𝐿𝑎𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑒

Ladder of Life

⚠️ tw: slight mention of self-harm ⚠️

...

The sun showed no mercy as the rays beat down on their backs. Not a cloud showed itself in the sky as the two women degnomed the garden. The pesky little things seemed to outrun their patience as it didn't take very long for them to leave the garden for the Weasley kitchen.

The Weasley men had left the house to give Molly and Lily a break from all the chaos that seemed to follow the five children. Arthur had accepted the challenge with open arms as Bill and Charlie knew how to behave—it was just the matter if they wanted to.

The break from the children gave the girls breathing room for the day. It was something Molly hadn't had in years as she was a stay at home mother, something she loved being, but it could get tiring after a while. She planned on just talking, maybe gossiping with Lily and acting like a normal woman would her age.

"So, Charlie tells me you've got a boyfriend?" Molly asked as they sat down inside.

Lily chuckled at the question as she had been awaiting it ever since she had told Charlie about James. It wasn't that she thought that the young boy had a loudmouth, but kids told their parents everything without a filter and Molly had the right to be curious.

"Oh. James, James Potter! He's wonderful," Lily gushed somewhat dreamily.

"I've met him a few times before as I know his mother. That does sound quite wonderful," Molly smiled back at Lily.

"When did you meet Arthur?"

A topic that Molly could talk about nonstop was Arthur. She was so in love that it was unreal. It was the kind of love that you read about in fairytales, stuff you could never imagine for yourself.

"I met Arthur at Hogwarts actually. We started dating in our sixth-year. My brothers absolutely hated him for it," Molly laughed recalling the memory.

"That sounds a bit like my friend Marlene. She has a few brothers—all older—and they've always been overprotective."

"As much as it can be annoying sometimes, it's just how they show love and I wouldn't change a thing."

"I'm sure Marlene wouldn't either."

...

It ha happened so quickly. James had scored almost every five minutes, completely demolishing anyone else's hopes that the Gryffindor team wouldn't get the Quidditch Cup. Annie had intercepted every pass that came her way, while Thomas darted around the pitch nearly body-slamming their opponents.

Craig was quite sad that Hufflepuff had been beaten so badly—just as Regulus had predicted—but he was happy for his friends. Merlin knows they needed all the happiness they could get.

People swarmed the pitch as Alyssa caught the snitch firmly in her hand, solidifying a Gryffindor win. Minnie had to fight her way to James, who just so happened to be in the center of it all, to give him the trophy.

James wasn't completely occupied by the feelings of euphoria since he was distracted by Lily's situation constantly these days. It was difficult to know when he was actually present in the room he occupied or if he was daydreaming. Although, he was overwhelmed by the number of people around them.

He shook an enormous amount of hands and was praised by a high amount of people before he was able to retreat to the locker rooms with Sirius. It was always nice to get out of the sweaty quidditch uniforms after long quidditch matches.

Sirius could sense that James had been feeling down for a while now, which was completely understandable in his eyes. He wasn't sure what he would do without seeing Marlene all the time. So, just when he was about to ask him gently how he really was, James did the talking.