On the morning of February sixth, a thin blanket of snow covered the countryside surrounding the Burrow and a fire in the fireplace warmed the couple snuggled together under a quilt on the sofa.
Molly snuggled further into her husband and looked up at him. "So, Birthday Boy, is there anything you want to do today?"
"No."
"No?"
"No," Arthur repeated.
"Are you sure? Since it's your birthday, we can do just about anything you want."
"I already have everything I could ever want. I'm home, with you, and the kids don't all hate me anymore. What more could I ask for?"
"Well, I thought we should do a little something since today is a special day."
"The kids are coming over for dinner and cake, aren't they?"
"Yes."
He smiled. "Well, there you have it."
Molly stopped asking him if there was anything he wanted to do. For the next little while, they enjoyed spending time in each other's company, Arthur relishing it more than anything.
The peaceful silence ended when Molly made a suggestion.
"I thought we might try this Muggle thing Hermione told me about over the Christmas holidays. It sounds interesting. It's like our photographs, but two hours long with sound and tells a story – a – a cine-something."
This piqued Arthur's interest. Eyebrows raised, he asked, "A cinema?"
"I believe so."
"I've wanted to go there before, but you were never interested. What changed your mind?"
"Well, the way Hermione described it – and it is your birthday, so..." she trailed off with a shrug.
She pulled out a copy of that day's Muggle London Times newspaper that Harry had brought over first thing that morning and already had it open to the page with the film listings. After browsing and reading each summary, they agreed on a midafternoon showing of Shakespeare in Love so they would be back in time for dinner with the kids.
oOoOo
Going to the cinema was an exciting experience not only for Arthur, but for Molly as well, from the amount of Muggles in the lobby and the smell of popcorn filling the air to the small, red lights lining the walkways in the auditorium and the massive screen the film was projected on. If it wasn't for the incredible Muggle technology, Arthur probably would have fallen asleep during the first half of the film though because it was a bit slow for his liking. Molly, on the other hand, was absolutely captivated by it from start to finish.
When the film was over, Arthur Apparated them into the Burrow's kitchen. The house was rather quiet, but that was expected since the kids weren't due for another hour or so. What he didn't realize was that the kids, minus Ginny and Hermione, were already there, along with other relatives and friends, or that the kitchen table and counters were covered with platters of food, pitchers of beverages, and a massive birthday cake all hidden by Disillusionment Charms.
"What did you think?" Molly asked him, standing on tiptoes and placing a chaste kiss on his lips.
His eyes lit up. "Absolutely brilliant! I have to find out what they use to make those and get one for myself so I can figure out how they managed to do that. Those Muggles, they never cease to amaze me! It's incredible what they can come up with. You know, from what I've heard, they've been making films for decades! All we have are moving photographs, and we have magic! Just how they can accomplish –" He stopped abruptly when he noticed Molly watching him with a mixture of amusement and contentedness. Usually when he went off blabbering about Muggles and Muggle technology, she would be rather annoyed. He blinked at her. "What?"
She shrugged and continued to smile at him. "I'm just happy to see you getting back to your old self."
"Wouldn't be possible without you," he murmured.
Taking her hands in his, he bent down and placed a long, slow kiss on her lips. When they broke apart, he whispered, "We still have some time to ourselves before the kids get here."
Molly enjoyed nothing more than making love with her husband. It was rare for her to refuse him, but this was one of those times. Knowing full well the house was filled with people waiting on the other side of the swinging door, she tried to make an excuse by saying she needed to start on dinner.
"C'mon." Arthur kissed her neck and loosely wrapped his arms around her waist. "It won't hurt if dinner is a few minutes behind."
"No, Arthur, I need to get started," she said as he continued to slowly trail kisses down her neck and along her collarbone. "Besides, I surprised you with morning sex today, so I think you can wait a few more hours." Her heart beat faster despite her protests. Placing her hands on his broad shoulders, she tried again but with less conviction. "We can do this later."
Her protests died down, though, as his hands slipped beneath her blouse and roamed her body. She tilted her head to give him easier access to kiss and occasionally gently nip at her soft skin, promising herself she would let him have his fun (while enjoying it herself as well) but stop him before things progressed too far.
