Gryffindor Table [FREE ROLE PLAY AREA]

[Lily Evans]

Areas marked FREE ROLE PLAY AREA are open for any character to join at any time.

[Molly Prewett]

Molly struts into the Great Hall for breakfast on the first day of classes. She pauses just in the doorway, looking around with a gigantic smile: it's good to be back. There is a big gap at the Gryffindor table and she makes her way over to it. It's not until she has taken a seat alone that she realises what she's done. Traditionally, the four Prewetts would have breakfast together on the first day back. This year, though, it is with a sad pang that Molly realises she is alone. Gideon has gone off to travel the world and settle into Auror training, and Fabian and Alice had decided it was easier to stay at their family holiday home in Nice, France. They had both gone to Beauxbatons to begin the year, although Molly is certain they will make their way back to Hogwarts, and her, sometime. Tossing her hair over her shoulder and straightening her back as if it doesn't bother her in the least that she is all alone, Molly pours herself juice and coffee and begins to butter some toast.

[Arthur Weasley]

Arthur enters the Great Hall, his brother Ron by his side. He looks around, searching for one person in particular. When he sees his girlfriend, his face lights up; while he had the opportunity to see Molly several times during the summer, it wasn't nearly enough for him. At the sight of Molly, Ron pats his brother on the back and goes to sit with some of his friends at the other end of the table. Taking a deep breath, Arthur walks toward Molly. He gently taps her on the back. "Is the seat next to you available?" he asks shyly.

[Molly Prewett]

Molly, who has been distracting herself from thoughts of her absent family and how much ink she is going to go through writing them all a million letters -or maybe she should just send Howlers without the shouting because she's far more capable of speaking than writing- by cutting her toast into stars, does not notice Arthur's approach. He taps her on the back and she turns, a smile lighting up her face. "Not anymore, it's all yours," she says, making sure her book bag is out of the way so Arthur can sit next to her. She looks along the table, spotting Ron with his friends, and waves to him. "How was the end of your summer?" she asks Arthur, because it feels like forever since she's seen him; the impending separation from her siblings had Molly spending the last couple of weeks of the holidays practically glued to them.

[Arthur Weasley]

"Very good," Arthur says happily, sitting down next to Molly. He piles his plate with sausages and bacon. "Though it would have been better if you there though. But I finished the clock! I made two prototypes. I already set up the one for my parents; it works perfectly, though occasionally it'll get confused when a person is travelling. I think I need to add a spot for that. But I can make for you and your siblings. I just need your parents' hair because it uses the essence from your parents to track the entire family," Arthur babbles excitedly, for the clock is his first real gift to Molly and he is really excited about it.

[Molly Prewett]

"I missed you too," Molly says with a little smile, and drinks her coffee. She tilts her head to the side, considering, as he beings to talk excitedly about the clocks. What he had shown her over the summer was beautiful, and clever, and really amazing in ways she can barely even understand and she loves hearing about them. "Oh cool. Yeah that should be no problem. I'll just write home and tell Mum and Dad I need a sample of their hair for, like, a potions assignment or something and they won't even care. It's really clever that you can just use theirs and don't need the whole family, though!"

[Arthur Weasley]

"Yeah. It's because the essence of the parents lives in their children, you know. It's like your parents' love powers the clock. It's really beautiful," Arthur says happily. He likes the beauty of the clock working on love; it was a labour of love for a girl he loves very much, though he doesn't really quite how much yet. "I showed it to Professor Flitwick last night; he really liked it and suggested I patent it and sell them. I don't think I want to though. I like the idea of it being something I share only with special people."

[Molly Prewett]

"Oh wow, that's so beautiful, you know?" Molly says, and she nods enthusiastically along with Arthur. "You're totally right. I mean, I bet heaps and heaps of people would pay to have something like that, but it makes it even more great when it's just something that you do for the love of it and you get to choose who you share it with. Besides, have you ever noticed that when you have something you love to do, you do it because you want to, but then if you have to do it for whatever reason, you don't really want to do it anymore?"

