Okayyyy! Here we go everyone! This is the last fic of the current Houses Comp season! I have enjoyed my time immensely as a Slytherin, my team are literally the most amazing people! Thank you Sab, Maz, Alina, Aya, Shy, and Aurora! And I would never forget our amazing Head of House, Ash! You're all the best!

As for the task. This round we have been given a genre to stick with, and my class, Astronomy, has been given Crime. At first I thought about going with the obvious Detective or Spy AUs, but then I saw the prompt that I picked- (action) baking a cake-and I had a brain blast! Let's see where this little tangent leads us, yes? Enjoy!

Also, we were given the option to pick two prompts this round, for bonus points. I went ahead and picked the prompt (pairing) Arthur and Molly Weasley.

Word Count: 1071

Betas: Butterflies765, Aya Diefair, CupCakeyyy

Summer days were not conducive to baking, but Molly Weasley did not let that deter her in the slightest. Whether the temperature was 30 degrees or negative 20, Molly would most often be found in the kitchen, either baking or cooking meals for her large family.

Most days she didn't mind this. Her personality made her naturally caring and compassionate, so she had no difficulties performing her duties as a mother. The only one to whom she let slip the fact that sometimes she didn't always enjoy the cooking and cleaning for ten people was Arthur. He always understood, and even offered to stay home, taking care of the children, on more than one occasion.

However, today was a bright day, and Molly couldn't have been happier to be doing her part for her family. She had put a cake on a rack to cool, as part of a special dinner treat. It was seven-year-old Ginny's birthday in a few days, and she wanted plenty of time to decorate it nicely for her. However, as she returned to the kitchen to ensure that it was cooling properly, she found that it was no longer there. The only sign that there had been a cake at all was the rack itself and a few crumbs scattered on the counter.

Of course, she should have expected something like this with six children roaming through the house. Bill had passed the stringent vetting process at Gringotts and had been approved to take the tests to become a Cursebreaker next year, provided he achieved the proper NEWTS this year. Charlie was working hard practicing on his broom, ensuring that he was still properly in shape for next season. He hoped to make the team captain next year. Percy had just finished his first year at Hogwarts, and was counting the days until he would return. The twins spent their days devising plans for how to prank the most people possible, and Ron often joined in with them, if they weren't arguing about one thing or another. Ginny did whatever anyone would include her in.

But who could have stolen the cake? Molly wondered. The twins jumped to the top of her list of suspects. They got into any mischief they could find. Then again, Percy had a sweet tooth a mile long, and it could easily have been him.

I'll question them, Molly decided. This cake-thief will be outed! And they will be helping me bake a new one!

"Mum, I don't even have time to plan to steal the cake," Bill said, sitting on his bed, poring over some Transfiguration textbooks.

"I've been outside on my broom," Charlie told her when she finally found him outside. "I had Bill charm these Muggle golf balls for me so they would fly around like Snitches."

"I like cakes, Mum, but I was going to wait until it was ready, and ask you for a piece." Percy's alibi seemed the most truthful, at least.

The twins took the longest to find, it seemed. She eventually found the ten-year-olds upstairs with the family ghoul, whom they had been fascinated with recently. "You should hear the wailing the ghoul makes, Mum, it's really creepy!" George had said

"And he can vouch for us, we've been here for hours!" Fred added.

Ron was in his bedroom playing with a few toy cars on a racetrack, and when asked whether he had taken the cake, he simply said, "No, Mummy," before returning his attention to his cars.

Finally, she decided to ask Ginny. She knew the girl had an independent streak about her, and may have wanted to enjoy the cake on her own, with no fuss. Or maybe, she'd been recruited by one of the older boys, as a decoy. However, she too, denied it as she sat on the floor in the living room playing with the cat.

Having questioned all the boys and Ginny, Molly was well and truly stumped. She knew one of the children had to have had something to do with the cake's disappearance, but none of them were admitting any involvement, and her powers of detecting when she was being lied to were seemingly failing her.

She really didn't think the older three would have done it, and while Molly dreaded to think what mayhem would come from the twins' interest in the ghoul, she could see that they'd been preoccupied with the creature for a while and therefore had likely not been involved.

But then, where had it gone? Molly decided that she needed a few moments to herself before she continued trying to find out more about what had happened. She climbed up the stairs to her and Arthur's bedroom.

To her surprise, she heard strange noises from the other side of the closed door. Stopping in her tracks, she prepared to fling the door open. Was she about to catch the cake stealer red-handed?

"Molly?" Molly was shocked to find her husband sitting on their bed, cake platter in hand, devouring the remains of the cake.

"Arthur!" she exclaimed. "You took the cake? That was supposed to be for Ginny's birthday!"

Arthur sheepishly put the platter aside, wiping the crumbs off his mouth. "I'm sorry, love. I came in while you were busy, and the cake looked so delicious; I couldn't resist."

Molly put her hands on her hip. He did look mildly amusing, sitting there on their bed with chocolate smeared all over his mouth and fingers, but she didn't want to let this slide. He was a grown man, for Merlin's sake!

"Well, don't apologize to me, Arthur Weasley! Downstairs, now, and you'll help me make our daughter a new cake!"

The kids had come from their various locations in the house at the sounds of their mother's raised voice. They quickly took stock of each other, seeing that it wasn't one of them she was upset at.

They almost burst out laughing when they saw their father emerge from their parents' bedroom, sagging like a bedraggled puppy and with chocolate all over him, being led out by their formidable mother, who also seemed to just barely be controlling the urge to laugh herself.

"Daddy, what happened?" Ron was the one to finally ask as they passed him.

Arthur gave his wife an exaggerated—from the older kids' opinions—long, sad look. "Chocolate does not pay, children. Chocolate does not pay."