Year 1: Outstanding

Chapter 4: December 2014

The rest of Molly's first term went exactly according to plan. Despite what her friends thought, she was able to stay on top of her classes even though she'd helped Debbie while she was sick. Debbie also had caught up quickly so that by the time the term had come to an end, none of the four could say who was beating whom in the battle for top of the class.

"Come on Molly," Lucy begged. It was the Christmas holidays and Molly was home for two weeks – a choice she was very much regretting at the moment. Though she was glad to see her family and couldn't imagine missing the big Weasley family dinner on Christmas Eve, she found that she couldn't stand her sister's nagging. "Can we go and play now please?"

"Lucy, can't you see I'm studying?" Molly demanded, gesturing to the mountains of books piled on her too-small desk. "Go and find someone else to play with."

"There is no one else," Lucy pouted. "James and Albus and Lily went home already."

"Well then I'm sure you've had plenty of playtime today and don't need me," Molly said, getting up and shooing her sister out of her room. "Now get out of here before I find Daddy and have him make you leave me alone."

Molly shut her bedroom door behind her sister and then sat back down at her desk. If she'd only stayed at Hogwarts, she'd have peace and quiet. She could study all day long to her heart's content. She'd even have been able to study in the library, because most students would have gone home for the holidays, and precious few would be in the library anyway, so there wouldn't be any distractions. As it was though, she had chosen to come home, and so she had to deal with her annoying little sister.

Molly couldn't wait until Lucy started school the year after next. At least then she'd have her own friends to bother all the time. Or at the very least her own work to do when they were both home for the holidays. She enjoyed playing with James and Albus, with whom she was close in age, but they couldn't always be around to entertain her.

Molly shook her head. Thinking about her sister was a waste of time. She should be revising. Though she wasn't allowed to practice magic outside of Hogwarts, there was plenty she could do to make sure her two weeks off didn't cause her to forget anything. She'd designed a careful study schedule, alternating between her seven classes, to revise all the material that they'd covered since September, and then to read ahead some of the upcoming material so that she would be ready come January. At the moment, she was studying basic transfiguration theory for inanimate to inanimate transfigurations.

"Molly?" her mother called out suddenly, knocking on her door.

"What is it?" Molly called back, irritated to be pulled from her train of thought.

"Did you yell at your sister?" Audrey asked.

Molly sighed. "Maybe a little, but she was in my room and wouldn't stop bothering me."

Molly could hear an exasperated sigh from the other side of her door and she shook her head, throwing her quill onto her desk in frustration. She knew her studying for the night was going to be put on hold.

"Well I think your sister deserves an apology," Audrey said. "She's very upset."

Molly groaned and pushed her chair away from her desk, getting up and opening the door.

"Fine," she mumbled, pushing past her mother. "Let's get this over with."

MmMmMmMmMmM

"Well I am just so proud of you honey," Percy said later that night at dinner. "You're so dedicated to your studies, it's so nice to see."

"Thanks," Molly smiled, relieved that at least one parent was on her side.

"It is nice to see Molly so invested in school," Audrey agreed. "But Percy, don't you think she should be enjoying her holiday too?"

"Oh Audrey, you remember how it was when we were in school," Percy said. "We were both just as determined, you maybe even more than I was in fact."

"Yes," Audrey agreed. "But we had interests outside of our studies as well. Remember, I was in the wizard's chess club, and you in the gobstones club. And later we were both prefects."

"Well I think it's a little too soon for Molly to be named a prefect," Percy pointed out.

"That's not the point," Audrey insisted. "The point is she doesn't have a life outside of her books. A girl needs friends, activities."

"I do so have a life," Molly chimed in. "And I have friends."

"You do?" Audrey asked in surprise. "You've never mentioned them."

Molly shrugged. "Well I have them," she said. "Three of them."

"Well tell us all about them," Audrey insisted, turning all her attention on Molly. Percy rolled his eyes and Molly felt inclined to agree with her father. What was the point of talking about her friends when nobody else even knew them?

"Well…" Molly hesitated, unsure where to start. "Sarah's in Gryffindor with me. And Julie and Debbie are in Ravenclaw."

