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Chapter 6: Are You a Gryffindor?
“If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell Shane?” Molly asked Maeve as the two of them got to their dormitory that night. She felt as though she were going to burst if she didn’t tell someone about what she had heard in the library.
“Gossip?” Maeve asked eagerly.
“No, not really…” Molly said.
“Oh… too bad “ well what is it?” Maeve asked.
“Promise.”
“Wow “ must be big…” Maeve said, eager again.
Molly looked at her pleadingly.
“Okay, I promise… now spill!”
“I overheard Shane and Arthur in the library today…” Molly said hesitantly.
“And…”
“…and you were right. Arthur does… have feelings for me.”
“Oh, well I know that!” Maeve said, sounding disappointed, but she quickly brightened up again. “But now you know…so now that it’s out in the open…”
“’Now that it’s out in the open’, what?”
“I don’t know. It’s just better.”
Molly bit her lip.
“I don’t think so. I tried to get him to tell me, when we were going to dinner… and he didn’t.” Molly said.
“So you want him to tell you?” Maeve said, grinning. “Does that mean “”
“No! Well… maybe. I don’t know…”
Maeve watched her friend for a moment, then let out a long sigh as she climbed into bed.
“Don’t worry Molly “ if we want Arthur to declare his love for you “”
“Maeve!”
“- we’ll just have to try harder next time. Good night!”
The next evening, Arthur and Molly had been called for patrol duty. Molly would have two hours alone with him, and she wasn’t sure if this was a good or a bad thing. He spent the entire times rambling on about something he learned about in Muggle Studies called ‘ekeltricity’, and completely avoided looking at Molly’s face.
“…they use it power loads of different things, but they haven’t quite perfected its use yet. It’s predicted that within the next few decades it will be the center of almost all Muggle devices, and it will be available more readily and for less cost…”
“So they have to pay for ekeltricity?” Molly asked.
“Yeah. It’s quite “”
“Mad?” Molly finished for him.
Arthur looked up at her surprised. She smiled sweetly at him, and he blushed furiously and looked back at his feet. Molly sighed. Then she saw two young students walking down the hall “ a blonde haired girl, accompanied by a boy with even blonder hair.
“Excuse me,” Molly said. “Only fifth years and above are allowed to be in the corridor’s until nine.”
“What are you going to do, give us detention?” the boy sneered in a slow drawling voice. The girl gave a high-pitched shriek of laughter.
“Yes, I think we will…” Molly said, looking down at the two of them. “Arthur, two nights should do it don’t you think “ for breaking the rules and for their cheek…”
“Sounds about right, Molly…and it appears the two of you are in Slytherin, so I suppose we’ll be reporting this to Professor Phinellus?”
“Arthur?” the boy said, smirking. “Wouldn’t be Arthur Weasley, would it? Of course, I shouldn’t have to ask…” he added, looking Arthur up and down, his lip curled.
Arthur, to Molly’s surprise, didn’t look even slightly abashed.
“And you would be?” he asked politely.
“Lucius Malfoy,” the boy replied.
“What year are you in, Lucius?” Molly asked.
“What’s it to you?” the boy replied rudely.
“I’m a school prefect, and you are a student who has broken the rules. I asked you a simple question, and I would appreciate it if you answered.” Molly said, shooting him a threatening look.
“Second year…” the boy said lazily, still sneering at the two of them. The girl he was with laughed again.
“The two of you should learn to obey the rules…” Arthur said sternly.
“And learn some manners while you’re at it…” Molly added coldly.
“What are the two of you doing out still?” a voice called from the end of the hall. Molly saw the girl roll her eyes as she sighed.
“Oh, hi Andromeda…” Molly said brightly.
“Have my sister and her little boyfriend been bothering you, Molly? Arthur?” Andromeda said as she approached the four of them; she was tall with long black hair, and stunning gray eyes. She had a small badge with the letters “HG” engraved on it, pinned onto her gold and scarlet tie.
Lucius and the girl leaped about a foot apart from one another.
“He’s not my boyfriend!” the girl shrieked, pouting at Andromeda.
“Whatever “ both of you go back to your common room, now!” Andromeda said.
“And why should we listen to you?” the girl scowled.
“Hmm… maybe because I’m your older sister and Head Girl at this school, Narcissa…”
“Fine!” Narcissa said, and she and Lucius left.
“Sorry about that “ my sister can be a right little snot,” Andromeda laughed as the two young Slytherins turned the corner. “Hope they didn’t give the two of much trouble…”
“No, it was alright…” Molly said. “They were a bit rude, though…”
Arthur was quiet, not looking quite directly at Andromeda.
“They don’t think they have to listen to anyone…” Andromeda said, flipping her long black hair over her shoulder. Arthur watched it fall, looking somewhat mesmerized, his ears pink. Molly scowled. “Well, I was just coming to relieve you of your duties, so you can go back to Gryffindor tower.”
“Alright, thanks Andromeda,” Molly said quickly, dragging Arthur away.
“So, what was I saying before we were interrupted?” Arthur said absent-mindedly.
“Something about ekeltricity…” Molly said.
“Oh, yeah…”
“Do you like Andromeda?” Molly asked quickly.
“Oh, of course “ she’s really nice…”
“No, I mean do you like her?”
“What, no!” Arthur replied.
“I mean it would be understandable if you did. She’s beautiful, and funny “ head girl…”
“No, Molly “ I don’t like her,” Arthur said firmly. “Actually… I kind of.. .well, there’s already another girl I’ve set my sights on…”
He looked up at her tentatively.
“Oh “ really… who?” Molly asked casually.
“Well, I’d prefer not to say “ but Andromeda’s nothing compared to this girl,” Arthur said, blushing now. “She’s so pretty. I love her eyes, especially. And she’s so smart, and witty. And she really cares about her friends. She’s ethical, likes to follow the rules, of course. She’s really sweet, and she’s compassionate. She doesn’t like for people to treat others badly “ unless it’s for a reason she considers worthy,” Arthur added, laughing.
Molly blushed and smiled.
“She sounds really wonderful,” she said quietly. “So… how come you haven’t told her how you feel?”
“I think about it all the time,” Arthur replied shyly. “But… I don’t think she feels the same…”
“You never know,” Molly said.
“That’s what Shane told me,” Arthur replied. “But, personally I can’t see why she’d ever like me… I’m clumsy, and people think I’m odd…”
“And you’re smart, and loving, and passionate, and you have good morals, and you’re not influenced by what others think of you, you don’t follow the crowd… I could see a lot of reasons why someone would want to be with you, Arthur.”
“Thanks,” Arthur said, blushing furiously. “But I don’t know “ I’m still scared…”
“Well, are you a Gryffindor or not?” Molly said.
Arthur looked at her hesitantly.
“I’ll think about it,” he said after a few moments.
“Okay,” Molly said.
They reached the common room and Arthur said good night and went upstairs. Molly took a seat in an armchair and let out a deep sigh.
Yes, she thought, I can definitely see a lot of reasons why a girl would want to be with Arthur Weasley.