CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
Lilly forced her sister into the squishy purple chair from where she was pacing around large living room, "Sit down would you! They'll be here soon. You know I think I should have a word with this 'Charlie' person, you haven't stopped talking about him!" She laughed.
"Oh no you don't!" April said, "And yes he's cool. He's a dragon trainer and has long hair!"
"Does he have a dragon called Toothless?" Lilly asked.
"No, and he won't let me name one that either." April huffed and crossed her arms.
Lilly laughed. The door bell rang and Lilly's husband got up to open the door.
"April hold onto Jake please." He called, sweeping his long black hair over his shoulder. April grabbed Jake in a bear hug to stop him escaping, Jake wasn't impressed.
"Umm.. is this April's house?" Harry asked shuffling on the step.
"No this is mine and Lilly's house," He laughed, "I'm Damion, Lilly's husband. Come on in." He step back and closed the door behind them.
"Come on through!" Shouted April, "Lilly wont let me stand up!"
Harry and Louise took their coats off in the hallway, which was light blue, and gave them to Damien to hang up. They walked through the large open hallway into a beautiful deep red sitting room. A fire was going, bathing the room in a soft glow. A large arch linked the room to the dinning room. The whole house was covered in decorations.
"No you're not allowed up! Her knee is crunching like anything. She is not allowed to stand up until dinner is ready!" Lilly said glaring at her.
April smirked, "I happen to like that crunching sound, very pleasant music." She said sarcastically.
"Can I get you guys a drink? Tea, coffee, wine?" Damien asked as Jake jumped all over them. "Jake, get down!"
"Yeah that would be great, Rosé?" Louise asked, "Thank you."
"Umm red for me. Please." Said Harry sitting down on one of the black and purple patchy sofas, "Where is Oreo?"
"They're outside, we have a sort of kennel for them and they'd eat everything other wise." Lilly laughed.
Louise sat next to him and leant back, the house was so homely it was impossible not to relax.
"Dinner should be ready for half six." Lilly explained taking a sip of her wine. Damien came back though and handed them their drinks before sitting down as well.
The doorbell rang again.
"I just sat down." Said Damien as Lilly and April both looked at him.
"So? Slave! Answer the door!" April grinned cheekily.
He gave an exaggerated huff and got up.
"It's a good job you love me." April called after him.
He came back through followed by Ron and Charlie.
"Hello." Smiled April.
"I'll just bring the drinks through." Damien headed through to the kitchen
"I was very pleased to get your invite." Charlie said sitting on the chair next to April's.
She smiled and tried not to blush.
"You must be Charlie, come help me through in the kitchen." Lilly said standing up and beckoning him through.
"Lilly..." Said April warningly.
Lilly took Charlie through to the kitchen smiling at her sister.
"Should we be worried?" Asked Ron taking a glass of red wine.
April looked at him worriedly. "Probably."
"So what can I help you with?" Charlie asked.
"Lift the turkey out the oven so I can baste?"
Charlie smiled at her and grabbed the oven gloves off the counter and reached into the oven.
"While I have you half in the oven already; what are you planning to do with my sister?" Lilly asked, blocking his way so he couldn't stand up.
"Umm well... I do kind of like her." Charlie said.
"Well just remember that I love my sister, she's a lot more vulnerable than she lets on and I took out one of the ministry's best Aurors."
"Was that a threat?" Charlie asked nervously.
"Of course not," She said letting Charlie stand up, "It's Christmas." She smiled sweetly and poured hot oil back over the turkey.
"All done. Can you get the pork out as well?"
Charlie nodded and dragged out the other pan. Lilly poured the oil over that as well.
"Thank you."
Charlie smiled and walked rather gratefully back into the sitting room.
"Well you don't look bruised or bleeding." Ron laughed as he walked back in.
Charlie laughed as well and hovered in front of April.
"Umm can I talk to you? Privately." Charlie asked her.
"Permission to stand ma'am?" She asked.
Lilly rolled her eyes, "Like you'd listen to me if I said no." and she flashed Charlie a look, he raised his hands in a surrender and followed April limping out on her tinselled crutches.
They stood awkwardly in the hallway.
"Have you come to tell me there's a dragon called Toothless?" April grinned and Charlie laughed.
"No, there are still no dragons called Toothless. You're going to have to explain that to me." Charlie rubbed his arm nervously. April nodded and waited.
