Finally the day of the Yule Ball arrived. At six o'clock in the evening
Molly and Sophie went up to their dormitory to get ready. They had the
room to themselves. The other 3rd year Gryffindor girls had gone home for
the holidays. Molly pulled her dress robe out of her trunk and laid it on
her bed. Sophie did her hair in a beautiful up-do and they both put on a
little bit of make-up. (not as much as the Slytherin girls but they really
need it.) Then when it was almost time to go meet the boys they put on
their robes. Sophie looked stunning in her mint green robe but Molly was
having trouble.
"I think it's too small." Molly wedged herself into the robe and stepped in front of the mirror. There was a distinct bump where her flat stomach had once been. Sophie was standing behind her looking panic stricken.
"I forgot to have Prof. Dumbledore enchant this one."
Sophie didn't say a word.
Molly quickly changed back into her bath robe and handed the other to her friend, "You have to get this to Prof. Dumbledore. I'll stay here and wait."
Sophie nodded silently, took the robe and ran out the door. She nearly ran smack into Arthur and Spence.
They tried to ask where she was going. But she just hollered back, "no time." She hurried out the portrait whole, down a flight of stairs, through one corridor and then another, skidding to a stop infront of Dumbledore's office. She banged on the door.
"Hello, Miss Clearwater, what can I do. . ."
Sophie shoved the robe into his hands, "Molly needs this fixed so she can wear it tonight."
"Oh that's easy enough. Involucrum Homunculus," he said to the robe and looked back up at Sophie, "Is there anything else I can do for you." He handed the robe back to her.
"No that's it, thanks," she was already running back towards the dormitory. She bumped into the boys again on her way back up. "Just another minute now," she assured them.
"That was quick," Molly laughed when Sophie came bursting into the room out of breath holding the robe.
Molly tried it on yet again. This time it fit perfectly and there was no sign of the little pooch in the middle.
"That's really amazing," Sophie panted.
"All ready?" Molly asked her. "Yeah."
The two couples made a grand entrance into the Great Hall.
"They're all staring at me," Molly whispered to Arthur.
"Don't worry. It's just because you look beautiful." He kissed her on the cheek.
Several young wizards lined up, looking cautiously at Arthur and asked her to dance. Molly loved dancing. Arthur was reluctant to let her go, for more than one reason. She was dancing with a Hufflepuff boy named Heathcliff when Dumbledore himself asked to cut in.
"How are you feeling, Miss O'Grady?"
"Great, Sir. Only, a little bit tired."
"That's not surprising. Why don't you take a brake and have a glass of punch with Mr. Weasley. I think he's feeling a bit jealous."
"Alright," Molly allowed herself to be lead off the dance floor, when she felt the strangest sensation, a little flutter like butterfly wings.
Arthur pulled a chair out for her at the table. Molly sat very still hoping to feel it again.
"What is it?" Arthur asked at her strange expression.
She raised her hand for him to wait and was still for another moment longer. "Nothing," she shrugged, "I just thought I felt. . .," another flutter. Molly looked up at Arthur smiling, "I think I can feel it moving."
She was positively glowing. Several more people asked her to dance but she just shooed them away trying to sit as still as possible.
"I think it likes the music," Molly whispered to Sophie.
After awhile Dumbledore from the teacher's table noticed that Molly was acting rather strangely and was beginning to attract attention. He called Arthur over and pointed out the situation.
Arthur ran back to Molly. "Perhaps it's time for you to go up to bed."
"I am getting a bit tired," she answered obediently but still looked rather disappointed. When they were out of the Great Hall, Arthur explained.
"Oh, I wasn't even thinking," she moaned.
"It's okay, I don't think anyone really noticed, but you should be more careful."
"I'll try," she smiled at him as they went up the stairs and down the corridor towards Gryffindor tower.
The common room was empty of course, everyone who hadn't gone home for the holidays was still in the Great Hall.
"Would you like to feel the baby move?" Molly finally asked him as they sat before the roaring fire.
"Would I?!" he exclaimed excitedly.
She took his hand and put it on her stomach.
She felt a flutter, "There! Did you feel it?"
He looked disappointed, "er, no."
"There it is again."
"Still nothing." He shook his head.
She jumped up, "Maybe it's the robe. It's been enchanted." She dragged him up the stairs and left him just outside the door of her dormitory while she went inside and changed into her night gown.
Molly opened the door and Arthur saw her little pooch of a belly for the first time. She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the room.
"I'm not supposed to be. . ."
"Oh, nobody'll ever know." Molly laid down on her bed and Arthur sat beside her. She put his hand on her belly.
"I think I felt something," he said immediately turning bright red.
"but that wasn't. . ."
He silenced her with a kiss. "We really shouldn't be doing this." He kissed her again and again.
"Well," she giggled, "It's not like I can get pregnant again."
Arthur sat strait up. "The baby. We might hurt the baby."
"I hadn't thought of that." She sat up, too.
"I should probably go. Er .. . let you get some rest."
"Alright," she said a bit disappointed, watching him go.
