That Night-time Stroll

Being in love was never easy, as Arthur Weasley found out. You heard all these stories about love at first sight, and people being head over heels for each other, and all of that mushy stuff, but it never actually happened in real life. It never happened to him, anyway.

Well, to be truthful, for him it had been love at first sight, and he was head over heels for her. She had just never returned the feeling. What was the point of love if it was one-sided? There was no point.

Despite continuously telling himself that it was never going to happen, Arthur couldn’t help but still love her. Molly Prewett had everything. She was beautiful, she was clever, she was popular, and she was the kindest person he knew. She was perfect. He was just Arthur, one of many Weasley boys with no money, no charm, and nothing to redeem himself in the eyes of the wonderful Molly.

Sometimes he wondered if she even knew who he was. They were in the same year and house at school, but she had her giggly girlfriends, and he had the boys in his dormitory. They didn’t really cross paths too often. Occasionally Molly would say something to him during class, or brush up against him as she passed him in the hall, and he would be on a high for the rest of the day. No one else could make him feel that way. No one could compare to Molly.

One day in their seventh year, their Defence Against the Dark Arts class was assigned to do group projects. As the teacher put everyone in pairs, Arthur crossed his fingers under the desk and prayed that he would be paired with Molly. It would be the perfect opportunity to talk to her, to hopefully make her notice him for once. He let out a small sigh as the teacher sent her over to work with Willy Widdershins, a rather gormless looking Hufflepuff.

When class was over, Arthur picked up his bag and hurried towards the door. It was lunch, but he didn’t really feel like eating. He was considering going to the library to do some studying, when someone ran into him with an ‘oof!’, sending books flying everywhere.

‘Sorry!’ Arthur cried, dropping to his knees and beginning to stack the books into a pile. ‘My fault ... I wasn’t looking ... Shouldn’t have ...’

‘It’s fine,’ a gentle, familiar voice said, and his head snapped up in shock. Molly smiled at him, bending down to help gather her books up. ‘It was an accident.’

They stood up, and Arthur handed the stack of books back to her. Their hands brushed, and it jolted his mind back into action. ‘Er, I’m Arthur Weasley,’ he said, holding out his hand for her to shake and feeling rather stupid.

‘I know,’ she said, smiling and shaking it. ‘I’m Molly Prewett.’

‘I know,’ Arthur said quickly. He dropped her hand and stood there awkwardly for a moment. ‘Well, I probably should go.’

‘Aren’t you going to lunch?’ Molly asked. ‘Walk with me.’

He didn’t have the willpower to tell her that he hadn’t been planning on eating, and instead followed her obediently as she set off down the staircase. ‘Here, let me,’ he said, taking the pile of books from her arms again.

‘Thanks,’ Molly said, and he noticed that she was blushing. Maybe he wasn’t the only nervous one. This thought comforted him, and he felt slightly less stupid as they continued down to the Great Hall in silence.

When they reached Gryffindor Table, Arthur handed her books back to her. ‘Well ... I’ll see you around,’ he said, glancing down the table to where his friends were sitting.

‘Bye,’ Molly said, clutching the books to her chest and looking down. Arthur rubbed his hand over the back of his neck, and after a pause, walked off towards his friends, a wide grin on his face.

* * *

He thought that would have been the end of his and Molly’s acquaintance, but, much to his delight, she seemed determined to become his friend. Arthur could hardly make it through a class without being approached by Molly, who laughed and joked with him like they were old friends, until they were in fact old friends.

As they got closer, Arthur’s feelings for her got even stronger. He had always dreamed of her as a gorgeous, amazing girl, and as their friendship developed, he began to see that she was so much more than that. She had her faults, too – a furious temper that flared up at the most unexpected moments, and far too much self-doubt for a girl as wonderful as her. Over time, Arthur realised something: there was no other girl for him. There was only Molly. There would only ever be Molly.

If only she felt the same way about him.

But he had to tell her. He needed to. There was no way Arthur could live the rest of his life without her, so he had to try, at least. There might be the slimmest chance that she felt the same way about him.

Late one night, he was sitting in front of the fire in Gryffindor Tower, brooding over how and when he was going to tell her this. It probably wouldn’t do anything except break their friendship, but Arthur couldn’t bear it anymore. It felt like he was lying to her.

Molly was one of the only people still up, he knew. He could hear her lovely voice behind him, talking to her friend as they completed their homework. Arthur listened to her – the sound calmed him, and the worries he had just seemed to fade into the background as she spoke. While Molly was there, everything was perfect.

So absorbed in his own thoughts, he hardly noticed when her voice became louder, right by his ear. ‘Arthur! Are you listening to me?’

He jumped a mile, blinking when he saw Molly’s pretty face, framed by her gorgeous curly red hair, right up next to his. ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I was ... thinking.’

‘There’s a first for everything,’ she said, laughing. ‘Anyway, I just came to say goodnight. I’m off to bed.’

She waved her fingers at him, and drifted off in the direction of the girls’ dormitories. There was a pause, and then Arthur jumped to his feet, rushing after her. ‘Wait, Molly,’ he said, grabbing her arm just as she stepped onto the staircase. ‘Er ... do you want to take a walk with me?’

‘Now?’ she asked in disbelief, her hazel eyes widening. ‘It’s almost three in the morning, Arthur!’

‘I have to talk to you,’ he said, amazed at his own courage as he tugged her towards the portrait hole. Molly continued to protest, but she was giggling too, especially when they left the common room and the Fat Lady started berating them for going out after curfew.

The pair ignored her, and they hurried off around the corner, lest someone should hear her complaints and come to find them. The castle was silent, but not as dark as Arthur had expected – there was a full moon, and the light was shining through the windows and illuminating the corridors.

Arthur was silent, trying to decide how best to tell her his feelings. She seemed to realise that he was trying to say something, so she was silent too as they wandered throughout the empty halls. Eventually, he stopped, turning to face Molly. She stared back at him, completely bewildered as he grabbed her hands.

‘Molly ... I love you.’

Her mouth fell open, but Arthur kept going. He had to get it all out now, or else he’d never say it.

‘I know, I know – I don’t really know you all too well, and I’m only seventeen, but quite honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever love anybody else, Mol. You’re all I’ve thought about for the past two years. You’re all I’ll ever think about. I love everything about you, from your smile to your frown to the way you twist your hair around your fingers when you’re concentrating. If I could wake up to one thing everyday, I would, without a single doubt, want it to be you. You’re my whole life.’

He stopped and looked down, going bright red. His hands were still clutching hers, and he tried to pull away, but she tightened her grip. Arthur looked up again. Perhaps there was hope.

‘Arthur, I ...’ she trailed off, and instead stood on tiptoe and kissed him lightly, her warm lips conveying what words couldn’t. Arthur kissed her back. It was perfect. Simple. As if they were made for each other.

There was a shout, and they broke apart. The caretaker was standing there, the glow from his wand lighting up their faces. ‘Weasley!’ he sneered. ‘I should have known! And …’

‘Run,’ Arthur whispered. The whole school was terrified of Apollyon Pringle, and what happened when you crossed his path was everyone’s worst nightmare. Molly nodded, and then dashed away back towards Gryffindor Tower.

Arthur had just turned to face his doom when Molly came running back, pressing her lips to his quickly. ‘I love you, too,’ she whispered, and then set off down the corridor before Pringle could discover who she was.

‘Don’t think you’re getting away that easy, boy,’ Pringle hissed, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him off. But nothing, not even the blows he would receive that would stay with him for years afterwards, could erase the grin from Arthur Weasley’s face.

She loved him.

Life was perfect.