Hey, I'm so sorry for the delay, my life's been really hectic.

~ Molly xoxoxo

I was freezing down to the bone, standing in the middle of the street, having just entered Hogsmeade. It may have only been autumn, but I wasn't the least bit brave when it came to being cold. I despised being cold. It was windy, my curly hair was whipping back wildly and I had to suppress a groan. Wind has always been determined to pulling my hair out of the tight ringlets I worked so hard to get, into bushy waves. I hated wind too.

I probably would never have dreamed of going to Hogsmeade, but my fellow prefect, Ravenclaw Rhea Smith somehow convinced me to go. And after mulling over it in my head for a second, I decided I hated her too. I was waiting on her to meet me here, she had left her bag on the train and had to go get it. Damn her and her bag. I hated it too.

At least I looked like I had tried to look cute. I had a sheer see-through lavender colored top on, and a dark purple tank under, and both were tucked into a short black miniskirt that flared out at my hip, Rose saying approvingly that it "flattered the hour-glass shape that you hide behind overly large sweats" and that I looked beautiful in it. But it certainly didn't provide comfort from the nippy wind. It didn't help that Astrid had lent me these awesome black high-heeled boots that appeared more and more like torture devices to me the longer I wore them.

It was also torture that Rhea and I had agreed to meet at Hogsmeade's entrance, where I saw every single person that arrived after me walk past me, some boys' gazes even lingering on my long legs as they passed by. My face was probably crimson. The worse encounter was probably when Lucy and Michael walked past. Lucy looked like she had stepped out of a photo-shoot, she was so gorgeous. Her face was perfectly made up, hair perfectly styled, clothes perfectly in style and of perfect fit. But no one ever expected anything less from Lucy. She half-smiled at me, and I half-smiled back. Michael just greeted me with extreme disinterest. The git. As much as I tried to hide it, I really cared about what Lucy thought of me. I admired her, and I always had. A memory that was especially distinct in my mind was from when I was nine, and she was ten. Nine was when Wotter kids were deemed mature enough to go to Ministry banquets, which I knew were important to my parents, both having put up great fights in the second Wizarding War against Voldemort, who the kids affectionately referred to as "Moldyshorts," as if he was our cat or something.

I knew my parents didn't like this ritual, both of them finding it, as I did, disrespectful to those who had died by the hand of Moldyshorts, including our Uncle Fred. These banquets were extremely important to my parents and my aunts and uncles, so I wanted to dress as nicely as I could. I had my mum straighten my hair, and I put light mascara on my long lashes. I had this cute bubblegum pink dress that was shaped like a pastry, but I loved it. Until I saw what Lucy was wearing. I had loved my sister dearly, and I still did. She had worn a jaded green gown that made her look older, much like the elegant bun she was wearing did. She had looked stunning, and she had acted like the grownup that she looked like.

People were polite to me of course, telling my parents that their daughters were absolutely "lovely" when I knew they were referring to Lucy mostly. I hadn't been hurt though, me being just young and naive enough to not feel the blows. I had felt them later though. When I was around thirteen maybe, and it came to me all too clearly one night, a night that I spent huddled in my window, sobbing quietly so I wouldn't wake Lucy or my parents. It wasn't her fault really, it was just who she was, I didn't blame her. I blamed myself because I knew I wouldn't live up to her name. Every time I saw her, it was painful.

When I saw Lucy, I was about ready to just go on without Rhea, but I spotted her friendly face as her brown hair bobbed up and town as she raced towards me. Rhea was on the "list" as you might recall, and is very well deserving of the title, with her sparkling eyes and beautiful smile. Her perfect mahogany brown sheet of hair was swept in a messy braid. No matter how beautiful Rhea was, she still looked like the most down-to-earth person on the planet.

"Let's go to Honeyduke's first!" Rhea suggested in her adorably perky voice. I nodded in agreement, ready to get out of the wind. Rhea was wearing pretty much the exact same thing as me, but the wind didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. I hate that as well.

Honeyduke's was not my favorite place in Hogsmeade, but not because I don't love sweets, but because a young lady named Karlie Kenthridge opened a muggle inspired pastry shop called "Karlie's Klassics" which sold the best sweets in the history of the world. The shop's name's spelling made me want to barf up their delicious delicacies, but I never did because I had always been too busy stuffing another one of them in my mouth. I'm attractive, I know.

