A/N: Well, I really wasn't planning on writing a sequel to this, but several people have requested a second chapter....I don't like this part nearly as much as I did the first, but the idea sort of began nagging at me, so I thought I might as well write it. It ends kind of abruptly, but I don't plan on changing the ending. And I think I'm working on a third chapter for this little Weasley series. Enjoy, and please review!
Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing.
Christmas was always a joyful event at the Weasley household, even when times were a little hard. Molly cooked busily in the kitchen while Arthur was at King's Crossing to pick up the children; it had seemed so quiet the past few months without the twins! Ron and Ginny were talkative enough, but it was almost unnatural not hearing explosions periodically from Fred and George's room. Absently, she stirred the soup, wondering how much trouble her boys had gotten into so far. She had only gotten one owl from McGonagall, but she knew the identical redheads had probably accomplished several mischievous deeds without getting caught.
Glancing into the living room, Molly noted that six of the nine hands on the grandfather clock pointed to 'Traveling.' "Ron! Ginny!" she called up the stairs. "Better wash up, your father and brothers will be home soon and it'll be time to eat." Footsteps sounded upstairs in reply, and she smiled, turning back to the food in the kitchen. It would be so nice to have everyone home again all at once.....a short pang stabbed through her heart as she realized once again that Bill would be graduating this year. She shook her head slightly, causing her short red hair to swish against her cheeks. It was silly to get all worked up over that....after all, he would still be home for Christmas every year. Bill was ambitious and was already trying to find a job to jump into as soon as he was done with Hogwarts, but Molly was sure he wouldn't want to go very far from home. It only took an instant to apparate all over the globe, but she would much rather have them all where she could keep an eye on them.
Then the next year, Charlie would be going, and then -- the front door opened, interrupting her thoughts. "We're home!" Arthur called through the living room, and seconds later the kitchen was full of redheads. Bill and Charlie both grinned and went over to give their mother a hug; Bill had to lean down quite a bit to do so. Percy smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek; he had never been a very affectionate child, at least not openly. The twins looked almost unsure of what to do at first, as though they thought being first years meant they were too old to be Mum's little boys anymore. After watching their older brothers, they both grinned slightly and hugged Molly, although they pulled away quickly.
Already, the boys were seating themselves at the cramped kitchen table. Ginny and Ron came barreling down the stairs, and Ginny threw herself straight into Bill. He grinned, picking her up in a hug even though she was getting almost too old to be lifted. "How's my favorite little sister?" he asked, laughing, and she tweaked his nose.
"I'm your only little sister, silly." she answered, and he set her down again, ruffling her hair. Feigning annoyance, she took her place at the table. Molly realized for the first time that only two of the seven children at the table had washed up, and she put her hands on her hips.
"Boys, go wash your hands!" she ordered. "Er, not you, dear." she said to Ron, after her youngest son gave an indignant, "I did!" Grumbling only slightly, the other boys got up and started upstairs while a smug looking Ron and Ginny sat at the table. "You two can help set the table." she said, turning on them.
"Can't Ginny do it?" Ron whined slightly. Ginny looked put-out.
"I set the table LAST night." she countered, sticking her tongue out when she was sure Molly and Arthur weren't paying attention.
"Did not."
"Did TOO"!
"Children!" Molly barked, and they both looked up guiltily. "You can both do it. Hurry up before your brothers are done." she added, and they obliged, carrying on their argument under their breaths.
Arthur grinned, and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "What's for supper?" he asked, reaching to snitch a roll from the basket. His wife slapped his hand away lightly.
"You'll find out as soon as it's on the table!" she scolded, but she grinned lightly at him nevertheless. Suddenly, the grin left her face, replaced by a frown. "And you haven't washed up, either!" she exclaimed, realizing her error. "Upstairs, right now!"
"Yes, dear." he replied obediently, starting up the stairs just as five of his children tried to come down the same way. There was a momentary traffic jam which somehow sorted out with Arthur still downstairs and Charlie on his way back up. The two stopped, laughed at their own foolishness, then righted themselves.
"And hurry up, Arthur, before the potatoes get cold!" Molly called after him as Ginny and Ron finished setting the table. She bustled about the kitchen like a mother hen clucking over her brood, refusing to sit until all the food was on the table and everyone had something on their plates.
The conversation was almost nonstop while everyone told stories of their latest adventures, both at school and at home. After a very brief lull in the chatter, Bill grinned slightly and cleared his throat. "Er, I heard from Gringotts last week." he said.
Eight faces looked up expectantly. "Did you get the apprenticeship?" Arthur asked, hand poised in midair as he paused in reaching for another helping of peas.
