Molly was woken from slumber when the new wards on her and Arthur's floo system alerted her that someone had come into their home. Sitting up in bed, she shook Arthur's shoulder as she reached for her wand in the nightstand beside her bed.

"Get up," she hissed at her husband.

Awake now, Arthur all but rolled out of bed and into his slippers, wand clutched in one fist. "Who do you think it is?" he asked her.

Molly shrugged. "We aren't expecting anyone and the Order usually calls before they bring somone over to let us know–even if it's just five minutes ahead of time."

Nodding, Arthur said, "I think we'll have to investigate."

Stomach doing a flip, Molly agreed, "Yes, we will."

A few minutes later, they use the shadows cast by the kitchen doorway to their advantage as they peek inside. Molly lets out a whoosh of air. It was just Mimi and Junior Fenwick who came through the floo. The two were dressed in their jim-jams, just standing in the middle of the room; Mimi looked lost and Junior, sleepy. Though, why they were here was entirely unknown to her. Putting a hand on Arthur's arm, Molly indicated she'd be the one to go in and question the children.

Stepping into the room, she smiled at the girl and toddler. "Hullo, dears," she greeted.

Mimi's eyes found hers.

"What's brought you by so late?"

Blinking her eyes rapidly now, Mimi whispered, "I couldn't sleep at Grandpa's, and Dad is at St. Mungo's again."

Molly frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that, dear," she said.

Picking her brother up and hugging him like a teddy, Mimi whispered, "I'm scared he's gonna die."

"Oh Mimi…"

Tears spilling down her cheeks, the girl whispered, "I go off to Hogwarts next week. I can't leave Junior with Grandpa all alone. He gave Junior a cup of wine instead of juice last night at dinner. Grandpa's damn near blind. What if he does it again, Missus Molly? What if he gives him something even worse than wine? Junior could die like Dad might."

Molly's heart broke for the girl.

"Come here," she said.

Seconds later, she was hugging the girl and her little brother. Brushing a hand through Mimi's bed-head, Molly said nothing for a long while. Finally, she suggested, "Why don't I take you back to your grandfather's? I'm sure he must be looking for you two by now. Perhaps, while I'm there, I can convince him to let me watch Junior after you go to Hogwarts if your dad isn't out of St. Mungo's by then. We won't mention the wine incident, but I'll let him know you're concerned that something could happen because his vision is poor."

"He's really stubborn," Mimi told her.

Molly smiled. "So am I."

Mimi smiled back as Junior began to fuss from being caught in their embrace for so long. Holding her hands out for the toddler, Molly was pleased by how easily the girl relinquished him to her. The first time she'd met the siblings, almost two years ago now, Mimi had been very insistent that only she and her father could hold him. It pleased Molly immensely that Mimi now trusted her with her little brother and even more than that, to come to her when she was scared or had a problem.

Now, with Junior in her grip, Molly made a few funny faces at him to clear away his disgruntled expression. When he began to giggle, she laughed in triumph. Moving the little boy to one hip, she offered her now free hand to Mimi and looked back to where Arthur was hovering in the doorway. "We'll be back, my love," she promised.

"I'll be waiting," Arthur replied.

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Three hours later, Molly returned to  find her husband slumped in his chair at the breakfast bar. Shaking her head fondly, she gently pinched his cheeks until he opened his eyes.

Chuckling at how his eyes fluttered wide upon recognizing her, Molly teased, "Why, hello sleepyhead."

"How'd it go?" he asked as he leaned forward for a kiss.

"Well, Benjy's expected to be released from St. Mungo's the day after Mimi leaves for Hogwarts. It did take some convincing, but I'll be accompanying them to the station to see Mimi off. After that, Mister Fenwick Senior will say goodbye to Junior and he'll be spending the rest of the day and that night with us. In the morning, after Fenwick Senior has retrieved Benjy, I'll drop off Junior and we'll just have to hope everything works out for the best with them after that."