"Well isn't that nice," Audrey smiled. "It's good to have friends outside your own house sometimes."

"And they're in Ravenclaw, are they?" her father asked, nodding approvingly. "I trust they're as invested in their studies as you are?"

"Oh yes," Molly assured him with a nod. "I couldn't stand them if they weren't," she added with a small chuckle.

"So what do you do together?" Audrey wondered.

Molly shrugged. "Mostly study," she said. "And we bounce ideas off each other when we have an essay or a project."

"Well isn't that nice," Audrey said, though Molly could tell her mother wished she'd answered differently.

"They're really great," Molly assured her parents. "You'd both like them."

"Would I like them?" Lucy asked.

Molly considered it. "Probably not," she said. Nor would her friends particularly like Lucy. Not with how annoying and interruptive she was these days.

"Oh," Lucy said sadly, deflating. "Well my friends don't like you either."

"What friends?" Molly asked. "You mean our cousins? That's fine, I don't like most of them either."

"Molly!" Audrey admonished. "That wasn't a very nice thing to say."

"It was true," Molly shrugged. "Would you rather I lie?"

Audrey looked to Percy for help, but he had none to give. "Pass the peas," he requested.

MmMmMmMmMmM

Soon, Christmas had arrived, and the Brown-Weasleys were getting ready to Floo to their grandparents' house for dinner.

"Can I please just bring one book with me?" Molly pleaded after her mother had confiscated her book bag full of textbooks and notes.

"No," her mother said evenly. "You are going to spend time with your cousins, not spend the whole afternoon buried in a textbook."

"Daddy?" Molly cried, turning to her father.

Percy sighed. "You heard your mother," he said. "The books stay here."

"Ugh!" Molly cried in frustration. "This is so unfair!"

"Trust me, you'll thank me someday," Audrey said.

"I very much doubt that," Molly grumbled, grabbing some Floo Powder and stepping into their fireplace. "The Burrow!" she cried, closing her eyes and letting herself get swept away from her family. Though they'd be following in minutes, she took pleasure in knowing that it had been she that had stormed out.

"Molly!" Grandfather Weasley cried when Molly arrived. "So good to see you. Keeping those grades up?"

"Of course," Molly smiled, giving her Grandfather a hug. "Grandmother is in the kitchen, I expect?"

Grandfather Weasley nodded and Molly hurried out of the living room before her parents could arrive.

"Oh Molly, there you are!" Grandmother Weasley exclaimed when Molly found her in the kitchen. "I was beginning to wonder when you all would show up! Your cousins are all waiting upstairs and I've got potatoes to peel, so you run along now."

Molly did as she was told and ascended the stairs to the fourth floor where her cousins had all congregated.

"Alright, I'm here," Molly announced, immediately taking charge. She had to – her cousins had no leadership qualities, and if Molly didn't tell them what to do, they'd just sit around and talk all day instead of play, which was what they were all here for after all. "Does everyone know what they're doing?"

"We remember," six-year-old Roxanne assured her. "We played last year."

"No bathrooms," Molly reminded everyone anyway. "And Grandmother and Grandfather's bedroom is off limits. If you go downstairs, you forfeit. Is that clear?"

"Yes," Dominique rolled her eyes. "Just get on with it."

"Alright, does anyone want to count?" Molly asked, doing a quick survey of her cousins. When nobody volunteered, she knew she'd have to elect someone or else the game would never get started. "Well Lucy's still downstairs so – "

"I'll do it," James volunteered. "Lucy started last year, she shouldn't have to twice in a row."

"Alright then," Molly nodded. "Lucy, get up here!" she called out. The nine-year-old hurried up the stairs apologetically and Molly nodded. "Great, so we're all here then. James, cover your eyes and count."

Obediently, James did as instructed and as soon as the word 'one' was out of his mouth, the cousins made a mad dash for the two staircases.

Knowing that she'd have more time to find a hiding spot if she stayed on her current level, Molly dashed into her father's old bedroom and frantically looked around. She ran to the closet and threw the doors open, noting that there was a shelf at the top that she might be able to reach if she stood on a chair.

