QLFC: Season 10, Round 6
Team: Falmouth Falcons
Position: Chaser 2
Prompt: "Jenny of Oldstones" Song from Game of Thrones (Theme: Forbidden Love)
Optional Prompts: (relationship type) Siblings, (food) Peach
Word Count: 2,990
Betas: Thanks to Ikuni for beta'ing and suggesting the perfect title!
Note: In the books, it's mentioned that Arthur and Molly eloped due to the First Wizarding War. This is a little bit of a different take on them taking the step into marriage.
Warnings: Mention of Alcoholism and Alcohol Use, Mention of Spousal and Child Abuse
Peach Pit
Two months had passed since Arthur graduated from Hogwarts and gotten a job at the Ministry. This particular evening, he knew Molly had gone out for a girl's night, so he used the opportunity to visit her parents privately. Standing on the front porch, he took a deep breath and knocked.
Mrs. Prewett answered the door seconds later.
"Oh, Arthur! I'm sorry. Molly's out with some girlfriends tonight."
"I know. I – er – was hoping to speak with you and Mr. Prewett – if I'm not interrupting."
"No, of course not." Mrs. Prewett opened the door further and welcomed him in before closing the door behind him.
As she led Arthur into the sitting room, she said, "Jonathon, Arthur's here to speak with us."
Mr. Prewett looked up from his book. "Oh, hello, Arthur," he said with a smile. He marked his page and set the book aside. "Take a seat."
"I'll make some tea." Mrs. Prewett took a step toward the kitchen, but Arthur spoke up.
"Oh! I brought some peaches from my grandparents' orchard." He held the basket out to her.
"Thank you." She smiled. "They've always had the best peaches."
"And please make sure you save a few for Molly. They're her favorite."
As she bustled off to put away the peaches and make the tea, Arthur sat in the chair across from Mr. Prewett. Idle conversation transpired between them while they waited. Arthur wished Mrs. Prewett would come back soon. There hadn't been a tense moment between him and either of Molly's parents in all the years they'd known each other, but the tension now was suffocating. He just wanted to say what he came to say and be done with it.
Finally, Mrs. Prewett came back, levitating a tray containing a teapot, teacups, milk, and sugar in front of her.
Even though he didn't want tea, Arthur offered a quiet, "Thank you," when she poured him a cup and began adding his milk and sugar, doing his best to keep his hands from trembling.
"So, Arthur, what do you want to talk to us about?" Mr. Prewett prompted, sitting back in his chair with his teacup.
Arthur choked on his tea, but quickly recovered. Merlin, why was he so nervous? He'd dated Molly for four years, been to the Prewett's house countless times, and always got on well with her parents. It shouldn't be this difficult. They'd surely say "yes."
"I – Um – Are Fabian and Gideon here?" he suddenly asked, having temporarily forgotten about Molly's younger brothers.
"No," Mrs. Prewett said, "they're out with some friends."
Arthur nodded. "Oh, good. I was – I want to ask Molly to marry me –" he looked from Mrs. Prewett to Mr. Prewett "– and I'd like your permission. I love her more than I've loved anything in my entire life, and I can't imagine a life without her."
Neither of her parents spoke, but the grim look they shared spoke volumes.
"All I want is to raise a family with her, spend the rest of my life with her. If I can't have that –"
"Arthur…" Mr. Prewett took a deep breath. "We don't doubt you love her, and she cares very deeply for you. This is our fault, really. We should have nipped this relationship in the bud years ago, but we never thought it would become anything serious."
"I'm sorry?"
"You're a very nice, polite young man," Mrs. Prewett picked up, "and it's always a joy to have you around, but –"
"We don't feel this relationship is good for her," Mr. Prewett continued, "not in the long run, at least."
"I'm sorry?" Arthur repeated.
"Surely, you must understand."
"I don't," Arthur spat.
"It's nothing personal against you. You're a perfectly lovely young man, but…" Mrs. Prewett trailed off.
"Your family has a certain reputation."
"It's because of a name?" Arthur asked incredulously. "Is it because we're blood traitors, or is it because we work our arses off to make ends meet?"
"It's really because of your father and your family history." Arthur opened his mouth, but Mr. Prewett held up a hand. "Please let me finish. Until a few years ago, we thought the rumors might just be that – rumors. However, as we've noticed your injuries over the years –"
"They're from Quidditch."
"We spoke with your grandparents. We know what really happened. You must understand that we only want what is best for Molly. We don't want her to end up in a situation where she isn't safe or is struggling."
"You think after seeing how my father treated his wife and kids my entire life – You think I would turn around and do the same to my family? I would never be like him."
"I'm sorry, but that's not a risk we are willing to take. Our decision is final, and we would like you to end your relationship with her completely."
Arthur's throat closed up. Within moments, his world had been turned upside down, his entire future ripped away from him. The thing he loved most was taken from him through no fault of his own. At what point would the sins of his father stop affecting his life?
oOoOo
The next day, Molly sat on her bed writing poetry, oblivious to what had occurred the night before, when her door suddenly burst open.
"Hey, Molly Wolly!" Fabian plopped down onto her bed. Gideon gently closed the door behind him and sat next to his twin.