[Arthur Weasley]

"Makes sense in a way," Arthur says. "I'd hate it if some family who hated each other had a clock like this." For example, the idea of the Malfoy family owning one made him sick. "Besides, I want to work on other inventions, not make the same one over and over again." He takes a large bite from a slice of bacon. "I don't know what I should work on next though. Maybe I'll just focus on my school work for a while." Arthur cringes at the idea of this; yes, he wanted to do well on his NEWTs, but he never really enjoyed schoolwork.

[Molly Prewett]

"Well yeah, you wouldn't want to get bored of it, not after you loved it so much. That would suck," Molly agrees. She pulls a little face when Arthur mentions school work. It is her mortal enemy. Molly is still convinced that genetics will prevail, and she will succeed without having to study herself into premature wrinkling. She figures as long as she gets her assignments done and pays attention in class, she'll be fine. "Oh, right. Classes. Whatever," she shrugs, and smiles winningly up at Professor McGonagall, who has chosen that moment to come around to settle their class schedules. She rattles off her choices without a second thought; anything she will need for healing, and nothing she won't. So long, History of Magic, you won't be missed!

[Arthur Weasley]

Arthur accepts his schedule from Professor McGonagall. He's taking all the classes that would help him get into the Ministry's Muggle Liason Department after this year. So Charms, Defense against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Muggle Studies, and Ancient Runes. "But Transfiguration is always important; I never miss a class or assignment," he says with a winning Weasley smile. By her face expression, she doesn't buy his bullshit.

[Molly Prewett]

"Right," Molly agrees, her smile never faltering. "Would never get anywhere in life without Transfiguration. Good thing we have, like, the best teacher ever for that," she says sweetly, the Prewett charm turned up to full force. To McGonagall, Molly looks exceptionally like her brothers right now, and it's only the absence of the cheeky wink that stops her asking if Gideon and Molly are putting some kind of body-switching prank. She shakes her head, her mouth pressed into a thin, tight little line to hide a smile, and moves on, all the while wondering what kind of hell would be unleashed on Hogwarts if that Prewett and Weasley charm and attitude was to procreate.

[Arthur Weasley]

The results would be Fred and George Weasley, a hell previously unknown to Hogwarts. Arthur laughes as McGonagall moves away from them. "Well, it's good to know that she hasn't changed a bit," Arthur says. "She is a good teacher, even if she doesn't appreciate a good sense of humor at times." Arthur can't see Professor McGonagall at the moment, but imagines that she is rolling her eyes. "One more year. It's pretty weird to think that I have only more years of McGonagall's class."

[Molly Prewett]

And McGonagall will rue the damned day she tempted fate by wondering that. Mmhmm. Molly giggles along with Arthur. "I know, right? I think she's one of those people who was, like, born a fully-made person, you know what I mean? She must just have always been so good at things, is all." She eats her now-cold because she talks too much toast in silence for a few minutes. "It's so weird to think that this is it. We'll never have another first day of school, and get schedules, or have to run to the Hogwarts Express... I can't even imagine it!"

[Arthur Weasley]

"I know," Arthur says. "It's so scary. I hope I get a job and find a good apartment and all those other important things. I'm not ready for that yet." He nervously fumbles with his sausage, sending it flying to the floor. "I'm not going to think about that. Just going to focus on all the wonderful things that are going to happen this year."

[Molly Prewett]

Molly picks Arthur's sausage up and wraps it in a napkin, leaving it on the table for the House Elves to clean up. "Yeah, it's all so, I don't know, big," she says, a little frown line appearing between her eyes. "It's totally easier not to think about it. I mean, we've got a whole year to get through first, right? So no sense worrying about anything before we look at what's right in front of us!" she chirps, forcing happiness back into her voice.

[Arthur Weasley]

Arthur nods in agreement and blushes as Molly picks up his fallen sausage. "I hope Gryffindor wins the Quidditch Cup this year; I hate it when we lose. And I want to win the house cup too," Arthur says, for every Gryffindor wants those two things to happen. "We better get a good team together this year." While a big Quidditch fan, Arthur is an even bigger fan of kicking Slytherin's arse in every way imaginable.

