Update! Well I have finished my dissertation; however it killed me inside and the thought of writing anything else made me feel ill. Other than that I have just been plain lazy.
However that all changed when I got a review from True Blackout, it made my day and reminded me I was writing a story. Of course they also pointed out a spelling mistake … thanks and heads up I didn't spell check this chapter either, so be prepared for minor errors.
The Lion and Serpent
By
TheBigEmeraldPeacock
Chapter 8 – Countdown
Molly's POV
The tension in the kitchen was palpable. Lucius seemed to be trying and failing to catch Draco's eye, Draco was attempting to hold a very strained conversation with Arthur and pointedly avoiding looking anywhere near his father, Ron was staring into his mug of tea intently eavesdropping on Arthur and Draco's talking, Molly was slowly shredding a tissue into confetti, and Dumbledore was dipping a biscuit repeatedly into his tea and sucking it with a overly content expression on his face.
Molly finally ran out of tissue to shred and decided to try and break the palpably awkward aura which seemed to have descended.
"I think we need to discuss wedding arrangements", she exclaimed slightly too loud considering the kitchen wasn't huge.
Both Ron and Draco managed to look even more uncomfortable than before, however Lucius seemed to be glad of the distraction.
"Being dead I can't actually attend the ceremony in person, however I think it should be sooner rather than later".
Dumbledore nodded, "That's probably for the best and as long as you take polyjuice potion I see no problem in you attending Lucius".
Lucius nodded and looked a great deal happier. "Alright then how about August 1st? It will give Ronald and Draco time to get used to things before returning to school and Narcissa can get into her tuition".
Neither Ron nor Draco seemed to be capable of giving an answer so Molly took the lead and nodded. "That seems fine. Where will we be holding the wedding?"
"Traditionally family weddings are held in the chapel in Malfoy Manor, and there are numerous ballrooms we can use for the reception", Lucius answered.
"Reception?" Ron rasped, looking up horrified.
Lucius looked at him with an expression almost like pity, "This may not be an entirely happy occasion, but we might as well do it right. Anyway even funerals have a meal usually. Also the last time I checked there were a lot of Weasleys, and I'm assuming they will want to attend on mass?" He directed his last question at Molly.
"Yes, they will and it's kind of you to welcome them, thank you", Molly answered smiling.
"My pleasure", Lucius nodded. Things seemed to be almost pleasant it was sort of odd given the people in the room.
The muffled sound of Mrs. Black's portrait could suddenly be heard from upstairs, several moments later a rather shell shocked Narcissa entered the kitchen and leant against her husband, seemingly in need of support.
"Where were you and what happened?" Lucius asked looking down at her.
Taking his mug and downing the remainder of his tea, she began, "Well I went off to explore the house because the last time I was here was when I was a child and I wanted to see what had changed. Generally the rooms were similar and boring as always; Sirius's room looks like he ran away yesterday which is creepy because he lived here for the whole of last year; Regulus's room was also just like he left it and a that's a bit depressing when you think about it. So I got bored and decided to come back down stairs, when suddenly the curtain flew open and Aunt Walburga's portrait began shouting at me. She eventually decided to look at who she was screaming at realized it was me, she said I should help myself to anything in the house I wanted because the 'filth' will get it other wise." She sighed and sat down, "She seemed exactly like I remembered her; still it seemed stupid to waste the opportunity so I'm taking the obsidian table which had the wax flowers on in the drawing room".
"You can't take anything this house belongs to Harry!" Ron exclaimed.
"He can consider it his wedding present to the 'happy' couple then", she snapped, looking irritated, "Have you given him the ring yet?" she asked looking at Draco.
"No" he replied mutinously.
"Well?" she demanded.
Draco strode over to Ron, shoving his hand into his pocket and slapping a box into the confused boy's hands.
"That's not the most romantic proposal I have ever seen", Lucius said dryly earning a glare from Draco.
"I have to wear a ring?" Ron asked, dumbstruck.
"That is the convention dear", Molly said comfortingly, "Draco has to wear one too, don't you?" She looked at Draco who nodded grumpily.
Another awkward silence descended over the room.
"Well, I think that's enough for one day" Dumbledore stated to the room. "Seeing as the wedding will be taking place in a week, I don't see the point in Ronald moving into Malfoy Manor until then. Narcissa, I assume you will have no problems putting together a wedding in that time?"
Narcissa nodded, looking mildly excited
"Well then, see you on the happy day" and he dissaperated.
