I'll Be Home For Christmas

Chapter 3: Christmas Don't Be Late

Disclaimer: Hmmmm do you think for Christmas Santa would bring me the rights to Harry Potter? No? Yeah me neither…. It was worth a shot though

A/N: Once again thanks for the great response to the last chapter!! I'm glad you liked it. I got this chapter done sooner than I thought I would but that's a good thing right? Hope you enjoy it!

            Sunday was the first day that all of the Weasley's actually spent together. The size of the family's breakfast table challenged the size of a table in the Great Hall. Mrs. Weasley sat everyone down serving them, refusing help each time one of her daughter-in-laws offered. Fred and George shoveled their food into their mouths and quickly got up to go. They wanted to make a quick trip to the Weaze in Diagon Alley and have a chat with the manager. They promised to be home by noon.

            Ron finished eating next and leaned back in his chair to relax. Ginny saw Allison kick him under the table and the two shared a series of meaningful looks. The silent argument ended with Ron rolling his eyes and saying:

            "Is there anything I can help you with Mum?"

            "Nothing in here love, but if you like you could get down the Christmas decorations from the attic for me so we can start decorating this evening."

            "Sure Mum," Ron said getting up from his chair.

            "I'll help you Ron," Bill said, also leaving the table.

            "I will too," Charlie got up. There were a few moments of silence before Percy spoke.

            "Ow!" he scowled at Penelope who returned the look. "I mean…I'll help too." Percy put his plate in the sink before leaving the room.

            "Who wants to hear a story?" Mr. Weasley asked suddenly.

            "Me. I do!" chorused the little voices of all the grandchildren. He ushered them all into the living room.

            When he left Mrs. Weasley sat down at the table with all of her 'daughters.'

            "Look at all these glowing pregnant ladies. Now who's winning in the race to give me my next grandchild?"

            "Angelina has be by a week," Hermione responded.

            "Well remember dear that twins are usually a little anxious to see the world. All we can do is pray for girls. Lord knows we don't need three little Fred and George's born with in days of each other." The women all laughed at the thought.

            "Oh don't think that sex will stop them from changing into their fathers. Emma is already in love with dragons. I almost hurt Charlie when she said she wanted a pet dragon for Christmas. She should want a unicorn or something. Not a dragon!"

            "Well we'll just have the keep Fred and George away from them during the important developmental stages I guess," Hermione teased.

            "That doesn't work either," Ginny told her. "I swear everyday James does something else that reminds….me…of……..Harry….." she said slowing down as the other women suddenly got a little more serious and an awkward atmosphere filled the room. Ginny looked at each of her sister-in-laws uncomfortable faces. "Honestly guys! I'm not going to break every time I mention his name."

            "You're right Ginny. Children will be the way they're going to be. I just hope they'll take after their mothers…" Mrs. Weasley broke the tension.

            Early that evening all of the Weasley's were gathered in the family room decorating the tree. The tree was nearly finished when they realized they were missing the angel for the tree.

            "We must have misplaced it last year," Mrs. Weasley noted.

            "I'll go upstairs and look for it Mum," Ron offered.

            "I'll go with you," Hermione told him.

            While they were gone the rest of the family finished up the rest of the tree. Eventually they came back Hermione carrying the delicate angel. Ron however was struggling with a large trunk in his arms, grunting as Hermione waddled her way along in front of him. When they got down stairs Ron dropped the drunk on to the floor and let out an exhausted sigh.

            "What is that?" Ginny asked.

            "It has photo albums in it. I've never seen them before," Ron told her before opening the trunk.

            " I made them," Mrs. Weasley said. "I haven't quite finished any of them yet. That's why I never showed them to you."

            "Oh let us look at them mum," Ginny begged.

            " Of course you can. The only one's not finished are the last in each collection. You each have your own."

            Ron reached in the trunk and pulled out one of the albums. He read the cover aloud.

            "Bill: First Year," he said. He opened to the fist page and laughed at the picture. Bill was posing with his wand and schoolbooks at Kings Cross Station. His now long hair was cut into a neat bowl cut.

            The family spent the rest of the evening looking through the albums passing them around. Eventually each Weasley came into possession of their eight books. Ron's were filled with pictures of him Hermione and Harry together at school and at the burrow during summers. Ginny and Hermione sat on either side of Ron as he flipped through them. Laughing at memories. Ginny entered a lot of the pictures in Ron's fifth year right before she and Harry had started dating. Ginny felt a wave a sadness wipe over her as Ron turned to a picture of the four of them standing with Dumbledore on Christmas. Voldemort had killed Dumbledore early in Ginny's seventh year. He had been adamant in trying anything and everything to defeat the Dark Lord before sending Harry to face him one on one again. However Voldemort had proven to be too strong for even Dumbledore. Harry had been a wreck when he found out the man who had been like a grandfather to him had sacrificed himself trying to save him. The last thing Harry had ever wanted was yet another person he loved dying as he put it, "because of him." It was after that that Ginny knew that Harry would kill Voldemort, no matter what the cost.

