A/N: Hey, y'all. Here's Chapter 21. I did another reread of the story in order to reconnect with it. I decided to add a few of Arthur's brothers in this one. The ending gave me a little difficulty, but I hope y'all enjoy and give me your feedback.
Edit: I had to go back and fix a couple things after having read it again once I had posted it. I'm not sure if it's just me, but some words got cut out after it posted even though it had not changed in the original document.
The Engagement Party
The first two days, Arthur abided by his sons' rule of not going out to drink, but when Percy wasn't at home, he had his flask and when Percy was at home, he would retreat to the guest room. Come Tuesday, Arthur abandoned this tactic and began going back to the bar which he had frequented, not caring if his son kicked him out or not. His office would suffice until he was able to move into his new place. However, there was no retribution for his actions. The late nights were obvious, but Percy had not been a big fan of the new rule in the first place and he did not want to deepen the rift between him and his father, especially before his engagement party.
Thursday morning an owl came informing Arthur that he would be able to move into the flat that night if he wished. Taking the opportunity to move in early – or rather, move out early – he told Percy and left that evening. There were no angry words or sudden outbursts from either man, but Percy had to admit he was disappointed. It had been nice having his father live with him no matter how stressful.
When Saturday rolled around, Percy had yet to receive confirmation from his father if he would be attending the party. Since Arthur moved out, he hadn't heard from him at all, and neither had his siblings. It was a pleasant surprise when Percy opened the door at Audrey's parent's house to find his dad standing on the other side.
"Dad!" the young man exclaimed, pulling Arthur into a hug. "I wasn't sure if you were coming."
"I wouldn't miss this," Arthur replied as he stepped over the threshold.
"Daddy!" Ginny bounded up to her father, pecking him on the cheek. George was right behind her to greet his dad as well. The two siblings and Harry had been the first to arrive and were the only guests so far. The party still wasn't due to begin for another ten minutes though, so that was understandable.
"I hope you're not angry with me, Dad," George voiced quietly.
"Don't know why I would be, Son," Arthur answered, even though he knew exactly why George would think that.
When the four entered the living room, Arthur shook Harry's hand, greeted Audrey, and was formally introduced to her parents. They hadn't been talking five minutes when there was another knock at the door and the newly engaged couple disappeared to answer it. When they came back, they had Molly, Hermione, Bill, and Fleur in tow.
No matter how hard she tried, Hermione couldn't convince Ron to come. Molly also was unable to do so with her youngest and second oldest sons.
The group in the living room stood to greet them; although, Ginny and George's wasn't as warm to their mother as the others, and the exchange between Molly and Arthur was brief and stiff.
Shortly after the new arrivals appeared, Arthur excused himself to the restroom. Once in the privacy of the dimly lit room, he took a few gulps from his flask. The arrival of his wife caught him off guard. It had been a week since he had seen her and even longer since they had actually talked. Then with everything that had occurred, he did not think it likely that Percy would invite her.
After having composed himself, he blew out a deep breath and opened the door to discover Percy leaning on the wall waiting for him.
Percy stood up straight and stopped his father from walking past him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but if you knew, you wouldn't have come. I wasn't going to not invite my own mother. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't drink tonight. One glass of champagne and that's it. There doesn't need to be an unnecessary scene." Percy held out his hand. "Give me the flask." While Arthur was still living with him, Percy had picked up on the fact that his father had taken to carrying around a flask.
Arthur looked at him incredulously. "I'm not going to cause a scene."
Glaring at his father, Percy stated, "I know how you get when you're intoxicated. You act abominably. This is my engagement party and you have just met these people, so all I ask is that you drink only one glass of champagne and no other alcohol."
"Fine," Arthur huffed as he handed over the silver container. "But I'd really rather not be sober with present company," he added under his breath.
"You'll just have to deal with it in a civil manner."
No one suspected a thing when father and son rejoined the group. Other guests had started to arrive, and everyone was preoccupied with their own conversations.
Within thirty minutes, the house had exploded with people. Just as her immediate family, Audrey's extended family wasn't very large. It was mostly Weasleys that filled the house. Three of Arthur's five remaining brothers had come, along with their wives. About half of the Weasley cousins had brought their girlfriends, fiancés, and wives along.
"Ian and Desmond hate they couldn't make it, but they had prior engagements," Arthur's older brother Trenton was saying to Arthur and George when Muriel approached.
"Arthur," she greeted, not bothering to hide her hostility for the man.
