My Laura
Yes, it was definitely time. Molly lay on the bed, wondering if they had any Floo powder. She thought of having the child right here, in the comfort of her own bedroom. Arthur wouldn't have approved at all.
"You need to have that child in a hospital." Arthur had said.
"But, Arthur! The money! We could just have a nice midwife and--"
"Molly, no!" he said, shaking his head. "I'll find a way to pay it off, believe me I will. But, you simply must have that child in a hospital."
"All right." Molly sulked. "But, Arthur--"
"Molly!" Arthur said, shoving a stale cookie in her mouth. "Shut up, Love."
Molly grinned at the foolish memory as she stroked the cradle that Arthur had purchased and placed beside their bed. He had bought it in an antique story and then polished up. Molly thought it looked more beautiful then any stupid plastic store bought one could ever look. Molly thought of the beautiful little girl would sleep in the beautiful cradle. She touched the glass ballerina that stood on a small pedestal. Molly had found the tiny figurine in the Girl's Dormitory at Hogwarts and thought it was perfect. It played a beautiful little melody whenever she cried, and she was sure it was some sort of powerful spell that could sense emotions.
Molly was hungry. Arthur had been doing his best, but they barely had enough to eat at times, having to sacrifice food to pay the rent and the doctor's appointments. They sold the chair that Arthur had kicked over in the living room (It's a landmark, you cannot sell it! Molly whined) and the functional cauldron heater in the kitchen (It wasn't all that functional anyway. Arthur shrugged) It was as if their pockets bore an impending hole where the money would just sift through and neither of them had any money to sew the hole back up. Molly opened the cabinet above the sink (the water was dirty and they had to get it from the well outside) and to her delight she found an orange.
"Arthur must've left this for me." Molly said.
She took a knife from the counter and started to peel it carefully. She cut it up into sections and put half of it on a plate, and the other half on another plate (for Arthur). Molly bit into the orange fruit thoughtfully and wandered over to their fireplace. Today was the exact day that she was due. She was supposed to be hospitalized a few days earlier, just in case the baby came early (Think of the bill! Molly said in distress). She supposed she should be getting over to St. Mungo's before she had the baby here and now. She was supposed to have gone this morning, but found it much nicer to lie on her big bed for a few hours. Now, it was late afternoon. If Arthur knew she was still here, he would've had a fit (Honestly Molly! she heard him say). Well, he probably did know that she wasn't at St. Mungo's because he had probably called St. Mungo's every five minutes to see if she had arrived yet.
He would've called their house, just so he could yell at her for not being at the hospital and asking her if she wanted to have the baby right there, but Molly unplugged the phone the second he left the house. The detached cord buzzed every time a call came, and it hadn't stopped buzzing all day. Molly found it interesting that Arthur had time to phone her every two minutes and still get paid for doing his janitor duties. Indeed, she found it i amazing. /i
She smiled and plugged the cord back into the phone and immediately it started to ring loudly. She watched it for a few seconds, hands clasped behind her back. She sighed and picked it up, holding it to her ear for a few seconds.
"Yes, Arthur?"
"Are you still at the house, Molly?" Arthur inquired.
"No, dear." Molly said. "I'm in Egypt right now. I'm having tea with King Tut."
"Molly!" Arthur sighed. "I've been trying to call all morning. Where've you been?"
"Oh, just in the other room." Molly smiled.
"Molly, I think it's time you get to St. Mungo's." he said. "Have you had something to eat?"
"I had half of the orange you left in the cabinet."
"Well, eat all of it."
"But, what about you?"
"I'm not the one that's pregnant, Love." Arthur laughed.
"Can't we just get a midwife, Arthur?" Molly pleaded. "Hospitals are so stuffy."
"Haven't we been over this, Molly?" Arthur sighed.
"I don't recall." Molly said stubbornly.
"Well, I do. Now, you get to the hospital and I'll meet you there."
"But Arthur!"
"But nothing, Molly Elaine Eloise Weasley!" He said. "Honestly, I hope that child of yours doesn't turn out as stubborn as you."
"And I hope she doesn't get your big feet, lack of proper grooming and big ears." Molly retorted. "And freakishly tall status."
"Right." Arthur said. "Now get to Saint Mungo's before I send someone out to get you."
"Okay." Molly sighed. "You're so mean at times, Arthur."
~-~-~-~-
Molly took the long way. She took a muggle cab to the remote entrance of St. Mungo's. It was in a back alley, and one had to tap the bricks with their wand to reveal the entrance. Molly stared at the bricks, wondering which ones she had to tap and what would happen if she tapped the wrong ones on purpose. Arthur would be inside by now, looking through every birthing room for her. Molly loved to tease him. She sighed and started to tap at the three bricks.
"Welcome to St. Mungo's Mrs. Weasley." the witch said. "You're husband's been very worried."
"Has he?" Molly said, smiling.
"He hasn't stopped pacing your empty room. He's bound to tread a ditch sooner or later." she commented leading Molly down the hallways.
