Sometimes I wonder if having seven children was really the best idea, thought Molly Weasley as she eased herself into her usual rocking chair at the end of the day and picked up her knitting needles.
Today had been a particularly difficult day on Molly Weasley. Fred and George, Molly's twins, were up to their usual mischievous antics that day. They had succeeded in putting their seven-year-old sister on the verge of tears, which was surprisingly hard to do.
They had managed to convince her that she was actually adopted from a poor family out of pity, and that she indeed had no family. Ron meanwhile had spent the day pestering Molly about buying him a broomstick, while Percy was whining about having to get used schoolbooks. Thankfully Bill was at his new job in Gringotts, and Charlie was off at an internship in Romania studying dragons.
Molly shivered with fear at the thought of her poor little boy all alone off with dragons. She had never really come to terms with the fact that her children have to grow up and leave her. Molly heaved a great sigh, as she gazed into the depths of the fire. Yet, she thought, I wouldn't have it any other way.
At that moment, Molly heard the door open and close, as her husband, Arthur, walked in. he looked slightly disgruntled as he put his briefcase on the floor and made his way over to the couch near Molly. "Long day?" he asked.
"You have no idea," came the answer.
"Now," said Molly, "Time for dinner". Arthur smiled, and knowing it would be useless to argue sat at the table.
"So, how was work?" Molly asked while stirring some soup. "Alright. I had to confiscate some attacking silverware, but other than that it was all right. Now, what did Fred and George do this time?"
"Oh, nothing really," said Molly unconvincingly. She gave up all her pretenses as Arthur raised his eyebrows, and answered, "Really dear, nothing I couldn't handle. Just teasing Ginny again about being adopted. You would have thought that she would have learned by now," Molly said shaking her head sadly.
Arthur let out a short laugh, his mouth full of steaming hot creamy mushroom soup. "Any other interesting things happen today?" asked Arthur.
"Oh, not particularly," answered Molly. "The Hogwarts letters came. Can you believe that Fred and George are going this year?"
"No, it's unconceivable! To have a worry-free year!" Molly gave her husband a weird look.
"Honey, as long as we have children, we will never have a worry-free year. Plus, we'll probably spend most of our time at Hogwarts anyway, trying to explain ourselves to Professor McGonagall as to why our sons have wrecked havoc upon the castle. Arthur gave Molly a small, knowing smile and turned back to his soup. My how the time flies, he thought with a touch of nostalgia.
~~0~~
Two weeks later the Weasley family was found franticly scrambling to make the train in the morning as usual.
"Fred, George, Ron, breakfast now!" Molly called for the sixth time that morning, as she double-checked that all the trunks were downstairs.
"But Mum," came Ron's voice, "Why do I have to get up? I can't go to Hogwarts for another year!" Molly rolled her eyes. This question was asked of her every year.
"Ronald Billius Weasley!" Ron flinched at the sound of his full name, "You get down here this instant or else! You know perfectly well that we come to see each other off. Now up with you or you don't get any breakfast!"
Molly heard her words' effect as several crashes were heard from Ron's room as he tripped over himself to get to breakfast in time. Molly rolled her eyes as she waved her wand for nine plates to appear laden with scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon.
The departure was the usual mess of owl hooting, trunk dropping, and finally side-along apparition to the muggle train station.
"It's the same every year," Molly narrated as they strode purposefully towards platform ten. "Packed with muggles of course. Move along now!" Molly expertly navigated the masses of witches, wizards, and muggles as she neared the wall of Platform 10.
"Come on, Percy, you first! Fred and George, you next!" Molly continued, directing Percy, Ron, and Ginny through the barrier. After confirming that everyone was there and well, Molly gathered all her children around her protectively, like a mother hen.
"Now boys, you'd best be off, the train will leave any moment. Have fun Percy!" she called as Percy make his way to the train. "Now you two," said Molly, focusing her entire attention to her two most unruly children.
"I don't want to hear a word about you getting any trouble, or you both get a howler. Do you understand?" The boys quailed slightly under her gaze, but nodded, a mischievous sparkle in their eyes.
"I love you, and have fun! Be safe!" Molly admonished to their retreating backs. Molly allowed herself a small nostalgic sigh, as she waved off three of her beloved children.
Ginny it seems was trying very hard not to break into tears, and Ron looked longingly at the departing train. "Come along now children!" Molly said to her remaining two kids as they made their way outside to their usual apparition spot. Wiping a few tears from her eyes, Molly held on tight to her children as the world compressed, and spat them out in front of their door.
Two hours later, Molly hated to admit it, but she missed her children terribly. She had already washed all the morning dishes, swept the floors, re-organized her cabinets, and now was at a loss as to what to do.
At this point in her previous life she would have to go off to stop Fred and George from doing some crazy pranks, or terrorizing Ginny, but the house just seemed so empty without her troublemakers.
For lack of anything better to do Molly decided to check on Ron and Ginny. She made her way slowly up the stairs to Ron's room, only to find him listing through a Quidditch catalog.
Sighing, she silently closed the door as to not disturb him, and waked down a flight of stairs to Ginny's room. Ginny was doing nothing more interesting than reading some clothing magazine. Still bored, Molly made her way downstairs and sat down in her favorite chair.
What do people do in their spare time? Thought Molly. How am I supposed to know! I never had spare time! How in the world do people with only two children, or even worse, no children spend their time? Aha! I know what to do. I'll just read.
Molly, now satisfied that she found something to occupy her time with, picked up a household magazine, and settled back down in her rocking chair. She only made it past the first few pages. The house was simply to quite. Unnaturally still. Thinking of nothing better to do, Molly sat down to write to her children, now silently crying.