After Rhea got her sweets, we went to The Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer. We saw James staring at Beth Wilson, a pretty brunette that he was completely infatuated with like first generation James Potter had been with Lily Evans. It was pathetic to everyone else, but I thought it was extremely adorable. Beth was sweet. Fred was waving a hand in James's face, trying to get his attention. In vain. Me and Rhea decided to sit with them. While I sat next to James, Rhea and Fred both blushed a light, rosy pink before Rhea sat next to him. I raised an eyebrow at James, who was laughing heartily at Fred's steadily darkening face. I hit James in the arm. 'What?' he mouthed at me raising his hands in surrender. I could tell he was still holding in a laugh. 'Don't be mean.' I mouthed back with a stern look on my face. James rolled his eyes at me fondly. That's what I loved about my family. They knew I could act really bossy, but they still accepted me.

I left when I had finished my drink, without Rhea, who was staring into Fred's eyes really creepily, much like James was staring into Beth's eyes. Ugh. I walked alone, clearing my head, before I stopped, hearing someone clearing their throat behind me. Christopher. My brain went fuzzy again. He was so cute. I stumbled a little as I tried to walk over to him gracefully. Now he was messing with my ability to walk in heels. I could easily sprint in heels due to all the war banquets I've had to go to through the years, each of them ending in the Wotter crew exchanging in crazy activities that make it impossible to avoid running in heels. Damn him. I prided myself in my ability to walk in such high heels.

"Hey Christopher!" I said in a perky voice. I mentally winced. He smiled at me sweetly.

"Hi Molls," he said kindly. Molls. The sound of the nickname nearly made me melt into a puddle right there in front of Christopher.

"You want to walk with me?" I asked. His smile widened, and my head soared.

"Sure," he responded, taking my hand, "but I want to show you some where." He started leading me into the woods, and I found myself gladly regaining control of my feet as he nearly broke into a run with me behind him.

The walk wasn't a causal stroll, more like a exhausting hike, but I put my absolute trust in Christopher. I would probably trust him no matter what he said to me. I would follow him into the Forbidden Forest if he asked me to. I'm pathetic really. I stepped over several branches sticking out, almost tripping over even more, before Christopher finally stopped at a clearing. "What are we doing here?" I asked, confused. He grinned at me, dimples showing. Those charming dimples were dangerously irresistible. Christopher Longbottom was too perfect for me to handle, he made me feel like I lost control of my body, and his smile now controlled me. Merlin, why the hell am I so pathetic? Guys don't make Molly Weasley nervous, she simply looked them in the face, and outwitted them. They weren't supposed to make her most valuable asset, her brain, deem uncontrollable. It was a rule, a principle really. I guess this was the only rule Christopher didn't follow.

"Let me show you," he took my hand again, and led me to a fence several yards away, "Look." I was already looking. I gasped at the sight before me. It was all of Hogsmeade. We were so high off of the ground that I could see barely recognizable outlines of my friends and relatives. I saw Rhea and Fred walking together, James striking out with Beth, Rose and her newest hookup, Louis and Al walking out of Weasley's Wizard's Wheezes, the shop having opened in Hogsmeade a couple years after the war, and Lily talking to a boy that I didn't recognize. It was amazing to see. I flashed Christopher a brilliant smile.

"This is so cool Christopher!" I gushed. He smiled.

"You're the first person I've taken up here," he said, "or as I should say, the first one special enough to me." His words warmed my heart, but I couldn't help feel guilty about my Lily situation. Christopher really was charming and friendly, but I could see where his friendliness may have caused a misunderstanding with Lily, and I felt awful for her. But, didn't I deserve to be happy? Couldn't Lily let me, or was she that selfish? I felt awful just for thinking it. Lily wasn't selfish, she always had good intentions, but she had a fiery Weasley temper, that I myself unfortunately had attained as well, along with the rest of my family. And I had to say, no matter how much I adored Christopher, I would always think of my family first. But, on the other hand, what if me and Christopher were soulmates, destined to be together, but a petty crush ruined it. It felt silly for me to play the soulmates card in my mind, but I had read pretty much every romance novel ever written. And they all started with the love interests having a spark. My hand tingled every time it brushed his, and my heart would start beating rapidly in my chest when I saw, or even when I thought of him. Would I let Lily take that away from me? I decided that I wouldn't.

"Wow," I responded to a skittish-looking Christopher, which was a fairly new sight to me, as he always appeared calm and collected to me, "that is so sweet of you to saw." My reply was truly genuine, and I could tell by looking in his deep blue eyes, that he felt the same way.

As if acting on instinct, Christopher leaned forward, capturing my lips in his. My brain became fuzzy, mind blank, as my knees almost turned to jelly. I wrapped my arms around his neck, responding quickly, and he put his hands on my hips. He deepened the kiss early on, and I lost track of time. We could have been kissing for seconds, minutes, days, weeks, it didn't matter. All I knew was, by the time that we resurfaced, my face was pink from being flushed, and I could see his was too.

"Whoa," we said at the same time, and then laughed.

