Author's Note: Well, this took far longer to finish than I originally wanted it to, but it is done, and here it is. I suppose the reason for this taking so long was that I wasn't sure how I wanted Molly to properly handle the situation with Ginny and the possession, but I also wanted to make sure it was far better than how we knew it was handled in canon (virtually nothing was done at all).

I have Molly acting more her canon-self in the beginning because it is just how Molly is, so her brushing off the concern about Ginny bullying Luna was intended, but also acknowledged just enough to hint at something being wrong. She is still a busy cluster-minded mother looking forward to a vacation and trying to not worry over her children in the meantime, so it is understandable, I think. More of this will be addressed in the next chapter, so if something isn't answered or resolved here, don't worry.

Again, sorry for the delay, I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 4 - Ginny

Molly was enjoying the early winter afternoon with some baking, canning, and juicing her seasonal produce she harvested shortly before the frost started to settle. She wanted to stock her pantry as much as possible before she and Arthur went to Egypt to visit Bill so nothing spoiled while they were gone. It was also good to be as prepared as possible for when her brood returned home for summer and wreaked havoc as well. It was always a challenge to feed four growing boys and a girl three times a day, but not as big of one when all seven were under her roof at one point or another. She found herself a little lost on what to do without Ginny around to help with chores or to dot on, but she knew that she'd adjust to the empty nest eventually.

Hopefully.

A beautiful crested owl swooped in through the wide open window and landed on the back of a chair nearby while Molly was preoccupied in the pantry. It sat there patiently, bobbing its head as it watched Molly move around the kitchen. When she turned around, she jumped a little, pressing a hand against her chest in startled relief.

"Oh goodness, Bernard, you scared me!"

The owl slowly blinked at her before lifting his leg, revealing a note. She removed it and gave the owl a little pat on the head and offered him a homemade owl treat. Molly took a seat beside him and opened the letter while he ate.

"Is everything okay with your owner, Bernard? Should I owl the Diggory's to watch the hens and goat instead?" she questioned. "They have a farm of their own to tend to, I'd hate to burden them with my modest number of livestock on top of it all."

Bernard stared at her while she spoke to him rather than reading over the note. When Molly looked at him as if waiting for a reply, he shrugged his wings before leaning forward to nibble on the corner of the parchment in her hand.

"Right, I suppose I shouldn't draw any conclusions yet," Molly reasoned.

Molly,

I apologize for interrupting your winter preparations, and I do not wish to cause any alarm, but I was hoping we could get together again before your travels abroad to discuss something my dear Luna has brought to my attention in regards to Ginny. She seems quite concerned about her friend.

Xenophilius Lovegood

"Interesting note," Molly muttered, checking the time before going to the desk shoved in the corner to write a return letter to send Bernard back with. "I suppose I can take a break and catch up with a friend."

She tied the reply to the bird's leg and sent it off before pulling out a cobbler from the oven. Once it cooled, she cut two slices of the mixed berry dessert and packed them up. It didn't take long for Bernard to return with a response saying that Xenophilius was available, so she bundled up in her mother's old brown wool cloak and headed outside to the Apparition point Arthur and her set up during the Blood War.

The Rook-like home hadn't changed much aside from the now barely noticeable repair work on the kitchen's exterior wall. The new tar was slowly weathering from time and foliage buildup, but it's cold reminder it brought didn't deter Molly from knocking on the door. She wasn't particularly close with Xenophilius, especially after Dione passed away, but Molly tried to be there for him whenever she was available to offer support and be a friend. Despite her efforts, Xenophilius seemed to have been content closing himself off from the world to focus on his magazine while raising Luna on his own. She seemed to have taken up the reclusive-like habit as well, but Molly always made sure she welcomed Luna to the Burrow when she did decide to wander over on the rare occasion and hang out with Ginny.

Xenophilius answered her knock and smiled broadly, though it didn't fully touch his silvery-grey eyes. "I'm glad you were able to make it, Molly. I hope I wasn't interrupting anything important."

"Oh, no. Just cooking and preparing the pantry is all." She stepped through the door at the invite and settled into a thread-bare lime green chair, leaving her cloak on to ward off the chill of the stone-made home. "I brought some mixed berry cobbler to go with tea. Hope you don't mind."

"Of course not. I just put the kettle on."

Molly handed him the slices of the dessert to take to the kitchenette—to Molly, their cooking space was way too small to do much of anything in regards to much cooking since the renovation. She watched as Xenophilius pulled out mismatched plates, mugs, and tableware while the kettle whistled lazily nearby. Molly glanced over the sitting room and took in the odds-and-ends that hung from various shelves and bookcases while politely waiting for Xenophilius to bring in the tea and dressings. Molly noticed one of the photographs framed on the mantle was a rare one that featured her twin brothers. The sight of their smiling faces had a twinge of pain resonated through her heart and she averted her gaze to the two blonds who stood to their left.