Ron's POV
The following days had flown by and Ron now found himself waking up with only one night left. He looked around his room groggily, rubbing sleep from his eyes and wondering why he was feeling so anxious. Then he remembered.
Ron's list of anxieties-
He was getting married tomorrow, to Draco Malfoy, bitchy slytherin prince and massive douche.
His soon to be mother-in-law had been sending constant updates on the wedding and it sounded like she was planning the social occasion of the decade. Only last night it had emerged the new minister of magic would be in attendance.
Tomorrow there would be a wedding rehearsal at the infamous Malfoy Manor, where he would be drilled on what to do during the ceremony, as well as being introduced to the extended Malfoy family, 'Deep Joy'.
And last and most alarming, his best friends would be arriving some time in the next hour.
Ron had written to both Harry and Hermione almost immediately after he had found out, once the shock had worn off.
Although his knowledge of pureblood marriage was rudimentary, it was unlikely either of his friends knew anything at all. Hermione, he supposed, may have picked up the basics from books; however pureblood bonding magic was unique to each family and was only passed down through generations by word of mouth. He had therefore tried to impress in his letters that there was pretty much zero chance of getting out of the situation. From past experience it was better to just skip the endless hours of impossible plans and schemes in an attempt to find a way out, and just accept that it was going to happen.
Hermione had replied the same day, her reply was a little frosty at first seeing as Ron had basically told her reading books would be useless. However as the letter went on she had obviously become excited at the chance to learn pureblood knowledge which she would have not been privy to in any other circumstance. By the end of the letter her handwriting was practically bouncing at the impending 'hands-on' lesson which his marriage would apparently be; she had barely spared two sentences to express her sympathy that it was Malfoy he was marrying and the letter ended with a very long list of questions she was dying to ask at the rehearsal.
Although her response had been a little self involved, it had cheered him up immensely that she had not shunned him or written a massive rant about 'stupid purebloods'.
Ron chuckled to himself as he got dressed. The majority of purebloods at Hogwarts (mainly Slytherins) had always regarded Hermione with distain, even disgust. However their behavior had not effected Hermione in the slightest; if anything she had become more and more fascinated with pureblood culture, reveling in knowledge which was often kept from 'mudbloods'.
No the main anxiety surrounding his friends imminent arrival was due to Harry. The letter he had sent remained un-replied, and left with no idea of his best friends reaction to his marriage, he began assuming the worst.
In a series of vivid, and rather over-dramatic, daydreams Ron had imagined Harry destroying his Aunt and Uncle's house in a fit of Malfoy-induced rage; or telling Ron that they could no longer be friends because he was a filthy snake; or just pretending he didn't exist.
Although Sirius had only died a few months ago, he supposed his marriage wasn't ever going to lift Harry's spirits. It certainly didn't lift his.
However he would soon know either way. Heaving a heavy sigh he walked down stairs, following the smell of bacon. The only occupant of the kitchen when he entered was his mother, who was fussing over several hissing pans while trying to do her hair in tandem. She turned, hearing him sitting at the table and beamed, "Ron you're up early, I suppose Harry and Hermione will be here soon though, do you think they have eaten breakfast yet?"
"Umm", Ron didn't quite know if he was supposed to answer or not.
He was spared from further conversation by the sudden entrance of a stern looking eagle owl, which swooped down and perched on the tap, holding out a message. The owl was no stranger after the past week, and so he was unsurprised by his mothers' exclamation, "Oh it's from Narcissa!"
Ron stared gloomily at the table, it was shocking how 'chummy' his mother and Lady Malfoy had become since this whole fiasco started, however he supposed they were both trying to make the best out of a bad situation.
While she perused the letter, Ron tried to distract himself. He grabbed an apple and headed for the garden. Despite it being mid-summer there was a cool breeze in the orchard and he stuck his hands into the pockets of the cardigan, hunching his shoulders.
However he soon realized that there was something already in his left pocket, and wondering what it could be, he pulled out the box Malfoy had given him at the pre-nuptial negotiation. It was the ring, his wedding ring.
He had yet to open the small box. In a sense it symbolized a complete finality to the whole situation, once he saw the ring, the one he would have to wear for the rest of his married life that life would have started. He could ignore the surname, it was just a word, but this was an object, physical proof.
In this state of mind he had continually taken out the box, stared at it intently, but still could not bring himself to open it. However this morning felt different, he was running out of time anyway, there seemed no point to carry on ignoring it.
He drew in a breath, closed his eyes, and opened the box. He heard the lid click and looked down.
