The Burrow had been decorated for Halloween as it usually was this time of year. Pumpkins sat around the house and garden, some waiting to be carved into jack-o-lanterns. Spider webs were strewn about, minus the spiders since Ron was home. Fake bones protruded from the ground. Dozens of bats flew overhead outside. Vibrant reds and oranges filled the usually-green countryside.
Molly hadn't felt much like decorating, but it gave her something to do and was a good way to occupy her mind. Not to mention, the Burrow had quite the reputation for the most frightening house within miles of Ottery St. Catchpole on Halloween. Its normal lopsided appearance added to the "haunted house" look. Some well-placed lighting and the ghoul moved into the garden only increased the scare factor. Kids from the nearby village and other outlying houses always made sure to come by on Halloween night.
Not only were the kids excited it was Halloween, but Molly was especially glad it was Halloween. Well, she would have been glad if it was any other day, just as long as October 30th was over. The previous day had been her birthday, but it didn't feel right without Arthur.
That Friday morning, Molly had woken to the alarm ringing and wondered why it was going off when Arthur always woke up early, turned her alarm off, and brought up a special breakfast on her birthday. (Arthur never could cook a thing to save his life, but breakfast was the one thing he could manage, seeing as he had taken up the responsibility during each of Molly's pregnancies.) After breakfast in bed, Arthur would sweep her away for a day filled with adventure and surprises.
Molly looked over at Arthur's untouched side of the bed. It only took her a second to remember why he wasn't there. Not ready to get up yet, she pulled the long sleeves of Arthur's shirt she had commandeered over her hands and hugged his pillow tightly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, breathing in her husband's scent and imagining for a moment that he was right there next to her. Sure, she was still upset with him and didn't really want to see him until he had gotten serious, but that didn't mean she didn't miss him terribly.
Suddenly, the bedroom door swung open. Her sons, plus Harry, carried in a breakfast buffet while singing "Happy Birthday." The boys sat around with Molly while she ate, but it wasn't long before they each departed for their jobs and Auror training. Charlie, however, had taken the day off to spend with her.
Even though Charlie was there, Molly wished Arthur would send her something or perhaps show up out of nowhere and surprise her, finally ready to make things right. She knew that was wishful thinking; it had only been wo weeks since the catastrophe of Percy's wedding and her being overly harsh on Arthur, but she thought that might be what would finally set him straight.
After much procrastination from Molly, Charlie got her out of the house and took her to lunch. George met them in Diagon Alley that afternoon and let Molly buy whatever she wanted. Then, that night when they returned to the Burrow, the boys had invited some close friends and bought their mum a cake. While it was a nice gesture, Molly wasn't much in the mood for a birthday party. With her family and friends around, she felt obligated to be happy, so she pretended.
That was why Molly was glad her birthday was over. With it being Saturday and Halloween, it was that much better because that meant it would be easier to distract herself and she would have plenty of company.
It was mid-morning and Molly was busy baking fresh Pumpkin Pasties and Cauldron Cakes for trick-or-treaters when Conner came in through the back door. He had been coming over so much they had agreed several weeks ago that he didn't have to knock anymore if Molly was expecting him. Since the revelation brought on by Arthur, they had cut down on the time they spent together substantially, but figured once or twice a week wouldn't hurt.
"Morning, Molls!" Conner greeted as he set a jack-o-lantern of a cat on the kitchen table.
"Oh, that's cute!" Molly commented, taking a break from her baking.
"Why don't you go ahead and light it?" Conner suggested, a twinkle in his eye.
Molly chuckled. "It's not even noon yet."
"Just go ahead."
Without any further protest, Molly took the top of the pumpkin off, wondering what on earth Conner had planned. When she looked inside, she saw a tiny orange kitten curled up asleep. She picked up the little ball of fluff. "Conner, how did you – I don't – It looks just like the one I had growing up."
