For shake_n_shimmy
Recipient: shake_n_shimmy
Author: alphabet26
Pairing: Arthur/Molly
Flowers Or Candy
The first thing Molly noticed about him was his jumper. It was scarlet and much too big for him. That was all she knew about him at first--he was just a random red-haired boy on Platform 9 3/4, who seemed to be, like Molly, a first year heading to Hogwarts. He wasn't grasping his mother's hand or anything like that, but the sleeves of his sweater were too long, and he was clutching those in his fists rather tightly.
Molly would have been amused by that, but she had her own worries. The twins had come down with a flu of some sort and then given it to Mum, so Molly was seeing herself off to school. She was proud that she was such a big girl that Mum hadn’t called Auntie but she was a little scared, too.
So she envied this boy his jumper. It was obviously his dad’s, and having something like that on a nerve-wrecking day like this would have been comforting.
Molly was surprised, then, when the only seat she found open was with this red-haired boy and the sweater was crumpled in a ball in the corner of the compartment.
“Don’t you like your jumper?” she asked.
He blinked. “Hello, I’m Arthur.”
She winced. “Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Molly Prewett.”
“Very nice to meet you. Can I help you with your trunk?”
“Oh, thanks.” And while he was doing that, she picked up his jumper and began to fold it. “This is very nice--do you know what it’s made of?”
“I believe Aunt Muriel always said with her love.”
“I’m just learning to knit,” she explained. “I hope I can make one like this someday.” She handed it to him.
“I’m sure you’d make a nicer one. And you wouldn’t force your son to wear it in bloody August.”
“You have me there; it is a bit warm.”
“And I can’t even toss it. Aunt Muriel made it big--for me to grow into--and I have to wear it for her at Christmas.” He sighed and shoved the jumper away. “So what house do you want to be in?”
***
Molly did not see the jumper again until her fourth year.
“Hello, Molly.”
“Good morning, Arthur.”
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, very.”
“That’s good, good.”
“Is there something I can do for you, Arthur?”
“I was actually building to that.”
“Yes, I could tell.”
He handed her the old scarlet jumper. Then he handed her the sleeve.
She blinked. “Well, that’s not right. What did you do, Arthur?”
“Do you think I did it on purpose? Here’s the thing: Aunt Muriel is coming for Christmas, and I have to show her how well her gift has held up.”
“Her gift has not held up well at all,” Molly pointed out.
“That would not go over well. Do you think you can fix it?”
Molly’s infatuation with Arthur was at the stage where she had a home planned for them. The opportunity to do something so wifely for him could not be resisted. It would just be a simple spell, but if he didn’t know... She took the sweater from him. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Molly, you are a lifesaver. And I am going to be late to Care of Magical Creatures if I don’t leave now, so thank you--thank you.” He kissed her hand and took off.
Molly found she was unable to stop smiling as the day went on.
And when she gave him the jumper back the next day and he said that the next Hogsmeade weekend, they were going to spend together…
Well, Molly wasn’t ashamed to admit that she spent most of the day lost in daydreams after that.
***
The sweater again disappeared until their seventh year. Arthur asked Molly to meet him in the common room the night before Christmas break and when she got there, he had it on. It was actually a bit too small for him now, but Molly found it quite attractive.
To be honest, though, there wasn’t much about Arthur that Molly didn’t find attractive.
“You do realize that we’re not going to see each other until next year?” Arthur asked after she sat next to him.
“Well, that cheered me right up, thanks,” Molly replied, snuggling against him.
He began playing with her hair. “I wanted to give you your Christmas present now.”
She immediately sat up. “You talked me into it.” After he gave her the box, she suffered a brief crisis of conscience. “You’re not getting yours until Christmas day, though.”
“Oh, that’s all right. I just want to see your face when you get yours.”
“I’m wondering if I should be worried here.”
“You wound me, Molly. I’m not your brothers. I’m your boyfriend. Do you think I’m foolish enough to mess with the Christmas gift?”
“True.” She unwrapped it and opened it and gasped. “Arthur…”
“You like it?”
She pulled out the jumper. “Oh, did your Aunt Muriel make this?”
“This is actually from my mother.”
“Your mother made this for me?”
“Yes, yes, she did.”
If there had been any doubt in Molly’s mind that she was going to marry the boy, it vanished then and there.
***
“Arthur, I need you to take Bill. He’s spit up on his jumper.” Molly thrust their one-year-old in his hands and went back to the kitchen.
“Oh, you just want Mummy’s attention, don’t you?” Arthur said, making his way to Bill’s room. “But let me tell you, son, your mother has thing with jumpers. That’s the first thing she ever said to me, something about this jumper I had that belonged in the dustbin.”
Bill giggled.
“I know. And then, I had to play dumb about repairing it, and--I can’t say for sure of course--but I think it was just because of a jumper that she ever agreed to marry me.” Arthur sighed. “But like I was saying, your mother’s thing is sweaters. Most women like flowers or candy. I’d suggest trying those first.”
