A/N: So some of these are more ficlets/one-shots than drabbles. I decided to give myself an extra challenge and use the words in order to write and post chapters.
That said, before we begin, we are Muggles. Magic is a sin, and it is only mentioned here as part of a totally fictional world. Yeah, I know, I'm being a buzzkill; I just can't be the person responsible for you going out practicing any form of it (like forms of Divination, trying to move shiz with your mind/"spirit"). I feel it's my duty to give you fair warning.
To the fic!
Sapphires
"Bill, could you help me with this?" asked Charlie, approaching his brother's chair near the fire in the Gryffindor common room.
Winter holidays had already begun, and the two brothers were among the few students who had stayed behind this year. Their mother had enough going on, what with their four younger brothers and their baby sister running around, without needing to worry about keeping track of them for the next month. Charlie was a third year, after all, much too old to be clinging to his mother's skirts at every possible moment. Both boys, in fact, were quite responsible and mature, the result of helping take care of five other children. Besides, over the holidays, the Care of Magical Creatures professor was allowing Charlie and Hagrid to help take care of a unicorn that had accidentally been wounded by a centaur's rogue arrow.
"What is it?" asked his older brother, sitting up straight.
"Some Divination homework. I've finished all of my other assignments, but I just can't figure out how to complete this chart. Professor Trelawney's never happy with any of the true interpretations I turn in."
"Ha! Little brother, I see your mistake already. See here at the top, where you wrote how your dream of seeing a werewolf pop out at you (insert something not horrible here)?"
"Yeah."
"You have to say it means that bad things will happen. In fact, you have to say that about all of your dreams. That old cow isn't interested in anything but despair, suffering, and death. She's not even a genuine Seer, I've heard."
"So all I have to do is write that my dreams are telling me that bad things are going to happen even if that's not what the books says?"
"Precisely."
"Wicked."
"How about you finish your chart tomorrow? We can get in a couple rounds of Chess before bed, so we can wake up early to open our presents tomorrow."
Enter the Next Day
Charlie woke up and tossed a pillow at his older brother. Bill had taken up residence in a spare bed in the third years' dormitory for most of the holidays since the only other boys remaining in Gryffindor were in fourth and seventh year. The few number of students and abundance of extra beds in the dormitories at Hogwarts were a true testament of the horrors that had overtaken the Wizarding World not too long ago. The small number of Wizarding children between the ages of five and eighteen displayed the fear of many witches and wizards to expand their families during Voldemort's reign of terror: having a child meant having yet another person to lose.
"It's Christmas, Bill!" Charlie called, throwing back his covers and admiring the large pile of gifts at the end of his bed.
"Happy Christmas, Charlie," Bill said, slowly sitting up. "Let's have some breakfast before we open our presents, yeah?"
"Okay." Charlie absently went over to a window and started drawing figures in the condensation. He liked having the dormitory on the highest floor of the tower; it gave a great view of the grounds below. If his math was right, his brother Ron would be living in this room while he attended school.
Being the only ones that actually came down from their rooms before opening their presents, the brothers sat by the fireplace joking while they ate the breakfast that had been provided in the common room for the occasion. Once they'd had their fill of cocoa, toast, Belgian waffles, they went back upstairs to open presents.
Donning trademark Weasley jumpers, the two brothers passed the rest of the morning sorting the various sweets they had received from friends, munching on their mum's homemade fudge, and showing each other the different magical trinkets and toys they had received. From his parents and relatives, Bill had opened a handsome leather journal, a fine quill from a black and red pheonix that was at least as long as his forearm plus hand and had a lovely flourish to it, a handbook on creating spells and charms, and a new blue hat that had twinkling stars and crescent moons among other gifts.
Charlie was pleased to find he'd been sent a small stack of Wizarding comic books (most of the moving panels were now done with color!), a stocking cap of Gryffindor colors that reached his waist that his grandmother sent, a set of miniature dragon action figures that could actually fly, breathe fire or ice, and fight depending on species, a Rememberall, and a play snitch for indoor use. Their dad's promotion really brought in a good haul for them this year.
Once Bill had banished the rubbish from the floor, Charlie noticed a note that had been hiding underneath a new cloak his mum had sent.
