Hey guys! I'm updating, whoop!

So, hopefully you'll love this chapter. I enjoyed writing it haha. Yay for Frayne!

I want to thank ALL of you WONDERFUL reviewers/alerters/favouriters. You make me teary-eyed, and I'm so happy that I got around to writing this for you guys.

Also, I will be posting the outtake to this in a few moments, so check that out if you want to (WARNING: IT'S LIKE XXXX RATED)

ENJOY!

A Christmas to Remember

Oh I won't ask for much this Christmas, I won't even wish for snow. I'm just gonna keep on waiting underneath the mistletoe. I won't make a list and send it, to the North Pole for Saint Nick. I won't even stay awake to hear those magic reindeer click. 'Cause I just want you here tonight, holding on to me so tight. What more can I do? Baby all I want for Christmas is you - All I want for Christmas (Mariah Carey)

"Mummy!"

I leapt into my mother's arms and hugged her tight, kissing her cheek. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, my darling. How was school this term?" she asked. She hugged me close to her bosom, cradling me in her sweet, homey scent. I felt the familiar fabric of her woolen robes underneath my cheek and the comforting smell of perfume and herbs from the hospital clinging to her skin from work permeated my senses. As a tight knit family, being apart from each other for long periods of time (like when I went to school or went on vacation with the Weasley family without them) put strain on us all.

"Princess, c'mere!" My father scooped me out of Mum's arms and into his own, giving me a big Bugbear hug. "Oh, it's been too long, sweet!"

"I know Papa, I know." I clutched him to me tightly, having missed his tall skinny frame and soothing hugs. It had been too long since we had been able to be together as a family.

The four of us were all the family we had, apart from the Weasleys that is. After my mum was disowned and tortured by her own blood, my father was all she had. When Nymphadora was born, and then me, we had become a very close nuclear family. We relied on each other for everything- comfort, love, hope, and trust. I shuddered to think of losing any one of my family members in the coming war. It would shatter me; I wasn't sure it was something I would ever get over.

To see my mother and father again raised my hopes. The last few days had been hard on everybody. Seeing Arthur like that destroyed the morale of everybody. Watching one of the strongest and bravest men I know lay prone in a hospital bed, surrounded by healers in pristine white robes instead of his family, and knowing that he had been so close to death only a few days before made me scared to death. If Arthur Weasley had been decimated so early on in this war, the outlook for the rest of us was not good.

However, with the holidays coming the next morning and the horizon looking brighter than it had as of late, I had no qualms about being happy and optimistic for at least several weeks. I clutched my parents to me and felt giddy about the excitement of the coming night and day.

We said our goodbyes to the Weasleys and wished them all a happy Christmas Eve. I pulled Fred aside to kiss him deeply, promising him that I would see him first thing in the morning and wishing I could be in two places at once so I could spend our first Christmas Eve together, alone, as well as with my family. After tearing myself from Fred with one last kiss, I grabbed Mum's hand and Papa's arm. Seconds later, I was flung through the air and landed on my arse in the living room of our cottage.

"Blayne!" a squeal came from next to me. I looked up warily to see my green-and-red headed sister barreling towards me. She lifted me off the floor and twirled me around in the air excitedly. "It's CHRISTMAS!"

"Why yes, I am so glad you've finally got your celebrations down. Tell me, when is Morgana's Day?" I teased. She placed me on the floor and stuck her tongue out at me. "You would think that Aurors would know how to retaliate with more than childish facial expressions, wouldn't you? You've never met my sister then."

"Muuum, Andromache is being meeean!"

"Oh stop it you two. Even after sixteen years you cannot get along?" Mum laughed. My dad wrapped his arm around her waist and led her to the kitchen to help her finish dinner while Tonks and I went to set the table.

After our traditional roast dinner, we gathered around in the living room to commence the annual tree decorating. Even after sixteen years, I still loved listening to the typical Muggle Christmas music blare over our Muggle radio (a gift from Mr. Weasley for Christmas when I was about two years old) as we draped the ornaments over our thriving evergreen tree. Mum would hang the stockings on the mantel and Papa would light the Yule log. We lit candles in the windows and danced along to the music, catching each other under the mistletoe and forcing one family member to kiss one of us.

I wouldn't miss a Tonks Christmas for the world. Mum and Dad don't like to talk about when Mum was disowned, but we know the story. Sirius told Nymph when she was little, before he went to Azkaban, and she told me when I turned thirteen. Her sisters, though they were mostly opposites, had been her family. When her father disowned her, her sisters were forced to as well. Bellatrix readily accepted my mother as a traitor; I always suspected it was because Bellatrix was jealous, deep down, of my mum's pure heart. Narcissa, however, had a more difficult time. After she married Lucius and Draco was born, Narcissa was forced to sever all ties with my mother. And so, Andromeda was left to her own devices with only a new husband and two small children.

