Hey y'all - it's been a bit! In the past several months, I've gotten busy with several things. I got to be in the musical Once (which is a great musical that you should listen to right now), I got to finish high school and start/finish my first semester at college, and I got to visit my grandparents! I finally had time to come back to the story, so here we go!

(Disclaimer: See Chapter 35.)

Chapter 41:

Never in Her Wildest Dreams

"Harry thought, and no sooner had he reached the part about number twelve, Grimmauld Place, than a battered door emerged out of nowhere between numbers eleven and thirteen, followed swiftly by dirty walls and grimy windows. It was as though an extra house had inflated, pushing those on either side out of its way. Harry gaped at it. The stereo in number eleven thudded on. Apparently the Muggles inside hadn't even felt anything."

"I've been promoted," Percy said.

"You're kidding," Molly said, completely deadpan.

The Guardians had arrived at the train station and decided to spend their second summer with the Weasleys, then head to Grimmauld Place and really be a part of the action. It didn't take much to convince Mrs. Weasley; she had always taken a liking to Molly, and now that she was officially dating her son, she was happy to welcome her and her friends. Molly had been excited about exploring the wizarding world when school wasn't in session - until she remembered that the summer before fifth year was filled with politics.

"Didn't they think you were, like, complicit?" Jonah said. "In all the stuff with Mr. Crouch and Voldemort?"

"You don't need to say his name, he isn't back and we all know that," Percy said. "Besides, Mr. Crouch's sudden madness was a surprise to all of us at the Ministry, and to thank me for all the work I did last year during the Triwizard Tournament, I've been promoted to Junior Assistant to the Minister."

Molly tried not to laugh. "Oh, just Assistant to the Minister. Not Assistant Minister."

"What's the difference?" Percy said.

Molly looked over at Mackenzie, Ava, and Zoë, who had finally shown Molly The Office over the summer. "Oh, there's a difference," she said, barely keeping a smile off her face.

"The point is," Percy said, clearly disgruntled, "I'm working in Fudge's own office - that's almost unheard of for someone only a year out of Hogwarts."

He turned to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. "So what do you think?"

A kind of seething energy seemed to emanate from Mr. Weasley. "You realize what you've done, don't you?"

"Arthur, maybe this isn't the time -" Mrs. Weasley started.

"You realize you've just become Fudge's personal spy?" Mr. Weasley said. "Didn't you yourself say that Fudge told the Ministry that any of 'Dumbledore's men' can clear out their desks?"

"Fudge wouldn't spy on Ministry officers," Percy said.

"You obviously have no idea how the government works," Beatrix said.

"You don't trust this family?" Mr. Weasley said, his voice indignant. "You want to sell us out to Voldemort?"

"I cannot believe you," Percy said. "You-Know-Who has not returned! We're honestly going to trust the word of two fourteen-year-old kids over the Ministry of Magic?"

"That isn't evidence enough?" Ron piped up. "My best friend's word isn't evidence enough?"

"Or mine?" Stella and Mackenzie said at the same time.

"Not when we have people with reputations like precious little Papa over here," Percy snapped. "People who've got no ambition so that the rest of the family winds up destitute!"

"Let me at him!" Ginny growled, only being held back by a visibly upset Mrs. Weasley.

"Well, I see you've decided where your loyalties lie," Percy said. "Mine are with the Ministry. Not with a family of blood traitors, frolicking around with Albus Dumbledore. That's not the family I'm going to belong to - not anymore."

And he stormed up the stairs. The second the door slammed, Mrs. Weasley burst into tears and wrapped her arms around her husband, whose face was still red, breathing heavily.

"What have they done to him?" she sobbed.

Molly looked around the room, only to see a series of shocked faces. Even the twins were silent.

"You think he'll ever come back to us?" Ginny said.

Fred quickly grabbed Molly's hand, holding it for dear life. Molly saw a terrified look in his eyes, and she remembered what was destined to happen the second Percy reconciled with his family.

