Under the cloak of darkness, Lockhart made a mad dash for the garden shed. He hastened towards the bushes outlining the yard. His eyes peered around every corner as he hoped he wouldn't be seen approaching her house. He knew she was here somewhere.
For the last few days, he had been worried. Molly hadn’t responded to his letter. He had finally made some headway in their friendship and was looking forward to seeing her again. Over their break, he’d found that he missed her company.
There wasn't anything in his house he could possibly use as a reason to bring her back, so he’d had to lie and make something up. But after her silent response to his letter, he worried his little ruse had gone awry.
Lockhart thought he heard footsteps coming in his direction, so he hurried over to the corner of the house to take cover. As he got closer to the window, he felt himself lurch forward and fall hard towards the ground. To his surprise, he looked down to see a garden gnome standing quietly at his feet.
“Mr. Lockhart?” came a voice from the window. His dirt layered face looked up to Molly’s confused, warm-hearted smile. “I thought I heard a noise. I didn't realize you were here.”
Lockhart leapt up and brushed himself off. “Oh, it was nothing, really,” he said, trying to recover from his awkward fall. But he could see Molly’s eyes wandering to the gnome at his feet, so he slyly stepped in front of it to regain her attention. “I didn't mean to disturb you.”
“Well, there really was nothing to disturb. The older boys are at school, Ron and Ginny are at my Aunt Muriel’s for the evening, and Arthur is working late at the Ministry again. Apparently some rogue toilet seats were causing trouble in a Muggle village. He and a team of Oblivators were sent to clean up the mess.”
The idea of her husband and Ministry officials chasing after rabid toilets made Lockhart chuckle. Molly laughed with him, too.
“Speaking of messes,” he started hesitantly, “I noticed that you haven't answered my letter.”
Molly’s smile faltered. “I meant to, Mr. Lockhart-”
“Please. I asked you to call me Gilderoy.”
She paused. “I meant to, Gilderoy, but…my husband…and I-”
He could see from the way she stumbled over her words that his request has stirred up trouble. “Say no more, Molly. I have been selfish with your time. I bid you good evening.” He made a dramatic turn, whirling his cape behind him, and started in the other direction.
“Wait!” She ran towards the back porch. “What trouble are you having at the house? Maybe I can offer some hints or-”
“It's hard for me to explain,” he lied. He was afraid to turn and face her, fearing his smile might gave him away. He needed her to come with him, but somehow he had to bait her into leaving. “You would have to see it for yourself. But I don’t want to trouble you. Good night, Mrs. Weasley.” As he started up the walk again, he could hear quick footsteps coming from behind. He turned to see her standing beside him with a look of concern on her face.
“I suppose I could take a look. But a quick one – I can't be too long,” she said quickly.
“Of course, I understand.” He kept a stern expression on his face to mask the abundance of joy that leaped in his heart. Together, they Apparated to his place to assess the situation.
As they stood in the foyer of the house, he watched with amusement as Molly looked around quickly to try and find the problem. “I don’t see anything. And why is it so dark in here?”
Lumos!
With a grand wave of his wand, he showed her his surprise. The house was a spectacle of lavish paintings, lush floral printed wallpaper, and beautiful upholstered furniture. Soft pastels of all colors adorned the room.
With his smile spread as wide as his arms, he presented Molly with the newly decorated place. But as he looked at her, he could see her discomfort.
“I've never seen such elegance before. You have quite a place here,” she spoke humbly. She was careful not to look at him.
Lockhart took hold of her hand, making mental notes of its smoothness, and looked deeply into her eyes.
“My good woman, if it weren't for your hard work, this place would be in shambles.” His tone offered so much reassurance that he could see her cheeks reddening. “You are my most welcomed guest.”
He could see Molly opening up to his smile, until she eyed the clock.
“I should be going.” She pulled away from his touch and made to depart.
“But wait!” he stammered. What could he say to make her stay? “You haven't seen the whole place!”
“It’s getting late. Arthur will be coming home soon.”
“Well, late as it is, I'm sure he'll be picking up something to eat on his way home. Have you even had dinner?”
“But-”
“Come now, Molly. I won't take up too much of your time. Just stay for a moment and enjoy the fruits of your labor.”
He motioned her to the dining room where their feast awaited. He lowered his expression, trying to give a child-like demeanor to his plea. “Pretty please, with sugar.”
He saw Molly look towards the door, then hesitantly back to the dining room. “Just a moment, Mr.-”
“Gilderoy…”
She smiled playfully at him as she walked by. He seated her at the head of the table as he took his place by her side. He was about to wave his wand to start the feast when a touch of nervousness caught hold of him.
“Something wrong?” Molly asked.
Lockhart shook his head, still trying to retain a calm appearance. “Nothing. I’ll be right back.”
