For the next month, as they had hoped, they were kept extremely busy and the money was rolling in. Molly soon got back her initial investment and was so happy to have something to do other than cook and clean, that the fact she was earning money at it was just an added bonus. It didn't even seem to bother her anymore that Gilderoy tended to do a disappearing act whenever they had a reasonably attractive female client. She had guessed by now that he was probably 'chatting them up', but she told herself she hadn't the right to be judge him asafter all he was a free agent and could do as he liked.

Two weeks after meeting Gilderoy for the first time, Molly had eventually plucked up the courage to tell Arthur what she was up to. She had worried that he wouldn't be very happy who she was in business with and he wasn't, but he had seemed pleased to have some of the pressure off him as main wage earner and that she was going to be doing something she really wanted to do. He was very dubious about Lockhart and remained so, but had told her that as long as she was happy that was good enough for him and the extra money coming in would come in handy, especially as Ron's birthday was coming up. This year they would be able to afford to buy their youngest son the best Quidditch broom on the market.

"No longer will my boy have to make do with second hand!" Molly thought, "it will always be new for him - from now on!"

The business went from strength to strength and their reputation grew. Mostly down to Molly's skill and ability, but Gilderoys irrepressible charm and coercive personality helped too.

Even after three months, Molly still had no idea how weak Gilderoys magic was, as he always seemed to have a plausible excuse for not using magic for something and she wouldneverask him about it anyway asin the wizarding world it was considered impolite to question how strong another persons magic was.

There has been a noticeable change in their relationship now; the longer they worked together, the more comfortable around each other they seemed to get. Molly was less starry eyed around him and therefore less nervous, but she still found him very attractive.

Even though she had done her best to hide it, Gilderoy knew she still fancied him and this made him very happy. It meant he could get round her much more easily and she'd be more likely to believe what he said, no matter how implausible it was. Yes it meant he could get away with a lot more, if she started to question him, he'd just turn on the old charm and she'd be putty in his hands.

Molly had noticed that he had been spending more time at her side helping herin the past few weeksand she wasn't quite sure why. As before he had always managed to find jobs to do in other parts of the house, leaving her to work alone. She never in a million years thought that he might fancy her though and just presumed his 'touchy feely-ness' was just one of his little quirks, but he did seem to be getting even more so. He often stood closer than was necessary and sometimes his hand would brush against hers or he'd put his arm around her in a friendly hug for no reason. Every time he touched her it made her pulse race and a now, familiar blush creep over her cheeks, which she kept magically charming away.

He also kept making her laugh with silly jokes and flattering her; telling her what a lovely smile she had or how good she was with her wand, or how nice her hair looked when the sun shone on it.

Molly had only ever gone out with Arthur and had no experience of being seduced by other men, so she wasn't quite sure what he was up to. She'd never been the most beautiful girl around, had been a little shy at school and had never had much confidence in her looks. So she found it very hard to believe that someone like Gilderoy could fancy her, even though he was giving her all the signs.

"Don't be so daft!" she had thought, then told her self that she must just be imagining things.

But it was after they had finished a particularly exhausting and virulent Bundimun infestation job one day, a few weeks later, that she at last realised that maybe he did have feelings for her after all. They had been standing alone together in the living room, waiting for their gentleman client to get some money to pay them and Gilderoy had given her a congratulatory kiss on the cheek. He hadn't pulled away straight away like she expected though and after kissing her he had stayed close, his body only millimetres away from hers. Looking into her eyes intensely, with a small smile playing on his lips, his hands had cupped her face gently. Molly felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach and her heart begin pounding in her chest at this unfamiliar intimacy. It had almost seemed to her, like time had stopped for just a few moments. Gilderoy had moved as soon as the client came back, rather hurriedly, a bit like a naughty schoolboy, but the client, an extremely old wizard who was deaf as a post, hadn't seemed to notice anything. Molly had been too shocked to say anything and had just followed Gilderoy blankly, as he left,'flooing' out behind him.

She wanted to talk about this incident to him afterwards, to ask him what it had meant, but was too nervous to bring it up in case maybe she had got the wrong end of the stick after all. She didn't want to him to think she was just another sycophant, like a lot of the women her sort of age they met in the course of their work. She liked to think she was more than that now – she liked to think she was his friend.

