The late afternoon sun shone brightly over the Cornwall coast. Harry and Ginny played with little Teddy in the edge of the water. Andromeda watched peacefully from where she sat under an umbrella on the warm sand. Fleur and Audrey lay on their stomachs sunbathing nearby. Bill, Percy, and George threw a Quaffle to each other in the chest-deep water.
"I still can't believe Great Aunt Muriel," George said. He lunged to his left to catch the poorly aimed Quaffle from Percy.
Bill huffed. "It seems like she gets barmier the older she gets."
Percy ducked when the Quaffle flew toward him. "You don't think Dad's drinking again, do you?" he asked hesitantly. This question had been nagging him ever since Great Aunt Muriel mentioned it earlier. He swam a few feet backwards to retrieve the Quaffle.
The other two Weasleys seemed to have to think about this for a moment.
"Well, she also said Mum and Dad's financial situation was because 'he likes the booze too much,'" George mocked. "We all know that's not true." He lunged again to catch the ball.
Bill caught the Quaffle from George. "Are you starting to believe what Great Aunt Muriel says?" he asked incredulously. He threw the ball to Percy who dodged it again.
"Seriously, Perce, we were taught from birth not to trust a word that comes outta her mouth." George flipped some wet hair out of his face. "Besides, no one else thought he'd been drinking – Well, they didn't say anything if they had anyway."
"And we'd be able to tell if he was drunk," Bill stated. "Forget about it, Percy. There's nothing to worry about."
For the next little while, the boys threw the Quaffle in silence. They had to reverse directions because playing catch with Percy had always been quite the workout, having to jump in all directions to catch the ball.
The bespectacled redhead couldn't help worrying about what Great Aunt Muriel said. Two weeks ago, he'd caught his father drinking. He'd kept his promise and not told anyone else, but maybe that was a mistake. They all assumed Ginny would mention it if their dad was drinking at home or staying out later than usual. What if she turned a blind eye to it? What if his brothers had caught their dad drinking and made the same promise he had? A sick feeling crept into the pit of his stomach.
Smack!
The Quaffle struck Percy square in the face. If he'd been wearing his glasses they would have snapped in two.
"Oops! Sorry, Perce," George apologized sheepishly. He swam over to his older brother. "You alright?"
Percy scrunched up his face and rubbed his nose. "I don't think it's broken, but it bloody-well hurts." He playfully tackled George who fought back. Bill laughed at his two younger brothers. This was the most relaxed he'd seen either of them in a long time. He glanced toward the beach.
"Hey, guys!" Bill gained the attention of his brothers. "We've drifted." They could barely see Andromeda's green umbrella down the beach.
Shoving Percy one last time, George grabbed the Quaffle. The trio walked parallel to the shore, fighting the current.
"So – um – Mum and Dad seemed to be getting on well today," George said nonchalantly.
"I guess," Bill replied, eying his brother. "They didn't yell at each other."
"And they spent some time alone together," Percy added.
"She defended him, too."
"They didn't really talk though," George debated.
"They could've when they were alone."
"They could've yelled at each other when they were alone," George pointed out.
Bill stopped. "Where is this coming from?"
"Nowhere," George shot defensively. Neither of his older brothers responded, knowing he would soon divulge what he was thinking. He fingered a piece of seaweed floating by. "I miss Mum, alright?" he said quietly.
"Okay...then talk to her," Percy advised. "She's been waiting for you to cool down and come back on your own."
"No, I'm still angry with her, for what she's doing to Dad. I just want this shite to be over with. I miss us as a family. I know nothing can bring Fred back, but...his death should've brought us closer together, not split us. Fred wouldn't have wanted any of this to be because of him. I mean, Charlie wouldn't even look at me today if he could help it."
"We all hate it, George"
"Yeah, and it may not even be because of Fred. If anyone knows what caused this, it's Mum and Dad," Percy stated.
The brothers finally reached the point where they had drifted from. Harry and Ginny were now letting Teddy throw some sand around. Fleur and Audrey were waste-deep in the water. It looked like Andromeda had fallen asleep. The boys spotted their dad walking across the beach with his briefcase. Arthur motioned for them to come in. Apparently, he called for Ginny because she left Teddy with Harry and walked toward him.
