THC/The Houses Competition.

House: Gryffindor

Class: Charms

Prompt: Romance [Pairing] Arthur/Molly Weasley

Category: Round 9 Standard

Word count: 1347

Kissing in the Rain

Hogsmeade was beautiful this time of year. Strings of sparkling lights littered the skies, dulling the stars. Only the moon shone brightly, acting like a spotlight for the festivities. The trees were each decorated in sets of different vibrant coloured lights which faded into other hues and back again. The air was filled with the sweet scent of gingerbread and soft music could be heard playing but one of the most amazing designs was the large oak tree whose branches spread out like an umbrella; it was decorated with silver fairy lights that fell from the highest branches to the lowest and then disappeared.

Molly was in awe. Although she had been going to the Christmas festivals every year since the day she was born, this year was different. This year, she was on her first date with one Arthur Weasley.

He was a bizarre boy who was obsessed with anything muggle-related, which tended to rub people the wrong way, especially when it was the only thing that Arthur talked about. The boy seemed to be incapable of talking about anything else, but Molly didn't mind. Arthur's obsessions with the muggle world made him different from the other boys in her year; it made him unique, extraordinary even. Arthur also didn't care about blood status; everyone was equal in Arthur's eyes. He didn't care if you were pureblood, half-blood or muggleborn, which was why when Arthur asked Molly out, she didn't think twice before saying yes.

She wasn't one for fighting about the value of having a certain blood status; she didn't see the point. Why did it even matter? Muggleborns had just as much magic as purebloods, so why did it matter if their parents were non-magical? It was nice to find someone who shared her same thoughts, especially when it seemed that most people she met were against muggleborns learning magic. To them, muggles were deemed unworthy to be in the magical world with their dirty blood. Molly couldn't help rolling her eyes every time she heard the vitriol against muggleborns. In Molly's eyes, there was no such thing as dirty blood.

"Apple cider?"

Molly was quickly pulled from her thoughts by Arthur, who was handing her a small mug of apple cider that one of the vendors was selling out in front of Honeydukes.

"Yes, thank you," Molly replied gratefully as she took the mug from Arthur and allowed the hot apple cider to warm her body, staring it with the common stick that had a little charmed gingerbread man dancing on top of it.

Arthur couldn't help but stare at Molly, and Molly couldn't help but to stare back. He was handsome in a cheeky way. Red hair that seemed perpetually tousled, glasses that sat high on the bridge of his nose that framed his shining blue eyes, the eyes that were the colour of the midwinter sky.

It had been the eyes that had captivated Molly in the first place, those eyes. They saw everything, constantly scanning, looking for all the wonder in the world. When Arthur looked at her, it was like he was seeing all of her, the good and the bad, Molly could hide nothing from him. It made her nervous sometimes, to think that he could read her so easily. What if he found something he didn't like?

But Arthur only ever seemed to smile and Molly would melt at the sight of it.

"What?" Molly questioned, once she realized that Arthur was staring at her, afraid that she might have chocolate on her face from all the sweets they had eaten earlier.

"Oh...Did you know that a muggle known as Paul C. Bragg invented apple cider back in the 1800s? It is the liquid extracted from apples and all its components such as the apple core and seeds and then boiled to concentration," Arthur said awkwardly and quickly, to the point that Molly almost didn't catch some of what was being said.

But she still smiled. Only Arthur would believe that information was interesting enough to share, but in a strange way, Molly enjoyed listening to him. No doubt, if it came from anyone else, she would have rolled her eyes and walked away, but Arthur had a way of saying things that kept her attention, that made her want to know more.

"What else do we share with muggles?"

This time Arthur smiled. Molly knew none of his friends had ever shown any interest in muggles before. She had overheard people telling him that he should be interested in Quidditch and winning the house cup; sometimes, he was told that he should keep his muggle interests to himself. The people around Arther, for as far back as Molly could remember, constantly told him that loving muggles was unnatural, that he was unnatural, a blood traitor.

"They have what is known as cough syrup, but we know it as pepperup potion."

"Hold on, muggles have potions? Then how come they don't know of our world if they are drinking potions? They must know it's magic," Molly asked, shocked along with being confused. She had no idea that Muggles had potions or that potions could even work on muggles. Didn't they need magic to make the potion work?

Arthur chuckled to himself a little. "Muggles tend to put reasons to what they can't explain. I believe they call it science," Arthur explained.

"Sometimes, it's best to forget reason and enjoy the magic," Molly replied, as she blushed a little. She didn't think of herself as forward, but that was a very forward opinion."Everything doesn't need to be explained, everything doesn't have to have a reason and sometimes it's best to enjoy the moment"

"Agreed...Molly, I...You...I mean would you…" But before Arthur could get out what he was trying to say, a burst of thunder ran through Hogsmeade and ice-cold rain started to pour down on everyone. Everyone started to scream and run into the nearest buildings in an effort not to get soaked,

"This way!" Arthur yelled as he grabbed Molly's hand and ran under the tree upon which lights hung.

"It's freezing," Molly spoke, wrapping her arms around herself in an effort to keep warm as her teeth started to cater a little.

"Here," Arthur said, taking off his jacket and wrapping it around Molly. "Better?"

"Much" Molly replied as she started to gently suck on her bottom lip a little, she desperately wanted Arthur to kiss her. He had picked the most romantic spot to run under, how could he not? Her heart started to beat faster as his body moved closer to hers.

Arthur could tell what Molly wanted, it was clear. He took a step forward but when the moment came he froze and said the first thing that came to mind.

"You know, in the muggle world, it is considered romantic to kiss in the rain," Arthur spoke with a little bit of a stutter. Arthur couldn't help but to criticize himself after. Why did he have to say that? It was one of the stupidest things he had ever said and he just waited for Molly to say something but all she did was smile at him.

"Well, then, let's do it right," Molly said before stepping out from the protective branches of the tree and into the rain. "Let's do it the muggle way"

Arthur could feel his heart in his throat as he hesitantly stepped out into the rain with Molly. He gently took her in his arms and pressed his lips to hers. Their noises dripped with tiny droplets of water. His hands, gently in her hair, hers upon his chest.

There was something heavenly about kissing in the rain to Molly; she could no longer feel the cold biting at her skin or the rain that slowly started to seep into her shoes. The world just seemed to melt away and it was only her and Arthur. It felt like time has stopped just for them and that this moment would last forever.