Pranksters In Love

This is for you Alabaster! Happy Birthday...If it wasn't your birthday I would be waiting to post!


For the first time in more years than he could remember, Arthur woke up without his wife lying next to him. He tried to stop the shuddering sobs that over took his body but he couldn’t. Tears swam down his face and his entire body shook as he cried out his grief for his Molly. He kept expecting her to show up and yell at him for not doing something or to tell him it was time for breakfast. The house was so quiet. He couldn’t hear her screaming at the kids and threatening their daily hexes. He couldn’t hear her yelling at Ginny to get out of bed or telling the twins to leave Ron alone. He couldn’t hear her beautiful voice as she sang to herself while she made breakfast.

He wandered through the house looking for her. He saw her in the jumper that he wore, in the covers on the worn furniture. He saw her smiling face in the pictures on the fireplace mantel and in her apron still sitting on the back of a kitchen chair. He walked through the hallway and almost tripped on her house slippers. He picked them up and stared at them wondering what to do with them. He remembered when he had given them to her for Christmas several years ago and she had worn them everyday since.

He could still smell her perfume in their bedroom, and her lotions and soaps were in the bathroom just waiting for her to use them. Everywhere he looked he saw his wife and it made him feel guilty as hell. He couldn’t put aside his grief for the woman he married long enough to remember that he lost a daughter as well. His beautiful little girl who was the replica of her mother. He barely remembered that she was also gone because all he could think of was Molly. He loved her so much and the pain was tearing him apart.

A knock on the front door pulled him from his tortured thoughts. He brushed the back of his sleeve across his face and wiped his eyes and nose. He almost smiled when he thought that Molly would have crucified him for doing something like that. Pulling his hanky out of his pocket he blew his nose and then answered the door.

Standing at the door stood a short, round witch he guessed to be in her late thirties. She wore nice clothing and had long blond hair. There were laugh lines around her eyes and he could tell she was someone who found joy out of her life. She had a sad look on her face and Arthur was sure he had never seen her before. “Can I help you?” he asked.

“Are you Arthur Weasley?” she asked in a somewhat squeaky voice.

He nodded and again wondered who she was.

“I am Alabaster Thayer. I am the owner of Dragon’s and Phoenix’s. I wanted to come and personally offer you’re my condolences and my heart felt apologies for what happened to your wife and daughter in my restaurant,” she said as she stood their wringing her hands.

Arthur was dumbfounded. He knew that someone had to have owned that place, but he never gave it a second thought as to who did or that they would contact him. “Please, won’t you come in?” he wasn’t sure what the etiquette was for entertaining the person responsible for the death of one’s family.

“Thank you, Mr. Weasley. I don’t want to intrude on you and your family at a time like this. I hope that I haven’t come at a bad time?” she asked looking around the cluttered room.

“No, I was actually just wandering around the house thinking about how quiet it was,” he said sadly.

“I know that this is so awkward, but I feel so responsible,” she said bursting into tears.

Arthur was shocked. He hated it when a witch cried in front of him. He was never quite sure how to respond. “There, there, Ms. Thayer, it is Ms. isn’t it?” he asked.

She continued to cry as she shook her head. “I am sorry,” she sobbed.

Arthur patted the sobbing witch on the back. “I know that it was an accident,” he said softly.

“Oh it was!” she cried, “My oldest son was practicing a potion and he put a bit to much of hoofscale in with nightslang and it reacted and exploded. He is still at St. Mungo’s, but at least he lived! He never would have purposely hurt another!” she cried.

Arthur had already known it was a 7th year student who had created the accident. He had raised seven children of his own and knew that accidents in potion making happened constantly when children created them. “I don’t blame your son one bit, I know it was an accident,” he told her trying to appease her guilt.

“You are too kind, Mr. Weasley,” she said sniffling. “If there is anything that I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask,” she said.

“I thank you for your kinds words, Ms. Thayer. I know that this is a difficult time for you as well. I trust that your son will be alright?” he asked.

“He should be fine in a few weeks. He has burns all over his body and they have to heal the normal way, so there will be some scars, but he should be just fine! He feels so guilty. Apparently he had a bit of a crush on your daughter and he is having a hard time getting over the fact that he caused the accident that killed her.”

