Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, only the Archard family belongs to me. The French words/phrases will be italicized, as well as the spells. Please review!

Chapter 16: Yuletide Feasting

Esme POV

Blaire and I regrouped with the rest of our siblings as we descended the stairs for the front entryway. There, Maman and Papa were greeting a tall man that was without a doubt Maman's brother, for they shared the same features. I could see Ernie standing nervously at his father's side with his eyes bouncing between all of us. Ooh, he would be so much fun to tease!

Maman turned to us with a smile. "Children, this is my little brother, your Uncle Reginald." She then gestured to each of us in turn. "Reginald this is Alaric, Blaire, Carlisle, Dustin, Esme, Fain, Gérard, then Henrik, Isabelle, and Janette."

Our Uncle gave us all a nod before pushing Ernie forward, "For those of you who haven't met yet, this is your cousin Ernest." Ernie's face got red and he pressed his lips together, as if stopping himself from correcting his father to call him Ernie.

Maman must have noticed as well. "Aw~, my nephew is precious! Do not worry Ernie, you will get to spend time with your cousins soon enough!"

Ernie blushed harder, and I heard Dustin softly snicker off to my right.

"Diaspora, please don't treat my Heir like a toddler," Uncle Reginald chutted.

Merlin, no wonder Ernie was shy. His father was as stern as Papa, but seemed to lack the warmth our Papa still managed to give off. If his father was like this all the time, no wonder Ernie was, as Dustin said, following and guarding his new friends like a dragon does gold; they were probably his only source of affection.

There was an awkward silence as Uncle Reginald and Maman stared at each other. While Uncle's face appeared dead, Maman was still smiling brightly, though it was starting to take a sharper edge.

Paddy then appeared with a sudden pop, making me to flinch slightly. "Master, table is ready for Master's family and Guests."

"Thank you Paddy, you are dismissed." Paddy snapped his fingers, cleaning off the snow from Uncle and Ernie's shoes before he gathered their already removed cloaks and walked further into the mansion. Papa then looked directly into Uncle's eyes as he held out a hand gesturing toward the dining room. "Please follow us to the dining room."

Alaric stepped forward to Papa's side as he, Maman, Uncle, and Ernie began walking into the dining room. The rest of us then followed after them. I was excited for the feast; having to fast all day after normally eating three meals a day was difficult, but it was tradition after all.

The dining room table had been enlarged to add the extra two place settings. While Uncle Reginald and Ernie were family, they were also still strangers, so this would be a formal meal. I wasn't concerned about that aspect. Maman had always had us practice our etiquette and table manners when having a meal together as a family, so even the triplets, as young as they are, knew what was expected of them.

Papa sat in his usual place at the head of the table, though this time Maman sat to his right while Uncle sat across from her. Alaric then took the seat next to Maman, his place as Heir, while Ernie took his place beside his father. With this placement in mind, the rest of us knew where we were expected to go, always oldest to youngest, alphabetical order. Blaire took the chair next to Alaric, with Carlisle across from her. I sat next to Carlisle, with Dustin across from me. Fain sat next to Dustin and across from Gérard. Isabelle then sat next to Gérard and across from Henrik, leaving Maude to sit on the end of the table.

We all held our hands palms up as Papa began the prayer. "As we gather round this ladened table, we give thanks to Magic for her blessings. The land is cold and the sky is gray. The nights are dark, but we have our family. Kin and House have gathered around this ladened table. We give thanks to Mother Magic for her blessings, may it continue to burn brightly from this Yuletide on."

"We give thanks," we all chanted at the end and I felt the soft and warm brush of Magic before it faded away.

With the Prayer of the Feast finished, we were all free to begin eating. I honestly wasn't sure if talking would be welcomed or not, but that was soon answered as Maman got things started in her usual cheery way.

"Ernie dear, how has your first-year been going?"

Ernie seemed surprised she talked to him, but quickly swallowed his food and answered. "It's been going well, Aunt Diaspora. I was sorted into Hufflepuff, like Father was before me."

"That is good to hear! Carlisle and Dustin mentioned you were in Hufflepuff with them. I was a Hufflepuff as well, so I have a fondness for that House. I just knew at least a few of my children would end up there." Ernie seemed to sit up straighter as Maman continued to smile at him; he seemed to be losing some of his earlier nerves.

Uncle interrupted the mood by huffing. "That was to be expected with the number of children you had. No doubt two will end up in each House at this rate."

"Connard," Dustin muttered.