A few minutes later, they reached the beach. Jogging out of the water, George shouted, "Oi!" and tossed the Quaffle to his dad who easily caught it with one hand. "Come on, old man! Get rid of that briefcase and put your swim trunks on."
Arthur looked as if was going to explode. He hadn't calmed down between the house and the beach. On the contrary, he had made himself even more upset, continuously turning over what Molly said in his mind for the entirety of the fifteen minute walk.
"Alright, sorry," George mumbled, thinking his father's red face was because he called him an 'old man.' "Can I have the ball back?"
Arthur held onto the Quaffle. He didn't say anything until Bill and Percy caught up. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I have a lot of work left. I'd appreciate it if Ginny and Harry could stay with one of you tonight."
"Sure," "Okay," and "Yeah," came from his sons. His daughter, however, wasn't so easily convinced.
"Why?" Ginny asked. "We won't bother you. You've not had any issues with us all week."
"No, but I still have a lot to do by Monday, and I'd rather be able to focus solely on it. I'll be in the office until late tonight. I don't need to be worrying about you," he argued.
"You don't have to worry about me," Ginny debated. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
"You are staying with your brother, and that is final!" Arthur snapped. Andromeda sat up abruptly. Harry tried calming Teddy down as the baby began to cry.
Ginny shrunk away a little. "Okay, okay," she conceded.
"Let me know who they're staying with," Arthur directed at his sons. "I'll see you tomorrow." A few seconds later, he disapparated.
Bill suddenly remembered his dad telling him he was almost done with the paperwork earlier this afternoon. There was one reason Bill could think of that would cause his dad to lie about that. The sick feeling that had made its home in the pit of Percy's stomach now made its home in the pit of Bill's as well.
Bill, Percy, and George shared a meaningful glance. None of them wanted to admit it, but Great Aunt Muriel may not have been wrong this time.
Bill was about to tell Ginny they could stay at Shell Cottage, but George beat him to it. "Ginny, you and Harry can stay with me tonight," George offered.
Ginny accepted and went back to Harry who had passed Teddy off to Andromeda.
"Should we...?" Percy trailed off.
"Yeah." Bill answered the unfinished question.
The trio told the others they would be back in a little while before walking back to Shell Cottage. On their way, they ran into their mum. She didn't appear to be upset, not like their father at least.
"Bill, if you don't need anything else, I think I might head home," Molly said.
"That's fine, Mum. Thanks for helping out." He gave her a hug.
"Happy birthday, Percy!" she said, giving him a bear hug.
George watched her warily. He let his guard down when she told him good-bye, but didn't try to hug him.
Molly continued her path to the beach. The boys continued theirs to the house. After changing, they apparated to their dad's flat. Arthur was not there. A small ray of hope shone. Perhaps, he really was at the Ministry. However, when they reached his new office, he wasn't there either. The third place they tried was the bar he frequented in Diagon Alley.
Their hearts sank when they saw their dad sitting on his usual bar stool.
After regaining their composure and putting on an air of confidence, they approached the bar on either side of their father. They all ordered firewhisky, seeing as that was their dad's drink of choice. Arthur tried ignoring them. He didn't really care anymore if they knew he was drinking again, not at this moment at least.
"Told you 'work' was a code word, George." Percy held out his hand, and George dropped a Galleon in it
"Well, Dad, you should've said you were taking us out for Percy's birthday," Bill said. "You know, Ginny is old enough to drink the strong stuff now. We should've brought her along," he said as a sort of afterthought.
Arthur downed the rest of his drink.
"How many is that now, Dad? Three? Four?" George asked. "Seems we have some catching up to do."
The bartender came by with the boys' drinks and refilled Arthur's without having to be asked. He scoffed. "This'll be his seventh. Not unusual for 'im though."
George let out a low whistle. "Prob'ly a good thing we didn't bring Ginny, Bill. She wouldn't be able to keep up."
So, the way they approached their father's drinking this time was a bit unorthodox. None of their other tactics worked in the past, so maybe a guilt trip would. They were running low on options.
Finally, Arthur spoke. "What are you boys doing here?" he asked lowly.
"What are you doing here?" Percy retorted.
"We thought we had the old you back," George said.
"You thought wrong," Arthur replied sharply.
"Dad, take this potion and come with us." Bill set the purple vial in front of him. "Let's go home and talk about this," he reasoned.
Arthur went to take another drink.
"Don't do this to Ginny," Percy pleaded.