After a few minutes, one of his hands slowly moved along the contours of her body to rest on her breast beneath her bra while the other traveled south to grip her buttock. Before he could begin massaging her breast, she applied a gentle pressure against his shoulders in preparation to tell him to stop. As if sensing this, he pulled his head back, but kept his face mere inches away from hers. A mischievous glint lit his vibrant, blue eyes. He poised his thumb and forefinger on either side of her erect nipple. With a smirk, he raised a single eyebrow.
She knew she ought to tell him now before she lost control of herself and completely gave into him. Instead, she decided to play his little game. Lips in a straight line, she raised an eyebrow of her own, silently daring him.
Accepting the dare, he pinched her nipple and rolled it between his thumb and forefinger. Her breath hitched in her throat and a flush crept up her cheeks while butterflies made their home in her stomach. A gentle tug elicited a soft gasp and caused her eyes to close in pleasure. At her reaction, his smirk turned into his usual lopsided grin.
"We can't," she managed to say when he let go, her voice husky.
His brows knit together, and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "And why is that?" he whispered.
She opened her mouth, ready to tell him...but she couldn't come up with an answer. A crease formed between her eyebrows as she shut her mouth. Using extreme effort to think on this, she pressed her lips into a thin line, the corners somewhat downturned. For the life of her, she could not remember why they couldn't, but she knew there was a reason.
A broad smile spread across Arthur's face. The corners of his eyes crinkled. "Merlin, I love getting you flustered," he mumbled before kissing her on the lips, both hands sliding back to her hips as he did so. She draped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss more passionately.
After a few seconds, she pulled away. "There's a very good reason why we can't," she said breathlessly.
"Must not have been that important if you can't remember."
He began planting soft kisses along her jawline, causing her head to tilt to the side the further back he got.
"Arthur..." she weakly protested one last time.
"Mollywobbles..." he murmured between kisses. When he finally reached his destination, he carefully pushed her hair out of the way. "Relax," he breathed into her ear.
The warmth of his breath on her ear sent an excited shiver down her spine.
She knew what he was about to do the second he had started on his journey to her ear, but she didn't want to stop him then and she definitely did not want to stop him now, despite the fact that all hope would be lost at maintaining any control of herself she had left.
Her ears had always been especially sensitive. Any one action to that part of her body, whether it be just his breath blowing across it or a playful nibble, aroused her much easier than anything else; however, she could still contain herself. There was only one tried and true way to make her lose all control. Two years into their marriage, Arthur had discovered the perfect combination that was guaranteed to drive her absolutely mad...every...single...time. It was a simple five-step process.
To start off, he placed a soft kiss just behind her ear. What he did next always made her skin tingle: He flicked his tongue in the crevice behind her earlobe. Moving on to the ear itself, he took the lobe between his lips and lightly sucked on it for a moment. Then, he parted his lips ever so slightly and pulled warm air across the moist skin by taking a long, slow breath in through his mouth. Lastly, and what always sent her over the edge, he gave her earlobe a little nibble.
Like always, this did not fail.
Molly turned her head and caught his smiling lips in hers, her tongue immediately seeking entrance into his mouth. Deft fingers unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off of him. It landed in a heap on the floor. They both kicked their shoes off without breaking the kiss. He removed her cardigan while she advanced on him, causing him to back into the wall next to the swinging door with a soft thud.
Pausing from undressing one another, they focused on each other's body once again.
Molly slipped her hands beneath his undershirt in order to have direct contact with his toned abdomen, gradually moving up toward his chest. Whenever her hands passed over a raised or sunken portion of skin which indicated a scar, she unconsciously brushed back over it with her fingertips. It was something she had started doing three years before. While she didn't notice this action, Arthur did, but he never mentioned it. Perhaps, it was a way to try to make it better; or a way of reminding herself that he had survived that terrible ordeal; or just a way of letting him know she still loved him no matter how scarred and battered his body may be, especially since she knew how self-conscious he was about those scars in particular.