            "Mum," Fred called from the chair he was sitting in. "I know the first seven are our years at Hogwarts, but what's the eighth book?" he said shuffling down to the bottom of his pile. He then held up and book that said "Fred and Hermione" on the cover. "Mione! Come here! It's about us," he called his wife to the other side of the room. Hermione got up and walked over to Fred who got up to let her sit on the chair and situated himself on the arm. Ron tossed aside the other book and pulled out the one about him and Allison.

            "Mum I don't remember you taking any of these pictures," Bill noted. He too had moved on to the album of him and Christine.

            "Looks like we've got a Colin Creevy on our hands," Ron mused.

            Ginny sat quietly for a while before deciding to move to the bottom of her pile. She sucked in a breath as she looked at the dark green cover with "Harry and Ginny" inscribed in gold letters on the front.  She gently opened it to see a picture of her and Harry cuddling on a the Weasley sofa, the summer before her sixth year. She flipped through laughing at some of the pictures she remembered taking with him at Hogwarts. Most of the pictures were from the summer before her seventh year. Harry had stayed with the Weasley's before starting Auror training in September. There was one picture of of Harry on a broomstick with Ginny in his arms. The family had started a small game of Quidditch with the new Quidditch set Ron had gotten Harry for his birthday. Ginny had been nearly hit by a bludger and fell off her broom avoiding it. Harry dove to catch her, receiving her into his arms just in time to pull up on his broom and stop himself from crashing into the ground. After that he had teased her claiming that she owed him not for catching her, but for forcing him to put his Firebolt in such a dangerous situation.

            Ginny flipped through the pages and memories came flooding back: trips to the beach, summer barbeques, de-noming the garden, friendly wrestlimg matches. All the things that had seemed so simple to Ginny during the perfect summer now seemed unbearably precious.

            The last filled page had a picture of her and Harry hugging an kissing goodbye, both with tear streaked faces when she was boarding the train to leave for Hogwarts. Ginny remembered the look on Harry's face as he pleaded with her to let him come visit her every weekend But she had refused to let him become 8th year student of the year and told him no, saying they plenty of time left ahead of them to spend every moment together. Now she wished that she had told him to come everyday possible.

            The rest of the pages were left blank. Ginny guessed that her brothers' books had the rest of the pages filled with engagement photos, wedding pictures, and shots documenting pregnancies and births. Ginny felt her heart ache as she found yet another reminder of what she and Harry were missing out on. Feeling as though a sob might escape her, Ginny excused herself to bedroom, taking the album with her.

            In her room Ginny slowly turned the pages soaking in the images in each photograph. As tears finally escaped her eyes she cursed and threw the book aside. She always swore that she wasn't going to let it get to her anymore, but it always did. She got up from her bed and walked across the room to pick up the thrown book. She gently ran her hand over the cover and closed her eyes trying to calm her self. She was brought back to life when James ran in to the room.

            "Mummy! Mummy!" he ran on his little legs into her bedroom. He stopped and looked at her curiously. He then approached her cautiously and she sat down in a chair allowing him to crawl into her lap. He cocked his head and looked at Ginny's teary eyes.

            "Is sumding wong?" he asked frowning. Before Ginny opened her mouth to answer the first few notes of a familiar song filled her room. She looked up as James turned himself around in her lap, and saw Charlie, Fred and George grinning madly.

            "Alright you chipmunks. Ready to sing you song?" Charlie mouthed talking to Fred and George.

            "I'll say we are," mouthed Fred.

            "Yeah lets sing it now," added George.

            "Okay Simon?"

            "Ok."

            "Okay Theodore?"

            "Okay"

            "Okay Alvin? Alvin? Alvin?" Charlie pretended to yell and Ron came dashing in to the room with a grand smile on his face."

            "Oooo Kay!" he said.

            Ginny couldn't help but laugh as Fred, George and Ron danced around her bedroom.

            "Me I want a hula-hoop," Ron sang wiggle his hips around.

            As the song died down Ron and Charlie finally broke their characters but Fred and George continued prancing around Ginny's room, even after the music stop. She laughed.

            "I love you all so much," she told them. That was all it took for her to be attacked with a gigantic group hug which her and James were the center of. After that Ron offered to put James to bed and let Ginny get some rest. She said her goodnights to her son and brothers and asked them to tell everyone else goodnight for her and let them know that she was okay. She told Charlie to make sure her mother didn't feel guilty for giving her the album and to assure that it was the greatest thing she would receive for Christmas. When the all left her room she placed the album on her vanity, turned out the lights and got into her bed.

A/n: This took longer than I thought to get out. Hope you liked it though. Please review and leave me some love, I had a pretty bad weekend so it would be much appreciated! I'll even it out by trying (note the root word TRY is crucial) to get chapter four out tonight or tomorrow night. It all depends on how long it takes to write. However I'm hoping in won't take long since I already have it all planned out. Well hope you like everything so far and look for chapter four soon!!