Not bothering to think it through, Molly dragged a chair over and boosted herself up onto the shelf, rolling inward so that she didn't fall onto the floor. As she positioned herself though, she realized that she had no way of moving the chair now that she was hidden, nor could she reach the doors to close them.

"Is anyone out there?" she hissed, hoping someone else was hiding in the room that could aid her. "Hello?"

There was no reply. She heard James come to the end of his count and was relieved when he started by going upstairs. At least she wouldn't be found first. There were so many cousins that he was bound to find someone else before her.

"I found you Fred!" she heard James cry from above. "I can't believe you thought I wouldn't find you there!" Molly let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't lost at least.

She heard footsteps coming down the stairs and tensed, but it was only Fred, returning to the starting point to wait for James to find the rest.

"Hey!" she hissed nervously, hoping James didn't descend too soon. "Hey Fred!"

Unfortunately, Fred didn't hear her, and soon she heard more footsteps descending from above.

"Anyone hiding on this level!" James called out. "I'm coming for you!"

Molly tried to make herself invisible, but it was no use. As soon as James entered the room, he started laughing and called her out of her spot.

"I didn't think it through, alright?" Molly insisted as she lowered herself back onto the chair.

"It would have been pretty good if you'd had a partner to close you in," James pointed out as he continued his search.

"Yeah," Molly nodded. "Well I didn't have one. I was on my own."

"Then you shouldn't be climbing on chairs you can't move," James said matter-of-factly before descending to the third floor.

Finding herself in a bad mood, Molly sat down on the fourth floor landing with her arms crossed and pouted. She was good at hide-and-seek, she was. She'd just made a bad call, it wasn't a big deal. Her other cousins did it all the time. Proof of fact: Fred, Roxanne, Lily, Hugo, Lucy, Dominique, and Louis had all been found.

"Where are Albus and Rose?" James grumbled in frustration.

"Not to mention Victoire and Teddy," Molly pointed out, but she understood her cousin's frustration. Albus and Rose were younger than he, so he should be able to find them easily. On the other hand though, they were smaller and better able to find creative hiding spots.

"Of course!" James cried suddenly. "I forgot to check the attic!"

Molly shook her head as her cousin ran upstairs. How careless of him! The best way to seek was to methodically search every room starting either from the top or bottom and working one's way through the house. To miss an entire level – well James clearly hadn't thought his job through either.

Victoire and Teddy were found hiding in the attic, leaving only Albus and Rose missing. Finally James gave up and called for them to give themselves up and they materialized from the second-floor closet.

"How did you? I checked in there!" James cried, but Albus and Rose only laughed, exchanging a secret look.

MmMmMmMmMmM

The game only lasted two more rounds before it was time for the annual Weasley family Quidditch game. Though it was the first year Molly was eligible to play, she elected to sit this one out. If she was going to play, she wanted to be good, and she knew her flying skills weren't yet optimal.

Dominique sat the game out as well – not surprising given her attitude towards flying and Quidditch alike. Victoire chose not to play, despite Teddy trying to convince her it would be fun. Instead it was the standard eight players, this year Angelina, Harry, Ron, and Bill versus Charlie, Ginny, Teddy, and George. Molly's parents never played. Neither had ever been a fan of the sport, viewing flying as a means of transportation and nothing more.

Dinner was the usual affair. Molly was surrounded by her younger cousins and had to remind them not to play with their food. Teddy and Victoire seemed much happier this year, which was nice, because the past two years they'd been kind of grumpy.

When dinner was over, everyone moved into the living room for Secret Santa. Molly had pulled Albus' name and with her parents' help had gotten him a book on beginner's grammar. From Molly's experience, it was good to have good grammar from an early age – once Albus got to Hogwarts and had to write essays, he'd thank her.

Ironically, Albus had pulled Molly's name and had gotten her a bracelet that Molly suspected Ginny had picked out. Molly told Albus it was very nice, though she knew she probably wouldn't wear it – she didn't like to have things dangling on her arm – it made it hard to write notes.

Once the presents had all been exchanged and everyone had opened their packages from Grandmother Weasley containing their Christmas sweaters – and had the annual family picture taken – people started making their goodbyes. Regrettably, Molly's mother was helping Grandmother Weasley with the dishes in the kitchen, so Molly knew she would be stuck here a while longer.

