Back to normality and shattering it

"Good morning, mum" ,said Bill cheerfully. "Feeling better, then?"

"Yes, fine", Molly assured him.

He raised one eyebrow dubiously, looking her over.

"Well, better than you look, I hope", he tried to joke around.

Fred and George laughed quietly at his attempt, normally it would be them joking and Bill would reprimand them.

"Not that good", Molly said tartly, and her sons laughed. Bill got to his feet and walked over to hug his mother. He was much taller than Molly. He'd inherited his father's whipcord leanness, and as well as his humour and his toughness.

Bill took her by the shoulders and turned her into the sunlight coming in from the window, pursing his lips a little as he inspected her at close range. Molly blinked up at him, imagining what she must look like. She hadn't had the nerve to look into a mirror yet, but she had seen Minerva's face and knew that she looked similarly horrible. Bill's soft blue eyes peered intently into face with no apparent surprise or distress. At last he let go and patted her shoulder gently.

"You will do, mum", he said. "It's still you, isn't it?"

"Yes", Molly said.

And with no warning at all, tears welled up and overflowed. She knew exactly what he'd meant and That it was true. She felt as though her centre had turned unexpectedly to liquid and was gushing out, not from grief, but from relief. She was still herself. Fragile, battered, sore and wary ... but herself. Only when she recognised that, did she realise how much she had feared that she might not be ... that she might emerge from shock and find herself irrevocably altered, some vital part forever missing.

----

Two weeks later Molly and Minerva will both completely healed, at least physically. Emotionally both women were deeply scarred forever. Molly was back in the warm circle of her family with Ginny and her sons fuzzing over her every minute of the day. Arthur was as loving and gentle as could be, never expecting more from his wife then she could give willingly. Molly was still deeply worried for Minerva, though.

Poppy and Severus had done everything in their power to restore her to health but still Minerva refused to eat properly or to talk to anyone except Molly. And that was only when no one else was in the room with them. Minerva didn't trust her husband, her friends, her colleagues or her students. Albus tried not to show his vulnerablility and he is hurt but everyone could see how much he suffered from Minerva's distrust and distance. Of course he could understand why but that didn't make it easier to endure. The only bright side was that Minerva had been allowed to move to her own quarters which she shared with her husband. But ever since she had returned Albus slept on the couch in the living room so as to not frighten his emotionally fragile woman.

----

One morning Molly sat down next to Minerva for breakfast. It had become sort of a ritual for both women to start the new day together. They didn't talk much but draw strength from each other to face the coming day.

Suddenly Molly spit out the bit of toast she'd been eating and took a hasty gulp of coffee. It hit bottom and started back up. She pushed back the chair and ran for the bathroom, reaching it just in time to throw up into the bath tub, retching coffee, bile and fried egg.

She was dimly aware of Minerva, hovering anxiously in the doorway, and waved her away with one hand. She hesitated for a moment, but then went in again to fire call Poppy, as Molly stood up and started toward the sink to wash out her mouth.

The entire inside of her head tasted of coffee and bile. Careful swilling with water cleansed her mouth and did a bit to remedy the nasty taste ... but nothing to drown the panic that had come in the wake of the nausea.

Molly had the sudden, distinct and thoroughly bizarre impression that her skin was missing. Her legs felt shaky and she said down on the toilet seat.

'I can't', she thought. 'I simply can't.'

She sat there on the toilet, lacking the will to rise. She could feel her womb very distinctly. A small, round weight at the base of her abdomen, feeling slightly swollen, very tender.

'Nothing', she thought, with what determination she could muster. 'Entirely normal. It always feels that way at a particular point out my cycle. And after what we had done, Arthur and I ... well, no bloody wonder if I am still conscious of my interior workings.'

But a small part of her mind knew that there was another reason. A soft sound from the door caught her attention. Poppy and Minerva stood there, watching her carefully and worriedly.

"We could do the pregnancy test now, if you want to. Two weeks and three days have passed, it would be certain now. Do you want to?" Poppy asked gently. She was aware that the result might destroy Molly's life, family and marriage forever.

Molly's thoughts obviously ran along the same lines because she shook her head woefully.

"No, I don't want to do it but I have to know. I must know if I am. Do it before I change my mind."

Poppy nodded understandingly and cast the simple spell upon her friend. This spell hit Molly's belly and surrounded it by light. White light meant no pregnancy, blue light meant pregnancy with a boy and soft pink light meant pregnancy with a girl. Molly prayed fervently to God that the light would stay white. But no such luck. The light turned a soft pink colour.

A./N.: So what do you think? Am I too mean? Please tell me your opinions.