[Molly Prewett]

Well, Molly couldn't just leave Arthur's sausage lying around, could she? He might have gotten in trouble. "It would be really cool to go out on top," she agrees, tossing her hair over her shoulder and giggling at the thought. "I don't know, I still probably won't go to many games. I only went to the Gryff ones last year because my brother was playing, but if there's a big final or whatever, I'll come along," she admits. Molly doesn't like Quidditch, really, and while her love for Gideon was enough to get her bundled up and crammed into the cold stands while everybody hollers at the top of their lungs around her, her house pride doesn't have quite the same strength. She already knows Gryffindor is the best house no matter what, anyway.

[Arthur Weasley]

"I can understand not enjoying weather, but I don't think I could ever miss a match. They're lots of fun if you like that sort of thing," he says, his fantasties of cuddling up in a blanket and watching a match with Molly crushed. Arthur goes to every Quidditch match Gryffindor plays in; it's his way of showing his Gryffindor pride. But beyond that, Arthur doesn't care too much, for he wasn't particularly invested in the other houses' performances. Besides, he couldn't follow along with all the complex math that went into determining the Quidditch Cup winner.

[Molly Prewett]

Well, Molly will come to at least one game, it's likely. She shrugs lightly. "I don't know, it's all a bit whatever to me. I don't really follow sports, I'm more of an indoor girl. But I will totally be there if it's a big one - the castle would get boring if the rest of the school was outside watching, anyway. I just have to make sure I get a good spot." It's tough being so short that you can't really always see what's going on.

[Arthur Weasley]

Arthur can't sympathize with being short; he's fairly tall and tends to hit the tops of chandeliers. "I'll make sure I save one for you," Arthur says with a smile. The seat would be next to him, of course. "I can't wait for the first Hogsmeade weekend though," Arthur says excitedly, changing the subject to something he figures Molly would enjoy.

[Molly Prewett]

"Thanks," Molly grins, because she figures he'll be saving her one next to him, and she very much likes that idea. The mention of Hogsmeade has her perking up at once. "I know, right? I really miss Hogsmeade when it's the summer. I mean, there's always Diagon Alley, but it's so busy and stuff and everyone is there buying their school things and all the first years are underfoot all the time. I just really love Hogsmeade, and how cute and quiet and cool it is to hang out there. Have you seen the poster? When's the first weekend? I didn't see," she says, because she was distracted by Merlin only knows what and forgot to look.

[Arthur Weasley]

"I'll be sure to bring a blanket and extra mittens," Arthur says with a smile, excited about the prospect of doing anything with Molly. "I think it's around Halloween," Arthur says, because that seems like a perfectly logical time to Teresa. "I love Hogsmeade too; I always feel so happy there. We should go together." Arthur likes to think that at Halloween he and Molly would still be together; anything else seems impossible to him and he was too much in love with her to let her go like that.

[Molly Prewett]

"Well if you promise, then I'm there," Molly grins. Now that she knows there could be blanket-snuggling involved, she's far more inclined to go to one of the Quidditch matches. Her smile holds as Arthur continues to speak; she can't imagine not going to Hogsmeade with him, really. She would be a little upset if he didn't mention it to be honest. "Of course we'll go together. I wouldn't want it any other way," she says, and that awfully embarrassing side of her that grows up to like Celestina Warbeck begins daydreaming of intimate coffee dates at Madame Puddifoot's. Mya is cringing and mouthing sorry to Arthur for that.

[Arthur Weasley]

Arthur would go to Madam Puddifoot's if Molly wanted to, even if his brothers would give him hell for it later. "Honeydukes is my favorite; they haven't made anything that I wouldn't eat," he says as he takes bite of toast. "But I just love walking up and down the street with someone I love." He blushes, for it is the first time he ever said the word love to Molly. Granted, it wasn't "I love you," but in Arthur's mind it was pretty close. What if she doesn't feel that way?

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