"Muriel," Arthur nodded curtly.
"Where is your soon-to-be ex-wife?" the old woman goaded. Other than Percy, Arthur was the first person she had seen that she recognized upon her arrival. Knowing her, Arthur knew Muriel was mainly asking him in order to make a few snide remarks.
Not being able to help himself, Arthur scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Don't know where you heard that from, but you have been misinformed."
"Really now? Because I hear you're separated and if you don't get yourself straight she is going to divorce you."
"My wife is just over there," he answered, not falling into Muriel's trap to start an argument.
Without any further remarks, the old bat shuffled off in the direction Arthur pointed.
Trenton looked confused and hurt this exchange. "Arthur, why didn't you tell me?" Out of the seven brothers, Trenton, Arthur, and Billius had always been closest. The oldest of Arthur's brothers, Alexander, always preferred keeping to himself, much like Percy. Due to the four year age gap between Arthur and Neil, the three youngest ones – Neil, Ian, and Desmond – had a tendency to stick together.
"Molly and I have hit a snag, but we're fine," Arthur snapped. Immediately regretting the tone he had used, Arthur apologized. "I'm sorry, Trenton. I know. We've always told each other everything."
"It's alright. You know, Neil had a difficult time with his divorce a few years back. Maybe you ought to talk to him about this," Trenton suggested.
Putting a hand up, Arthur responded, "No. I don't want anyone to know, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything. Now, can we change the subject please?"
"Sure," Trenton agreed. "But, I'm here if you ever need anything."
"Thanks."
For those who knew Arthur, it did not slip their notice that he was not himself. Of course, his kids and Molly were not surprised by this. Since the war's end, this had become his new normal. Whereas most people didn't mention this obvious change, a few asked if he was alright or why he was so reserved. The answer anyone who asked received was "I'm fine."
About halfway through the party, Arthur had to step out for some air. Attempting to act cheerful and socialize had worn him out. The night air was cool on his face, and the solitude of the backyard was a relief; however, he was not alone for long. He glanced behind him when he heard the door open and turned completely to face the person who had just exited the house.
"Dad, is everything alright?" his daughter asked.
Arthur nodded briefly and gave Ginny a tight, forced smile. "Did you need something, sweetie?"
"It can wait. Just find me when you come back in." With that, Ginny left her father alone once again.
It had only been what felt like minutes before the glass door slid open behind him again.
"I'll be there in a minute, Ginny," Arthur spoke sharply, not bothering to turn around this time.
"You aren't so far gone that you get withdrawals if you don't drink," Molly stated abruptly.
"No, I'm not. I've been like this for months, if you cared to notice," he shot. Even though he had always loved being around people, lately Arthur preferred being by himself. There had been other periods in his life where he felt this way. Sometimes there was no apparent reason what brought these episodes on but other times there was, such as after Billius died, or after they lost Gracie, or after the snake attack. Each time, it would last longer or shorter than the others. There had never been a pattern. This particular instance began when the family had to go into hiding at Muriel's in April and worsened after Fred was killed. All the other times he was able to hide it or disguise it, but this time was different because he had no energy or drive to do so.
"Why?" Molly asked. Even though the last part of her husband's answer offended her, she kept calm, not wanting to cause a scene.
"I don't know," Arthur answered quietly, still not facing his wife.
Attempting some light conversation, Molly asked, "Well, how have you been?"
Shrugging, Arthur slumped a little and sighed heavily.
"That can't always be your answer."
"It can when it's the truth."
Neither husband nor wife spoke for several minutes, each wondering what the other was thinking, until Arthur finally broke the silence.
"Why are you out here?" Arthur asked weakly.
"It's been weeks and I haven't heard from you." She moved closer to her husband. "I want to try and work things out." Of course, what her husband had done was inexcusable, but Molly knew he wouldn't have done or said those things if he was in his right mind. Her conversations with Conner had given Molly some insight into what Arthur was going through and the weeks apart had given each person time to think and work through their feelings toward one another, Molly more so than Arthur.
Spinning around, Arthur spoke loudly, "And you think I haven't wanted that? I have tried talking to you, but you won't listen .Like just now, I'm sober and being completely honest with you, and you still say that isn't a valid answer. Go ahead, ask me anything and you'll get an honest-to-God answer."
The following questions and answers occurred in quick succession.
"Why aren't you inside?" Molly asked. "You've always loved a house full of people to talk to."
