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If you didn't read it up there, this chapter is dedicated to petriebird18 and Teagal7. Hugs and cookies to you both!
For everyone who asked for it (and even those who didn't) here is chapter two! And there's some more Arthur/Molly too!
2 months later
Minerva sat in the backyard of the Burrow. The two-story house was charming, Minerva thought. This was her first trip to her former students house. Molly had finally made the house "presentable for company," as she had put it. Minerva had come for lunch and now the two women were sitting outside enjoying the late July sun, watching Bill splash at the edge of the small pond. Minerva was holding Charlie.
The little baby had grown over the past two months. His bright blue eyes—now able to see much more clearly—roamed from object to object, taking in as much as possible. He babbled nonsense quietly when anyone held him. Minerva balanced him in a standing position on her lap, and he was strong enough to hold himself up for a while. When his knees gave way she cradled him against her again and he fell back to making happy sounds.
Bill was trying to catch a frog as he waded up to his knees in the pond. The frog kept hopping away on lily pads toward deeper water. Minerva worried for a moment and asked Molly if he was okay by himself, but Molly simply nodded her head. Sure enough, when Bill tried to take another step, a translucent sort of wall appeared, shimmering in front of him for a moment, then disappeared again, but he could go no further.
"Arthur put up a charm to stop Bill from going too deep," Molly explained. "The funniest thing is when Arthur forgets it's there and tries to jump in."
Minerva imagined the redheaded man throwing himself headlong at a wall and winced as she laughed. Molly offered to get them some lemonade, so Minerva turned her attention back to the baby in her arms. Charlie had turned face so he was pressing against her chest. She thought it was to hide his face from the sun until he began working his mouth against her breast, trying to feed. "Well, firstly, my dear," she chuckled, shifting him so he was lying on her lap with his feet against her stomach, "it doesn't work with clothes on. And secondly," she said, blowing softly on his feet, "you're not going to get anything from me." Charlie smiled and squirmed slightly as she tickled him.
Molly came back with the lemonade and Minerva handed Charlie back to his mother so she could feed him. Bill came running as soon as he saw the pitcher, so Minerva poured two glasses and a plastic cup of lemonade. Bill climbed up on Minerva's lap as he gulped his drink thirstily. The two of them held a little conversation about the frog he had almost caught. Once he had finished the lemonade, he ran off to the edge of the pond again.
Molly was smiling at Minerva when the older woman turned back to her drink. "You'd be a wonderful mother," she said simply.
Minerva blinked, taken aback. Then she smiled slowly. "Well, I'm glad you think so. That will come in useful."
Molly gaped at her. "Minerva, are you…?"
"Pregnant?" Minerva shook her head. "No. But Albus and I are trying."
Molly let out a shriek that caused Charlie to stop eating and Bill to look back at the ladies from where he stood by the pond. "Oh, how wonderful!" she cried.
Minerva wrinkled her nose as she smiled. "It is, isn't it? I haven't told anyone else yet. It's sort of exciting."
Molly laughed. "Just wait until you get to tell people that you're pregnant! It's even more fun."
They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments. Charlie finished eating and Molly held him up against her shoulder to burp him. Minerva watched her, feeling a spark of envy. She thought of how Charlie felt in her arms, how it felt when he tried to get milk from her. She sighed.
"What's wrong?" Molly asked, noting the troubled look on Minerva's face.
Minerva spoke hesitantly. "You and Arthur never really had to try, did you? I mean, Bill and Charlie sort of came about on their own."
Molly smirked slyly. "Well, it wasn't quite on their own. Arthur and I helped a little."
Minerva blushed. "Well, yes, but you never had to plan for it, right? You never had to…work for it?" She was now a deep pink color.
Molly couldn't help but laugh at her former professor. "You're really uncomfortable talking about sex, aren't you?"
Minerva covered her face with her hands as she blushed even deeper. "This is not the conversation I want to have with a student."