Nodding, Arthur slipped off his chair and brought Molly close for a tight embrace. "I love you, Molly. The way you're willing to go above and beyond for the children just astounds me."

"It's the least I can do," Molly deflect, adding on mentally to her reply, 'after how I failed our child'.

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"And he said–"

A resounding knock cut off the rest of the girl's sentence and made Molly set aside the frosting she'd been making. Giving Hestia an apologetic smile upon her pausing in her sorting of the candies for the cupcakes, Molly asked, "Shall I go see who's at the door while you continue separating the gummies?"

"Yes, Missus Molly," the girl agreed with a grin. Molly then waited a moment longer to watch her do so. Hestia wasted no time in complying and even returned to her task with a gusto that all seven-year-olds seemed to have when it came to candy.

Shaking her head in amusement, Molly wiped her hands down her apron before opening her home's door.

The man on the other side was small, compact and looked dead-tired on his feet. Frowning, Molly greeted, "Hello?"

Giving a smile of his own that didn't reach his eyes, the small man asked, "Are you Molly Weasley?"

"Yes, I am, and you are?" Molly returned politely as she came to settle herself more fully in the doorway of her and Arthur's townhouse. She had little Hestia in the other room to think about, after all. She was used to odd visitors, but most of them came through her floo these days and only expected guests had the courtesy to come to her door anymore.

"Doug Mentis, Ma'am. I'm Dorothy Jones's brother?" he supplied, looking a little leery when he realized that Mentis had meant nothing to her.

Molly knew Dorothy, though. In fact, it was the woman's daughter in the next room!

"Oh, yes! Dorothy. I'm sorry, dear, but she's been called off on Order business. I only have her daughter here," Molly explained apologetically as she started to close the front door.

Side-stepping to keep his face in full view of her eyes, Doug hurriedly told Molly, "That's the thing, Ma'am. I'm here for Hestia. My wife and I were just visited by one of your lot to tell us my sister was captured by several Death Eaters right before her partner's eyes and declared missing because of it."

"Hestia's father…" she started.

The short man gave a sad shake of his head. "Missing himself, actually," he said.

"Oh Merlin, I'm sorry, Dorothy told me before, but I…"

"Yes, well, I can't say I blame you for forgetting. People are disappearing left and right. Your Order members especially, I might add. May I please take Hestia, Missus Weasley? She should be with family, don't you agree?" Doug asked, that odd air coming back to his being.

This time, though, Molly recognized it. This man, Dorothy's brother, was bone-tired. He was exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally. It was why she was uncomfortable, he barely had the energy to be standing right here, let alone give her a proper sense of who he was and his intentions.

"Of course! One moment…" Molly trailed off as she stepped back toward the kitchen. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called, "Hestia!"

"Yes, Missus Molly?" the girl inquired as she popped into view.

"Sweetheart, why don't you get your cloak? Your uncle has come to get you!" Molly enthused with false cheeriness.

The girl's face twisted with confusion. "Uncle Doug? But–"

"It's cold, Hestia, I'm sure he'll answer all your questions soon, so why don't you hurry on that cloak and I'm sure you two will be able to talk over a cuppa," Molly cut in as she saw the man from the corner of her eye begin to gulp on air.

"Why's Mum not getting me? Uncle Doug? Where's Mum? Why's it not her getting me?" Hestia demanded, crossing her arms and tucking her chin into her chest to intensify the glower she was currently wearing.

"Sw–"

Raising her bell-like voice to a dong, the child proclaimed, "This is like Papa all over," she complained. Hestia's mouth dropping open then. Her arms falling limply at her side, she began to shake. "No! No! She can't be missing! She can't! She said she'd be careful and safe!" Stomping her feet, Hestia threw her head back and started to scream.

"Hestia…" Doug whispered, brushing past Molly to get to his niece.

"Go away! Noooo!" the girl wailed, lashing out with all the strength contained in her small form.

