Chasing the Chaser - Molly and Arthur

9

As soon as it was dark, Arthur Weasley and Molly Prewett stopped snogging in his Uncle Bilius's charmed Ford Anglia with the burnt out Invisibility Booster and flew the car back to its overgrown garden. Old Bilius Weasley had been out at black cat bridge league for the night so he wasn't there to notice his favourite nephew loading an armful of girl's clothing into the Make-Dry chamber in the scullery. After a cup of tea, and some tidying of Molly's hair, the pair of them stepped through the Floo hoping to sneak quietly back into school.

But that was before they knew to expect Alastor Moody.

Before the green flash of the Hogwarts Floo cleared to show who was arriving, Alastor had grabbed Arthur by the throat and rammed his back against the mantle piece.

"Where is she?" Alastor growled into his face.

With the large, meaty hand on his throat, Arthur was at a loss for words.

But Sharlene McKinnon was there too, rushing forward to call Alastor off. "No, he's okay. That's Arthur, Molly's – boyfriend."

"Exactly, the rotten Slytherin who's probably up and kidnapped her, like you said," Alastor nodded, still forcing Arthur hard against the fireplace.

Sharlene cringed. "No, the Slytherin is – her other boyfriend. This one is harmless."

Arthur gasped as Alastor unhanded him. "The Slytherin? What are you — " He shook his head. "No, Molly's safe and she's right behind me. If you'd let me move out of the Floo, she'd have got through already."

Arthur made sure to stagger out of Alastor's reach before he demanded. "Who in bloody hell is this, McKinnon?"

"An auror," she blurted. "This is Alastor Moody, an auror friend of mine who's come to help us find Molly."

"Bloody brilliant," Arthur said, rubbing his throat.

Then just as he said she would, Molly flamed into the room. He turned to take her hand but Sharlene had already grabbed at her. "Molly! You're safe!"

"Well, yes," Molly said, bewildered but returning the hug, looking wide-eyed and questioningly at Arthur over Sharlene's shoulder. At the sight of Alastor, Molly startled. He did not fail to notice, narrowing his darting eyes.

Sharlene stood back. "After they found your wand but no sign of you, I was thinking the worst. We all were. So I went to Alastor. He's less rash than your brothers would have been."

Arthur gave a scoff that turned into a cough.

"Oh, pull yourself together," Alastor growled at him. "All I did was hold you still. You would have got much worse than that if McKinnon had brought in the Prewett brothers to deal with you instead."

Arthur scoffed again. "Deal with me?"

Molly hopped between them, quieting Arthur with a hand laid on his arm. "My wand?" she asked Sharlene. "You say my wand has turned up?"

Alastor grunted. "Yes, anonymously sneaked under Professor Slughorn's door sometime during dinner hour. The wood was wet, as if it had been left outside. And from the angle of return, the perpetrator was probably right-handed."

"Shocking," Arthur muttered.

Molly elbowed him in the stomach.

"McGonagall's got the wand now," Sharlene rushed to say before Alastor could engage Arthur again.

"Thank the stars," Molly said, pushing past her.

Sharlene bobbed to block her path. "Wait a minute, Molly. How did you come to lose it in the first place? And where have you been all this time? It's not like you to be out of school without proper leave."