The bounce of the mattress caused her quill to leave a long, black scrawl across the parchment. "Argh! Haven't you two ever heard of knocking?" she groused, throwing the parchment and quill down into her lap.
Fabian shrugged.
"I would've if this goon gave me the chance," Gideon said.
"Listen," Fabian said seriously, "Arthur was here last night –"
Molly's eyebrows knit together. "Why? He didn't say –"
"He just wanted to talk to Mum and Dad, I reckon."
"Weren't you supposed to be out last night? How do you know –?"
"We got home early and no one noticed. Now, do you wanna hear the rest?"
Molly nodded.
"It sounded like he wants to ask you to marry him –"
Molly's face broke into a huge grin and a squeal began to escape, but Fabian covered her mouth and glanced over at the door.
Molly pushed his hand away. "Ugh! When's the last time you washed your hands?"
Ignoring her question, Fabian restarted, "It sounded like he wants to ask you to marry him, but Mum and Dad said 'no.'"
"What? Why?"
"Something about his family," Gideon answered. "We just thought you oughta know. Ya know, since Mum and Dad said 'no.' We like Arthur. He's a good bloke, and he treats you like a queen. I don't think there's a better guy out there for you."
Anger bubbled up in her stomach as her brothers left her room. How could her parents do that to her – to him – to them? It shouldn't even be a decision for them to make. She was fully capable of deciding who she wanted to marry!
She wrenched the door open and marched downstairs. She found her dad sitting at the kitchen table while her mum cooked dinner.
"What…in Merlin's name...?" she seethed. "I cannot believe you!"
Her parents froze, eyeing her warily.
"Were you even going to tell me Arthur was here?"
Mrs. Prewett gestured to the basket on the counter. "He brought us some peaches last night."
"And asked for your blessing!"
"Molly, where do you see this relationship with Arthur headed?" Mr. Prewett calmly asked from his chair.
"We've talked about getting married and having a lot of kids. We're going to build a house in the countryside in Devon or Cornwall and have some animals. He really loves his grandparents' house; he feels safe and comfortable there, so naturally he wants to recreate that, and I think I'd rather like that as well. We'll get some seeds or saplings from his grandparents' orchard and plant our own. We'll even have a hidden Quidditch pitch for the kids."
"Oh dear," Mr. Prewett sighed. "We didn't realize you'd begun to make serious plans for the future. You need to break it off with him if he hasn't done so already."
"What? No! I love him, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him! And you had no right to tell him he can't ask me to marry him!"
"We have every right!" Mr. Prewett retorted, standing.
"There's something you need to know, Molly dear," Mrs. Prewett stepped in. "The Weasleys don't have the best reputation. I'm sure you've heard some of the rumors."
"Arthur told me everything."
"Then you understand we don't want you in harm's way."
"Arthur would never do anything to hurt me!" Molly argued. "You've gotten to know him over the years. How could you even think he'd do something like that?"
"We don't want to risk it – and if we ever thought your relationship would reach this point, we would've put an end to it at the start."
Molly turned on her heel.
"Where are you going?"
"I have to talk to him."
Mr. Prewett followed her. "The only reason you'll talk to him is to break up with him."
"Absolutely not. I'm going to tell him that I don't care what you say and neither should he."
"Then you are not leaving this house, young lady. Go to your room." He pointed upstairs.
"You can't keep me here forever."
"Perhaps not, but if you ever marry Arthur Weasley, we'll disown you." His eyes went wide for a split second before narrowing again. Apparently, he was just as surprised to hear himself say those words as Molly was.
Molly stomped upstairs and slammed the door behind her.
"They've officially lost it," Gideon said from behind her. She spun around.
"Get out! Both of you!"
"Now, now," Fabian said, "don't you want to see Arthur?"
"Yes, but what does the two of you being in here have to do with that?"
"Everything, dear sister…everything."
"We've got a plan!"
"We'll create a diversion, so you can Apparate, and we'll keep your absence a secret as long as possible. No guarantees, but I think we can make it through to the morning."
For once thankful for her brothers' shenanigans, Molly said, "I don't even want to know how. Just do it."
oOoOo
Later that evening, the twins did as promised and Molly found herself on Arthur's grandparents' doorstep. He stayed with them whenever possible, and after graduation, he'd only been back to his house once to pick up the rest of his belongings before moving in with his grandparents.
A moment later, Gramps opened the door.
"Is Arthur here?" Molly asked without preamble.
"No, he's out with Bilius and Trent."
"Costin, who is it?" Gran came into view behind Gramps, who stepped back to allow Gran to see and Molly to enter.
"Do you know where I can find Arthur?"
"They usually go to the same bar," Gramps said, "but I don't think he'll be in any state for a conversation."
"Did he tell you what happened?"
"Not exactly. Something about an end to your relationship?" he cautiously ventured.
"No. He asked my parents' permission to marry me, but they told him 'no,' and now they want me to break up with him! I won't! I absolutely refuse! And I don't understand why, after four years, would they suddenly have a problem with me being with him. They don't even want me writing to him unless it's to end things. I had to sneak out to come here."
Gramps nodded. "That makes more sense."
