A Drunken Mistake
Arthur didn't have to be told which bar he and his brothers were going to. From the moment he graduated Hogwarts until he was twenty-six years old, Arthur would go out on the weekend with Trenton and Bilius to the same bar, The Paramount. At first, he only went once a month, but over the years, it gradually became more frequent until it was every weekend. It wasn't until Percy was born that he stopped going out with his older brothers. He and Molly needed the extra money and she needed help with the kids at night. Another reason he stopped was because Molly was becoming concerned with how much he was drinking. She saw how Arthur's brothers were and saw the path they were headed down and didn't want her husband going the same way. Of course, Molly was right; Bilius never settled down and practically drank himself to death in 1989, and Trenton, even though he married and had four sons, continued going to the bar with Bilius every weekend. Since Neil's divorce seven years ago, Trenton had recruited his younger brother.
As he entered The Paramount, Arthur noticed it hadn't changed much. There was a live band and a moderately-sized dance floor. The bar ran the length of the wall opposite the stage, and tables and booths were spread on the outskirts of the dance floor. It had never been like a typical bar. The proprietors wanted to appeal to a younger crowd without turning into a nightclub and losing their older clientele.
Even though he spotted his brothers right away, Arthur made his way to the single-occupant restroom first. Before starting the night, he needed to clear his head. He leaned over the small sink and splashed some cool water on his face in an attempt to reenergize himself. As he dried his face with a rough, brown paper towel, Arthur couldn't help but think about what his wife had said before he disapparated. You need to sort yourself out first, echoed through his head. How could he sort himself out if he didn't know what was wrong? And she couldn't possibly think he could do it on his own if he ever did figure out what the problem was. Right now, it looked like he would have to wait for it to blow over like it did all the other times...Little did he know that it wouldn't just blow over this time. Pulling out his wand, Arthur cast a weak Cheering Charm on himself before meeting his brothers at the bar. He knew what could happen if it was used too much, so the only times he ever used a Cheering Charm was when he couldn't keep up a façade when he needed to.
"It's about time!" Trenton exclaimed as Arthur approached. "We were about to get started without you."
"Oh no," Arthur muttered as he took his place between Trenton and Neil. Three glasses containing several ounces of green liquid sat in front of them on the counter. It had to have been twenty years since Arthur drank absinthe.
"Ohh, yes," Trenton replied with an evil grin. "Cheers, boys!" he exclaimed, clinking his glass on the other two.
"So, Arthur, what's going on with you and Molly?" Neil asked after his first sip. "I'm not stupid. The two of you hardly even looked at each other tonight."
"I'd rather not talk about it," Arthur replied. Why did it seem like his brothers always wanted to be in his business?
Not giving up, Neil guessed, "You two got a divorce recently." As an answer, Arthur showed the forty-four year old the wedding band still on his left hand. "Separated then," he stated next. The way Arthur tensed was answer enough. "Sorry to hear that, mate," he genuinely apologized, patting Arthur on the shoulder. "Can we get three shots of vodka over here?" Neil called to the bartender even though all three of them were still working on their first drink.
Over the next twenty minutes, The Paramount quickly became more lively and crowded. Arthur didn't think anything about it when Trenton disappeared to the bathroom, but then he came back with three beautiful thirty-something year olds.
"I'd like you girls to meet my brothers, Arthur and Neil," Trenton said, gesturing to his younger brothers in turn. "Boys, this is Cindy, Alexa, and Stacy" His whole life, Trenton had been a flirt, but since his wife was killed two years ago, he had become an absolute player.
All three of the women were attractive. They were all about the same size and similar appearance, but they were clearly not sisters. Stacy had mid-length, wavy brown hair. Alexa's hair was a bit longer and as dark as obsidian. Cindy had long, straight blonde hair.
"Hey, handsome," the blonde woman approached Arthur, running her hand down the buttons on his shirt. He couldn't help but notice she was the most gorgeous of the three. Her short, tight red dress hugged all the right places. The fact that the best looking woman chose him over Trenton shocked him, considering Trenton's more muscular form and short beard tended to attract more attention from the ladies. Of course, Arthur didn't look too bad himself; the war had kept him in great shape, and the scars he had accumulated didn't hurt either. Then there was Neil who had nowhere near the muscular build his older brothers had, but was slender and toned which exaggerated the muscles he did have.