I looked at him, surprised that he would dare to swear at the table. I tentatively looked down at the three adults, but none of them were looking at any of us, and were completely ignoring our end of the table.

Maman's smile started to get that edge to it again, even as she replied with a giggle, "Well I always wanted a large family, Brother."

"You certainly got it, Sister." Uncle then turned his attention to Alaric, "Ernest was unable to enlighten me about your achievements at Hogwarts, will you be taking your NEWTs this year?"

"Actually Uncle, Blaire and I will be taking our OWLs next year. As for achievements, I can say I am a part of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. We're currently first in line to win the Quidditch Cup this year."

At the mention of Quidditch, Uncle Reginald's face actually lit up with joy. It was almost creepy the way his entire demeanor seemed to change. "Ah, how marvelous! You know I played for Hufflepuff myself back in my day. I was the Captain for three years and won my House the Quidditch cup my seventh-year. I had hoped Ernest would follow in my footsteps, but the boy seems to lack my innate talent."

Poor Ernie shrank back into himself and I didn't blame him. Thankfully, Papa and Alaric were able to keep Uncle Reginald distracted the rest of the meal with talk about Quidditch, both professional and at Hogwarts. Carlisle and Dustin both tried to help, especially when they were talking about the professional teams, but Uncle seemed to have only ears and eyes for Alaric, Papa, and occasionally Maman, but only when directly talking to her.

This left the rest of us to talk amongst ourselves. Carlisle, in time, easily coaxed Ernie into conversation with the rest of us. Our cousin gradually lost his nervous demeanor and became more like how he appeared to be at Hogwarts (or at least what I remembered hearing about from the twins, or have seen briefly in the few classes Slytherin shares with Hufflepuff).

Dustin notably wasn't mean to Ernie at all through the rest of the feast; my theory was that Dustin was directing all his ire at Uncle Reginald. Isabelle didn't seem to have any interest in speaking with Ernie as she ignored him, but would rejoin the conversation when Hogwart was brought up. Henrik was being shy though, and remained quiet through the feast. Little Maude was almost bouncing in her seat and would ask Ernie all sorts of questions; from his favorite color to which Hogwarts ghost was the nicest in his opinion.

"Now Janette, Ernie certainly cannot eat and answer your questions at the same time. You best take a few moments and eat yourself before your food gets cold," Blaire gently directed Maude to give Ernie a break from her constant questions.

"I don't mind at all, it was fun to answer so many rapid-fire questions," said Ernie. And it was true, he seemed to glow from the positive attention.

We all took a few moments to eat before the questions began again.

"Is the Badger Professor nice?" asked Maude.

Seeing Ernie's confused face, Carlisle interjected, "I think she meant to ask if Professor Sprout is a nice Head of House."

"Oh! Well, Professor Sprout is really nice and really helpful if we have any questions, especially if they are about Herbology."

"Professor Sprout definitely chose the right subject to obtain a Mastery in," I commented. "She's clearly passionate about Herbology and makes it appear almost easy."

Ernie looked at me in surprise, which confused me. What was he so surprised about? I know I hadn't directly spoken to him yet, but that couldn't be it.

Carlisle couldn't resist teasing me. "Herbology is easy, you just aren't skilled at it, petite papillon."

A few others laughed while I fake pouted before smirking to myself. I started to fake tearing up, adding just the right amount of drama to my words. "Why would you be so mean, Big Brother. You know how hard I'm trying."

Carlisle instantly started fretting, "No, I didn't mean it like that Esme! I was just teasing; I know you'll do well in that class!"

Blaire then started giggling at our antics, though I didn't think Carlisle could tell I was teasing him back. I really was too good of an actress for him and Dustin at times.

I stopped fake sniffling. "It's okay, grand frère," I said as I smiled brightly at Carlisle, and then winked at Ernie when I caught his eyes. Ernie looked confused; it was so funny!

"Hey Ernie~," Dustin said, catching Ernie's attention. "Do you even want to try out for the Hufflepuff team next year?"

Carlisle continued when Ernie didn't immediately respond. "Oh yeah, there's going to be an opening Chaser spot with Conners graduating this year. We could put a good word in with Diggory, if you'd like?"

Ernie sent a wary look toward his father, but seeing as Uncle was completely engrossed in debating with Papa, he finally answered, a bit quieter. "I don't really want to play Quidditch."

Carlisle commented gently, "If you don't want to, that's okay. You don't have to try out."

