Chapter 8: The Shane
“I don’t know who he thinks he is, I mean “ Molly? Molly, are you even listening to me? MOLLY!”
“Oh, I’m sorry Maeve, what were you saying?”
“What happened last night? Are you going to tell me, or are you just going to continue staring dreamily at your porridge?”
“I already told you “ nothing happened! We just talked…”
“Yeah, talked…” said Maeve, rolling her eyes. “Last time Shane and I talked, we were in a broom closet…”
“MAEVE!”
“Okay “ so you really just talked? Any chance that someone may have told someone else how they felt?”
“No,” Molly sighed. “We just talked.”
“So, what “ you just really like that bowl of porridge?”
“I just had a good time, that’s all…”
“Hello ladies…” Shane’s voice came from behind them, causing them to start. “You two beauties weren’t talking about me, were you?”
“Well, not that it’s any of your business Casey, but I was trying to complain about you to Molly, but she’s not in a very ‘listening’ mood…” she said, raising her eyebrow at Molly, who was now stirring her porridge absently and watching the ceiling.
“Why so cold darling?” Shane said, grinning. “Have I upset you?”
“I don’t know “ why don’t you tell me what you were doing talking up Andromeda this morning?”
“Oh, that wasn’t for my own enjoyment…” Shane said, sitting down and putting his arm around Maeve. “I was chatting with her about Arthur…”
“Why were the two of you talking about Arthur?” asked Molly, snapping quickly out of her reverie.
“Well, she was asking about him… I have no idea why.” Shane said, furrowing his brow. “I mean, he’s two years behind her “ but she seemed interested. Ah well, to each her own…” he shrugged his shoulders and shoved a piece of toast into his mouth, swallowing it instantaneously. “And speak of the devil, here comes good old Arthur right now….”
Molly turned to see Arthur coming into the Great Hall; she quickly returned to her breakfast, acting as though she hadn’t seen him.
“Morning, Molly…” Arthur said happily.
“Oh, didn’t see you there Arthur…” Molly said. “Good morning.”
Arthur sat down, and winced slightly.
“What’s wrong?” asked Molly.
“Oh, nothing…”
“Arthur was out late last night,” Shane said. “Pringle caught him, and ‘reinforced’ his obedience for the rules…”
“What did he do to you, Arthur?” Molly asked, horrified.
“Nothing that wasn’t worth it,” Arthur said, Molly blushed.
“Well, it’s not too bad, is it?” she asked.
“Ah… I don’t know. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if I still had these marks thirty years from now…”
Shane grimaced.
“Tough luck, mate. You might want to learn to be stealthier in the future…”
“So Arthur, I heard Andromeda was asking about you…” Maeve said. Molly shot her a deadly glare.
“She was?” Arthur asked.
“Yeah,” Shane told him. "Wanted to know all about you “ course, I made you sound good. Didn’t have a lot of material to work with, but I think I performed excellently.”
“Well, thanks,” Arthur said.
“I thought you said you didn’t like her?” Molly snapped.
“And I don’t…” Arthur replied.
“So why are you thanking Shane for trying to make you sound good?”
“Well, I don’t want him to make me sound bad, do I?” Arthur said, as though he couldn’t understand what Molly’s problem was. “I mean, he wouldn’t be a very good friend…”
“Aren’t you aren’t at all curious why Andromeda was asking about you?” Molly asked, looking as though she were about to pounce on him like some kind of angry jungle cat.
“Well, she’s Head Girl, isn’t she?” Arthur said. “She probably researches younger prefects for Professor Dippet, you know “ get a good idea who’d be the best Heads for the following years.”
Molly stared at him incredulously for a moment, then threw down her fork and stomped out of the Great Hall. Arthur followed her.
“Molly, wait “ what’s wrong with you?” he asked.
“What’s wrong with me? What is wrong with you?” she said. “Honestly, how thick can you get, Arthur?”
“What are you on about?” Arthur asked her.
“Do you honestly have no clue why Andromeda would be asking Shane about you?”
“I believe I already answered that,” he said calmly, as though this would put a damper on Molly’s temper, rather than only infuriating her more.
“It’s because she likes you, Arthur! Honestly…”
“That’s a little far-fetched don’t you think?” he said.
Molly tried to respond, but found no words and just stood there with her mouth hanging open.
“Why do you care so much anyway?” Arthur asked, shrewdly suspicious.
Molly stepped backward, and crossed her arms, looking shyly at the floor.
“It’s almost as though you’re jealous…” he continued.
“Maybe I am…” she said quietly.
“Well why would you be jealous of Andromeda, but not the other girl I told you…” he trailed off. “Unless you know…”
He looked to Molly for an answer.
“Molly, do you know how I feel about you?” he asked.
She nodded slowly.
Arthur swallowed hard, his face flushed with embarrassment.
“I have to go,” he muttered sheepishly, and left.
“Arthur, wait…” Molly called after him, but he didn’t respond. She walked back into the Great Hall, feeling frustrated.
“So, what happened with our love birds?” Shane asked.
“What is wrong with you, Casey?” Molly snapped.
“Yes, what is wrong with you?” Maeve added.
“Wait, why are we ganging up on The Shane?” he asked, alarmed.
“The Shane? You’re calling yourself The Shane?” Maeve asked mockingly.
“You don’t think it will catch on?” he asked.
“No, I don’t…”
“Will the two of you focus?” Molly said.
“Sorry, Prewett. Now what have I done to upset you so?”
“You. You…you,” she muttered.
“Oh, you’re just upset with me because I’m me,” he said.
“Sounds like a good reason to me…” Maeve muttered.
“What did you have to go bring up Andromeda for “ both of you?” Molly said.
“I just thought it would help push the two of you along…” Shane said.
“Wait a second “ do you know?”
“Do I know that you know “ about Arthur?”
“You know, don’t you?”
Molly turned her glare to Maeve.
“What did you tell him?”
“Just a little,” Maeve said.
“What’s a little?” Molly hissed.
“That you know how Arthur feels…” Maeve said.
“And that you feel the same…” Shane added.
“MAEVE!”
“SHANE!”
“Alright “ can we all calm down and discuss this like we’re adults…”
“You are very far from being an adult, Casey,” Molly said scathingly.
“Molly, what happened?” asked Maeve.
“Arthur knows…” Molly sighed.
“He knows that you know?” Shane asked.
“Yes…”
“Well, why isn’t that a good thing?” Maeve asked worriedly.
“I don’t know, but he got all upset and left me standing in the Entrance Hall…”
“Maybe he just needs a bit of time…” Shane said.
“I hope so,” Molly said, thinking it would be a shame if the day she realized she wanted to spend her life with Arthur Weasley was the day she lost him forever.