"Shh, Hestia, shh…"

"I want Mum!" Hestia sobbed.

Cradling her against him like she was two instead of seven, Doug whispered softly, "I know, I know."

Feeling quite useless standing by the open door, Molly offered, "Here, let me get her cloak for you. I'm sure your wife is waiting for you two."

"Thank you, Missus Weasley. I appreciate it," Doug replied with a wan smile.

Grabbing the cloak from the kitchen, where it was draped over one of the breakfast bar chairs, she returned to the living room where the two were still clinging to each other. Holding it out to the man, she said, "It's no trouble, and Mr Mentis?"

"Yes?"

"You're not an Order member, are you?" Molly asked, already envisioning him as another missing (dead) relative that little Hestia would never get to see.

"No," he answered, voice dark and angry.

Molly blinked and then, gave him an awkward smile. "Oh. That's good to know she's not going to have to worry about losing you like she lost her mother and father," she floundered.

Standing up with Hestia still in his arms, Doug shook his head at her.

"Don't speak too soon, Mrs Weasley. We're at war. I, my wife, or even Hestia here could end up dead any day now for no other reason than stepping out of our home for a loaf of bread. In fact, you or someone you love is in the very same predicament, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't say such ridiculous things in front of my niece."

Fighting down her indignation at his lecture, Molly showed him the door and said stiffly, "Goodbye, Mr Mentis."

"Goodbye." he returned.

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When Molly had agreed to join the Order as a babysitter, she had never imagined her home would eventually need to be put under a Fidelius Charm. Though, she also never really expected it would become public knowledge that her and Arthur's townhouse was used as a sanctuary for Wizards, Witches, Squibs, and Muggles alike on the run from You-Know-Who. Nor could Molly have possibly foreseen just months ago she'd willingly allow the Order to host organized meetings in her living room.

But, Molly thought darkly, 'That was before it became personal…'

Arthur's parents had been buried a month and a half ago following their brutal murder at the hands of a group of Death Eaters in a battle near the Ministry. They hadn't even been involved. Cedrella had gone to meet Septimus for lunch at the Ministry and on their way back from lunch, they had been burned to ash by a stray fiendfyre. If a coworker of Septimus' hadn't seen the duo engulfed in the flames, they'd probably have been labeled as missing, presumed dead, instead of just dead as nothing had been left of the pair after the flames had been put out.

They didn't even capture any of the Death Eaters in the end; they'd all gotten away.

Molly swore to herself if the Order couldn't capture them by the end of the war, she'd find the atrocious scum herself when it was over and put them in Azkaban for what they'd done to her husband's parents. The couple deserved to be avenged, Molly felt. They'd been great people with golden hearts and oh so loved. They'd been so good, so kind, accepting, and wonderful to just about everyone they met. Septimus and Cedrella hadn't deserved to die like they had, they had deserved more time with their children and grandchildren, a chance to go to sleep one night and never wake.

Not to die in a flash of all-consuming, searing pain followed by rattling nothingness.

Arranging yet another plate of baked goods for the men and women arguing in the other room, Molly sighed. She was so tired of listening to the yelling…

Deliberately dropping a biscuit she just plucked off the baking sheet back onto the pan, she made the decision to get away from the fighting for just a moment. Leaving the half-finished task behind her, Molly went toward her home's spare bedroom with the intention of checking in on Arthur's sleeping nephew and the sons of a new, ruddy-faced Order member Molly did not know the name of.

She paused between the second bedroom and the one she and Arthur shared. Her bedroom door was ajar. Reaching for her wand, she nudged the door open even further and slipped into the shadowed room.

"Lumos," she mouthed.

With the help of the dim light pouring out of the tip of her wand, Molly could see on her bed was one of the women who she'd watched come into her home tonight for the meeting. The woman's hands were covering her face, and her shoulders trembled ever so slightly.