Large hands wandered from her waist down to her hips. Without warning, Arthur pulled her to him, closing the gap between her pelvis and his, and deepened the kiss. Her hands came out from under his shirt and moved to the back of his head. Tangling her fingers in his fiery red hair, she brought him closer to her level.
After a little while, Molly began to travel south, gently biting her husband's lip before her departure. It was her turn to create a trail of kisses along his jaw and down his neck; she planted each one with great care. When she ran out of bare skin, she slid her delicate fingers beneath his undershirt, worked it over his head, and tossed it onto the floor with their other clothes. The obstacle out of the way, she lightly traced his collarbone with her tongue until she reached the center. Then, she returned to kissing as she moved down his sternum, allowing him to straighten up a little. When she reached the bottom of his ribcage, she removed his belt in one fluid movement. It dropped to the floor with a thud.
Arthur's heart raced. He knew exactly where this was headed. Resting his head against the wall, he closed his eyes and bit his lip in anticipation, but then remembered the kids would probably be there any minute. Of course, they could wait on their parents, but Arthur had intended to be in the bedroom by now; the last thing they needed was for someone to walk in on them.
He gently lifted her chin with a finger just as she made it to his navel and bent down to take her lips in his. As they both straightened up, he gripped her buttocks with strong hands. At the same time he stepped away from the wall, he picked her up, lips still locked, and carried her through the door.
"Surpri–!"
If Molly hadn't jumped out of his arms, Arthur would have dropped her. After a few scattered gasps, a stunned silence immediately covered the room. All color drained from both of their faces before flooding with color again as they stared at family and friends crammed in the sitting room and on the first flight of stairs. Arthur's scars stood out stark white against his scarlet skin, but most of them were blocked from view thanks to how Molly was standing, having spun around and backed into him a second ago. They stood frozen as the house erupted with a combination of cheers, sniggers, and whistles. When he recovered, Arthur placed his hands on his wife's shoulders and cleared his throat before excusing them both. He kept her close as they backed into the kitchen, not only to cover his scars but to hide his erection as well.
Arthur wordlessly found his clothes and redressed while Molly took a little longer to recover from the shock, but when she did, she turned on him with a fierce temper.
"I told you," she began softly while Arthur took his time buttoning his shirt. "I told you we couldn't – multiple times!" His head snapped up at those last two explosive words. "But would you listen? No!"
He threw his hands up in astonished disbelief, leaving half of his shirt unbuttoned. "Why does it sound like you're blaming me for what just happened?" he questioned, brows knit together.
"Because even though I told you we couldn't and there was a good reason for it, you kept on! A-a-and you did that ear thing, and you know what that does to me."
"Excuse me, but you never told me to stop, and you never said anything about having company," he retorted.
"Then it wouldn't have been a surprise!"
Arthur made ready to respond, but quickly shut his mouth as he realized how little sense this made. He shook his head. "This is stupid. What are we doing? We were about to make love two minutes ago and now we're fighting? Why?"
"Because that was embarrassing!" Molly shot. "And I knew they were in there!"
"Okay...but everything's fine. They got a little show, so what? Most everyone got a laugh out of it, it seems – and I'm sure this will be a surprise party no one will forget for a very long time. There's no harm done. I'm the one who was half naked anyway."
"That didn't bother you?" she asked incredulously, gesturing to the sitting room.
He shrugged. "No, not really. Now if we'd been a little further along, then yes, most definitely. But you know I'm more relaxed about that type of stuff, just as I know you are more conservative and private when it comes to that. I do prefer to keep that part of our life private, but they didn't really see anything. It's not that big of a deal. There's nothing to get bent out of shape over."
"That doesn't mean it was any less embarrassing," Molly muttered.
Arthur cupped her face in his hands and tilted her head up. "I'd think the problems we were having a while back were embarrassing," he said quietly. "If anything, this shows how much we still love each other...It shouldn't be embarrassing. Startling? Yes. But not embarrassing."
Relaxing a little, she conceded his point.
He kissed her forehead before returning to buttoning his shirt. She pulled on her shoes and picked her cardigan and his belt off the floor.
"Who all is out there anyway? Who did you invite?" he asked casually while tucking in his shirt.