"You could always try out and suck on purpose so you won't make the team, or state you're better suited for Seeker and therefore have to wait until the Hufflepuff Seeker gets cut from the team or graduates," I suggested, taking a drink of my water.

Ernie had a look of consideration on his face before nodding, "Maybe...Father would believe me trying out and not making it, I'm not really that good of a flyer." His eyes darted to me briefly before he focused on Carlisle and Dustin. "Thanks for the advice."

Maude broke the small silence that had begun to descend over us. "Do you and Esme have a lot of lessons together?"

"Oh...Well Hufflepuff and Slytherin have History of Magic, Astronomy, and Transfiguration classes together. I have more classes with Ravenclaws though, leaving Slytherins to have more classes with Gryffindors."

I grimaced at the reminder. While I could never say classes were boring (except History of Magic, that class was unbearably boring), the petty fighting between some Slytherins and Gryffindors was getting weary, and Granger's obsessive need to answer every question herself was still very annoying. I would admit though, she had cut back a little since All Hallows' Eve; perhaps it was her association with Potter and Weasley.

Soon enough, despite all the talking everyone was doing, the food that had been laid out on the table disappeared as everyone ravishly filled their empty stomachs. We usually had about an hour break between the feast and dessert to give our stomachs time to adjust. Normally, I would leave to go to the gardens to draw while watching the winter sunset; but since we had guests for the first time, I had a feeling I would be expected to be more social.

Maman clapped her hands twice to get our attention. "Children, why don't you all go outside and enjoy the fresh fallen snow? There are still a couple hours of sun left."

The triplets all cheered and raced to get dressed in their winter cloaks and mittens. Most of us chuckled at their antics, while Papa just released air from his nose in acceptance. Blaire then politely excused us all from the table and we filed out to catch up with our youngest siblings. I assumed someone would grab Ernie should he try to wiggle out; Maman was determined we get to know our only cousin.

I dressed in my old winter cloak, not wanting to possibly run around in the fancy new one Blaire gave me. When I saw Dustin and Carlisle putting on their Hufflepuff scarves, I instantly grabbed my Slytherin one to wear and wrapped it securely around my neck before pulling on my mittens.

Blaire and Alaric both helped wrap up the triplets as all three bounced in their excitement. I noticed none of them were wearing a hat and decided that wouldn't do for Maude. I grabbed one from the closet before briskly walking over to Maude. I gently removed her holly wreath and placed the hat firmly on her head. She pouted for only a second before pushing it out of her eyes. She then beamed up at me and grabbed my hand to drag me outside. I smiled fondly down at her and let her lead me out into the chilly evening air.

Once we were all gathered on the front lawn, Isabelle demanded, "Let's have a snowball fight! With Ernie here, Esme can have a partner for once."

Leave it to Isabelle to be blunt. I looked over at Ernie and smiled in amusement; the boy looked nervous once again. Fain then spoke up, "No! It should just be a free-for-all." Fain and Gérard then both gathered as much snow as they could into their arms before anyone else said anything.

Gérard yelled, "Everyone for themselves!", and they both launched their gathered snow at the rest of us.

"Scatter!" Alaric laughed, though no one needed prompting. I kept a firm grip on Maude's hand and dragged her giggling self after me. We crouched down behind the fountain together.

"Come on, Maude. We need to make as many snowballs as we can."

"Esme, it's not sticking together," complained Maude, trying to work with the snow despite her bulky mittens.

I looked over and easily saw what the problem was. "Here, like this Maude. You need to firmly press your hands around the snow to form a ball. Squeeze too little and it won't stick, but squeeze too hard and it will fall apart," I explained as I cupped her hands in my own and guided her through the action. "Now try it on your own."

I watched as Maude tried again and succeeded. She beamed up at me, "I did it!"

"Good job, now we need to make a few more then we can try and find someone to throw them at."

She then looked concerned, "Does it hurt?"

"No, it doesn't hurt. It will be cold, but it won't hurt. If you're worried then I won't aim at anyone's face."

We made a few more snowballs before I determined we had enough. I helped Maude get eight snowballs into her crossed arms comfortably. At her nod, we peeked around the fountain, already hearing the yells and screams of the others already.

I saw the perfect opening ahead and put my finger to my lips to signal Maude to be quiet. We then snuck around the fountain to the unsuspecting backs of my targets. I grabbed two snowballs from Maude's arms and quickly launched them as hard as I could in quick succession. I smirked when they hit their marks, while Maude cheered.