Molly paused, fighting down the urge to go and wrap an arm around the younger woman. Molly had dealt with many grieving people over these last few years, from little toddlers and babies who did not know what was wrong, other than something (or rather, someone) was missing, to wizards and witches well into their golden years who'd lost their wives and husbands when attacked so viciously in their homes by Death Eaters.

The youngest usually accepted comfort without fuss, wanting someone to cling to and cuddle. The oldest accepted the platitudes and appreciated the smaller gestures, such as a cup of tea, or a warm hand on their back, however, those that fell somewhere in the middle were quite difficult to discern and you could just as easily find yourself holding the hand of someone as they cried as you could find yourself on the receiving end of brutal insults and maybe, if you were ever so unfortunate, a hex.

So, taking a breath, Molly swished the lights on dim in the room and called, "Dear?"

The woman lifted her tear-streaked face from her hands and turned around in confusion. But when she saw Molly, she gave a sheepish smile and stood up.

"Sorry, I–"

Molly waved away the apology. "No worries, dear, I was coming to check on the children when I noticed the door ajar. Do you mind some company? I was thinking I could put my laundry away, if you don't mind," Molly said as she pointed to the full basket sitting on the dresser.

The young woman sank back down on the bed with a relieved look and nodded. "I don't mind," she whispered.

Smiling back at her, Molly made the decision to do it the muggle way as to let the young woman warm up to her and give her the chance to gather her courage and talk to Molly if she wanted to. Starting with her stockings and Arthur's socks, Molly matched them together and piled them up on a clean spot of her dresser before opening the drawers and placing them inside. Moving on to shirts next, she sighed at how dingy the sleeves of Arthur's white shirts were. She considered using a brightening charm on it to make it look better, but decided against it.

They could take a nice little trip to Diagon Alley this weekend and pretend that everything was well and good instead of ill and bad. Maybe they could even see if Arthur's brother and his family would like to meet them at the Three Broomsticks for lunch. It'd be so nice to catch up with Viola and Ignatius, they usually could only talk for a minute or two before he had to leave for some business or other when they dropped off their son, Wilber.

Using the vanity mirror attached to her dresser to catch a glimpse of the strangely familiar woman sitting on her bed, Molly noted how her shoulders slouched inward and her arms crossed over her middle like a barrier. Molly's own hand went to her middle at the feeling of phantom pains. The woman was pregnant, Molly realized.

"When are you due?" she asked the young woman.

She looked up, bright emerald green eyes startled. "How–" she began.

"I've seen enough pregnant women in my time to know the signs, dear," Molly broke in with an amused lilt to her lips.

The smile she got in reply was a beautiful one. "I guess you would. From what Fabian and Gideon say about you, you sounded like some sort of oracle."

Her heart gave a pang at the thought of her brothers, they'd been sent on an extended mission last week. She still wasn't sure if they'd be coming home soon, and Molly feared they never would. Eyes glossing with tears, she dropped her head briefly as she regained her composure. The young woman seemed to have noticed this and in a stumbling apology, murmured, "Merlin! Oh, I'm sorry…"

"It's okay, dear," Molly said as she turned around with a wide, almost painful grin on her face. "We're all affected by this war and worrying about someone by this point. I'm even going to go so far and say that's likely why you've hidden yourself away in here."

The young woman started to shake her head, but stopped. "Well, that's part of the reason," she agreed. "I'm sure you must have known the McKinnons–" she stopped, scrutinizing Molly with critical eyes. "Say, you're the one who gave me that handkerchief, aren't you?"

Molly gave the young woman a once over. She, who Molly now recalled was named Lily, was right. "Yes, I did," she said.

Lily smiled. "I really appreciated it," she said.

"You're welcome," Molly replied.

Nodding, Lily fiddled with her hem for a moment. "Molly, do you ever feel like everyone you know is dead or gone? Marlene was just the latest for me. I lost another friend, Dorcas Meadows, nearly two years ago now, and Mary and her husband had to go into hiding shortly after the McKinnon family funeral because they were attacked by Death Eaters too."