It wasn't as bad as he had expected, he had been worried that Malfoy would purposely give him an embarrassingly girly ring. What he found in the box was a ring shaped like a lion eating its own tail. It looked old, but the gold from which it was made still glowed and shimmered in the morning light and combined with the intricate carved details it almost looked like the lions fur was swaying in a light breeze. The lions eyes were what he likely assumed were rubies, dark blood red and yet they sparked like sunlight on seawater. All in all, the ring was in fact beautiful, quite surprising considering who gave it him.
He plucked it out of the box and slid it onto his finger. It was quite a large ring, but Ron found the weight of it satisfying. At the very least he would realize if he lost it, which was quite likely.
He slipped the ring off and replaced it back into the box. He glanced down at it one last time, gave a heavy sigh, and shut the box. He had finally reached that final stage of grief, acceptance.
'I'm just going to have to make the best of it I guess' he mused to himself morosely.
Standing, he took a bite out of his forgotten apple, and headed back to the house.
Molly's POV-
Molly poured over the letter, only vaguely registering that Ron had left. Although Arthur was a pureblood, the Weasleys as a family had never been that bothered about pureblood culture. This had never bothered her in the slightest, however reading Narcissa's letters about the wedding arrangements was making her nostalgic for her own youth. As the youngest daughter of the Prewett family head, she had had a relatively similar upbringing to any of the Blacks or Malfoys, and although she considered a lot of it to be completely bullshit and arrogance, there were aspects which she had enjoyed.
No; all in all Ron would benefit from a bit more exposure to higher breeding.
Everything seemed to be organized, guest lists were confirmed, seating plans arranged, all that was left was to get Harry and Hermione to the Burrow. Hermione was taking the floo from the Leaky Caldron and was going to be arriving any second; Harry however was being collected by Dumbledore and brought directly here by side-along apparition.
Molly was aware that Ron was worried about Harry's reaction. She would have written to him herself; however considering he hadn't replied to his best friend, it seemed unlikely she would have more success.
Although it was for his protection, Molly still thought it was a terrible idea to send Harry back to his muggle relatives, especially so soon after Sirius had died. But Dumbledore had insisted, and Harry had seemed too shell-shocked to disagree. However it was obvious that he wasn't coping well with everything that was happening. She just hoped the news of Ron's wedding hadn't upset him too much. 'The poor boy has enough on his plate' she sighed to herself.
Figuring she would just have to deal with whatever issues Harry's arrival brought with it, Molly got back to her nostalgic day dreaming about her own youth.
Flash Back-
"MOLLY I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU; MARRY ME!"
She turned, hearing the proposal screamed at her, and stared at the person who stood behind her in the queue.
"I'm sorry? What are you talking about? I only met you this morning. It's Arthur isn't it?"
He beamed at the knowledge that she remembered his name, "I may have only known you for a day, but I know I can't live without you!"
She sighed; this wasn't what she needed at such a stressful moment. "Why don't you wait until after we have been sorted and if we are in the same house you will see me all the time?"
The boy looked unsure for a moment then beamed, "Yeah that's a brilliant; you're so smart Molly".
The strange red headed boy stared at her with an enraptured expression, however she turned back to watch the other first years get sorted, trying to ignore the annoying twit.
Ten minutes later she was sat at the Gryffindor table, when the boy again tried to engage her in conversation as he had been trying repeatedly for the last few minutes.
"Will you marry me now?"
"NO YOU OAF!"
"Why not?"
"I'm 11 years old! I don't want to marry anyone! Stop asking!"
"But if I stop you won't eventually say yes"
"ENOUGH!" She was not going to spend her school career constantly avoiding this idiot. "If you don't ask me to marry you for the next 7 years then I will say yes when that time comes". This was an 11 year old boy; he would forget her in a month, let alone seven years.
He seemed to be seriously considering her offer though, and eventually he stuck out his hand, "Fine let's shake on it".
She stared at his hand confused.
"It's a muggle thing", he said blushing.
She grasped his hand and shook; secretly hoping they would never speak again.
7 Years Later-
Molly Prewett strolled down a deserted hallway heading in the general direction of Gryffindor Tower. She felt slightly down, considering she had just watched her last sorting at Hogwarts. She had finally reached seventh year; and although she was glad to be nearing the end of her education, she knew she would miss the school when the time came to leave.
She turned a corner and spotted Arthur Weasley arguing with the long haired Slytherin prefect, whose name may have been Malloy '… or was it Malhoy?'
