughts that threatened to pull him down like a vortex swirling around a drain. Her face was alight with the soft colors of the setting sun, her hair shining against the pinks and reds that streaked across the sky. And those warm, inviting brown eyes were enough for him to get lost in.
Her hands tightened around his, and she leaned forward a bit before insisting, "Tell me what's the matter."
Letting out a deep breath, Arthur's focus went down to their joined hands. Everything inside of him was rushing around; his thoughts, his feelings, even the most basic bodily functions. He didn't quite know how to express it all in the moment. Not without sounding like a babbling idiot. And yet, the silence that stretched out between them felt more uncomfortable than anything else. So he just began blurting everything out.
"Molly I...you weren't expecting? I mean I know we've...talked about it and all but...I wasn't...well planning on…doing that...not today at least. I-I don't have an inheritance like Reg, so I-I mean…" He shrugged, his ears and cheeks inflaming at this admission.
Golly, he really knew how to sell himself short. But no, that wasn't why he was saying those things. Well, not the only reason why anyway. So he plowed on, hoping somehow his meaning might become clearer to her.
"I don't want you to feel like...you know, you have to or that you're stuck with me but...I just...I mean I want to...its just that...well I think a man should have...prospects of some sort before he...well, you know..."
"...proposes?" She finished the thought with such simplicity he felt like a complete idiot.
Nodding his head, keeping his eyes down on their hands, he cleared his throat. Casting up a sideways glance, he nearly grimaced as he asked, "You're not...cross with me now, are you?"
"Arthur…" She drew out his name in that reverent way that made him feel warm all over. Her hands found either side of his face, forcing him to fully meet her gaze. What he found was not an ounce of disappointment, the disappointment he couldn't bear to see in her face just now. Instead, she was positively glowing up at him.
"We both have things we want to do first," She reminded him simply. "And I...I think that's just fine by me. If it's fine by you."
He inhaled deeply again and then relaxed into the next breath while he nodded in agreement. Her smile deepened and slowly leaned forward enough for him to take the hint and close the space between their mouths. It was slow and sweet without any trace of heat that would inevitably lead to other things. And when they pulled away, he grinned back at her feeling entirely at ease now.
Arthur could scarcely put into words how wonderful it had been to fall so deeply in love with Molly. To know that she was made for him, and he for her. If he could give anything for this feeling to last forever, he would.
He reached for a tendril of red that streaked across her round cheek, and he tucked it behind her ear. A faint blush painted her pale expression, and she glanced outward, off into the distance. His gaze slowly followed hers and they didn't say anything for several moments. Instead, they merely watched the sun slowly inch its way down over the buildings, cloaking half the village in darkness the other half in a diminishing light.
The effect was lovely and it was Molly who spoke first with a wistful edge to her tone, "How lovely it's all been. Getting to grow up in a place like this. Getting to...meet you...to know you...and all the rest of it."
Her eyes found his once more, her mouth curving pleasantly as thoughts of what once was, and what could be, no doubt entered her mind like they did his. Nodding, Arthur replied simply, his heart hammering as the words came out, "Yeah, it's been lovely. And I hope...I hope it will continue to be...lovely."
"Me too," She agreed quietly. And then with a deepening smile, and a sparkling glint in her eyes, she suggested, "Ready to go?"
His hands instinctively tightened around hers. Arthur gave his mind over to her, racing himself to the wrenching sensation that came with Apparating alongside someone. She knew the way home better than him. He'd follow her wherever she wished to go.
And just like that. It's all over! *cries about it* I want to extend a HUGE thank you to everyone who took the time to read this! I sincerely appreciate it and I hope you found some comfort in this little fic like I did during the difficult times our world is facing. I did something a little different this chapter by including different POVs. I thought it just fit with saying goodbye to these characters (for now). It had always been part of the plan for them all to be together in some fashion at the end of this, but the how was always kind of up in the air.
Anyway, there are plans for a sequel that takes place in the distant future. I think I need to outline it a bit more though before starting it, so stay tuned for more!
Also, a friendly reminder that I aim for my writing to be full of messages of love, hope, acceptance, and the fight for justice for the marginalized. I do not stand behind messages that come from this fandom's author, and I believe the Weasley's would be disappointed in the hurt her words have caused others.
Another trans charity to consider getting behind: National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network! I will include the link in my ao3 posting of this (at handle: haroldlevinson) since ff dot net is not a link friendly place.