I do not own Harry Potter. I am aware that this is the wrong time of year for a Christmas fic.
Ginny Weasley opened an eye. Glancing around her bedroom as she struggled to wake up, the youngest of the Weasley family tried to piece together what was happening, for she knew that something important was happening today. Then, it hit her. It was Christmas!
Almost on cue, Ron appeared,looking eager, and followed by Fred and George. With shrieks of laughter, the youngest members of the Weasley family scrambled downstairs to the sitting room and dived into the heap of presents, searching for their names on the gift tags. Ginny picked one up with her own name on it; the tag was changing colour and playing "Jingle Bells" on an irritating loop. Mum could be heard in the kitchen sending spells to perform the tasks that would take Muggle families a great deal of time and effort.
Within twenty minutes or so, Percy had come downstairs as well, yawning and stretching and carrying his presents for the rest of the family. Percy's idea of a gift, much to Ron and Ginny's disappointment, was a copy of The Complete Encyclopaedia of Magic for each of them. Fred and George had found their homemade jumpers, each bearing their initial, and swapped them because they knew that Mum liked to use the jumpers to tell them apart. Ginny and the others all quickly found their own jumpers and donned them, so that shortly, they had all settled into the classic Weasley Christmas morning look of a jumper and pyjamas.
When Dad arrived, Ginny presented him with a strange Muggle contraption.
"How exciting," he murmured as he inspected it, fascinated. "What is it?"
"A toaster, I think," Ginny replied. "I bought it off a Muggle family in the village, and one of them told me that's what it was called."
"Looks like just the thing for drying socks," said Dad thoughtfully. "I shall look forward to trying it out."
Mum came through from the kitchen just then, and told them that if they didn't get dressed they would be eating at midnight. Ron and Ginny scampered upstairs followed by a reluctant Fred and George.
The Weasley family sat down for Mum's spectacular Christmas lunch, which was as wonderful as it always was. The turkey sat in the middle of the table, golden and tender, surrounded by crispy roast potatoes and a vast array of vegetables. Their family may not have had much money , but Christmas was such a special time of year that they always made the extra effort to be sure they could eat well and the children had enough presents to see them through the year. The table was dotted with Christmas crackers. Ginny pulled hers with Ron and in a puff of smoke received a family of white mice whom went on to wreak havoc all over the table.
When the mice had been caught and placed in a large biscuit tin with several pieces of broccoli and half of yesterday's newspaper the Weasley family settled down to dessert. Dessert was another occasion for Mum to outdo her own cooking, although it soon emerged that Fred and George had put Acid Drops in the Christmas cake.
An hour later the Weasley family went on their traditional Christmas Day walk, and Ron tried to feign a stomachache, in a vain pass at an hour's nap. Ron's attempt was unsuccessful and soon he was sulking as he trailed behind his family. Ginny ran ahead, grabbing her father's hand and clinging to it with an iron grip. Mum caught Fred and George trying to sneak a toad into Percy's coat pocket. The toad appeared so affronted at being picked up that Mum felt obliged to apologise. Percy began to bore his family with a talk on the different leaves and plants they were seeing. Fred and George began mocking Percy before their ears were swiftly boxed.
The Weasleys returned home to find two letters that had been delivered by a rather exhausted Errol. Inspecting the letters, Ginny saw that they were from Bill, who was abroad in Egypt for the holidays, and Charlie, who was settling into his job in Romania. Ginny opened both letters and smiled as a warm feeling filled her. Bill's letter was quite long wishing the family a Merry Christmas and good luck with the new year, and came with a fresh heap of presents that Ginny and the others all rushed to open. Charlie's letter was shorter and more hurried and sketchy, much to Mum's dismay. All the same, they had a great time opening Bill's presents, which were mostly odd trinkets and things he had picked up in the markets in Egypt.
A little while before dinner, Ginny went into the kitchen to find her mother, and instead discovered Fred, George and Ron picking at the turkey and stuffing roast potatoes into their pockets. All the members of the raiding party looked at her guiltily, just as they all heard the sound of Percy coming into the kitchen. Ginny motioned at the others to run. Fred, George and Ron all bolted for the back door just in time as Percy entered the kitchen. He frowned suspiciously at Ginny's shifty expression
.
"What are you up to?" he asked, looking at Ginny with the "prefect face" that Fred and George liked to tease him about.
"Nothing," Ginny replied innocently, and she gave him a smile as she skipped past him out of the kitchen.
When she got upstairs to her bedroom, Ginny was grinning to herself, her heart beating fast. She reached into her pocket to fish out Ron's present, and opened the packaging. It was a miniature figurine of her favourite Quidditch player, 'Dangerous' Dai Llewellyn, dressed in the signature green and white robes of the Caerphilly Catapults. Ginny marvelled at the perfect miniature replica of Llewellyn's broomstickâthat is, until she heard Fred and George on the stairs, undoubtedly planning their next Christmas prank.
Ginny grinned and hopped off the bed, hurrying out to meet them; she had to be in on this one!