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Post by Arthur Weasley on Sept 22, 2008 21:33:50 GMT -5
Immediately after the unexpected meeting with Molly and Gideon, Arthur had sat down at his desk and penned a short, but sweet letter to Molly:
Dear Molly,
I really enjoyed our talk today in the Ministry, and I would love like to see you again. I'm not going to let the chance slip away from me this time, even if it makes me sound like a git. I hope you will do me the honor or meeting me for coffee at Madam Puddifoot's tomorrow evening at 6:00.
Yours,
Arthur
Then he had waited a little while to send it, so he could be sure that it arrived at her home by that evening.
Now it was time to meet Molly, and even though he had not received a reply from her, he felt fairly confident that she would show up. He only hoped that the incident with Andromeda and Ted hadn't caused her to change her mind.
He showed up at the tea shop in his best robes, his red hair brushed as neatly as it would allow, and sat down to wait for Molly.
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Post by Molly Prewett on Sept 22, 2008 21:59:24 GMT -5
Molly had spent the day with Andromeda. She didn't think the girl should really be alone at all, but she left to come meet with Arthur.
She wasn't sure what she expected to happen at this meeting. She thought Arthur was sweet and kind, but he was also best friends with the prick who hurt Andromeda, and it made her wonder if he was capable of the same kinds of things. She was sort of required to hate him, wasn't she?
She couldn't help that she showed up in muggle clothes. She had come directly from Andromeda's, not bothering to change.
Entering the tea shop, she spotted Arthur, and she noted how much effort he put into hi robes and his hair for her, and she felt a softened pang in her chest. "Hi Arthur," she said, coming up to the table. "I think we need to talk."
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Post by Arthur Weasley on Sept 22, 2008 22:05:48 GMT -5
Arthur broke into a shy smile. He was just so glad that she'd showed up that he didn't even really notice that she was dressed in muggle clothes or that her hair wasn't perfect. He thought she looked lovely. "Molly!" he said enthusiastically. He stood up to greet her, as was polite. "I'm really glad you could make it. Please, sit down, and I'll order us some coffee. Unless you'd prefer tea?"
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Post by Molly Prewett on Sept 22, 2008 22:14:16 GMT -5
"No, Arthur," Molly said, shaking her head. He was making this difficult. "I can't really stay long."
Even if she could overlook what Ted had done, and the fact that Arthur was friends with him, Andromeda needed her. In the best case, she could reschedule this with Arthur. In the best case.
"Did you read the paper this morning, Arthur?"
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Post by Arthur Weasley on Sept 22, 2008 22:44:55 GMT -5
Arthur nodded slowly. "Yeah... yeah, I did. That Rita Skeeter... what a nasty little piece of work that girl is." He sighed heavily. "How... how is Andromeda? Have you seen her today? Ted wanted to know if she was OK."
Ooops, he realized. He shouldn't have said Ted's name. Unconsciously, he gripped the edge of the table as if bracing for a fight.
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Post by Molly Prewett on Sept 22, 2008 22:51:06 GMT -5
Molly's frown deepened. "Ted wanted to know?" She asked. Her hands fisted, and then she forced her fingers out again.
"I have to go," she said. Her voice was quiet, but forced and obviousy controlled. "Arthur... I'm afraid this isn't going to work out. You and I, I mean."
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Post by Arthur Weasley on Sept 22, 2008 23:01:53 GMT -5
Arthur was furious with himself. Why had he mentioned Ted's name? He should have known Molly would have been angry... she didn't know the reason all this had happened. "No... wait... Molly, please. Look, forget I said that. He felt bad... but I want to know. For me. I'm worried about her. How is she? Please... don't blame me just because I'm his friend..."
He walked over to her and touched her shoulder lightly, wondering if there was anything he could say right now to keep her from leaving.
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Post by Molly Prewett on Sept 23, 2008 2:07:25 GMT -5
Molly's jaw dropped and she pulled away from him. She didn't want him touching her. She didn't want her heart broken like Andromeda's, and she didn't trust Arthur. Though, if she really thought about it, she had no real reason not to.
"You being his friend makes it worse!" She said. "You're defending him! Do you even know what he did to her!?" She was so angry she could spit. "I'm not going to tell you how she is, because neither of you deserve to know. I'm supposed to hate you, Arthur, on princple alone for being friends with him, but I came tonight anyway hoping..." Hoping what exactly? She really didn't know. She didn't want to cut him off.
"He felt bad?!" She repeated, as if just realizing he said this. "Wow. You're both a real piece of work."
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Post by Arthur Weasley on Sept 23, 2008 11:22:23 GMT -5
Arthur pulled away as if she'd struck him. This was so typical of him; things would start out well with a girl, then he'd say something stupid and ruin everything before it even started. And he'd had such high hopes for Molly... he really thought she's like him. And now, here he was, guilty by association, just for being friends with Ted. If he lost his chance with Molly just because Ted was being a git, he would have to kill him.
"I... no, look, I don't support Ted!" he protested quickly. "I told him he was being an arse... I even hit him! Cracked him one, square in the jaw. Molly... don't let their problems come between us... not that there is an 'us', not yet... but..."
Merlin, he sounded desperate.
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Post by Molly Prewett on Sept 23, 2008 11:37:39 GMT -5
Molly shook her head. "You don't support him, but you're asking me how Andi is because *he* wanted to know? Well, you know what, I will tell you how she is."
If she had stopped to think in her anger, none of the following words would have come out. But she didn't, and they did, and when she stopped to consider them, she hoped their would be no repercussions.
