Post by Lucius Malfoy on Dec 8, 2008 0:01:01 GMT
Summary:
OneShot. Sequel to The Long Wait. It's been over a year since Draco Malfoy was sent to Azkaban. Now the Potters and Weasleys are ready to forget their problems and sit down for a nice and quiet Christmas at the Burrow. Yeah right.
“Arthur, hurry up! They’ll be here any minute!” Molly shouted at her husband as the clock struck nine a.m.
In the past hour Molly and Arthur Weasley had already eaten breakfast, cleaned all five bedrooms, set up cribs in two of them and gotten thirteen cots ready in the living room – Most of this being done by magic. Now the only thing left was being taken care of by Arthur.
“Don’t worry, dear, I’m almost done!” he replied, and with one last flick of his wand and a great push, his task was complete. Putting up the six foot Christmas tree.
Just then there was a knock at the door and Molly went running to open it.
“Bill! Fleur! Please, come in,” she said, stepping aside to allow her eldest son and his family entry.
Bill walked into his family home, both hands carrying suitcases. Fleur followed Bill; her right hand held seven-year-old Philippe’s while her left pushed nine-year-old Genevieve ahead of her.
The tree looks great, Dad,” Bill said, walking into the living room where Arthur was making minor adjustments to the pine.
“Thank you, Bill. Hello, Fleur,” greeted the elderly wizard, looking back into the front hall.
“’Ello, Monsieur,” Fleur replied, now taking off her children’s coats with the help of Molly. “Madame, vere are ve sleeping?” She gestured toward herself and Bill, knowing by now of the cots always set up in the living room for the Weasley children.
“Please call me Molly, dear. And you’re in Bill and Charlie’s old room again,” Mrs. Weasley said. As if on cue, Charlie and Marnie appeared in the doorway with children in tow.
“Grandpa!” yelled eight-year-old Wendy as she ran into Arthur’s outstretched arms.
The ten-year-old twins, Jeremy and Timothy stayed behind in the hall as they were helping their father carry suitcases.
“Oh, Charlie, I was just saying that you and Bill are –“ Molly began, but was interrupted by her sons as they started dragging the bags up the stairs.
“—Our old bedroom,” they finished for her, having shared the room every Christmas.
Marnie then turned to Molly and said in a whisper: “Are we ready?” She pointed at the bags of gifts she had been holding.
“Not yet, but I’ll just put those away for now.” And with that, Molly waved her wand, banishing all presents to the locked broom closet.
The boys had just come back down the stairs when a loud crash was heard coming from the kitchen. Seeing that all five children were sitting calmly in the living room, they went to investigate with wand held out in front of them in defence, only to discover Fred lying on the kitchen floor covered in soot.
Bill and Charlie, having put their wands away, helped their younger brother onto his feet while they announced his arrival to those still in the living room. Within a second Calvin came tumbling out of the fireplace, the eight-year-old began coughing immediately.
“Calvin Andrew Weasley! I told you to take your inhaler with you!” cried Angelina, quickly stepping out of the fireplace to help her youngest son while her oldest followed her into the kitchen.
“Hello, Uncle Bill, Uncle Charlie,” said Scott politely.
“Hi, Scott. Cal’s asthma not getting any better, I see,” said Charlie, observing his young nephew.
“It only acts up when he Floos,” explained Fred.
A minute later the six came out of the kitchen and into the living room when everyone else in the Burrow was now seated.
“Are George and I in the same room the year, Mum?” Fred asked Molly as he crossed the room and kissed his mother’s cheek. Mrs. Weasley nodded and Fred snapped his fingers and magiked the bags to his room.
Five minute passed before another knock came from the front door that was from Percy; George chose that moment to come flying out of the kitchen fireplace like his twin. Penelope, two-year-old Carter and seven-year-old Angel walked in behind Percy while Katie followed George with six-year-olds Amy and Neil.
Molly brought the two groups together in the living room to give out room assignments. “George, you and Katie are with Fred and Angelina. And Percy, you Penelope are with Ron and Hermione.”
The two brothers were half-way up the stairs by the time she finished speaking and Percy seemed to be mumbling something about wanting his own room again.
Finally, the small house already full with five men, five women, ten children and two exhausted grandparents, the last knock on the front door was heard. Arthur answered it this time, opening the door to his youngest two children and their families.
Ron and Hermione came in first, preceded only by ten-year-old Rona, while six-year-old Colleen followed her parents. Next was Harry, beside him was nine-year-old Alroy. And, taking up the rear, was a pregnant Ginny, holding eleven-month-old Rachel.
Molly immediately took the baby from Ginny’s arms and ordered her only daughter to sit down. She then told Ron to put the bags in his and Percy’s old room in the attic, and Harry that he, Ginny and Rachel would be sharing Ginny’s room like always.
Once everyone was settled in, it was time for fun. Arthur stood among his children, grandchildren, in-laws and wife. “Ladies and Gentlemen; Girls and Boys, it is time to honour a tradition that hasn’t gone unnoticed in the Weasley family for more than a hundred years. It is time to decorate the Christmas tree!”