Bill hesitated, then said slowly, "Yes...."
Before he could finish whatever he was going to say, congratulations started pouring in with comments of 'knew you'd get it, Bill' and 'get to start as soon as you're done with Hogwarts?' The oldest Weasley boy looked as though he might add something else, but seemed to think better of it. Only his mother seemed to notice his hesitation, and she made a mental note to ask him about it later.
~*~*~*~
After the children had gone to bed, Molly and Arthur sat at the kitchen table, talking over a cup of tea. "It's so good to have everyone home, isn't it, dear?" Molly said, breathing a contented sigh. Her husband nodded in agreement, stirring another lump of sugar into his tea.
"Yes, it is." he replied, then added, "And I'm so proud of Bill. He's grown up into a fine young man...." He trailed off, noticing Molly's expression cloud over slightly, and he patted her hand. "Be happy for him, dear."
Before there was any time to reply, their eldest son appeared in the doorway. "Bill, dear, what are you doing up? It's..." She glanced at the clock, then shrugged and finished with, "It's not as late as I thought it was, actually. Care for some tea?"
"No thanks, Mum." Bill replied, pulling a chair out from the table and sitting down. "I just came down to talk."
"What's on your mind, son?" Arthur asked, absently adding yet another lump of sugar into his tea. He stirred a moment, then took a sip. His face twisted slightly at the sickeningly sweet liquid, and he set the cup down, pushing it to the side. Bill took a deep breath.
"Well, as I already said, I got the apprenticeship with Gringotts. I'm going to start working in London as soon as school is over, then in mid-August, if everything goes well, I'm going to be taking a job as a curse-breaker." He paused, then added, "In Egypt."
The kitchen grew completely silent except for the ticking of the clock and a sharp intake of breath from Molly. "Egypt?" she said faintly after a moment. "You're going to Egypt?"
Bill nodded in reply. Arthur looked slightly uncertain about what to say for a moment, but finally smiled and said, "Well, son, it's a good job." he said encouragingly, but nevertheless ran his hand through his hair absently, a sure sign that he was distressed. "And as long as you enjoy it, then you should do it."
"Thanks, Dad." The redheaded seventeen year old replied, grinning slightly. "Mum.....you understand, don't you?" Molly only nodded silently, managing a slight smile as he bent down and kissed her cheek. "Well, I'm going off to bed." Bill said, then stopped. "Er, I don't think I'll tell the others until after holiday....not sure I'm ready to really tell the whole world yet. Night."
The two parents sat quietly for several minutes after their son had gone back upstairs to bed. Finally, Arthur stood up, setting his overly sweetened, cold tea in the sink. "I think I'll turn in as well." he said. "Coming up to bed soon?"
"Yes, I just want to finish up a few things." Molly answered absently, standing up from the table. Nodding, Arthur kissed her cheek and went up the stairs to bed. She set her own teacup in the sink, deciding that they could wait until the morning to be washed, and entered the living room. The Christmas tree wasn't yet in place, but a place had been cleared away for it and some of the other decorations had already been put up, due to much whining from Ron and Ginny.
Following an impulse, Molly turned and walked up the stairs, past all the bedrooms until she reached the attic door. The ghoul was quiet tonight; it had howled all day since the children arrived, but all the excitement must have tired it into silence. Using her wand for a light, she crossed over to the large box of Christmas ornaments and carefully lifted the dusty lid. Each of the Weasley children received an ornament every Christmas, even when times were hard, and all the ornaments were gathered into this one box. Smiling softly, Molly picked up the first ornament her hand came to; the one from Bill's first Christmas.
Tears sprang to her eyes as she realized that this would be the last Christmas her oldest son would get an ornament. She and Arthur had decided to give each of their offspring an ornament until they graduated Hogwarts and went out on their own, and Bill.....
'You knew this day would come.' A voice inside her reminded. Yes, she had known. Even when her firstborn was still just a babe in her arms, she knew that one day she would have to let him go. She knew he would grow up, as all children do, and drift away from his mother's embrace. Back then, seventeen years had seemed like plenty of time, but the years had sped by faster than she'd ever imagined they could. It didn't seem real that the little boy she had borne was already a man, and her heart ached at the thought of losing him. In a few short months, he would be more or less on his own.
Her eyes traveled over the other ornaments, everything from the miniature book that belonged to Percy to the Ginny's snowy, glittery angel from last Christmas. Molly sighed quietly, carefully putting Bill's ornament back into the box and replacing the lid. It was times like these that she wondered why on Earth they had seven children; was it going to be this hard each time she had to let one go? Or two, in the case of the twins. She knew she should be thankful that all her children were healthy and able to go out and have their own lives, but....