"Nearly everyone we know – or that we're close to, at least."
Arthur snorted. "No. Really?"
"No, really," Molly stated flatly, holding his belt out to him.
He froze and stared at her, wide-eyed.
"I didn't think it was 'that big of a deal,'" she paraphrased him with a little sass.
Clearing his throat, he began sliding his belt through the belt loops. "No – um – It's not. I just – uh – wasn't expecting that." Fastening the buckle, he looked up at her. "So, who all...?"
"The kids, your grandparents and brothers, nieces and nephews and their families, most of your aunts and uncles as well as some cousins said they'd come, a couple of your buddies from work, and of course, our dearest friends," she listed.
"They can't all fit in this house," he said slowly, though he wouldn't be surprised with how tightly packed the ground floor looked. "You do realize that, right?"
"Of course I know that. That wasn't everyone. Most of the extended family won't be here for another ten or fifteen minutes, and the boys should have tables and chairs set up outside."
Arthur continued to stare at her like she'd gone off her rocker. "It's below freezing with snow on the ground."
"Look outside."
Without debate, he looked out of the window over the kitchen sink while she lifted the Disillusionment Charms on the food and decorations. Green grass stretched away from the house for about fifty yards then abruptly turned into several inches of snow.
"The boys also put up Warming Charms and Vanished the snow," Molly explained, coming to stand beside him and placing a hand on his arm. "It's like that all the way around the house – Well, it doesn't go out as far in the front, so the children can play in the snow and not be so far away. I didn't just throw this together overnight, you know."
Arthur looked down at his wife, about to tell her how bloody brilliant she was, but he noticed the countless platters of food and the birthday cake for the first time out of the corner of his eye and remembered the dozens of guests. Planning all of this, no doubt, took a considerable amount of time and effort.
"You did all of this?"
"The kids helped. They let me borrow their owls when I sent out the invitations a few weeks ago. I spent the past couple days making your cake, cooking, decorating, and tidying up while you were at work. Audrey and Fleur helped cook the food and put all of it out. As I said, the boys helped set up outside – And I double-checked with Alexander that it would be okay for everyone to holler 'Surprise.'" When her husband didn't respond, she asked, "Don't you like it?"
Arthur merely blinked at her.
Of course he liked it, but there was no reason for anyone to go through all that trouble. Their kids, Gran and Gramps, his brothers and sisters-in-law, and a few friends over for dinner and cake would have been more than enough. A few hours ago, he was perfectly content just cuddling on the couch with his Mollywobbles. He didn't need some big blowout...He didn't deserve it.
He gave a bewildered sigh then mumbled, "I don't understand."
"What's not to understand?"
Before he answered, he took a good look around the kitchen. A dish of some sort covered every inch of counter space and tabletop. Various birthday decorations hung from the walls and ceiling. Colorful balloons floated on the outskirts of the room where they had been tied down to chairs or cabinet knobs. The centerpiece, though, was the large, three-dimensional Ford Anglia birthday cake in the center of the kitchen table.
When he met her gaze again, he said, "I mean...this isn't a particularly special birthday; I don't turn fifty until next year. So, why make such a big fuss?" A thought struck him as he asked that question. He slowly ventured, "Or...is this because of the curse – because you're afraid this'll be my last –"
Molly abruptly put two fingers over his mouth, effectively cutting him off. "Don't – Arthur Weasley, do not finish that sentence," she commanded him in a deadly quiet tone. Removing her fingers, she took a deep breath. "And no, that is not why I put this together."
"Okay, but, Molly, there's no reason to think this thing'll ki–"
Her fingers promptly returned to his lips, and she did not remove them this time. "Stop. We are not talking about that right now."
He let out a sigh through his nose before looking down at her with a furrowed brow. This may not have been the best time to discuss it, but he only wanted to reassure her. Gently taking her wrist, he moved her hand. "I won't bring it up again tonight," he promised. "So, why did you go through all this trouble?" he asked again.
"You did something extra special for my birthday and our anniversary, so I wanted to do a little something for you. Plus, I thought it would be fun to have our own Weasley bash since you haven't been able to see your family much the past few years and you told me how much you've enjoyed being around them recently."