Carlisle and Dustin grunted at the impact and turned around. I couldn't help but throw one more at them and while I had aimed for Dustin's chest, I missed and accidentally hit...lower. I froze in surprised horror. Maude didn't really understand and was celebrating until Dustin made a high pitch whine as he bent over cupping his injured area. She then turned toward me, "I thought you said it wouldn't hurt?"

I winced and wasn't sure how to answer.

Carlisle though looked torn between laughing and being mortified. "Ugh...Janette, um there's no-no area for boys that you should never touch or throw things at. Esme just happened to hit it."

Maude opened her mouth to ask something else when Dustin strangled out, "Stop talking and get her back, Carlisle!"

"Sorry, right!"

When Carlisle went to grab a snowball, I yelled to Maude, "Go hide!" before I took off.

Soon both Carlisle and Dustin were chasing me as they tried to hit me with a snowball. I knew I couldn't outrun two Quidditch players indefinitely, when I saw an opportunity ahead of me. Alaric and Ernie were huddled together in the process of making a lot of snowballs. I changed direction slightly and headed right for them.

As I neared, I heard the twins behind me. "On three! One. Two. Three!"

I then pivoted as best I could but slipped on the snow and ended up falling onto my side. It didn't matter, as the snowballs that were meant for me sailed over my head and smacked Alaric directly in the face, while Ernie took one to the chest.

I giggled as Alaric instantly exploded, "I'll get you two for that!" The twins took off in fear as an angry Alaric was now chasing them.

I continued to giggle as I climbed back onto my feet. I brushed off the snow clinging to my cloak and approached Ernie. I smiled sheepishly as I reached out my hand to help him up. "Sorry you got hit as well, I was hoping only Alaric would be."

Ernie hesitated before he placed his hand in mine. I then had to put my whole body into helping him up, as he was a fair bit taller than me. Once standing, Ernie instantly let go of my hand and brushed off the snow from his own cloak. He avoided eye contact as he said, "It's okay, it is a snowball fight after all." He shuffled away from me as his eyes seemed to dart between me and our surroundings.

I was once again confused by Ernie's actions. I knew he was shy and such, but he seemed to have warmed up to Alaric just now. Was it because I was a girl? I finally gave into my curiosity.

"Ernie, what's wrong with you? I'm not going to suddenly toss a snowball at you if that's what you're worried about."

Now he seemed even more uncomfortable. I was full out staring at him in confusion. He took a deep breath before answering, "Why are you being nice to me? No one else is around right now."

I frowned, and then felt anger unfurl in my chest as I finally understood what his problem was. I crossed my arms and turned away from him. "Well it seems the bowtruckle doesn't go far from the tree. You're just as rude as your father seems to be."

I heard him sputter but pushed forward as I turned and glared at him, "If me being a Slytheirn bothers you that much, I'll leave you alone to bask in your," I paused and then scrunched my nose, "superiority." I turned to stalk away, completely dismissing him. How dare he! I hadn't thought once that he would be one of those who judged people solely on their House.

I had only taken a few steps when I felt a mitten close around my wrist. "Wait! Please, I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

I turned sharply as I interrupted, "Of course you meant it. Deny it all you want, but your actions speak as clearly as your words."

I felt my glare lesson, though I still felt just as angry and hurt, as I saw Ernie deflate into himself as if he was a kicked Kneazle. Ernie let go of my arm and I stayed standing in front of him as he took a deep breath. "I am sorry. I just…" His voice got even softer. "I just thought you would be mean because you were in Slytherin. I often see the confrontations between Slytherins and Gryffindors, plus I know other Houses talk down on Hufflepuffs."

I sighed out in frustrated hurt. "Did it ever occur to you that Slytherins don't always start things with the Gryffindors, or that perhaps having never seen me actually be mean to someone would imply I wouldn't be mean to you? No, you just made an assumption about who I am because I belong to the 'evil' House of Slytherin." I raised my eyebrows, as I recrossed my arms; I knew that I might be acting a bit dramatic, but I felt that some drama was deserved.

I was ready to just leave this whole situation behind me, I had enough things to worry about without adding that my only cousin thought I was evil incarnate. I was about to take another step away when Ernie started talking again.

"You're right, it didn't occur to me. That was wrong of me. Like my dad loves pointing out, I have a lot of shortcomings." I winced at his casual mention of his father's apparent low regard for him. "I'm sorry, Esme. It was wrong of me as you said, to make an assumption on your character. You've been nothing but nice to me, and I've seen how well you get along with your brothers and sister despite them being in different Houses."