We were the only family we had, besides Sirius. But what kind of family was he? He was nearly insane from his imprisonment, and who would blame him? However, it still didn't leave much of a family for any of us to rely on. I would stand by my last remaining cousin, for I did love him to death, but I barely knew him. I was a baby when he was sent to Azkaban. I would always stick by my mother, my father, and my sister, if only for the reason that we needed each other far more than anyone could ever imagine. So no, leaving my first love on our first Christmas Eve together was not gut-wrenchingly difficult, as one would imagine. I couldn't image spending this night without the only best friends that I knew would stick with me no matter what. And, in the deep recesses of my mind that I dare not dig into, I was acutely aware that this year may very well be the last Christmas I would get to spend with my family. Voldemort was back, and no one was safe.

I grabbed the tinsel and watched as it sparkled in the light from the fire, smiling softly and thinking of all the memories the simple ornament held. This is what I loved. This is why I came home for Christmas, and this was what the Christmas spirit really was. Because my mother was alone in the world when we were born, with only my dad beside her, she had resolved to make traditions and happy ceremonies for every second of our childhoods. She refused to let our childhoods turn out as wretched as hers had. And she had worked magic.

As I reached into the bucket of sentimental glass ornaments to pick out another, Mum spoke up, jarring me out of my thoughts.

"So, darling, are there any boys on the horizon?" she giggled, poking my side. I bit my lip. It was now or never, I supposed.

"Well, Mum, Papa," I began. Nymphadora rolled her eyes good-naturedly and I felt the light sting of her shoulder punch. I felt my cheeks heat up. "Fred and I have been dating."

Even though I had mumbled it, Mum heard it. I thought I would go deaf and I would be crushed, barely breathing during the congratulations.

The questions were never-ending. "Since when?" was one of the questions that I finally understood through all the squealing.

"Unofficially, we started dating in the beginning of the school year. So about four months, I suppose." She finally let me go and rested her hand on my cheek.

"I'm so happy for you. I always knew you'd end up with one of those boys. Just think, Ted, we may get redheaded children yet! Oh, and to be related to the Weasleys, how delightful!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves now, Andromeda. I'm very delighted for you, Blayne. I just hope that young man is good to you. We wouldn't want him having an accident, now would we?" We all burst out laughing. As hard as he might try, my father was not a very intimidating man. He was all love and fun and not much might, though he was fiercely protective and a very strong wizard.

I bit my lip and turned back to the bucket, picking out a heart ornament. I raised it to the tree and rested it on a branch as I muttered, "I really love him Mum."

"I can see it in your eyes, my dear. Your strong emotions all lie there, so easily readable. To be young and feel love's sweet glow." She kissed my cheek.

For the next few minutes, I went on about how wonderful Fred was. I couldn't contain myself. I hadn't really been able to babble incessantly about how fantastic my boyfriend was because my other best friend was his twin brother. Therefore, I took this opportunity in stride.

"I just can't wait to see him tomorrow. Even being away from him tonight is borderline torturous. I miss him so much!"

"I always knew this would happen. Let the girl spend so much time around boys as she's growing up, and she's bound to fall in love with one of them! This is all your fault, Andromeda!" my dad joked. Our laughter rang through the house and warmed my insides.

A little while later, we sat down for tea and custard. Nobody in our family was big Christmas pudding fans, so instead we ate Bird's Eye custard in petite glasses. Somehow, school came up, and along with that, the ugly pink toad. Refusing to let her torturous and barbaric teaching method and detention style ruin my holiday as well as my school days, I simply told them that she was a horrible person with a hideous personality who had no business being at Hogwarts. I was not learning anything and would love to see her expelled from the school. At the end of the conversation, I lightened the topic by turning my body into an imitation of Umbridge, and was quite afraid that my family would all die from heart attacks or the like because of their tremendous laughter.

We also talked about the boys' joke shop plans. I mentioned that they were thinking of dropping out of school because of Umbridge and a whole host of other reasons, but asked my family to refrain from mentioning it to Molly as it would only cause more problems. Papa asked what I thought, and I told him I didn't know. I encouraged the boys in whatever they did, and I didn't want to stay at Hogwarts anymore than they did, especially if they were gone, but I didn't want to abandon my education and the opportunities awaiting me at the end of my school days if I left alongside them. Papa fully encouraged me to finish school and Tonks agreed with him but also understood the horrid attitude of the pink toad, so she was a little more sympathetic towards my leaving. Mum told me to follow my heart. Sodding advice that was!

