I apologise in advance for this chapter if some of the words are joined together, it's not my fault honest! Anyway hope you enjoy it as it has taken ans awful lot of work to get right!

What do you mean, it wasn't a dream?" Molly asked, confused, looking at Arthur as if he'd gone mad.

It was in that moment that she happened to notice her surroundings. Her eyes widened with shock as the realisation dawned on her, that she was not at home in her own bed.

"Where.. am I?" Molly questioned haltingly, just before vague flashbacks of the night's previous events began to invade her thoughts.

"You're in Gilderoy's bedroom" Arthur said bluntly, before sitting down next to her

Still not really understanding, she bowed her head, her forehead creasing in concentration. As she sat there thinking a sudden cold draft blew across them from somewhere, making hershiver. She looked down at her self curiously - as she had felt the draft more keenly than she would have expected andlet out a gasp of disbelief,when she saw that it was because she was naked under the robe.

"Oh Arthur! What have I been doing? Why haven't I got anything on?" Molly asked in a panicky voice, wrapping the robe more tightly around her. But even on saying this, she'd got a horrible feeling that she already knew the answer.

Arthur, looked at her, smiled wanly, then looked down again, before explaining

"I think...I think you've had sex with Gilderoy..but.. I don't know for sure.. I don't how far things actually went, before I got here." He said, sounding a little choked, then added stiffly, "I do know that he gave you some aphrodisiac wine, though...did you?"

While speaking he had begun to play distractedly with the furry bedspread, trapping the hairs between his fingers, then letting them go again - as if trying to find a vent for his anger.

Molly looked down her self again, sighed, then began to try and piece together more accurately what had happened that night. They sat in silence for a few minutes, while Molly's mind worked away, but when her memory did eventually start coming back, she began to wish it hadn't.

"I'm sure we didn't actually have sex...I mean.. I'd know if I'd done something like that, I'm sure" she ventured hopefully, looking up,"But I can say with absolute honesty, that I didn't know the wine he had given me was an aphrodisiac. I didn't come here to have sex with him Arthur, I just wanted to..well..to be pampered for a while I suppose.."

She paused, then with a more determined expression, said "Gilderoy offered to make me a meal and I accepted, I thought it would be a nice change not having to cook. I mean, we haven't been out for ages and ...well, I..I just wanted to remember what it was like spending an evening with someone, you know..having a nice meal, a drink and a chat." Then looking like she was trying to hold back tears she continued, "I hadn't meant for this to happen, though, Arthur.. I... I'm so sorry... I really am! I.. Oh!" Then not being able to hold back any longer, she began to sob unreservedly, resting her head on one hand, in order tohide her face.

Arthur gently took her other hand in his and proclaimed quietly -

"It's alright Molly, it wasn't your fault...it was mine..."

He was silent for a few seconds, then snorted ruefully, before hanging his head down low. He let go of Molly's hand in order that he could clasp both of his together loosely in front of him

"If I hadn't been so obsessive and so eager to please those pompous git's at the Ministry...if I'd spent a bit more time at home... and on you..." He lamented, shaking his head,

"I just wanted to prove my worth, that was all, I wanted to show I could be as good as all those new young recruits! I suppose.. I've..I've just been trying to make up for lost time; all those years I've wasted languishing in that Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office...when I could have been doing something more worthwhile"

Molly, incensed by these self-depreciating words, stopped crying and looked up at him, her now red rimmed eyes wide withdisbelief.

"NO! You know that isn't true! It may not have been the best job in the world, but you always came home at a decent time and we never went without anything..well nothing important anyway. I know we struggled at times, but I'm sure it brought us closer together as a family, we were really happy bunch most of the time!" then she smiled at a recollection of the past, "You always had such a sense of fun, you used to get up to as much mischief as the boys did and sometimes you were the perpetrator of it! Ohh..but that's all changed now, now you don't have time for fun, in fact.. I haven't seen you laugh in ages."She lamented, then added

"When you told me you wanted to become an auror, I supported you with all my heart, you know I did. I mean - of course, I'd got no idea then, that you were going to spend nearly all the hours in the day and night doing it, so..." she broke off momentarily, looking down again, as fresh tears were springing into her eyes, but after taking a deep breath she resumed her disclosure

"..recently I'd..I'd begun to believe that you didn't love me any more and.. and that you'd lost interest in me. I was so lonely.. I just wanted it to be like it used to be. Then there's that girl..." she said accusingly, wiping away her tears with her fingers

"What girl?" Arthur questioned, sounding completely non-plussed

"You know, that pretty little auror who was making eyes at you at the last 'Order' party. I know you work with her, I was told!" she snapped, her head shooting up, a little disgruntled at his seeming denial

"Oh! Do you mean Perfidia Catchworth?" He asked, making an incredulous little chuckle inhis throat. "We're just friends! Yes, I admit she does get a little flirtatious with me at times, but she's like that with everyone, it's her way - she's just a very friendly girl!Why the hell do you think she would be interested in me anyway? I mean, I'm more than twice her age and I'm nothing much to look at!"