"I just need a minute."
"You've never needed a minute before," she pointed out.
"Yes, I have," Arthur corrected.
"No -"
"I know me better than you do, Molly," her husband interrupted firmly, pointing to himself then her.
"Okay. Why didn't you cast a patronus a few weeks ago?" Molly asked, referring to the night Ginny ran away. It had been bothering her ever since because she had gotten the impression that it wasn't out of spite that he hadn't cast it.
Not expecting that to be one of her questions, Arthur faltered. "I-I couldn't." He glanced away from his wife and scratched the back of his neck before continuing softly, "I haven't been able to for quite some time now."
"Why not?" she asked gently.
"I'm not sure. I've tried, but I can't," he answered, looking back at his wife.
Next came the big question. However, she didn't expect to get a straight answer. "Why have you been drinking so much?" she deadpanned.
But Arthur answered without hesitation. "Because it helps."
"Helps with what?" she inquired.
"How I feel."
Perhaps, he really did want to work things out. His answer to the follow-up question would confirm or disprove that theory.
"How do you feel?"
"I don't know," Arthur answered honestly.
Being able to know her husband was telling the truth, Molly prompted, "Maybe if you tried explaining it..."
"It's hard to put into words." But he could put it into words though, or at least partially. However, he couldn't find the courage to. Having Septimus as his father, it had been drilled into him from an early age that men weren't supposed to share their feelings. This always caused difficulty when he needed to become vulnerable, even if it was just with his wife. That is also why no one, including Molly, had caught on to any of his previous episodes that were similar to this. The difference now was that it was the worst one and he had stopped caring.
"I can't help and we can't work anything out if you don't describe how you're feeling," Molly stated calmly.
"Look, I've answered your questions best I can. Now it's up to you." Having said his piece, Arthur went back into the house to find his daughter, leaving Molly to contemplate what had just been said.
The house was still full of people and the party was still going strong even though it was supposed to end in thirty minutes. Arthur saw Percy and Audrey speaking to Alexander and his wife, Harry and some of the Weasley cousins in what resembled a press conference, George displaying some of his products to Audrey's cousins, Trenton and Neil discussing something quietly by themselves (He hoped it wasn't about him), and Muriel fussing about something to Bill and Fleur (He knew it probably was about him). Finally, he found Ginny with Hermione in a corner.
"What did you need, princess?" he asked as he approached the girls.
Looking up at her dad, Ginny replied, "Oh, Harry wanted to talk to you. He wouldn't tell me what about. I think he's talking to Uncle Trent and Uncle Ian's sons and their wives and girlfriends. The sooner you rescue him, the more thankful he'll be."
As Arthur made his way to Harry, he had to pass Trenton and Neil. Maybe he could catch part of their conversation. Instead of overhearing them, they stopped him.
"Arthur," Neil called, "is everything okay?"
Before answering with a question, Arthur shot Trenton a suspicious glance, "Why wouldn't it be?"
"You disappeared for a half hour." Neil replied, puzzled at his usually calm brother's abruptness.
"Oh." Arthur became less defensive. "I had to get some air."
Somewhat satisfied with this answer, Neil became distracted as one of Alexanders' sons pulled him off to show him pictures of his kids. This gave Arthur the opportunity to speak to Trenton privately.
Putting his hand on his brother's shoulder, Arthur led the way to a less populated corner of the kitchen. "Did you tell him?" he asked anxiously.
"What? No," Trenton answered indignantly. "I gave you my word I wouldn't say anything to anyone. Neil asked me if I knew why you have been acting strangely tonight, and I told him I wasn't sure." Trenton didn't feel all that bad about lying to Neil; it didn't really feel as though he were lying at all. He knew Arthur was telling the truth about him and Molly, but there was a bigger issue that even he couldn't put his finger on. And the way Arthur's family didn't seem bothered by this behavior hinted that this wasn't new. "Neil isn't the only one who has noticed. My kids and some of the nephews have asked."
"Great," Arthur said bitterly.
Changing the subject, Trenton asked, "Do you wanna grab a pint after this? It's been a while since we've gotten together."
Taking a deep breath, the younger brother pondered this invitation then answered, "Maybe some other time. I'm already exhausted...If you'll excuse me, I need to find Harry."
While he weaved his way through the crowd, Arthur noticed Molly had come back inside and was talking to Audrey's mum. When he found Harry again, it was no surprise he was still trapped, answering an array of questions from the Weasley cousins. In fact, it looked like more had found their way to The-Boy-Who-Lived.