Molly shook her head. "I'm not a student anymore, and we aren't talking about sex. We are two mature woman talking about conceiving a child," she said matter-of-factly. Minerva continued to blush, but uncovered her face and sighed her acceptance. "Now, what's the problem?"
"Well… I suppose I'm just impatient. Albus and I have only been trying for two months, and some people try for years, but… I want a baby now," Minerva said. "I suppose that sounds very selfish of me."
"Not at all. I think it sounds perfectly natural. Besides," she added with a smirk, "I don't remember you ever being very patient."
Minerva glared at her. "Thank you so much, dear" she said dryly. Standing, she said, "I suppose I'd better be getting back home. I need to pack some more things up before I go to Hogwarts tonight."
Molly stood too, carefully, so as not to wake Charlie, who had just fallen asleep. "I can't believe your summer is almost over. When do you have to be back at the school?"
"Two weeks, but I'm starting the moving process early this year. It always seems very rushed and panicked when we leave it until later. It amazes me how many things Albus and I have at the cottage that we need at the castle. You'd think we could leave some of it behind." Minerva sighed and walked over to say goodbye to Bill before following Molly into the house to use the fireplace.
"Minerva," Molly said, before the older woman left, "Arthur's mother is a strange woman."
Minerva laughed. "Yes, I've met her."
"But she's a smart woman too. And she always says 'Good things come to those who wait. Even if those who wait get crabby from waiting so long. Eventually, their good thing will come.'"
Minerva and Molly regarded each other solemnly for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "Thanks for that," Minerva said, and then she was gone.
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Molly Weasley was sitting, half-asleep, bathed in moonlight, in a chair in her bedroom. Arthur walked quietly into the room so as not to wake her, but she started anyway, then rose to greet him. Arthur kissed her kissed her briefly and slid his hands down her arms to link his fingers with hers.
"I'm sorry I had to work so late on such short notice, dear."
"It's quite all right, Arthur. Do you want me to fix something for you to eat?"
"Oh no, dear," he said, sitting in her vacated chair and pulling her down to sit on his lap. "I had some sandwiches at work."
Molly made to stand up. "A few sandwiches is not a meal, let me make you something."
Arthur pulled her back and wrapped his arms around her waist to stop her from going. "Just stay here with me, please?"
Molly relented and draped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek before resting her head against his. "How was your day?"
Arthur sighed. "Long and hard. But better since I saw you." Molly laughed softly and kissed his lips this time, letting the kiss linger. When they pulled back, Arthur said, "But I'd rather talk about your day. How did it go? Did Professor McGonagall come by for lunch?"
"Yes, she did. She likes the house. She agreed with you, though, about you needing to build a shed or garage or what-have-you."
Arthur smiled. "She always was a smart woman."
Molly stifled a yawn. "Let's go to bed, love." Arthur nodded and the couple stood up. Arthur changed out of his work robes before joining Molly under the covers. She smiled and snuggled closer to him and he wrapped his arms around her again.
"Good night, Mr. Weasley."
"Good night, Mrs. Weasley." Her smile widened and she kissed her husband.
"That's what I was thinking of before you came in, you know," she said, laying her head down next to his on the pillow. "I'm Mrs. Weasley. But Minerva is almost never called Mrs. or even Professor Dumbledore. Most people who know her well enough to know that she and Albus are married already call her by her first name."
"That's the way it has to be, dear," Arthur said sleepily. "They both have too many enemies to let everyone know that they are married."
"I know, Arthur, that's what I was thinking about. And how will they explain a baby? Oh!" She said suddenly, picking her head up. "I forgot to tell you!"
"They're having a baby?" Arthur asked smiling.
"They're trying to get pregnant," Molly corrected.
Arthur smiled on into the dark. "Good. I've always thought they'd be good parents. Albus was almost like a father to me anyway." Molly yawned again as she nodded her agreement. "But we'll talk about it over breakfast, love. Now, we sleep.
Molly nodded again, kissed his cheek, and they drifted off to sleep.
Whew! I like this story. Even if I do kind of throw in random things every once in a while. So, now tell me what you think, please.