Saturday Dec 19th
The Burrow, shed out back
3:22 pm
- - -
Molly Weasley balanced the tray of biscuits and milk on her hip as she knocked on the door of her husband's shed. The raised voices and loud noise she had been hearing the whole time she made her way across the yard suddenly stopped at her knock. A few seconds passed before the door opened a few inches and a small face looked out.
"Grandma?" asked Hugo, surprise evident on his little face. "What are you doing here?"
For a second, Molly thought about reminding her grandson that she lived here but decided against it. With his dirt streaked face and black hands, Hugo didn't look to be a humorous sort of mood. Instead Molly raised the tray and simply said, "I thought you and your grandfather could do with some refreshments."
"Ooohhhh," said Hugo eagerly as Molly tried to stifle a smile, for he reminded her of her boys when they were his age, always ready for food. Hugo pushed open the door a scant inch more, being careful not to let her see in as he said, "I can take it."
"Well," Molly examined his grimy hands thoughtfully. "How about I set inside instead?" she asked, curious to see what Arthur and Hugo were being so secretive about.
"No, you can't Grandma. There are no girls allowed in here. No matter how old you are."
"Hugo!!"
Hugo's shoulders fell as his grandfather's disapproving voice filled the small shed. Glancing to something behind him, out of Molly's eyesight, Hugo said quietly, "Hold on a minute Gram," as he started to shut the door.
Molly patiently waited as the door closed behind him, knowing instinctively that her husband of many years was probably reprimanding their grandson for his thoughtlessness. For if there was one thing that Arthur Weasley was exceptionally good at, it was reprimanding small children, especially small boys.
A minute later the door opened again, this time with a much somber looking boy behind it. "I'm sorry I was rude to you Grandma," said Hugo softly as he stared intently at his feet. "I meant to say that me and Grandpa are very thankful that you made biscuits for us and carried them out here in the cold weather but because we are both dirty and the shed is messy we were hoping you could bring them back into the kitchen where we could join you as soon as we washed up. Would that be okay?"
Molly shifted the tray to her other hip. "Of course dearie. And Hugo?" she added kindly as he started to walk away, "Take a biscuit anyways, I don't mind."
Hugo's face lit up. "Thanks Grandma," he said as he grabbed a biscuit off the tray and shoved it into his mouth, Molly trying her hardest not to pay attention to his messy little hands. "See Grandpa," he added behind him as he started to close the door, "I told you Grandma wouldn't be mad. I don't know why you said she starts shrieking like a banshee when she gets upset. She seemed perfectly normal to m–ah!"
Despite his attempts to smother their grandson, Arthur knew his wife had heard every word. And as he looked up to meet the steely brown eyed gaze of the woman standing in the doorway, the woman whom he had stood by through thick and thin, through death and births, through war and peace, the woman he had pledged his life too, he knew none of that mattered today. For there was no way he was going to get any of her delicious biscuits now.