"Take another sip, and she comes to live with me," George warned.
A pang of guilt penetrated Arthur's self-hatred. "Leave her out of this," he begged.
"We know what Fred would think, but what would Gracie think right now?" George ventured sensitively.
The lump in Arthur's throat seemed to double in size. He gritted his teeth, and his jaw muscle quivered. He was already angry with himself, and his sons were not helping in the slightest. He never wanted to hurt or disappoint anyone, but he already felt like the time for redemption had long passed. With what he had done that summer and with what Molly had said that afternoon, he despised himself. Drinking took all that pain away. Arthur's hand shook as he debated what to do next. He didn't want to lose his daughter, but he didn't want to feel this pain either.
"Gracie wouldn't want this," George answered his question softly, placing a hand on his father's shoulder.
George quickly found out that was a mistake. Arthur downed the rest of his drink, slammed the glass down, and took a swing at his son. George barely dodged it. Arthur stumbled, but caught himself on a nearby table. He turned to face his son. "Do not talk about her! YOU NEVER TALK ABOUT HER AGAIN!" he roared, his face redder than his hair. Tears silently streamed down his cheeks. "You have no clue what she would want! You didn't even know she existed until a few months ago, so do not act like you know her! NO ONE KNEW HER!" he cried out in agony.
"I'm sorry!" George apologized, hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that!"
"Oi!" the bartender exclaimed. "Take this somewhere else!"
Arthur glared at him. "No, I'm a paying customer and I'm not even close to finished." He wiped angrily at his cheeks, pushed past his sons, and reclaimed his seat.
The bartender turned to Bill. "I want all four of ya out! You got two minutes. And make sure he doesn't come back." He jabbed his thumb toward Arthur.
"Dad, let's go." Bill grabbed his arm.
Arthur snatched his arm out of Bill's grasp. Seeing that he was not going to be served, Arthur drank George's and Percy's firewhiskies, each in one go. He didn't notice that Bill's glass no longer contained firewhisky. Instead, Arthur drank the Sober-Up Potion before realizing it.
"Come on." Bill and George both grabbed their father and dragged him outside. Percy stayed behind a moment to apologize and pay for the drinks.
As soon as they apparated into his flat, Arthur collapsed on the couch. He rested his head in his hands and stared at the floor, taking deep breaths. For several minutes, his sons watched him warily. None of them had seen their dad that upset; they had never seen anyone that upset.
George made the first move. He sat next to Arthur. "Dad –" he began softly, placing a hand on Arthur's shoulder.
"Don't." Arthur spat.
George quickly stood and backed away. "Okay."
The room became silent once again. The young men waited for their father to make the next move. Eventually, George took a seat on the coffee table, and Bill and Percy silently looked through the kitchen cabinets. They didn't find anything that shouldn't have been there.
Arthur finally spoke with a defeated tone. "I already felt like shite. Then you had to use her against me." He sat up and rubbed his face then sent George a piercing gaze. "You know how I feel about her," he said, barely audible.
"I truly am sorry, Dad," George apologized again. "I didn't mean it that way. I was only trying to talk you down. I thought that would work. I was wrong...I was wrong to bring her up like that."
Arthur leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes.
Percy bent over and picked up a scrap of paper near the bin on his way back over. He glanced at it then showed it to Bill.
Bill pulled out his wand. "Accio firewhisky."
Arthur's eyes shot open as he sat bolt upright. "Stop!" he commanded.
It was too late. The flask from Arthur's pocket and five bottles of firewhisky flew out from their hiding spots – one which was nearly empty from behind the couch, another from on top of the cabinets, one from the back of a cluttered cabinet, one from the bathroom, and one which was mostly full from the bedroom where Ginny and Harry stayed. They landed neatly on the coffee table next to George.
The boys' eyes widened in amazement, but they were not amused. They had not expected this. All color drained from Arthur's face.
"You said you stopped carrying this," Percy said, picking up the flask and looking inside of it.
"I did," Arthur answered honestly. "I had it today just in case."
"What?" Bill asked.
"Just in case I couldn't deal with your mother," he said sourly.
"Did you drink today?" Percy questioned.
"I don't see why that matters. Nothing happened."
"Did you drink today?" Percy repeated.
"Would you rather I have blown up?"
"That's a 'yes' then," George stated bitterly.