Conner grinned at her. "Happy birthday," he said before hastily adding, "But if you don't want it, I totally understand. Big responsibility and all that."
"No, Conner, I love it," Molly beamed. "Thank you."
Conner brought in the kitten food, bowls, and bed while Molly made them both some tea.
"How was your birthday?" Conner asked.
Molly shrugged. "Needless to say, it wasn't the best I've had, but the boys did a lot. They made me breakfast in bed, Charlie took me to lunch, George took me shopping, and they all threw me a little surprise party. As much as I appreciate all they did, I'm glad it's over."
"I'm sorry to hear that, but you do have some good kids."
"How was your week?" Molly asked.
"Not bad. A lot better now, though." Conner smiled at her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..." he added
"It's fine," Molly waved it off, failing to hide a small smile of her own..
Ron drowsily wandered in with one of the worst bedheads Molly had ever seen. Auror training had become more strenuous recently, so Ron used as much time as he could to rest.
"Hey, Conner," Ron yawned in greeting.
"Ron," Conner reciprocated.
"Are you hungry, dear?" Molly asked, getting up to make him something before he even answered.
"Starved," Ron mumbled.
Ron picked up the kitten and petted it for a few minutes before he woke up a bit more. He cocked his head at the orange tabby cat. "When did we get a cat?" he asked stupidly.
"He's a birthday present from Conner," Molly answered.
"Oh," Ron said before starting up idle conversation with Conner. He didn't have a problem with the Irishman like some of his siblings did. He was happy to see his mum was still seeing him. In Ron's opinion, his mum was better off with Conner. She seemed happy around Conner, and the man did not cause as much drama like his father did nowadays.
As the hours passed, other Weasley sons arrived - in Bill's and Percy's cases, with their wives. Seeing as none of them had seen Conner since the wedding, Molly got a pretty good idea of where each stood: Ron was obvious; Charlie was much like Ron and strongly approved of Conner; George barely said a word to him, and Molly felt like he was only there out of obligation; Percy exchanged pleasantries, but didn't have anything else to do with him; Bill was the only one to vocalize his feelings to his mum.
Bill approached Molly when she was alone in the kitchen, taking out the last batch of Pumpkin Pasties. Everyone else had gone outside to carve pumpkins.
"Hey, Mum. Do you need any help?" Bill offered.
"I'm just finishing up. Thank you, though," Molly said. "Shouldn't you be out with the others?"
Bill shrugged. "I have something I need to say."
"Oh?" Molly raised an eyebrow. She wiped her hands on the dishtowel and set it on the counter before looking expectantly at her eldest son.
"I just...hope you know what you're doing," Bill began carefully. "Conner seems like a good guy, but I think you should make a decision about Dad first. I know you're angry with Dad right now, as we all are, but you may not feel the same way in a few weeks or months. I don't want you to do something you may regret later. That's all."
Molly understood what her son was saying, but was she expected to wait around for something that may never happen? It was out of her control. Arthur was the one holding the cards now.
"Thank you, Bill," Molly said. "I'll keep that in mind."
The kids only stayed for a few hours, some longer than others. George was the first to leave, claiming he needed to get ready before going out with Lee, Angelina, and Katie Bell that night. Percy and Audrey left next because they wanted to make sure they were ready for their first year of trick-or-treaters. Charlie left soon after for the same reason; he would hate to gain the reputation of the worst Halloween house in Hogsmeade. Bill and Fleur went with Charlie since Shell Cottage was so far away from any other houses they didn't get trick-or-treaters. Last to leave was Ron, who went to meet up with Harry and Neville.
Molly and Conner found themselves alone once again. In between trick-or-treaters, they played with the new kitten, which Molly had named Leo, while the wireless played scary stories in the background.
