The sun was bright orange and was setting behind the mountains at the edge of Hogsmeade. Hogwarts students filled the streets of the village, enjoying their afternoon off.
“Yeah, so I enjoy Quidditch, but I won’t continue with it after I leave school “ I’m thinking of getting a job at the Ministry,” Amos told Molly as they strolled along the shop fronts.
“I have a friend who wants to work at the Ministry,” Molly said, desperate to get him off the subject of himself.
“Yeah? Who?” Amos replied.
“Arthur “ Arthur Weasley.”
“Oh...Arthur, yeah. Let me guess “ wants to do something working with Muggles...”
Molly forced herself to laugh
“How did you guess?” she asked dryly
“Just a hunch...”
They stopped outside The Three Broomsticks.
“Do you want to go in and get a butterbeer?” Amos asked.
“Sure,” Molly said.
He opened the door for her and they entered; it was more crowded with students inside the pub then it was outside altogether. Molly took a seat while Amos went to go get them drinks. She was automatically ambushed by Maeve.
“So...how’s it going?” she asked enthusiastically, sitting down next to Molly. “Let me guess? He’s smart, and funny, and handsome...”
Before she could go on listing all the glowing adjectives under the sun, Molly cut her off.
“Well, actually “ he’s quite boring,” she said dully. “He’s nice and all “ but he’s very self-centered, he only talks about himself “ and he’s not even that interesting “”
“Nothing like Arthur...”
“Exactly,” Molly replied before realizing what she’d said. Then added quickly “Not that I like Arthur...”
Maeve just raised her eyebrow. Then her best friend instincts took over.
“Do you want me, Shane and the other boys to rudely intrude on your evening and insist on sitting with the two you?” she asked lazily, brushing one over her long brown curls behind her ear.
“If you must,” said Molly grinning.
By the time Amos got back to Molly, she had been joined by Maeve, Shane, Sturgis, and Alastor “ Arthur had not come into Hogsmeade that day. Molly gave him a sheepish ‘sorry’ as he sat down, but inside was glad that she didn’t have to spend another minute alone with him. Amos sat uncomfortably for a few minutes before pulling Molly to the side.
“You don’t mind if we take off do you?” he asked. “It’s just that I don’t think you’re friends like me much.”
“I don’t know what you mean, Amos,” she said, feigning innocence.
Just as she said this, Shane charmed a small rolled up ball of parchment to zoom at Amos and yelled “Catch, Diggory!”
When it hit Amos’s head he called out an apology.
“Sorry, should have known “ you weren’t able to get the Snitch, after all!”
Molly tried desperately not to laugh.
“Well, if you don’t notice it, then your friends mustn’t be very nice people...”
“Are you insulting my friends?” she asked, dramatically offended.
“I’m just stating the facts.”
“Well, I’m sorry but I can’t be involved with anyone who has a problem with my friends.”
With that she turned on her heel and went to sit back down with the others, leaving Amos stunned.
“So then, Diggory storms out of the pub,” Shane said laughing. “But don’t worry Arthur, I charmed the parchment to follow him around all day “ I think it was still floating behind him when I saw him in the Entrance Hall when we got back.”
“Very amusing, Shane,” Molly said, rolling her eyes.
“I don’t know why you’re acting so high and mighty, Prewett “ you’re the one who told him to shove off,” he replied, grinning madly.
“I did not tell him to shove off “ I merely stated that I could not be involved with him if he wanted to insult the morons I’m friends with...” she said sardonically.
“So sweet you are, Prewett,” Shane said.
“Well, I’m off to bed “ must get my beauty sleep,” Maeve announced.
“You don’t need any, gorgeous,” Shane said winking.
Maeve bent down and kissed Shane softly on the lips.
“Night, sweetheart,” Shane said as Maeve left for bed.
“Well, well “ when did this come about?” asked Sturgis.
“My, whatever do you mean, Podmore?” he said, tossing his long hair. Molly resisted the urge to grimace.