"But I don't deserve any of this," he argued feebly. "I've been beastly to everyone around me. I mistreated you horribly. I couldn't help my family when we lost someone, and I expected them to get over it within a few weeks – It takes longer than that to grieve. Then I destroyed our family because –"
"Arthur," she interrupted, "love, I have forgiven you for all of that – so have most of the kids, and I'm sure it won't be long before the others do, too. It's not your fault you have trouble processing your emotions, and we did rely on you too heavily in those first few weeks; I just didn't realize it until it was too late, and I am sorry for that," she was finally able to apologize for putting so much pressure on him, something she had tried to do that day in the shed. "And our family is healing. All of that is in the past. No, it wasn't fun and it wasn't acceptable, but everything is getting better now." She caressed his cheek and firmly told him, "You deserve this."
"But Trent was right. In hindsight..." He took a shaky breath. "Looking back, I don't really see myself doing those terrible things. I see my father."
"No, Arthur, from what I know about Septimus, you never even came close to how he was."
"Well, no, but I was, to an extent. I was manipulative and mean – narcissistic and violent...verbally abusive," he finished in a barely audible whisper before adding just as quietly, "And even though I never hit you, I still hurt you physically."
"But that is not who you are, Arthur," she reassured him, taking his hands in hers. "At your core, you are a good person. You are kind and caring – considerate, generous, and selfless" – she made absolutely certain that he met her gaze – "gentle and loving...Ask anyone here, and they will tell you the same thing. We all go through phases and do things we regret – and you know that – but what matters is what you decide to do about it: let it become part of who you are, or grow from it." Letting go of one of his hands, she reached up and stroked his cheek with her thumb. "There was a lot of heartache, for everyone involved, but I think some good came from it, too."
Arthur scoffed. "Like what?"
"What happened with you helped take our focus off of what happened to Fred because we didn't have much choice but to move on and focus on things we had more control over; otherwise, we may have all dwelled on losing him for longer than we already had – We are still grieving, but we are not dwelling on it. You may feel like you destroyed the family, but you brought Percy back and another one of my babies is much closer to home now. You reconnected with your family and are probably closer to them than you have been in years. And even though there wasn't anything necessarily wrong with our marriage beforehand, we were in a bit of a rut and tended to take each other for granted; now, we have rekindled our relationship, and as much as I hated it, I don't feel like that would have happened if we hadn't had that time apart.
"It is past time you forgave yourself, love. If you still have problems doing that, think about what I just said – think about the good that came from it and how you've grown because you realized you don't want to be that type of person...and I am here if you want my help. I forgive you," she told him, but not for the first time, "and I have managed to forgive myself for hurting you so badly and not standing by you when it really counted and you have told me you've forgiven me, so it is time that you forgive yourself."
"I know," he acknowledged in the same barely audible whisper.
"Now, cheer up!" She beamed at him. "We have a very special man to celebrate."
He stared at her with deep adoration. Even during their years at Hogwarts, she always knew exactly what to say. Sometimes, her words helped him in ways nothing else could; others, they only offered comfort, but it was a comfort he could find nowhere else. This time, it was the latter, and it was also one of the many times he wondered how he was lucky enough to have her by his side.
"I love you," he murmured.
"I love you, too." She stood on her tiptoes and pecked him on the cheek.
Slipping a hand back into his, she started to lead him out to the party, but only made it a few steps before nearly tripping over his shoes. After he put them on, she noticed some of her pale lipstick smudged on his face and wiped it off then took a moment to fix his hair that she had mussed.
As he let her lead him out, Arthur used his free hand to pull his necklace out from under his shirt so the bronze Knut in a 14-karat gold, rope bezel was fully visible on his chest. The pendant resided beneath his clothes most of the time not because he was ashamed or embarrassed by it, but because he wore it for his own personal reasons, not as an accessory; the first twenty-nine years, he thought he'd worn it as a good luck charm, but since he recently discovered the true reason he wore it – because it represented the love and happiness he shared with his Mollywobbles, which caused him to feel like he always carried part of her with him – the pendant only became that much more special. And so, while he liked to keep that to himself and nearer to his heart, there were times when he did want to show it off a little.
oOoOo
About an hour into the birthday party, Arthur found Molly cleaning up a trail of small, muddy footprints in the narrow hall, the only place downstairs void of guests at the moment since it only led to a closet and a bathroom beneath the stairs. One of the young children must have been in a rush to use the toilet after playing outside. It had been nearly fifteen years since footprints that size had been left in the Burrow, and Arthur didn't realize just how much he missed it until then.
