Molly and Arthur walked hand in hand down the main road in Hogsmead. It was
her first time to come to the village and Arthur had been dieing to show
her the sights.
"Well what do you want to see first?" he asked excitedly.
"I dunno." She seemed preoccupied.
"We could go over to the Three Broomsticks and get a Butterbeer."
"No," she said suddenly.
He looked shocked and almost hurt.
"I mean," she began again, "I'm not thirsty right now. Is there a place where we can just go and talk, alone."
"Yeah." He knew she really must have something important to say. He hurried her to the edge of town where there was a quiet meadow and laid his cloak down for them to sit on. "What is it?" he asked after a long silence.
"You remember what we did this summer?" she began slowly.
"Yeah," his face went nearly as red as his hair. How could he forget a thing like that.
"Well," she continued, "since then. . .I haven't had. . .you know."
He looked at her dumbly (like a guy) and she knew he wasn't going to figure it out.
"Arthur, I'm pregnant." There she'd said it. She couldn't take it back now.
He was silent, sort of in shock.
"Please say something," she begged.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly. Did you just say you're. . ."
"Pregnant," she finished for him, "You heard me alright."
Arthur jumped up and started pacing back and forth in the long grass. "A baby?" he began talking out loud to himself, "you can't. . .I can't. . .I'm only 15."
"I've gone to talk to Professor Dumbledore. I think he's going to help us."
"Molly," he turned to look at her, "We could both be expelled for this."
"I know," she got to her feet, too. "He said he'd do everything he could to make sure that didn't happen."
"Why did I do it? Why?" he started pacing again.
"I thought it was because you loved me," Molly said quietly.
"Oh Molly," he grabbed her shoulders and then pulled her to him. "I do love you. Never think that I don't, but what I meant was we should have waited. I should have never. . .Oh God."
Molly cried quietly in his arms.
"I'll marry you Molly," he held her out at arms length so he could look her in the face. "That's the right thing to do. We'll get married and we'll run away somewhere."
"Arthur, please," she tried to get him to see reason, "what about school? What about your future?"
"That doesn't matter now. This baby. . . Molly, this baby is our future."
"There has to be another way. I won't let you leave Hogwarts for me." She pulled away and turned her back to him. The sun was setting. The carriages would be ready to take them back to the school grounds.
"Molly, I'm here for you no matter what." He put a hand on her shoulder. "I know."
The ride back was a quiet one. They had to share their carriage with another couple. As the other students bustled excitedly up to their commonrooms, Molly and Arthur slowly walked up the steps and into the castle entryway. There, they were met by Prof. Dumbledore.
Dumbledore, knowing by the look on his face that Arthur had been told, asked them both to come up to his office. "Neither of you will be expelled," he began after they were inside with the door shut.
A wave of relief spread over both Arthur and Molly.
"Molly, your robes will be enchanted so that you will appear to stay as thin as you are now. Since it is a weekend please bring you school robes to me at once and then sometime during the week we can worry about your other things." Molly nodded.
"Arthur, you must be careful not to act any differently towards Molly. Any change in your actions or attitudes could arouse the suspicion of your classmates and teachers.
Arthur looked at Molly and then back up at Dumbledore, "Yes, Sir."
"Now, Molly," Prof. Dumbledore looked her directly in the eyes, "If you wish to stay at Hogwarts we will need to find the baby a home with loving parents after it is born. Giving up your child may very well be the hardest thing you ever have to do in your life, but it will be the bravest and most loving thing for the child."
Molly hadn't thought about this before. She guessed she'd have an awful long time to think about it though, her whole life in fact. She nodded again slowly.
"However," Dumbledore continued to both of them, "if my calculations are correct the child will not arrive for another seven months so we'll have plenty of time to get ready for that." He clapped his hands together as if he was finished but then he remembered one more thing. "It is my belief that both of your parents should be notified of the situation."
Molly and Arthur looked up at him in fright.
"Oh, don't worry too much about that. I will help you compose the letters in a way as not to receive any howlers in return, eh?" he raised his eyebrows at Molly.
"Thank you, Professor." She was so relieved she could almost hug him, "I'll just go up to the dormitory and get my school robes."
She rushed out of the room and Arthur started to follow her.
"One more thing, Mr. Weasley."
Arthur stepped back into the office.
"You and I and eventually the nurse are the only people in this school who know about Molly's condition. I have told you not to appear to treat her any differently but she will need to lean on you very heavily in the next few months. You may not feel the same connection and loss of the child but you are still very much a father. Watch her very closely and let me know if you need anything at all."
No howler arrived, but if the letter Molly had received could have spoken it would have been disastrous. Her parents were very disappointed in her. She couldn't blame them for that. Molly's mother was sure the cover up wouldn't work. After all she had given birth to eight children and she knew a thing or two about having babies. But thankfully all Molly's brother's and sisters were out of the house and didn't have to be told anything. Molly was the youngest and had been quite a surprise herself. Now she was a disgrace to the family. She wouldn't be going home for Christmas. Arthur's letter from home was slightly less harsh. There was something about him having a lousy influence on his younger brothers and sisters. (He was the oldest in his large family.) And something about how he could deny it if the word got out. ("I would never do that, Molly," he'd said) But then again he didn't have to carry the baby for another 6 ½ months.