Catching his mind wandering, Arthur backed away from the beautiful blonde woman as the band started playing a new song.
"Ooh! I absolutely love this song!" Cindy exclaimed, bouncing up and down.
"Let's dance!" Stacy, the brunette suggested, grabbing Trenton's hand.
"I-I'm married," Arthur stuttered. The alcohol hadn't hit him yet, so he was still of sound mind.
"It's just a dance," Cindy assured.
"Yeah, and I hate to tell you, but most of the time separated couples end up divorced," Neil confessed as he allowed the dark-haired woman to drag him to the dancefloor.
Arthur didn't want to get a divorce and he didn't want to cheat on Molly, but they were right. It was just an innocent dance. Grabbing his beer, he followed Cindy to where his brothers and her friends were already dancing. Then he remembered something important...He hadn't danced to upbeat music like this in decades. However, all he had to do was stand there and move with the beat while Cindy danced around him. Every once in a while, Arthur would glance over at one of his brothers to try and pick up a couple moves and in no time, he was twenty-three again. Whether it was the atmosphere or the alcohol, Arthur wasn't sure, but by the third song, he lost any feelings of guilt he had had and was focused on the slim, young woman in front of him. Good thing too, because he had to catch her with his free arm as she fell backward into him.
"Perhaps, you've had a bit too much to drink," he grinned, lifting her upright.
Gently running her fingers across his jaw, Cindy said," I meant to do that," before winking and sashaying back to the bar.
Mesmerized by this exquisite creature, Arthur followed. It was almost as if she was part Veela.
At a loss for words, Arthur stammered, "That was – You are – Let me buy you a drink. Anything you want," he offered.
She took him up on the offer and the two talked. It wasn't much longer before Trenton, Stacy, Neil, and Alexa joined them and ordered more drinks.
Stacy invited Cindy and Arthur to join the four of them outside to cool off. After they all had received their orders, Trenton snorted at Arthur's firewhisky. Arthur didn't see what the issue was. He wasn't the only one who had stepped up from the disgusting, cheap beer. Arthur raised an eyebrow at his brother's reaction.
"You know what that does to you. Can't remember a thing the next day," Trenton replied in answer. Arthur shrugged before following Neil and the girls out, all with refreshed drinks in hand.
As soon as the six stepped out on the sidewalk, Trenton and Neil each pulled out a pack of cigarettes. When he was twenty, Bilius had gotten Trenton into the bad habit and Neil had always smoked socially or when he was drinking. They both offered one to Stacy and Alexa before Trenton offered one each to Arthur and Cindy. He had always refused, but there was something about tonight that caused Arthur to accept.
After everyone had accepted, Cindy complained that it was actually quite chilly, her friends following suit. As if by instinct, the brothers wrapped an arm around their respective partner's shoulders. After all, they had each been married and had gotten used to this with their ex- wives – or in Arthur's case, wife.
After they all lit up, Arthur unsuccessfully stifling a cough, Trenton pointed out the scars that peeked through the two open upper buttons on his little brother's shirt. "Say, Arthur, how'd you get those scars?"
Glancing down at the discolored marks on his chest, Arthur replied with a bit of an attitude, "I was in the Order of the Phoenix, remember?" He knew what his older brother was doing, and he did not appreciate it. Around people he didn't know well, Arthur was quite self-conscious about his scars. He wasn't one to brag either.
"You're Arthur Weasley? That Arthur Weasley?" Cindy inquired, excitedly. "I read about that in The Daily Prophet. You received an Order of Merlin, First Class!"
"He nearly died too," Neil put in, obviously catching on to what Trenton was doing.
"That's so brave," the blonde cooed, leaning closer to Arthur.
"Do you know Harry Potter?" Alexa, the dark-haired one, asked.
"His daughter is dating Harry Potter," Trenton answered helpfully. "Harry's like another son to him."