"I don't know," George said. "He probably just needs some space, but…"

The room was silent. It stayed that way for a long time.

It wasn't much longer until the letters from Dumbledore started, and the news about Harry's expulsion came, and suddenly the Burrow wasn't safe anymore. So nearly as soon as they had unpacked, the Guardians were packed up again, holding onto the elder Weasleys' hands as they prepared for the Apparition to London.

"Hold on tight, cause here we go," Mr. Weasley said, the whole group lined up in front of the Burrow.

"Off to Neverland," Molly said, her voice dull, as Fred held out his wand in the hand she wasn't holding and cast the spell.

And there it was, the confirmation that Apparition was how Delphi was bringing them to and from Hogwarts. It was that same nausea, that same need to close her eyes, brace herself against the pain and disorientation, and then a sudden stop to it all. She opened her eyes to find herself in front of a series of brownhouses.

The other Weasleys appeared around her, with loud cracks, and Mr. Weasley started to walk up to the house. Molly felt a weird feeling in her head, blinked hard, then blinked hard again, as a fuzzy outline of a house appeared, pushing its way through the bricks. Mr. Weasley walked through the door and shut it behind him.

"Does this place have a bathroom?" she asked as she went to follow him in - before she heard a cry for help from behind her.

"Jonah's been Splinched!" Stella shouted. Sure enough, Jonah was on the ground, fading in and out of consciousness, a large bloodstain on his chest. "He wasn't looking ahead when George cast the spell -"

"We have to get him inside!" Ava said, running over. She and Zoë ran over to lift him up, holding a hand over his wound, and carry him into the house.

Molly ran ahead and grabbed the doorknob, twisting it with trembling hands, holding it open wide as the others ran through. She followed them into the house and closed the door behind her.

And then all was pitch black. She held up her hand and could barely see her fingers in front of her. "Lumos!" she cried, and a blue light formed in front of her.

"Is there a bed in here?" Stella shouted, her voice breaking with worry.

Suddenly, Mr. Weasley flipped a switch, and the hall lit up. Molly cast "Nox" and lowered her wand.

"There's a bed in here," Mrs. Weasley said, reaching for a door - which opened before she could get to the doorknob. Two men stood at the door - one Molly recognized as Professor Lupin, and one she didn't. They both had their wands drawn.

"Who are these people?" the other person said. "What are they doing here?"

Fred put his arm around Molly. "It's okay, Sirius, they know," he said.

Molly stifled a gasp.

"They're friends of the family," he continued. "They were staying with us over the summer - wasn't really safe for them at home."

"Also, Fred's snogging one of them," George said, to which he received an elbow in the ribs from his sister.

Sirius looked to Lupin, who nodded. "They're legit," he said. "They were third years when I taught them - I taught Molly the Patronus Charm after she had an adverse reaction on the train."

"She was the fourth Triwizard champion, too," Mrs. Weasley said. "Helped Harry fend off Voldemort."

"Her friends are pretty cool, too," Stella said.

"And one of them got Splinched on the way here," Mackenzie said. "We need to get him to a bed."

Sirius lowered his wand. "There's one in here," he said, and he and Lupin cleared out of the doorway.

The tension in the hallway dissipated as Jonah was carried into the room. "Does anyone have a bottle of Dittany?" Ginny asked.

"I've got one," Ron said, taking a small vial out of his pocket and giving it to Beatrix, who carefully started to apply it to Jonah's chest.

"Are you alright?" Molly said, running over to Jonah.

He groaned for a second, then lightly nodded. "I think," he whispered.

The whole room breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, now that everyone's safe, I suppose I should give the introduction," Lupin said. "Welcome to 12 Grimmauld Place, headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix."

"The what?" George asked.

"The people that will be keeping you safe while you're here," Sirius said. "If you don't know what it is right now, it's safer for you to not know too much."

