A hand petting her head waked Molly. Annoyed, she pushed it away and turned over in her bed. It wasn't morning, she knew. In the mornings she could see the sunlight streaming in from her window through her eyelids even before she opened them. Why someone was trying to wake her when it was still dark was beyond her and she'd rather not, too. That was because she'd been having quite a nice dream where there was a blue-green ocean and pink butterflies that could swim with her in the water!
The hand that had woken her moved on to shaking her shoulder.
"Noo…" Molly whined as she curled up around her dolly.
A chuckle filled the room, and Molly knew instantly that it was her daddy who'd been trying to wake her. Flopping over to her other side so she could face her daddy, she squinted up at him.
"What, Daddy?" she demanded.
Molly could tell even in the darkness that he was smiling as he reached down and gently pulled her up. "Mummy had the baby, little girl, I know it's a bit early, but I thought you might like to come and meet them."
"What? Really!" she shrilled in pure, blissful joy. She'd been waiting so long for the baby! For forever and then some! Nearly falling out of bed in her eagerness, she asked, "Is it a boy or a girl, Daddy? Please say it's a girl. I wanna have someone to play dress-up and tea with!"
Gently catching her as she got tripped up on her quilt for the third time in as many seconds, her father swept her into his arms and kissed her cheek with his scratchy mustache, making her skin itch. "Sorry, little girl, it's a boy."
"Aw," Molly pouted. But even that couldn't keep her down long. She knew from playing with boy-cousins from Mummy's side of the family that they could be just as fun–especially if you knew they had done something they weren't supposed to. Like Rupert, he'd cussed in front of her when he knew he wasn't supposed to and promised to play whatever she wanted when he realized she'd heard him and could tell his Mummy and Daddy.
Little arms winding around her daddy's neck, Molly asked, "What's his name?"
"Your Mummy's still deciding," the man told her as they left her bedroom for her parents' down the hall. Walking into her daddy and mummy's bedroom, Molly's view of her mother and brother were blocked by Daddy as he shifted her down lower on his hip before setting her down in the dressing chair Mummy kept by the wardrobe.
The room lit dimly by yellow lamps, her father's twinkling eyes looked all the more joyous as he said, "Close your eyes, won't you, little girl?"
"Why, Daddy?" She frowned.
His smile widened a centimetre as he told her, "There's a surprise along with your new brother."
Very curious then, Molly did so. She listened with rapt attention as Daddy moved away to Mummy, Granny, and Aunt Tessie, who were all huddled by the bed.
"Got her?" Mummy spoke.
"Yes," Daddy replied.
A minute later, she felt somebody, probably Granny from the smell of flour and daisies–arrange her arms so it would be easy for Daddy to put her baby brother in them.
A moment later, Molly felt a warm little body be settled in her right arm, and in her left, she felt–!
Eyes popping open, she gasped. "Two babies!"
All the adults were giggling quietly at her reaction. Mummy, looking quite tired from where she was in bed holding Aunt Tessie's hand, smiled at Molly. "I hope you don't mind that you have two little brothers instead of a little sister."
Shaking her head at her mummy, Molly beamed at the babies. "I love them," she declared.
It was true. Looking into their pig-pink faces that were all wrinkly and mushed, she loved them. Just holding them, she could imagine all the amazing things to come–the first time they opened their eyes for her, the first time they cooed, gurgled, laughed, and smiled. The first time they spoke with her, walked with her, played with her…
The future seemed like an endless stream of happy days and new discoveries.
But the best part? Molly would get to help them do all those great, great things just like her parents had done for her.
Cuddling them close to her cheeks, she kissed each of their heads and said, "Someday I want babies just like these."
The adults all laughed, Daddy crouched down and pressed a quick peck to her forehead. "You're going to be their little mummy, eh?"
"Uh-huh!" Molly promised with a big smile.
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A FEW YEARS LATER
Staring up at the underside of her canopy in the late darkness of night, Molly was stricken with a very sudden and real revelation. She'd never experienced a time so quiet at Hogwarts – especially not in her dorm room. All her yearmates, Mabel Ollivander, Catherine Killick, and Noel Tuft liked to talk. Together, they could chat and gab and spin yarns for hours upon hours in the room they all shared. In fact, they could talk so much they'd more than once forgotten to sleep from all the gossiping they did.
Around Hogwarts, they were known for this feat. So well known, in fact, that several Slytherins along with a Ravenclaw or two, took cruel pleasure in casting silencing charms on them when they crossed any of their tight group. It was annoying and hurtful, but Molly had long since learned the counter for the spell. These days, she strived to not let it bother her and only made a fuss about it when with or near her boyfriend, Arthur Wessley, the Head Boy, who could dock them points for it.
Molly's heart gave a sudden, loud thud at the thought of her boyfriend and all the heat in her body rushed to her face. She was so ashamed, so guilty, so upset that she could cry, but…
Her hand trailed down to her stomach.
She couldn't even feel it.
Letting her hand rest on her abdomen for a time, Molly mused that it was almost like it didn't exist at all. If she hadn't missed her last two periods, she probably wouldn't have even thought it possible either. But she had, and now she was afraid of what was going to happen if this carried on too much longer.
If it grew and it became obvious, she would have to drop out. Her parents wouldn't want her going to school when she had a baby to take care of–Merlin, Molly wouldn't even want to go to school with a baby to take care of! She didn't want to miss a minute of her child's lives if she could. But it was only November, and she so badly wanted to finish school along with all her friends and Arthur.
Turning on her side, Molly thought of the potion she'd bought from a Hufflepuff girl the other day. All she had to do was take it and the baby would be gone. It'd be like it'd never existed, and no one would have to know. Bringing her hands together, she twisted the promise ring Arthur had given her at the start of the school year.
If she had the baby, would Arthur marry her? If he did, would he feel cheated or robbed of choice? If Molly left school, would Arthur follow? She didn't want him to. It'd be better if at least one of them had a Hogwarts education over neither.
Frowning into the darkness of her room, Molly strained her ears. Noel sometimes talked in her sleep, but not tonight, and no one was a snorer. Heart heavy, she was made to realize it was now or never. She had to choose right now what she was going to do about the baby growing inside of her.
Was it better that she let this baby, one she wasn't ready for and half-believed, wasn't real, go, or did she let it continue to flourish and become a reality?
Kissing her fingers, she pressed them on her stomach and whispered, "I'm sorry, love. But I am not ready for you yet."
It hurt to admit it, but Molly wanted to be the best mother possible but how could she if she wasn't even ready for it? She'd heard that others found a way and made it work, but that's not what she wanted. No, Molly wanted everything to be perfect for her baby. She wanted it to be born to her and Arthur as a married couple who wanted them, she wanted it to be born into a house that it could live its whole childhood in, she wanted it to be born into a life where people wouldn't be whispering about their mother and how she'd dropped out of school to have them.
She never, ever wanted her baby to think it was a mistake or unwanted, not even for a second.
Sitting up, Molly reached beneath her bed and pulled up the vial with the concoction that was supposed to expel it from her body. Uncorking it, she wrinkled her nose at the poignant, acidic smell and downed it all in one large gulp.
"Ugh," she grunted as she stuffed her pajama sleeve in her mouth to get rid of the taste of the potion. Re-corking the vial, she pushed back under her bed and settled back down beneath her covers. The Hufflepuff had promised she'd know if it worked in a few hours' time when she started bleeding heavily. Seeing as morning was only four away, she figured it was best she caught a little sleep between then and now.
Closing her eyes, Molly fell into an exhausted sleep within a matter of minutes.
A/N: What do you think of this prologue. Should I continue?
Thanks for reading and please vote and comment!