The room broke out in cheers as everyone, adults and children alike – save for Rachel and Carter who were watching from the safety of their playpen – began to open the boxes that had been brought in from the shed in the backyard earlier in the day.
Bill, Charlie and Ron began untangling the multi-coloured lights while Fred and George strung up garlands of gold and silver. In the mean time, Colleen, Angel, Amy and Neil started threading popcorn with the assistance of Katie and Marnie. Fleur and Ginny then helping Molly unpack all the antique ornaments, and Harry and Alroy searched for the candy canes which they were sure to eat instead of hang.
While all this was going on, Arthur and Percy working on hanging garlands from the staircase railing and from the rafters. The remaining children hung wreaths on the doors and thirty-one stockings on the fireplace. And finally, Penelope and Angelina helping Fred and George (now finished with the tree garlands) hang lights on the house itself.
Back at the tree, the lights were finally untangled and Bill, Charlie and Ron began weaving them through the tree’s branches.
“Remind me why we don’t use magic for this,” complained Ron as he got into an awkward and particularly painful position around the tree.
Because this is how the Weasleys have celebrated Christmas for over a hundred years, and over a hundred years ago they didn’t put lights on the trees,” stated Percy matter-of-factly, walking back into the living room.
“Yeah, so you’d think we could modify the tradition with the decorations,” Ron muttered, now trying to get out of the position.
“Cheer up, Ron,” said Fred, peeking his head in through the open window.
“’Tis the day before Christmas!” shouted George from the snow-covered roof.
An hour later all lights were hung and the tree was lit.
“All right, everyone,” said Molly, who had just finished sorting through all the boxes, “it’s time for lunch!”
The Weasleys and Potters filed into the kitchen. Everybody found a seat, most opting to sit on the floor than at the overly crowded table, while Molly ran about the kitchen, waving her wand all over. Five minutes later sandwiches and milk were given to everyone.
-ThirtyMinutesLater-
Everyone was back in the living room.
The children were working on the last thread of popcorn, most having already pricked themselves with the needle. And the adults began hanging ornaments, bows and candy canes on the trees, soon helped by the children.
-Two Hours Later-
The tree was decorated, lit and slightly shorter than it had been when it was pulled into the house that morning, supposedly from the weight of the decorations. And now the large family sat in the living room, staring at their creation.
“Mum, what’s in the box?” asked Ginny, pointing to the smallest box in the room, one that just happened to be tucked so far back in the room that no one had noticed in until now.
“I don’t know,” her mother answered. “Accio box!” It floated over to the rocking chair Molly was sitting in. The box was covered in twice as much dust as any of the others and Angelina was forced to try and cover Calvin as Molly opened it.
“Oh, my...” were her only upon seeing the contents, thus making her family crane their necks to look inside. Finally Molly opened the box completely, revealing several ornaments, each a different color, with a different picture and set of initials on it.
On seeing the puzzled expression on her children’s faces, Molly explained: “I made these on each of your first Christmases.” She stood, picking up the first ornament from the box. It was a royal blue bulb; the picture was of a baby boy with flaming red hair, he couldn’t have been more than one month old, and he was holding a stuffed Snitch. The initials read W.A.W.
Molly walked over to Bill. “William Arthur Weasley, this is yours,” she said handing him the bulb. Bill took it in his hands, mesmerized by the photo. Mrs. Weasley turned around and picked up another decoration out of the box.
It was forest green; the boy on this one was only and infant, and he was holding a toy dragon. C.J.W. was written on the side. Molly spoke again: “Charles Jonathan Weasley.” Charlie grabbed his ornament before his mother was finished speaking.
A baby boy of four months sat on the deep purple on. He held in his small hands a book that he seemed to be reading, despite it being upside-down. The whole room exploded into laughter when they saw the initials P.I.W. “Percival, dear.” Molly handed the bulb to a less-than-pleased Percy.
Mrs. Weasley then hurried back to the box and chose two more. Both had an eight or nine-month-old baby. The boy on the orange ornament sat next to a Muggle chemistry set; it had the initials G.D.W. While the boy on the yellow bulb held a tiny wand and initials were F.E.W.
“George David. Fredrick Edward,” their mother said, handing off the decorations to the stunned twins.
The maroon bulb came next. A picture on a nine-month-old boy playing with a teddy bear, most likely the same that Fred had turned into a giant spider, sat next to the letters R.B.W. “Gary,” mumbled Ron when he saw the photo.
Molly picked up the last ornament in the box. It was a soft pink bulb. The letters read G.M.W. And Ginny smiled when she saw the picture which showed a little girl of five months with her arms wrapped tightly around a baby doll, thinking of her own children. “Thanks, Mum,” she whispered as Molly handed the last bulb to her.
Mrs. Weasley smiled and walked back to her seat. After a moment of the sibling showing off their decorations to their spouses and children, Arthur had an idea. “Why don’t you put them on the tree?” he asked them.
The seven adults stood, each holding an ornament. They walked over to the tree, being careful not step and anyone in the process. And after finding an empty spot in the pine, the bulbs were gently added to the decorations and loved ones watched with tears in their eyes.
“Eet looks perfect,” said Fleur.
