Bill Weasley loved his family. He really did. But his current situation was making him wonder if staying at Hogwarts for the holidays would have been a better choice. He was squashed next to the fireplace trying to write a charms essay and keep an eye on baby Ginny while their Mum prepared dinner. Ginny, barely four months old and not yet mobile, was not the problem; the real problem was keeping her safe from her brothers: Charlie, who was lining up his model dragons on the edge of the coffee table and spouting facts about different breeds to no one in particular; Percy, surrounded by piles of heavy books; and the twins, who were playing a raucous game of gobstones. The only sibling not there was Ron, who had caught a nasty cold and was asleep upstairs.

"Percy, would you mind moving those?" Bill asked, pushing a tome on toadstools away with his foot.

"It's my house and I'll sit where I want." Percy grumbled.

"What do you even want with all of these? Home Remedies For Dragon Pox? What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to find the directions for a sleeping potion. For them." He gestured to the twins.

Bill noticed a volume titled Simple Household Potions and quickly slid it under the nearest armchair. "Why don't you go do something else?"

"I don't want to!" Percy was about to say more when they both heard a loud wail from upstairs.

"Bill, can you go see what Ron needs?" Mrs. Weasley appeared in the doorway. "I'll take Ginny."

Bill set down his quill and ran up the stairs to Ron's little room.

"Bill!" Ron shrieked.

"What is it? What do you want?" Bill took a tissue from the bedside table and wiped the snot and drool off his baby brother's face.

"Wah-wah!" Ron banged his empty sippy cup against the crib rail.

"All right, All right, I'll get you some wah-wah." Bill went into the bathroom and refilled Ron's cup. He wandered back into the room, then looked up and saw a horrifying sight: Ron was halfway out of his crib, gripping the railing, one leg dangling over the edge. Bill gasped in horror as Ron lost his grip, he was going to fall, he was going to hit his head, Bill couldn't get there in time—

But Ron didn't fall. He sailed down as if he was wearing a parachute, then bounced twice before landing.

"Ron! That's—that's accidental magic!"

"Wah-wah!" Ron yelled again. He didn't seem to have noticed his miraculous descent.

"Yes, yes, here's your water." Bill hefted his youngest brother onto his hip and checked for injuries and, finding none, charged down the stairs and careened into the kitchen.

"Mum! Mum, has Ron done any accidental magic yet?"

"Not that I know of. Why?" Said Mrs. Weasley, turning away from the stove.

"He just did."

"He just what?" Said Mrs. Weasley as she put her spoon down. "Oh, Ronnie! Look at you! I'm so proud. Oh, he's growing up so fast! What did he do?"

"Er . . . well, he was trying to climb out of his crib and he fell, but he landed softly."

"Well, I guess it's time he gets a big boy bed." Said Mrs. Weasley. "Oh, Ronnie!"

Bill took Ron into the living room and sat him down on Ginny's blanket, then handed him a spare quill. "Congrats on your first accidental magic, Ron." Ron squealed and waved the feather in the air.

"Bill?" It was Charlie's voice. "Percy accidentally threw your essay into the fire while he was wrestling Fred and George."

"It wasn't my fault, they hit me with a gobstone!" Percy yelled.

Bill looked from the crumbling remains of his essay to their round, freckled faces. He heard the back door swing open and his mother eagerly tell his father all about Ron's new magic, and then there were Mum and Dad, proudly swinging Ron in the air as the others quickly dogpiled on top of Dad. He grabbed the last, half-finished sheet of his essay and hurled it into the fire. It wasn't a very good essay anyway, and besides, there were much more important things to focus on.