At first, it seemed like they were twins themselves with their white-blond hair, long, slender noses, and bright, wide silver eyes, but Molly knew Xenophilius didn't have any siblings.

"Who's this with you in the photo, Xenophilius?" Molly gestured to the picture when he entered the room, unable to help herself. "If I didn't know any better, or you've been holding out on me, it appears to be your brother."

Xenophilius looked over at the mantle and that sad smile formed on his features. "Ah, that is my cousin Throckmorton. He was close with your brothers and the cause during the Blood War, unfortunately, his undercover missions lead to his ultimate demise."

He placed the tray with the tea and its makings on the worn table in front of Molly and took a seat in a faded teal armchair that faced her and the table. He threaded his fingers together, still looking at the photo while Molly took the liberty to prepare her cup.

"He was the reason we were removed from the Malfoy tree, you see," Xenophilius continued, seeming to not be deterred by the quiet. "He's about twelve years older than me, but his actions had our extended family be completely cut off as a result. Not like I blame him, honestly. They wanted him to court his third cousin, and he wasn't having any of it. His third cousin is Lucius' sister, for context."

Molly raised a brow at that, surprised to learn that the Lovegoods were related to such a pompous and elitist family bloodline. "That's quite the affair."

"It was. We are better for it. There was little communication between us already, so that made the clean-cut we all pretended already happened more official."

"Ah," she said, busying herself by testing her tea. "So, how is adjusting to the empty nest? It's been dreadfully quiet back at the Burrow."

He started preparing his own tea while they exchanged small talk about the lack of having someone else to care for around. Molly could tell it was putting a damper on his mind, so decided to deviate the conversation over to what his letter referred to.

"So, you were saying that Luna was concerned about Ginny?" Molly asked.

Xenophilius sipped at his tea, appearing pensive about the question. "Oh, yes, I wished to bring it up when you asked me last week to care for your hens and goat while you were gone, but it slipped my mind."

He set the teacup down on the small end table beside him. Molly waited for him to continue.

"Does Ginny write to you?"

"Of course," Molly replied quickly. "Not as much as I thought she would, but she sends a letter every couple weeks. She hasn't mentioned anything out of the norm, as far as I can recall."

Xenophilius nodded as she spoke. "Luna writes often, and lately she has mentioned some concerning things about Ginny and her behavior."

"Oh?"

Ginny and Luna were good friends. It was something both of them needed in their childhood—a female friend. A little girl could only tolerate her brothers for so long before she sought out someone she could better relate to.

"Lately she has mentioned that Ginny has been distant and somewhat mean. She's been calling my Moonbeam names and stopped spending time with her."

This surprised Molly. "That is a tad shocking, but I am sure there's an explanation for it, Xenophilius. Peer pressure does strange things to you, as you know. I'm sure she will revert back to spending time with Luna soon."

He didn't seem convinced. "Actually, she was more worried about how Ginny has been behaving with a black book she carries with her everywhere more than anything."

Molly filed through her memory, trying to recall a black book of her daughter's. "Oh, that. It's her new diary she got for her birthday. She tends to keep it on her even at home to make sure no one gets a hold of it. Her brothers are quite nosy after all."

Xenophilius hummed into his cup. Molly shivered suddenly, pulling the wool cloak further over her shoulders as she thought about that diary that she barely recalled giving to her.

"I suppose it isn't anything to be too concerned over. I just worry that Luna will lose the only friend she's known is all," he stated, placing a finger over his lips as he appeared to slip into thought.

Molly got up and took her empty cup to the kitchenette, rinsing it thoroughly before placing it on the counter. She turned back to Xenophilius, who remained in his seat nearby. "I will write to her and make sure everything is alright and reprimand her about the name calling immediately. I'm sure it's a minor fluke, as you know school is a new environment and nerves can get the best of you."

Xenophilius gave a slow nod, pulling himself up from his chair slowly before approaching the door, seeming to sense that Molly was ready to leave before she made verbal note of it. "I appreciate it, Molly. Thank you for coming. I hope you enjoy your trip, and I will make sure your hens and goat are well tended to in your absence."

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Xenophilius. I hope things settle down between the girls soon. Give your daughter my best." Molly waved and pulled the cloak around her as she stepped into the wintry afternoon.

Molly was numb, furious, and frightened. She sat on a bed in the Hospital Wing, cradling Ginny in her arms while she vaguely listened to the Headmaster, Deputy Headmistress, and Madam Pomfrey explain what happened. Ginny was silent the entire time, her face was so white her freckles were almost invisible, and her eyes were wide from fear. She barely draped an arm around her mother's frame while she was being rocked in her lap. It was like she wasn't even there.