"You don't look old enough to have a daughter that age," Cindy commented.
Before responding, Arthur took a puff from his cigarette. The smoke burned his throat and he resisted the urge to cough this time. "I'm forty-eight."
"No!" Cindy exclaimed, genuinely shocked. "I didn't think you were much older than me."
"And how old are you? If you don't mind me asking, of course," Arthur added hastily.
"Thirty-five," she answered, blowing smoke into the cool night air. "I've always tended to be attracted to older men though, so this shouldn't have surprised me."
This exchange made everyone curious of what each other's age was. Stacy, the brunette with Trenton, was thirty-six. Alexa, the dark-haired woman with Neil, was thirty-five. Neil proudly announced that he was forty-four since he was the youngest of the brothers present. Trenton, however, tried to play it off like he was forty-two, but was caught in the lie by Stacy because he had already told them he was the oldest.
After everyone finished their cigarette – or cigarettes in Trenton and Neil's case – the group went back inside to buy more drinks. Instead of getting more drinks, however, the girls talked the guys into having a contest to see who could take the most shots. Unsurprisingly, Trenton won by a long shot. Arthur came in second, and Neil wasn't too far behind in third.
Not long after the contest, the effects of the liquor began to kick in. They had all been buzzed, but now they were highly intoxicated. It didn't take any effort this time for Cindy to get Arthur onto the dance floor. Arthur couldn't help his mind wandering to what he'd like to do to this breathtaking woman as he watched her move with the music. Several songs later, the band slowed the tempo dow. As the song finished, Cindy leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Arthur's lips. When he didn't stop her, she deepened the kiss, her tongue seeking entrance into his mouth. Instead of jerking away, Arthur pulled her closer to him, running his hand down her side and resting it on her lower back. It was like he had no control of what he was doing. Part of him knew this was wrong, but another part didn't want to stop. When Cindy pulled away, he didn't bother hiding the disappointment on his face.
"Let's see where the others are," Cindy said, pulling him along by the hand.
They found the other four at a booth across the room and joined them. As soon as they sat down, Neil winked at Arthur. They all enjoyed another drink before Alexa said it was too loud to have a decent conversation.
"We can all go back to my place. Nice, big empty house with more booze," Trenton suggested.
Upon checking his watch, Arthur realized it was already two in the morning. Hours had flown by and he hadn't even noticed.
Once they had apparated to Trenton's house, he poured everyone a glass of firewhisky. Arthur and Cindy took the couch while Stacy and Alexa each sat in Trenton and Neil's laps, respectively.
They all talked, getting to know each other better, while they sipped their drinks. Then they all entered their own conversations. At some point while he was talking to her, Cindy ran her hand up Arthur's inner thigh then swung her left leg over his. Arthur felt his pants tighten a little as she did this. Her breath was warm on his ear as she nibbled it. An involuntary moan escaped Arthur. His ears had always been a weak spot. He nuzzled her neck and she tilted her head to give him better access to kiss her soft flesh.
Neither of them noticed Trenton and Stacy and Neil and Alexa slip out of the room to appease their own drunken, sexual desires.
Being the first to remove clothing, Arthur reached behind Cindy and unzipped her red dress. Sliding the smooth fabric down, he allowed his hand to pause on her breast. Not bothering with the buttons on the older man's shirt, Cindy practically ripped it open. At the time, Arthur didn't think anything about it. He could always use magic to repair it later. She slid her hands over his scarred, muscular chest.
Their breaths quickened as their lips met. While she unbuckled his belt and unzipped his trousers, Cindy stood a little to help Arthur remove her dress the rest of the way, not breaking the kiss. Without warning, Arthur picked Cindy up and laid her on the couch beneath him. Trailing kisses down her neck, he made his way to her freed breasts, eliciting a moan as he tugged on one nipple with his teeth and the other with his fingers. As he did this Cindy ran her fingers through his vibrant red hair. When he was satisfied he had done enough in that area, Arthur returned to her lips.
