Ron and George had rented out a ballroom above a shop on Diagon Alley for a Christmas party for the Order of the Phoenix.
When Molly learned that the two brothers were handling the preparations, she nearly fainted.
No matter how much her sons' insisted that they had everything well in hand, the Weasley matriarch had arrived at the ballroom early in the morning to oversee decoration before the boys finally shooed her away by requesting that she prepare some food.
In true Molly tradition 'some food' became enough to feed twice as many people as were present.
The party was really lovely.
Almost all of the living members of the Order were there– even Kingsley.
Which was a special treat, considering how busy his new job as Minister for Magic kept him.
Dora, Teddy, and Remus flooed to Diagon Alley in the early evening and found the ballroom already occupied by several of their friends.
Of course, Molly and Arthur were there, watching as Ron and George enchanted some sparkling lights on several Christmas trees.
"Ah!" Molly shouted as she saw the Lupins enter, "Bill is setting up a place for the children back near the windows."
She abandoned her nitpicking at the buffet table and walked over to them.
"Oh, Teddy," she cooed, pinching the little boy's cheeks, "would you like to go play with Victoire?"
Teddy nodded and held his arms up to Molly.
She plucked the tot up and carried him over to a playpen where Bill was showing his one-year-old daughter a plush duck.
More people were filtering in behind them and Dora and Remus made our way further into the room.
In a regular pattern, round tables with white tablecloths were set up.
Centerpieces on the table twinkled with blue-white fairy lights and gold stars.
"Oi! Tonks!" George shouted, waving at my Dora
At roughly the same time, Kingsley grabbed Remus's arm and said, "Remus, just the man I was looking for."
Dora looked at her husband who nodded, "I'll catch up later."
Kingsley wanted to speak with Remus about an effort he was leading to change the purpose of the Werewolf Registry to a way to provide social services to those cursed with lycanthropy.
He hoped that Remus, as a beloved professor, would make a statement in support of the new Registry and encouraging werewolves to join.
After promising to think over Kingsley's ideas and owl him if he thought of anything else, Remus began making his way through the crowd to where George and Dora were speaking near one of the large, sparkling trees.
When he approached, he saw that George was laughing while Dora gave him a glare that would have caused a lesser man to burst into flame.
"What's going on here?" Remus asked.
George opened his mouth to speak, but Dora silenced him with a slap to the chest.
"Nothing," she said, rather pointedly, "George was just being a colossal git."
Remus looked at him confused, but before he could say anything, Dora grabbed his arm and started pulling him toward the buffet.
"So, what was that back there?" Remus asked as his wife began filling a plate with finger foods.
She shook her head and told him, "Nothing. George was just taking the piss out of me."
Remus picked up a plate and began following her lead, "Seems like he was really getting to you."
Dora closed her eyes and sighed, "Why do you think I wanted away so quickly?"
Trying to sound casual, Remus asked, "So, what was he teasing you about?"
"Should we take Ted one of these sausages?" she asked, pretending that she hadn't heard him.
Remus decided that it was in everyone's best interest to not press her any further at the party.
When they went to the window to take a plate of food to Teddy, he was sitting against the wall playing with a stuffed toy that looked remarkably like a three-headed dog.
Dora crouched down to show him the food and asked, "What have you got there, Ted?"
"Fuffy!" he shouted with a grin, holding the toy out to his mother.
She looked it over, then looked up at her husband. It was, in fact, a three-headed dog.
"Where did you get that, son?" she asked again.
Teddy, still all smiles, replied, "Hagid."
Remus threw his head back and laughed, "That makes sense."
While Dora sliced a sausage on Teddy's plate, his father asked, "Did you tell Hagrid 'thank you'?"
Teddy nodded and reached for the food.
At that moment, Remus felt a hand like a sledgehammer smack against his back, leaving him breathless for just a moment.
"I see ye'v foun' the gift I brough' yer boy," Hagrid's voice boomed.
Turning and smiling, Remus replied, "I should have known it was from you."
Hagrid laughed heartily, "I told him tha' his name was Fluffy and tha' he looked like one o' my dogs."
Looking at the highly unusual toy, Dora asked, "Where did you manage to find a three-headed dog stuffed toy, Hagrid?"
The towering man simply winked one of his dark sparkling eyes and said, "I have my ways."
Some time later, while Dora and Remus sat at a table chatting with some of her coworkers and their dates, Molly pulled up a chair beside them.
"Do you have plans for Christmas dinner?" she asked the couple.
Remus looked at Tonks who shook her head. "Unless Mum has something planned that she hasn't mentioned," she answered.
Molly smiled brightly at this, "Oh wonderful! You're all invited to Christmas dinner at the Burrow!"
"Molly," Remus said, smiling, "we wouldn't want to impose."
She dismissed the argument with a wave of her hand, "Oh, pish. Remus, you know that you're no imposition. Harry and Hermione will be joining, too. Besides, we all have presents for Teddy and it would be so nice to see him open them. Andromeda's invited, too, of course. Is she here?"
"She was talking to Arthur earlier," Dora said, looking around the room for her mother.
Molly nodded, "I'll find her and let her know that she's invited as well. I'll expect you around four. No need to bring anything."
With that, Molly was off to find Andromeda or fuss over George's necktie– whichever she found first.