"The one time Great Aunt Muriel is right," Bill mumbled. "Care to explain the rest?" he prompted.
Running a hand through his hair, Arthur sat back on the couch again. "It was buy one, get one half price. I bought them a while back," he half-lied.
Percy held up the receipt from the floor. "You bought them two days ago, on the twentieth." He crumpled up the paper and tossed it toward Arthur. Percy crossed his arms. "How long has this been going on?" Ever since he had caught his dad drinking two weeks ago, Percy had his reservations.
"Er..." Arthur faltered. He focused on the bottles in front of him. "Not quite two weeks."
"You said that was a one-time thing – that it wouldn't start this cycle again. I shouldn't have believed you."
Bill and George looked at Percy quizzically.
"Apparently, he couldn't resist some Scotch when he met with Minister Shacklebolt about the promotion," Percy explained.
Bill and George felt a little betrayed at this revelation. Why wouldn't Percy tell them about that? It was something they should have known about.
George picked up and inspected the almost-empty bottle next to him. "You've been drinking while Ginny's here?"
"Only after they've gone to bed," Arthur answered honestly. "Most of that one's in the flask...Please don't tell Ginny," he begged.
"Why shouldn't we?" Percy challenged.
"Because, I don't know what I'd do if she turned her back on me. I hate disappointing her. She's my little girl." He gestured to the bottles on the table. "This was a mistake." He tried playing it off like it wouldn't happen again.
"It's always a mistake. That never stops you," Percy pointed out.
"This was more than a lapse of judgement," Bill stated. "Buying five bottles of firewhisky indicates you had no intention of stopping."
"Five?" Arthur repeated with furrowed eyebrows. He counted the bottles. "No, I only had four and the flask."
"Stop lying."
"Why would I confess to four bottles and lie about the fifth?"
"He has a point, Bill," George said.
"Didn't this one come from the bedroom?" Percy asked, picking up the mostly-full bottle.
"Ginny wouldn't," Bill said, trying to convince himself.
"Wouldn't she?" George countered, having known his sister better than Bill did.
Ginny should know better, Bill thought, after everything we've been through. Before he could work himself up too much, Bill said, "Why don't we ask her? I'll be back in a few minutes." Bill forcefully closed the door behind him then a pop of disapparition resounded throughout the building.
Arthur pinched his nose and tightly shut his eyes. He took in a deep breath. He wished Bill would have discussed it with him before he stormed off. He was exhausted as it was. He had no energy to deal with any of this right now. If Ginny had been drinking, he had no idea what he would do. And what if Molly somehow found out? She would never trust him to watch her.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, Bill came back with Ginny and Harry in tow. It was clear he hadn't told them what this was about.
Ginny surveyed the room. She spotted the firewhisky on the table. "What's going on?" she asked uncertainly.
Bill made to speak, but halted when Arthur stood. He was her father. It was his responsibility to parent her. He picked up the aforementioned bottle from amongst the others. It dawned on Arthur that they should have put the others away before Ginny and Harry got there. "What is this?" he asked his daughter.
"Out of everyone here, I thought you'd be the one to know," Ginny tried joking.
Her untimely joke was met with scowls from her father and all three of her brothers.
She shrugged. "I'm seventeen. It's legal."
"That does not matter, Ginevra Molly Weasley. Why do you have it?"
Picking up on the seriousness of the situation, Ginny complied, "I bought it because I can. It's just for fun."
Arthur turned to Harry who shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Harry, did you know about this?" he asked.
Harry didn't make eye contact. "Yes, sir," he mumbled.
"And did you partake?"
"A little."
"Did you encourage this?"
"No, sir. I-I didn't think it was a good idea."
The older man addressed his daughter again. "Look, I understand you want to experiment with the freedoms that coming of age brings, but if you want to have fun, go to the pub with some friends and have a drink or two." He lifted the bottle of firewhisky. "But you do not buy a bottle and hide it in your room."
"This is exactly why it was in my room. I knew you would overreact...or else drink it all," she added under her breath, arms crossed. Those last four words did not go unnoticed. For Arthur, it stung. For her brothers, they subconsciously admitted she had a point.
"He's not overreacting," all three of her brothers defended Arthur. This unplanned simultaneous response shocked them all.
"All the guys had alcohol in the house when they turned seventeen," Ginny argued. She still could not see why her dad was being so hard on her compared to her brothers.