~-~-~-
"Molly!" Arthur exclaimed shooting up out of the chair he was sitting in. "Do you've any idea how worried I've been? How many white hairs I've grown because of you? Where on Earth have you been? Merlin, Molly!"
"Hello, Arthur." Molly said, smiling.
He looked at her for a few seconds and then he broke a smile. "You've gone and got me all worried on purpose haven't you, My Molly?"
"Oh, Arthur!" Molly sighed, taking a seat on the bed. "Whatever makes you believe that?"
"Call it a hunch," he said, taking her hand.
He stood there looking at her. This girl, Molly, had grown so much since the little weakling he had met four years ago. She seemed so much stronger, so much more confident. Indeed, she had in turn made him kinder and more generous. On their wedding day, they were both so nervous to get married. They were just teenagers, in a foolish love. They had not a penny to their name and not a friend to lend a hand. They knew that things would have been tough, and the future learned more and more uncertain every day.
The future wasn't looking so bad now.
"I'll see you later." Arthur said.
"Promise?" Molly said. "You're not going to run off somewhere and leave me here?"
"Promise." Arthur smiled as he left the room.
~-~-~-
There was only one reason that Arthur wasn't in the birthing room with Molly. She had wished him not to. She argued that he had gotten his way with making her have the baby in the hospital and she would have to have her way in not allowing him to watch her give birth. He didn't know why it was such a bad thing, but he respected her wishes because Molly was awfully persistent in the matter.
"Hey!"
Arthur turned his head to see Seth, looking slightly more mature. Wow, Arthur definitely wasn't expecting that.
"Seth." Arthur said. "What are you doing here?"
"Ah, well, my friend, I thought about what you said." Seth said. "And now that I've graduated Hogwart's, I thought it time to be more mature."
"How did you know I was here?"
"Choked it out of Lily Evans. She's a real drama queen when you torture her animals." Seth smiled. "So, you really married her."
"Yupp."
"And not because she was pregnant." Seth said in amazement. "Arthur, you've got to be the stupidest bloke I've ever known."
"Foolish." Arthur nodded. "But not stupid."
"Right." Seth nodded. "Listen, Arthur, if your kids need a godfather, or if you need a few Knuts to get by, you come to me, okay?"
"Seth." Arthur said, looking at his friend. "That's a big offer. Molly and I are in debt higher then we can count."
Seth chuckled. "What are friends for?"
~-~-~-
Seth had left. Arthur now sat alone in the empty waiting room, palms pressed against his eyes, scared to death. The bill would be plenty to worry about if he didn't have two lives hanging in the balance. Molly was fragile and tiny. She was so strong inside, but her body was just so weak. Arthur could only hope that she would pull through. He wanted the child to come out right, too. The little girl would be the pride and joy of his life. She would be a great athlete, he knew. She wouldn't get the highest marks, he knew. But, she would definitely be a beauty. She would have red hair, no doubt. She would have deep blue eyes, like her mother, but pride and strength, like her father.
"My Laura." he muttered to himself.
He leaned back and let his headrest on the back of the chair. He stared at the bright light above him and closed his eyes. He felt himself drift into unconsciousness, dreaming a restless, dreamless sleep.
~-~-~-
"Mister Weasley?" Someone was shaking his shoulder. "Mister Weasley, wake up."
"W-what?" Arthur sat up slowly, his eyes opening with great difficulty. "Who're you?"
"I'm your wife's Healer," he said quietly. "There was a problem, Mister Weasley."
"Problem with what?" Arthur asked, not completely awake yet.
"With the delivery." he said.
This woke Arthur up.
"Your wife is so petite, her hips were too slim. She wasn't given enough food. She had a poor diet. The baby didn't get enough nutrition. Surprisingly, when it came into this world, it was alive and well. It was too small to live. It cried once and we took it away. We did all we could, but the child just didn't breath after it's first cry." The doctor said quietly.
"What are you saying?" Arthur said.
"Your child is dead." he said.
Arthur was quiet. "And Molly?"
"Your wife is very sick, Mister Weasley. It doesn't look like she'll live to see morning." the Healer said. "If you'd like to go in and sit with her..."
"Surely there's something you can do!" Arthur protested, standing up. "I'll pay whatever I have to, there's got to be something you can do!"
"Your child is dead and your wife is dying." he shook his head. "That's the way it is, Mister Weasley."
~-~-~-~-
He opened the door slowly, not wanting to really at all. Molly lay there, on her side. Her face was even paler then it used to be. He walked slowly over and sat down. How could be, that just a few hours ago, this girl was giggling and carrying on? She opened her eyes and sat up, sighing.
"I'm tired." she whispered weakly.
"I know." Arthur said, taking her hand.
"How is Laura?" she said eagerly. "I didn't get to see her, but I know she is the most beautiful baby in that nursery, Arthur."
"Molly."
"Did they let you see her yet?" Molly asked him.
"No."
"You know, it's funny." she said quietly. "I feel so sick and so happy at the same time."