Approaching from behind, Arthur wrapped his arms around Molly as soon as she stowed her wand. When she realized who it was, she relaxed into his embrace.
"This is a wonderful party and all, but I'm afraid I'm unable to fully enjoy myself," he said.
She placed her hands on top of his forearms. "Arthur, love, I told you you deserve this."
"I know...but that's not my problem. My problem is much bigger than that."
"Oh?"
"Mm-hmm." He lowered his head so his mouth was level with her ear, her wavy, copper locks acting as a barrier. "You see, I've had this intrusive thought for quite a while, and no matter how hard I've tried, I just cannot shake it," he said lowly. "After what felt like ages, I figured there's only one way to make it stop...Give into it," he breathed.
Molly tensed and her stomach dropped as she prepared for the worst. Even though she had made it abundantly clear on the invitations that strictly no alcohol was allowed, it was very likely at least one person would bring some, what with the amount of guests and how Arthur's family was – No, not all of them drank or had a problem, but she had never heard of a Weasley family get-together that did not have alcohol. She didn't smell alcohol on her husband at the moment, but that didn't necessarily mean he wasn't intoxicated.
She swallowed the lump in her throat, and then, heart pounding, she nervously asked, "What is it you've been thinking about?"
"Oh, I think you know."
Her husband's response only increased her anxiety.
For weeks, he had promised to tell her if the urge to drink started to become overwhelming – and he had followed through on that – but she wasn't foolish. She knew that was conditional. Whether or not he told her strongly depended on his state of mind. The closer he came to breaking point, the less chance he would say something – and that was if he even had time to contemplate his decision.
Drinking, for him, may have been a choice made of his own free will to begin with, but it turned into an addiction he now had to fight. In the past several weeks, she had witnessed just how fierce that struggle could be for him, so she finally understood how little control he had at times and why he'd had such difficulty quitting in the first place. Despite her discussions with Conner on the subject of alcoholism and understanding how it affected him personally, she never could make that same connection with her husband – that drinking wasn't what he truly wanted, even if his words and actions implied otherwise – until he did his best to explain it to her himself and she witnessed how distressing and desperate that struggle can become. With this new understanding came the ability for her to be more patient with him and to empathize and show him compassion in a situation she had initially looked down on with disgust. That's not to say she would take a permissive stance if he did start drinking again or that she would stick around if his abusive behavior returned, but her limit had expanded and she would do whatever she could to help him until that limit was exceeded.
"Y-You thought giving into it would make things better? What exactly do you mean by that?" she asked warily. Perhaps, he had realized his mistake afterwards and had come to confess in a way that put her at ease before he dropped the bomb – or maybe he didn't even realize what he was doing.
"I think you know that, too," he whispered into her ear.
Her face fell as she let out a disappointed sigh. The way he wouldn't directly answer her questions was answer enough. "I know how hard it can be for you sometimes, but I wish you would have talked to me before you did anything."
Loosening his hold, Arthur straightened up a little and narrowed his eyes at the top of her head in confusion. "What are you talking about? That's what I'm doing right now. I have to tell you first since it involves the both of us."
More confused than her husband, Molly turned her head slightly so she could see him out of the corner of her eye and frowned. "I thought you – Please don't take this the wrong way, dear – But I thought...you had been drinking," she finished softly before hastily adding, "It's just the way you were speaking."
"I wasn't slurring my –"
"No," she interrupted, "it's not how you spoke. It's what you said. – the words you used and not being forthright..."
