Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with it.
For The Chinese Moon Festival Competition and The School Subjects Competition over at the HPFC Forum.
If anybody had been looking at a pretty little house in England owned by Bill and Fleur Weasley on this particular evening, they would have seen something that would have jolted them from their seats, providing they were none magical. In the space of ten minutes, not one, not two, but three people materialized out of nowhere and made their way up a small pathway to the front door.
The first of the three was tall and willowy, with hair almost as pale as the snow that she stood on. She made her way gracefully to the door, embracing both of her parents the second they opened the door and let her inside.
The second was the only male to appear, and almost as tall as the woman who preceded him. His landing was not quite as graceful as his sister's, in fact, he ended up face first in the snow. His rocky arrival didn't seem to dampen his spirits however, and he bounced up the pathway, smiling eagerly.
The last to arrive seemed to be the least excited of all the guests. She had strawberry blonde hair that tumbled down her back, and blue eyes that matched the colour of her dress. Unlike the other members of her family, she took her time getting to the door, seeming to enjoy the cold air.
It wasn't that she didn't want to see her family, she loved them all and cherished any time she got to spend with them, it was just that there was always so much effort put into these dinners. For once she wished they could order Chinese food from a local muggle restaurant, eating it while sitting round the television like they used to.
She sighed to herself as she trudged through the snow. Mother always did enjoy going overboard, whether it was on preparing meals, praising her children, or punishing them. This time, it was decorations. Each tree on the lawn was draped with fairy lights in a variety of colours. Two delicate reindeer stood by the door, and the porch bench had been traded for one resembling a candy cane.
She tapped lightly on the door, which had a wreath attached to it, and stepped into Santa's workshop from hell. Okay, it wasn't actually Santa's workshop from hell, she doubted even that wouldn't have so many decorations. Silver and gold tinsel was draped over every visible surface, tiny cement angels and miniature Christmas trees were all over the room, and Dominique was almost positive that there was mistletoe laid on the dining room table.
Before she could make a comment on the many decorations a pair of delicate arms wrapped around her waist, followed by larger, stronger arms squeezing her shoulders. 'She's 'ere!' Fleur called out, drawing the attention of Dominique's siblings who were watching some Christmas movie in the den.
'Finally.' Louis muttered in an attempt at sounding exasperated, but his grin gave him away, as per usual. She grinned back at him as she wrestled her way out of her mother's arms and pulled him into a hug, reaching up to ruffle his hair like she used to when they were children.
He pulled back slightly, giving her a halfhearted glare as playfully punched her arm, sending them into a full on shoving war. 'Sorry to interrupt, but I do believe it's my turn to hug Dom.' Victoire smiled as she bumped Louis out of the way.
She was still just as beautiful as Dominique remembered, though her silky hair had been cut so it brushed the top of her shoulders. The two sisters hugged each other tightly, breathing in each others familiar smells and remembering all the times they'd hugged when they were younger. Most of them had been forced by their parents as a way to make up after a fight, but it was a nice memory nonetheless.
When they eventually pulled away, they launched into a long conversation on where they'd been and how they were doing, which Louis joined in on, as they sat in the den while Christmas carols droned on in the background. Despite the fact they had a week to go 'till Christmas and the whole Weasley gathering at Grandma Molly and Grandad Arthur's house, Fleur's over the top decoration managed to make everyone feel like it was already Christmas day.
Dominique was in the middle of a story of her visit to Greece when it was announced that dinner was ready, and like always, nobody was let down by the meal. It wasn't as good as the meals Grandma Molly cooked, hell, those were better than even the Hogwarts meals, but they were as excellent as anything Fleur cooked. It was something Bill had been pleasantly surprised to learn about her when they got married.
Dinner was filled with easy conversation and not so funny jokes, and Dominique found herself missing the times when these dinners were regular things more and more. But she knew none of them had the time for nights like these anymore, and she supposed it made the times they could have them even more wonderful.
After dessert, which she'd convinced Fleur to let them eat in the den, she made her way outside so she could apparate home – Fleur thought it rude to apparate while inside the house. She wished she could stay longer, but knew her husband would be missing her. Before she could leave however, Victoire was beside her, launching into a speech on how she wanted to do this more often, with just the two of them.
So she stayed for half an hour more, talking to Victoire like she used to when they were teenagers. When she got home and mentioned the conversation to her husband, she couldn't tell him what it was about, because she couldn't remember the main topic of the conversation. The only thing she remembered was right before she left, when they'd been laughing about when they were younger and thought the moon was made from cheese.
But to Dominique, those conversations where you couldn't remember what they were about, were always the best kind.
AN: As usual reviews are always appreciated, and please don't favourite without reviewing.