"Happy?" Arthur blinked.
"Of course I'm happy." she sighed. "We've a daughter, Arthur."
"Molly," Arthur said. "There's something you have to know about Laura."
Molly sighed. "What is it?"
Men don't cry, he told himself feebly. It didn't help him though. He didn't care how much of a man he was at the moment, he started to cry. He felt the hot tears run down his face like a horrible, burning fire. He looked at Molly's pale face. What had he done to deserve this pain? What had she done?
"The doctor said," Arthur said, his voice soft. "that Laura died right after she let out her first cry."
"W-what?" Molly whispered feebly. "That can't be. No. You're lying to me Arthur!"
Arthur had just looked away, ashamed. What right did he have to live anyway? What right did Arthur Weasley, a stupid janitor, have to live when his child had just died because he failed to provide his wife with proper nutrition? From the depths of his heart, he wanted to bring the tiny baby back to live, even if it was just for a few hours. Just so Molly could hold her child in her thin arms. But, he wasn't God. He was Arthur. He held Molly's tired body against him as she sobbed.
"I want to die." she sobbed. "I'm tired of life, Arthur."
"No." Arthur shook his head. "Never say that, Molly. Don't you ever say that."
"What did we do to deserve this, Arthur? What did Laura do?"
"No one does anything to deserve this." He said. "It just happens."
"Why?" Molly sobbed. "Why? Why?"
"Rest now." Arthur said quietly, laying her down.
"I never want to wake up." Molly cried, throwing her arms around Arthur's neck. "I want to die. I've nothing to live for."
"Quiet now." Arthur said.
"Arthur." Molly said drowsily. "The bill."
"Don't worry about the bill. I'll take care of the bill." Arthur sighed.
Molly didn't respond, but turned over, half asleep and sobbing. Arthur didn't bother to reach for her shaking hand, but merely sat still, looking at her sleeping form. He didn't know what he would do if he lost Molly. He reckoned he would probably jump off of a bridge. He would probably lose sight of reality. One thing was for sure, if Molly ever died, either now or ever, he would never marry again. Ever. There was no one else in this world for him and there never would be.
Arthur felt himself drift into another restless spell of sleep. He wanted to sleep so badly, yet, he knew if he did fall asleep, when he woke up, Molly might not be alive when he woke up. He stared out the window, just beyond Molly's bed. He stared out at the brilliant stars and the bright moon. And just when he saw a faint pink invade the sky, he felt his eyelids drop over his eyes and the world blur into itself.
~-~-~-
"Arthur."
Someone was shaking him.
"Arthur, wake up."
Arthur lifted his eyelids to find Molly's bed empty and the sheets folded neatly on the pillow. He looked frantically around and saw her right next to him, looking very tired, but nonetheless alive. She smiled at him weakly and handed him a slip of paper.
"The left the bill on your forehead." she said.
Arthur took the paper and looked at it. "One hundred Galleons and two Sickles. The Witch at the front told me One hundred Galleons!"
"They charged you for sleeping in the chair." Molly answered, a hint of amusement in her voice.
Arthur reached in Molly's purse and found the sack of money just as full as when he slipped it in there. Molly looked at him curiously. He spilled the coins out on the bed and counted them carefully. There wasn't enough. He counted them again, desperately this time.
"Have I made a mistake?" he asked her. "There are fifty two Galleons and three Knuts."
"What are we going to do?" she asked quietly.
"I don't know." Arthur responded, racking his head for answers.
He couldn't go to his parents. That would just be downright pathetic and embarrassing. Molly didn't have any parents. The doctors wouldn't have much sympathy for him and throw him and his wife in Azkaban. They had nothing left to sell except their house, their bed and the -- he felt a lump in his throat -- baby crib that was supposed to be Laura's. He looked up at her and she looked away from him, unwilling to get into another fight about money.
"Don't look at me like that, Arthur." she said. "I haven't any money."
"I know." Arthur sighed.
"Isn't it sad we don't have any rich friends that would take pity on us?" Molly contemplated.
"Yes, it's too bad we don't have any rich friends like ... " His eyes brightened up. "Seth!"
"Seth?"
Arthur ran out of the room to the owlery of St. Mungo's. The man told him it would cost him five Knuts to rent an owl. Arthur unwillingly tossed the man a Galleon and received his change, his pouch heavy with the added coins and the guilt of having spent five Knuts to rent a bloody owl. He scrawled a note to Seth, who was hopefully not far away. He picked an owl that looked like it had a lot of energy and would get to Seth fast. He had to be out of the hospital by noon, and it was nine.
"That one's a real slacker." said the man who ran the owlery just as Arthur released the bird. "He flies real slow and drunken like. It's amusing the first few times, but it gets old real soon."
"He looked healthy." Arthur argued.
"Sir, are you mentally ill?" the man asked. "Everyone knows that a jittery owl will fly much slower then a calm one."
"I knew that." Arthur said, turning away.