“It’s not done yet,” Arthur said, picking up a new-looking box from behind the couch. “I bought this last night.” Holding up the contents for everyone to see, gasps of surprise and shock were heard from all over.
“Oh, Arthur, it’s beautiful!” cried Molly, kissing her husband before taking the red-haired angel from his hands. “Harry, will you please do the honours of putting the angel on the tree?” she asked.
“Me?” Harry asked, confusion showing on his face. He had never been asked or thought of being asked to top the tree.
“Well, seeing as the family youngest isn’t able to do it, the honour automatically goes to her father,” Molly explained, and she smiled at Harry. “Please?” she added seeing his hesitation.
“Very well.”
The room broke into cheers as Harry put the angel on the tree.
-Several Hours Later-
The Weasley-Potter clan, minus Rachel and Carter, crowded into the tiny living room once more on Christmas Eve. This time they had just finished eating dinner.
“Wonderful roast, dear,” said Arthur as he sat down next to his wife, clearly stuffed.
“And pie,” continued Ron.
“Thank you, boys,” Molly replied, looking exhausted.
The clock chimed eight o’clock and Weasley women exchanged looks.
“All right,” said Hermione, silencing the room as she stood before the children, “time for bed.”
Moans and complaints could be heard coming from every corner of the room as the kids got ready to revolt. Hermione, however, was saved by Ron’s remembrance of Weasley tradition.
“After the story of course,” he said, then handed Hermione a small book he’d found earlier. The title read The Night before Christmas.
Hermione, by now familiar with the wizarding version of the classic Muggle book, began to read. “’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a house-elf...”
-Thirty Minutes Later-
Having wrestled thirteen children ranging in ages from six to ten into bed, it was needless to say that every adult in the Burrow was exhausted.
Molly and Arthur slept soundly in their own little room, dreaming of over thirty Christmases with their family.
Bill and Fleur began looking at photo albums with Charlie and Marnie in their room, A few doors down, Percy and Hermione sat up reading in bed while Ron, Penelope and Carter slept on.
In the twins’ room it was anything but peaceful as Angelina and Katie tried to get some sleep over the noise Fred and George were making, just from playing Wizard’s Chess.
In Harry and Ginny’s room, the couple snuggled closer to each other bed. Rachel lied only a few feet away in her crib, and they could hear her light breathing as their minds clouded with various thoughts.
Ginny moved a little, re-positioning herself beside her husband. Harry looked over at her. “Are you all right?” he asked.
“Fine,” she answered. “Just a little sore.”
Harry looked disbelievingly at her. He already knew from Ginny’s previous pregnancies that she lied about how much pain she was in.
“Should we tell them?” he asked finally. She looked at him with a hint of surprise showing on her tired face.
“I thought we said we weren’t going to make this Christmas about us.”
“I know, but they’re bound to find out sooner or later. I doubt either of us can keep it in for the next five month.” Harry smiled and leaned over to kiss his pregnant wife.
“Honey, need I remind you that I kept my plans for revenge a secret last year? I’m more worried about you keeping a secret.” Ginny smirked as Harry rolled his emerald eyes. “We’ll tell them tomorrow,” she decided. With that, she blew out the candle on her night stand, plunging the room in complete darkness.
Meanwhile, back in the living room, no one was able to rest.
“Are you sure this’ll work?” Amy asked her older cousin.
“Of course,” answered Calvin. “Are we all in agreement?”
The six, seven and eight-year-olds raised their hands automatically, whereas the rest of the group stayed quiet.
“What’s wrong with all of you?” Philippe asked, standing before his family. “Don’t you want to stay up and meet Santa?”
“Been there, done that,” Genevieve whispered to Rona and the two began giggling.
“We’ve already tried,” said Jeremy, rolling his eyes at the girls.
“Yeah, and it didn’t work,” continued Timothy. Neither boy wanted to break the bad news to the children.
“Fine, then you can all go to bed, but we’re staying up.” Calvin then took charge of the room. “Wendy, Colleen, move your cots over to that chair, Santa’s going to need a clear path to the tree. Scott, either get out of their way or help them.”
They were done within minutes and the young children scanned the room for any flaws while older ones began nodding off.
“I think we’re done,” said Calvin eventually.
“Great, let’s party!” said Wendy excitedly
“Calm down, sis,” said Timothy, now sitting up on his cot. “All of you really should be going to bed.”
“Who made you boss?” Calvin stood in front of his cousin.
“He’s right, Cal,” Scott said sternly. “Mum isn’t going to be happy when she finds out you were up all night.”
Calvin stayed silent for a moment, thinking of what Angelina would do if she did find out. “Okay. New plan, everyone – we’re going to bed!”
Surprisingly, all children hopped into their respective cots without being told twice, each of them having thought of their own parents’ reactions.
Not more than a second later, Angel shot up in her cot. “We forgot to put out milk and cookies for Santa!” she shrieked. Groans were head coming from every corner of as the seven-year-old ran out of the room.
“I’ll go get her,” Alroy said, walking sleepily out the door.
Five minutes passed before Angel stepped happily back into the room and over to her cot while Alroy walked behind her, his hands full with a tall glass of milk and a plate covered in several different types of cookies.