"Not me," Percy corrected.
Ginny shot him a look that said "Yeah, but you're you," then she addressed the room, "Can you all chill? If one of the guys was caught, no one took it this seriously – Well, except maybe Mum, but that's Mum."
The tips of Arthur's ears slowly grew red. "This is different."
"Why?" Ginny interrupted. "Because I'm a girl?"
"No," Bill stepped in. "It's about timing, and circumstances, and what we know now."
"And what's that, Son?" Arthur shot.
Bill did not want to be the one to tell his father this, but it was time. "Let's face it, Dad...You're an alcoholic. We've given you the benefit of the doubt, but it's time to face facts. You're just like Grandpa."
"No, I'm not, and I am nothing like Septimus. I can quit when I want," Arthur claimed although he knew most of that was a lie.
"Says the four fifths of Ogden's," Percy quipped.
Arthur glared daggers at his sons for a moment before stating, "This is not about me."
"I'm not Dad," Ginny told Bill.
"Look at Grandpa Septimus, who we were never allowed to see, I might add. Look at Uncles Billius, Trent, and Neil – Not to mention a half dozen of our cousins. Are you starting to see a pattern here?"
"To be fair, we have, like, at least twenty cousins," George reminded.
Bill cast a sideways glance at his brother. "My point being, do you really think they all wanted their lives to revolve around drinking? Do you really think Dad planned on it shattering this family?"
"I'm right here," Arthur interjected.
"You know, it's only a matter of time before it kills them like it did Grandpa and Uncle Billius? Do you think that's what they want?"
Percy grabbed his older brother's arm. "Bill."
"What if Great Aunt Muriel was right and we've always been poor because Dad spent that money on booze? Or all those late nights 'working,' he was actually getting drunk?"
"Bill." Percy forcefully spun Bill toward him.
"I'm only giving examples as to why this is so serious and why she should be careful," Bill explained. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his father was red in the face again, but this time he had fixed him with a death stare as well.
"If you have a problem, you talk to me. Do not go shooting it off at your sister," Arthur said coldly. "If you can't keep your opinions to yourself and let me discipline my daughter, you need to leave."
Bill had to admit he may have crossed a line, but he wouldn't apologize for what he said. He stepped into the kitchen.
"Alright." Arthur took a deep breath. "Ginny, you're grounded."
"You can't do that!" she protested.
"Yes, I can. I am your father. You are living under my roof," Arthur asserted.
"I'm seventeen now. You never said I couldn't have it."
"I shouldn't've had to! Since you remember your brothers getting in trouble for it, then you knew better."
Ginny was in a corner. Her dad was right. She knew better, and she made that known moments ago. There was no playing dumb.
"You go straight to work and come straight home for the next week. George will send me your schedule. I'll be sure to be home right at five. If I'm not able to, you'll stay with him until I get off."
"Aren't you forgetting something?" George stood from his spot on the coffee table.
Arthur stared at him.
"I'll make sure her punishment is carried out, but she's not living with you anymore."
"Why not?!" Ginny challenged.
Arthur continued staring at his son. He didn't expect George to carry out his threat, and Arthur thought he was convincing when he said drinking again was a mistake. Losing his daughter was the last thing he wanted. Couldn't his sons show some sympathy?
"Are you going to tell her or will I have to?" George asked.
"That was never a stipulation when she moved in," Arthur reminded. When Ginny and Harry moved in, it was never approved by his sons. It didn't have to be. Most importantly, no one said he couldn't drink while she lived there.
"She still ought to know," Percy chimed in.
Arthur didn't make a move. He couldn't see the disappointment in his daughter's eyes when he told her.
When he realized his dad wasn't going to say anything, George said evenly, "Dad's drinking again."
Ginny scoffed. "That's it? I've probably known longer than any of you have."
"And you didn't tell us?" Bill asked incredulously from the kitchen.
Ginny shrugged. "Didn't see a need to."
"How long have you known?" Percy asked.
"A week?" she replied. She looked to Harry for confirmation. He nodded.
"Harry knew?" George asked incredulously.
"It wasn't my place to say anything," Harry responded.
After remaining silent through this exchange, Arthur finally spoke to his daughter. "How did you know?" he asked quietly.
