Chapter 13 – A Weasley Christmas
The weeks passed quickly for Harry. With his coursework from Snape and McGonagall, he wondered how he had time for Apparation and Occulmency. Moody's duels in Defence Against the Dark Arts and Ron's Quidditch practices left him exhausted every night. He was making little progress in Apparation, and he felt that Madam Hooch might be getting a little frustrated with him. "The art of Apparation comes to each in its own time." Madam Hooch would tell Harry every time he failed to apparate in the appropriate circle. He was particularly envious of Ron when he was able to apparate across the room only a few weeks after they began. Harry, however, had been making progress in Occulmency. He was able to see more and more of Lupin's memories. He particularly paid close attention to the memories that involved the Marauders and his mother. Lupin would blush occasionaly when he explained different Marauders adventures. He blushed profusely when he told of the time Sirius found a way into the Gryffindor's girls dormitory and had the Marauders place a hundred frogs in their bathroom. "Dumbledore had to strengthen the Girls only charm after that particular adventure." Lupin said turning another shade of pink.
Ms. Weasley owled both Harry and Hermione an invitation to spend Christmas break at the Burrow. Hermione rsvped yes after finding out that her parents where heading to the Caribbean for the holidays. "Who wants a sunburn in December?" Hermione reasoned. Harry had too decided to go to the Burrow, he rather be far away from Professor Snape after the last Potions exam before the break.
Harry and Hermione arrived in the late afternoon at the Burrow on Christmas Eve. Ron and Ginny arrived a few days earlier by the request of his mother, to help clean and decorate. Harry had never seen the Burrow so brightly lit. There were red and green Christmas bulbs all throughout the house, some as big as basketballs. Harry really enjoyed the festive atmosphere at the Weasley's, but something was missing.
"Where's the clock?" Harry asked looking at the empty space where it stood.
"Oh, it's getting repaired." Ron answered as he helped set the table.
"Mum is Flour coming?" Ginny asked before setting a place for her.
"Oh, no dear, just family?" Mrs. Weasley answered.
"What are all of the other members of the Order doing?" Hermione asked.
"Oh, Dumbledore wanted them to spend the holidays with their loved ones, if they are not on special duty for him."
"Mz. Weazy were do you want this Ham?" Dobby said entering the dinning room carrying a ham twice the size of his head.
"Oh, on the center of the table dear." Mrs. Weazy smiled.
"Dobby what are you doing here?" Harry asked.
"Harry Potter, oh, Dobby was azking Dumblydor what Dobby could do for the Order during Christmas. He said Dobby could stay with the Weazies or go back to Hogwarts. Once Dobby knew Harry Potter was coming here, Dobby wanted to be here too." Dobby smiled now hugging Harry around the waist.
" I am glad you're here to Dobby, I hope you are not being trouble for Mrs. Weasley." Harry joked.
"Mum is in love with Dobby. She is so happy to have the help." Ginny smiled.
"Dobby loves to helping the Weazies. They are good friends of Harry Potter. Plus Dobby doesn't like resting. Resting makes Dobby go crazy sometimes."
"Oh, Dobby you can rest whenever you want, but I really do appreciate all the help you have been. Its so nice not to have to do everything." Mrs. Weasley giggled walking back into the kitchen.
"What are we, chopped liver?" Ron shouted.
Shortly before dinner, the rest of the Weasley's apparated into the living room a. All but Percy.
"Staying at the office." Arthur mumbled after Ginny asked.
Mrs. Weasley ran into the kitchen before any one could see the tears coming down her cheeks. "Still upset over Percy." Ginny explained to Harry and Hermione. A few minutes later, Mrs. Weasley returned more composed holding a large bowl of mashed taters. "Dinner is ready Weasleys."
The Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione gathered around the table. Fred, George, Harry and Ron sat along one side of the elongated table. Bill, Charlie, Hermione, and Ginny sat at the opposite side. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley sat at either end. Dobby sat next to Mrs. Weasley in what Harry thought was a baby's highchair, only without a tray in front of him.
