Molly and McGonagall's Meeting

Night, The Burrow.

The air in front of The Burrow suddenly warped, and McGonagall's figure appeared in the blink of an eye.

She had been away from Hogwarts for four days. During that time, she had visited several friends she and Fabian Prewett had shared.

She had carefully asked whether they knew anything about Silan.

The information she received was enough for her to conclude that Silan was Fabian's child.

After reaching that conclusion, McGonagall immediately contacted Molly.

She was Silan's only living relative and had the right to know about this.

But to McGonagall's surprise, Molly had met Silan on the first day of term and had been investigating his identity ever since.

She had even obtained definite information already.

Thus, the two of them decided to meet at The Burrow and compare the information they had gathered to ensure there were no mistakes.

At the sight of The Burrow's shabby garage and small yard, McGonagall felt somewhat dazed.

She had been teaching at Hogwarts since 1955, and it had been thirty-six years now. Over more than three decades of teaching, her students had spread throughout the wizarding world.

Arthur and Molly had both been her students as well.

Now, she was teaching their children.

The Weasley family had certainly caused her plenty of trouble, but seeing this crooked, strange house that seemed to have been held together by magic, she could not help but smile.

"Professor McGonagall!" Molly called out in delight.

She set the wooden scoop she had been using to feed the chickens against the wall, cast Scourgify on herself with her wand, then hurried over and tightly clasped McGonagall's hand in both of hers.

"Have you been feeding the chickens too much?" McGonagall asked, unable to resist as she looked at the plump brown chickens in the yard, none of which were pecking at their food.

Molly took McGonagall's hand somewhat sheepishly.

After receiving McGonagall's message, she had been so excited that she could not calm down, so she had no choice but to find things to do.

After finishing the cleaning inside, she had come out to feed the chickens. Yet even after feeding them several times, she still could not settle down.

Luckily, McGonagall had arrived now. Otherwise, she had been about to feed them again.

"Please, come inside, Professor McGonagall." Molly pushed open the door and welcomed her former Head of House and professor inside. "It's a little dark in here. I hope you don't mind."

After entering, McGonagall looked around.

The clock on the kitchen wall had only one hand and no numbers. Its face bore phrases such as "Brew tea," "Feed chickens," and "You're going to be late."

There was another clock as well, with nine hands. Each hand showed the condition and whereabouts of a Weasley, and it had no numbers either.

On the mantel were three stacks of books, all spellbooks such as Enchant Your Cheese, The Magic of Baking Bread, and Conjuring a Feast.

"Please sit here." Molly pulled out a chair for McGonagall, flustered. "Oh, look at me. You must not have eaten yet. I'll go make something right away."

"No, that won't be necessary."

McGonagall looked at Molly, who was clearly anxious but unwilling to forget her manners, and felt a pang of heartache.

Though Molly was no longer young, in McGonagall's eyes, she was still her student.

"I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall..." Molly turned away. "Let me make you a pot of tea."

This time, McGonagall did not refuse. She knew Molly needed something to do to calm herself.

This matter meant too much to her. Now that the answer was so close at hand, she was almost afraid to face it.

The scent of black tea drifted through the somewhat dim room.

They each poured themselves a cup and sat facing one another without rushing to speak.

Both were choosing their words.

After taking several sips of tea, McGonagall set down her cup and slowly said, "I asked several old friends. They all said Fabian really did have a Muggle girlfriend. They had originally planned to marry, but..."

Molly did not reply. In her place came the sound of her teacup knocking against its saucer, which only ceased when she set it down on the table.

"I found that too... Fabian really did have a girlfriend. Back then, he had not even had the chance to tell her he was a wizard before he went off to war."

At that, Molly abruptly stopped, as though unwilling to think any further.

Neither of them wished to dwell too much on that painful matter, and with mutual understanding, they turned the conversation back to Silan.

They compared the information each of them had gathered and found that many crucial details matched.

That confirmed it: Silan was Fabian's child!

"Silan, Silan... what a lovely name." Molly's voice trembled, choked with emotion.

Then Molly suddenly stood up again and began pacing around the room like a headless fly, asking worriedly.

"He's my nephew. I have to go see him. Professor McGonagall, he... he won't refuse to acknowledge me, will he?"

Before McGonagall could answer, Molly began speaking to herself again.

"All these years, I never fulfilled my duty as his aunt..."

"My poor nephew, he must have suffered so much in that orphanage. I have to find him!"

"I have to find him! Tell him I'm his aunt, that he has family now."

"Yes! He has family now!"

Her words came fast and urgent, and McGonagall barely managed to find a chance to interject.

"Molly, don't worry just yet."

"The child is doing well at Hogwarts. He isn't in any danger, and he has made friends." McGonagall soothed Molly before continuing, "I suggest you not see him yet. He's still young, and he never knew he had an aunt before."

"If you go to him like this, you might frighten him."

"Then what should I do?" Molly's eyes brimmed with tears.

McGonagall thought for a moment and suggested, "I think you should let your children get to know him first. They're close in age and will find it easier to get along. Once they become familiar with each other, you can invite him here during the summer holidays. It would be better for you to meet him then."

"You both need some time to adjust. Of course, you can tell him about this first, so he can prepare himself."

McGonagall said all of that in one breath.

"That's good, that's good." Molly sat down again and murmured to herself.

Though such waiting was torture for her, she was willing to endure it for the child's sake.

"Don't rush. The day will come when you meet." McGonagall comforted her.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, Professor McGonagall." Molly refilled McGonagall's cup. "Tell me about the child."

"Speaking of him, the first time I met him was at the Granger home..."

Molly was a deeply empathetic person. She was saddened upon hearing about Silan's life in the orphanage, heartbroken when she heard that he bought secondhand things, and shocked and confused when she learned he had been sorted into Slytherin.

"Oh, that filthy old hat that drank itself senseless! How could it sort a Prewett into Slytherin? That good child must have suffered so much." Molly was furious.

McGonagall understood her feelings perfectly.

After all, she herself had regretted it for several days.

The two chatted as they drank tea. After finishing a pot of black tea, McGonagall rose to leave. Molly stared silently at her departing figure for a long time, lost in thought.

It was not until Arthur returned that she came back to herself.

Arthur hesitated before telling her about something.

"Something happened at the Ministry today. Oh, just a small matter."

Molly, whose nerves had only just relaxed, looked somewhat tired. But seeing Arthur wink at her with an expression that clearly said, Go on, ask me, she still asked:

"What happened, Arthur?"