AU! EWE.

Warnings: mentions of suggestive content

Written for Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

House: Thunderbird

Class/Task Number: Divination. Fortune Telling: someone who is adamant in their beliefs despite them being wrong.

Bonus Prompts: none

Word Count: 1550/4500

Mother Knows Best — Or Not?

Molly didn't realize she was looking down upon her children's choices. She gets a rude wake-up call when Ginny joins the Harpies.

"Mum, please, listen to me!" Ginny cried, rushing after her mother with tears in her eyes. "I want to join the Harpies! They think I could be really good!"

"No, Ginny! You should settle down with Harry, not go gallivanting around the world playing Quidditch!" Molly barked at her, storming into the kitchen.

"Mum, I'm an adult, I can make my own choices…" Ginny trailed off when she saw the murderous look in Molly's eyes. "Mum, just —"

"No means no. End of discussion, Ginevra Weasley."

Ginny barely resisted the urge to stomp her foot as she snarled, "Fine! I'll go join the Harpies anyway! Let's see if you can stop me!"

Molly gaped at her only daughter with disbelief as she bolted out the front door. How could Ginny talk to her like that? Molly was her mother…

Molly knew Ginny wouldn't go through with her foolish idea of joining a professional Quidditch team; Ginny couldn't do anything to hurt Molly's feelings. Molly shook her head and muttered under her breath, "Kids these days… She should just get married to Harry…"

Molly had been brought up with the belief that a woman's place was in the kitchen, taking care of her husband and rearing her children. She was happy in her role, and she wished her children would get married soon so that they, too, could be just as happy.

When Bill had gotten married to Fleur, Molly had hoped they would give her a grandchild soon, but they didn't seem to be in a hurry. To Molly's horror, Fleur had explained to them that they were not ready for a child.

Aghast, Molly had told Fleur, "You'll never be ready for kids if you don't have them. You should have kids as soon as possible — your biological clock is ticking." Fleur hadn't replied to Molly's comment, but the others had seen the look of obvious anger in her eyes.

Molly's beliefs were old-fashioned, but she didn't realize it as she had been brought up in a time where women preferred being the primary caregiver. She didn't realize she was looking down upon her children's choices just to fulfil her desires. But she would soon understand…

A few days later, Molly sat down at the kitchen table to read the day's Daily Prophet. Her eyes widened with shock when she saw the headlines. Ginny Weasley, the Holyhead Harpies' new Chaser! She pored over the article, her eyes almost popping out of her head when she realized her daughter had gone against her wishes and joined the Quidditch team.

"I'm going to kill her!" Molly snarled as she scrunched the newspaper up and threw it into the fire. She hurried over to the fireplace and threw in some Floo powder. "Number 12, Grimmauld Place!" she yelled before she stepped into the green flames and disappeared from view.

She arrived in the gloomy house and called out, "Harry, dear! It's me, Molly!"

But there was no response as Harry and Hermione were still up in bed. Molly stormed up the stairs and threw open Harry's door when she reached his room. Harry and Hermione, who were mid-coitus, grabbed their wands and almost hexed her.

"What is the meaning of this?" Molly screamed when the two young adults had pulled on their clothes. "I came here to reassure you that Ginny would soon come to her senses, and here you are — what were you thinking, Harry?"

Hermione cleared her throat, her cheeks red with mortification, and said, "This isn't any of your business, Mrs Weasley."

Harry scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and answered, "Mione's right… Wait, why are you here to talk to me about Gin?"

Molly's face was beet-red with anger as she listened to them. "I came here to reassure you that Ginny was soon going to come to her senses and come back to you! Harry, what are you doing with this — this harlot? You—"

"Please don't call my girlfriend a harlot, Molly… Didn't Ginny tell you we're dating?" Harry bristled with indignation, wrapping his arm around Hermione's shoulders to comfort her. He knew how vicious Molly could be when she was in one of her moods, and he didn't want Hermione to suffer from it again.