Firmly setting all thoughts of remorse and regret aside, Molly stood up and left the attic, refusing to let herself look back at the box of ornaments sitting so innocently on the floor.
Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing.
Christmas was always a joyful event at the Weasley household, even when times were a little hard. Molly cooked busily in the kitchen while Arthur was at King's Crossing to pick up the children; it had seemed so quiet the past few months without the twins! Ron and Ginny were talkative enough, but it was almost unnatural not hearing explosions periodically from Fred and George's room. Absently, she stirred the soup, wondering how much trouble her boys had gotten into so far. She had only gotten one owl from McGonagall, but she knew the identical redheads had probably accomplished several mischievous deeds without getting caught.
Glancing into the living room, Molly noted that six of the nine hands on the grandfather clock pointed to 'Traveling.' "Ron! Ginny!" she called up the stairs. "Better wash up, your father and brothers will be home soon and it'll be time to eat." Footsteps sounded upstairs in reply, and she smiled, turning back to the food in the kitchen. It would be so nice to have everyone home again all at once.....a short pang stabbed through her heart as she realized once again that Bill would be graduating this year. She shook her head slightly, causing her short red hair to swish against her cheeks. It was silly to get all worked up over that....after all, he would still be home for Christmas every year. Bill was ambitious and was already trying to find a job to jump into as soon as he was done with Hogwarts, but Molly was sure he wouldn't want to go very far from home. It only took an instant to apparate all over the globe, but she would much rather have them all where she could keep an eye on them.
Then the next year, Charlie would be going, and then -- the front door opened, interrupting her thoughts. "We're home!" Arthur called through the living room, and seconds later the kitchen was full of redheads. Bill and Charlie both grinned and went over to give their mother a hug; Bill had to lean down quite a bit to do so. Percy smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek; he had never been a very affectionate child, at least not openly. The twins looked almost unsure of what to do at first, as though they thought being first years meant they were too old to be Mum's little boys anymore. After watching their older brothers, they both grinned slightly and hugged Molly, although they pulled away quickly.
Already, the boys were seating themselves at the cramped kitchen table. Ginny and Ron came barreling down the stairs, and Ginny threw herself straight into Bill. He grinned, picking her up in a hug even though she was getting almost too old to be lifted. "How's my favorite little sister?" he asked, laughing, and she tweaked his nose.
"I'm your only little sister, silly." she answered, and he set her down again, ruffling her hair. Feigning annoyance, she took her place at the table. Molly realized for the first time that only two of the seven children at the table had washed up, and she put her hands on her hips.
"Boys, go wash your hands!" she ordered. "Er, not you, dear." she said to Ron, after her youngest son gave an indignant, "I did!" Grumbling only slightly, the other boys got up and started upstairs while a smug looking Ron and Ginny sat at the table. "You two can help set the table." she said, turning on them.
"Can't Ginny do it?" Ron whined slightly. Ginny looked put-out.
"I set the table LAST night." she countered, sticking her tongue out when she was sure Molly and Arthur weren't paying attention.
"Did not."
"Did TOO"!
"Children!" Molly barked, and they both looked up guiltily. "You can both do it. Hurry up before your brothers are done." she added, and they obliged, carrying on their argument under their breaths.
Arthur grinned, and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "What's for supper?" he asked, reaching to snitch a roll from the basket. His wife slapped his hand away lightly.
"You'll find out as soon as it's on the table!" she scolded, but she grinned lightly at him nevertheless. Suddenly, the grin left her face, replaced by a frown. "And you haven't washed up, either!" she exclaimed, realizing her error. "Upstairs, right now!"
"Yes, dear." he replied obediently, starting up the stairs just as five of his children tried to come down the same way. There was a momentary traffic jam which somehow sorted out with Arthur still downstairs and Charlie on his way back up. The two stopped, laughed at their own foolishness, then righted themselves.
"And hurry up, Arthur, before the potatoes get cold!" Molly called after him as Ginny and Ron finished setting the table. She bustled about the kitchen like a mother hen clucking over her brood, refusing to sit until all the food was on the table and everyone had something on their plates.
The conversation was almost nonstop while everyone told stories of their latest adventures, both at school and at home. After a very brief lull in the chatter, Bill grinned slightly and cleared his throat. "Er, I heard from Gringotts last week." he said.
Eight faces looked up expectantly. "Did you get the apprenticeship?" Arthur asked, hand poised in midair as he paused in reaching for another helping of peas.
Bill hesitated, then said slowly, "Yes...."