"She's actually doing really well, despite the humiliation from that article this morning. She's happy, even. Ted helped her see what she really wanted, and he wasn't it. In fact, she just announced this morning that she's going to marry Rabastan Lestrange."
Molly knew Andromeda hadn't meant it when she said it, but she wanted it to get back to Ted, and she wanted him to suffer.
She bit her lip, then said, in a quieter voice, "You're friends with him, Arthur. I don't know if I can trust you because of that. If you're friends with someone capable of that..."
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Post by Arthur Weasley on Sept 23, 2008 12:51:45 GMT -5
Arthur was unable to disguise his shock at hearing this. Knowing what bad shape Ted was in, Arthur couldn't quite imagine that Andromeda would be any different. The article had certainly stated that she had been a wreck throughout the Triwizard opening ceremony. Of course, the article had lied about a lot of things... but that was something that had been witnessed by a lot of people.
"R-really?" he said. "Well... that's great, then," he said, faltering. If Andromeda was doing so well, then why was Molly so mad?
"Look, Molly, I'm not responsible for what he does, and I don't condone it, OK? I'd never hurt a girl--especially not you--like that."
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Post by Molly Prewett on Sept 23, 2008 17:15:38 GMT -5
"But he's like that!" She insisted. She wasn't sure how to explain her logic, but if Ted was capable of it, then surely Arthur was too. They were friends for a reason, right? They must have similar traits.
She wanted to cry. None of this was fair, not to Andromeda, not to her... not to Arthur. "I hope Ted's miserable," she said, a little childishly. "And I hope he lost his job."
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Post by Arthur Weasley on Sept 24, 2008 18:36:11 GMT -5
"Molly, please..." Arthur said desperately. "There are things... circumstances... you don't understand. I don't agree with them, and I tried to tell him he was being a git..."
He sighed. "I'm sorry on his behalf, OK? I promise, I would never do anything like what he did... But if Andromeda is OK, then why are you so mad?"
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Post by Molly Prewett on Sept 25, 2008 7:08:58 GMT -5
"What don't I understand?" She asked dangerously. "He broke her heart. She's my best friend, she was in pain, and she needed me. And he was the cause. What else do I possibly need to understand?"
At his question, she shook her head. "I need to go. Andi still needs me. And I really need to have a talk with your friend."
Guilty by association was hardly fair, and she wanted to trust Arthur, but it was hard right now, and her loyalties were with Andi. There was no way around that.
"Don't owl, Arthur. I'll owl you."
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Post by Arthur Weasley on Sept 25, 2008 23:02:09 GMT -5
Arthur stared at her, feeling his stomach sinking into his feet. He couldn't believe Ted and Andi were the reason things with Molly were ending before they began. He'd had such hope for her... it wasn't fair.
"Molly, please..." he said helplessly. Molly wasn't entirely making sense, and he couldn't help but think that she was still upset because Andromeda was not fine... she was worse than he'd even imagined. To consider marrying Rabastan Lestrange, she'd have to be in pretty bad shape.
He had no response, not reason to ask her to stay other than the fact that the situation with Ted and Andi had nothing to do with him and Molly. But that was hardly going to convince her now. "Wait... did you say you were going to talk with Ted?"
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Post by Molly Prewett on Sept 26, 2008 1:17:10 GMT -5
"Yes," she snapped. "I'm going to talk with Ted because he's a right arse and Andi's too nice to tell him so."
She gave Arthur one long, calculating look, before she sighed. "Goodnight Arthur," she said, turning on her heel and leaving the tea shoppe. It may have been unfair, and she hated it too, but she had to leave. And the nerve of Ted to have Arthur ask how Andromeda was because he felt bad? It made her blood boil, and Ted needed a dose of the Black temper. If no one else was willing to give it to him, Molly would step up to the plate.
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Post by Arthur Weasley on Sept 27, 2008 0:31:38 GMT -5
Arthur hesitated. Molly was so angry... and even though Arthur felt it was justified, he still knew more about the situation and Ted's decision than he could let on. And something told him that Molly would defend the people she loved fiercely. Suddenly, he was a bit worried for his friend.
"Molly, wait!" he called after her. But she was already out the door. Frustrated, he hurried out of the tea shop and followed after her.
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Post by Molly Prewett on Sept 27, 2008 1:43:30 GMT -5
(I'm going to just go ahead and send her to Ted's in this thread, rather than start a new one, if that's all right with you, Arthur)
Molly was furious with everything. She was angry at Ted for hurting Andi, she was angry with Arthur for being Ted's friend, and angry with herself for blaming him.
All of this anger was about to be unleashed on one unsuspecting victim.
A few minutes after she left Arthur, when she was back in her apartment complex, she was pounding on Ted Tonks' door. Andi was two floors down, so Molly didn't think she would hear, but who knew?
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Post by Ted Tonks on Sept 27, 2008 1:45:51 GMT -5
Ted was so sick of all the visitors he had been having recently. Yes, he felt terrible about what had happened. Yes, he wanted to take it all back. No, he didn't want to get yelled at anymore.
So when he heard the pounding, he knew it wasn't a friendly neighbor, and he took his time getting to the door and opening it slowly.
"Molly," he said, tasting a smudge of alcohol on his breath. "I was expecting you. Surprised you didn't come sooner, actually."
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Post by Molly Prewett on Sept 27, 2008 1:47:25 GMT -5
Molly's jaw set when he answered the door, and she wished he never uttered her name. It sounded bitter from him, and she hated it.
"How dare you," she breathed, so angry that her voice had to be forced from her throat.
She raised a hand and slapped Ted hard across the cheek. He deserved it, and he probably needed it. She was doing him a favor.
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