PROLOGUE:
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August 31st, 1993
Evening...
.
"I can't!"
The beleaguered witch had finally, at the end of nearly an hour, crumbled to her knees.
"You will.'
For the past hour, he couldn't understand why she was behaving so stubbornly.
She gasped, clearly not understanding how this had happened to her. "You don't understand!"
She dredged up another 'request'. "I demand to go home!"
He understood perfectly why she'd not been remanded to the Department of Mysteries and NOR to the Auror or Hit Wizards divisions. She most certainly wasn't going to be going ANYWHERE.
"I CAN'T!"
"Yes. You. Will!" He all but slammed his fist into his palm.
"EVERYTHING will change. Too much has happened! I don't believe you! It's too much!" She shook her head back-and-forth. "Not even YOU could do this! You're LYING!"
Saul Croaker huffed in expiration. He'd had enough of this. Over the past hour, he'd tried to be understanding. He'd tried cajoling. He'd even tried understanding-yet-consoling.
"OF COURSE everything will change! What did you expect? That you'd get away with your crimes?!
For the love of that was Magical, her gaze clearly said what her words did not, 'of course I did!'
At that, Molly Weasley lifted her head. A last-minute argument hissed from gritted teeth. "There are children involved!"
Saul Croaker was one of Her messengers, no more – no less. "Children that only existed because YOU decided to use MAGICKS that are ONLY the domain of Lady Magic. Not. YOU!"
"I don't believe in Her – I never have!"
Great Merlin, Molly Weasley – how much had you done?!
He then gave her what hope he could. He leaned forward and placed both palms against the table. "The only things that would be changed, will be events that had no business changing had YOU not interfered."
"Why are you doing this? Why now, after all this time?"
"Because you were caught, Molly Weasley. Because you bragged about what you had done, in the Leaky Cauldron. Once Hecate sent the Writ, WE did our magical diligence. It was Her magic that reported you. It will be Her magic that will fix everything. Be THANKFUL that to SHE is willing to do this for you."
And, she had. There was no denying that fact. She couldn't. She was there, just as they'd said, not an hour ago.
BMD…..BMD…BMD…..
In another room, he pressed his forehead against the glass of the one-way observation window. As her Magically-sworn husband, he was entitled to watch the… proceedings… even though the findings were irrefutable, and the end results would be unchangeable. He was shocked! The scope of what his wife had done was…vast. He had no way of knowing, because only Molly knew what was changed on the victims' side of Molly's cauldron.
"Can Croaker really undo everything that she's done?"
Saul Croaker had known Arthur ever since Arthur had first become a Department head. Croaker was an acquaintance, not a friend. She offered Arthur whatever he could.
Arthur's gaze connected with hers.
"We cannot undo anything, my friend. It's Hecate who will reset anything and everything that She chooses. I have no way of knowing what She will choose to rectify."
His cousin's faith in the Goddess of Magic was absolute.
"When we undertake the ritual, anything and every that had occurred ONLY because of the potions that she'd brewed will be corrected."
Tears started to flow from Arthur's eyes. He fished a handkerchief from the pocket of his robe and wiped his face. "Will I lose my children?"
As expected, her gaze softened. He's been in the birthing suite to congratulate her and her husband after her daughter had been born "Only if your children were Potion-created."
Arthur nodded, "And if not?
"Then, they won't.'
Arthur didn't understand. He couldn't. How couldn't. How could he?! His wife, the witch that he'd married… What had she done?!
"Arthur – the ONLY things what will change will be the events directly linked to anything and everything that had occurred because of her crimes. No More – no less.
"You can do this?"
"No, Arthur. Not me." Andromeda Tonks shook her head. "My job will be to help create the potion that will be used to mildly sedate Molly while the ritual is taking place."
"Well, at least there's that." He appreciated that consideration. Molly was known to…over-react.
Andromeda Tonks had been with the Department of Mysteries for five years. She'd been with Arthur since the DoM had first Portkeyed into the Leaky Cauldron and whisked Molly into an Interrogation Room. She'd realized early on in her tenure that she completely agreed with the Mysteries' edict not to talk about her work – with anyone.
He looked at her with renewed hope in his eyes. He retook his seat on the settee nearest to her.
"It will be Lady Magic who will correct Molly's…tampering." Andromeda reached forward and clutched her cousin's stone-cold hand. "The ritual will do the rest."
"What will I remember? If anything?"
"From what I know of the invocation, Lady Magic will seamlessly return turn anyone to that point in time that corresponds with the very beginning of Molly's crimes. If Magic decides that ANYONE needs to have this knowledge, then he or she will do so. With this Correction, there should be no need of knowing what occurred here or of whom Molly's…trespasses…involved."