I sniffed lightly. "I have been nothing but polite, while you've been the rude one." I then sighed out in annoyance. "However, you seem to be sorry, and as you are family, I will forgive you for your misjudgment." However, I thought to myself, I am not one to forgive and forget. I must defend my honor after all. I withheld the smirk from my face. Oh yes, the pay back shall be most amusing for me.

Ernie then smiled, "Thanks Esme, I'll make it up to you!" He then awkwardly pulled me into a hug. I couldn't help but giggle as I gently pulled away. I reached up and patted his head, "No need to push yourself, Ernie. Now we best be careful; it's surprising no one else has tried to ambush us yet. We've been sitting targets for the last few minutes after all."

Ernie then puffed himself up. "Right, don't worry Esme, I'll protect you." He then stood in front of me as he started looking around carefully for anyone hoping to fling a snowball at our unsuspecting selves.

I giggled and let him to as he liked. "My how Gryffindor of you."

Together, we moved away from the small grove of trees we had unknowingly hidden in and made our way back to the open part of the front lawn, following the sounds of screams and cheers. Rounding the side of the mansion, we came upon a warzone. Every single one of my siblings was covered in snow as they all were throwing snowballs at anyone they set their eyes on. It truly was the free-for-all Fain and Gérard had asked for.

"Come one then!" I called as I ran forward to join the fray. There was no point watching the fun when you could join in.

It didn't take long for me to be covered in snow, though I gave as good as I got. Things were starting to wind down as even the Quidditch players were running out of energy. The triplets had already collapsed in a hard-breathing heap by the front steps. Blaire and I were leaning against each other, both of us trying to catch our breath. Despite all our states of tired exhaustion, every single one of us had a smile on our faces. Honestly, my siblings and I hadn't all played together like this in years.

"Children!" We all looked back toward the front entrance to see Maman standing in the open doors. It was then that I finally noticed that it was starting to get dark. "Hurry in if you want any cocoa or dessert!"

None of us needed further prompting and made our way toward the front steps.

Maman giggled when she saw the state of our cloaks and hair. "It appears, my Darlings, you all had much fun" She then called out, "Zimspy, Tipper."

Both house elves appeared in simultaneous pops. "How can Zimpsy and Tipper help Mistress?"

"Could you please help me clean and dry the children off?"

"Yes, Mistress," replied Tipper.

"Zimspy will help the Little Ones!" exclaimed Zimpsy.

With snaps of their fingers and flicks of Maman's wands, each of us had our winter cloaks and things removed, our shoes dried and cleaned, and our hair dried and righted. Maman even swished her wand and all us girls had new refreshed holly wreaths on our heads.

"There, all set." Maman then ushered us toward the sitting room. "There's cocoa and pie waiting for everyone by the fireplace."

We all made our way there and found pillows laid out for us, with mugs of steaming cocoa and a plate of pie next to each one. We all chose a cushion and made ourselves comfortable. I ended up between Gérard and Fain with Maude in front of me by the fire. Isabelle, Henry, and Ernie were on the other pillows by the fire, with Alaric and Blaire behind them. Carlisle and Dustin were squeezed in between Fain and Blaire on their own cushions.

The fireplace was roaring with green flames as the newest Yule log burned slowly. I snuggled into my pillow as I drank deeply from my mug. Between the heat of the green flames and the warmth of the cocoa, I soon felt warm and cozy once again after spending over an hour outside in the snow.

Maman had turned on the Wizarding Wireless Network and soon the soft melodies of the classic Yule songs filled the room. While the adults continued to murmur amongst themselves, the rest of us were content to remain silent and enjoyed the peaceful air.

I soon found my thoughts drifting to Daphne and the others. I hoped they all had a wonderful Yule celebration today. Perhaps I should write to everyone tonight, but I shook that thought away. There was no need for me to send letters when I would be seeing most everyone soon at the Winter Ball.

Refocusing back on the now, I quickly dug into my pie when I saw Fain trying to steal it after already finishing off his own. I sent him a deadpan look, while he pretended he hadn't just tried to steal my dessert. I smiled as I rolled my eyes. Honestly though, despite Uncle Reginald being quite rude and as Dustin put it, a connard, I think this was the best Yule we've had in a long while. I hoped that every year would be like this from now one, filled with laughter and love.

Connard = bastard

Petite papillon = little butterfly

grand frère = big brother

Big thank you to my Beta-Reader: TheSparkler!