Those Left Behind

One

In the quaint, little kitchen of The Burrow, Molly Weasley vigorously scrubbed the dirty dishes in her sink. On one side of her stood her daughter, Ginny and on the other stood her son's girlfriend, whom she thought of as a second daughter, Olivia Greenwood. The feisty, raven-haired girl had been accepted as a member of the family, almost two years prior, when George had brought her home for the winter holidays.

Now, the three women spoke not a word as they performed the menial task before them. Despite the fact that it could be completed with a simple charm, they continued to do it manually, needing the distraction.

Not only was it the eve of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding, but it was the night that Harry Potter would be getting smuggled to The Burrow with the help of several trusted friends. Mad-Eye Moody had come up with the clever scheme and convinced the others to go along with it. It was unknown whether or not they would be intercepted by Deatheaters but the possibility left everyone feeling anxious.

Olivia pictured George's face in her mind hoping that his smile would help ease her fears. As she absent-mindedly dried the dishes that Molly passed her, she replayed their most recent conversation.

"Please don't go.", she begged, wrapping her arms around him tightly. He let out a small chuckle and kissed her on the top of the head as she buried her face into his chest, inhaling his scent.

"If it were any of us, Harry would do the same.", he whispered, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her on the tip of her nose. "You'll be safe here with Mum and Ginny, and I'll be back sooner than you think.", he reassured her before turning to join his father and brothers.

"Don't worry, Liv! I'll make sure he comes back in one piece!", Fred hollered, pulling George down into a headlock.

"Just don't get yourself killed, okay?", she shouted as the red-headed boys continued to wrestle. 

"Wouldn't dream of it, love.", George promised, prompting Fred to stick out his tongue in disgust. After one last wave, The Weasley men and Fleur Delacour mounted their brooms and flew off into the setting sun. 

Olivia wished that she had been invited to tag along, and a small part of her wondered if their refusal to do so, had anything to do with her being a former Ravenclaw. Being a family of only Gryffindors, The Weasleys were always teasing her for having her nose buried in a book, but sometimes it felt like that's all that people seen when they looked at her. She wasn't helpless and how she wished they could see it.

Molly noticed the troubled look on Olivia's face and put down the mug that she had been trying to clean. Olivia was startled back to reality as Molly put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong, Dear?", she asked sweetly, her face etched with concern.

"If I'm being honest, I feel so bloody useless just sitting here. I mean Fleur is out there with Bill on the night before her wedding, but Ginny and I are expected to just sit back and do nothing?", it felt good to let it all out as Molly nodded her head in understanding.

"I agree with Liv! It was quite the piss off being told to stay behind!", Ginny spoke up, throwing her hand towel down in protest.

"Girls! Please! I understand where you're coming from! I'm sitting here waiting for my sons and husband to return and what am I doing? The bloody dishes? I haven't cleaned a dish in years!", Molly chuckled, earning a small smile from both Ginny and Olivia. "That being said, what we're doing here is not for nothing. There may come a time when we will be on the front lines as well, but today is not that day. Today we stay here and give our men something to come back to.", as she finished speaking a single tear rolled down her cheek.