“I couldn’t talk her out of it,” he answered his cousins’ questioning stares as he placed both dishes on an end table.
-Several Hours Later-
It was still dark outside and the clock on the wall read 4:16 a.m. Arthur walked down the stairs and into the living room without making and noise, having had many years of practice.
He stepped quietly between cots and over to the tree. Taking out his wand, he waved it over the tree mat. Second later presents appeared on it, each one of varying shapes, sizes and colors.
Seeing that all grandchildren were still sleeping, Arthur moved to leave the room when he noticed the treat put out for him. Chuckling softly, he grabbed the dishes and left for the kitchen.
After placing his snack on the kitchen table, he once again pulled out his wand, this time making the stockings fill themselves to the brim with candies and toys. And after eating and magically cleaning his dishes, the wizard went back upstairs to bed.
-Five Hours Later-
The children woke abruptly to the sound of their names being called.
“Finally!” said Fred once both Calvin and Scott were awake. “We’ve been waiting for an hour!”
“Calm down, Fred. It’s only been fifteen minutes,” Molly said, handing out milk and muffins to everyone except Arthur who, for some unexplainable reason, wasn’t very hungry.
“Well, it feels like an hour,” Fred mumbled accepting his muffin gratefully.
After breakfast had been eaten and the cots banished, Arthur said the words everyone had been waiting for: “Let the gift opening begin!”
Noise erupted in the room as children and adults alike grabbed at their presents, ripping off the paper as though there was no tomorrow.
Bill, the first-ever human to become the President of the security department for all of Gringotts’ branches, and Fleur, Bill second-in-command, were both in need of a break from their hectic jobs. This is why they had received an all expense paid vacation to the place of their choosing.
Charlie, the owner of first British dragon preserve, and Marnie, a specialty Healer, jumped for joy when they found their gift of keys to a new and considerably larger home than they had right now, something they really needed.
Percy, the Head of the British Magical Arts Museum, and Penelope, a Muggle music teacher, were happy to accept a baby grand piano.
Fred and George, co-owners of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, were rendered speechless after they discovered they were scheduled to attend the invitation-only National Prankster’s Convention in Ireland.
Ron, ex-Keeper for the Chudley Cannons, and Angelina and Katie, ex-Chasers for the Chudley Cannons, were all excited to find season tickets to the Cannons’ games.
Hermione, second-in-command to Minister Arthur Weasley, couldn’t believe her eyes when she was given Wizarding Politics for the Muggle Candidate.
Finally, Harry and Ginny, both successful Aurors who had considered quitting in the past year, needed nothing but an old-fashioned typewriter so that they might pursue their new dream of becoming authors.
All fourteen people sat, stunned at their gifts, all only able to guess who had bought them. Until Molly stood and went to each of them, privately mentioning the years of saving she and Arthur had done, combined with the great cash flow they were getting since he had become Minister, they had been able to plan for a Christmas their children would never forget.
But at last, the greatest present went to Molly and Arthur from their children. A photo album; it was filled with pictures from the day of their wedding to Charlie’s last birthday, only weeks ago. The pictures had been collected from the personal albums of the seven siblings, photos their parents never knew they had. It was truly a magical Christmas.
And it was Percy’s suggestion to begin adding more to the album by taking a picture then and there. So they stood, huddled together in the tiny living room. The adults stood around a sitting Molly and Arthur while the kids were scattered on the floor or sat in their parents’ arms. And the photo was taken.
-Later that day-
It was almost dinner time and everyone had settled down from the gift opening.
It was when the room fell into an almost uncomfortable silence that Penelope spoke up. “How about we sing some Christmas carols?”
The room was soon in agreement, and so she sat behind her new piano and began to play as the others sang The Twelve Day of Christmas.
“On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a Golden Snitch! On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me two brooms flying and a Golden Snitch! On the third day of Christmas my true love…”
And it continued on like this for an hour. Fred and George singing off key, and Ron competing with the children to see who could be the loudest, but everyone was having fun.
Once the music stopped the room fell into silence again as everyone rested their sore voices. Harry and Ginny stood up then, facing all family members with small smiles.
“We have an announcement to make,” said Harry. “And it’s about the baby.”
The people surrounding them looked confused as they tried to guess what it could be. Ginny cleared her throat after a moment.
“I’m having —“ Ginny was cut off by the guessing of her brothers.
“Another girl?” asked Fred.
“Don’t be silly, it’s a boy!” said George.
“Girl!”
”Boy!”
“Shut up!” shouted Harry, silencing the room. He motioned for Ginny to continue.
“I’m having twins,” she said quickly. The room then broke out in cheers again as everyone crowded around Ginny.
“Hold on a second,” George said, making his way through the group to face his little sister. “You’re still having a boy, right?”
“No, she’s having a girl!” cried Fred from the other end of the room.
Harry stood beside Ginny, watching the duel that had just erupted. “Should we tell them the rest?” he whispered in Ginny’s ear.
“No,” she answered, also looking at Fred and George. “Let them fight it out for a while.”
Author's Note:
I figure this is quite appropriate to post since we're nearing Christmas now. Although this was written last year. Anyway, please review!
