stand out

Molly (II) thinks that sometimes, the idea of being lost in the crowd has never applied to anyone as much as her.

And sometimes she thinks that she's got it worse than most other people. It's just so easy to be forgotten in this crowd. They're her family. She can't simply leave and hope to be someone rememberable elsewhere.

So she tries to stand out. Looks, brains, personality. Anything and everything she can to not be the one Weasley who is never remembered, the one that people have to think about before they can place her with a name.

But everyone already stands out so much it's hard to compete. Victoire has the looks, Rose has the brains, James has the personality. Roxanne is the sweetest, Fred is the funniest, and her own sister is half of what many at Hogwarts consider the "cutest couple."

She's just the girl with the hand-me-down name and the inability to free herself from the shadows.

It's summertime and the sun is losing the battle to stay in the sky. Molly sighs as she feels the heat of the day ebb away and wishes that it could stay just a little longer.

She's retreated from the party in the Burrow to a little meadow just down the hill. The grass is still warm from the sun's rays and the tall weeds sway in the breeze. Though she can hear the voices from the Burrow, no words are discernible and Molly feels something akin to peace as she lies on her back, staring up at the darkening sky.

Small vibrations underneath her and the sound of footsteps alert her that another presence has joined her. The body sits next to her, but Molly doesn't say a word.

"I was wondering where you went," Lucy finally breaks the silence.

"Where's Lorcan?"

Lucy shrugs. "I suppose back up there. I came to talk to you, not him."

Molly isn't quite sure how to respond, but she's saved from having to do so when more footsteps are heard.

"There she is," Roxy says. Molly finally looks away from the sky to watch as Roxy and Louis flop onto the grass, Louis resting his head in Lucy's lap.

"Wondered where you went, Molly," he says, followed by a yawn. "Disappeared on us."

"Looks like the others were wondering the same thing," Roxanne adds with a laugh, as Victoire and Dominique glide gracefully to where the group has settled comfortably on the ground, James and Fred right behind them.

Ten minutes later, and Molly finds herself still on her back, Lucy still by her side and Louis still resting in her lap. Hugo's head is pillowed by Molly's stomach, while Dominique's head has slumped onto Victoire's shoulder. James and Fred sit back to back, while Lily has clambered into Roxy's lap. Albus and Rose half-heartedly punch each other over the bit of grass they both claim is the softest to lie in.

Molly catches herself laughing with everyone else as Fred threatens to hex a boy who's had his eye on Roxy. Louis whines petulantly when Lucy shifts into a more comfortable position, and Molly feels like her heart wants to explode from the happiness.

So yeah, maybe she can't get have perfect grades or tell the funniest jokes, but she's got the best family in the world and they love her. And that makes her a stand out all on its own.