Swallowing thickly, Molly whispered, "Yes, sometimes I feel like it's that way too." She then set aside the dress she'd been putting on a hanger and took a seat beside Lily. Gauging the young woman's weary features, Molly made the decision to offer her shoulder to Lily.

Lily, rubbing at her red eyes, accepted Molly's offer and laid her head gingerly on her shoulder. "Do you know what the worst part is?" she asked in a watery tone.

Stroking red hair that was more vibrant than her own, Molly sighed. "What, dear?" she inquired.

Pulling away, Lily said, "Honestly, I shouldn't be telling you this, but…" she trailed off, shrugging. "We should be celebrating that I'm going to be having a baby, but there's this prophecy, and You-Know-Who would want my baby dead because of it!"

Molly's hands flew to her mouth. "You-know-Who?" she gasped.

Face crumpling, Lily sobbed, "Yes!"

Pulling her into a fierce embrace, Molly began to rock back and forth with Lily. She didn't know why Lily had picked her to be confined in, but now was not the time to turn her back on her. "What are you and your husband going to do?" she asked.

"Go into hiding, probably," Lily sniffled.

Molly squeezed her tighter. "I'm sure that must be very frightening for you, I can't imagine how I'd feel if Arthur and I had to go into hiding, and while pregnant to boot!" Pulling back, Molly cupped Lily's face in her hands and made the young woman meet her eyes. She might not fully understand why Lily chose her as her confidant, but she'd not be letting her down now."Lily, I know this is the first time we've truly spoken to each other in any length, but I promise I'll always be here for you from now on. If you want, you can write to me anytime."

Lily's eyes watered, and a shaky smile came to her lips. "Thank you, Molly. That's a kind offer, and I think I will probably take you up on it at some point too. I don't really have anyone else to write to. There's my sister, but she's a muggle and wouldn't understand. Everyone else I know has more than enough problems of their own without me adding to them with mine…"

Ah, now Molly understood. Lily felt like she'd only be burdening those close to her if she told them about what was happening to her. Molly doubted those friends would be upset with Lily for sharing and said so. "Dear, everyone likes helping out a friend now and again. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to go over your problems with you in a letter."

Green eyes took on a miserable hue. "I haven't done that for Mary, and we used to be best mates while in school," she mumbled.

"Oh sweetheart…" Molly clucked as she curled a lock of Lily's red hair behind her ear. "Don't beat yourself up about it, okay? Sometimes time gets away from us, sometimes people drift apart. It's not your fault and it isn't hers either. You both have had your own worries preoccupying you, is all. I'm sure she'd love to hear from you now. With all the time you might have if you do go into hiding, you'll be able to write hundreds of letters! I bet you'll be best mates again in no time!"

Lily gave a wet giggle. "You really are just as generous and kind as everyone says you are," Lily complimented. "I didn't think anybody could be so willing to help a stranger, but…"

Molly gave a weak smile. "Well, it's the least I can do," she whispered. "I'm not really one for battle, and I've always liked mothering others, I suppose."

She nodded. "I should go, James is probably wondering where I wandered off to. I told him I was going to use the loo almost half an hour ago now."

"Of course, dear," Molly obligingly agreed. Suddenly, with a bit of surprise, she called after the woman just as she stepped out into the hall. "I'm sorry, but I can't recall your last name for the life of me…"

Green eyes danced with a laughing light as she flashed a smile. "It's Potter," she answered.

She nodded. "It was nice talking to you again, Lily Potter," Molly concluded as she got up from her bed to finish the laundry.

"Thank you for listening," Lily whispered before she went to join in on the ever-growing ruckus in the living room.

A few moments later, Molly remembered why it was that she came down the hall outside her bedroom in the first place. She pulled her wand out from the folds of her apron and went to the spare bedroom. She cast a Silencing Charm on the door. They wouldn't have any little ones getting woken up unduly tonight.

A/N: Thanks for reading and please vote and comment!