-Lizzy
OneShot. Sequel to The Long Wait. It's been over a year since Draco Malfoy was sent to Azkaban. Now the Potters and Weasleys are ready to forget their problems and sit down for a nice and quiet Christmas at the Burrow. Yeah right.
A Christmas to Remember
“Arthur, hurry up! They’ll be here any minute!” Molly shouted at her husband as the clock struck nine a.m.
In the past hour Molly and Arthur Weasley had already eaten breakfast, cleaned all five bedrooms, set up cribs in two of them and gotten thirteen cots ready in the living room – Most of this being done by magic. Now the only thing left was being taken care of by Arthur.
“Don’t worry, dear, I’m almost done!” he replied, and with one last flick of his wand and a great push, his task was complete. Putting up the six foot Christmas tree.
Just then there was a knock at the door and Molly went running to open it.
“Bill! Fleur! Please, come in,” she said, stepping aside to allow her eldest son and his family entry.
Bill walked into his family home, both hands carrying suitcases. Fleur followed Bill; her right hand held seven-year-old Philippe’s while her left pushed nine-year-old Genevieve ahead of her.
The tree looks great, Dad,” Bill said, walking into the living room where Arthur was making minor adjustments to the pine.
“Thank you, Bill. Hello, Fleur,” greeted the elderly wizard, looking back into the front hall.
“’Ello, Monsieur,” Fleur replied, now taking off her children’s coats with the help of Molly. “Madame, vere are ve sleeping?” She gestured toward herself and Bill, knowing by now of the cots always set up in the living room for the Weasley children.
“Please call me Molly, dear. And you’re in Bill and Charlie’s old room again,” Mrs. Weasley said. As if on cue, Charlie and Marnie appeared in the doorway with children in tow.
“Grandpa!” yelled eight-year-old Wendy as she ran into Arthur’s outstretched arms.
The ten-year-old twins, Jeremy and Timothy stayed behind in the hall as they were helping their father carry suitcases.
“Oh, Charlie, I was just saying that you and Bill are –“ Molly began, but was interrupted by her sons as they started dragging the bags up the stairs.
“—Our old bedroom,” they finished for her, having shared the room every Christmas.
Marnie then turned to Molly and said in a whisper: “Are we ready?” She pointed at the bags of gifts she had been holding.
“Not yet, but I’ll just put those away for now.” And with that, Molly waved her wand, banishing all presents to the locked broom closet.
The boys had just come back down the stairs when a loud crash was heard coming from the kitchen. Seeing that all five children were sitting calmly in the living room, they went to investigate with wand held out in front of them in defence, only to discover Fred lying on the kitchen floor covered in soot.
Bill and Charlie, having put their wands away, helped their younger brother onto his feet while they announced his arrival to those still in the living room. Within a second Calvin came tumbling out of the fireplace, the eight-year-old began coughing immediately.
“Calvin Andrew Weasley! I told you to take your inhaler with you!” cried Angelina, quickly stepping out of the fireplace to help her youngest son while her oldest followed her into the kitchen.
“Hello, Uncle Bill, Uncle Charlie,” said Scott politely.
“Hi, Scott. Cal’s asthma not getting any better, I see,” said Charlie, observing his young nephew.
“It only acts up when he Floos,” explained Fred.
A minute later the six came out of the kitchen and into the living room when everyone else in the Burrow was now seated.
“Are George and I in the same room the year, Mum?” Fred asked Molly as he crossed the room and kissed his mother’s cheek. Mrs. Weasley nodded and Fred snapped his fingers and magiked the bags to his room.
Five minute passed before another knock came from the front door that was from Percy; George chose that moment to come flying out of the kitchen fireplace like his twin. Penelope, two-year-old Carter and seven-year-old Angel walked in behind Percy while Katie followed George with six-year-olds Amy and Neil.
Molly brought the two groups together in the living room to give out room assignments. “George, you and Katie are with Fred and Angelina. And Percy, you Penelope are with Ron and Hermione.”
The two brothers were half-way up the stairs by the time she finished speaking and Percy seemed to be mumbling something about wanting his own room again.
Finally, the small house already full with five men, five women, ten children and two exhausted grandparents, the last knock on the front door was heard. Arthur answered it this time, opening the door to his youngest two children and their families.
Ron and Hermione came in first, preceded only by ten-year-old Rona, while six-year-old Colleen followed her parents. Next was Harry, beside him was nine-year-old Alroy. And, taking up the rear, was a pregnant Ginny, holding eleven-month-old Rachel.
Molly immediately took the baby from Ginny’s arms and ordered her only daughter to sit down. She then told Ron to put the bags in his and Percy’s old room in the attic, and Harry that he, Ginny and Rachel would be sharing Ginny’s room like always.
Once everyone was settled in, it was time for fun. Arthur stood among his children, grandchildren, in-laws and wife. “Ladies and Gentlemen; Girls and Boys, it is time to honour a tradition that hasn’t gone unnoticed in the Weasley family for more than a hundred years. It is time to decorate the Christmas tree!”
The room broke out in cheers as everyone, adults and children alike – save for Rachel and Carter who were watching from the safety of their playpen – began to open the boxes that had been brought in from the shed in the backyard earlier in the day.
