The Woes Of Mrs Weasley
Molly Weasley was tired but happy. For the past couple of months she had lived a cliché- her life had been a emotional roller coaster. His return, the twin's O.W.L. results, Percy, her and Arthur's anniversary, Harry's hearing, then Ron being made prefect. She briefly entertained the idea that possibly the only emotion she hadn't felt was apathy.
Despite her being ecstatic that her baby boy had been selected to be a prefect, she couldn't help but feel apprehensive as she climbed step after step on the stairs while the reality of the situation facing the wizarding world came trickling back. Moody's comment to Ron had done nothing to allay her fears. It wasn't as if she was being cynical, she had lost quite a few family members during You-Know-Who's first rise to power. She knew it would be a miracle for every Weasley, and those she had unofficially adopted as a Weasley, to get through this unscathed.
As she approached the door to the late Mrs Black's drawing room, the thought that she should probably leave the Boggart until better prepared flitted across her mind but Molly (Prewett) Weasley had never been one to procrastinate and she wasn't about to start at forty-four.
"And anyway, Boggarts aren't anything really dangerous, or particularly difficult to get rid of."
However, dealing with Boggarts becomes much more difficult when you are constantly worrying about keeping your family alive, and (as much as possible) together, not to mention feeling exhausted.
As soon as the latch had been undone on the writing desk, the lid was thrown back and out slithered the form of the most evil wizard ever. Molly unconsciously backed into a corner and cowered there as the face of Lord Voldemort grew closer.
"Ri…riddikulus" she whimpered.
And it worked. The snake-like face which had terrified her moments before had vanished. It had worked.
And then she looked down.
Lying on the floor, curled up in the foetal position, but unmistakeably dead, was her baby. Her hands shook with the effort of suppressing an uncountable crying fit.
"That's not Ginny. It's not real" She silently repeated to herself, over and over.
"RIDDI..kulus" She started bravely although her voice shook almost as much as the rest of her now convulsing body. The quiver which had began in her hands had steadily increased to include her entire corporal being. With a loud crack, her only girl, changed into her healthy, athletic son, his body burnt almost beyond recognition.
The third crack changed her second oldest into her second youngest. She noticed the gleaming prefect badge on his chest before she covered her eyes with her fingers.
She was briefly aware of a voice near the door and felt a ripple of embarrassment despite the fact that she was in no state to comprehend what was said. She tried the spell again and again but all that she succeeded in was changing Ron to Bill, Bill to her Arthur, husband to twins, twins to Percy, Percy to Harry, all of them in state on the floor, all of them dead.
Again the voice spoke - then split into many different pitches and accents. More people had entered the room. One of the voices said an incantation and Harry disappeared and was thankfully replaced with a silver orb - no more bodies. Molly realised how everything must look and was ashamed with herself for acting so foolishly. She tried to apologise for her public display of weakness but the tears prevented her from making any coherent sounds. She was vaguely aware of Remus trying to console her.
"I see them d-d-dead all the time! All the t-t-time! I d-d-dream about it…"
She was embarrassed about saying this, and knew she would regret it later, but it was as if someone else was controlling her mouth and making her confess things she wasn't ready to confess. As she started recollecting the details of the previous night's dream, she found that the control of her mandible area had relinquished and she stopped talking.
"D-d-don't tell Arthur" she finally managed while wiping the tears away on her sleeve and blacking it with mascara in the process.
"I d-d-don't want him to know…being silly…"
"I have to being strong for Arthur, have to, have to!"
One of the voices broke through her thoughts but she didn't catch all of what it said. She apologised again and extricated herself from the group trying to reassure her, promising herself a good cry once she was in bed.