"There's mistletoe." Charlie pointed above them, April looked up and nodded.
Charlie stepped forward and kissed her.
"I'm sorry, I've just wanted to do that for a while."
April blushed, "I'm glad you did."
"So, do you think I could see you again? Possibly without your scary sister?"
"She's not that scary." April giggled.
"Seriously? I know dragons less scary than your sister." Charlie smiled and April nodded.
"I think that would be ok." She smiled again and walked back into the sitting room Charlie following close behind. Lilly watched them with slightly narrowed eyes and was about to say something but was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Damien jumped up and opened it, "We have a door bell, just so you know."
"Seriously?" Laughed Hermione walking into the sitting room followed by Louise, "I'm really bad for that!" She sat down and Damien poured them both a glass of wine.
They sat and talked for an hour before Lilly called them through to dinner.
The table was covered in a green and red embroidered table cloth, a large wreath with candles in the middle. Snow white napkins with matching embroidery sat on each table setting.
"Everyone sit where they want, I'm at one end and Damien is at the other." Said Lilly.
April slid into the chair next to Lilly's.
"You've forgotten the crackers!" April called through to the kitchen.
"I'm just getting them!" Lilly shouted back. She came back through with a large box and handed it to April. She opened the box excitedly and handed everyone a cracker.
Damien and Lilly brought the food through and sat down. April held her cracker out to Charlie who had somehow ended up sitting next to her, he smiled and held his out to Ron which continued down the table.
"One...two...three!" Shouted April and they all pulled them together. The room was filled with a mixture of Christmas songs for a few seconds before the smoke cleared.
"We get singing ones as we don't really like loud noises." Lilly explained reaching into her cracker and pulling out a beautiful tiara. She put it on her long hair and smiled.
Ron reached in and pulled out an old fashioned jester hat, "Castle set?" He asked.
"Fairy tale." April said pulling out a glittering purple unicorn horn and tail that she quickly put on, "Each cracker has the dress up bits and a short version of the story they come from.
Harry pulled out a knight helmet and put it on laughing. Hermione had a pair of glass slippers and a hair comb. Louise a rose head dress, Sarah a pixie head dress. Damien pulled out a crown and Charlie a musketeer hat with a long purple feather.
"Well shall we start?" Lilly asked standing up. She served everyone round the table and told them to help themselves to vegetables.
"A toast." Said Damien standing up, "Health, hearth and family." He said raising his glass, everyone repeated the old words back and raised their glasses before taking a sip. Damien sat back down and Lilly took a mouthful indicating to everyone that they could start.
Hermione took a mouthful, "This is amazing." She said to Lilly.
"Thank you." She said smiling, "I hope you like pudding as well."
"If it's as good as this without a doubt." Ron said helping himself to more potatoes.
Lilly smiled again and continued eating. When everyone had finished Damien and her cleared the table and brought through the puddings; a large devil food cake, a strawberry gateaux and a steaming Christmas pudding.
Damien switched off the lights and Lilly struck a match. The pudding was engulfed in flames as everyone clapped.
Lilly sat down, "That was the spare one, the first one collapsed everywhere." She whispered to April who laughed.
Jake wondered through from the kitchen and stuck his head on Sarah's lap. She reached down to him and gave him a scrap of pork.
"Why does everyone do that?" Asked Lilly in mock annoyance.
"Because he's so cute, he's like a wolf!" she said tickling his tummy. Damien rolled his eyes and April laughed.
She dragged the whole Christmas pudding together and picked up her spoon.
"Don't even think about it." Lilly said with her back to her.
"How do you do that?" Huffed April jokingly.
"You have your magic and I have mine." Lilly said pulling her tongue out at her.
She brought a couple of sharp knifes over and started to serve the puddings.
April grabbed the cream and poured it over her pudding before also putting a large scoop of ice cream in her bowl. She took a large mouthful and leaned back in her chair; that was completely what Christmas tasted like.
Lilly smiled at her and rubbed her shoulder, "Do you need more painkillers?" She whispered.
April shook her head, "No I have more just before bed."
Lilly nodded and gave her a hug.
"I was thinking, that I could see your patients while you're recovering." Said Lilly.
"Not a hope in hell." April laughed, "The goal is to get them better. Not to do mental experiments on them!" She poked Lilly in the arm.