"Why?" Ginny said. "Isn't it better for us to know what we're facing?"

"The more you know," Mrs. Weasley said, "the less safe you'll be, the more people will think you know too much, the harder it'll be to keep it secret."

"I must say, I think we're pretty good at keeping secrets," Fred said, looking a little too obviously at Molly.

"We can't risk it," Mr. Weasley said. "Not yet. Besides, the Order's only open to overage wizards who are done with school."

"Now it's time that you guys need to settle down," Lupin said. "It's been a crazy day, and Jonah needs his rest. There are rooms upstairs - should be enough for all of us."

"Okay," Molly interjected, before any of the Weasleys had a chance to protest more. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Black - Sirius -"

"Sirius is fine," he said. "It was nice to meet you too, uh -"

"Molly," she said. "Molly Evans. No relation."

Sirius nodded. "Molly."

Molly smiled and walked with Fred out of the room. They walked upstairs, and Molly picked out a room, closing the door behind them.

"Why won't they tell us anything?" Fred asked.

"Fred, you know everything," Molly said. "They just want to keep us safe."

She sighed. "My biggest worry isn't even whether they tell us everything - it's that they have a reason not to. The wizarding world used to be fun for us - now it's dangerous."

"Even though one of your friends died in first year?" Fred joked gently.

"Even then," Molly said, a small smile coming to her face as she plopped down on a dusty bed, then sneezed once or twice.

"Hey - everything will be alright," Fred said, sitting down next to her. "Remember when you were all stressed about the Triwizard Tournament? And then you aced that test with flying colors?"

"That's true," Molly said. "But we don't even know if - or when - Delphi will interfere this year, and it already feels more dangerous than ever."

"Well," Fred said, "let me tell you - if anyone's going to survive this dangerous world, it's the girl who insulted Voldemort himself, to his face, and lived to tell the tale."

Molly smiled. "Thank you, Fred,"

"No problem," he said. He kissed her on the forehead, then stood up. "I should probably find George - don't want to 'arouse suspicion.'"

Molly covered her mouth to hide her smile as Fred left the room.

Mackenzie peeked her head in the doorway. "You got two beds?" she asked.

Molly nodded, smiling. "Just a warning - they're dusty," she said.

"Oh, I can deal with a little dust," Mackenzie said. She closed the door behind her, let her suitcase fall from her hand onto the floor, then belly-flopped onto the bed - immediately inhaling a cloud of dust and sneezing for a solid fifteen seconds.

Molly would've felt bad had it not been so hilarious - a bit of necessary hilarity.

Over the next two or three days, the Order of the Phoenix gathered at 12 Grimmauld Place.

Molly recognized some of the people who arrived. Bill and Fleur came maybe a few hours after the Weasleys and the Guardians had gotten settled. The next day, Hermione arrived, had some sort of romantic-tension interaction with Ron, and theorized with Molly (who, she decided, would be a very good actor once all this was over) about who the next Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher would be.

Molly met some people she had only met in words - Alastor Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt. She met people she'd barely heard of before - Emmeline Vance, Sturgis Podmore, Hestia Jones. And all of them volunteered to help rescue Harry.

That Friday, she stayed outside a little later than usual, filling out a book of logic puzzles on the sidewalk, squinting in the dim light of the streetlamps. A stereo played 1990s country music in the house next door - Molly could vaguely feel the vibrations of "Check Yes or No" by George Strait as she worked.

She heard a sound like very small helicopters flying through the sky, and looked up to see a series of broomsticks flying into the grassy park across the street.

"Where are we?" one of the people asked loudly.

"In a minute," another person said quietly - Lupin.

Molly looked down at her book before anyone could see her. It didn't help when two seconds later, the streetlamp's light was taken hostage by Mad-Eye Moody.

The group walked up to the street, and Molly looked up as if she just happened to be outside.

"Molly?" a disembodied voice asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I would ask the same thing about you," Lupin said, looking at Molly pointedly.