Bill, Charlie and Ron began untangling the multi-coloured lights while Fred and George strung up garlands of gold and silver. In the mean time, Colleen, Angel, Amy and Neil started threading popcorn with the assistance of Katie and Marnie. Fleur and Ginny then helping Molly unpack all the antique ornaments, and Harry and Alroy searched for the candy canes which they were sure to eat instead of hang.
While all this was going on, Arthur and Percy working on hanging garlands from the staircase railing and from the rafters. The remaining children hung wreaths on the doors and thirty-one stockings on the fireplace. And finally, Penelope and Angelina helping Fred and George (now finished with the tree garlands) hang lights on the house itself.
Back at the tree, the lights were finally untangled and Bill, Charlie and Ron began weaving them through the tree’s branches.
“Remind me why we don’t use magic for this,” complained Ron as he got into an awkward and particularly painful position around the tree.
Because this is how the Weasleys have celebrated Christmas for over a hundred years, and over a hundred years ago they didn’t put lights on the trees,” stated Percy matter-of-factly, walking back into the living room.
“Yeah, so you’d think we could modify the tradition with the decorations,” Ron muttered, now trying to get out of the position.
“Cheer up, Ron,” said Fred, peeking his head in through the open window.
“’Tis the day before Christmas!” shouted George from the snow-covered roof.
An hour later all lights were hung and the tree was lit.
“All right, everyone,” said Molly, who had just finished sorting through all the boxes, “it’s time for lunch!”
The Weasleys and Potters filed into the kitchen. Everybody found a seat, most opting to sit on the floor than at the overly crowded table, while Molly ran about the kitchen, waving her wand all over. Five minutes later sandwiches and milk were given to everyone.
-ThirtyMinutesLater-
Everyone was back in the living room.
The children were working on the last thread of popcorn, most having already pricked themselves with the needle. And the adults began hanging ornaments, bows and candy canes on the trees, soon helped by the children.
-Two Hours Later-
The tree was decorated, lit and slightly shorter than it had been when it was pulled into the house that morning, supposedly from the weight of the decorations. And now the large family sat in the living room, staring at their creation.
“Mum, what’s in the box?” asked Ginny, pointing to the smallest box in the room, one that just happened to be tucked so far back in the room that no one had noticed in until now.
“I don’t know,” her mother answered. “Accio box!” It floated over to the rocking chair Molly was sitting in. The box was covered in twice as much dust as any of the others and Angelina was forced to try and cover Calvin as Molly opened it.
“Oh, my...” were her only upon seeing the contents, thus making her family crane their necks to look inside. Finally Molly opened the box completely, revealing several ornaments, each a different color, with a different picture and set of initials on it.
On seeing the puzzled expression on her children’s faces, Molly explained: “I made these on each of your first Christmases.” She stood, picking up the first ornament from the box. It was a royal blue bulb; the picture was of a baby boy with flaming red hair, he couldn’t have been more than one month old, and he was holding a stuffed Snitch. The initials read W.A.W.
Molly walked over to Bill. “William Arthur Weasley, this is yours,” she said handing him the bulb. Bill took it in his hands, mesmerized by the photo. Mrs. Weasley turned around and picked up another decoration out of the box.
It was forest green; the boy on this one was only and infant, and he was holding a toy dragon. C.J.W. was written on the side. Molly spoke again: “Charles Jonathan Weasley.” Charlie grabbed his ornament before his mother was finished speaking.
A baby boy of four months sat on the deep purple on. He held in his small hands a book that he seemed to be reading, despite it being upside-down. The whole room exploded into laughter when they saw the initials P.I.W. “Percival, dear.” Molly handed the bulb to a less-than-pleased Percy.
Mrs. Weasley then hurried back to the box and chose two more. Both had an eight or nine-month-old baby. The boy on the orange ornament sat next to a Muggle chemistry set; it had the initials G.D.W. While the boy on the yellow bulb held a tiny wand and initials were F.E.W.
“George David. Fredrick Edward,” their mother said, handing off the decorations to the stunned twins.
The maroon bulb came next. A picture on a nine-month-old boy playing with a teddy bear, most likely the same that Fred had turned into a giant spider, sat next to the letters R.B.W. “Gary,” mumbled Ron when he saw the photo.
Molly picked up the last ornament in the box. It was a soft pink bulb. The letters read G.M.W. And Ginny smiled when she saw the picture which showed a little girl of five months with her arms wrapped tightly around a baby doll, thinking of her own children. “Thanks, Mum,” she whispered as Molly handed the last bulb to her.
Mrs. Weasley smiled and walked back to her seat. After a moment of the sibling showing off their decorations to their spouses and children, Arthur had an idea. “Why don’t you put them on the tree?” he asked them.
The seven adults stood, each holding an ornament. They walked over to the tree, being careful not step and anyone in the process. And after finding an empty spot in the pine, the bulbs were gently added to the decorations and loved ones watched with tears in their eyes.
“Eet looks perfect,” said Fleur.
