Weasley Family Fallout

Chapter 13: Taking Responsibility

Taking Responsibility

The next morning, Arthur woke up on the couch with a horrible headache. The smell of breakfast and the sound of yelling filled the house.

The previous night was quite fuzzy, as it usual. He remembered coming home late, getting in another argument with Molly, and drinking until he fell asleep on the couch. For some odd reason, he thought Charlie was there also. That didn't explain why their kids were arguing, or why Molly was not stopping it.

Arthur rubbed his face and sighed. Apparently, he would have to deal with the kids this morning.

He gathered the sleeping draught and firewhiskey from the previous night, and took a gulp of the latter before entering the kitchen.

Upon entering, he discovered which of his kids were fighting: his two youngest and his second oldest. George sat quietly, staying out of it. Harry was trying to calm Ginny down while Hermione scolded Ron as he spat out insults about their father to Ginny. Charlie was red in the face as he was in a shouting match with his sister. Arthur assumed Bill and Fleur were at Shell Cottage...Molly was nowhere to be seen.

George was the only one who noticed Arthur as he watched from the doorway.

"I'm staying here!" Ginny fiercely told her second oldest brother.

"I've told you, you are going with Mum. She said you have no say in this until you're of age, and even then, she doesn't want you near him," Charlie explained supposedly for the umpteenth time.

"And who's supposed to take care of him if we all leave? He's passed out on the couch this morning for Merlin's sake," she shot back.

"I'm staying actually," George chimed in, making eye contact with his father. Charlie didn't notice his brother's comment as he was too preoccupied with Ginny; otherwise he would have jumped on George as well. Not only did he want Ginny safe, but he didn't want any of his other siblings in contact with their father either.

"George and I are the only ones who don't want to just abandon him when he, obviously, needs his family most right now."

The topic of last night's argument came back to Arthur...Molly had left him. When she had told him she was taking Ginny, he brought up their deceased daughter and began blaming her for the failed pregnancy, even though he didn't believe a word that came out of his mouth...And he had physically hurt her again; that was where Charlie came in. As these thoughts flooded back to Arthur, he felt utterly repulsed by what he had done and how he had been treating his wife the past few days. But wait. Hadn't she been the one to start all of this? Molly had been ignoring and mistreating him first. He was pulled back to the scene in front of him as his daughter mentioned his name again.

"Doesn't Dad get a say in this?"

"No, he doesn't. It's not safe for you to stay here right now. He's chang-" Ron answered instead of Charlie this time, but was cut off.

"I know. 'He's changed! He's not the man who raised us'!" Ginny echoed her brothers' words from a few weeks ago. "That doesn't mean we just leave him."

"Ginny, if you want, I'll stay here. And I'll come see you every day," Harry offered.

"What the bloody hell, mate?" Ron shot at his best friend, appalled that he would even suggest such a thing.

"Sorry. You're my best friend, but she's my girlfriend," the raven-haired boy defended himself.

"Listen!" Charlie interrupted. "Anyone can do what they want. But, Ginny, you have to go to Muriel's with Mum."