"I just came out for some fresh air," she said. "I'm not doing any magic - unless you consider logic puzzles to be a form of magic."

She held up her book. "Whoa, how do you do all that?" the voice asked, as Molly felt a presence looking over her shoulder at the book.

"They give you clues and you have to match up everything," she said. "It's so much fun."

"Not the point," Moody said. "How do we know this is the real Molly Evans?"

"Molly," the voice asked, "what was the answer to the Sphinx's riddle in the maze during the third task?"

"Dementor," she said.

"She's legit," the voice said. "So where are we?"

"Read and memorize," Moody said, holding out a piece of parchment.

"What's the Order of the -"

"Not now!" Moody said. "Think about what you've just memorized."

"I'll get the door," Molly said, starting to realize who the voice was. She opened the door, whispered "Lumos," and lit the way for a disembodied shadow and his overly cautious guardians.

"Here -" Moody said, hitting the nothingness with his wand. Out of nothing, a boy Molly's age materialized in the middle of the hallway as Lupin led in the rest of the Order and closed the door.

"Harry!" Molly said, running in for a hug.

"Good to see you, Molly," Harry said. "What are you doing here?"

"My friends and I are staying with a certain family you might recognize," she said, turning to see Mrs. Weasley emerge from the meeting hall.

"Oh, Harry, it's lovely to see you!" she said, hugging him even harder than the younger Molly. "You'll have to wait a bit for dinner, I'm afraid - the meeting's just started."

"I'll show you up to your room," Molly said. "Ron and Hermione will explain what they can, but keep in mind, they don't know much more than you do."

She led him up the stairs. "You're in the room directly on the right," she said. "Just a warning, Fred and George got their Apparition licenses, and they've been...let's just say they've been practicing."

She turned into her room and slipped into her bed, ready for a little sleep.

Ron held up his badge, and Mrs. Weasley shrieked.

"I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!"

"What are Fred and I, next-door neighbors?" George said indignantly.

"Congratulations, Ron," Molly said from the stairs. "Hermione got it, too."

"No one in their right mind…" Fred whispered.

"Oh, be quiet," Mrs. Weasley said. "My little Ronnie, a prefect...I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Mum," Ron said, looking like he would burst if anyone else attempted to hug him.

That night made the whole political craziness of the rest of the summer worth it. Harry got over his jealousy pretty quickly, especially after Zoë pointed out how lucky he was to even be going to Hogwarts. Tonks was just as hilarious as Molly could've imagined, and she and Ginny got along well.

Just before the end of the party, Molly and Fred snuck into the hallway to the stairs, just to get a bit of fresh air. They didn't say anything - they didn't need to. All they needed was to let the silence, let the peace, overtake them and stand against the wall, arms around each other, looking into the distance, studying every detail of the halls of 12 Grimmauld Place.

They weren't looking when Mrs. Weasley went upstairs, her wand drawn.

A few minutes later, Harry joined them in the hallway. "Some party, huh?" he asked, his voice still a bit bitter.

"Yeah," Molly said. "I never got to properly congratulate you on winning the trial."

"Thanks," he said. "I wouldn't have even been remotely nervous if it hadn't been for this one woman at the trial - she seemed to be a bit of a jerk, but Fudge seemed to like her -"

But before he could continue talking about Umbridge, the conversation was interrupted by a loud sob from upstairs.

Molly and Fred looked at each other, with wide, terrified eyes.

"Hello?" Harry said, creeping over to the stairs, then turning to Molly and Fred. "Come on," he whispered.

Molly took in a deep breath and followed Harry up the stairs, Fred immediately behind her, his hands tentatively placed, trembling, on her shoulders.

Harry opened the door to the drawing room, and they all saw it. Ron's body was sprawled on the carpet, his cold, glassy eyes illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the window. It was like a horror movie.

"Mrs. Weasley?" Harry croaked.