When he returned, he held a different wand than the one he’d had before. It was stark white – so white it seemed to sparkle as he held it in his hand.
“This was my great-grandmother’s wand, passed down to my mother and then to me. My Mum told me that Great Gran was a fairy godmother, probably one of the ones Muggles write about in their fairytales.”
Lockhart felt a little awkward talking about his family. He wasn’t used to it. But when he saw Molly listening to him intently, her eyes sharp and focused on his face, pride washed over him.
“Mum said that if I ever wanted to make a moment special, then to use Great Gran’s wand to give that special spark to the evening. And I can't think of a better reason to use it than right now.”
With a wave of Great Gran’s wand, the dishes sprang to life and paraded around the table. Celestina Warbeck crooned in the background. All the glasses and silverware performed in perfect unison as they twirled around and around on the table. Each little dish had its own routine before landing gently on a plate. By the end of the performance, Molly and Lockhart were full of food and laughter.
He had never enjoyed himself more with any other woman. It brought him immense pleasure to see someone else enjoy the luxuries he had always taken for granted. Seeing Molly’s smile made him feel like a new man. Seeing the sparkle in her eyes felt like he was seeing the whole world anew.
As he reached across to hold her hand, he found himself marveling once more at the tenderness in her grip. As hardworking as she was, her hand still felt smooth and soft to touch. A lover’s hand.
It was the greatest moment of his life.
After a few long moments, Molly turned away from the intensity of his gaze. But Lockhart, moved by the time they'd spent together, cupped Molly's chin so he could stare into her eyes again. She didn’t fight him, and kindness filled her eyes and reflected back at him.
There weren't enough words that could express how he felt that evening, so he decided to simplify his expression into the universal phrase:
“Molly, I love you.”
She stared at him for a moment, to let the words he had just said sink in. Then, she slowly turned her head away from him again, feeling a bit dizzy. Deep inside, she knew this was coming. They had spent so much time together over the past few months; she had seen him behave in front of her, always trying to please her, to make her stay longer when the day was nearly over. And tonight, he had planned this perfect dinner, worthy of the most beautiful fairytales. You had to be blind not to notice the obvious.
Had she hoped for his declaration? She bit her lower lip at the thought, resisting slightly to admit the truth. No other man than her husband had ever shown interest for her. Could she be blamed for wanting to be desired after all these years of marriage? Nevertheless, she had never wished for something more than her family life before. What was wrong with her?
“Molly?”
She looked at Gilderoy again, who was still holding her hand. She could read anxiety on his handsome face; he was pale and his lips were twitching, just like when she had asked him to fight the boggart.
“Say something, please.” It almost sounded like a supplication. She tried to smile, but pretty much failed at it.
“Gilderoy...” she began slowly. “I don’t know what to say, to be honest. Tonight felt like a dream. I never experienced something like that before...”
“Say that you share the same humble feelings than mines and I promise I’ll make your every-day life feels like a dream!”
“And I’m sure you would. I really enjoy the time we spend together, I do. I could never thank you enough for everything that you’ve done for me, but...”
“But you don’t love me...” he let out in a whisper.
This time, she managed to smile sadly. No, she didn't love him. She knew it. This wasn't love. It was longing for something more, a little excitement in her life. It was dreaming of a life without worries, a life where money would rain from the sky and wash away all her problems. It was searching for easiness. But she couldn't just give up on her life for the first charming man coming her way.
She raised her hand to his face to comfort him. He closed his eyes as her palm touched his cheek. “I have a lot of affection for you”, she responded calmly. “But we both know this is impossible. I have a husband and children that I care about very much. I couldn’t forgive myself if I’d ever hurt them. I already feel bad for hurting you right now. I’m sorry, Gilderoy, if I misled you. It wasn’t my intention.”
She delicately withdrew her hand from his face and got up. “I think I’d better leave now.”
Lockhart didn’t speak nor move. She walked away from the table and was about to turn on the spot to Disapparate when he suddenly grabbed her arm and drew her close to him.
“Molly! Please don’t go! You can’t leave me this way!” He was trembling badly. He looked so vulnerable at the moment, almost like a little child about to be abandoned by his mother. Molly felt her heart tighten in her chest. She took his hands in hers and put a soft, reassuring kiss on his lips. Then, she carefully stepped away from him and disappeared.
She reappeared in her kitchen and stood still for a moment, listening. Everything seemed quiet in the house. A quick glance at the clock indicated to her that Arthur was back from work. She found him indeed in the living room, sitting in an armchair, his gaze lost in the flames crackling in front of him. He looked up at her as she approached.
“Where have you been, Molly?” he asked, his voice betraying his worry. “I’ve been waiting for you for hours.”
