13 May 1967 – Surprise

"Nice look, Weasley!"

"Love the glasses!"

Arthur kept his head down, focusing on his book, but Molly whipped around and glared at the passing gang of Slytherins. In addition to a large group from their own year, led by Wallace Jugson and Walden Macnair, she saw several younger students, including Bellatrix Black and Lucius Malfoy. Macnair and Jugson were leading the taunts.

"Snakes," she muttered under her breath.

"Just ignore them, Molly," Arthur replied, though he looked terribly embarrassed. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose without looking up from his book. "They'll go away."

Molly scowled and rested her chin on her knees, continuing to pluck up dandelions to braid together. She and Arthur sat under the massive tree that overlooked the lake. Most students, it seemed, were outside today—it was the first really nice day they'd had in months. She kept one eye on the Slytherins, who settled themselves on the bank of the lake, not too far away.

"Emmeline heard a rumor about Jugson," she said to Arthur. He looked up.

"What?"

"Apparently he and Macnair were saying something about…leaving school early to…" Molly looked around, "support him."

Arthur looked disturbed. "That's a really serious rumor, Molly," he said.

"Well, it's not like I'm spreading it around. It gives me the creeps!" she told him. "You're the only one I've told."

Arthur frowned. "Well, I might not like them, but I hope it isn't true for their own sakes. That's nothing that anyone our age should be getting mixed up in."

"Hm," Molly murmured, watching as Bellatrix shot little jets of white light at some unfortunate insect she had found, to the guffaws of the other Slytherins. "She gives me the creeps, too."

Arthur closed his book and got on his knees, moving a bit closer to Molly. "Does she give you the…collywobbles?"

Molly whirled around and smacked his arm. "Don't you dare, Arthur Weasley—"

"The collywobbles, for Mollywobbles?" he teased, tickling her sides, and she collapsed at once, shrieking with laughter.

"Arthur! Arthur, get off, you raving lunatic—"

"Eurgh!" shrieked a far-away voice.

Arthur froze, and Molly, who lay in the grass, closed her eyes. "Damn it," she breathed. She sat up beside Arthur as Jugson, Macnair, and Bellatrix approached, looking delightedly malevolent.

"Blood traitors messing around?" Bellatrix sneered. "I forgot, you two must like filth…"

Arthur had to seize Molly's arm to stop her from rising. "Get out of here, you three. We're not bothering you."

"Wrong, Weasley," growled Macnair. "You're a stinking blood traitor—both of you. What's the matter, Prewett, couldn't find any lower scum to get with? Couldn't find any Mudbloods?"

"Hey!" Arthur barked, jumping to his feet. His neck and ears were scarlet. "Clear off, Macnair. Don't make me do something you'll regret."

Jugson scoffed. "Will you look at Weasley?" he teased, giving Arthur's shoulders a shove. "What a little hero…"

"Back off, you creep," Molly said, rising as well.

Bellatrix gave a shriek of laughter. "Oh, look, the cow wants to help, too," she sneered.

Molly rounded on her, reaching for her wand, but Arthur seized her arm. "Come on, Molly. We're leaving." The Slytherins burst into raucous laughter as he snatched up his book and led Molly by the hand away from the lake.

"I hate them," she muttered. "I hate them, I hate them…"

"I know," Arthur said. He was still very red. "But we can just ignore them, there's no point in getting in trouble—"

"Thanks for the flowers, Prewett!" yelled Bellatrix. Molly looked around; she was tearing up the dandelion chain that Molly had made.

"See you later, Four-Eyes!" shouted Macnair.

And then, before Molly was even really aware of what she was doing, she had wrenched her hand out of Arthur's and gone tearing back to the lake. She took one flying leap and—

"A week's detention?" Arthur asked as he and Molly walked out of the hospital wing. She was holding her cut-up and broken, bandaged hand gingerly; it was still a little sore after being mended.

"McGonagall told me I should be glad it wasn't more," she replied glumly. She sighed. "That was a stupid thing to do. I have homework tonight. How am I supposed to write?"

Arthur snorted. "That's why it was a stupid thing to do?"

Molly gave him an inquisitive look. "Why else?"

"I don't know that I ever expected to see Walden Macnair cry," Arthur said thoughtfully, as they walked down the staircase to the Great Hall for dinner.

"Miss Prewett," said a serious voice. Professor McGonagall was surveying her austerely. Molly gave her an apologetic look and hurried inside the Great Hall with Arthur.