Arthur wasn’t sure how to respond to that comment. He knew his daughter was beautiful, but he had never thought of her in terms of a wizard having a crush on her. For her it had always been Harry. “Perhaps if I had a word with him and let him know that our family does not hold him in any way responsible?” he asked. He didn’t want a young man to carry that burden around with him for the rest of his life.

“Oh Mr. Weasley, would you? I would be ever so grateful!” she said with a smile. She was actually quite an attractive witch when she smiled. Her whole face lit up and her blue eyes sparkled.

“I would be happy to. Perhaps next week sometime?” he suggested. He needed that long just to deal with all that had happened.

“Oh that would be wonderful! Whenever is good for you will be perfect for us! Please just send an owl around when it is convenient. I again want to say how sorry I am,” she said walking back towards the door.

Arthur head the fireplace roar and knew someone was flooing in. “I will talk to you soon,” he said almost shoving her out the front door. “Good day to you, Ms. Thayer.”

The witch smiled and waved before she popped away.

“Who was that, dad?” Fred asked.

“That was Ms. Thayer,” he said.

“Ms. Thayer?”

“The owner of the restaurant where Mum and Ginny were,” he whispered.

Fred immediately felt anger rise in him. “What would she be doing here?” he demanded. “Making sure we don’t sue?”

Arthur shook his head at his hotheaded son. “No, son, she came to apologize. The accident was cause by one of her children incorrectly brewing a potion. He is in St. Mungo’s recovering. He is a 7th year at Hogwarts.”

Fred felt his anger subside. He knew only to well the accidents an incorrect potion assembly could cause. “Will he live?”

“Apparently he is quite badly burnt and he will have to heal the natural way with no magical aid. He is going to be fine though. He is feeling a tremendous amount of guilt however.”

“I can imagine,” he said thinking about now awful it must be to know that you had taken the lives of someone. Its not like it is in a war when you expect to kill or be killed.

“I offered to go and speak to him and let him know that our family does not hold him responsible.”

Fred smiled at his father. He was one of the kindest people he knew. “When you are ready, I will be happy to go with you and add my sentiments to yours,” he said.
Arthur was proud of his son. He had expected more anger and rage from him and he was happy to see that he was finally growing up. He pulled his son into a hug and said, “I am so proud of you, Fred. You make my proud to call you, son. I know that your mother would feel the same way.”

Fred felt the tears well in his eyes. “Thank you, dad. That means a lot to me,” he wiped away the tears before they could roll down his face. He knew that his mother never would have blamed this kid. She had raised enough children of her own to know that accidents happened. This one just happened to have deadly results.

“I stopped by to see if you would like to have breakfast with me. I know that you are not used to cooking for yourself and Pansy was going to go to her parent’s house to pick up a few things this morning. I had the house elves prepare a breakfast and it is ready for us,” he told his father.

“You know, I could definitely eat this morning. It will also give me a chance to see your new house. What was it called again?”

Smiling, he led his father to the fireplace. “Weeping Willow Manor.”

When they arrived at the Manor Arthur looked around in surprise. “This is a really nice home!” he said to his son.

Fred smiled proudly. “I only had to sell my second born for it,” he joked.

Arthur stared at his son in disbelief. “What?” he demanded.

Fred laughed again. “Pansy is an only child and her father was worrying about their line ending. I agreed that our second son would have the Parkinson last name. By agreeing to this Mr. Parkinson gave me the Manor.”

Arthur looked at his son in wonder. Part of him wanted to congratulate his wily son for such a bargain, but part of him felt disappointment that his grandchild wouldn’t be a Weasley. The part of him that struggled with seven children in a tiny house with no money quickly won out and he smiled at his son. “I guess it’s a win win situation for everyone.”

“Your not upset are you?” he asked his father.

“All Weasley men produce son’s. If one of my grandson’s has a different last name, it won’t make him any less of a Weasley.”

“What about cousin Damian? Didn’t he have a bunch of daughters?” Fred asked thinking of his cousin who was twice as annoying as Percy.

“Let me rephrase that, all REAL Weasley men have son’s.” father and son laughed together.

“Shall we eat?” Fred asked leading him to the dining room.

“I am famished!” he said with a smile.

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