And now for something a little bit lighter!

31 August 1982 – Dark

"Mum? Is that you?"

"Billy?"

"Why are the lights out?"

"Shh, sweetheart—Ginevra is with me."

"Oh—sorry."

"Don't worry. Come sit on the couch. Are you all right?"

"…Yeah."

"Come sit with me." Molly sat up slightly on the sofa, making room for Bill while trying not to disturb the sleeping infant she held against her chest. She could just see his outline in the dim light that the cloudy gray pre-dawn skies provided through the curtained window.

"Is Ginevra all right?" he asked quietly as he sat down.

"She's fine," Molly whispered. "She had a bit of a cough, but she's sleeping now."

"Okay," Bill replied. "I heard you moving around down here—I just wanted to be sure you were okay. I—I think I'll go back to bed."

"Wait a minute," Molly said, catching his arm and sitting him back down. "What were you doing awake at this hour?"

It was hard to tell if Bill was avoiding her gaze or not. "Couldn't sleep," he mumbled.

"Did Charlie's snoring wake you?"

Bill stifled his laughter with his hands. "No."

Molly reached out and smoothed his hair slightly; he did not pull away, as he usually did—eleven-year-olds, she was told repeatedly, didn't have their mums neaten their hair. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"No," he said, a little too quickly. "Well—not really."

"Not really?" she repeated. Bill was silent for a long time, but he leaned against Molly's side. She was exhausted, and so closed her eyes for a moment. She timed her breathing with Billy and Ginevra's…one, two, three—release—one, two, three—release—

"Do I help you, Mum?"

Molly frowned. "Help me?"

"Do I do my chores and everything?"

"As far as I know," she whispered. "You're very helpful."

"Because I really do try and get them all done," he whispered back. "I mean, I know I sometimes forget—but I do try."

Molly looked down at him. "I know you do, sweetheart. You have a lot of chores to remember."

"Well—yeah," he said. "That's—that's sort of what I was thinking about."

"What were you thinking about?"

"Well—Charlie and Percy—they have their own chores to worry about," Bill said, sitting up and facing her. "But Fred and George—they're kind of little. They don't really know how to do any chores. And—and Ron and Ginevra—they can't do any chores at all, they're just babies."

"All right," Molly said, now slightly curious and amused. "I'm following you."

"Well, I was thinking—if I go to Hogwarts, and Dad's working a lot—and you've still got to look after Ron and Ginevra and George and Fred," Bill said, "How are Percy and Charlie gonna do the chores?"

"Oh," Molly said. "That's a good point."

"I mean, I don't want you or Dad to do my chores, because you're both busy enough. And besides, I have to clean the chicken coop and de-gnome the garden," he continued. "And that stuff—Charlie and Percy are kind of young for it, don't you think?"

"Maybe so." Molly had a very shrewd idea as to where this conversation was headed.

"Well, what I'm saying is—maybe—maybe—" Bill broke off; he seemed to have lost his nerve.

"Maybe you should stay here, and help look after the house, instead of going to Hogwarts?" Molly asked.

"Well…sort of." He touched Molly's arm. "But, Mum, I don't want you to think—that—well, I don't like all my books and robes and my wand and stuff! I can't believe you and Dad saved up all that money just for me to go to school! But—well, I—I want to be helpful to you! I don't want to go away, and leave you without anybody to—to do chores!"

"Shh," Molly said, for Ginevra had just stirred fitfully.

"Sorry," Bill whispered. "But—I really don't want you to have to do my jobs," he said. "That wouldn't be fair at all."

Molly felt as though she could have cried; she was lucky he couldn't see her smile. "Well," she said, matter-of-factly, "I guess that settles it."

"What?" Bill sounded shocked.

"Yes," Molly continued. "I'd say that settles it. Why don't I just teach you all the spells you need to know here, at the Burrow, and you won't go to Hogwarts?"