Love and kisses,

Bella

Wishinstar: Thanks a bunch! Sorry I didn't get you into my review replies for the first chapter but I think you must have reviewed as I was uploading! So I guess I updated pretty soon for ya! Haha

Kawaii Yoshi: Thanks. I'm glad you're planning on keeping reading! Yeah, honestly I'm a R/Hr fan too. And if it end up any other way in the real books I'll scream, but I decided to mix things up a little in this. Just for fun. (Plus I'm writing a Hr/F fic right now so I'm kinda on a twin kick)

Bonnie: Thanks!!! Yeah I no one knows but me…but I'm betting people can guess.\

Kylesmom: Thanks a bunch. Haha we'll try and make it through near breakdowns together then. Good luck on your finals darling!

Myobgirly: Thanks. Haha if you'd do what Hermione did than you're defiantly braver than me. I'm more like Ginny, I'd want to do what Hermione did, but I'd probably let them kick me out of my own brothers' store.

Chocolate Muse: Thanks. I dunno how long it took…. Lets see last time I updated was… 12/3 sooo 5 days. Hopefully the next chap will be up faster though.

Avalon: I'm glad I can help ya out keeping your mind off finals! It sucks that you don't have time to write anymore. I know that what stressed me out more than anything in the world is when I don't have time to write at some point during the day. It's my escape. I hope you find sometime in the future to sit down with a pen though!

Leonie: Thanks so much! And if things go as planned, I think you should have your answer in a few chapters.

Ginny Potter10: I don't know will Harry ever come home? Well here's this chap, and the next should be out soon.

Wishinstar: Thanks. People really are like that aren't they? They're really annoying… As long as nothing that puts me in mortal peril happens, I will keep writing.

ClairPotter: If you say you're the biggest fan than I guess you are!! Would it really be purposeless if Harry didn't come home? Are you sure? (haha…mind games…)

Myobgirl: excellent reading skills darling. I noticed just recently that when I typed this from my hand written copy I left out the paragraph explaining Percy and his family in the first part of the first chapter, and didn't write too much about the rest of the family until a little in this chapter. But Percy does make an appearance in this chapter so nothing happened to him, just a brain fart on the author's behalf. Hehe. I'll go back and fix it as soon as I get a chance. BTW in case your curious, he's married to Penelope and they have a okay well I can't remember the sex of their kid cuz I don't have my family tree with me (yes I'm a nerd and I made a family tree to keep them all straight on). But they have one child. Thanks for noticing my error!

Isadora: wow thanks! Yeah I miss Harry when he's missing too, he's just one of those characters who makes everything just right. And thanks for the support! Who needs to pass calculus anyway? Hehe

B4me: hmmm is Harry coming home? Hehe. We'll just have to see how long you have to wait to find out now that you promised me you would. Haha Thanks!

Ginny house 3: Thanks. I'm posting as much as possible. I think James is cute to, he's good to his mum. Mmm did you save any brownies for me? Hehe j/k but I might go make some for myself…

Ruffled owl: hehe is this soon enough? I hope! I got it out as fast as I could! Hopefully even more even sooner next time!

Marajade3081: Thanks! Really are people waiting for Harry? (hmmm…wonder if I how long I could keep em in suspense……)

Azkaban Canuck: Thanks. I hope he comes home too…..I wonder if he will?? (j/k)

Azkaban Canuck: Thanks. I enjoyed writing Hermione's scene.

JC's Angel: Thanks so much. I like writing about Harry and Ginny cuz I think they're sweet too.  And Fred and Herm., I dunno why but I enjoy portraying them as a couple too. (it's probably my infatuation with the Weasley twins)

MinaPotter: hey thanks! Hmm how long do you think it will be? I think at least one of your questions was answered in this chap. I don't wanna flat out answer the other one's though cuz I wouldn't wanna accidentally give anything away!! (I'm sure you'd hate that….)

Alli-baby: Thanks! Yeah Fred and Herm aren't exactly the usual pairing, but they're fun. And now you can enjoy imagining yourself as Ron's wife! Score! Haha and BTW Alli is totally better with the I.

Alli-baby: marajade was definitely right.

Jasper: Thanks. That would be nice wouldn't it? If Harry came home soon?

"blank 1": Thanks and I hope you keep reading!!

Santa Claus: Thanks. I know it is a little sad, but I'll just have to make it my goal to change your mind about sad stories.

            PS: "one little thing I need…..they key, to a platinum mine…" (woo-hoo Christmas songs!)

Daisy: Thanks! Haha. Yeah I figured I'd get some complaints about the Fred/Hermione thing. Wanna know something? In my outline for this fic, everything was Ron/Hermione, however I decided to switch to Fred/Hr due to the fact that I didn't want my head to get too far away from the Fred/Hermione fic I'm writing write now. But believe me when it comes to the real books Ron and Hermione all the way! I'd yell if Hermione ended up with anyone else (even Fred and ESPECIALLY Harry) Well I hope you can enjoy the story anyway!

Santa Claus: Well at least you can enjoy the humor in it, even if it is too sad for your tastes.

"blank 2": Thanks so much!! I hope he comes home too! Lemme know if you here anything about it (just playin….)