Dappled sunlight filtered through barren branches. A cool breeze carrying a hint of spring ruffled the auburn hair of the young woman sitting on the park bench.
It was Sunday and the park was filled with families shaking off the last of winter's gloom.
Molly Lynn Weasley loved living in London. She was born and raised here. Heck, until Hogwarts she had gone to school here. She loved the bustle, the noise, the energy.
Sure, she had spent lots of time on the coast at Uncle Bill and Aunt Fluer's place. With her extended family on the Caribbean island, Uncle George used to grow potion ingredients in the country at what used to be her grandparent's house and now belonged to her youngest uncle.
The highlands of Scotland were familiar even before she attended school there. Her grandmum still lived in the little cottage she and grandpa had moved to years ago. Hogsmeade weekends meant a crowded house full of cousins, by birth and choice. Except for those times her grandparents were in search of fun in the sun. After grandpa died, the crowds diminished as grandmum Molly traveled even more.
Yes she loved London, but not her job. Two weeks. Fourteen days and she would be free! Perhaps her father didn't mind a lifetime of mind numbing boredom as a career, but she needed more.
More than the endless reports, the petty interoffice politics and her mousey little coworkers who were contented to repeatedly do the same thing every day.
Really, why the hell was she doing this? It certainly wasn't for the money. Her trust fund easily brought in triple per month.
To be honest, she had drifted into the job after school. She easily passed the pre employment exams, (Ravenclaw, after all). The interview with her father's secretary was a mere formality.
She had known almost immediately, that this was not her future. However, she also knew her little sister was not even going to pretend to be interested in a ministry job. Waiting until the inevitable fallout from that to clear seemed the prudent path.
Lord, their father had almost had a stroke! Christmas vacation, Lucy's seventh year: "Mum, dad I need to tell you something. I am traveling after I graduate, indefinitely. I just don't know what I want to do or be. I need to see more than just our little part of the world. I need to meet new people, taste new foods and see new sights. I have my trust fund. I plan on getting temporary jobs too."
For the first time in Molly's life she heard poised, reserved Percy Weasley raise his voice. "I will not have a child of mine be an idle trust fund baby!" That had been his opening salvo. Lucy, as stubborn as their father, had fired back, both shouting until they were horse.
Audrey, their mum, tried vainly to mediate and to get them to listen instead of shouting over each other. Molly had stayed as a show of support for Lucy. Until Percy had witheringly spat out, "No child of mine will embarrass me this way!"
At that, Lucy had stood, hugged their mum and then apperated away. Percy had stormed into Lucy's room and began throwing her clothes into the duffle his youngest used for trips home during the school year.
"I will not have a bum living in my home!" he stated angrily. Growing more and more agitated he ended up summoning all of Lucy's possessions and with a flick of his wand sent them to the snow covered front yard.
Molly knew, without a doubt, who Lucy had run to. So she first hugged Audrey, then with a sad and disappointed glance at her father, gathered and shrank the items, placing them in to her hand bag. Then she spun, letting her instincts be her guide. She found Lucy, wrapped in the loving arms of their grandmum Molly.
Shortly after she arrived at their grandparents snug cottage, Percy's patronus, a crow, appeared in front of Lucy. "Until you come to your senses you are not welcome in my home!"
Oh lord! The shite hit the fan then! See, Uncle Charlie, Uncle Bill, Aunt Fleur, Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny all happened to be having dinner with Molly that evening.
Since grandpa Arthur had died, those five had become grandmum's main support system. They regularly spent evenings with her in Hogsmeade when she was in town.
With the patronus' pronouncement Molly had handed Lucy over to Fleur, striding toward the spot that would allow her to apparate away. Her pop was followed in quick succession by Bill, Charlie and Ginny's.
Uncle Harry stood, looking at Aunt Fleur. "Do I go? Plausible deniability might be best."
