Chapter 1 – Six little boys

Molly Weasley lay in her hospital bed looking down at her latest bundle sleeping peacefully in her arms. Ronald Bilius Weasley was as adorable as his brothers, with pale skin that already showed a hint of freckles, long fingers, and the trademark Weasley red hair. He was Molly's sixth child and sixth son. Molly had desperately hoped for a daughter, but knew that with the Weasley family history, her chances of having her own little girl were not likely. 'But he is perfect and a welcome bit of happiness' Molly thought to herself.

While Molly enjoyed her small bundle of joy, the rest of the wizarding world was in upheaval. Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters' reign of terror caused continual strife and very few were safe. Molly and her husband Arthur were pure-bloods and had less to worry about than some, but the Weasleys were also notorious blood traitors, so their young family was under constant protection. Just the previous year, Molly had lost her twin brothers Fabian and Gideon in a battle with a group of Death Eaters. Many thought Molly was wrong to bring new life into a world at war, but she cherished each of her sons. Despite her joy with the new addition, Molly still ached for a daughter.

Two days later Molly and baby Ron returned home to the Burrow and were greeted enthusiastically by Ron's older brothers. Bill was eight and quite experienced with babies, so he was the first to take his brother from Molly. He took the baby and settled on the couch while brothers Charlie, age six and Percy, age four settled on either side of their big brother and admired the new addition.

A few minutes later, Molly's husband Arthur came downstairs carrying the sleepy two year old twins, Fred and George. Arthur set the youngest two Weasleys down next to the couch and they toddled over to look at Ron. Fred took one look, wrinkled his nose and turned to his mother as he said "NO!". George followed his twin's lead and stuck his tongue out at the baby. Then the twins looked at each other in the manner that their family knew was a silent communication between them, then they turned and toddled over to their toy chest. Soon the twins were engrossed in their own play and had no interest in any unwanted new brother. Molly sighed, the twins were a constant worry for her. They had few words that anyone else but themselves understood and they were quite content to ignore the entire family except each other. They had just turned two and were already into more mischief than any of her others had been at their age. Just before she went to the hospital, Molly had found Percy wailing after he went to put on his shoes and squished a slug that had been put in one. The twins stood in a corner smiling as their brother screamed and Molly had had to reprimand them both, as she could never tell who was responsible.

Over the next week, life settled down in the Weasley household and Molly recovered her strength after her delivery. She was a resilient woman, which was a benefit given the busy household she had to manage. Her days were hectic from sunrise to well past sunset, but Molly was mostly happy, still she longed for a daughter. She loved each of her boys and would die for any one of them, but she craved a daughter who would help bring some balance to a house full of screaming, dirty, broom-crashing, booger-eating, gnome-teasing little boys.

As Ron approached his three month birthday, Molly began to research how she might conquer fate and get herself a little girl. Although Molly was busy at home during the week and Arthur worked long hours at the Ministry, Sundays were her day. Arthur was a good husband and knew that Molly's sanity needed a break from the house at least once a week, so on Sundays he sent her off to run errands, visit friends or do whatever she alone wanted to do. Arthur stayed home with the boys and did his best to keep the house intact for the few hours his wife was gone. By the time Molly returned each Sunday, Arthur greeted her with an enthusiastic kiss and made sure that Molly knew how much he appreciated her. Just four or five hours on a Sunday was enough to make Arthur ready to go back to the relative peace of his office.