Before he could finish whatever he was going to say, congratulations started pouring in with comments of 'knew you'd get it, Bill' and 'get to start as soon as you're done with Hogwarts?' The oldest Weasley boy looked as though he might add something else, but seemed to think better of it. Only his mother seemed to notice his hesitation, and she made a mental note to ask him about it later.
~*~*~*~
After the children had gone to bed, Molly and Arthur sat at the kitchen table, talking over a cup of tea. "It's so good to have everyone home, isn't it, dear?" Molly said, breathing a contented sigh. Her husband nodded in agreement, stirring another lump of sugar into his tea.
"Yes, it is." he replied, then added, "And I'm so proud of Bill. He's grown up into a fine young man...." He trailed off, noticing Molly's expression cloud over slightly, and he patted her hand. "Be happy for him, dear."
Before there was any time to reply, their eldest son appeared in the doorway. "Bill, dear, what are you doing up? It's..." She glanced at the clock, then shrugged and finished with, "It's not as late as I thought it was, actually. Care for some tea?"
"No thanks, Mum." Bill replied, pulling a chair out from the table and sitting down. "I just came down to talk."
"What's on your mind, son?" Arthur asked, absently adding yet another lump of sugar into his tea. He stirred a moment, then took a sip. His face twisted slightly at the sickeningly sweet liquid, and he set the cup down, pushing it to the side. Bill took a deep breath.
"Well, as I already said, I got the apprenticeship with Gringotts. I'm going to start working in London as soon as school is over, then in mid-August, if everything goes well, I'm going to be taking a job as a curse-breaker." He paused, then added, "In Egypt."
The kitchen grew completely silent except for the ticking of the clock and a sharp intake of breath from Molly. "Egypt?" she said faintly after a moment. "You're going to Egypt?"
Bill nodded in reply. Arthur looked slightly uncertain about what to say for a moment, but finally smiled and said, "Well, son, it's a good job." he said encouragingly, but nevertheless ran his hand through his hair absently, a sure sign that he was distressed. "And as long as you enjoy it, then you should do it."
"Thanks, Dad." The redheaded seventeen year old replied, grinning slightly. "Mum.....you understand, don't you?" Molly only nodded silently, managing a slight smile as he bent down and kissed her cheek. "Well, I'm going off to bed." Bill said, then stopped. "Er, I don't think I'll tell the others until after holiday....not sure I'm ready to really tell the whole world yet. Night."
The two parents sat quietly for several minutes after their son had gone back upstairs to bed. Finally, Arthur stood up, setting his overly sweetened, cold tea in the sink. "I think I'll turn in as well." he said. "Coming up to bed soon?"
"Yes, I just want to finish up a few things." Molly answered absently, standing up from the table. Nodding, Arthur kissed her cheek and went up the stairs to bed. She set her own teacup in the sink, deciding that they could wait until the morning to be washed, and entered the living room. The Christmas tree wasn't yet in place, but a place had been cleared away for it and some of the other decorations had already been put up, due to much whining from Ron and Ginny.
Following an impulse, Molly turned and walked up the stairs, past all the bedrooms until she reached the attic door. The ghoul was quiet tonight; it had howled all day since the children arrived, but all the excitement must have tired it into silence. Using her wand for a light, she crossed over to the large box of Christmas ornaments and carefully lifted the dusty lid. Each of the Weasley children received an ornament every Christmas, even when times were hard, and all the ornaments were gathered into this one box. Smiling softly, Molly picked up the first ornament her hand came to; the one from Bill's first Christmas.
Tears sprang to her eyes as she realized that this would be the last Christmas her oldest son would get an ornament. She and Arthur had decided to give each of their offspring an ornament until they graduated Hogwarts and went out on their own, and Bill.....
'You knew this day would come.' A voice inside her reminded. Yes, she had known. Even when her firstborn was still just a babe in her arms, she knew that one day she would have to let him go. She knew he would grow up, as all children do, and drift away from his mother's embrace. Back then, seventeen years had seemed like plenty of time, but the years had sped by faster than she'd ever imagined they could. It didn't seem real that the little boy she had borne was already a man, and her heart ached at the thought of losing him. In a few short months, he would be more or less on his own.
Her eyes traveled over the other ornaments, everything from the miniature book that belonged to Percy to the Ginny's snowy, glittery angel from last Christmas. Molly sighed quietly, carefully putting Bill's ornament back into the box and replacing the lid. It was times like these that she wondered why on Earth they had seven children; was it going to be this hard each time she had to let one go? Or two, in the case of the twins. She knew she should be thankful that all her children were healthy and able to go out and have their own lives, but....
Firmly setting all thoughts of remorse and regret aside, Molly stood up and left the attic, refusing to let herself look back at the box of ornaments sitting so innocently on the floor.