Molly looked down again, before giving her answer, rather sullenly

"You're still a handsome man for your age and charming... and funny and you can be very sweet when you want to be...and you're one of the bravest men I know! Why wouldn't any woman want you in their life?"

"Do you really think so?" he replied with a slight smile, rather aghast

"Of course! But then again why wouldn't you want her either, I mean she's a beautiful young woman.." Molly responded, wiping fresh tears from her eyes

Arthur looked at his wife, his expression a little incredulous

"I don't want her -I love you, I don't need anyone else!..And erm, I hate to remind you about this Molly, but it is a bit rich throwing those accusations at me when you're stark naked in another mans bed!"

Molly bent her head forward and put her hands up to hide her face. He was right, but then, who knew what he'd really been up to, after all she hardly seen him for months. Then again if she couldn't trust him by now after all these years of marriage, when could she trust him? She usually knew when he was lying anyway, as he wasn't very good at it, so she decided to take his word for it. She knew full well, though,that it was mostly only her own insecurity and and an attempt to try and lessen her own guilt, that made her accuse him in the first place.

Deciding to change the subject slightly, she looked up and asked -

"Where is Gilderoy anyway, did he run away or something? And how did you know I was here?"

"Well, I think I'd better tell you the whole sordid story of what Gilderoy has been up to, I think that might explain things, but I warn you you're not going to like it.."

Arthur related what he'd recently discovered about Molly's business partner and surmised that it probably wasn't even the half of it.

As he went on, Molly began to get more and more incensed

"I can't believe it!" she blurted out, when he'd finished. Tears began streaming down her face again, this time with anger

"He's been conning me from the start hasn't he? He must have thought I was a RIGHT mug - just someone he could use! I don't know what I ever saw in him! OHH! That ablsolute..well I don't want to say it, but put it this way it starts with 'b' and ends with 'd'! Oh damn it! That absolute..bastard!"

She released a sigh, then admitted - "Oh Arthur, I've been such a fool, he took me in completely didn't he? I really wish I'd never replied to that letter now!"

She bowed her head and sobbed yet again, shaking her head regretfully

"Even when there were warning signs and I knew that something wasn't quite right, I tried to ignore them and just kept on making excuses for him, because I liked him so much. I just didn't want to believe he was up to no good, I truly thought he was a reformed character!" she said tearfully, sniffing and wiping her face

Then suddenly she got angry again

"But as for tonight - plying me with a spiked drink to get me to have sex with him! Well! He couldn't have sunk much lower than that could he!"

"You know that wine only works if the recipient is attracted to the giver.." Arthur reminded her quietly, looking down.

"Yes.. well..I admit that I found him attractive and that I ..I did think about having sex with him, but I would never have done it in my right mind Arthur! No way! Iwould never betray you like that, never! If he'd tried it on with me when I was sober, I'd have blasted him to the other side of London!... But I suppose he knew that and needed to weaken me, to get what he wanted.."

She looked down for a second or two, then up again, feeling the need toreiterate her previous denial, as he still seemed a little distant towards her.

"I couldn't have done it willingly Arthur, I love you too much to do that, you do believe me don't you?" she implored earnestly

"Yes.. but.. it still hurts, even though I know he gave you little choice. The very fact that you came up here with him in the first place when you knew what he was like...(shakes head).. then you end up in his bed.." Arthur answered disdainfully, waving his hands around to emphasize the point. Then leaning forward so his elbows were on his knees, he buried his face in his hands.

Molly bit her lip before replying and tried to comfort him, reaching out her hand to gently rest it on his back

"I know... but at least we didn't actually have sex, I ... I think we got disturbed before things got that far.." she admitted, sincerely hoping she was right

"I couldn't believe it when I saw you on this bed -naked! To say the bottom dropped out of my world was an understatement! That coupled with the fact that the worst possible person I can think of, witnessed the whole thing too!" He lamented in exasperation,shaking his head "Ohh..Gilderoy! You dirty littlepieceof troll shit.! If I didn't think I would go to Azkaban - I'd..I'd"but then heseemed to decide not toelaborate on this subject and instead continued to shake his head

The second she heard that someone else had been in the room with her husband, a bolt of fear shot like lightning through Molly. She'd previously thought that Arthur had been alone, as he'd led her to believe he was. She of course wanted to know who it was right away, but almost dreaded the answer

"Who else was with you then?" She enquired anxiously

"Erm. ..umm.. Severus Snape" he muttered awkwardly, knowing full well the effect this name would have on his wife. He had tried to hide this fact from her and cursed himself for letting it slip. He closed his eyes bracing himself for an onslaught.

