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Homophobia
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Arthur had bid goodbye to William after finishing and paying for his tea. He made it to a far less busy place, hid, then apparated home to The Burrow. The clock's hand moving him from 'lost' to 'home'. Ginny was the first to see the clock, and the now 16 year old girl hurried to her father.
"Dad! Hurry, Harry said he had some news for us, but mum said we had to wait for you. It seems big. He said he might also invite someone over, depending on how we take the news."
Ginny lead him to the living room. She had stayed Harry's friend even after their breakup, which Arthur had to admit he was glad for. It would have been very awkward had they ended on bad terms.
The two sat down with everyone else, Ginny between Ron and George while Arthur sat next to his wife. Harry looked at everyone, clearly nervous, and Ron gave him a supportive pat on the back. Harry turned his gaze to the floor, and bit the inside of his lip, then spoke up.
"So.. I just.. felt it was time to share this with you all... you're the closest thing I've ever really had to a family, so I figured I need to. I.. I'm gay. I like men.. and" Harry took a long pause, nervous. He clenched his hands into fists, holding them tight. "I-I have a boyfriend."
Arthur just looked at Harry for a while, not processing Molly's gasp, Ginny and Ron giving Harry comforting smiles, or the twins grumbling as they handed some sickles to Bill, who they'd apparently made, and lost, a bet with.
Arthur spoke before Molly could, and gave his unofficial son a hug. "That's fine, Harry. This doesn't change anything, we still love you, you're still family. I'm proud of you for being able to admit it to us and yourself." Arthur snuck a glance at Molly, which only Harry seemed to notice as his eyes widened.
While everyone seemed carried away with Harry having said what he had, Arthur stood, took Molly's hand, and lead her out of the room and to the kitchen.
"Molly, I know how you are with these kinds of things, but.. please. He's our son just as much as Ronald or Percy or George are. This doesn't change anything. This doesn't change him. He's still the same boy who's come to us every summer to escape the life he's had to live at that 'home' of his." He looked her in the eyes, and held her hand, "I want you to know.. I would accept you the same way if you liked women and men. Bloody hell, I'd accept you even if you just liked women. Sure, we'd have to work some things out, but I'd still accept you all the same. The kids would too."
Molly gaped at him, before taking her hand away from his. "I do not like women, Arthur. I don't know what you're talking about. All the time, you go on about how you say I look at these women the same way I'd look at an attractive man. Sure, they're good looking, but that doesn't make me gay." She spat the word, not even trying to stay quiet. This was making Arthur angry, and while he loved this woman, he couldn't stand when she would act like this.
"Molly, keep your voice down. The children will hear you, and while they'd be happy to accept you if you liked your own gender, I know they sure wouldn't accept you acting like this. I know I don't. If you don't shape up and get your head out of your ass, there will definitely be issues."
Arthur stood up and angrily left the kitchen, leaving Molly where she sat as he went back to the living room. She was shocked, but didn't move to rejoin her family.
Harry was the first to notice Molly's disappearance, and looked to Arthur, "is.. is Molly upset with me?"
Arthur frowned a bit, and glanced at the kitchen- before sighing and looking back towards his children.
YOU ARE READING
The Weasleys and William
FanfictionI came up with an idea for this story in the comments of another HP fic. In this story, Molly is bi with a preference for women, and has quite a case of internalized homophobia to work through. Arthur is poly and bi, with no preference. One day, whi...