"Harry!" Arthur called as he patted the young man on the shoulder.
"Mr. Weasley!" the raven-haired boy said with a sigh of relief.
"Ginny said you wanted to speak with me?" the older gentleman asked as he led the dark-haired boy away from the large group.
"Yes, sir," Harry confirmed. "I was wondering if the two of us could get dinner sometime this week, or next. Whichever works best for you."
Scratching his chin, Arthur replied uncertainly, "I don't know about that, Harry. I've been busy at the Ministry and -"
"- Please, Mr. Weasley," Harry interrupted, "It's really important."
"What about George's shop? I hear it has been chaotic and he doesn't close until eight or nine o'clock at night."
"I've already spoken with him," He had indeed spoken with George and received permission for two nights off; one for Arthur and the other for Molly. Even though Harry didn't tell George why, George thought he knew. "He said to figure out a day and let him know."
Not sure what this was all about, Arthur furrowed his eyebrows but agreed to Wednesday night at six o'clock.
A loud squawk came from across the room just then. Everyone's attention was drawn to a large canary sitting in a wooden chair. The house burst into laughter at the sight of the yellow bird that was now molting. Even a genuine smirk was provoked from Arthur.
"George Fabian Weasley!" Molly shrieked. "Is that your Great Aunt Muriel?"
However George was too busy trying not to hyperventilate from laughing so hard. For most of the family, it was pleasant seeing George this happy, but his mother was not amused. She grabbed her son by the arm and dragged him outside, her other three kids and husband on their tail.
As soon as George's laughing fit subsided, Molly began her rant. "George, that was completely uncalled for! She has done nothing to you! I want you to go in there right now, put her back to normal, and apologize!"
"Hold on! She'll be fine by the time we get back in there. The old bitch has been bad mouthing Dad all night and criticizing everyone else, even after you told her to stop. I'm not apologizing for anything," George argued.
"I don't care! That was –"
"Molly, it was a harmless prank," Arthur interrupted calmly.
"Don't you go approving of his unruly behavior, Arthur -"
"You need to make up your mind, Mother," George cut in. "I thought you wanted me to get back to normal. If Fred was here, he would have snuck her a Canary Cream an hour ago."
"And he would be in just as much trouble<" Molly chided. "We just met Audrey's family –"
"They all found it hilarious," Percy interrupted this time.
"It really wasn't as bad as you're making it out, Mum." Bill added.
"Molly, you need to take a minute to settle down," Arthur told her as she started to admonish her son again.
"Seriously, chill," Ginny interjected.
This did not help her mother to "chill" however. Now Molly rounded on her daughter. "That's it! You're coming back home tonight."
"What! No!" Ginny protested. "You said three weeks, and it's only been one!"
"Yeah! You can't do that!" George joined.
"I can do whatever I damn well please."
"Dad!" Brother and sister looked to their father for assistance.
Before saying anything, Arthur had to close his eyes and take a couple deep breaths in order to rein in his rising temper. There was a house full of people who he did and did not know. Either way, he did not want to cause any more of a scene than what had been caused already. When he knew he had control of his anger, he faced his wife. "You did say three weeks," he stated evenly.
"I didn't expect something like this to happen though. How am I supposed to know Ginny is being well taken care of if things such as this are happening?"
"This was a prank. He owns a joke shop. George has been a jokester his whole life. What did you expect?" Arthur's voice rose somewhat.
"He has a point, Mum," Bill acknowledged as Percy nodded his agreement.
Thinking it would be better for all of them, Arthur sent the kids inside while he waited with Molly as she cooled down.
Upon reentering the house, cheers and whistles came from the guests. George braced himself for what was to come as an irate and humiliated Muriel marched up to him.
While his wife paced up and down the patio continuing her rant, Arthur took a seat in one of the patio chairs and rested his head in his hands. This whole ordeal had made him more exhausted than he already was, and Molly wasn't helping, making it a bigger deal than it was. He only heard parts of what the infuriated woman was saying.
"George should know better...This was completely unacceptable...I can't believe...And then you..." were a few things he heard until he stood up suddenly and stopped her.
"Whoa oh oh! Don't even try blaming me for anything! All I was doing was being reasonable!" Arthur defended himself a little louder than he should have. Thankfully, the house was still noisy.
Molly pointed her finger at Arthur. "We are supposed to be a united front when it comes to parenting our kids, Arthur!"