We talked about Tonks and asked how work was. She couldn't mention a lot, as most of it was top secret, and we didn't ask about the Order because we knew it would ruin the happiness of the holidays, but we got an overview of just how bad things were getting. On a happier note, Mum asked if there were any boys in her future, and she blushed and said no. I knew the gleam in her eyes. She had someone in mind and was keeping it a secret. I wondered why, and promised myself I would wrestle it out of her later.

After we finished our tea, we all settled down to watch Christmas movies on the Muggle television that Papa bought us, being a Muggle-born child himself. We, unlike many other wizarding families, had the immense privilege of being able to enjoy Muggle and wizard technology.

We all snuggled in together. I rested my head in my mum's lap and Nymph curled into my back, sort of spooning me in a sisterly-cuddle way. Daddy had his arms around Mum and she rested her head on his shoulder as she ran her hands through my hair.

After the traditional movie, Tonks' and my childhood favourite called Mickey's Christmas Carol, we drank some eggnog and I recalled the story of Fred and I from the beginning because I had promised Tonks. After that, Nymphadora and I grabbed our handwritten notes to "Father Christmas" and threw them into the dwindling fire. They went up into the chimney, and we smiled at each other. When we were little, we were told that Father Christmas would read the words in the smoke and give us all the toys our little hearts desired if our names were on the 'nice' list. Though I had long ago found out Father Christmas did not exist, Tonks and I still did the act for tradition's sake.

Kissing each family member goodnight, I told them I would see them in the morning to open our gifts. They would be going to bed soon, and though I would not admit it, Mum had opened up some hidden thoughts when she asked about the boys' plans for the next year. I didn't know what I was going to do, and not having a plan was really irking me. I needed to think before I could ever fall asleep.

I trudged upstairs to my bedroom. It was the farthest from the others, at the end of the hall, and small but quaint. As a small cottage, there was not a lot of room in the house for much other than necessities. My room had a queen sized bed, the most comfortable reading chair in the world, and some bookshelves and that's it. There was also a small window directly across from my bed and next to the sofa-chair.

I reached my arms out and began to lift my sweater over my head. A faint noise resounded in the tiny room. I was instantly on alert, it being wartime and all, and my body whipped around to see what was going on. My feet were swept up off of the floor and my lips captured in a searing, comforting kiss. I melted into the arms of my lover. His hands hugged the expanse of my back. My arms flung out around his neck and my legs wrapped around his waist, holding me to him. I felt him extend his hand behind him and mutter a word that didn't filter through my muddled brain, but I heard the lock of the door and the silence barriers go up around my little bedroom.

"Happy Christmas, my love," he whispered against my lips. Slowly, the kiss became lighter and softer, and after a minute we pulled back so that just our foreheads were touching. I stared into his shining blue eyes and smiled.

"Happy Christmas, Fred."

After a few more seconds of relaxing in his embrace, he swept his nose across mine and smiled, kissing me lightly once more. I hopped out of his arms and could feel the expanse of my smile start to hurt my face.

"What are you doing here? I didn't expect to see you tonight! What if your mum finds out? Or my papa? Oh never mind, I just can't believe you're here!" I sighed and grasped his hands between mine. I let my eyes wander down his form, taking in his form-fitting bright red button down shirt and low-slung blue jeans. He looked like heaven in a perfect little package. I hoped I would get to unwrap that later.

"Wait! I brought you something." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small box, about the size of an earring box. He pulled out his wand and whispered a few words, aiming the wood piece at the box. It expanded in his hand and he held it out proudly. "I figured we should exchange gifts tonight. You know, so it's more special... and romantic. Not to mention that we can thank each other properly when we aren't being hovered over by parents." He winked and his lip quirked up and I found myself laughing at his absurdity. Merlin, I loved him.

"Okay, just let me get yours." I reached into my small closet and dug around, bending at the waist and moving my hand around until it encountered something.

"Oh, don't worry B. Take your time. I'm enjoying the view." He ended his phrase with a sexy little growl and I groaned. He could make anything sound so sexy.

"Here it is." My fingers grazed the package and I pulled it out, holding it out in front of me triumphantly. "Happy Christmas Eve, Freddie!"

He chuckled and we swapped gifts. He had presented me with two boxes. They were both wrapped in the same red and green striped wrapping paper with a little red bow on top. I grasped his hand with my free one and led him over to the bed, sitting down across from him and setting the gifts in my lap. I nodded at him, telling him that I wanted him to open his first, and he begrudgingly peeled back the simple snowflake wrapping paper that covered his gifts.