"What? No, she didn't! I thought you two were on a break! Harry, honey, you can't date Hermione… She's not yours to date. She's —"

"If you try to say that I'm supposed to date Ron, I'm getting Mr Weasley here to knock some sense into you," Hermione growled, her hands trembling with suppressed anger.

"Yes, you're supposed to be with Ron — even though he deserves a girl way better than you," Molly muttered, looking at Hermione angrily.

Harry scowled and said, "That's it. Mrs Weasley, I respect you for all you've done for us, but it's time you leave. You're insulting my girl — and I won't stand for it. Please leave."

Molly scowled and stormed out of the room to return to her house. She would berate Ginny for her mistakes and deal with Hermione later. As soon as she got home, she sent a Howler to Ginny, lambasting her for her choices. When the letter was sent, she started cooking food for her family, still criticizing her children's wrong decisions.

Bill had married a woman who didn't want to have kids yet. Charlie didn't want to settle down with anyone; he was still obsessed with his dragons. Percy hadn't found the right girl yet even though he held a good position in the Ministry. George was busy managing that stupid joke shop of his; he would never amount to anything with that. Ron had left the country to travel for a bit; why did he need to travel when he could travel with his wife later on? And Ginny had broken her heart by joining the Harpies when she should have gotten married to Harry already.

All of her children had disappointed her by not following her advice, and Molly worried she would never be able to see her house full of children again. She was busy lamenting over her children's decisions when Arthur arrived with a huge grin on his face.

"Did you see our baby's interview in the Prophet?" he asked excitedly as he kissed Molly's cheek.

"How can you be so happy about that? I told her not to join the Harpies, and look at what she did! She went behind our backs and joined the team! She shouldn't be working, Arthur! She should be at home! She should be getting married to Harry — but that plan's down the drain! That little harlot, Hermione, has already seduced him with her craftiness!" Molly wailed petulantly, angrily slamming the food down onto the table.

"What are you talking about? Hermione's not a harlot, honey. She's —"

"She is! She stole Harry from under Ginny's nose! I hope Ginny's still got a chance to take her Harry back. I'll deal with Hermione myself if I have to, but Ginny will have her happy ending!"

Arthur stared at Molly with shock and horror. "Molly, dear… Relax… It's Harry's choice if he wants to date Ginny or not. You can't force him to —"

"I'll dose him with Love Potions, I will! Ginny belongs with Harry and —"

"Now you're going too far, dear. That's enough." Arthur's voice was harsh, but Molly didn't see the sign.

"No, Arthur, Ginny deserves to be with Harry! Hermione's not good enough for him!"

"Molly, stop. You're going too far. I won't have you messing their relationship up. If anyone finds out you're thinking of dosing someone with Love Potions, you could be arrested!"

"Arthur, don't you want our daughter to be happy?"

"Don't you think she can find her happiness herself? She's a big girl now, she can handle herself. We've taught her well — if she wants something, she'll go after it herself. We shouldn't try to —"

"Arthur! She's still a child! She doesn't know what's best for her! Mother knows best; that's what I always say!"

Arthur shook his head fervently and said, "Molly, you're being irrational. She's not a minor in the Wizarding World. She can handle her decisions herself. We have no right to interfere in her affairs. If she's happy without Harry, we should support her. That's what will make her happy."

"No, it won't… She'll be happy at home, married and taking care of her children."

"She's not you, Molly."

The sentence struck a deep chord in Molly. She stiffened and stepped away from Arthur, fisting her hands by her sides. "What did you say?"

Arthur sighed and repeated himself, "She's not you, Molly. I know you think she'll be happy if she's married and pregnant, but her views and yours are vastly different. She won't be happy at home, she's the opposite of you. She wants to explore the world, be free… Do you want to steal her happiness from her?"

Molly whispered, "You're wrong, Arthur. She's my daughter, I think I know what my daughter is like…"

Arthur shook his head and murmured, "Not this time, Molly. Not this time…" He walked out of the kitchen without another word, leaving Molly to think to herself, 'He can't possibly be right, can he? I'm her mother, I know best… or do I?'

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