“You and Maeve...”
“Eh, it’s been going on for a while. It’s not really official...”
Sturgis and Alastor looked at Molly.
“Did you know about this, Molly?” growled Alastor.
“Of course,” Molly said nonchalantly. When Maeve wasn’t trying to sort out Molly’s pathetic excuse for a love life, Shane was the only thing she ever talked about.
“So, enough about me “ what about you, Prewett? Now that you’ve seen things our way and dropped Diggory, what’s next for our rosy-cheeked perfect prefect?”
“Why are you so interested?”
“Why am I so interested in whom you’re interested in? Might I ask why you are so interested in why I’m interested in whom you’re interested in?”
Molly shook her head exasperatedly.
“You’re certainly something, Shane Casey. What that is, I do not know...”
Shane then turned to Sturgis and Alastor.
“I was thinking about going to the kitchens to stock up on snacks “ do you fellas want to assist me?” he said. Molly could swear she saw him send them a wink.
“Sure,” growled Moody, smiling. The three of them got up and strolled out through the portrait hole as though they had just accomplished something truly genius. Molly and Arthur were left alone.
“So...” Arthur said. “Sorry things didn’t work out with you and Amos.”
“Don’t be,” she said. “Anyway...how come you didn’t want to come in to Hogsmeade?”
“Ah...I had to finish my essay for Binns,” he said.
“You told me you finished that last night,” Molly said.
“Did I?” Arthur asked nervously.
“Yes “ I distinctly remember you comparing the goblin rebellions to something you read in a Muggle history book...” she replied.
“You remembered that?” he looked a little pleased with himself.
“Yes...”
“Well “ I...ah...wanted to edit it a bit.” he said.
“Why today? It’s Friday “ we don’t have History until Tuesday. It’s not like we get to go to Hogsmeade every week...” Molly said.
“I just didn’t feel like going, is all,” he said, smiling weakly at her.
Molly was thinking of what to say next, but before she got a chance to speak, Arthur said good night and rushed upstairs. Seconds later, Shane, Sturgis, and Alastor entered the common room with stupid grins, their robes bulging “ with what, Molly did not want to know. Their smiles faded when they spotted Molly sitting alone.
“Where’s Arthur?” Shane asked.
“He went upstairs,” Molly responded quietly.
“What in the name of Merlin...we give him the perfect oppurtunity...” she heard Shane mutter as he went upstairs after Arthur.
Molly said good night to Alastor and Sturgis and went to bed herself. She laid down in her bed “ which was next to Maeve’s and stared quietly at the ceiling, wondering why Arthur didn’t want to tell her his real reason for not wanting to go to Hogsmeade.
“Talked to Amos at dinner...” Maeve whispered suddenly. Molly jumped. Maeve was kneeling next to her bed, her head rested on Molly’s second pillow.
“For goodness sake, Maeve! Don’t do that!” she scolded.
“Oh, calm down!” Maeve replied, climbing onto the bed. “Anyway...Amos said that you mentioned Arthur at least five times while the two of you were out.”
“He came up quite a bit...”
“Uh-huh...” Maeve said disbelievingly.
“What?”
“You like him don’t you?”
“Arthur?”
“No. Professor Dumbledore,” Maeve said, rolling her eyes. “Yes, Arthur!”
“Of course not,” said Molly.
“You know “ it’s alright if you like him, Molly...”
“I thought it wasn’t allowed?” asked Molly scathingly.
“If you were feeling sorry for him, yes. But if you are genuinely developing feelings for him, then I’m happy for you. He’s really sweet, he’d treat you well “ and he’s clearly in love with you...”
“He is not in love with me, I do not have feelings for him “ that is that. Good night!”
“Whatever,” Maeve said, as she climbed back into her own bed. “You’ll see in time.”
Molly hated it when Maeve acted as though she knew she was right.
But she usually is, she thought, biting her lip.