Disclaimer: I wish that I came up with the idea for Harry Potter and wrote all of the books, but unfortunately, I am only a huge fan. Thanks to J.K. Rowling for penning this fantastic series.

She traced the pattern in his tie over and over with her fingers. It still smelled of him. How Arthur loved those silly Muggle things, Molly Weasley sighed as tears began welling up in the corners of her eyes. She pushed the tie away harshly, and then feeling bad for treating it so poorly, carefully scooped it up and laid it in the dresser drawer with some of his other strange Muggle things. Molly couldn't understand why anyone would want to wear such a silly little piece of fabric around their neck and found it rather ugly; however, Arthur was infatuated with such things. Inside the drawer next to the tie were more ties, even some with strange cartoon characters on them that Molly had never seen before in her life, a pair of toe-nail clippers, a mechanical pencil, which Molly did not understand how to use, and some Muggle medication called Advil, which once turned Arthur green with one use. His affinity for these non-magical objects made Molly smile. He really was a humble, kind and generous man. The poor enchanted Ford Anglia, which was now living off in the dark forest according to Ron and Harry, was just one of her husband's woebegone attempts to bring these Muggle "artifacts" to life. Molly smiled as she remembered the time that Arthur sneakily bewitched what Muggles liked to call a "lawnmower" to shave Arthur loves Molly in the yard of the Burrow when they first bought it.

Tears were coming in forceful rivers from her eyes now, and Molly sat down on the edge of the bed. She had been in this room alone for far too many nights for her liking. It had been one year since her beloved Arthur passed away, and she still longed for his touch in the cold, uncertain nights. These were the times that she needed his comfort, his reassurance, and his love most. Voldemort was getting stronger than ever, and he was assembling the most massive following of Death Eaters that the wizarding world had ever seen. There were attacks each day, and the Order of the Phoenix was doing what it could to maintain order. But, for Molly, it was so hard going on with their mission without the one person who was always there by her side.

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"So without a credible witness, the Ministry can't just lock up Fauslof." Remus Lupin's eyes were unblinking. He had gone long without sleep these past few weeks, and with the full moon just around the corner he was restless than ever. Lupin was actually looking forward to the slight release from the actual world around him that his transformation would give him. Witnessing the death and havoc this past year was wearing him thin.

"Bloody hell," Sirius Black groaned angrily. His temper was flaring inside of his chest. The Death Eaters were elusive; none had yet to be caught red-handed or named for what they truly were. Everid Fauslof, a notorious ally of Lucius Malfoy and fellow Death Eater, had just killed three Muggles the night before. Sirius was sure of it, but apparently no one had been around to witness the crime. According to The Daily Prophet, a family of three Muggles, two parents and one small boy, had been thrown from the side of a road in their car, which had smashed beyond recollection in a ditch. The wizarding world could tell that this was the act of a dark wizard, because it had happened before. Needless and cruel attacks on Muggles were the staple of a Death Eater. They had no remorse for killing magical folk, but it was a joy, a past-time or recreation, of theirs to taunt Muggles and send them to their deaths. If Arthur were alive today, he would go after Fauslof himself, thought Sirius. He had been thinking about Arthur a lot lately. Sirius felt it shameful to admit, but he found himself making comparisons between himself and Arthur Weasley quite frequently. Arthur was a kind, giving, and loyal man, whose love for his family, friends, fellow wizards, and even Muggles, never faltered. Sirius now recognized the good in Arthur and wished that he had appreciated him more when he was alive, before he had been murdered. For Sirius, the words "death" and "murder" had been part of his vocabulary for too long, since the hideous murders of James and Lily Potter. He had no trouble convincing himself that Arthur was really gone or struggling with the concept of death, since he had experienced it all too painfully before. But, he still could not elude the pain that he felt whenever he saw Molly Weasley. He had been playful with her, yes, and had enjoyed her comical, yet often angry, reactions to his mischievous antics and what some people would call "immature" ways, but he had never wanted to hurt her. What Lupin had said the night before about not giving Molly such a hard time had been right. Sirius had never felt so ashamed about how he treated another person in his entire life. Lupin must have picked up the distressed look on Sirius's face, but he did not know the real truth behind his moodiness. "Sirius, I know why this Muggle murder bothers you so much." Lupin was quiet for a minute. "It bothers me, too. For the same reasons. The Muggle parents were the same age as Lily and James were." Lupin pursed his lips. He had never let go of the pain of their passing, either, although he was much more vocal about it and willing to work through it than Sirius. "And the boy was just about Harry's age. when it happened to him." Lupin's light eyes looked anguished as he reflected on the horrific murder of the innocent and unsuspecting Muggle family the previous night. "But the Order, all of us," Lupin continued, "are going to stop this from happening ever again. We'll do it, Sirius. We will." Sirius looked up. His dark eyes scanned Lupin's face. So this is my old friend, Moony, he thought. Sirius still saw Lupin as the young boy that he was when the Marauders had all met at Hogwarts and began their infamous reign of fun and hijinks as students there. But now, after all of this time and all that has happened in both of their lives, Sirius saw Lupin as the strong man that he was. He had persevered through everything and never lost his faith and hope in goodness or his child-like innocence. For these things, Sirius was grateful. "I know, Moony," Sirius began, as he looked back down at the kitchen table as his enchanted stirrer began turning milky swirls inside of his coffee cup. "It's just that this bastard Fauslof has got to pay. This has gone on for far too long." For the first time in a long time, Sirius felt a knot forming in his throat. "Too many people are losing who is important to them." Lupin eyed Sirius strangely. He thought that he could detect the trace of something else in his voice. "What do you mean, Sirius?" he asked carefully but concerned. Molly, Sirius thought to himself. The knot in his throat got tighter and he clamped his hands together underneath the table. The enchanted stirrer stopped turning and fell with a thud on the hardwood table. "I've gotta talk to Harry," Sirius said quietly and abruptly. He started to get up from the table. Lupin's brow furrowed. "Padfoot, you can't. Not now. It's too risky for the both of you. You know that the fireplaces at Hogwarts are being watched." Sirius pushed his hand irritably through his shiny, black hair. Lupin could sense his agitation. The knot in Sirius's throat was about to explode. "I'm not just gonna sit here and let them destroy people," Sirius said in a cold voice as he reached for his wand. Lupin's eyes grew wide in fear of what his beloved friend might do. He could not lose him again, not after Azkaban and all of those years. "It can't happen this way, Sirius," Lupin said calmly, trying to ease his friend out of his overwhelming fury and frustration. "You can't do this alone, and you can't do this now." "YOU BETTER BLOODY BELIEVE THAT I CAN!" yelled Sirius, fuming and feeling as though the knot in his throat was strangling him. His head was ablaze in thoughts of Lily and James, the Muggle family who had just been murdered, of Harry and his friends. and of Molly Weasley and her children. "Sirius," came a soft voice from the top of the steps. Lupin turned toward the staircase. "Put it down," the soft voice coaxed. Sirius felt himself starting to lose control to his pain as he dropped his wand to the floor. Molly, her face awash in tears, slowly descended the stairs. Lupin watched her as she walked toward Sirius and lightly touched his forearm. She looked up at him, eyes brimming with tears. "Not this way," she gently and sorrowfully whispered to Sirius, whose downtrodden face was looking down at hers. Lupin remained silent. "Please, Sirius. Not this way." Molly inhaled the tears that were beginning to fall down her face. Sirius wanted to reach out and touch her, but he could not. "Please," she whispered again, in a voice muffled with loss and the choke of never-ending tears. "It's not what Arthur would have wanted."