It read:
Mr. Weasley,
I believe that our friend is ready to be set back into the wild. I would like to invite you to join me after dinner today to watch his release, as I know you have drawn a connection with him. I thank you for all the help you have given me during your holiday.
HJ
"Bill, Professor Jamsworth says the unicorn is ready to be released back into the forest!"
"That's great news. When does he plan on setting him free?"
"Today after dinner. Will you come with me to watch?"
"Of course, I will. It's a day for family, just like Fred and George are always saying."
Bill smiled, happy he wasn't to be spending this special day by himself. Truth be told, he often missed the hectic goings-on at home. Especially now, with most of the school empty, he felt decidedly bored and alone without his usual half-a-dozen playmates. And, if he was being perfectly honest, he missed his mum and wanted nothing more to be held in her arms next to the fireplace, falling asleep while he waited for Father Christmas. Such were the tribulations of growing up, he supposed.
After dinner, Bill followed Charlie to the edge of the Forbidden Forest where Professoer Jamsworth and Hagrid were waiting. Bill didn't know much of either of the men, especially that Hagrid, but Charlie was always going on about what a great bloke he was.
"Ah, Mr. Weasley! I'm so glad you could make it, and you've brought your brother! How wonderful!" Professor Jamsworth was always rather pleasant and loved to share his passion with others.
"Good afternoon, Professor," the boys said.
"Yer Christmas goin' a'ight, Charlie?" Hagrid asked.
"Brilliant. Hagrid, this is my older brother, Bill."
"Pleased ter meet ya, Bill."
"Hello, Hagrid. This is the unicorn you all have been tending to this season?"
"Oh, yes. A fine creature, he is. That arrow did a good bit of damage to some of his organs, but now I'd say he's fit as ever. Thanks in no small part to young Charlie here. He's got quite a way with animals, and I daresay we might not have been so successful without him."
"Yeah, Charlie's always been good with looking after and taking care of others. It's great you asked him to help. I couldn't imagine anyone else better for the job."
Charlie swelled with pride. Bill thought he was good at something? Sure, he was an ace flyer and was a starter on the Quidditch team, but that was something anyone could see and no one could deny. His big brother thought he did a fine job doing something that no other student, not even a Seventh Year, had been asked. Bill, the Prefect, had complimented him. Charlie didn't know if he'd ever be able to get that goofy grin off his face.
Bill saw his brother's face light up and smiled back, wrapping an arm around his brother's shoulders and missing out on whatever the professor was saying about the unicorn.
"Her coat's so white," Bill said, trying to be conversational.
"Aye, he's of hardy stock. Just look at how you can see the magic flowing through his horn. And those eyes! Of the purest blue, a good indicator of his blood's good properties." Professor Jamsworth untied the unicorn from the post. "Time for him to be off then."
Charlie, still reeling from his brother's praise, and Bill, caught in the magical moment of bonding with his brother and witnessing the majestic creature he'd seen only in books, saw as the great creature rose and galloped off into the forest, flashing by them in what a show of power. The whirl of white and sliver that ran past them was interrupted only by a brief spot of magnificent, almost radiant, blue.
"Like sapphires," Bill whispered, briefly mesmerized by the beauty and prowess of the creature he'd just seen.
"He was really somethin' special," Charlie said, glad his brother had been there to share the moment with him. The entire day was turning out wonderfully: a delicious breakfast and dinner, presents, the unicorn's release, compliments, his brother's respect, and being close to someone he loved so much. "Happy Christmas, Bill," he said, shamelessly throwing his arms around his older brother's waist and hugging him tightly.
"Happy Christmas, little brother," Bill said, raising his brother to his own height and bringing him closer.
Letting their embrace fall, they both noticed a snowball fight taking place on the school lawn and ran to join it.
End Note:
I do realize that canon sets Charlie as technically going to Hogwarts early and would be only one year behind Bill since he is missed by the Quidditch team (the Year Before paradox that amuses us so much), but their actual birth years set the brothers two years apart. That is how I chose to write this, where Bill has been sixteen for about a month and Charlie turned fourteen around two weeks before. In the books, they would be in fifth and third year for these ages. The only reason I didn't make them younger is I couldn't see Mrs. Weasley letting just the two of them stay for Christmas alone if Charlie were any younger.