"Um," I said awkwardly, "good work." I mentally face-palmed. Christopher chuckled.

"You too," he responded kindly. I smiled. He even accepted my quirks. We just stood there for a while, staring into each other's eyes, when we heard an ear-splitting scream. I ripped my eyes from his, and snatched my wand out of my boot. I saw he had snatched his wand out as well. My heart was beating rapidly, but not in a good, Christopher-kind-of-way.

I ran to the sound of the scream, not because I was courageous to a fault, or any of the other Gryffindor qualities I had, but because I was stupidly curious to a fault. I didn't check to see if Christopher had followed me, I actually hoped he hadn't been stupid enough to follow me.

I hid behind some bushes as soon as I saw the silhouette of three people, two ladies, one man. One of the women, a pretty young woman, was in a heap on the ground, fear evident in her eyes that had gone terribly wide.

"Lovely, lovely little Eleonora," the other woman said in a sickingly taunting voice. Her back was facing me, and I could see that she was a tall, graceful woman, and her hair was sleek straight, to her mid back, and so black it was nearly blue. I could tell she was an evil woman, just by listening to her, and noting the dark robes she wore as well as the condescending way she twirled her wand in Eleonora's face. It reminded me disgustingly of Professor Brennagin, the DADA professor. I had never recieved a detention from her, but I had heard it was awful.

I was waiting for the man to say something, and he did. "Aleksei," he said to the evil woman, "you know Aziza wants this filth alive." I assumed the woman, Aleksei, had rolled her eyes.

"I know that very well, Quincey, but it doesn't mean you have to ruin my fun. I wasn't going to kill her, just reminding her that betraying Aziza La Bans has its costs." She told him this with a whip of her head, causing me to cower behind the bush lower. I could see the profile of her face, and since it was only late afternoon, I could tell her eyes were black. She seemed so evil, that I shivered thinking about what this Aziza La Bans was like.

I didn't do anything as they loaded Eleonora, gagged, into the back of this midnight black carriage pulled by a thestral, a creature Uncle Harry told me could only be seen if you had seem death. I was fortunate enough to not be able to see them.

I felt cowardly at not doing anything, but I also felt smart, and incredibly non-concerned when it came to this matter. I felt like a bitch, but I didn't even know what had been going on. Aleksei and Quincey could have been Aurors for all I knew, and Eleonora was a terrible criminal. I doubted it. Eleonora had seemed too delicate, too innocent.

My mind began feeling numb from scenarios I had been creating in my mind, explanations for what I saw. But I was getting nowhere.

After a while, I heard rustle again, but the only sound I heard were low moans, and I felt disgusted. Gross. It was even grosser when I found out who it was.

"Molly!" Lucy exclaimed, coming out from behind a tree, into my view, with Michael. Both of their very disheveled appearances made it very obvious that they had been snogging in the woods. My only guess was that their date went well. I expected myself to feel embarrassed at witnessing this, but I felt illness more than I did embarrassment. Thinking about it though, the encounter earlier could be what was making me sick.

"Hey Lucy, Vey," I greeted, waving.

"Why are you on the ground Weasley?" Michael asked in a haughty voice, looking down on me with amusement. I glared.

"I felt like it," i retorted lamely. He rolled his eyes. Lucy was nicer.

"What are you doing out here Molls?" She asked. Molls. I wondered vaguely where Christopher had went after the scream.

"I was with Christopher Longbottom," I answered, "I guess he left."

"Sounds like he had a great time," Michael said sarcastically, sneering. Only I could bring that nasty a sneer on his admittedly attractive face.

"Shove off Vey."

"MOLLY!" I whipped my head around, seeing Christopher behind me, looking concerned. I knew it was immature, but I smirked at Michael behind me. He scoffed.

"Christopher," I said, breathing out a sigh of relief, having genuinely been worried. I wrapped my arms around his middle tightly.

"Aw, you two are so cute!" Lucy gushed. I smiled to myself. I saw her walk off with Michael after her remark, and I took Christopher's hand.

"We are cute, aren't we?" I asked.

"The cutest," he replied, kissing my fingers. I blushed.

"So are we, um, together now?" I asked nervously, biting my lip.

"Of course."

We held hands on our walk to the castle, my head in the clouds. I felt like he was perfect for me, and for a blissful moment, nothing else mattered. Not Lily, not Aleksei, not prefect duty, not Rhea, not anything, accept for the fact that Christopher made me happy.

I didn't realize how short it would last.

This chapter is so cheesy that I seriously want to stab myself. But I'm not going to because I liked being fluffy for once. And I liked everything else about this chapter. ;)

I hope you enjoyed, I wonder how you feel about the new conflict I've introduced.

-Molly