"I don't stay in my room all night. Ya know, I get hungry or have to use the bathroom or whatever. Plus, sometimes the bottle is still out when I wake up, or you smell like alcohol in the morning." She wasn't making accusations, only stating facts.
"Oh." Arthur thought he had been careful, taking extra precautions so she wouldn't find out. He was obviously mistaken. However, if she stayed and didn't say anything after she found out, maybe all hope wasn't lost. "So...um..." He swallowed, afraid of what her answer might be. "Me or George?"
Ginny looked at him like he was stupid. "You, of course." She crossed the room and hugged him. "I'm not gonna leave just because you're going through a rough time."
"Ginny, that is not a good idea," George warned.
"You're just jealous because I didn't choose you."
Her brothers hated being the bearers of bad news, but Percy spoke up. "He took a swing at George, an hour ago."
For a split second, shock crossed her face. She quickly composed herself. "Was that unprovoked?"
George, Percy, and Bill suddenly had an intense interest in their shoes.
"Exactly."
Arthur picked up the bottle that was nearly empty. He took the cap off. What was left was gone in a second. The warmth soon coursed through his body. The emotional torment Molly had brought upon him seemed to have doubled in the hour he was sober. He had tried waiting until he was alone again. Now that everyone knew he was drinking again, and there were no consequences, and Ginny was okay with it, it didn't matter. It was only a matter of time before the pain would be numbed. "Are we done here?" he asked his sons.
George's eyebrows knit together. "What happened to you?" he asked, disturbed.
"Ask your mother," Arthur spat. "None of this would have happened if it wasn't for her."
With that, the boys took their leave. Ginny and Harry stayed behind.
Out in the hall, George crossed his arms. "So, now what?"
"What do you mean?" Bill responded.
Gesturing to their father's apartment door, he asked, "How are we gonna fix this?" He was optimistic Bill would have a plan. Bill always had a plan.
"We're not."
"We're not gonna just let him...He's not himself when he drinks."
"It's not like he's been himself when he's sober either," Percy commented.
"We did what we could. If he wants to drink, he's gonna drink, George. Now, it's on him," Bill said.
George's face began to get red, but not out of anger. His brown eyes shone brightly. The same sick feeling that made its way into Percy's and Bill's stomachs had suddenly nested in his. "We didn't just lose Fred, did we?" he asked softly. Fred was dead; there was nothing they could do about that. Their dad seemed to prefer being drunk all the time. George had intentionally pushed his mother away. Charlie and Ron had made the choice not to have anything to do with him. The loneliness and guilt he'd been ignoring for months suddenly came upon him tenfold.
"That's how it looks, George," Bill said gently. "I'm sorry."
George took a deep breath and frowned. "Am I stupid for thinking this whole fucking thing would blow over and acting like nothing's changed?" he exploded. This gave his brothers a start.
"I think most of us were fooling ourselves, George," Percy said.
"I don't think Ginny has come to that realization yet. When she does, we need to be there for her," Bill said sadly. He looked at the door and ran a hand through his long, red hair. "I have a few questions for Mum. If you two want to come with me..."
"Sure."
George stuffed his hands in his pockets. He stared at his shoes once again. "I don't think she'd want to see me."
"She would love to see you, George."
oOoOo
Three pops of apparition resounded throughout the Burrow. Molly hurried into the sitting room to find three of her sons standing there. This was a bit unexpected, but George being with them was surprising.
"H-hi, Mum," George stuttered.
Molly stared at her middle son in disbelief.
Taking a step back, George shoved his hands in his pockets and slouched. "I-I...uh...understand if you don't want anything to do with me," he mumbled. "I guess I've been a bit of a twat lately. I'm sorry. Well – I mean – Don't get me wrong, I'm still upset with how you've been treating Dad, but...I miss you, and I am sorry for how I've acted." He chanced a glance up at his mum. In a split second, red curls engulfed his face as she enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug.
"I knew you'd be back. You don't need to apologize. You were doing what you thought was right." She finally let him go. "Why don't you all stay for dinner? I just popped it in the oven."
A high-pitched whistle erupted from the tea kettle in the kitchen, signaling the water was boiling. Molly bustled into the kitchen, her sons close behind. A thick tension quickly grew when Charlie saw the new arrivals and vice versa.
"What are they doing here?" Charlie asked his mum.
She took the kettle off the stove. "I'm guessing they've come for a visit," she replied, only realizing then that they had not told her why they had come.
