"Is it Christmas, yet?"

"Goodnight, Pollux."

"Nymphadora!" the little black-haired boy shrieked in his girlish five-year-old voice. "Is it Christmas yet?"

I sat up in bed, Ash stirring slightly beside me to open a sleepy eye towards my brother, and glared at Pollux. "Does it look like it's Christmas yet?"

"Yes."

"How is that, dear brother?" I call him dear brother at the times when I am most angry with the young child; he seriously couldn't just disappear, could he? I couldn't wait until I went back to Hogwarts, this was the eighth time he'd woken me up in three days!

"It's snowing!"

"We live in England, it always snows in December. Hell, it doesn't stop snowing until March half the time! Go to bed!"

Pollux crinkled his Weasley nose and jumped off the edge of my bed, running away similar to how his same-age cousin, Lily, runs when she's acting extra girly. Typical Weasley. His bold tomboyish sister runs off to Hogwarts and he ends up becoming a girly-boy. Hopefully he'll get over that by the time he turns eleven.

Ash looked at me and chuckled as I flopped back down. "You know, tomorrow morning is Christmas morning."

"Merlin's pants, are you serious?"

"Yup."

I looked at the clock beside my bed. It was eleven thirty. Which meant that in thirty minutes, it would be Christmas. I was terrible with dates. "Hey, Polly!"

Ash looked at me, shocked. "And you wonder why he acts like a girl!"

"Mum named him Pollux, it's not my fault."

"NYMPHADORA!"

Aunt Hermione's piercing screech scared me out of my fantastic dream-- it was about me and Remus-- and I rolled off the bed and landed on my back on the ground. Fifteen children surrounded me and Ash, who I heard fall off the bed on the other side. I sat up and looked over the top of the bed. She waved drowsily, before flopping back down and groaning.

I stood up and dropped my quilt on the bed. Aunt Hermione stood at the doorway, stroking her gargantuan stomach and laughing like a chiming church bell. I scowled. "No need to look so cheerful." Then I glanced at the clock and woke up from my cranky state immediately. "Merry Christmas, Weasley family. Merry Christmas, Ash."

Ash stumbled to her feet and sat down on the edge of our bed. "Your family is too big."

"You just had dinner with us last night," Violetta muttered. "We aren't that big. You don't even know all of them." I shot her a warning glare and she hushed. She didn't like Ash; it was her replacement, obviously. Not that Antoinette hadn't already done that.

"Where's Remus?" Antoinette questioned me, looking at me with suspicion in her searching gold eyes.

"Why would I know that?" I squeaked, throwing my arm around her shoulder. "Where's Christmas at today, Herms?"

Aunt Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Aunt Hermione, Nymphadora. I'm your namesake, it'll do you well to remember my name completely." I stared back, unflinching, until she answered my question. "Your sitting room, dear. Downstairs, come on. Breakfast first!"

The youngest children shot out of the bedroom like cannonballs, followed by my aunt, then the three quadruplets. They shot me dirty looks-- it was the first time I'd seen them where they weren't attached at the rear to the Ravenclaw table-- and continued walking towards the dining room downstairs.

I linked arms with Antoinette and Ash and started walking after the crowd. "Seriously, where is Remus?"

"He's coming, Nymphie."

"REMUS!" Antoinette bellowed. I blushed. "YOUR LOVER IS LOOKING FOR YOU!" Ash had told her that I'd kissed Remus on the cheek and she'd been making fun of me since. Oh, the times I wish Antoinette Aurelia Weasley wasn't my best friend/cousin! "REMUS, WHERE ARE YOU?"

The brown-haired boy stuck his head out of Sirius' old bedroom and cocked an eyebrow, "Hello, dears. Merry Christmas!"

Ash wiggled her free elbow. "Join up, Remy. Christmas breakfast, come on!" I loved the idea of Ash being in my family. Calgary might be the one with a burning desire for my brother, but Ash was the one I would rather be a sister to.

Uncle Charlie was downstairs with his longtime girlfriend Colgate Lovegood-- Aunt Ani's older sister-- and Uncle Bill, Aunt Fleur, Grandmum and Grandpa Weasley, Uncle Percy, Aunt Penelope, and all of my other cousins that they created.

When my twelve-year-old second-year cousin Hendrix-- a spawn of Uncle Charlie and Colgate-- smiled shyly at Ash as we sat down at the table, his blonde Lovegood hair falling loosely around his big blue eyes, I knew which cousin I wanted her to choose. And I think she chose him right then.