Aware that this was becoming an argument between the two of them, Arthur cast a muffliato charm before continuing. "Not anymore! You shouldn't even have a say when it comes to George and Ginny!" Arthur lost whatever control he had on his temper. "They made their decision! They chose their parent, and it was not you!"
"They shouldn't have had to choose in the first place!" Molly broke in.
"After tonight, I'm afraid they won't have anything to do with you! The words Mother or Father have never left George's mouth before!" Taking a few deep breaths, Arthur then added a little more calmly, "Ginny is not going back to the Burrow if she doesn't want to, now or in two weeks." Not giving his wife a chance to protest, he left her alone on the patio.
The first person Arthur wanted to find when he got back into the house was Percy. However, even though the party was supposed to be ending right now, no one had begun to leave. It seemed that the kids had all bounced back from their mother's tirade, because they had all scattered and were acting as if nothing had happened.
Seeing his brother red-faced and breathing heavily, Trenton stopped him on his way to Percy. "Arthur," he said sternly as he grabbed his arm.
"Don't," Arthur bit out through clenched teeth, not bothering to stop.
Finding his son, Arthur pulled a puzzled Percy to the side. "Percy, give me my flask," he ordered.
"No," Percy refused. "When everyone leaves, you can have it."
Having seen Arthur, Bill and George walked up to their brother and father. "What's going on?" Bill asked.
"He wants his flask," Percy answered, frowning.
"When did you start carrying a flask?" George asked.
"Since we talked to him Sunday," Percy replied.
"Did you talk to her?" George asked, even though it was obvious there had been some sort of exchange between his parents.
"Ginny can stay with you as long as she likes. If you have any more issues, come to me."
When the group noticed people near them were paying attention to their conversation, the four took it out front, seeing as Molly was still on the patio. After the rest of the conversation, Arthur asked Percy for his flask once more. Of course, Percy did not budge from his earlier answer.
"Come on, Percy. People should've started leaving by now. I did as you asked...Please?" Arthur pressed.
"Dad, you've gotten used to drinking whenever you get angry. Take a few more minutes to cool down," Bill replied.
Having no choice, Arthur paced in front of the house for several minutes before going back inside to find his brother. The small house had become more open since guests had started filtering out. He noticed Molly had come back in, but he paid her no attention as he passed. The three brothers who had come were in a group on the far side of the room.
"Do you still want to go the bar tonight, Trent?" Arthur asked without preamble.
"You know me, I'm always down," Trenton agreed, a broad smile spreading across his face. "Not much has changed in twenty years."
Another twenty minutes passed and only immediate family, Trenton, and Neil were left, everyone helped clean and straighten up. Percy discretely returned the flask to his father. The three older Weasleys said their good-byes.
As he waked out behind his two brothers, Arthur did not notice Molly had followed them.
"Arthur?" Molly spoke up once they reached the porch.
Stopping in his tracks, Arthur breathed heavily as he turned around.
"I was wondering if we might talk for a moment," Molly said timidly.
Not removing his piercing gaze from his wife, Arthur told Trenton and Neil that he would meet them there.
"I told George that Ginny can stay as long as she wants. I won't be happy if you try undermining me," Arthur said.
"That's not what I wanted to discuss."
"Well make it quick. Trent and Neil are waiting for me." Arthur took out his flask and took a swig before putting it back in his pocket.
"Have you been drunk this entire time?" Molly asked, appalled.
"No," Arthur answered honestly. "Percy confiscated it from me upon my arrival," he finished sorely.
"Oh. Well I was thinking about our conversation earlier. Something has to change before we work on things. You need to sort yourself out first." Closing the gap between her and her husband, Molly placed a hand on his chest as Arthur eyed her cautiously. "I do love you, Arthur. That's why I'm doing this. It is in everyone's best interest. No one likes it when you drink and you need to put a stop to it while you still can...You don't need to end up like Bilius, drinking yourself to death."
Even though he didn't understand how it was in everyone's best interest, Arthur nodded his head. He felt more alone now than he ever had
"I know it will take time, but come back to me." She stood on her toes to kiss her husband, but he backed away, this rejection causing her to feel worse than she had during any of their fights. This separation made Arthur more cold and distant than he had ever been.
Without a word, Arthur turned on the spot and disparrated.
A/N: Let me know what y'all thought. I love reading reviews. Next will have more of Arthur's brothers and then some Molly and Conner.
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