“It’s not done yet,” Arthur said, picking up a new-looking box from behind the couch. “I bought this last night.” Holding up the contents for everyone to see, gasps of surprise and shock were heard from all over.
“Oh, Arthur, it’s beautiful!” cried Molly, kissing her husband before taking the red-haired angel from his hands. “Harry, will you please do the honours of putting the angel on the tree?” she asked.
“Me?” Harry asked, confusion showing on his face. He had never been asked or thought of being asked to top the tree.
“Well, seeing as the family youngest isn’t able to do it, the honour automatically goes to her father,” Molly explained, and she smiled at Harry. “Please?” she added seeing his hesitation.
“Very well.”
The room broke into cheers as Harry put the angel on the tree.
-Several Hours Later-
The Weasley-Potter clan, minus Rachel and Carter, crowded into the tiny living room once more on Christmas Eve. This time they had just finished eating dinner.
“Wonderful roast, dear,” said Arthur as he sat down next to his wife, clearly stuffed.
“And pie,” continued Ron.
“Thank you, boys,” Molly replied, looking exhausted.
The clock chimed eight o’clock and Weasley women exchanged looks.
“All right,” said Hermione, silencing the room as she stood before the children, “time for bed.”
Moans and complaints could be heard coming from every corner of the room as the kids got ready to revolt. Hermione, however, was saved by Ron’s remembrance of Weasley tradition.
“After the story of course,” he said, then handed Hermione a small book he’d found earlier. The title read The Night before Christmas.
Hermione, by now familiar with the wizarding version of the classic Muggle book, began to read. “’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a house-elf...”
-Thirty Minutes Later-
Having wrestled thirteen children ranging in ages from six to ten into bed, it was needless to say that every adult in the Burrow was exhausted.
Molly and Arthur slept soundly in their own little room, dreaming of over thirty Christmases with their family.
Bill and Fleur began looking at photo albums with Charlie and Marnie in their room, A few doors down, Percy and Hermione sat up reading in bed while Ron, Penelope and Carter slept on.
In the twins’ room it was anything but peaceful as Angelina and Katie tried to get some sleep over the noise Fred and George were making, just from playing Wizard’s Chess.
In Harry and Ginny’s room, the couple snuggled closer to each other bed. Rachel lied only a few feet away in her crib, and they could hear her light breathing as their minds clouded with various thoughts.
Ginny moved a little, re-positioning herself beside her husband. Harry looked over at her. “Are you all right?” he asked.
“Fine,” she answered. “Just a little sore.”
Harry looked disbelievingly at her. He already knew from Ginny’s previous pregnancies that she lied about how much pain she was in.
“Should we tell them?” he asked finally. She looked at him with a hint of surprise showing on her tired face.
“I thought we said we weren’t going to make this Christmas about us.”
“I know, but they’re bound to find out sooner or later. I doubt either of us can keep it in for the next five month.” Harry smiled and leaned over to kiss his pregnant wife.
“Honey, need I remind you that I kept my plans for revenge a secret last year? I’m more worried about you keeping a secret.” Ginny smirked as Harry rolled his emerald eyes. “We’ll tell them tomorrow,” she decided. With that, she blew out the candle on her night stand, plunging the room in complete darkness.
Meanwhile, back in the living room, no one was able to rest.
“Are you sure this’ll work?” Amy asked her older cousin.
“Of course,” answered Calvin. “Are we all in agreement?”
The six, seven and eight-year-olds raised their hands automatically, whereas the rest of the group stayed quiet.
“What’s wrong with all of you?” Philippe asked, standing before his family. “Don’t you want to stay up and meet Santa?”
“Been there, done that,” Genevieve whispered to Rona and the two began giggling.
“We’ve already tried,” said Jeremy, rolling his eyes at the girls.
“Yeah, and it didn’t work,” continued Timothy. Neither boy wanted to break the bad news to the children.
“Fine, then you can all go to bed, but we’re staying up.” Calvin then took charge of the room. “Wendy, Colleen, move your cots over to that chair, Santa’s going to need a clear path to the tree. Scott, either get out of their way or help them.”
They were done within minutes and the young children scanned the room for any flaws while older ones began nodding off.
“I think we’re done,” said Calvin eventually.
“Great, let’s party!” said Wendy excitedly
“Calm down, sis,” said Timothy, now sitting up on his cot. “All of you really should be going to bed.”
“Who made you boss?” Calvin stood in front of his cousin.
“He’s right, Cal,” Scott said sternly. “Mum isn’t going to be happy when she finds out you were up all night.”
Calvin stayed silent for a moment, thinking of what Angelina would do if she did find out. “Okay. New plan, everyone – we’re going to bed!”
Surprisingly, all children hopped into their respective cots without being told twice, each of them having thought of their own parents’ reactions.
Not more than a second later, Angel shot up in her cot. “We forgot to put out milk and cookies for Santa!” she shrieked. Groans were head coming from every corner of as the seven-year-old ran out of the room.
“I’ll go get her,” Alroy said, walking sleepily out the door.
Five minutes passed before Angel stepped happily back into the room and over to her cot while Alroy walked behind her, his hands full with a tall glass of milk and a plate covered in several different types of cookies.