The night passed rather quickly. It was nearly midnight when Conner went home. There were a few Cauldron Cakes and Pumpkin Pasties left over, so Molly sent some with him. Ron was still out with Harry when she decided to go to bed.
oOoOo
Halloween at Costin and Irene Weasley's house began like any other Saturday: Irene started on breakfast early: Costin went out to tend to the animals and various chores. This was the first time in the week Arthur had been there that he helped Gramps. Every morning that week, Arthur had gone into work early and every night, he would stay late to catch up on work he'd missed and avoid too much conversation with his grandparents.
As the day progressed, various relatives arrived: Arthur's brothers, nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Holidays always brought nearly the entire extended family to Costin and Irene's house. When Arthur and Molly were first married, they would come over on holidays, but when they started having kids, they preferred a more intimate gathering with immediate family.
The two-story farmhouse was bursting. It was impossible to get a moment alone with people in every room of the house: kids too young for Hogwarts playing in the various bedrooms and garden, adults smoking and drinking outside and in the large, open basement, and the older generation of women busy in the kitchen.
Gramps and Gran almost prohibited any alcohol for Arthur's sake, but that was almost impossible with around one hundred people there. Instead, they confined drinking to the basement and outside, which didn't really help Arthur. He couldn't go to the basement, he couldn't go out to the garden, and whenever he ventured too close to the kitchen, Gran or one of his aunts would shove food at him to "get some meat back on those bones." Eventually, Arthur bummed a couple smokes from Trenton and retreated to the solitude of the barn, voices from the house muffled.
Arthur set the little box with delicate, complex carvings he had brought out on a table in the barn. Next, he neatly laid out a handkerchief behind the box. He took a beautiful, old necklace out of the antique musical jewelry box and carefully laid it on the handkerchief.
This was supposed to be Molly's birthday present. He had found the necklace first then visited Muggle antique shops around London until he found the jewelry box. It was in bad shape, chipped and cracked and didn't play well. After hours of working on it, Arthur had sanded and polished it, replaced the red velvet lining, and somehow managed to fix the musical mechanism, but while he listened to it the previous night, he thought it was playing a bit slow. He wasn't sure when he would be able to give it to Molly, but he wanted it to be absolutely perfect when he did.
Cigarette hanging out of his mouth, Arthur turned the box over and removed the mechanism from inside it. He had just finished oiling it when Gramps walked in.
"Oh, don't you start with that," Gramps chided, referring to Arthur's smoking. "You were smart enough to stay away from it when you were younger. Besides, it could easily start a fire in here."
"Oh, sorry," Arthur mumbled before putting out the last little bit, just realizing how true his grandfather's statement was. "It's just...a lot." He frowned and looked at the house through the door Gramps had left open.
"Yeah," Gramps sighed. "We weren't sure how well you would deal with it. A few of us have been watching you."
Great. Now people were keeping an eye on him. He hated not being trusted just as much as he hated other people in his business. It was more difficult than he'd like to admit though, so maybe they ought to be watching him.
"Gramps –" Arthur began to protest anyway.
Gramps put a hand up to stop him. "Calm down. We didn't tell anyone about your problem – although it's not much of a secret anymore. Your grandmother and I and a few of your brothers - we're just looking out for you."
Arthur deflated. "Oh, okay."
"I told everyone to keep the drinking to the basement a few minutes ago. And I gave Trenton and Neil a stern talking to when they got here as well," Gramps informed.
"Look, Gramps, I don't want to be a bother. Go back in and tell them they can drink wherever they want." Arthur shrugged. "I'll just have to get over it."
"No," Gramps said flatly. "Arthur, it's not that simple. It's not that you don't want it around, you can't have it around. I can't begin to imagine what you're going through, but I know it's not about willpower. You don't need to be taking this lightly, because, in the long run," Gramps looked his grandson in the eye, "it's your life." He didn't want to be blunt, but he sometimes had to be with Arthur.
Arthur had to admit his grandfather had a point, and he knew it was serious. He just didn't want to admit it was that serious. "Yeah, alright," he sighed.
"What do you have there?" Gramps asked.