Both parties were eager to satisfy each other as well as themselves. Finally, Cindy released Arthur's bulge from his trousers. It was exquisite. Probably the biggest she had ever seen. She gently stroked it before allowing him to do as he wished. This stranger was the most attentive, skilled partner she had ever had.
For a split second, Arthur thought, What, in Merlin's name, am I doing? What about Molly? as he thrust into this blonde-haired beauty. Then he remembered what Neil had said about separated couples almost always divorcing and how Molly wasn't willing to work things out. His foggy, drunken state of mind made him forget what was more important to him as the young woman beneath him let out a moan.
And that was it. For the rest of the night, man and woman gave into their primal instincts, only thinking of the temporary sexual pleasures and not the inevitable regrets and consequences that would come later.
oOoOo
The next morning a sunbeam shone across Arthur's face, waking him up. Head still spinning, he slowly opened his eyes. The large living room and leather furniture disoriented him. Several minutes passed before he realized he was at his brother's house.
After he finally figured out where he was, Arthur focused on what had happened, how he got there, and, more importantly, why he was half naked. Another handful of minutes passed and he was still at a complete loss. Well, he would have to rely on his older brother, who he knew wouldn't be much help, to explain things.
As he sat up on the sofa, his skin unstuck from the leather. Rubbing his head, Arthur looked around for his shirt and belt. After finding his belt on the arm of the couch, he slid it through the belt loops on his trousers and, having noticed it was undone, zipped his fly. The shirt was found on the floor a few feet away. He had to use a repairing charm to fix the buttons, clueless as to how some had popped off. As he put the shirt on, a faint smell of unfamiliar perfume filled his nostrils, then he spotted ruby red lipstick on the collar. All clues pointed to a night of intercourse. But...Molly never wore that shade of lipstick, and why would they do it on his brother's couch? Whatever had happened, happened with another woman.
Shite, he thought. Shite, shite, shite.
Then he saw it...
...a note on the coffee table that read I had a great time.
"Fuck!" he blurted, crumpling up the paper and throwing it across the room. Having heard his brothers talking, – Wait. Brothers? What was Neil doing here? - Arthur marched into the kitchen.
Neil and Trenton were much like he was, wearing the same clothes from the day before without having buttoned their shirts. Immediately, Neil threw a vial of red Hangover Potion to Arthur.
"Trent, what happened last night?" Arthur asked angrily after downing the potion.
"That's a good question, brother," Trenton stated, giving a small laugh. He was just as prone to blackouts as Arthur was. The difference was, Trenton didn't really care what took place as long as he had a good time.
Chuckling, Neil said, "What would you two do without me? We went to The Paramount and found a few fine birds."
"I figured as much. Tell me I didn't sleep with one of them," Arthur pressed.
"Don't worry. You resisted some of her advances..."
"And?"
A broad smile spread across Neil's face. "We all got laid in the end," Neil finished with a victorious grin and high five with Trenton.
"What?!?!" Arthur bellowed. Of course, his brothers weren't his keepers, but they knew the state his marriage was in. Ultimately, it was his own fault, but he wanted to lay the blame elsewhere. "I can't believe you didn't stop me!"
"We had our own escapades to get to. Besides, you looked like you were enjoying yourself quite a bit. The two of you didn't even make it off the couch," Neil calmly explained.
"Oh! We made it in the advert too!" Trenton broke in excitedly, ignoring his brother's anger and distress, and shoved The Daily Prophet into Arthur's hands.
Right there at the bottom of page nine was an advertisement for The Paramount. A montage of pictures played out in front of him. Then one appeared showing him snogging a fit blonde woman. It was Arthur Weasley. There was no denying it. If anyone still had doubts though, they could be settled by the other two red headed me in the photograph. Most times, when more than two red heads were together, they were Weasleys.
"God dammit!" Arthur threw the newspaper onto the kitchen table. "Why would you think I'd be happy about that?" he seethed. "Do you have a clean shirt I could borrow?"
"S-sorry?" Trenton apologized while summoning another shirt. Whenever they made the adverts in their twenties, Arthur was always just as excited as he and Bilius. But, Arthur never dared to even look at another woman. Molly was always his focus. Trenton threw the shirt to his brother, "Here."