We sat ourselves down at one of the dining room tables, the Hogwarts kids' table. The quadruplets, Ash, Hendrix, Remus, Victoire, and Teddy all surrounded me and I was glad to be able to eat my Christmas breakfast with them instead of my older family. Ash was seated directly next to Hendrix, and they started shooting cute looks at each other the minute a bowl of oatmeal and a plate of toast landed on the table.

I wonder when we'll actually get into our dating games at Hogwarts… That'll be fun. Me and Remus, Nettie and Austin, Hendrix and Ash, Calgary and someone other than my brother. Maybe when we're twelve. I turn twelve in February, on the twenty-eighth. I was so close to being a leap year baby, that would've been so cool!

I leaned over my oatmeal and pinched the skin on Ash's elbow. "Hendrix? Really?" I didn't know what made me think that she and Hendrix would make a good couple in the first place, but I guess they would. Hendrix is quite similar to her except in looks-- his light features versus her dark-- and his quirky little issues are the same as Ash's quirky little issues. Extremely peculiar, extremely annoying, but when put together? Extremely adorable.

I'd gone through all of my presents. Watched my aggravating family members open their presents. Got hit in the face with the wrapping papers from my family members' presents. Threw the paper back. Wrestled with Remus and Hendrix. Won against Remus and Hendrix, permanently hurting their ego and making me extremely proud.

And there I was sitting there in my bedroom in front of the fireplace, with Hendrix, Remus, Antoinette, and Ash. Hot chocolate mugs were in front of our faces, tightly gripped in our hands like they were all we had to depend on. Plates of warm cinnamon cookies and ginger snaps covered the floor around us, occasionally showing patches of platters and carpeting when one of us snatched one.

Hendrix nibbled on the edge of a sugar cookie, cut in the shape of a bell, and watched Ash carefully. She was laughing at something Antoinette whispered in her ear. Hendrix was twelve; he was already programmed to have full, blown-out crushes. And it was obvious that he had one on Ash. His blue eyes scanned her long black hair, curled loosely for the occasion, that framed her golden brown eyes set deeply into her tanned face.

He'd made a good choice for himself; she was so thoughtful, so careful in everything she did. Hendrix was the same way, something I'd been immensely confused about since I'd been able to think correctly; his father was Charlie Weasley, the king of impulsive actions that always led to chaos. But Hendrix moved with that same contemplative air as Ash, and his actions never lead to bedlam.

Lucky. I wish I'd turned out like him.

Hendrix peeled his eyes away from his infatuation and looked over at the broomstick that was laying on my bed. "You're trying out for the Quidditch team next year, right, Nymph?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "We are, all of us except Remus and Calgary. They're pathetic." I grinned at Remus, and he shoved my elbow lightly, leaving his hand over mine when he was finished. Real smooth.

"Not pathetic-- I'm taking up the spot as commentator, I already spoke to McGonagall about it."

"Merlin, why didn't you tell me that?" I squealed, slapping his hand off of mine. "Remus, that's the kind of thing you tell your best friend!"

He shrugged. "It was supposed to be a surprise. But cool, huh? Calgary's gonna help me out a little, she said she'll take care of the scores for me while you guys all play." I continued glaring at him in mock fury that he didn't tell me that McGonagall had actually agreed; I'd always known it was a possibility, but I wasn't aware that she'd confirmed it.

"We'll have the open spots," Hendrix said. "Four open spots, that's four seventh years going off to the real world. A beater, a chaser, our keeper, and our seeker." Antoinette grinned proudly, she'd been holding the title of the best female beater in the entire Weasley family since we were five. She had it locked. "I'm one of the chasers, so that's what I'll be helping Fisher pick out next year." He looked over at Ash, "I'm guessing by the look on your face that you're a chaser, too."

She nodded. "I've been practicing with Nymphadora since we got here. It's so much fun!" I don't see how she'd never played Quidditch growing up; her father was a wizard, surely he'd have taught her a little bit. Or at least she'd have a few magical family members that could have taught her!

"And Nymphadora is a seeker… Your father can't be that proud. He was always a beater, and very stuck on that position for his future son."

Antoinette snorted. "And she's the closest thing to a son that man has got."

"You know what, Hendrix," I threatened emptily, not even dignifying Antoinette's comment with a response, then thought better of it and stopped. "Okay, you're right. But Uncle Harry is quite pleased."

"Then I guess that Austin boy'll want keeper…" Hendrix shrugged. "An awfully scrawny little boy, isn't he?"

"Hush, Hendrix!" Antoinette snapped immediately, jumping to protect her sweetheart.

"Well, we'll discuss this more next September. Let's switch to a new subject."

"How about you and Ash?" Antoinette put forward.

"And we're back to Quidditch!"