A/N: This story was written originally as seperate one-shots, but they're all linked to the same Christmas celebration. I wrote this in Dec. 2006, before Deathly Hallows came out, so it's technically AU. I hope you enjoy anyway!

This particular chapter was written for the prompt - Hermione's first Christmas with the Wealeys.

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Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful -- Norman Vincent Peale

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Chapter One - A Weasley

Hermione sighs contentedly, leaning back in her chair at the sight of the people around her. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are sitting on the couch, whispering tenderly to each other; Ginny is sitting in the chair next to Hermione's and she is on Harry's lap, smiling down at his sleeping form; the twins are working on products for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes in the corner, showing a delighted Charlie how their "brilliant minds work"; and Bill is helping Fleur make cookies in the kitchen ("Bill, zis is zo difficult! I don't zeenk I like zis!").

It is Christmas Eve and everyone has been working hard all day, readying the house for tomorrow. A few guests are coming over to the Burrow; Lupin, Tonks, Luna Lovegood, and a redeemed (though still completely detestable) Draco Malfoy. Hermione watches the fire, her eyes becoming blurry with tiredness, and she briefly thinks that they are all such a nice family, the Weasleys. They're all red-headed and loyal and willing to lay down their lives for one another. They're stubborn and they fight and they love each other fiercely in spite of that.

Hermione smiles softly to herself, wishing that she was part of their family. She knows she will be technically be a Weasley one day, as she and Ron are engaged, but she wishes that she had a true sign that his family already thought of her as one. Harry already knows that he's basically a Weasley, and he's been told by Mrs. Weasley that he's as good as her own son, but Mrs. Weasley has never told Hermione that she's like a daughter.

Just as her eyes close as these thoughts whirl around in her head, Hermione feels someone touch her shoulder and she looks up to see the face of Ron Weasley peering down at her. A smile spreads across her face and he smiles down at her. "I want to show you something," he whispers, directing a furtive glance in the way of his mother.

Hermione narrows her eyes suspiciously, but stands up and follows him out of the room. They go up the stairs and Hermione opens her mouth to ask where they're going because they've past Ginny's room and still have a couple more floors before they reach Ron's room. Ron simply puts a finger to his lips, beckons her forward, and enters a room suddenly, pulling her in by the hand.

"Ron, what - "

She stops mid-sentence, gasping. "Ron!" she says indignatly. "Are we in your parents' room?"

But Ron strides over to the bed in the room, throws himself down on the floor, and reaches under the bed. Hermione looks nervously to the door and then back at Ron, who is now sitting on the floor with a wrapped present in his hands.

"What are you doing?" Hermione says. "We're supposed to open gifts tomorrow morning, not now! You're snooping!"

Ron shakes his head, tossing the present from one hand to the other. "No, I didn't snoop!" he defends himself, standing up and drawing himself to his full height. He towers over her, smiling down at her with that stupid grin, the one that infuriates her and warms her all at once and makes all logical thought leave her brain.

"You're snooping now!" she whispers furiously, backing away from him because she can't believe Ron would do such a thing.

"Fred and George did it," says Ron. "And they told me about a certain present that I think you'd want to hear about. I mean, I suppose it could wait until tomorrow - "

"I don't care what presents you've got!" she says, her voice a little louder.

" - but you know, I was really excited when they told me, and I didn't know if they were joking - "

Hermione continues as if she hasn't heard him. "You're completely unbelievable, Ron, I might expect this from a child - "

" - so I naturally had to come and see, didn't I, and they weren't! And I had to tell you, maybe show you if you want, because you'll love it - "

" - but I thought you had grown up! For goodness' sake, I agreed to marry you! You're supposed to set an example - "

" - because you've never gotten one before...Hermione, are you even listening to what I'm saying?"

Ron stops speaking, and Hermione glares up at him. She lets out a tutting noise and is ready to stalk out of the room, her head held high in the air, when Ron says excitedly, "Mum's made you a Weasley sweater!"

Hermione, her back already turned to him, stops dead. Spinning around ever so slowly, she looks at Ron. Then her gaze turns to the package in his hands.

"I mean, I obviously don't know what color it is or anything, but isn't that brilliant, Hermione?"

He's still staring at her happily and her eyes begin to fill with tears. She can hardly believe it...for so many years she's wanted one, she's watched all the Weasleys and Harry walk around with them on at Christmas, and now Mrs. Weasley has made her one?

She lets out a laugh and goes to hug Ron, all of her anger vanishing as she wraps her arms around him. He knows how long she's wanted one, how her relationship with Mrs. Weasley has sometimes been rocky (during her fourth year in particular), and that this means the world to her. She can't help but to cry a bit into his shirt, but she pulls back eventually and grins at him. "Thank you," she says.

Ron wiggles the gift in front of her. "Don't you want to open it?" he asks playfully.

Hermione rolls her eyes. "No! Honestly, Ron, you shouldn't have showed me..."

"Because now you're so tempted to open it?"

Hermione gives him a reproachful look that doesn't really come off as that reproachfull at all. She takes the gift out of Ron's hands and shoves it back underneath the bed. "Come on, then," she says sternly, waving at him to follow her back downstairs.

Ron grins and she berates him for many things: for even listening to Fred and George in the first place ("You know all they want to do is get someone in trouble!"), snooping around, opening her present and re-wrapping it, and conclusively, going against the "rules of Christmas". She threatens to tell his mother, but Ron knows her words have no real threat behind them.

He knows that Hermione now truly feels like a Weasley.