"Arthur...where are you going?" Neil asked apprehensively as Arthur changed shirts.
"I have to tell Molly," he mumbled.
"Woah! You tell her and this will definitely end your marriage. There'll be no coming back from this," Neil warned.
"You should know! That's what caused the downfall of yours!" Arthur screamed at Neil. "Yet neither of you thought about that last night! Look, I can't keep this from her," he stated more calmly as he started to leave, but he turned around and added, "If I'm not back in an hour, she's killed me."
oOoOo
At the Burrow, Conner was helping Molly fix lunch. This was the first time he had been back to the Burrow since Arthur flew off the handle. Over the past couple weeks, he and Molly would meet up somewhere to talk.
The house was empty except for those two. During the week, Charlie would go to work at Hogwarts with Hagrid, but the weekends he spent looking for a house. He preferred to have a small house on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, and it had been difficult finding something he liked. As for Ron and Hermione, Molly had talked them into going on a lunch date. She had nothing to hide, but Molly would rather have complete privacy when she talked to Conner. Some subjects she did not want her kids hearing; plus, Ron and Charlie were obviously still against her giving their father yet another chance.
Ever since Arthur and the other Weasley children had moved out, the Burrow had been too quiet. It was unnatural. Even when the kids had grown and gone off to Hogwarts, Molly couldn't wait for them to come home. She never knew how to cook for just two people, so she and Arthur would be stuck with leftovers for days. Whenever she and Arthur made up, so would the kids and things would get back to normal. The sooner things returned to normal, the sooner she would be happy again.
When they had finished making the mini pork pies, Conner took a seat at the table while Molly put them in the oven. That day's issue of The Daily Prophet lay on the worn wooden surface. As Molly put the kettle on, Conner found himself scanning over the headlines and pictures.
"I don't know why Charlie keeps buying those. They're still complete rubbish," Molly commented, taking a seat.
Shrugging, Conner continued looking over the paper and replied, "It is interesting though. And they've gotten better about inaccuracies."
Since he wasn't reading the stories unless the headline sounded interesting, it wasn't too long before Conner reached the advertisements. Of course, there was one for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and one for Zonko's Joke Shop competing for the middle of the page. Just as he was about to show Molly the humorous animation, something below that caught his attention. It was an advertisement for a bar that he had heard of but had never been to. The pictures cycled back through and Conner got a good look at the one that caught his eye. Even though he had only seen Molly's husband once, there was no mistaking this was Arthur Weasley kissing another woman. However, just to make sure, he glanced at one of the family pictures on the wall. Yep, that was Arthur Weasley alright.
Schooling his features, Conner turned the page. Unless Molly brought it up, he would not get involved with this aspect of their relationship. Perhaps, she already saw it. Or maybe Charlie saw it and was going to tell her later. From what Molly had told him during their conversations, Arthur had always been faithful and never given another woman a second glance. It seemed that way in the past several weeks as well. The only thing Conner could figure was that Molly had been wrong, there had been some sort of misunderstanding between the couple recently, or Arthur didn't care anymore.
Folding the paper back up, Conner set it on the table and asked, "How did last night go?" When they had gone to lunch Friday, Molly had admitted how nervous she was about seeing Arthur at the engagement party.
"It could have gone better," she answered. She summarized everything that had happened the previous night: how Arthur seemed like he wanted to work things out as well, how he didn't drink any alcohol at the party but had taken to carrying a flask, what had happened with George and Muriel and the argument that ensued, how Arthur went to a bar with his brothers afterward, and how he rejected her kiss. Mixed messages were all she received from her husband nowadays.
After Conner removed the whistling kettle from the stove, he poured both of them a cup. Starting with what seemed like the easiest first, he suggested that Molly at least let Ginny stay the remainder of the three weeks then it could be revisited, but he had agreed that she overreacted after the Canary Cream incident.
Next, Conner addressed the bar issue. Arthur didn't go alone, so that was a plus. Perhaps, he was just going to catch up with his brothers. Again, Molly didn't say anything about infidelity, so Conner didn't mention what he saw in the newspaper.
