Fatherly Feelings

Nine

Then, on a blustery November day, Arthur and Molly’s first son was born. Arthur could have sworn he had never been happier. His own parents, who had long ago come to accept his rushed marriage, were as absurdly pleased about their first grandson as Arthur was. And when he named his son William after Molly’s father, the Prewetts thawed towards him and became almost overwhelmingly friendly.

If it hadn’t been for the growing threat of You-Know-Who, everything would have been perfect. But the self-styled Dark Lord was active; people were vanishing mysteriously; some turned up dead, others were never found.

The situation at the Ministry became tense as it became clear that someone was leaking secret information to You-Know-Who. There was a wave of dismissals and re-appointing offices. Arthur rose on the career ladder, which pleased everyone, and Molly became pregnant once more. Arthur almost burst with pride and joy.

Soon after Charlie’s birth came a great shock for Arthur and his family. His brother Bryce was arrested by Aurors, tried, found guilty, and sentenced to Azkaban for life. He was accused of having supported the wizard known as the Dark Lord, and Bryce never even tried to deny it.

The whole Weasley family was deeply shocked by this, and Septimus publicly renounced his son and crossed him out of the family book. Despite these measures, the family had to endure a further investigation by Aurors. For some time, Arthur’s post at the Ministry seemed to be in danger. But they came off clean, of course. It turned out to be good for them, even, as now they were known as absolutely loyal to the Ministry. Arthur was offered a promotion.

Nevertheless Mrs Weasley senior became seriously depressed over the betrayal of her son and had to be treated at St Mungo’s. Septimus retired from public life and wrote a book. Bilius finished Hogwarts and was immediately offered a position at the Ministry. The Weasleys were known to be loyal.

Which, in a way, made the situation complicated for Arthur and his brother. They were in danger as they were openly opposing You-Know-Who. The wizard did not like people who opposed him. Bilius escaped more than one attack, until he had enough, quit the Ministry, and applied as curse-breaker to Gringotts. Arthur stayed with the Ministry, and became more and more suspicious of his co-workers each day. He never felt he could trust anybody around him entirely.

With all these things happening it is perhaps not surprising that Arthur entirely forgot about the “fatherly feelings” he’d had as a young man, even though he still kept getting letters from his protégé Coel Blotts. But Molly kept him well satisfied, and his sons were only wriggling babies whom he cuddled and sang to and played with.

It wasn’t until his oldest son Bill was five and Molly had developed an appetite for weak tea and dry toast – a sure sign she was pregnant with their third child – that Arthur felt it again: a tingle down his spine and his cock hardening at the contact with the body of a young boy.

Remembering his youth, he felt elated. His “fatherly feelings” were back, and now he could put them to the right use.