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Author: Grandma Kate Story: The Early Years Rating: Everyone Setting: Pre-OotP Status: Completed Reviews: 12 Words: 16,838
The Harry Potter Universe belongs to J. K. Rowling. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while. This is for pleasure only, no profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended. Molly eased herself out of bed and padded softly to the loo. Arthur deserved a bit of a lie-in this Saturday morning. Ronnie's first birthday party was a lunch so there was nothing for him to help with in the early morning. On her way down to cook breakfast, Molly was pleased to find the birthday boy still in his cot having a cuddle with his teddy bear. "Happy Birthday, dear little Ronnie. Would you like to help me make breakfast?" she asked. Ronnie nodded vigorously and held his arms up. "Wonnie hep Mum." Molly took a clean nappie off the stack on the dresser and changed Ronnie. "You are getting so big. I'd better look through the clothes that are too small for the twins and find something nice enough for a party. All done. Now breakfast." "Shall we have bacon or sausages with our eggs this morning?" Ronnie immediately said, "Bae-ca, bae-ca!" Molly adjusted Ron on her hip, summoned the bacon from the cold storage and peeled the strips of bacon off as she put them in the frying pan. She twirled her wand and lit the hob under the pan. "How about some dry cereal while you are waiting for your bacon to cook?" She fastened Ron in the tall chair and pulled it up to the table, saying "Accio oat circles!" as she sprinkled a small pile in front of him. She laughed as he began to stuff them into his mouth. "Ronnie, you are such a good eater. You definitely have the Pruett appetite." Molly's years of practice made it automatic to get the kettle going as a whisk beat the eggs and milk together. She levitated some slices of bread over the flame and smiled as they browned, buttered themselves, and popped into a rack on the table. "I hear your Dad," she said as she poured the eggs into a second pan. "The boys are up and ready to eat," Arthur announced as he paused to give Molly a kiss. "And how is my birthday boy?" Arthur kissed the top of Ronnie head and sat down in his place. Charlie clumped down the stairs with Fred and George fast on his heels and they sat at the table. "Good morning, Charlie, Fred and George, where are your brothers?" Molly scooped eggs and bacon slices on each of the plates she had levitated to the cooker. "Bill is still getting dressed and Percy is almost finished with the book he is reading," answered Charlie as his plate landed on the table in front of him. Bill and Percy came into the kitchen and sat in their places around the kitchen table. "Good morning, Bill and Percy," chorused Molly and Arthur as they all started eating. Molly poured some milk into Ronnie's two-handled cup and handed him a spoon for his scrambled eggs. She put two pieces of bacon on his plate and laughed as he immediately bit an end off one. "A good start for our birthday boy. You have teeth and know how to use them." After breakfast, Molly started the dishes washing themselves as Bill and Charlie took the twins outside to chase gnomes toward them so the big brothers could toss them over the fence. "Mind that Fred and George don't tease them and get bitten again," reminded Molly with a frown. "We'll watch them," said Bill as Charlie grabbed a gnome right by the kitchen door and tossed it. Percy went back upstairs to read while Arthur scanned the front page of the Daily Prophet. "I wish the Ministry would do something about all the Death Eater attacks. They report only a fraction of them. I guess they are afraid people will panic but I'd rather be prepared than surprised." Molly nodded her agreement as she began assembling the ingredients for Ronnie's birthday cake. Arthur loosened Ronnie's chair harness and watched as he held on to chairs so he could walk around the table. Then he got down on all fours and crawled to the corner where there were blocks and little cars. His father watched as he put two long blocks end to end and pushed a car along them "Look, Molly, he is playing with Muggle toys. He knows cars go along the roadway. How did he learn that?" "He certainly is his father's son," laughed Molly as she sat and drank another cup of tea while the cake was baking. "Arthur, will you be a love and take the little table outside. Please transfigure them into a buffet table and as many chairs as you can make. I may have invited too many guests," sighed Molly. "Let's see. Professor Dumbledore and Minerva, and Alice and Frank with little Neville will need four chairs. The Potters need two more. And there are seven of us plus Ron. How many is that?" "Molly, make it easy on yourself. You've worked so hard making all the food. Just relax and enjoy the party. You know Dumbledore will make as many squishy chairs as you need. And Lily Potter is particularly good at charms. After all, she was an Unspeakable before Harry was born." "I'm done," came a voice from the oven. "Cool me and frost me." Molly levitated the cake out and left it cooling. She went to the door and told the older boys to clean up and dress in their best clothes. "I want you looking as handsome as can be at the party. Scrub up and try to comb your hair, all of you." Bill and Charlie took Fred and George up the stairs. Molly heard Bill tell Percy not to start reading again until after he was cleaned up and dressed for the party. Molly carried Ronnie up to Fred and George's room. "I need something nice for Ronnie to wear since it is his party." Molly began sorting through robes. "Ah, here are some red robes that I could change to maroon so it wouldn't clash with his hair. I wonder where these came from. They look almost brand new." "Ceddie's Mum put it in my pack," said Fred. "We fordot it was dere." said George. Molly held the robes up to Ronnie and said the modify color charm. "Maroon brings out your blue eyes," she said as she took him and Cedric Diggory's outgrown robes to his room. "We'll change you and wash the eggs off your face and you will be as handsome as Cedric ever was. Oh Merlin, I forgot, with the Diggorys we'll need three more chairs." Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were the first to Apparate into the garden and immediately competed making squishy chairs and straight back chairs for the table. They made so many that Arthur made another table. Then all three of them cast warming charms on the garden to take off the late winter chill. Alice and Frank Longbottom arrived by floo, with Frank carrying Neville. Just a few minutes later, James and Lily Potter arrived with Harry. Arthur took the men outside while Alice and Lily compared Neville and Harry. "I think Neville is more filled out than Harry, " said Lily. "And I think he is bit taller as well. They will both look small next to our birthday boy." Alice smiled. "A lot changes between seven months and a year." "Speaking of Ronnie. Here he is now," said Molly as the birthday boy backed down the stairs on all fours. "I am glad he is still cautious on the stairs." Ronnie stood up, looked at Harry and Neville sitting by their Mums' feet, smiled and said, "Heh-yo." Then he lurched two steps to reach them and sat down with the other boys. "Arthur, come quick! Ronnie took his first steps!" said Molly, excitedly. "He walked over to Harry and Neville!" Everyone who was outside came in to see the accomplishment. "Taking his first steps to join friends is a sign of one who values friendship," Dumbledore said with a twinkle. "All three of them will be in the same class at Hogwarts." "They may even be Sorted into the same house and share the same room for seven years so they might as well get acquainted early," added Professor McGonagall with a smile. "They look like mates already," said Frank to James, looking at the three boys sitting together in a little circle. "And we know all three of them will probably be Gryffindors like their fathers," said James. Lily looked at James and mused, "Neville and Harry were born only a few hours apart. I hope they will always be close." She smiled at Molly and Alice. "Three friends forever," said Molly and Alice together. "Hello, anyone here?" Amos Diggory and his son Cedric came through the door. "Ceddie and I walked over. His mum is under the weather and sends her regrets. Now where is that birthday boy?" asked Mr. Diggory. "Ronnie just took his first steps on his first birthday," said Molly proudly. Amos sighed and said, "It seems like just yesterday we were waiting for Ceddie to walk. Now we can't keep up with him." "May I go up to Percy's room?" asked Cedric. His dad nodded. "Always reading, those two. We'll call you when it is time to eat." "Oh my!" exclaimed Molly. "I better get the food on the table." She and Arthur and Bill began carrying food out to the buffet table. Charlie helped Fred and George get seated and Molly started making plates for them from the bowls of salad and vegetables and sliced cold meat with rolls. Alice and Lily went around the table next taking enough food for Neville and Harry as well as themselves. When everyone had food and something to drink, Dumbledore rose and proposed a toast to the Weasley parents and to Ronald. "Molly and Arthur have outdone themselves with this feast. May Ronald always follow the path that leads to friendship." Everyone tucked in and exclaimed over the delicious food. Ronnie looked at the flame on the one candle on his cake for a long time and made several attempts to do the blowing everyone was demonstrating. "I'll help," said Arthur and gave a mighty puff of air to make the flame go out. "Now let's have some of the delicious looking cake and open the presents." After the table was cleared, everyone put their chairs in a circle around Ronnie and his pile of presents. Fred and George helped him tear away the paper on the first few but were taken back to the circle by Bill and Charlie. Ron caught on to ripping paper very fast. He seemed to enjoy tearing the wrappings into small pieces and building with the boxes his presents came in. He didn't pay much attention to what was in the boxes. Molly took his new toys and clothes and books into the house. Alice and Lily put their sons down in the shambles so they could play with the boxes and wrapping paper, too. Harry made a little progress turning in a circle. Neville rolled where he wanted to go. Ronnie showed off his walking skills going from Percy to Charlie and then to Bill. Everyone clapped for him every time he arrived at waiting arms or landed on his rear. The women joined Molly in the kitchen and started to do dishwashing and counter cleaning charms. "James and Frank can manage their sons for a while," said Alice, putting lids on the leftover food and floating them into the cold cupboard. "Sit here with your feet up for a while, Molly. You don't want to tire yourself out in your condition." Lily took Molly over to a comfy chair as she continued charming the glasses to wash and dry themselves. "You can direct them into the proper cupboard from your chair. I think I can figure out where the silverware goes," continued Lily. Alice started scraping the plates and sending them into the soapy water. "How have you been feeling? Mary Margaret says you are not having any morning sickness. "Lucky you!" Lily commented as she put the dry knives and forks away. "I have felt wonderful all along. I am absolutely sure this one is a girl. It's so different from my prior pregnancies. I'm not nearly the whale I was with the twins or Ronnie. He weighed as much as they did together." Molly sighed. "I hope this one is a girl and an easy delivery." "Do you have a due date?" asked Alice as she magiced the mop around the floor by the sink. Molly smiled and said, "The second week of August. Her birthday is in time to start school by a couple of weeks.'" "She'll be just a year behind Neville and Harry. They might be in the same house so maybe they will be friends, or even boyfriend and girlfriend," commented Lily. "Remember what Arthur said. No matchmaking until she's born and Harry has teeth," laughed Molly. James and Frank appeared in the doorway with their sleeping sons. "I think we'd better be on our way home," said Frank. "Thanks for having us. I really enjoyed seeing Arthur's plugs," added James. Lily and Alice kissed Molly and told her not to get up. Both couples started for the fireplace to use the floo connection. Amos called Cedric down from Percy's room and they headed home with a plate for Mum. Minerva and Albus were the last to leave. They thanked the Weasleys for inviting them and Apparated away. After all their company had gone, Molly turned to Arthur and said, " Come on, dear Arthur. I think a nap is in order. The boys are either napping or playing quietly for a change. We have plenty of leftovers for dinner." "I'm always ready for a nap with the beautiful mother of my wonderful children," said Arthur with a wink. "I promise I'll be there for you when you need me, dear Mollywobbles."
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