Madam Pomfrey said that there shouldn't be any lasting effects on the possession, as did Dumbledore, but Molly had her doubts about that. Possession wasn't something to take lightly, it was a kind of magic that virtually didn't exist in the modern wizarding world for good reason. The lack of knowledge about it wasn't going to help her little girl recover, and she wasn't going to simply brush it aside like the healer and headmaster was wishing to do. If Molly wasn't feeling as devastated and at a complete loss for words at what had happened to her daughter, she would've given Dumbledore an earful and then some on the poor handling of the entire situation.

When Molly brought Ginny home that evening after having her discharged for the year, she went straight to her room and didn't come down for supper. Molly was roused awake to Ginny crying in the night, but when she went to console her, Ginny refused her entirely. Hearing her daughter cry broke her heart and made her feel powerless on what to do. How did she not realize the warning signs earlier when Xenophilius brought it to her attention to her daughter's change in behavior towards one of her good friends? How did she not take into account that the lack of letters was because she was far too engrossed in that cursed diary? One thing was for certain, it was going to take a lot for Molly to move past this guilt and make it up to Ginny, but for now, she needed to focus on the problems she was facing with both her daughter and Harry.

The following morning, Molly wrote to her good friend, Amelia Bones, and asked if there were any old translated texts about possession and its side effects she could borrow in the Ministry library. Within a few hours, a small parcel arrived.

Molly,

I heard about the incident and am so sorry to hear that your daughter has to go through this. I scoured the Ministry library for whatever I could find on the subject and hope that it will help you find some answers.

Amelia.

Molly allowed Ginny to stay in her room the entire day while she focused on researching the old tome and small handwritten book Amelia sent her. She assured Arthur that they will be alright and to head to work, stating that maybe he could rummage through the library or ask around the D.M.L.E. for archives of possession and how they were handled in the meantime.

There wasn't much to go off of, unfortunately. Possession was a medieval practice that was properly squashed out of their world. What Molly was able to gather was to simply be attentive to Ginny, make the food she likes, talk about things she's interested in, anything to rouse her from her own mind and trauma and pull her back to reality.

Mentions of Mind Healers were peppered in the handbook, and Molly knew getting in contact with such a specific Healer like that wasn't going to be easy considering that the practice was relatively new to their world and the majority of the Healers were located in Switzerland. Regardless of this obstacle, Molly would still try for her daughter. She was not going to simply brush it off.

She knew that the rest of her brood would be coming home by week's end, and she would need to speak to Arthur about making absolutely sure that her brothers didn't ask about the incident to Ginny at all. If anything in the old book Molly could agree on was to not trigger the memory or talk about the incident at all unless the victim was ready. She could respect that.

Molly checked in on Ginny every chance she got, but after the second day of her laying virtually motionless, she wasn't going to tolerate her skipping another meal. Molly wasn't even sure when Ginny last ate, but she knew it was well before she came home three days ago. She gave the door a knock and listened to the silence.

"Ginny? It's Mum. Can I come in?"

Nothing. She let a few seconds pass before she went for the knob only for it to open on its own accord. Ginny was sitting on her bed with her back to the door, the brown woolen cloak Molly had wrapped her in to take her home was pulled tightly over her shoulders instead of draped over her blankets. She showed no indication that she had opened the door herself, but Molly didn't take much note into it as she entered and sat on her daughter's bed.

"Ginny, dear. I need you to come down and eat," Molly explained, lightly rubbing her back. "Could you do that for me, sweetheart?"

Ginny turned her head to look at Molly, gripping the cloak in front of her as she gave a slight nod. Molly held out her hand, waiting for her to take it before they both gently stood. The tears that welled in her eyes had her pull Ginny into a tight hug, combing her fingers through her daughter's fiery locks.

"We will get you through this, my darling. I am here for you, always."

She kissed the top of Ginny's head and held her a few seconds longer before letting her go. "I made you your favourite supper—chicken pot pie with mixed berry pie for dessert. Doesn't that sound delicious, my little witch?"

Ginny's eyes lit up, a small smile crept across her face. She nodded and quietly followed her mother down the stairs. Molly didn't bother telling her to take off the cloak at the table, she was just happy to have Ginny willing to eat. Tomorrow she would be picking up her brother's from the train, but for today, the three of them could bond a little and prepare for what to do with their daughter.

Molly still hadn't forgotten about Harry, and needed to finish preparing the documents for gaining custody of him, should he so choose. The process was difficult, and she knew that there was someone working against her, but she made it clear she was not going to give up.

Originally Written For:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments)

Monthly Challenges for All

Word Count: (Per Google Docs) 2,923