Lilly laughed and gave her another hug. They finished their puddings and Lilly stood up to clear the plates.
"Please let us help this time." Harry said, standing up.
"Yes we can help. You've done more than enough." Said Hermione standing up along with Ron.
"Ok, I'll show you where to put everything. I need to feed Jake and the cats anyway." Lilly led them out the room and through to the kitchen.
"You can put them here." She said tapping the kitchen work top. They put the piles of plates down and looked around the large, open kitchen. The surfaces were black marble that would sparkle in the daytime with the large windows.
Lilly put a few cupfuls of dog biscuits into a metal bowl and added in some left over meat before covering it in leftover gravy.
"He likes roast dinner days." Lilly said, "Jake sit."
He sat down in front of her, staring up at the bowl, she put it on the floor in front of him.
"Dinner dinner!" She said and Jake happily stood up and ate his dinner wagging his tail.
Lilly reached into a cupboard and pulled out two tins of cat food, she emptied the food into a couple of two part dishes and popped them just outside the back door. Four cats ran up to the door and tucked in.
"They're adorable." Said Ron.
"Yeah, the black one is Oreo, the two fudgy coloured ones are Tallie and Sala and the black and white one with a very fluffy tail is Olivia, she's April's." Lilly said stroking them all before closing the door again.
They walked into the sitting room and Damien brought through a tray of glasses and a couple of bottles of port, sherry and brandy along with home made biscuits.
Everyone helped themselves to drinks and settled into talking to let their food go down. They all felt very sleepy. Damien sat down and wrapped his arm around Lilly's shoulders, Jake lying at their feet with a bone he'd found somewhere.
"I think we have time for a game before we call it a night." Lilly said looking at the clock. She walked out the room and returned with a box. She pulled out a giant fabric snakes and ladders board and laid it on the floor.
"Get into pairs." She said happily, "One person will be the piece the other one will be the dice roller. If you land on a snake you have to answer a question to stop yourself sliding down it, if you land on a ladder you have to answer the question to be able to go up it. Ok?"
Everyone nodded and paired up. April grabbed hold of Charlie's hand and he smiled. Louise and Harry made one pair, Sarah and Hermione the other. Louise and Sarah stepped onto the starting space of the board.
"Ron you can go with Damien since my sister has stolen your brother." Lilly said picking up a pile of cards.
"What about you?" He asked
"I will be the grand-high-card-reader-and-overall-mighty-judge." Lilly grinned. Ron took his place on the board.
"ME FIRST!" Shouted April with a smile, grabbing the big inflatable dice and rolling it. Six, she rolled again and got a three. Charlie moved the nine spaces and ended at the base of a ladder.
Lilly coughed importantly, "What is the wand movement for the basic levitation charm? Who wrote these?" She asked, "Anyway Charlie or April to answer?"
Charlie looked at April and indicated for her to answer.
"Swish and flick." She said, demonstrating with a candy cane.
"Correct apparently." Lilly said and Charlie did a little dance up the ladder. April handed the dice to Harry who was next to roll.
Ron and Damien won the game and a tub of Percy pigs for their troubles. Damien graciously gave the prize to Ron on the basis that Lilly and April would only eat them anyway if they stayed in the house.
Damien helped everyone get their coats and showed them to the door, Jake stood at his feet barking at them and wagging his tail.
April flopped back in the chair, she was very happy even though her knee was throbbing. Lilly held a glass of coffee liquor and two small pills in front of her.
"I'm not sure I'm meant to drink with my meds." April laughed taking the pills and summoning a bottle of water from the kitchen, she took them quickly hoping it wouldn't be to long before they took affect.
"I figured that if the painkillers didn't work the alcohol would." Lilly ginned and shrugged before sitting next to her. Lilly held her arms open and April climbed on to her lap for a snuggle.
"It's not long till this stupid op now." April sighed and tried not to cry, "You come with me again?"
"Of course I will, and you never know; they might fix it this time."
April shook her head, "I've given up thinking it's ever going to get better. I've already had three surgeries and a million hours of physio it's only made it worse."
Lilly hugged her sister close, there was nothing to say. Damien walked through and looked at them before going through to the kitchen to start on the clean up. Jake watched him leave the room before climbing up next to Lilly and laying his head on April's lap.
She giggled slightly, "Aww Jakey." She said stroking his ears. She stared out the window and watched as it started to snow.