The Speaker and His Wraiths

Family

Chapter 66

Good News
Molly Weasley wasn't used to having such an empty house. She'd always wanted a big family, a home with a loving husband and chaotic children, and she was one of the luckiest women in the world to have achieved that dream. But it seemed that one day her life had been full of joy and chaos and warmth, while the next it was empty and cold and lonely.

Fred and George remained at home, but they rarely really left their room. They were always developing new products for their shop or visiting Diagon Alley every other day to coordinate their business. Never had Molly ever thought her mischievous twins would become serious business owners, but it suited them well. The joy they expressed, even when Molly herself was subjected to their pranks or messes, reminded her just how precious her family was for every moment she saw it.

Of course, there was also deep melancholy at that. Molly could see the twins thriving, but none of her other children. They were divided by a war that hadn't even started yet; every day the quiet enveloping their once-warm home nagged on her conscience.

"Molly?" Arthur caught her attention.

"Yes?" She looked up as her husband joined her in the kitchen.

"I wanted to talk to you about something while the others were away." Arthur sat down with her at the dining room table. "Seeing as the twins are out, and the Order isn't meeting today, I thought this the perfect time."

"Goodness." Molly blinked in surprise, "What about?"

"About Ron and Ginny." Arthur frowned, his already wrinkled brow creasing. "I spoke with Minerva yesterday, after the meeting. The conversation has been weighing on my mind since then."

"Go on." Molly prompted. Arthur looked incredibly nervous in a way that worried her.

"Albus said Headquarters was the safest place for our children, that it would protect them, but Minerva made a very good point to me." He said, "We have Order meetings here at the Burrow, don't we?"

"Of course." Molly confirmed, "Albus trusts us to keep it secret."

"If it's safe to openly discuss our plans here, why is it not safe for our children to be here?" Arthur looked at her a little warily. "I miss having them home with us. Keeping them cooped up in that dreadful house can't be good for them, can it? They'd be better off here, and anyway Minerva said there really was no reason why they should need to stay at Grimmauld Place in the first place." Molly didn't know what to say to that.

"You're right." Molly said slowly, "... Why didn't we ever think about that before?"

She hadn't ever thought to question Albus' decision. He said Ron and Ginny had to stay at Grimmauld Place for their safety; that made perfect sense to her. But now it struck her that perhaps Albus was wrong. Her husband made really good points she hadn't ever considered, which was startling. Molly loved her husband, but occasionally he went into his head and barely noticed the things around him; suddenly she had a greater appreciation for him. Where she'd given up, it seemed he was still thinking of ways to patch up their disconnected family.

"Because we've never thought to question Albus." Arthur answered softly, "When Minerva spoke to me about it, she so casually mentioned Albus just expects us to follow his instructions even if they don't make sense. She probably didn't mean anything by it, but..."

"She's right." Molly realized, "I've never considered contradicting him."

"No one does." Her husband agreed, "He's the Headmaster, the only person You-Know-Who has ever feared. But other than that, Minerva pointed out he hasn't done much for any of us personally."