"I'll grab something on the way home." Charlie began putting on his travelling cloak.
"Nonsense!" Molly exclaimed. "We are all eating together."
"No, I don't want to be near those two," he said, referring to Percy and George. He still had no problem with his older brother. He opened the back door.
"Charles Aiden Weasley! You take that cloak off and sit down this instant," Molly ordered. "And you three," she gestured to her other sons.
Hastily, they all obeyed. There was nothing more frightening than their mother's temper, not even dragons.
"Now," she put her hands on her hips, "I am sick of all this. There is absolutely no reason for you not to talk to each other. Percy and George have done nothing to you, and neither has Ginny," she told Charlie. "Every time I see you, you ask about them. You always say how lonely you are, how much you miss them. It is well past time to fix that."
Charlie interrupted, "I can't support what they're doing. Arthur –"
"He is your father, whether you like it or not, and you will address him as such." Molly tutted. "I still cannot believe you – you..." she searched for a term; there was only one she could come up with, "...disowned him like that. You and Ron. I can't imagine how your father felt."
"Fine!" Charlie said. "Father does not deserve their support after what he did."
"Just because you don't agree with your siblings does not mean you disown them too. You still love each other, you are still family, and I am tired of hearing you whine about regretting it. Now, apologize - all three of you." Mumbled apologies were exchanged around the table. Clapping her hands together, Molly asked, "Alright, who wants tea?"
There was some awkward conversation leading up to, and then throughout, dinner. It would take time for the brothers to interact normally again. Talking was the first step. Molly would see to it that her boys would soon be on good terms. After she sorted this, she would still have Ron and Ginny to deal with, she was sure.
Once all the dishes were cleaned and put away, they moved into the sitting room. Some tension returned to the atmosphere.
"Mum," Bill began, "we didn't come only for a visit..."
"We have a few questions," Percy admitted.
Molly looked at her folded hands resting in her lap. She sighed. "It was only a matter of time." She looked at her sons. "Go ahead."
Bill cleared his throat. "Has Dad always had a drinking problem?" he asked quietly.
His mother shook her head and answered just as quietly, "Not like this. Never like this." She took a deep breath. "We always watched it. With the way his family is, we made sure to keep a close eye on his drinking. If he started drinking too much or too often, I would point it out, and he would cut back or stop completely for a while. It never caused any problems."
"What about money? Is that why we've always been so poor?"
Molly looked slightly amused when she shook her head this time. "Our only source of income was a low-paid government official's salary. The cost of living increased, and he barely got a pay raise. We had seven children. You'll see how expensive things get when you have kids."
Admittedly, that made much more sense. Great Aunt Muriel was still a lying old bat after all.
Since they were asking questions, Charlie took this opportunity to ask his own. "Has he been violent in the past?" he ventured, afraid he might get an answer he didn't want. If his father had always been belligerent, he would never be able to look at him the same way.
"No, absolutely not."
"Why was this time different?" Percy asked gently.
"I've been asking myself that same question. It's like he didn't want to listen." She thought back to Arthur's outburst in the shed all those months ago. "Maybe it was a combination of everything. Maybe...I waited too long to say anything." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Please, don't think any less of your father," she pleaded. "This is not him. I've never known this side of him."
"He's hurting, Mum. Bad." George swallowed. "He blames you. At least, that's his excuse tonight."
Molly's heart ached. She knew that was a valid excuse in this case. "For tonight, he may have a point," she admitted. She felt a pang of guilt. "I didn't want to hurt him, but I stated facts."
"Are you finally leaving him for good?" Charlie asked. Part of him secretly hoped she would wash her hands of Arthur.
"No."
"What did you say to him?" George questioned.
"It is none of our business," Percy interrupted. Of course, he wanted to know what had transpired as much as anyone else, but that was between their parents.
"Is Ginny with him tonight?" Molly asked.
Bill, Percy, and George nodded.
"Good." Molly figured if he had his daughter with him, things might be easier.
"No. Dad found out she was okay with him drinking, so now he's not hiding it from her anymore," Bill informed.
"Even I'm afraid he's going to hurt her," George said. Bill and Percy nodded in agreement. However, they needn't worry about their sister that night. An hour after they left the flat, their dad was passed out on the couch. When he would periodically wake up, he'd take another swig of Ogden's before falling back to sleep.