Thinking back on what he said, Arthur understood how that could have been misconstrued. He hadn't realized how his wording could have implied something very different from what he meant until she pointed it out. Much bigger problem...Intrusive thought...Give into it...and then being extremely vague with his answers all combined could have very well driven her to that conclusion – not to mention, she may have been worried something might happen like with Hagrid at Christmas. In all honesty, he wasn't hurt that she had assumed he had been drinking once he understood her thought process in that instance.
"Oh. Molly, I'm sorry. I'll try to think about how you might hear it before I speak from now on. That's not what I meant at all." He placed his hands on her shoulders and applied a gentle pressure that signaled her to turn toward him so he could look her in the eye. "I've not been drinking. I promise."
Her fears at ease, a relieved smile spread across her face. "Good," she breathed, then she asked, "So what was the intrusive thought you were having?"
"Still having, thank you," he corrected before turning her back around so he was behind her once again. He leaned back down and embraced her more snugly than before. His lips in close proximity of her ear, he breathed, "You."
She relaxed in his arms again.
Before he continued in a slow, seductive whisper, he cast a furtive glance down the short hall to ensure no one was near enough to hear. "I can't stop thinking about you and what awaits us as soon as we're alone again. The second the last person walks out that door or steps into that Floo, I'm going to sweep you off your feet and carry you upstairs – that is, if I can even wait that long. Then, I will take you to heights you have never before experienced and pleasure you in ways you never thought possible. I will rediscover every lovely little freckle, mole, wrinkle, stretchmark, and scar on your exquisite body; for they are not blemishes, but are unique and only add to your beauty and I wish to reacquaint myself with every part of you. Not one inch of your voluptuous body will go untouched. Not one freckle will go un-kissed. My hands will travel wherever your luscious curves lead them, and my lips will find the softest skin.
"Right now, my sole ambition is to worship you for the magnificent woman you are, inside and out, by fulfilling your every wish and deepest desires. We will have all the time in the world, and I will be fully devoted to you...You are my queen, and I am your most humble servant...Your wish is always my command...because you, my dear Mollywobbles, are too damn irresistible."
"I've not been able to get you out of my head either," she confessed breathlessly, her heart racing with excitement.
"Well...I'm sure we won't be missed if we disappear for a few minutes," he suggested quietly, "and then I can love you properly later tonight."
She turned her head toward his and looked into those sparkling blue eyes. "That's a brilliant plan."
If she hadn't been having the same problem he was, she wouldn't have even entertained the idea since they had guests. She should have known better than to let him get worked up when they got back from the cinema, but she wasn't going to complain; she had a very special night full of passion to look forward to because of it, especially since the hour he had to simmer allowed his imagination to run wild.
With a twinkle in his eye, Arthur told her, "Go on up. I'll be there in two shakes – so we won't be too conspicuous."
A mischievous smile spread across her face.
Seeing his wife's mischievous spirit gradually return over the past several weeks warmed Arthur's heart. When they were in Hogwarts and during the first few years of their marriage, that spirit shone through without restraint, but her maternal instincts took over as they had more children even though the two were not mutually exclusive. The day that seemed to completely blot out that part of her was when they lost Gracie. Arthur wondered if this had been reawakened by their reconciliation or something he had done in particular. Little did he know it was neither; Conner was the one to uncover it.
Arthur released Molly and stood up straight, but before she took a step, he discretely pinched her bottom. A surprised squeak escaped her, but she continued on her way. When he caught a glimpse of her a few seconds later after she had walked around the bannister to go upstairs, a deep flush colored her cheeks. He let out a small chuckle.
The bathroom door cracked opened, and a strawberry blonde three-year-old streaked down the hall, through the crowd in the sitting room, and out the front door, leaving a new trail of muddy footprints and his slightly frustrated father in his wake.
"Trevon! Trevon!" the boy's dad called after him as he stepped out of the bathroom, but it was futile. Trevon was long gone.
Logan huffed and rolled his eyes. "That kid's gonna be the death of me," he mumbled.
"Funny – Your dad used to say the same thing about you," Arthur told his nephew. This provoked a smile to tug at the corners of the twenty-year-old's lips.