Just as the man thought he was out of earshot, Arthur heard the man mutter "Sure you did, pal." Arthur shook his head and went back to Molly's room. She was sitting on the bed, next to the folded sheets, playing with the hem of her already ripped skirt. When he entered, she looked up at him expectantly. He smiled weakly and sat back down in the chair and shook his head.
"Did you make a rich friend?" Molly asked.
"I sent Seth an owl. I don't know if he'll help us though." said Arthur, shrugging. "He told me he would, but fifty Galleons is a lot for a guy just graduating Hogwart's."
"Seth doesn't seem like the type to let people down often."
"He's not." Arthur said. "Did Seth bully you when I left school?"
"No, of course not." Molly shook her head. "He was actually nice to me. He always asked me how you were doing."
"Seth's a good friend."
Both of them were silent for a few minutes. Molly rubbed her tired eyes and then looked at Arthur's hands, which were placed placidly in his lap. She wondered if she would have any more children. What a wonder it would be to have a child! There was a dull aching hurt inside of her. She knew that it would never go away, it would always remain. Eventually, through the years, the pain would dull, but it would always be there. From her pocket, she took a pink ribbon and laid it across her lap. It had the name Laura Weasley scrawled on it in black ink.
"What's that?" Arthur asked in a hoarse voice.
"They tie a pink or blue ribbon a baby's wrist according to it's gender right after it's born and then they write the name of the child on it to make sure the baby isn't switched with any others." said Molly quietly. "The Healer gave me Laura's."
"What are we going to do, Molly?" Arthur asked quietly.
"I suppose," Molly said. "that we'll take it one day a time."
"Do think that we'll have any more children?" Arthur asked.
"Oh, I hope." Molly said. "I want to have a house full of children one day. I want to have six girls and one boy."
"Six girls?" Arthur exclaimed. "I don't know how I'll survive in that house."
"You'll have the one boy."
"I'd rather have six boys and one girl." Arthur said haughtily.
"That'd be horrible for the one little girl." said Molly sadly.
Arthur opened his mouth to say something when an owl flew through the window and dropped a pouch on his lap with a note attached to it. The owl flew away and Arthur opened the pouch immediately. Sixty-eight Galleons lay in the pouch. Molly looked on in wonder as to where Arthur had received this money.
"Dear Arthur and Molly," read Molly. "I'm sorry about Laura. I guess I'll have to wait a little longer to be a godfather. Here's the money you needed and some extra. Buy yourself something nice."
"He's a nut." Arthur half laughed.
"Yes, but he's an awfully nice nut." said Molly.
Arthur and Molly paid their bill and left St. Mungo's with a few coins jiggling in Arthur's pocket. They were headed towards the cemetery in Hogsmeade. St. Mungo's had taken the liberty of burying the child and marking her grave. As Arthur and Molly walked through the crowds of Hogwart's students at Hogsmeade, they couldn't help but feel robbed of their youth. Molly ran her hands through her red hair and followed Arthur towards the cemetery.
The cemetery was never overgrown. The grass was always neatly cut and green, even in the winter. But, no matter how green the grass was, there was something that felt lonely and dead about the plot of land. Molly followed Arthur, not really wanting to be here. Wishing that it had never happened. Wishing with all of her heart that Laura were alive. She looked at her worn boots and her patched skirt that swished around her boots. She saw Arthur stop in front of her and stopped as well.
"Laura Weasley." Arthur said. "August 1971."
"I have a feeling," Molly said quietly. "that I will hate August for the rest of my life."
Arthur took his small wife's hand and marveled at her ability to fight her tears. She was so brave and courageous, like a true Gryffindor. He tried to recall the day she had been sorted. He had been in his Second Year. She was the thin little misfit that he paid no mind to. He couldn't say that he fell in love with her the moment he saw her.
"Life is such a fragile thing." said Molly. "Some days I think I'd rather not live. Some days, I want to live forever. But now, when I know that a little child hasn't even had the chance to look and see the world as I have when she deserved to more then any of us, I feel like I don't have the right to live. What right do we have to be living, Arthur? What right do we have when there are babies like ours that didn't live to see the sunrise over the horizon? It's not fair! It's just not fair! Does the world want us to suffer? Does the world see us as such an unworthy couple that they had to take away Laura?"
Arthur was silent as he stared at Molly, who was fingering the pink ribbon of her child. She looked up at him questioningly. She's right, thought Arthur. She's right about everything.
"One day, My Molly." said Arthur. "I think there will be a world where our children will live and they will not have to go through what we did."
"One day." Molly said decidedly. "I want my children to grow up in that world. All six girls and my one boy."
"Or six boys and one girl." Arthur said.
And as Molly and Arthur Weasley stood there, on the threshold of a new dawn, there was something different about them. Although neither of them was even twenty, they felt much older. The world seemed real as a place of horrors and death, but it also was revealed to have something else in it. Something that people could only uncover because of horror and death. Hope for tomorrow. Because, no matter how dark the times were to become or how much pain was suffered, it would not stop the sun from rising.
Yes, the sun would always rise the next day.