Molly closed the curtains on her four poster and laid back down, hands on her stomach. The baby moved again. 'I'm going to have to get Prof. Dumbledore to enchant my nightgown too I guess.' She thought to herself looking down at the small bulge. She didn't want the other 3rd year girls to find out.
"I think it's too small." Molly wedged herself into the robe and stepped in front of the mirror. There was a distinct bump where her flat stomach had once been. Sophie was standing behind her looking panic stricken.
"I forgot to have Prof. Dumbledore enchant this one."
Sophie didn't say a word.
Molly quickly changed back into her bath robe and handed the other to her friend, "You have to get this to Prof. Dumbledore. I'll stay here and wait."
Sophie nodded silently, took the robe and ran out the door. She nearly ran smack into Arthur and Spence.
They tried to ask where she was going. But she just hollered back, "no time." She hurried out the portrait whole, down a flight of stairs, through one corridor and then another, skidding to a stop infront of Dumbledore's office. She banged on the door.
"Hello, Miss Clearwater, what can I do. . ."
Sophie shoved the robe into his hands, "Molly needs this fixed so she can wear it tonight."
"Oh that's easy enough. Involucrum Homunculus," he said to the robe and looked back up at Sophie, "Is there anything else I can do for you." He handed the robe back to her.
"No that's it, thanks," she was already running back towards the dormitory. She bumped into the boys again on her way back up. "Just another minute now," she assured them.
"That was quick," Molly laughed when Sophie came bursting into the room out of breath holding the robe.
Molly tried it on yet again. This time it fit perfectly and there was no sign of the little pooch in the middle.
"That's really amazing," Sophie panted.
"All ready?" Molly asked her. "Yeah."
The two couples made a grand entrance into the Great Hall.
"They're all staring at me," Molly whispered to Arthur.
"Don't worry. It's just because you look beautiful." He kissed her on the cheek.
Several young wizards lined up, looking cautiously at Arthur and asked her to dance. Molly loved dancing. Arthur was reluctant to let her go, for more than one reason. She was dancing with a Hufflepuff boy named Heathcliff when Dumbledore himself asked to cut in.
"How are you feeling, Miss O'Grady?"
"Great, Sir. Only, a little bit tired."
"That's not surprising. Why don't you take a brake and have a glass of punch with Mr. Weasley. I think he's feeling a bit jealous."
"Alright," Molly allowed herself to be lead off the dance floor, when she felt the strangest sensation, a little flutter like butterfly wings.
Arthur pulled a chair out for her at the table. Molly sat very still hoping to feel it again.
"What is it?" Arthur asked at her strange expression.
She raised her hand for him to wait and was still for another moment longer. "Nothing," she shrugged, "I just thought I felt. . .," another flutter. Molly looked up at Arthur smiling, "I think I can feel it moving."
She was positively glowing. Several more people asked her to dance but she just shooed them away trying to sit as still as possible.
"I think it likes the music," Molly whispered to Sophie.
After awhile Dumbledore from the teacher's table noticed that Molly was acting rather strangely and was beginning to attract attention. He called Arthur over and pointed out the situation.
Arthur ran back to Molly. "Perhaps it's time for you to go up to bed."
"I am getting a bit tired," she answered obediently but still looked rather disappointed. When they were out of the Great Hall, Arthur explained.
"Oh, I wasn't even thinking," she moaned.
"It's okay, I don't think anyone really noticed, but you should be more careful."
"I'll try," she smiled at him as they went up the stairs and down the corridor towards Gryffindor tower.
The common room was empty of course, everyone who hadn't gone home for the holidays was still in the Great Hall.
"Would you like to feel the baby move?" Molly finally asked him as they sat before the roaring fire.
"Would I?!" he exclaimed excitedly.
She took his hand and put it on her stomach.
She felt a flutter, "There! Did you feel it?"
He looked disappointed, "er, no."
"There it is again."
"Still nothing." He shook his head.
She jumped up, "Maybe it's the robe. It's been enchanted." She dragged him up the stairs and left him just outside the door of her dormitory while she went inside and changed into her night gown.
Molly opened the door and Arthur saw her little pooch of a belly for the first time. She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the room.
"I'm not supposed to be. . ."
"Oh, nobody'll ever know." Molly laid down on her bed and Arthur sat beside her. She put his hand on her belly.
"I think I felt something," he said immediately turning bright red.
"but that wasn't. . ."
He silenced her with a kiss. "We really shouldn't be doing this." He kissed her again and again.
"Well," she giggled, "It's not like I can get pregnant again."
Arthur sat strait up. "The baby. We might hurt the baby."
"I hadn't thought of that." She sat up, too.
"I should probably go. Er .. . let you get some rest."
"Alright," she said a bit disappointed, watching him go.
Molly closed the curtains on her four poster and laid back down, hands on her stomach. The baby moved again. 'I'm going to have to get Prof. Dumbledore to enchant my nightgown too I guess.' She thought to herself looking down at the small bulge. She didn't want the other 3rd year girls to find out.