Neil only had three children – all boys – but the way he talked about them when they were younger made it seem like they gave him more trouble than all seven of Arthur's children combined, the twins included. During their adolescence, however, they actually did cause more trouble, which may have been because of their parents' divorce brought on by Neil's habitual infidelity. All three of them misbehaved appallingly at times, but Logan always gave his parents more grief than either his older brother, Noah, or his younger brother, Mason.
Four years after Neil and Lesley divorced, they each received a letter in mid-March summoning them to Hogwarts for a meeting with Professor Dumbledore. They had received numerous letters from Hogwarts over the years and had to meet with Professor McGonagall a few times due to gross misconduct, but this was the first time they had been called in for a meeting with the headmaster the next day without explanation. When the time came, however, Neil became unavoidably detained at work at the last minute, so he told Lesley to go ahead and fill him in later.
"Later" ended up being that evening when Neil was at Gran and Gramps's house with his brothers and sisters-in-law for dinner and a family meeting. A few hours had passed since the meeting with Professor Dumbledore, but Lesley was livid – so livid, in fact, she didn't make it two steps out of the Floo before starting the conversation with her ex-husband. Neil, on the other hand, remained unperturbed, lazily asking which son had done what this time. When she told him their barely sixteen-year-old son had gotten some poor girl pregnant, he blanched and stupidly asked, "How?" That was when she unleashed her wrath and really let him have it for having the sex talk with their other two sons and teaching them the Contraceptive Charm but somehow managing to skip over their middle son, who had never even heard of the Contraceptive Charm. She then blamed him further since the incident most likely occurred under his roof during the Christmas holidays while he had been out with Trenton. She even worked in how she believed his constant infidelity must have played a part in all of that as well. When she'd said what she needed to say, she turned to the rest of the family, apologized that they had to witness that, and said it was nice to see them again, then told Neil they still had things to discuss later and left. Neil barely said another word the rest of the night, incapable of speech.
That exchange immediately prompted Molly and Kathleen to double-check with Arthur and Trenton that they'd talked with all of their boys, Elaine to check with Ian about their oldest and remind him that he needed to have the next conversation that summer, and Desmond to feel relieved that he had dodged that bullet, only having two girls and not planning any more kids, before quickly realizing...he had two girls. Alexander was the only one who could truly feel relieved since his youngest was twenty and he definitely remembered having that conversation a total of six times.
Arthur didn't see his ex-sister-in-law again until six months later when Trevon was born. Her attitude had completely changed. While she and Neil managed to develop a decent co-parenting relationship post-divorce, the new addition to the family caused them to get along better on a personal level than Arthur had seen in years. Once the initial shock wore off and they both accepted nothing could be done, they were excited and prepared to be doting grandparents.
And so, Logan was the first Weasley since Gramps to accidentally get a girl pregnant before marriage – now accidental pregnancies during marriage was a whole other story. There was one major difference between the two situations; where Gramps married Gran soon after they found out she was pregnant (and thankfully, they were lucky enough to live a long and happy life together so far), there still wasn't an engagement ring in sight with Logan and Stephanie, but they lived together and seemed to be doing well. Social norms had changed in the past ninety years after all, so it was nowhere near as taboo to have a child out of wedlock or to live together without being married.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Artie," Logan apologized. "I told him to wait and I'd carry him out."
"No worries," Arthur assured with a wave. "Not the first time this house has seen a little dirt, and it definitely won't be the last."
"I'll clean this up – but he won't get frostbite in five minutes, will he?" Logan asked uncertainly, holding up a small pair of mittens.
Arthur furrowed his brow, and a corner of his mouth quirked upwards. "Little hands with sensitive skin don't mix well with a lot of snow."
Logan blew out a long breath. "I swear, the moment I start to get a hang of this dad thing, it all changes. It was a lot easier when he was crawling."
"That's how it is with the first kid. You learn as you go, and then every kid after that is a lot easier because you know what to expect."
"I'm gonna see if Steph can run these out to him, then I'll clean this up." With that, Logan went off in search of his girlfriend.
Silently thanking Merlin for that reminder to use the Contraceptive Charm, Arthur snuck upstairs to unwrap his favorite birthday present for the third time that day and to fully enjoy it for the second.