Gran steered Molly over to the sofa. "Your parents have always been…hesitant when it's come to your relationship – or really, our family in general," she informed her. "You probably don't know this, but alcoholism runs in our family and Arthur's father is –"
"I know about your family. I know about Arthur's dad, and the abuse, and the drinking problems. Arthur told me." Their brows furrowed in surprise. "I know a lot more than people think, and that's only made me love him more because of what he's been through. We're not just a couple kids who want to rush into marriage. We've discussed a lot and made plans, and we know we'll hit some snags, but we'll be able to deal with it. Look, I have to talk to Arthur."
"He won't be in any state to talk at least until tomorrow afternoon, dear. Why don't you go home and come back tomorrow?"
"My parents will know I've snuck out. They'll make sure I can't leave again. They – They threatened to disown me if I marry Arthur." Tears trickled down her cheeks. "How is that fair? Of course, I love my parents and I don't want to throw away my relationship with them, but I love Arthur and I want to spend the rest of my life with him."
Gran wrapped her in her arms. When she calmed down, the older couple excused themselves to the kitchen.
Gramps heaved a sigh and rubbed his face. "What should we do?"
"She should stay here, shouldn't she? At least until we can get things settled with her parents."
He contemplated this for a long moment. "Well, she is of age, so if she wants to stay, there's nothing her parents can do legally. It would be better than her going Merlin-knows-where." He huffed. "If her parents had such a big problem with their relationship, they should have said something years ago."
oOoOo
Arthur awoke several times throughout the day, a few of those times to vomit into the wastebasket beside his bed. Each time, he forced himself back into sleep, so he wouldn't have to endure the pixies with pickaxes in his head. It wasn't his first hangover, but it was the first time he'd had one two days in a row. He wished someone would invent a potion for them.
In the late afternoon, Arthur finally emerged from his room, careful not to move too quickly lest the world around him would begin to spin again. He ignored his half-tucked, wrinkled shirt and his hair sticking out in all directions as he made his way downstairs. Gramps stopped him before he reached the bottom.
"You'll want to take a shower, son."
"I'll do it before work tomorrow," Arthur grumbled.
"Shower now. We have company. Besides, you'll feel better."
Arthur begrudgingly obeyed his grandfather, trudging back upstairs to get cleaned up.
When he entered the sitting room a little while later, someone with copper curls stopped him with a hug.
"Molly?"
"I know what happened," she told him outright, stepping back, "and frankly, I cannot believe you just rolled over and accepted what they told you."
Arthur bit his lower lip and turned his attention to the floor.
"And don't even think about consulting me about ending our relationship," Molly said sarcastically. "It's not like I should have a say, after all."
"Sorry."
"That's all you have to say?"
"My head wasn't quite straight at the time. I was going to find you later, but then I…I realized your parents are right."
"You agree with them?" she scoffed. "How could you go from wanting to marry me to wanting to break up within a few hours?"
"They vocalized my fears…I love you and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you – and I know we've discussed it, but I don't want to put you in danger. I want you to be safe, and if you're with me there's a chance I'll turn out like my father whether I want to or not. I couldn't live with myself if that happened."
"There's a chance that could happen no matter who I marry, and quite honestly, I don't see that happening to you. You are one of the kindest, most caring, most gentle people I know, and I have never seen any type of darkness in you."
"What about in twenty or thirty years? You don't know how I'll be then. Septimus didn't used to be abusive."
"No," Gramps spoke up, "your father hasn't always been abusive, but he has always been prone to violence, ever since he was a child."
"Just because your father is one way, it doesn't mean you'll turn out the same," Gran added. "Septimus didn't turn out like us."
"And I didn't turn out like my dad," Gramps said.
That was something Arthur was extremely thankful for. His grandfather was the best man he knew. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and met Molly's gaze. Despite their valid arguments, he said, "I can/t risk that. If I ever hurt you…I'd rather be alone than –"
"Fine. I'll never marry anyone either. I'll never have children. I'll be lonely and deprive myself of anything I've ever dreamt of," Molly proclaimed. "Now, don't you see how stupid that sounds? You don't stop yourself from living your life because you're afraid something bad might happen."
"She's right, sweetheart," Gran said.
Gramps hummed his agreement. "And if you ever need any advice, we're always here for you."
"What about your parents?" Arthur asked Molly.
It was her turn to avoid his gaze now. "They threatened to disown me," she murmured. She quickly became more confident, perhaps afraid this might cause him to hold his position. "I don't think they meant it though. Either way, I'm not going to let anything stand between us. If they really care about me, they'll stick around."
Finally, Arthur conceded with a small smile. "Okay."
"Well?"
"What?"
"Aren't you going to propose?"
"Not right now. I want it to be special."
"You better not change your mind again."
Arthur Summoned a peach from the bowl on the table and held it out to her. "Consider this a promise: This will be the first seed we plant in our orchard. Together."
A/N: I hope y'all liked this little story! This is the second story I'd had in my brain bank for a couple years that the QLFC pushed me to finally write. If you're interested in the conversation where he tells Molly about his family and they discuss their views on having children, check out "The Kids Aren't Alright."