“I thought you were supposed to work late,” she replied somewhat nervously.
“We managed to handle the situation quicker than we thought. So I came home right away, thinking that I could spend a nice evening with my wife.”
“Well, I can have dinner ready for you in just a moment,” she said quickly, hoping to avoid some confrontation.
But before she could leave the room, Arthur responded calmly, “You still haven’t answered my question.”
Guilt overcame her instantaneously. While she was enjoying herself in Gilderoy’s company, she didn’t think about Arthur for a single second. How could she have been so selfish? She kept her head down to evade her husband’s gaze.
“I just stepped out to visit a friend.”
“And who would that friend be at this late hour?” he asked. His tone remained steady while his eyes studied her demeanor.
She could feel the tension mounting in her chest. By the questioning in his eyes, Molly wondered if her husband had been studying Legilimency while at the Ministry. She knew she had to come clean or else she would faint from nervousness. “I went to see Gilderoy.”
“Gilderoy… Lockhart?” he asked in slow disbelief. “But I thought I asked -”
“More like you told me not to,” she said defensively, but quickly changed her tune when she saw the incredulous look he gave her. “He said he needed me!”
“And what kind of help could he need this late at night?”
The question left her stumped. She could feel herself fidgeting while searching for the truth to his question. She knew she had backed herself into a corner with this one, since Gilderoy didn’t really need her help. But could she explain that to her husband without him exploding? And more so, how much could she tell without going into details of the evening?
She was desperate not to hurt his feelings. She could see that he looked hurt enough.
“Nothing happened, Arthur. Nothing happened.” She turned away from him to avoid his reaction. She picked up a nearby duster and started to brush off some of her figurines that sat upon the mantle. She tried to carry on as if everything was normal, knowing it wasn’t. She hoped her response was sufficient enough for him, but Arthur just kept on with the issue.
His tone still remained calm, but carried a hint of skepticism in his words. “In all our years of marriage, I’ve never seen you dust without magic… or avoid my questions like the way you have tonight. I’ve never known you to sneak out –”
“I didn’t sneak!” she cried out softly.
“Fine. I’ve never known you to leave our house, without a word, at this late hour… to go off and be with a… friend.” She could hear his voice waiver, but she didn’t dare to look in his direction for fear it would implicate her further.
“You have always been able to look me in the eyes when we’ve talked about things. Yet tonight, you act as though it pains you to do so when I’m speaking to you.” Arthur gently spun her around to force her to face him. She could feel his tender grip on her arms, keeping her in place.
“I know I haven’t been home much lately, but you seem very different. And I can’t help wondering how or why. Have I been a bad husband to you, Molly? A bad father to our children? Have I failed you in some way over the years?”
“No!” Her eyes widened as the question surprised her. Why would he feel at fault when she was the one to blame?
“Each day, I get up and go to work so I can give you everything you need, to make sure you can live a decent life by my side. Maybe those efforts weren’t enough after all; maybe I should’ve done more...”
“That’s not true!” Molly cried out. “Arthur, how can you believe – “
“Then, explain to me what I’ve done wrong, because right now, I’m very lost.”
And Molly could hear it by the way his tone cracked at the end of his sentence. She could feel his heated breath against her face as he held her firmly to him. As her hand rested on his chest, she felt his heart booming fiercely from within. She still hadn’t managed to look him in the eye because she didn’t want to see his painful expression.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. You’ve always been a good husband, kind, thoughtful. Heaven blessed me when they put you on my path. I’m so sorry, Arthur. I’ve never meant to hurt you.”
“Then, tell me why you were with Lockhart tonight? What were you doing over there?”
She swallowed with difficulty, feeling tears coming to her eyes. If her husband had been using Legilimency on her then, he would see how much fun she had as another man doted on her. Arthur would see how much she soaked up all of Lockhart’s attention as he showed her such a good time. Arthur would see how Lockhart leaned into her and made her tremble as he whispered 'I love you'. And then he would see the kiss.
She knew she couldn’t tell him all those things, not without him going through the roof. It would be too much for him to handle, too much for him to comprehend. All she could manage to say was a weak “I’ve been foolish...”
The sad truth was that she didn’t know what else to say.
Arthur sighed deeply. He released his grip on Molly then slowly rubbed his eyes with his hands. Without looking at her, he said: “You may not know this, but from the moment I met you, I knew I wanted to spend my life with you. I may not be the most handsome man with the brightest smile, or a rich lord who can provide you the most beautiful gifts, but I would give my life for you if I had to. I love you, Molly, more than anything, more than anyone; but if it’s him that you want, I guess there’s nothing more I can do.”
Molly watched him get up and pass before her, too stunned to hold him back. As he reached the stairs leading to the bedrooms, she sat down on the floor and started to cry.