"Molly's birthday present. I was tweaking it a little."
"That's coming up soon, isn't it?"
"It was yesterday," Arthur replied, running his thumb over the newly polished wood.
"How are you holding up?" Gramps gently inquired.
"I'm fine."
"Don't give me any of that crap," Gramps said. "You never could fool me when you were a child, and you can't fool me now."
Arthur looked back at his grandfather. "I have to be fine, don't I? You were there. She doesn't even want to hear from me."
"You've missed an important part of what she said, Son. She said to find yourself first," Gramps corrected.
Arthur stood up. "Does it look like I've even begun to do that?" he asked, gesturing to himself. "Two weeks isn't long enough for that, but the longer I'm away from her, the more lost I feel. Or maybe it would still be this way if I was with her..." he ventured.
"Arthur, you don't know that. You may feel that way because, for the first time, you are away from your family," Gramps reasoned.
"Fine. You've known me my entire life. I've lived with you the past week. Look at me, and tell me you recognize who I am," Arthur challenged. Grandfather and grandson locked eyes, both searching the others'. After a moment of silence, Arthur said, "That's what I thought," before turning back to the jewelry box.
"Arthur, wait."
Arthur faced his grandfather again.
Gramps heaved a heavy sigh. "When I look at you now, I see a man who, despite how hard he has worked and how hard he has fought, has lost so much, and who is struggling, and is not helping himself by shutting everyone out. That is what I see, and it pains me. I just want you to be happy, Son."
When Arthur didn't respond, Gramps suggested, "How about you get that finished up and do a walkthrough of the haunted trail with me?"
"Are we done talking?" Arthur asked.
"If that's what you want," Gramps assured. "I just need some help finishing it before tonight."
"Alright," Arthur said. Gramps gave his shoulder a squeeze before heading out of the barn.
When Arthur was satisfied with the musical jewelry box, he put it back together, safely stored it in a high cabinet, and found Gramps waiting outside with Neil. The brothers shared a brief greeting, not having seen each other yet, before joining Gramps on the walkthrough. There were never any trick-or-treaters since they were so far out in the countryside, but it had become a tradition decades ago for the children in the family; it was quite fun for the adults, too.
Chatting idly and making a few adjustments along the way, the trio had gone through the barn, a tight grouping of trees, and had stopped in the small cornfield when Neil changed the subject of conversation to something more serious.
"Arthur, I'm sorry," he apologized, "about the wedding reception. Trenton and I shouldn't have pressured you, and our comments about – well, you know – didn't help any. We weren't thinking, and I am so sorry. If there was something I could do, believe me, I would."
"I appreciate that, Neil. At least one of my brothers is mature enough to take responsibility for his actions."
"You know how Trent is. He doesn't even remember what happened," Neil half-heartedly defended his other brother. "So, how have you been?"
Arthur glanced at Gramps, who was preoccupied with flattening the cornstalks better to prevent people from tripping, before answering, "Fine. I've been fine."
Neil crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at his older brother. "Really? 'Cause you look worse than you did a couple weeks ago – and that was rough," he said softly.
"Gee, thanks," Arthur said sarcastically.
"I didn't mean anything by it. It's just – You're -" Neil gave a frustrated sigh. "You're scaring me, Arthur. Every time I see you is worse than the last. It reminds me of –" He broke eye contact and put his hands up. "You know what? Never mind."
"No, go on," Arthur said. While he did not want to have this conversation, he wanted to know what was bothering his younger brother.
Neil looked back at Arthur. "Right now, you're reminding me of Uncle Felix before he..." Neil trailed off, but he did not need to finish that sentence for Arthur to know what he meant. "Know I'm here if you need me."
"I am so sick of that," Arthur said calmly but without hiding his exasperation. "Everyone – not just today or the past week, but for months – Everyone has been telling me the same things, with the same sympathetic looks: 'How are you? You're so thin; have you lost weight? Are you ill? Is everything alright? You don't seem like yourself. Let me know if there's anything I can do,'" he mimicked.
