A Weasley Family Advent
19th December
Much to the boys' disappointment, the snow has turned to a wet sleet by the time they have finished lunch, and it is far too wet and cold to go out. But the following day, they awake to a white world. The twins, who do not remember the snow of the previous winter, are open-eyed with amazement.
"Daddy did it!" Fred proclaims, and George nods in agreement. Bill and Charlie find this hysterical, and can't stop laughing all through breakfast.
As soon as breakfast is over – in record time – the boys clamour to be let out to play, and Molly realises that there is no point at all in trying to insist on lessons this morning. She makes sure that they are all bundled up well, and lets them out, with a strict injunction not to go beyond the end of the garden and not to argue.
The boys have a whale of a time, building not one but three snowmen. Charlie and Fred run back inside to demand hats and scarves for them, which Molly provides from a bag of old clothes under the stairs she keeps for such occasions. Once the snowmen are finished, Bill and Charlie (with memories of Uncle Fabian showing them how last winter) make a slide on the path, which is great fun until George turns head over heels on it, and has to be carried inside by Bill for their mother to deal with his skinned knees and hands. The other four finish off with a snowball fight, in which Bill and Fred emerge the victors, before realising that they are cold, and going inside to join George, who is already sitting by the kitchen fire drinking hot chocolate and eating buttered crumpets.
"This is the best day ever!" Percy declares, biting into his third crumpet.
The others are inclined to agree.