Author: alphabet26
Pairing: Arthur/Molly
Flowers Or Candy
The first thing Molly noticed about him was his jumper. It was scarlet and much too big for him. That was all she knew about him at first--he was just a random red-haired boy on Platform 9 3/4, who seemed to be, like Molly, a first year heading to Hogwarts. He wasn't grasping his mother's hand or anything like that, but the sleeves of his sweater were too long, and he was clutching those in his fists rather tightly.
Molly would have been amused by that, but she had her own worries. The twins had come down with a flu of some sort and then given it to Mum, so Molly was seeing herself off to school. She was proud that she was such a big girl that Mum hadn’t called Auntie but she was a little scared, too.
So she envied this boy his jumper. It was obviously his dad’s, and having something like that on a nerve-wrecking day like this would have been comforting.
Molly was surprised, then, when the only seat she found open was with this red-haired boy and the sweater was crumpled in a ball in the corner of the compartment.
“Don’t you like your jumper?” she asked.
He blinked. “Hello, I’m Arthur.”
She winced. “Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Molly Prewett.”
“Very nice to meet you. Can I help you with your trunk?”
“Oh, thanks.” And while he was doing that, she picked up his jumper and began to fold it. “This is very nice--do you know what it’s made of?”
“I believe Aunt Muriel always said with her love.”
“I’m just learning to knit,” she explained. “I hope I can make one like this someday.” She handed it to him.
“I’m sure you’d make a nicer one. And you wouldn’t force your son to wear it in bloody August.”
“You have me there; it is a bit warm.”
“And I can’t even toss it. Aunt Muriel made it big--for me to grow into--and I have to wear it for her at Christmas.” He sighed and shoved the jumper away. “So what house do you want to be in?”
***
Molly did not see the jumper again until her fourth year.
“Hello, Molly.”
“Good morning, Arthur.”
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, very.”
“That’s good, good.”
“Is there something I can do for you, Arthur?”
“I was actually building to that.”
“Yes, I could tell.”
He handed her the old scarlet jumper. Then he handed her the sleeve.
She blinked. “Well, that’s not right. What did you do, Arthur?”
“Do you think I did it on purpose? Here’s the thing: Aunt Muriel is coming for Christmas, and I have to show her how well her gift has held up.”
“Her gift has not held up well at all,” Molly pointed out.
“That would not go over well. Do you think you can fix it?”
Molly’s infatuation with Arthur was at the stage where she had a home planned for them. The opportunity to do something so wifely for him could not be resisted. It would just be a simple spell, but if he didn’t know... She took the sweater from him. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Molly, you are a lifesaver. And I am going to be late to Care of Magical Creatures if I don’t leave now, so thank you--thank you.” He kissed her hand and took off.
Molly found she was unable to stop smiling as the day went on.
And when she gave him the jumper back the next day and he said that the next Hogsmeade weekend, they were going to spend together…
Well, Molly wasn’t ashamed to admit that she spent most of the day lost in daydreams after that.
***
The sweater again disappeared until their seventh year. Arthur asked Molly to meet him in the common room the night before Christmas break and when she got there, he had it on. It was actually a bit too small for him now, but Molly found it quite attractive.
To be honest, though, there wasn’t much about Arthur that Molly didn’t find attractive.
“You do realize that we’re not going to see each other until next year?” Arthur asked after she sat next to him.
“Well, that cheered me right up, thanks,” Molly replied, snuggling against him.
He began playing with her hair. “I wanted to give you your Christmas present now.”
She immediately sat up. “You talked me into it.” After he gave her the box, she suffered a brief crisis of conscience. “You’re not getting yours until Christmas day, though.”
“Oh, that’s all right. I just want to see your face when you get yours.”
“I’m wondering if I should be worried here.”
“You wound me, Molly. I’m not your brothers. I’m your boyfriend. Do you think I’m foolish enough to mess with the Christmas gift?”
“True.” She unwrapped it and opened it and gasped. “Arthur…”
“You like it?”
She pulled out the jumper. “Oh, did your Aunt Muriel make this?”
“This is actually from my mother.”
“Your mother made this for me?”
“Yes, yes, she did.”
If there had been any doubt in Molly’s mind that she was going to marry the boy, it vanished then and there.
***
“Arthur, I need you to take Bill. He’s spit up on his jumper.” Molly thrust their one-year-old in his hands and went back to the kitchen.
“Oh, you just want Mummy’s attention, don’t you?” Arthur said, making his way to Bill’s room. “But let me tell you, son, your mother has thing with jumpers. That’s the first thing she ever said to me, something about this jumper I had that belonged in the dustbin.”
Bill giggled.
“I know. And then, I had to play dumb about repairing it, and--I can’t say for sure of course--but I think it was just because of a jumper that she ever agreed to marry me.” Arthur sighed. “But like I was saying, your mother’s thing is sweaters. Most women like flowers or candy. I’d suggest trying those first.”