Molly looked at him horror struck

"Severus Snape!.. Saw.. me.. naked!" she shrieked "Oh Merlins balls! I'll never live that down.. never! Oh, how can I ever look him in the eye again!"

"Did you ever anyway?" Arthur mused, trying to make light of it

"Well..maybe not! But every time I see him now, he'll make snide remarks, I know he will. He probably couldn't believe his luck, seeing me like that. It'll give him plenty of ammunition against me and our family won't it? Oh! What if he tells the children! Ohh!" she wailed, burying her face in her hands

"He won't if I warn him not to." Arthur revealed, then sniffed smugly"Huh! It's at times like this when being an Auror has it's advantages – because I've found out a few things about him that I know he definitely wouldn't want to become public knowledge. Stuff he wouldn't want banded about the school that's for sure!"

His smirk thendropped and his eyes began to narrow indignantly, before continuing "He wasn't looking at you like that anyway, believe me. I could have nearly punched him too, the pervert! He didn't avert his eyes or even make any pretence of being embarrassed!"

"Do you mean.. you punched Gilderoy?" Molly asked in surprise. She couldn't help but be impressed, even though she deplored violence

"Yes – twice and the second one knocked him out. You know I don't like resorting to violence, but he deserved it - the vile little creep!"

Molly didn't argue with him, but she wanted to know more about Severus Snape's involvement in all this.

"How come Severus came up with you anyway? I mean why him and not an Auror?"

"He was the one that told me about Gilderoy in the first place tonight and he insisted on coming with me. He used the excuse that it was because he was an expert in these matters and if he couldn't find any evidence then nobody could. I couldn't argue with that, so I allowed him to come, I didn't know then, though that he'd set me up; he knew you were here didn't he! Probably couldn't wait to see how I'd react - but I'm glad I came here when I did, as maybe I'd never have known about it until it was too late.." he paused for a minute, then his expression changed from righteous indignation to one of disbelief, directed squarely at Molly.

"You know, I really couldn't believe it when I found you here Molly, I thought you were at home fretting about where I'd got to!" he revealed, with a strange sort of smile, his voice breaking with emotion. Then suddenly tears that he'd probably been holding back for some time, sprung forth in his eyes. He looked away and bending forward, hid his face with his hands.

This set Molly off crying again and after tentatively reaching over to put her arms around her husband, she was recived unquestioningly into his. They stayed like this for some moments, until Arthur eventually pulled away.

"It's time we made a move Molly, we've got to get Gilderoy to the Ministry holding cells."

Molly nodded quietly and after a little searching, eventually found all of her clothes and got dressed.

They opened the door and stepped into the living room, to see Snape standing over the other side of the room - seemingly studying closely, one of the rather ostentatious artworks that covered the walls of the flat. He'd left the unconscious Gilderoy sprawled rather uncomfortably overthe over-sized coffee table. His head was hanging over one edge, his legs dangling over the other and had one arm bent underneath him. Arthur used a waking spell, to rouse him, which had an immediate effect. Gilderoy sat up slowly, rubbing his neck and wincing with pain. No sooner had he done so and uttered Molly's name on seeing her, than the said lady rushed over with a resolute expression, brought her hand up and slapped him hard across the cheek.

"Never.. ever.. and I mean never! ..Come near me..or my family again!" Snapped Molly, her mouth set in a thin determined line, then she shaking her head distainfully, she added "I thought you were my friend!.." Then she walked away towards the door and stood with her back to him. Arthur quickly slipped into the kitchen to make a signal to the men outside watching the windows. On coming out he immediately went over to comfort his wife, ignoring the dumbfounded Gilderoy, who was still sitting on the table, holding his face.

Very soon there was a knock at the door and two Aurors came in to take Gilderoy, who offered very little resistance - in fact he seemed unusually silent.Everyone trooped down to the lobby and out of the doors, with Molly staying as far away from Snape as possible. Once outside and after doing a muggle check, the Aurors left with their prisoner. Molly felt Snape looking in her direction, but refused to give him the satisfaction of any sort of reaction towards him, so she continued ignoring him. She then heard a pop as he apparated, leaving her and Arthur alone

"Do you want to come home now?" Arhur asked gently

Molly replied with an affirmative nod and smiled gratefully.

Arthur stuck out his wand for the night bus

"Just for old times sake eh!" he joked

The night bus soon arrived and holding hands, with eyes only for each other, they got on board.

Molly paused and questioned Arthur with a worried expression -

"We'll get through this won't we?"

"Of course we will" he answered, stroking her cheek lovingly, then joked, "we've been through worse..and survived!

Then on seeing her continued disquiet

"It'll take more than something likethis to get rid of me Molly..I love you more than my own life and if you still feel the same way about me then nothing else matters"

Molly smiled happily, feeling relieved and they found a seat just in time before the bus sped off into the night taking them to the burrow.