"Hey Molly," Dominique said, coming over and taking a seat next to Molly on the couch she had claimed.

"Hey Domi," Molly muttered, her thoughts on her textbooks waiting for her back home.

"So listen… I was talking to Victoire earlier and I just…" Dominique hesitated and Molly frowned, wondering what was weighing on her cousin's mind. "You hurt my feelings," Dominique finally said.

"I did?" Molly frowned. "When?"

"Last month," Dominique said. "When we ran into each other outside the hospital wing."

"Oh," Molly said, trying to recall the incident. She cast around in her brain, but all she could remember was that she was running, and she ran into Dominique, then she apologized and found Debbie. "What did I do?" she asked.

"I told you to slow down – you were running and seemed really stressed out. I told you that you needed to take a minute and breathe and that it was okay if you weren't studying for a minute and then…" Dominique trailed off, but Molly didn't need her to continue. She remembered. Sorry if that doesn't mean much coming from you. Those were the words she'd said.

"Look Domi," Molly began. "I didn't mean – Don't think that I don't – "

"You made me feel like I was an idiot or something," Dominique said. "Like I don't study or don't care about my grades. I do care. Not as much as you do obviously, but I still care, and I still try."

"Of course you do," Molly agreed, feeling terrible. "That was thoughtless of me. I was in a hurry, my friend was in the hospital and my other friends had said some things… I didn't mean it, I'm sorry. I know you're a good student. I saw your charms assignment pinned up in the kitchen."

"Okay," Dominique said awkwardly. "Well I just wanted to clear that up."

"Okay," Molly nodded. "Well I'm glad you did."

Dominique got up then and joined her family in leaving the Burrow. As she disappeared into the Floo Network, Molly rolled her eyes. Her cousin was so annoying. And sensitive. It was ridiculous. She should just accept that she obviously didn't care about school like Molly did, and realize that if she did, she'd be doing well in more than just a single subject.

MmMmMmMmMmM

The next day, Molly celebrated Christmas with her immediate family; just her parents and Lucy. It was a quiet morning, but all Molly wanted to do was get back to her studying. It had been late when they'd gotten home the night before and she'd been tired and gone straight to bed. Then this morning, Lucy had awoken her with shrieks of excitement and dragged her into the living room for more present-opening.

As soon as they'd finished, Molly made straight for her room and dove straight into her History of Magic notes. She wanted to fact-check them with some books in her father's personal library before returning to Hogwarts.

Both unexpectedly and expectedly, there was soon a knock at the door.

"Molly?" Lucy's voice asked. "Do you want to play with me?"

"I'm busy Lucy," Molly said, grinding her teeth together in annoyance. She'd finally sat down to her notes and Lucy wanted to pull her away again.

"We can play hide and seek," Lucy offered.

"We just played that yesterday with all the cousins," I reminded her. "Wasn't that enough?"

"That was yesterday," Lucy whined.

"Your other cousins will be here in a few hours," Molly sighed. "They'll play with you. I'm busy."

Lucy sighed deeply, but departed obligingly. Molly couldn't understand why Lucy couldn't wait a few hours. Their mother's brother and his wife were coming for dinner, and would be bringing their son and daughter with them. Though the son was still young – only four – their daughter was only a year younger than Lucy and the two were great playmates. Lucky for Molly, her Uncle Thomas and Aunt Abigail didn't have any children her age, so she would be left alone.

"Molly?" Audrey knocked on Molly's door less than an hour later. "You cousins came a little early, do you want to come down and say hi?"

"I'm a little busy Mom," Molly insisted, waving her notes in the air. "Can't I just come down when it's time for dinner?"

"No," her mother said, her voice firm. "I want you downstairs now. Tommy (she meant Thomas Jr., her cousin) is asking for you and you know your Aunt Abigail can't wait to see you."

"Fine," Molly said, tossing her quill aside and resigning herself to joining her family, probably for the remainder of the afternoon. "Should've stayed at Hogwarts," she muttered to herself as she crossed the room.