The two of them sat in The Leaky Cauldron after the Bundimun job; it being their temporary 'office' with a drink and she did some serious thinking. She knew she still loved Arthur, but he was hardly ever at home and didn't seem to be that interested in her sexually anymore. She was craving attention and Gildy, as she now called him, was giving it to her. He made her feel years younger and gave her the inkling that she might still be attractive, even if she was in her mid-forties and a little towards the plump side. And though it made her feel guilty afterwards, she found her self fantasising about him and wondering what he was like in the bedroom. She knew he'd had a rather dodgy past, but after working with him all this time, she felt that she could trust him and that he'd totally redeemed himself. She thought that now more than ever before, he really was worthy of her admiration and respect - for turning his life around so well.

Gilderoy was feeling triumphant, as he felt that at last he had broken that protective'I'm married so I'm out of bounds' shell that Molly had around her self. In fact he was so sure of Molly's admiration of him that he thought he could begin to relax and be less cautious, asever since they had been in business, he had been very careful about covering his tracks from his more dubious business dealings. He had also been embezzling the profits from the businessaccount which hadenabled him to move out of his previous lodgingstorent a swanky flat in a discerning, magical only, neighbourhood. He had then proceeded to furnish the flat and himself with all the best things in life with joyful abandon. Molly didn't suspect a thing, because he had always insisted on dealing with their clients by him self, when it came to payment. She had never minded this that much, as she hated asking people for money. He used this little insecurity of hers to his full advantage of course and never sought to increase her confidence in the area. He had just said, " just leave it to me Molly dear, don't you worry." He also insisted on doing the banking to, as he put it, to - "save her the bother", so she wouldn't find out how little there was in there. He always, of course, made sure that she got her agreed wages, every week without fail.

Gilderoy could be a good business man, if only he could a) be bothered and b) use a little forward thinking, as he tended to live in the now and leave worrying about the future until later.

Another month passed and Molly and Gilderoy were getting on better than ever and as she trusted him so much now, she had begun to confide in him about her marriage woes. The little snippets of information she gave him were very useful for Gilderoy and he knew he would be able to use them later. He had been planning on seducing Molly for quite some time and would use every trick he had could think of that had worked in the past, to do it. He knew it would be hard, as she was incredibly loyal to her husband, even though at the moment she seemed quite disillusioned with her marriage. Yes she would be a challenge, but he was up for it, he would just bide his time and wait for the right moment.

One Friday afternoon they had had a particularly hard day and Molly was tired and ready to go home; Gilderoy wasn't, because as usual he'd let her do most of the work. They had been getting rid of some troublesome ants from an old witch's cottage. The ants had accidentally become saturated with magic somehowand had become even more intelligent than before, so they had been nigh on impossible to get rid of and Molly had had to use all of her skills and magical abilities to their limits. Gilderoy had been very impressed, as had the old witch andit was then that he started to realise, just how incredibly useful to him, she could be; not only as a business partner, but maybe even as a life partner too! His mind began whirring with all the possibilities; yes his life would be much easier with her at his side. The only problem was, was getting her away from that husband of hers and the influence of those damned children that she adored so much. Gilderoy hated children, as most of them were far too clever for their own good and saw through him too easily.

They were just getting ready to go when an owl swooped down and tapped on the window of the old lady's cottage, disturbing Gilderoys train of thought. The old woman padded over and let him in and a rather distinguished looking Snowy owl, held out his leg; he had a message for Molly, it read:

Dear Molly

Sorry darling but I have to work very late tonight, there is a big meeting and I must attend. I tried to get out of it but I couldn't, I hope you understand.

Arthur

Molly sighed and tucked the letter in her pocket, then flooed out to The Leaky Cauldron with Gilderoy.

Gilderoy had a pretty good idea who the message had been from, but questioned her about it anyway.

"What's wrong Molly dear? Have you had bad news?"

"Oh..no.. it was just from Arthur, saying he has to work late again! Ohh..I'm beginning to wonder if he is married to me or his job nowadays, I know he wants to impress them and they are very busy at the moment, but...we haven't talked or done anything together for ages. At weekends we are both busy with The Ord.., err.. other things and we don't have that much time alone together then either. Oh.. it's just not the same anymore. I know there is war brewing in our world and he is needed.. but, I need him too." She said sadly, then sighed again

"Molly..I don't know how to say this, but..have you ever considered the possibility that your husband may be having a little fling with someone at work?" Gilderoy asked, trying to sound like nothing more than a concerned friend and not someone who was making smoke without fire.

"What.. No! Arthur would never do something like that!" Molly retorted quickly, truly shocked at such a notion

"But all the classic signs are there, working late, paying you little if any attention, falling asleep downstairs instead of coming to bed... and now he's working even later. I think he may have a mistress my darling." Gilderoy said convincingly, putting his arm round her comfortingly

"No, I'm certain that not the reason.. he's just tired that's all and even if he did have an affair, I'm sure that everyone would know about it, you can't hide much at that place, news spread's like wildfire round those offices." Molly replied, but nevertheless, the poisonous seed of doubt had been planted now and it burned inside her.

