Disclaimer: Once again, it all belongs to J.K. Rowling!

Chapter 2: Molly and Albus

"Albus, we – "

"Yes, I know; you want to talk about Harry." Dumbledore sighed inwardly.

"Yes, I do. I want you to answer a few questions for me."

I have a feeling that this is going to take a while, thought the headmaster. He sat down at the table. "Ask away."

"First of all, what did you tell Harry before the school year ended? I know you met with him after that night. As I mentioned in my letter, he did not look well when he got off the train, and I don't think it's only because he just lost his godfather. I know Harry was trying to hide it, but I could see it in his eyes. The boy is terrified!"

Dumbledore sighed inwardly again. "I told Harry about the contents of the prophecy." The headmaster saw the looked on Molly's face and groaned so that she could not hear him. Uh oh, thought Dumbledore, I'm really in for it now.

"You WHAT?!?!" exclaimed Molly, her fists balled up tight. "You actually told him what the prophecy said?"

"Yes, I did," said Dumbledore heavily.

Molly just gaped at the headmaster, with a look that told him that she thought he had done something really stupid. After several minutes, she regained some of her voice, and said rather shakily, "Why? I mean, even the Order doesn't know. Why tell him now, right after such a thing? Couldn't you have waited?"

"His godfather is dead because I waited too long," sighed Dumbledore. "Who knows what else could have happened if I hadn't told him that night. At least now he knows what he needs to do."

"Needs to do? Albus, just what does the prophecy talk about?"

"I cannot tell you," said Dumbledore, holding up his hands at Molly's protesting look. "I will only tell you if Harry gives me permission to. It's his prophecy, not mine."

"Yes, but you know what it says!"

"I didn't know that the prophecy was going to be told in front of me. If I hadn't heard it, it would have been lost, or worse, overheard."

"Overheard? By who?"

"One of Voldemort's supporters."

Molly flinched when she heard the name, but quickly shook her head. "One of the Death Eaters?"

"Yes. I was able to ensure that this person didn't hear the entire prophecy."

"So – You-Know-Who knows part of the prophecy?"

"Yes, but without the rest of the prophecy, the information he acquired will be quite useless now. He would need the entire prophecy for it to be of any use to him."

She nodded to indicate that she understood. "I have another question for you."

"Very well; ask away."

"When can Harry leave Privet Drive?"

Ah, I knew this was going to come up. "As you already know, Harry has to stay with his aunt and uncle to ensure his safety." Dumbledore held up his hands again to stem the flow of Molly's protests that was threatening to spill out of her mouth. "The minimum amount of time he can stay at the Dursleys so that the wards stay up is two weeks. As term ended a week ago, he would still have to stay for – "

" – Another week," said Molly. She pursed her lips, but did not say anything.

"I know; I don't like it either." The headmaster had put his head in his hands; his headache was getting worse. "But if we want to protect Harry, we have to do what we need to do."

"Albus Dumbledore! Don't you get it? Harry isn't safe at that house! If anything, it's only hurting him more!"

"Molly, it – "

"Don't you tell me that it can't be done any other way, Albus Dumbledore! Harry shouldn't have to suffer more!"

"Molly, it – "

"He's already helped the entire wizarding world to see that You-Know-Who has returned! What more do you want from him?"

"MOLLY! LISTEN TO ME!" shouted Dumbledore as he looked up, tired of running in circles with this conversation. "It's even more dangerous for Harry if he's taken from Privet Drive too early! We cannot risk that he will be attacked by Death Eaters!"

She stared angrily at the headmaster, opening and closing her mouth. She retrieved her voice after a few moments. "FINE!" she yelled, stomping off to the kitchen door. "FINE! JUST LEAVE HARRY WITH THOSE HORRIBLE MUGGLES! BUT LET ME JUST TELL YOU, ALBUS DUMBLEDORE, THAT IF HE IS DEPRESSED AND HURT EVEN MORE THAN BEFORE, IT WILL BE YOUR FAULT!!!!!!!!!!" Molly wrenched the door open, slamming it loudly behind her.

A few moments later, the headmaster heard the front door slam, although it was much softer. The first slammed door had doubled his headache. His vision was blurry for a few seconds after that. Dumbledore let his head fall into his hands again, hoping that it would ease his headache just a little.

Suddenly, the headmaster heard footsteps that sounded like they were coming from the steps that led down to the kitchen. Oh no, she's come back to yell at me some more.

"Hey Molly, I – "

Arthur Weasley stepped into the kitchen, expecting to see his wife, but instead he found Dumbledore sitting at the table with his head in his hands. The look on Arthur's face was one that someone would wear if he had just come across something that one does not see every day. Unsure of what he should do, he approached the headmaster slowly. "Albus?"

Dumbledore looked up at Arthur, having difficulty putting him into focus. "Hello, Arthur."

Arthur looked around the room and took in the uncleared table and the dishes in the sink. "I expect that you and Molly had a disagreement?"

The headmaster chuckled. "I wouldn't call it a disagreement; it was more like an all-out shouting match."

"And I suspect it was over Harry?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry that had to happen. Molly cares a great deal for Harry, as I do and I am sure that you feel the same way, and I expect she came off a bit – uh – firmer that she had intended to."

"I believe you are right." The headmaster stood up and, waving his wand, sent the empty goblets to the sink, where they began to clean themselves.

Dumbledore followed Arthur out of the kitchen. They walked up the stairs, through the hall, and out the door onto the late afternoon Muggle street.

"Well, I better get to work. I might be stopping by your office tomorrow to give you a report on the troll situation."

"All right. Until tomorrow, then?"

As Arthur left with a crack!, Dumbledore could not help but feel dread as he thought about the mountain of owls that was sure to be waiting for him on his desk.