"Riddikulus!" Mrs. Weasley stammered, her voice stumbling over sobs.

A loud crack sounded, a light flash, and Ron's body was now Bill's.

"Riddikulus!" Mrs. Weasley shouted.

Now it was Mr. Weasley lying on the ground, his glasses broken next to him.

"No!" Mrs. Weasley cried. "Riddikulus!"

She wanted to close her eyes so badly. She wanted to turn into Fred's chest and cry and hug him for as long as she could. But her body was frozen - and by the sudden grip on her shoulder, so was Fred's.

And so they couldn't look away as the twins appeared on the ground, the life drained from their bodies, a nightmare barely better than reality.

"Riddikulus! Riddikulus!"

And then they were gone, replaced by Percy, and then Harry -

"Mrs. Weasley - let someone else -"

"What's going on?"

In an instant, Lupin, Sirius, and Moody were in the room. Lupin looked at Mrs. Weasley, at the dead Harry on the floor, at Molly, Harry, and Fred's traumatized faces, and seemed to understand. "Riddikulus!" he called, and Harry's body was gone, replaced by a silver orb hanging in the air. He waved his wand again, and there was smoke, and it was gone.

Fred's arms were around her now, his hands over her heart, which was pounding in her chest, a deathly beat. She didn't know whether to be devastated, or angry, or both.

Mrs. Weasley had collapsed into Lupin, sobbing her heart out.

"Molly, it was just a boggart," Lupin said, rubbing her back, his voice breaking. "Just a stupid boggart…"

"I see it all the time," she cried. "In my dreams -"

Her cries and gasps interrupted her words. Molly still couldn't take her eyes off the floor, feeling just a tiny bit more grown up than she had a few minutes ago.

"Half the family's in the Order," she was saying, "it'll be a miracle if we all come through this...and Percy's not talking to us...and if Arthur and I get killed...Ron and Ginny -"

"Molly, this isn't like last time. I can't promise no one's going to get hurt, but last time we were outnumbered twenty to one…"

"Percy will come round," Sirius interjected. "The whole Ministry will be begging us to forgive them when Voldemort strikes. And I'm not sure I'll be accepting their apology."

"And as for Ron and Ginny," Lupin said, a small smile of comfort on his face, "what do you think we'd do, let them starve?"

There was a pause. "Being silly," Mrs. Weasley said, her voice still shaky.

Molly's stomach was churning, her hands shaking, her eyes glassy with tears and exhaustion. Her eyes were still locked onto the floor, and even the words and voices around her seemed like white noise, like the static from a television.

Her knees buckled, and she fell to the floor.

When she came to, she was in the same bed where Jonah had been at the beginning of the summer. Lupin, Sirius, and Fred were standing above her.

"How do you feel?" Lupin asked.

Not good, she wanted to say. Terrified, worried about my friends, none of which is helped by three people destined to die in the next three years staring me in the face -

"Better," she croaked. "I think."

"Have some water," Sirius said as Fred helped her prop herself up in the bed.

"Some chocolate might help, too," Lupin said.

A weak smile came to her face. "I think I'm getting déjà vu," she joked. "Passing out and then getting chocolate from Professor Lupin?"

"That definitely sounds familiar," Lupin said.

"You think I'll be able to go to school tomorrow?" she asked.

"Of course," Sirius said. "You just need some rest, some water. Here."

He handed her an ice-cold glass, and she sipped it. Instantly, she felt a bit better.

"And here's some chocolate," Lupin said, a bar in his hand. Fred took the glass of water so she could have her hands free.

One bite, and instantly the world was a bit more colorful, a bit brighter.

"I usually only get like this with the dementors," Molly said. "Do you think -"

"Not here," Sirius said. "If the dementors knew about this place, they would've come a lot sooner."

"But it is possible to feel similar side effects in everyday life," Lupin said. "If you feel the world isn't as bright as it used to be, if you feel so sad and depressed that it's almost like you'll never be happy again."

