Weasley Family Fallout

Chapter 25: Sacrifice

An owl pecked at the window as soon as Arthur walked in. It was no surprise. This had been a regular occurrence the past week. He put the brown paper bag and take-out container on the small, unstable kitchen table. He then let the owl in. Arthur took the letter out of its beak. After reading over the letter, he tossed it with the others on the counter.

That letter made fifteen...in the past week...from the same person...saying almost the exact. same. thing. He read them all, nonetheless, but he never replied. He wanted to avoid any further conflict, so he stayed silent. This was getting ridiculous now. Clearly, she was extremely unhappy. Arthur couldn't ignore this any longer.

The owl pecked his hand, gaining his attention. Even though the owl never got one, it waited on a reply. However, tonight Arthur jotted down On my way. He gave the bird a few more treats so maybe it would deliver the note before he got there. It took off immediately after.

Arthur took a shot of liquid courage, finishing off that bottle. No doubt, this would not be a pleasant conversation. There was no way he could face his wife completely sober, especially with what he was about to do.

Giving the owl and alcohol a head start, he quickly ate the Chinese take-out. He banished the trash, empty bottles, and dirty glasses that littered the apartment. He stuffed the stack of letters in his back pocket then apparated to the Burrow.

Arthur took a deep breath before knocking on the old, weather-beaten door. Was he really going to sacrifice his marriage for his daughter? Molly had not been showing any signs of forgiveness and if it were not for his kids, he would be entirely alone. He hadn't expected anything from anyone after the past few months. He'd prefer the kids leave him alone, but they obviously still needed him.

Suddenly, the door swung open. Ginny's face lit up.

"Dad!" she blurted, bouncing across the gap between them, nearly knocking him off balance. .

Arthur returned the tight embrace. "I take it the owl hasn't been back yet?" he chuckled with amusement. As he said that, he realized how serious her letters must have been if she was that excited to see him. Then it dawned on him how hopeless she must have felt sending those letters, never to get a reply.

"No, it hasn't. You don't know how happy I am to –"

"Ginny, get back inside," Molly said, standing in the doorway. "What are you doing here?" she directed at Arthur.

Ginny didn't move. She stuck close to her dad, the joyful mood shifting to one of hostility.

"Ginny, now," Molly ordered.

Arthur took a step in front of his daughter. "No. This involves her," he calmly intervened.

Molly took a step onto the porch and gently closed the door behind her. "How is that?" she asked, hands on hips.

"Can we not discuss this inside? Civilly," Arthur suggested.

Molly visibly tensed. Arthur got the feeling there was something inside she didn't want him to see. Conner crossed his mind. If he made his suspicions known again, he knew nothing good could come of it. The thought of Molly with him made Arthur's blood boil. He shook that absurdity out of his head. He needed to focus on the task at hand.

"Arthur, why are you here?" Molly repeated.

"I've done some thinking." Arthur crossed his arms. "I want my daughter."

Unsurprisingly, Molly denied his request without hesitation.

When Ginny began to protest, Arthur intervened again. "Ginny, perhaps you ought to go inside." He looked her in the eyes. "I will handle this. I promise."