When the paper was discarded, he was left with a white box. He lifted the top and grinned. On top, there were four different pairs of boxers, each with a different design. There was the typical heart design, one with green and red plaid with a red bow that said 'don't open 'till Christmas', a blue plaid pair that stated 'you may be a beater, but you look like a keeper to me', and the mooshy one with a large x on it that yelled 'property of Blayne'. He dug back into his box and picked up a few boxes of Fizzing Wizbees.

He laughed and hugged me, kissing me sweetly on the lips."Thank you baby. I love them! They're so perfect."

"One for each month we've been together. There's more."

Underneath that was a silver mirror with an intricate pattern around the edges. He looked at me quizzically and held it up. I smiled and leaned over, reaching under my bed to grab something. When I held it up, his face was priceless.

"Two-way mirrors?"

"Yup."

His grin lit up the room and he crushed me to him, kissing me. "I'll never have to go a day without seeing your beautiful face. This is the best gift you could have ever gotten me!" He slid his lips along mine again and I moaned into his mouth as his tongue tickled the edge of mine. I tugged on his bottom lip a little before pulling back.

"My turn?" He nodded and I grinned, opening up the haphazard wrapping job. "Did you do this yourself?"

"Yup, I did." His grin was too adorable. Merlin, he was just the most endearing boyfriend ever!

I lifted the paper off and found a bottle of perfume below. I took a whiff and almost fainted. It was delicious! It was musky and dark with a hint of vanilla and just a dab of earth. I grinned up at him and kissed him slowly, thanking him with my mouth. He licked the outside of my lips before letting me go, urging me to open the other, larger box. I bit my lip and cut the tape open with my finger, pulling the paper back to reveal a simple red velvet case. I lifted the lid and gasped.

Hanging from a dainty, white-gold chain was a single cream pearl nestled in an intricate circle (.). I ghosted my hands over it and raised my eyes to Fred's in awe. It was the most beautiful necklace I had ever been given.

"Put it on?" I whispered. He nodded with a slight smile and twirled his finger to indicate that I should turn. I turned around and nestled up to him so I was in his lap and flipped my hair over my shoulder. His fingers grazed my shoulder, the calluses on his worn hands tickling my neck and evoking a longing within me. I bit my lip to hold back the moan as his breath tickled the sensitive skin on my neck. The less he touched me, the more I wished he would. Without touching me, he fastened the clasp behind my neck and I felt the ghost of his fingertips.

"There. Beautiful. Let me see." He gently turned my shoulders and I got up off the bed. I stood in front of him, my hands at my sides, and smiled. I loved the weight of his love resting between my collarbone and the tiny drop pearl lying against the rise of my breasts. He gazed at me lovingly, his eyes lit up. He smiled and reached a hand out to me.

My hand rested in his. He pulled me closer, his eyes locked on mine. Fred began to murmur how much he loved me and I sat on his lap, facing him. His hands wrapped around my waist and my hand came up to cradle his cheek.

"I love you Fred." Then, I kissed him. It was a simple caress and my lips moved softly over his.

He pulled me closer. I felt my hair turn, a deep red with the sincerity of the emotion deep within my heart. In that second, I felt my heart swell and I almost wept with the intensity of the feeling. I was loved for all I was. I trusted him. And it was time to give him everything I had. The only gift I could give him that he would cherish forever. The one thing I could bestow to him that he would hold to his heart for all eternity. My purity.

We kissed for a period and everything seemed perfect. Eventually, the kisses slowed and he pulled back. He could feel what I wanted.

"Are you sure?" Fred whispered.

I felt my lips turn upwards. "I've never been so sure of anything in my life."

He gripped my face in his hands, tenderly, lovingly, caringly. He kissed me and a bead of pure happiness slid down my cheek.

He had me. All of me.

Happy Christmas, my love.

Afterwards, I collapsed on the bed. I felt whole and content and fantastically cherished. It was quiet and all we felt for each other was soft and real, charging the air between us.

My head rested on his bare chest and my naked legs entwined with his own. His large hands spread the expanse of my lower back and held me to his side. He had the most adorable, sleepy smile upon his face.

I tucked my head under his chin. I felt his eyes on my face and my own drooped.

The last thing I saw before my eyes drifted shut were the little, white flakes drifting to the ground as the best Christmas Eve of my life came to a close.

I hope you guys liked it! :) Go check out the outtake if you want to, it'll be up shortly. REVIEW AND MESSAGE ME AND STUFF, it really helps a lot.

I also want to thank Freakin-little, who updated her story Phoenix Honor and inspired me to finish this for you all. It's my favourite story to read and you should ALL CHECK IT OUT! (.net/u/2322389/Freakin_little)