"Will I?" she asked.

"Of course," Lupin said. "You know how Dumbledore said that thing at the beginning of third year? That happiness could be found in the darkest of times, if we just turn on the light?"

She nodded.

"Well, just remember that you have a wand that can make light whenever you want," Lupin said. "You can make your own light, your own happiness, even when the world is anything but happy."

It was exactly what Molly needed. "Thank you," she said.

"Well, we'll let you rest," Sirius said, and he and Lupin made their way to the door. He let Lupin out first, but then he lingered behind.

"I do have one question, though," he said. "When you arrived at 12 Grimmauld Place, I could've sworn I'd heard your name before, and not just because of the Tournament. So I did some digging in the Daily Prophet...which isn't always true, but -"

"It's true," she said quietly. "About the time-travelling. But I promise you we're not here to destroy the Wizarding World."

"And there's something you've shared with Fred about this?" he asked.

Molly looked at Fred, and he nodded, then shook his head. "I'm taking it to my grave," he said. Molly couldn't help but smile at his little play on words.

"I understand," Sirius said. "So you're here to make sure the future stays on track?"

"And nothing more," Molly said. "For better or for worse."

"And this Delphi person -"

"Oh, she's definitely focusing on the 'worse' side of the equation," she said. "She's actually your first cousin once removed."

"Really?" Sirius said. "How is she - wait, never mind, I don't want to know, do I?"

Molly shook her head. "But if you want to know things about the future, I don't think it would be right."

"Of course," Sirius said. "I don't need to know any specifics - but is there anything vague? Anything to keep in the back of my mind, per se?"

"Hmmm…" Molly thought. "I'd just say that this is the beginning of a long road for some, and a shorter road for others. Enjoy every moment of happiness you can find, and make as many as you can - because none of us know how long our roads will be."

Sirius smiled. "Except for you two."

"Exactly," Molly said.

"Okay, now you should rest," Sirius said. "Fred, you too."

"But I'm her boyfriend!" he said.

"I don't care if you're getting married tomorrow, out," he said, kind but firm, enough to get even Fred out of his chair.

"See you tomorrow," Fred said. Then they were gone, and Molly was alone, hoping that sleep would come fast, so she wouldn't have to think about everything just yet.

Thanks for reading! Here are this chapter's behind-the-magic fun facts:

1) When I was rereading this part of Order of the Phoenix for this chapter, I noticed a conversation where Ron tells Harry about the confrontation with Percy that starts this chapter. I thought it would be a really fun thing to dramatize, especially considering the story's emphasis on the Weasley family.

2) This is right around when I started to get obsessed with modern comedy sitcoms - The Office, Parks and Recreation, Schitt's Creek, etc. - so I decided to work that into the story.

3) I had a realization in writing this chapter, similar to the realization a few chapters ago about the Invisibility Cloak - Sirius Black, up until this chapter, has never appeared in the flesh from Molly's point of view. It's very fun, even as the story becomes darker and more serious (hehehehe), to still see these glimpses of childlike wonder as the Guardians meet people from the series.

4) I love researching what "Muggle" culture during the specific years of each book was like - hence the George Strait shoutout. I actually got to meet one of the writers of the song I mentioned at a songwriters' festival a few years ago, so I thought it would be fun to throw in.

5) Logic puzzles are the best! I love the books of puzzles by the company Puzzle Baron - they're so much fun to do.

6) Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix are the two books where Harry has to confront the mortality of himself and his friends - so it makes sense that it would also be the time where Molly and Fred have to do the same. A lot of this realization has been on the more abstract, philosophical side, so I decided to use the boggart as a concrete way of them having to literally stare death in the face.

7) I love the "none of us know how long our roads will be" line - whenever I'm freaking out about the concept of mortality, I like to come back to that line.

Feel free to review, but please no negative reviews or cursing. (And please, NOTHING POLITICAL!) Thanks!