“I couldn’t talk her out of it,” he answered his cousins’ questioning stares as he placed both dishes on an end table.
-Several Hours Later-
It was still dark outside and the clock on the wall read 4:16 a.m. Arthur walked down the stairs and into the living room without making and noise, having had many years of practice.
He stepped quietly between cots and over to the tree. Taking out his wand, he waved it over the tree mat. Second later presents appeared on it, each one of varying shapes, sizes and colors.
Seeing that all grandchildren were still sleeping, Arthur moved to leave the room when he noticed the treat put out for him. Chuckling softly, he grabbed the dishes and left for the kitchen.
After placing his snack on the kitchen table, he once again pulled out his wand, this time making the stockings fill themselves to the brim with candies and toys. And after eating and magically cleaning his dishes, the wizard went back upstairs to bed.
-Five Hours Later-
The children woke abruptly to the sound of their names being called.
“Finally!” said Fred once both Calvin and Scott were awake. “We’ve been waiting for an hour!”
“Calm down, Fred. It’s only been fifteen minutes,” Molly said, handing out milk and muffins to everyone except Arthur who, for some unexplainable reason, wasn’t very hungry.
“Well, it feels like an hour,” Fred mumbled accepting his muffin gratefully.
After breakfast had been eaten and the cots banished, Arthur said the words everyone had been waiting for: “Let the gift opening begin!”
Noise erupted in the room as children and adults alike grabbed at their presents, ripping off the paper as though there was no tomorrow.
Bill, the first-ever human to become the President of the security department for all of Gringotts’ branches, and Fleur, Bill second-in-command, were both in need of a break from their hectic jobs. This is why they had received an all expense paid vacation to the place of their choosing.
Charlie, the owner of first British dragon preserve, and Marnie, a specialty Healer, jumped for joy when they found their gift of keys to a new and considerably larger home than they had right now, something they really needed.
Percy, the Head of the British Magical Arts Museum, and Penelope, a Muggle music teacher, were happy to accept a baby grand piano.
Fred and George, co-owners of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, were rendered speechless after they discovered they were scheduled to attend the invitation-only National Prankster’s Convention in Ireland.
Ron, ex-Keeper for the Chudley Cannons, and Angelina and Katie, ex-Chasers for the Chudley Cannons, were all excited to find season tickets to the Cannons’ games.
Hermione, second-in-command to Minister Arthur Weasley, couldn’t believe her eyes when she was given Wizarding Politics for the Muggle Candidate.
Finally, Harry and Ginny, both successful Aurors who had considered quitting in the past year, needed nothing but an old-fashioned typewriter so that they might pursue their new dream of becoming authors.
All fourteen people sat, stunned at their gifts, all only able to guess who had bought them. Until Molly stood and went to each of them, privately mentioning the years of saving she and Arthur had done, combined with the great cash flow they were getting since he had become Minister, they had been able to plan for a Christmas their children would never forget.
But at last, the greatest present went to Molly and Arthur from their children. A photo album; it was filled with pictures from the day of their wedding to Charlie’s last birthday, only weeks ago. The pictures had been collected from the personal albums of the seven siblings, photos their parents never knew they had. It was truly a magical Christmas.
And it was Percy’s suggestion to begin adding more to the album by taking a picture then and there. So they stood, huddled together in the tiny living room. The adults stood around a sitting Molly and Arthur while the kids were scattered on the floor or sat in their parents’ arms. And the photo was taken.
-Later that day-
It was almost dinner time and everyone had settled down from the gift opening.
It was when the room fell into an almost uncomfortable silence that Penelope spoke up. “How about we sing some Christmas carols?”
The room was soon in agreement, and so she sat behind her new piano and began to play as the others sang The Twelve Day of Christmas.
“On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a Golden Snitch! On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me two brooms flying and a Golden Snitch! On the third day of Christmas my true love…”
And it continued on like this for an hour. Fred and George singing off key, and Ron competing with the children to see who could be the loudest, but everyone was having fun.
Once the music stopped the room fell into silence again as everyone rested their sore voices. Harry and Ginny stood up then, facing all family members with small smiles.
“We have an announcement to make,” said Harry. “And it’s about the baby.”
The people surrounding them looked confused as they tried to guess what it could be. Ginny cleared her throat after a moment.
“I’m having —“ Ginny was cut off by the guessing of her brothers.
“Another girl?” asked Fred.
“Don’t be silly, it’s a boy!” said George.
“Girl!”
”Boy!”
“Shut up!” shouted Harry, silencing the room. He motioned for Ginny to continue.
“I’m having twins,” she said quickly. The room then broke out in cheers again as everyone crowded around Ginny.
“Hold on a second,” George said, making his way through the group to face his little sister. “You’re still having a boy, right?”
“No, she’s having a girl!” cried Fred from the other end of the room.
Harry stood beside Ginny, watching the duel that had just erupted. “Should we tell them the rest?” he whispered in Ginny’s ear.
“No,” she answered, also looking at Fred and George. “Let them fight it out for a while.”
The End
Author's Note:
I figure this is quite appropriate to post since we're nearing Christmas now. Although this was written last year. Anyway, please review!
-Lizzy