When he first heard of the situation Molly found herself in, Conner thought he could help by telling Arthur how he had screwed up his own marriage. But now, there was no way to talk to him without conflict. Even though Molly and the kids explained what Conner was doing at the Burrow the first time, Arthur would be furioud if he knew that Molly was still talking to this man. All Conner could do was help this caring, beautiful woman the best he could. From what Conner saw in the advert, Arthur forgot how great of a woman he had.
"Molly...I'm sorry. I don't know what to tell you. It sounds like Arthur really wants to work things out, but alcohol does some strange things to a man. Keep doing what you're doing, but it is ultimately up to him to beat this," Conner stated.
Molly nodded. "Ok. Thank you. I think I would end up going insane if you hadn't been giving me some advice." Silence filled the house while she fiddled with her tea cup. Looking up at Conner, she said, "You don't have to keep doing this, you know. There isn't really anything you can do."
"It's fine, Molly. I actually quite enjoy when we get together." This statement caused a slight blush to creep up Molly's cheeks.
About that time, the timer went off for the mini pork pies. Neither had realized they had been talking for nearly an hour. Time always flew by when they were together.
They had just sat down to lunch when there was a knock at the door. Wondering who that could possibly be, Molly went to the front door. It couldn't be Arthur, not with how he left the previous night. Besides, he said he wouldn't come around unless she asked him to. But when she opened the door, there stood her husband.
"Arthur," she breathed. She was glad to see him, but honestly he looked like hell. A five o'clock shadow had appeared on his face and his clothes and hair were disheveled. She didn't even think that was his shirt he was wearing.
Every day she prayed he would show up, ready to fix things. Every day went without her prayer answered. Today would be different, she thought.
"Molly...I...I need to tell you something." He paused. This was the most difficult thing he had to do in his entire life. He had been unfaithful and he had no clue how to break it to her, and that broke him. All he knew was that he didn't have a choice.
Before he could continue, Molly reached out and grabbed his hand. "Wait. Arthur, I just want you to know how happy I am that you've decided to come back. It's been awful without you here and I'm ready for things to get back to normal."
God, she had no idea what was coming. It was obvious she hadn't seen the picture. Arthur's heart broke a little when he realized this. After he told her, he knew she would want nothing more to do with him.
"Um - No. I mean, I do want that, but that's not why I'm here." He kissed the back of her hand. "Molly, I do love you, but -"
A head peaked through the swinging door to the kitchen. "Molly, who is it? The food's getting cold - Oh, I'm sorry," Conner said as he realized who it was and that he once again was interrupting an important moment.
It was too late. Arthur already saw who it was. His jealousy came back in full force. Letting go of his wife's hand, he demanded, "What is he doing here? Again. In my fucking house!" A vein quivered near his temple. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. You can trick the kids, but I'm not falling for it again! I can't believe this! After everything you said about working things out! You know what? I don't love you! Not anymore. Not after this. Apparently, you don't love me either. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here! You know what, stay out of my life." He stormed off to apparate back to Trenton's, leaving a distraught Molly in his wake.
His brothers were still in the kitchen, but Arthur grabbed the bottle of vodka that was sitting out on the counter and chugged some straight.
How could she, after everything she said? Had she been cheating on him their whole marriage and he didn't know it? During the war, especially, she had many late nights that another man could be over. Why should he feel guilty about being unfaithful when it clearly didn't bother her?
The other two stood abruptly as they watched their brother. He hadn't been gone long enough to have told Molly, but something had to have happened. Neither had ever seen him this angry in their entire lives.
"Arthur, with happened?" Trenton questioned.
Taking another pull from the bottle, Arthur replied, "She was with another man again."
Finding it hard to believe, Neil asked, "Is that why you're separated?"
"I don't even know anymore...I just know that I don't regret last night."
Arthur changed back into his shirt and found his flask on the coffee table before going to the front door, his brother's following close behind.
"Where are you going?" Trenton asked worriedly.
"Nowhere."
That was the last they saw of their brother.