Yes, it was definitely time. Molly lay on the bed, wondering if they had any Floo powder. She thought of having the child right here, in the comfort of her own bedroom. Arthur wouldn't have approved at all.
"You need to have that child in a hospital." Arthur had said.
"But, Arthur! The money! We could just have a nice midwife and--"
"Molly, no!" he said, shaking his head. "I'll find a way to pay it off, believe me I will. But, you simply must have that child in a hospital."
"All right." Molly sulked. "But, Arthur--"
"Molly!" Arthur said, shoving a stale cookie in her mouth. "Shut up, Love."
Molly grinned at the foolish memory as she stroked the cradle that Arthur had purchased and placed beside their bed. He had bought it in an antique story and then polished up. Molly thought it looked more beautiful then any stupid plastic store bought one could ever look. Molly thought of the beautiful little girl would sleep in the beautiful cradle. She touched the glass ballerina that stood on a small pedestal. Molly had found the tiny figurine in the Girl's Dormitory at Hogwarts and thought it was perfect. It played a beautiful little melody whenever she cried, and she was sure it was some sort of powerful spell that could sense emotions.
Molly was hungry. Arthur had been doing his best, but they barely had enough to eat at times, having to sacrifice food to pay the rent and the doctor's appointments. They sold the chair that Arthur had kicked over in the living room (It's a landmark, you cannot sell it! Molly whined) and the functional cauldron heater in the kitchen (It wasn't all that functional anyway. Arthur shrugged) It was as if their pockets bore an impending hole where the money would just sift through and neither of them had any money to sew the hole back up. Molly opened the cabinet above the sink (the water was dirty and they had to get it from the well outside) and to her delight she found an orange.
"Arthur must've left this for me." Molly said.
She took a knife from the counter and started to peel it carefully. She cut it up into sections and put half of it on a plate, and the other half on another plate (for Arthur). Molly bit into the orange fruit thoughtfully and wandered over to their fireplace. Today was the exact day that she was due. She was supposed to be hospitalized a few days earlier, just in case the baby came early (Think of the bill! Molly said in distress). She supposed she should be getting over to St. Mungo's before she had the baby here and now. She was supposed to have gone this morning, but found it much nicer to lie on her big bed for a few hours. Now, it was late afternoon. If Arthur knew she was still here, he would've had a fit (Honestly Molly! she heard him say). Well, he probably did know that she wasn't at St. Mungo's because he had probably called St. Mungo's every five minutes to see if she had arrived yet.
He would've called their house, just so he could yell at her for not being at the hospital and asking her if she wanted to have the baby right there, but Molly unplugged the phone the second he left the house. The detached cord buzzed every time a call came, and it hadn't stopped buzzing all day. Molly found it interesting that Arthur had time to phone her every two minutes and still get paid for doing his janitor duties. Indeed, she found it i amazing. /i
She smiled and plugged the cord back into the phone and immediately it started to ring loudly. She watched it for a few seconds, hands clasped behind her back. She sighed and picked it up, holding it to her ear for a few seconds.
"Yes, Arthur?"
"Are you still at the house, Molly?" Arthur inquired.
"No, dear." Molly said. "I'm in Egypt right now. I'm having tea with King Tut."
"Molly!" Arthur sighed. "I've been trying to call all morning. Where've you been?"
"Oh, just in the other room." Molly smiled.
"Molly, I think it's time you get to St. Mungo's." he said. "Have you had something to eat?"
"I had half of the orange you left in the cabinet."
"Well, eat all of it."
"But, what about you?"
"I'm not the one that's pregnant, Love." Arthur laughed.
"Can't we just get a midwife, Arthur?" Molly pleaded. "Hospitals are so stuffy."
"Haven't we been over this, Molly?" Arthur sighed.
"I don't recall." Molly said stubbornly.
"Well, I do. Now, you get to the hospital and I'll meet you there."
"But Arthur!"
"But nothing, Molly Elaine Eloise Weasley!" He said. "Honestly, I hope that child of yours doesn't turn out as stubborn as you."
"And I hope she doesn't get your big feet, lack of proper grooming and big ears." Molly retorted. "And freakishly tall status."
"Right." Arthur said. "Now get to Saint Mungo's before I send someone out to get you."
"Okay." Molly sighed. "You're so mean at times, Arthur."
~-~-~-~-
Molly took the long way. She took a muggle cab to the remote entrance of St. Mungo's. It was in a back alley, and one had to tap the bricks with their wand to reveal the entrance. Molly stared at the bricks, wondering which ones she had to tap and what would happen if she tapped the wrong ones on purpose. Arthur would be inside by now, looking through every birthing room for her. Molly loved to tease him. She sighed and started to tap at the three bricks.
"Welcome to St. Mungo's Mrs. Weasley." the witch said. "You're husband's been very worried."
"Has he?" Molly said, smiling.
"He hasn't stopped pacing your empty room. He's bound to tread a ditch sooner or later." she commented leading Molly down the hallways.