"I'm fucking fantastic!" Arthur exploded. "My life is in shambles, but don't worry about me, because constantly reminding me of that fact will make everything better!"
"Arthur, people are showing concern. They see you are struggling, and they're reaching out," Neil said calmly.
"I don't need anyone's pity, or sympathetic offers, or obligatory questions. What I need is for people to keep their noses out of my business. What's anyone going to do anyway? I can't even figure out what's wrong with me, let alone what anyone else is thinking. They sure as hell can't do anything to help."
"Arthur!" Gramps boomed as he walked the short distance back to his grandsons.
"I don't feel like dealing with any of this tonight. I'm going back to the flat," Arthur said before stalking off toward the house.
As he passed through the kitchen, Arthur ignored Gran and made a beeline for the Floo.
Gran gave Gramps, who was hot on Arthur's trail, a questioning, concerned look. Gramps sighed heavily with a frown and a shake of his head before continuing his path.
While Arthur was brushing soot out of his hair and beard in his flat, Gramps came through the Floo. Arthur glanced back then returned to brushing soot off himself as he quietly asked, "Shouldn't you be at the house?"
"This is more important," Gramps replied simply, brushing off as well.
"I'm not talking anymore."
"I didn't expect you to."
They sat down once all soot was removed. After a few minutes, Arthur said, "I'm sorry for blowing up like that."
"I'm not the one you need to be apologizing to."
Silence blanketed the room again.
Gramps broke the silence after a long while. "Is this what we're going to do all night?" he asked. "Sit here?"
Arthur shrugged. "I didn't really plan ahead. I usually just drink when I'm here. Or getting in bed early tonight doesn't sound like a bad idea."
Gramps glanced at his watch. "It's only four o'clock," he stated before pulling something out of his pocket. "Good thing I have this." He cast a spell to enlarge the object which turned out to be a Wizard's Chess set.
"Gramps, I don't really feel like playing chess."
"Or maybe you're afraid I'll beat you."
"No."
Gramps quirked an eyebrow.
"Fine. One game," Arthur conceded. "When I win, you have to leave me alone for the rest of the night," he challenged as he set up his pieces.
"And if I win, you come back to the house," Gramps countered. "You don't have to socialize. You can go to your room if you want, but you have to come back to the house."
Gramps easily won the game. Arthur blamed his failure on not having had the time to play over the past few years. The younger Weasley suggested best two out of three.
The second game took almost twice as long as the first. Arthur won.
The final game lasted over an hour. It looked as if Arthur would win. He moved his queen. "Check."
Instead of moving his king out of the way, Gramps moved his bishop to Arthur's king. "Checkmate." In moving his queen, Arthur had failed to notice he was opening up a gap in his defenses.
"Another game?" Arthur asked.
"I gave you best two of three," Gramps stated. "We need to get back. It's almost dinnertime."
"Another time then? I was enjoying playing chess with you again," Arthur admitted. Throughout the evening, Arthur's mood had gradually lifted. Having to focus on the games took his mind off everything else and reminded him of all the other times he and his grandfather had played chess. It was Gramps who had taught him, after all, and then he had passed it on to his kids.
Gramps smiled at him, a glint tin his eye. "So you feel better?"
Arthur nodded. "Yeah."
"I'll tell you what, keep living with me and your grandmother and we will play chess whenever you want."
"Gramps, when I said I was coming back here tonight, I didn't mean I was moving back here. I just wasn't in the mood to be around people," Arthur explained.
"I would still feel better if you came back to the house tonight."
"Okay."
Grandfather and grandson found themselves back just in time for dinner, where everyone found a seat wherever they could around the house and garden. With his mood having lifted, Arthur didn't retreat to his room afterward, but spent time with family instead. He hadn't realized how much he missed these gatherings.