Now There's 6
Mrs. Weasley meticulously stirs the soup she's making, the recipe's filled with strict instructions on cooking time. She dabs her forehead, which is beginning to sweat due to the vigorous work out she is doing to make this meal. The things she does for this family, always keeping them together.
However, she isn't too happy with some particular people in the house today. Due to some pranks that were pulled against her, well, let's just say, she isn't the most delightful person to be around. By golly, for all Molly knew, Fred and-
The spoon clatters in the pot as Molly's heart tightens, and her lungs squeeze painfully, leaving her gasping and crying. She clenches her jaw and keeps her hands fisted, not quite sure how well she can keep it together. Fred's face flashes in front of her eyes, his smiling, alive body just out of reach. Eventually though, like every other time this happens, the pain fades, and Molly's able to function normally again. However, no matter how well it seems like she's coping, really, her heart's shattering to a million pieces, over and over again, and her lungs are continuously forgetting how to be lungs.
She keeps the tears in and continues on with the meal, can't leave eight mouths empty. Finally, after another hour of cooking, she's back to her content self, methodically slaving away at the soup.
When she goes to get some spices, however, she opens it to find a bunch of crickets jumping out. Cursing, she throws the spice container into the garbage, and magically whisks the pests away.
Suddenly, George comes loping in. "Did you like it mum?" He laughs. Mrs. Weasley, still facing the soup, spins around in a fury.
"My God Fred and George, you're pranks going to be the death of me!"
She freezes when she realizes what she said.
Suddenly, she's crying and George is crying and they're on the floor, huddled in a tepee of tears.
No matter how much time passes, she doesn't think she'll ever heal properly. Sure, her heart will glue itself back together, but, like a lost puzzle piece, there will be a part of her heart missing forever, and it won't ever be the same.
No matter how much she tells herself that Fred is gone, and soon enough, she'll have to move on, she will always see him from the corner of her eye, his laughing face hidden in the places she cannot see.
She will always make far too much food to feed the people who're still here.
The house will always feel too big now, an empty bed matching the empty place in her heart.
She will always be looking for him at the dinner table, during Christmas, birthdays, family get togethers and weddings that are no longer something he can experience.
The clock on the wall will always point to lost, because they never thought to put 'dead' as a possibility. They never could imagine one of their children dying before them.
Most of all, she will always say that she has seven children, and introduce them all by name, forgetting that one of those names can no longer match a body.
Because there are no longer seven children with her. One of them is gone.
And now, there are only 6.