~-~-~-
"Molly!" Arthur exclaimed shooting up out of the chair he was sitting in. "Do you've any idea how worried I've been? How many white hairs I've grown because of you? Where on Earth have you been? Merlin, Molly!"
"Hello, Arthur." Molly said, smiling.
He looked at her for a few seconds and then he broke a smile. "You've gone and got me all worried on purpose haven't you, My Molly?"
"Oh, Arthur!" Molly sighed, taking a seat on the bed. "Whatever makes you believe that?"
"Call it a hunch," he said, taking her hand.
He stood there looking at her. This girl, Molly, had grown so much since the little weakling he had met four years ago. She seemed so much stronger, so much more confident. Indeed, she had in turn made him kinder and more generous. On their wedding day, they were both so nervous to get married. They were just teenagers, in a foolish love. They had not a penny to their name and not a friend to lend a hand. They knew that things would have been tough, and the future learned more and more uncertain every day.
The future wasn't looking so bad now.
"I'll see you later." Arthur said.
"Promise?" Molly said. "You're not going to run off somewhere and leave me here?"
"Promise." Arthur smiled as he left the room.
~-~-~-
There was only one reason that Arthur wasn't in the birthing room with Molly. She had wished him not to. She argued that he had gotten his way with making her have the baby in the hospital and she would have to have her way in not allowing him to watch her give birth. He didn't know why it was such a bad thing, but he respected her wishes because Molly was awfully persistent in the matter.
"Hey!"
Arthur turned his head to see Seth, looking slightly more mature. Wow, Arthur definitely wasn't expecting that.
"Seth." Arthur said. "What are you doing here?"
"Ah, well, my friend, I thought about what you said." Seth said. "And now that I've graduated Hogwart's, I thought it time to be more mature."
"How did you know I was here?"
"Choked it out of Lily Evans. She's a real drama queen when you torture her animals." Seth smiled. "So, you really married her."
"Yupp."
"And not because she was pregnant." Seth said in amazement. "Arthur, you've got to be the stupidest bloke I've ever known."
"Foolish." Arthur nodded. "But not stupid."
"Right." Seth nodded. "Listen, Arthur, if your kids need a godfather, or if you need a few Knuts to get by, you come to me, okay?"
"Seth." Arthur said, looking at his friend. "That's a big offer. Molly and I are in debt higher then we can count."
Seth chuckled. "What are friends for?"
~-~-~-
Seth had left. Arthur now sat alone in the empty waiting room, palms pressed against his eyes, scared to death. The bill would be plenty to worry about if he didn't have two lives hanging in the balance. Molly was fragile and tiny. She was so strong inside, but her body was just so weak. Arthur could only hope that she would pull through. He wanted the child to come out right, too. The little girl would be the pride and joy of his life. She would be a great athlete, he knew. She wouldn't get the highest marks, he knew. But, she would definitely be a beauty. She would have red hair, no doubt. She would have deep blue eyes, like her mother, but pride and strength, like her father.
"My Laura." he muttered to himself.
He leaned back and let his headrest on the back of the chair. He stared at the bright light above him and closed his eyes. He felt himself drift into unconsciousness, dreaming a restless, dreamless sleep.
~-~-~-
"Mister Weasley?" Someone was shaking his shoulder. "Mister Weasley, wake up."
"W-what?" Arthur sat up slowly, his eyes opening with great difficulty. "Who're you?"
"I'm your wife's Healer," he said quietly. "There was a problem, Mister Weasley."
"Problem with what?" Arthur asked, not completely awake yet.
"With the delivery." he said.
This woke Arthur up.
"Your wife is so petite, her hips were too slim. She wasn't given enough food. She had a poor diet. The baby didn't get enough nutrition. Surprisingly, when it came into this world, it was alive and well. It was too small to live. It cried once and we took it away. We did all we could, but the child just didn't breath after it's first cry." The doctor said quietly.
"What are you saying?" Arthur said.
"Your child is dead." he said.
Arthur was quiet. "And Molly?"
"Your wife is very sick, Mister Weasley. It doesn't look like she'll live to see morning." the Healer said. "If you'd like to go in and sit with her..."
"Surely there's something you can do!" Arthur protested, standing up. "I'll pay whatever I have to, there's got to be something you can do!"
"Your child is dead and your wife is dying." he shook his head. "That's the way it is, Mister Weasley."
~-~-~-~-
He opened the door slowly, not wanting to really at all. Molly lay there, on her side. Her face was even paler then it used to be. He walked slowly over and sat down. How could be, that just a few hours ago, this girl was giggling and carrying on? She opened her eyes and sat up, sighing.
"I'm tired." she whispered weakly.
"I know." Arthur said, taking her hand.
"How is Laura?" she said eagerly. "I didn't get to see her, but I know she is the most beautiful baby in that nursery, Arthur."
"Molly."
"Did they let you see her yet?" Molly asked him.
"No."
"You know, it's funny." she said quietly. "I feel so sick and so happy at the same time."