"Maybe it's not someone from work then. It could be anyone really, you just never know." Gilderoy said resolutely, raising his eyebrows and shaking his head sadly.

"No Gildy, I'm sure he wouldn't do that to me.." Molly answered, sounding equally resolute, but then she remembered something that had happened some months ago, something she had almost forgotten about. When her and Arthur had been to an Order meeting one time, he had spent an awfully long time talking to one particular female Auror, who at the time new to their organisation. She had been quite a lot younger than Molly and very pretty and Molly had felt a little jealous at the time.Arthur and herhad laughed together at one point in their conversation and the girl had thumped Arthur playfully in response, to which he had smiled and put up his hands in defeat. Then he had touched her arm briefly, smiling softly. Molly had kept looking over, while at the same time trying to hold a conversation with Tonks. Tonks had noticed Molly's constant vigilance of her husband and had assured her that Arthur had just taken the girl under his wing a bit, with her being so new and saw her as more of a surrogate daughter than anything else.Still worriedthough, she had questioned him at home after the meeting, but he had managed to convince her in his affable way that Tonks really was telling the truth and she had pretty much forgotten about it.

Now Molly wasn't so sure

"Gildy smiled secretly, ashe knew by her expression that he had done his job well.His little nudge was enough to start her going in the right direction, he was sure,even if she said she didn't believe it. Then he stoked the fire a little more.

"Molly..why don't you come over to my place tonight..so we can talk. I mean, unless you've got something else you'd rather do. I could even cook you a meal, if you like" He said smiling encouragingly

"I didn't know you could cook!" said Molly raising her eyebrows at him

"Oh yes, one of my many hidden talents. I know I could never match yourcooking Molly, but I have been complimented on my culinary skills in the past!" he said in mock smugness, making Molly laugh

"Oh I don't know Gildy.." she said, looking down again, feeling unsure.

"Oh go on! We're friends aren't we? And don't friends go to each others houses occasionally?" he asked reasonably. Then added, "Look any excuse to show off my new flat to you, I have been dying to show you around and this gives me the perfect excuse!"

Molly rolled her eyes in resignation and sighed, then looked at Gilderoy and smiled.

"Oh all right then I'll come! But only for a bit mind, I mean I don't know what time Arthur is finishing and I want to be there when he does"

"Oh Molly! Aren't you allowed out occasionally? Why don't you floo back and leave him a note, saying you are going to a friends house for the evening?" Gilderoy suggested

"You're right! Why shouldn't' I go out, I mean I'm a grown woman and if I want to spend the evening with a friend, why shouldn't I? I don't need his permission!" Molly announced with sudden determination. "Right, I'll just floo back home and I'll meet you backhere in a few minutes, okay!"

"Yes, I'll be waiting righthere" Gilderoy assured her

Molly flooed back home, scribbled a hurried note and pinned it to the fireplace, then ran upstairs for a quick wash and to get changed. She'd recently bought her self, some new clothes and wanted to wear her latest outfit. It was a dark green dress and matching robe, which fitted tightly at the bust and waist and flowed out from the hips to the ground, even she had to admit it looked good on her. Now she wason the go allthe time,she had recently lost some weight and nearly all her old stuff was too big for her now. She also put a brush through her hair and put on a little makeup, making her look a little less tired. In fact she didn't feel as tired as before anyway and was looking forward to spending the evening with Gildy.

Even though warning signals were going off in the back of her mind that maybe this wasn't such a good idea, she told her self it was just her usual cautious nature kicking in again and decided to ignore them. After all, likeGildy hadsaid, People go round to their friend's houses all the time don't they? Just because he happened to be a man, who may or may not be attracted to her, shouldn't make it any different, should it?

Molly flooed back to The Leaky Cauldron, feeling refreshed and energised. Gilderoy smiled when he saw her and stood up to greet her.

"Oh Molly, you look wonderful!" he gushed, looking her up and down apprasingly. "Well come on, lets go now shall we? As I don't know about you, but I'm hungry!"

He was getting her just where he wanted her and he had to keep it up. He knew he had to watch him self and not get over eager too soon and spoil everything, no, he had to play it cool – to begin with at least! Gilderoy was a very determined person when it came to getting what he wanted and had no doubt in his mind that tonight - he was going to get Molly