Uncle Harry had ended up going. What he found was Audrey angrily packing an overnight bag. Bill was rubbing the knuckles on his right hand while a sobbing Molly was collapsed on the sofa. Bats were flying out of Percy's obviously broken nose while Charlie had him pinned to the wall, his wand inches from the bats and bloodied nose. Meanwhile Ginny was giving him a very detailed lecture on honoring thy mother, loving one's children and family unity.
Apparently when Molly had asked what the hell was going on, Percy took offence.
Bill and Charlie had planned on only being there to keep their mum and sister from permanently harming Percy. That plan went out the window when Percy reverted to form. First he informed Audrey that she needed to shut up. "As an orphan you have no idea what you are talking about."
Then he rounded on his mum. "Of course you are taking Lucy's side. Where do you think she got the idea? She watched you and Andromeda drag father all around the world his last few years. Maybe if you had stayed home he would still be alive!"
It had taken a lot of reasoning on Harry's part to diffuse the situation and the use of his "Bobby" voice to get his in-laws out of the house, leaving Percy intact.
The family telegraph had everyone gathered at love cottage by the time they returned. It had taken all five of the Weasley in-laws to prevent the siblings from returning for more "discussions" after George and Ron were given the story.
Audrey, as mad and distracted as she was, successfully disarmed Charlie. Harry had to order Ron, as his boss, not to go near Percy until further notice. Lucy effectively entrapped George by curling up on his lap and sobbing.
Molly wasn't sure what Aunt Fleur said to Uncle Bill, as it was in heated French, to keep him away. Angelina simply picked up Ginny, Hermione disarming her.
Lucy ended up staying at grandma Molly's, not even riding the train back to Hogwarts for her last time. She instead just walked up to the castle when the time arrived.
Audrey had not yet returned home. In fact, over a year later she was still staying in Molly II and Roxanne's spare bedroom. Months of therapy followed, trying to get her marriage back on track. There was progress. Percy had eventually apologized again to his family, long after Lucy had finished at Hogwarts. As Lucy refused to return to Britain, and Percy would not go looking for her, they remained estranged.
Tonight Molly was having dinner with her parents in a nice, very public wizarding restaurant. She was giving her father fair warning that her two weeks notice was going on his desk in the morning.
She had wanted to wait until things were better but she had run out of time.
Her new career had been sparked by a Hogsmeade weekend lunch just after the start of the new term.
Molly was the only cousin, until Lily and Hugo, who had continued on with History of Magic through seventh year, so she was the go to cousin for homework help. Even though the ghost professor had been replaced right after the war, it was still an incredibly boring subject for most. Lily, Hugo and Molly had began talking about how inaccurate the teachings about the wars against Voldemort were. Large portions of their family's stories were either missing key details, or glossed over.
That afternoon she asked her granny the first tentative questions. Somehow writing onto a muggle notepad felt right.
She had dozens of those pads filled, plus a fair few stoppered bottles of memories secured in the office at Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny's house.
Aunt Ginny had seen the value of her efforts early on. Reading over Molly's notes, per her request, Ginny had broached the idea that instead of just updating a textbook, the memories of family and friends deserved a dedicated home.
Molly called a cousin's meeting on Uncle George's island the first Saturday of this year's Christmas break so that Lily and Hugo could be there.
There had been previous ongoing discussions among the trust recipients about charity opportunities, independent of their parent's organizations.
As a result, by the fall the Weasley/Potter memories trust would be announced. A select number of talented researchers needed to be vetted and trained.
The beginning emphasis was expanded to include the collection of the memories of older witches and wizards. The first hand accounts of things like the fight against Grindelwald and magic involvement in muggle world wars were being lost with the passing of generations.
What her dad did not know was she was it's director. Voted unanimously by the cousins.
How her father would take the death of his dream of a daughter following him up the ministry ladder remained to be seen.
Molly was meeting her sister in Spain in fifteen days. She was allowing herself a break for food, sun and total relaxation before she returned to spearhead the opening.