"Happy?" Arthur blinked.
"Of course I'm happy." she sighed. "We've a daughter, Arthur."
"Molly," Arthur said. "There's something you have to know about Laura."
Molly sighed. "What is it?"
Men don't cry, he told himself feebly. It didn't help him though. He didn't care how much of a man he was at the moment, he started to cry. He felt the hot tears run down his face like a horrible, burning fire. He looked at Molly's pale face. What had he done to deserve this pain? What had she done?
"The doctor said," Arthur said, his voice soft. "that Laura died right after she let out her first cry."
"W-what?" Molly whispered feebly. "That can't be. No. You're lying to me Arthur!"
Arthur had just looked away, ashamed. What right did he have to live anyway? What right did Arthur Weasley, a stupid janitor, have to live when his child had just died because he failed to provide his wife with proper nutrition? From the depths of his heart, he wanted to bring the tiny baby back to live, even if it was just for a few hours. Just so Molly could hold her child in her thin arms. But, he wasn't God. He was Arthur. He held Molly's tired body against him as she sobbed.
"I want to die." she sobbed. "I'm tired of life, Arthur."
"No." Arthur shook his head. "Never say that, Molly. Don't you ever say that."
"What did we do to deserve this, Arthur? What did Laura do?"
"No one does anything to deserve this." He said. "It just happens."
"Why?" Molly sobbed. "Why? Why?"
"Rest now." Arthur said quietly, laying her down.
"I never want to wake up." Molly cried, throwing her arms around Arthur's neck. "I want to die. I've nothing to live for."
"Quiet now." Arthur said.
"Arthur." Molly said drowsily. "The bill."
"Don't worry about the bill. I'll take care of the bill." Arthur sighed.
Molly didn't respond, but turned over, half asleep and sobbing. Arthur didn't bother to reach for her shaking hand, but merely sat still, looking at her sleeping form. He didn't know what he would do if he lost Molly. He reckoned he would probably jump off of a bridge. He would probably lose sight of reality. One thing was for sure, if Molly ever died, either now or ever, he would never marry again. Ever. There was no one else in this world for him and there never would be.
Arthur felt himself drift into another restless spell of sleep. He wanted to sleep so badly, yet, he knew if he did fall asleep, when he woke up, Molly might not be alive when he woke up. He stared out the window, just beyond Molly's bed. He stared out at the brilliant stars and the bright moon. And just when he saw a faint pink invade the sky, he felt his eyelids drop over his eyes and the world blur into itself.
~-~-~-
"Arthur."
Someone was shaking him.
"Arthur, wake up."
Arthur lifted his eyelids to find Molly's bed empty and the sheets folded neatly on the pillow. He looked frantically around and saw her right next to him, looking very tired, but nonetheless alive. She smiled at him weakly and handed him a slip of paper.
"The left the bill on your forehead." she said.
Arthur took the paper and looked at it. "One hundred Galleons and two Sickles. The Witch at the front told me One hundred Galleons!"
"They charged you for sleeping in the chair." Molly answered, a hint of amusement in her voice.
Arthur reached in Molly's purse and found the sack of money just as full as when he slipped it in there. Molly looked at him curiously. He spilled the coins out on the bed and counted them carefully. There wasn't enough. He counted them again, desperately this time.
"Have I made a mistake?" he asked her. "There are fifty two Galleons and three Knuts."
"What are we going to do?" she asked quietly.
"I don't know." Arthur responded, racking his head for answers.
He couldn't go to his parents. That would just be downright pathetic and embarrassing. Molly didn't have any parents. The doctors wouldn't have much sympathy for him and throw him and his wife in Azkaban. They had nothing left to sell except their house, their bed and the -- he felt a lump in his throat -- baby crib that was supposed to be Laura's. He looked up at her and she looked away from him, unwilling to get into another fight about money.
"Don't look at me like that, Arthur." she said. "I haven't any money."
"I know." Arthur sighed.
"Isn't it sad we don't have any rich friends that would take pity on us?" Molly contemplated.
"Yes, it's too bad we don't have any rich friends like ... " His eyes brightened up. "Seth!"
"Seth?"
Arthur ran out of the room to the owlery of St. Mungo's. The man told him it would cost him five Knuts to rent an owl. Arthur unwillingly tossed the man a Galleon and received his change, his pouch heavy with the added coins and the guilt of having spent five Knuts to rent a bloody owl. He scrawled a note to Seth, who was hopefully not far away. He picked an owl that looked like it had a lot of energy and would get to Seth fast. He had to be out of the hospital by noon, and it was nine.
"That one's a real slacker." said the man who ran the owlery just as Arthur released the bird. "He flies real slow and drunken like. It's amusing the first few times, but it gets old real soon."
"He looked healthy." Arthur argued.
"Sir, are you mentally ill?" the man asked. "Everyone knows that a jittery owl will fly much slower then a calm one."
"I knew that." Arthur said, turning away.
