Molly-- Thoughts on a witch

[jmcnarland]

No: HPFGUIDX 109515

I really have to disagree with the talk about Molly being so awful.  
Even just on the surface, you have to take into account that she has 
(so far) survived three teenaged boys (although not a lot is said 
about the older boys as kids, they WERE teenaged boys after all) and 
still has to get through the twins, Ron and Ginny.  Fred and George 
were almost definitely not a bed of roses as children (I can't back 
that up canonically right now but I think we might all agree on 
that). Teenagers can make crazy things come out of your mouth 
sometimes... "Because I said so!" makes absolutely no sense but I've 
said it to mine.

I also don't think that she plays favorites, I think that she treats 
them as individuals.  The twins would have gone completely wild had 
they recieved the same kind of approval that Percy did and Ron hadn't 
(until recently) started to show what kind of things he was going to 
be capable of at Hogwarts.  Should she treat him like the twins just 
in case or give him a chance to develop first?

I think that the worst of her sharp tongue and caution can be chalked 
up to worry and stress.  She's an adult, she's in the Order so she 
knows a lot of what's going on and the risks that they're facing.  
She's a mother, she has a huge heart, she is terrified for the people 
that she loves and feels helpless to protect them.  I can only 
support this with:

(OotP, pp.160-161)
    "'Riddikulus!'
     Harry's body vanished.  A silvery orb hung in the air over the 
spot where it had lain.  Lupin waved his wand once more and the orb 
vanished in a puff of smoke.
     'Oh - oh - oh!' gulped Mrs. Weasley, and she broke into a storm 
of crying, her face in her hands.
     'Molly,' said Lupin bleakly, walking over to her. 'Molly, 
don't...'
     Next second, she was sobbing her heart out on Lupin's shoulder.
     'Molly, it was just a Boggart,' he said soothingly, patting her 
on the head. 'Just a stupid Boggart...'
     'I see them d-d-dead all the time!' Mrs. Weasley moaned into his 
shoulder. 'All the t-t-time! I d-d-dream about it...'
     Sirius was staring at the patch of carpet where the Boggart, 
pretending to be Harry's body had lain.  Moody was looking at Harry, 
who avoided his gaze.  He had a funny feeling Moody's magical eye had 
followed him all the way out of the kitchen.
     'D-d-don't tell Arthur,' Mrs. Weasley was gulping now, mopping 
her eyes frantically with her cuffs.  'I d-d-don't want him to 
know... being silly...'
     Lupin handed her a handkerchief and she blew her nose.
     'Harry, I'm so sorry. What must you think of me?' she said 
shakily. 'Not even able to get rid of a Boggart...'
     'Don't be stupid,' said Harry, trying to smile.
     'I'm just s-s-so worried,' she said, tears spilling out of her 
eyes again. 'Half the f-f-family's in the Order, it'll b-b-be a 
miracle if we all come through this... and P-P-Percy's not talking to 
us... what if something d-d-dreadful happens and we-ve never m-m-made 
it up with him? And what's going to happen if Arthur and I get 
killed, who's g-g-going to look after Ron and Ginny?'"

Reading about her kneeling on the floor crying as the Boggart showed 
her exactly what it would look like to see her children dead was 
enough to make me cry on a City Transit bus on my way home from 
work.  I think that she should be given a little slack.

Long for a first post... Sorry
Jody