"Malfoy will you just do what I tell you and stop bitching about it!"
'Wow Arthur Weasley angry, that's a first' Molly thought, stopping to watch the altercation.
Despite being in the same house for 7 years, she couldn't say she knew Arthur all that well. He was fairly quiet, not in a shy way, but he didn't waste words. Of course he wouldn't let anyone else talk in muggle studies; he could go for hours when it came to that subject. He had grown up quite lanky and tall, but it suited him, she supposed he could be described as handsome.
'… probably cute actually' she mused, as she watched him yell.
The blond seemed to eventually give in, and flicking his silky hair, he stormed/pranced away. Arthur let out a heavy sigh and turned, spotting her at the other end of the corridor.
"Molly!" he exclaimed, his annoyed expression replaced immediately with a big grin.
"Arthur …" she replied, disconcerted by his sudden mood change.
He strode towards her, a purposeful expression on his face.
"So …" he said, stopping directly in front of her.
"So …" she replied, craning her neck to look him in the eye, and sorely tempted to take a step back.
"7 years" he said conspiratorially, a slight grin pulling at the edges of his smile.
"Indeed …" she had no idea what he was getting at but it seemed rude not to humor him, "the time has flown by, hasn't it?"
"Really?" he looked surprised, "For me it's been years of thinly veiled self restraint; the days couldn't pass fast enough!"
"You mean you didn't enjoy it?" she had loved her education at Hogwarts; she couldn't understand why it would be any different for Arthur.
"Enjoy it? Why would I enjoy not being with the one I love?" he looked shocked and a little hurt.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, suddenly realizing what he must mean, "I didn't realize you had a girlfriend outside Hogwarts. Which school does she go to? Durmstrang? Ooo or is it that French one? What was the name of that place?" She knew she was babbling, but she had always found foreign schools fascinating. Still she supposed she should be sympathetic towards Arthur; after all, his girlfriend was hundreds of miles away. "Awww that must be really hard for you" she said, pulling him into a hug, "What's she like? No! You should start by telling me her name; Europeans have such lovely names".
She looked up beaming, but her smile faltered at the devastated expression on his face.
"Whats wrong?" she asked confused. And then it hit her, "OH GOD SHE'S DEAD ISN'T SHE! OH ARTHUR I'M SO SORRY, IF I HAD KNOWN I WOULDN'T HAVE DREAMED OF ASKING ALL THOSE QUESTIONS. OH I'M SUCH AN IDIOT". She began sobbing hysterically, imagining how heart-breaking it must be being asked about your dead loved one by some stupid bimbo.
"Molly, it's you"
"I KNOW IT WAS ME, I'M SO SORRY I ASKED ABOUT YOUR DEAD GIRLFRIEND I DIDN'T KNOW!"
"No Molly it's you" Arthur said with more force.
Her sobs began to subside as she became more confused. "Me what?"
"The person I've been in love with, but couldn't be with until now", he smiled and gently brushed a tear off her cheek.
Molly was bewildered and blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "Why couldn't you be with me?"
Arthur looked equally confused, "Because you told me to! You mean you don't remember?"
"I think I would remember that Arthur Weasley" she muttered irritatedly and secretly terrified, she did have a habit of forgetting stuff like this.
"First year? The sorting ceremony? Ring any bells?" he asked looking nervous.
"No I …" she cast her mind back, trying to relive her sorting. And then she remembered, "OH GOD, YOU'RE THAT WEIRD KID! The one that wouldn't stop proposing, and so I said … I said …"
"7 years" Arthur grinned, rocking on the balls of his feet.
"You … you actually remembered?" she stuttered, fear rising from the pit of her stomach.
"Of course I remembered. I knew you were the love of my life the second I set eyes on you", he took her hand in his, and slowly sank down onto one knee.
And the fear was gone.
End flashback-
"Mum?"
"What!" she spun around startled and came face to face with her youngest son.
"You were kinda zoning out on me there, you looked a bit creepy" he grinned.
… Arthur's grin.
She chuckled and pulled him into a tight embrace to hide the tears in her eyes.
"You know, when I first met your father I thought he was an oaf."
"What changed?" Ron asked, muffled by her shoulder.
"I realized how much I needed an oaf"
End of chapter. I got to say, I was getting pretty emotional towards the end myself. My dad is an oaf and my mum is quite dense, it's like they cancel each other out.
Keep reviewing! This chapter would not be here without True Blackout's review, the next chapter could be a result of you! It'll be almost like you wrote the chapter yourself!