Just as the man thought he was out of earshot, Arthur heard the man mutter "Sure you did, pal." Arthur shook his head and went back to Molly's room. She was sitting on the bed, next to the folded sheets, playing with the hem of her already ripped skirt. When he entered, she looked up at him expectantly. He smiled weakly and sat back down in the chair and shook his head.
"Did you make a rich friend?" Molly asked.
"I sent Seth an owl. I don't know if he'll help us though." said Arthur, shrugging. "He told me he would, but fifty Galleons is a lot for a guy just graduating Hogwart's."
"Seth doesn't seem like the type to let people down often."
"He's not." Arthur said. "Did Seth bully you when I left school?"
"No, of course not." Molly shook her head. "He was actually nice to me. He always asked me how you were doing."
"Seth's a good friend."
Both of them were silent for a few minutes. Molly rubbed her tired eyes and then looked at Arthur's hands, which were placed placidly in his lap. She wondered if she would have any more children. What a wonder it would be to have a child! There was a dull aching hurt inside of her. She knew that it would never go away, it would always remain. Eventually, through the years, the pain would dull, but it would always be there. From her pocket, she took a pink ribbon and laid it across her lap. It had the name Laura Weasley scrawled on it in black ink.
"What's that?" Arthur asked in a hoarse voice.
"They tie a pink or blue ribbon a baby's wrist according to it's gender right after it's born and then they write the name of the child on it to make sure the baby isn't switched with any others." said Molly quietly. "The Healer gave me Laura's."
"What are we going to do, Molly?" Arthur asked quietly.
"I suppose," Molly said. "that we'll take it one day a time."
"Do think that we'll have any more children?" Arthur asked.
"Oh, I hope." Molly said. "I want to have a house full of children one day. I want to have six girls and one boy."
"Six girls?" Arthur exclaimed. "I don't know how I'll survive in that house."
"You'll have the one boy."
"I'd rather have six boys and one girl." Arthur said haughtily.
"That'd be horrible for the one little girl." said Molly sadly.
Arthur opened his mouth to say something when an owl flew through the window and dropped a pouch on his lap with a note attached to it. The owl flew away and Arthur opened the pouch immediately. Sixty-eight Galleons lay in the pouch. Molly looked on in wonder as to where Arthur had received this money.
"Dear Arthur and Molly," read Molly. "I'm sorry about Laura. I guess I'll have to wait a little longer to be a godfather. Here's the money you needed and some extra. Buy yourself something nice."
"He's a nut." Arthur half laughed.
"Yes, but he's an awfully nice nut." said Molly.
Arthur and Molly paid their bill and left St. Mungo's with a few coins jiggling in Arthur's pocket. They were headed towards the cemetery in Hogsmeade. St. Mungo's had taken the liberty of burying the child and marking her grave. As Arthur and Molly walked through the crowds of Hogwart's students at Hogsmeade, they couldn't help but feel robbed of their youth. Molly ran her hands through her red hair and followed Arthur towards the cemetery.
The cemetery was never overgrown. The grass was always neatly cut and green, even in the winter. But, no matter how green the grass was, there was something that felt lonely and dead about the plot of land. Molly followed Arthur, not really wanting to be here. Wishing that it had never happened. Wishing with all of her heart that Laura were alive. She looked at her worn boots and her patched skirt that swished around her boots. She saw Arthur stop in front of her and stopped as well.
"Laura Weasley." Arthur said. "August 1971."
"I have a feeling," Molly said quietly. "that I will hate August for the rest of my life."
Arthur took his small wife's hand and marveled at her ability to fight her tears. She was so brave and courageous, like a true Gryffindor. He tried to recall the day she had been sorted. He had been in his Second Year. She was the thin little misfit that he paid no mind to. He couldn't say that he fell in love with her the moment he saw her.
"Life is such a fragile thing." said Molly. "Some days I think I'd rather not live. Some days, I want to live forever. But now, when I know that a little child hasn't even had the chance to look and see the world as I have when she deserved to more then any of us, I feel like I don't have the right to live. What right do we have to be living, Arthur? What right do we have when there are babies like ours that didn't live to see the sunrise over the horizon? It's not fair! It's just not fair! Does the world want us to suffer? Does the world see us as such an unworthy couple that they had to take away Laura?"
Arthur was silent as he stared at Molly, who was fingering the pink ribbon of her child. She looked up at him questioningly. She's right, thought Arthur. She's right about everything.
"One day, My Molly." said Arthur. "I think there will be a world where our children will live and they will not have to go through what we did."
"One day." Molly said decidedly. "I want my children to grow up in that world. All six girls and my one boy."
"Or six boys and one girl." Arthur said.
And as Molly and Arthur Weasley stood there, on the threshold of a new dawn, there was something different about them. Although neither of them was even twenty, they felt much older. The world seemed real as a place of horrors and death, but it also was revealed to have something else in it. Something that people could only uncover because of horror and death. Hope for tomorrow. Because, no matter how dark the times were to become or how much pain was suffered, it would not stop the sun from rising.
Yes, the sun would always rise the next day.