"Er…"

"Charlie will have to find his own way…or, if Charlie wants to do what you did, then Percy will…or maybe the twins…or Ronnie…or, who knows, maybe only Ginevra will go to Hogwarts and be in Gryffindor, like me and Dad," Molly said, shrugging slightly. "She wouldn't have any of her big brothers to tell her about it, though. She'd have to go to the castle all on her own and learn everything for herself." At exactly that moment, Ginevra gave a little sigh in her sleep. Molly would have to remember to thank her for it one day.

"Erm…right," said Bill, and she was pleased to hear a note of confusion in his voice.

"I think it's probably better that way, anyhow," she said, patting Ginevra's back. "I had to go to Hogwarts by myself, and it was a lot of work."

"Y-you did?"

"Oh, yes," Molly whispered, rocking Ginevra gently. "Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon came three years after I did."

"Really?" Bill asked, astonished. "I thought they were your older brothers."

Molly smiled. "No. I went to Hogwarts before they ever did. And I knew all the tricks a long time before them, but it took me a really long time to learn them."

"The tricks?" Bill asked.

"Oh, little things," she said nonchalantly. "Which teachers were nice. Which ones I had to be extra good for. Which classes to take. Oh, and the secret passageways."

She could practically hear Bill's jaw hit the floor.

"Secret p-p-passageways?"

"But you don't need to worry about learning any of that," Molly whispered, hugging him tight to her side. "You don't need to worry about how to get through the magical barrier to Platform 9¾ tomorrow, or what classes you'll need to take. You can just stay here with me and Daddy, and clean out the chicken coop and de-gnome the garden." There was almost a full minute's stunned silence, and Molly smiled.

When Bill spoke again, his voice was very small. "Maybe—I can teach Charlie how to de-gnome the garden."

"Do you think he's old enough to learn?" she asked, trying to sound wary.

"Well," said Bill, "If he is…then…I can go to Hogwarts. But only if Charlie can manage things around here for you."

"You know, I'll bet that if anyone can teach him how to do it, Billy," Molly said, as though she had thought carefully about it and finally come to a decision, "It'll be you."

Bill grinned, and then he yawned. "I'm kind of tired," he said.

"You go get some rest," Molly suggested. "You've got a full day of teaching to get in before your train leaves."

"Right," he whispered. "Thanks, Mum." He got up and scurried out of the sitting room. Molly sighed, closing her eyes again—then she felt a weight sit down on the couch next to her. Bill was back. He kissed her cheek and whispered, "I love you."

"Oh, I love you too, darling," she said, blinking quickly. Bill ran off again. Molly looked down at Ginevra, who, at that moment, wriggled beneath her blanket. She coughed several times, so hard that she woke herself up. Her nose wrinkled with unhappiness, and she coughed a few more times before rubbing her little face against Molly's shoulder and giving a soft wail. Molly patted her back. "Poor girl," she murmured. "Poor Ginevra…it's all right, sweet pea…"

"You handled that pretty well."

Molly smiled in the direction of Arthur's chair. The room was still so dark that she could not see him; nor, apparently, could Bill. Arthur had always hated it when she stayed up alone with a sick baby, and so they had long since made a rule of staying up together whenever a child fell ill. Molly usually managed to stay awake more successfully than Arthur, but Bill's arrival had obviously woken him.

"I spent three hours packing that boy's trunk," she said, patting Ginevra's back and tugging the little blanket up around her shoulders. "He's getting on that train if I have to stick him in there with his books."

"What happened to not wanting your chicks to leave the nest?" Arthur chuckled, leaning forward so that Molly could see him.

"There's a difference between wanting them to go, and knowing they have to," she replied. Ginevra gave another despondent wail and a cough, and Molly hugged her close, kissing her tiny ear. "Besides, we've still got six more hatchlings to go."

Arthur yawned hugely, getting up and coming to sit down beside Molly. He laid an arm around her shoulders. "You're a good Mum, Molly."

She smiled, leaning against his side. "You're a wonderful Daddy." She yawned and passed him Ginevra, who mewled unhappily. Then Molly tucked the baby blanket around her back and she settled onto Arthur's chest, sniffling gently. "Your turn," she murmured, closing her eyes and snuggling against him.