"Well what do you want to see first?" he asked excitedly.
"I dunno." She seemed preoccupied.
"We could go over to the Three Broomsticks and get a Butterbeer."
"No," she said suddenly.
He looked shocked and almost hurt.
"I mean," she began again, "I'm not thirsty right now. Is there a place where we can just go and talk, alone."
"Yeah." He knew she really must have something important to say. He hurried her to the edge of town where there was a quiet meadow and laid his cloak down for them to sit on. "What is it?" he asked after a long silence.
"You remember what we did this summer?" she began slowly.
"Yeah," his face went nearly as red as his hair. How could he forget a thing like that.
"Well," she continued, "since then. . .I haven't had. . .you know."
He looked at her dumbly (like a guy) and she knew he wasn't going to figure it out.
"Arthur, I'm pregnant." There she'd said it. She couldn't take it back now.
He was silent, sort of in shock.
"Please say something," she begged.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly. Did you just say you're. . ."
"Pregnant," she finished for him, "You heard me alright."
Arthur jumped up and started pacing back and forth in the long grass. "A baby?" he began talking out loud to himself, "you can't. . .I can't. . .I'm only 15."
"I've gone to talk to Professor Dumbledore. I think he's going to help us."
"Molly," he turned to look at her, "We could both be expelled for this."
"I know," she got to her feet, too. "He said he'd do everything he could to make sure that didn't happen."
"Why did I do it? Why?" he started pacing again.
"I thought it was because you loved me," Molly said quietly.
"Oh Molly," he grabbed her shoulders and then pulled her to him. "I do love you. Never think that I don't, but what I meant was we should have waited. I should have never. . .Oh God."
Molly cried quietly in his arms.
"I'll marry you Molly," he held her out at arms length so he could look her in the face. "That's the right thing to do. We'll get married and we'll run away somewhere."
"Arthur, please," she tried to get him to see reason, "what about school? What about your future?"
"That doesn't matter now. This baby. . . Molly, this baby is our future."
"There has to be another way. I won't let you leave Hogwarts for me." She pulled away and turned her back to him. The sun was setting. The carriages would be ready to take them back to the school grounds.
"Molly, I'm here for you no matter what." He put a hand on her shoulder. "I know."
The ride back was a quiet one. They had to share their carriage with another couple. As the other students bustled excitedly up to their commonrooms, Molly and Arthur slowly walked up the steps and into the castle entryway. There, they were met by Prof. Dumbledore.
Dumbledore, knowing by the look on his face that Arthur had been told, asked them both to come up to his office. "Neither of you will be expelled," he began after they were inside with the door shut.
A wave of relief spread over both Arthur and Molly.
"Molly, your robes will be enchanted so that you will appear to stay as thin as you are now. Since it is a weekend please bring you school robes to me at once and then sometime during the week we can worry about your other things." Molly nodded.
"Arthur, you must be careful not to act any differently towards Molly. Any change in your actions or attitudes could arouse the suspicion of your classmates and teachers.
Arthur looked at Molly and then back up at Dumbledore, "Yes, Sir."
"Now, Molly," Prof. Dumbledore looked her directly in the eyes, "If you wish to stay at Hogwarts we will need to find the baby a home with loving parents after it is born. Giving up your child may very well be the hardest thing you ever have to do in your life, but it will be the bravest and most loving thing for the child."
Molly hadn't thought about this before. She guessed she'd have an awful long time to think about it though, her whole life in fact. She nodded again slowly.
"However," Dumbledore continued to both of them, "if my calculations are correct the child will not arrive for another seven months so we'll have plenty of time to get ready for that." He clapped his hands together as if he was finished but then he remembered one more thing. "It is my belief that both of your parents should be notified of the situation."
Molly and Arthur looked up at him in fright.
"Oh, don't worry too much about that. I will help you compose the letters in a way as not to receive any howlers in return, eh?" he raised his eyebrows at Molly.
"Thank you, Professor." She was so relieved she could almost hug him, "I'll just go up to the dormitory and get my school robes."
She rushed out of the room and Arthur started to follow her.
"One more thing, Mr. Weasley."
Arthur stepped back into the office.
"You and I and eventually the nurse are the only people in this school who know about Molly's condition. I have told you not to appear to treat her any differently but she will need to lean on you very heavily in the next few months. You may not feel the same connection and loss of the child but you are still very much a father. Watch her very closely and let me know if you need anything at all."
No howler arrived, but if the letter Molly had received could have spoken it would have been disastrous. Her parents were very disappointed in her. She couldn't blame them for that. Molly's mother was sure the cover up wouldn't work. After all she had given birth to eight children and she knew a thing or two about having babies. But thankfully all Molly's brother's and sisters were out of the house and didn't have to be told anything. Molly was the youngest and had been quite a surprise herself. Now she was a disgrace to the family. She wouldn't be going home for Christmas. Arthur's letter from home was slightly less harsh. There was something about him having a lousy influence on his younger brothers and sisters. (He was the oldest in his large family.) And something about how he could deny it if the word got out. ("I would never do that, Molly," he'd said) But then again he didn't have to carry the baby for another 6 ½ months.