Harry had a great time stuffing his face with Mrs. Weasley's terrific food. Maybe it wasn't as gourmet as he had at Madam Pudifoot, but it was the type of good ol' home cooking that he enjoyed the most. Ron was fairly quiet during his dinner, mostly focused on his meal. Harry noticed Ron stealing glances at Hermione when she looked away. However he would not look at her in the face when she was looking at him. He felt Ron and Hermione's relationship might not be what Ron was hoping for. Before Harry could think more about the subject of Ron and Hermione's dwindling romance, Fred and George charmed two bread sticks into a mid-air sword fight at the center of the table.
"Stop it you two!" Mrs. Weasley shouted before she burst out laughing as George's bread stick exploded all over Charlie. Even Charlie was laughing at the twin's midair dinner combat. Most of the rest of dinner was over the happenings of last semester. Bill and Charlie had Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny retell the story of how Neville stopped Bellatrix Lestrange. Hermione corrected Ron every time he went off exaggerating his role in the ordeal. Harry was amazed that Ron allowed her to correct him with little resistance. He noticed Hermione realized that he wasn't defending himself either. Soon she stopped correcting Ron and began to focus on her bread pudding.
After dinner, Harry and Ron played Charlie and Bill in team Wizard's Chess. Harry was doing poorly against Charlie, but Ron had a huge advantage against Bill. "Show some mercy little bro." Bill begged after Ron capture his queen in his fifth move. After a sound beating, Bill and Charlie decided to head to bed. Harry and Ron shortly followed as Fred and George talked to Dobby about elf magic and the possible charms they can use at the store.
"You Weazies like to joke, Dobby likes good jokes too." Dobby laughed after the twin showed him Canary custard. "Dobby shoz you how to make a wizard into a duck after feeding him a chocolate frog…but don't tell Mizz Weazy."
Harry was sharing Ron's bedroom as Hermione was sharing Ginny's.
"We should get another bed in here so you don't have sleep on the floor every time you visit." Ron suggested as he changed into his pajamas.
"Hey, Ron can I ask you something?" Harry asked cautiously.
"Sure, what's up?"
"Um—why were you so quiet at dinner… especially when Hermione was talking?" Harry asked.
"Oh, I um, had a lot on my mind." Ron said.
"Like Hermione?" Harry pushed further.
"Well, we've been a bit distant in past few weeks." Ron answered.
"I've noticed." Harry said.
"I was hoping we might be able to work out our issues over break." Ron said.
"Well I could talk to her, if you want?" Harry offered.
"No, I am hoping that my Christmas gift might show her how much I care for her." Ron said quite nervously.
"What did you get her?"
"You'll see tomorrow. It's not much, but I hope she likes it."e Ron said.
" I never thought you would be so romantic, you know, you'r getting soft." Harry joked.
"Shut up." Ron smiled.
"Maybe we should have tryouts for a new keeper, you know someone who doesn't get weepy over love songs."
"GO TO BED YOU PRAT!" Ron yelled throwing his dirty sock at Harry.
Harry and Ron woke to the smell of bacon and eggs on a snowy Christmas morning. After rushing to brush their teeth and change their clothes, they race to the dinning room table only to realize they were the last to arrive.
"You could have woke us." Ron mumbled to Ginny.
" I wanted to leave the rest of the family a fighting chance to eat breakfast." Ginny quipped.
Hermione giggled only to stop after Ron buried his face into his plate of toast, eggs, and bacon. Harry sat at a place prepared by Dobby. He was amazed at the amount of bacon on his plate compare to the rest the Weasleys.
"Look like you have a fan, Harry." Bill said helping himself to a piece of bacon on Harry's plate.
"Um, yeah, Dobby does get a little carried away." Harry smiled, passing around his plate of bacon. After everyone took a piece or two, Harry was finally able to see the eggs and toast that was hidden by the mountain of bacon. After everyone had ate breakfast, they gathered around the elaborately decorated Christmas tree in the living room. As Weasleys opened their gifts, Harry handed Dobby a gift box he wrapped before he went to bed the night before. Dobby was ecstatic when he opened the box to reveal a maroon sweater with the letter 'H' sown in gold in the middle. Ron and Mrs. Weasley gave Harry a look that forced him to explain to Dobby that the was the sweater Mrs. Weasley made for him in his first year.
"It was too small for me now so I thought you would like it." Harry grinned shyly.
"Oh, Harry Potter could have given this to anyone and he gives it to Dobby." Dobby said starting to weep, "Harry Potter is such a great, great wizard to think of a house elf like Dobby."
"You're not a house elf, Dobby, you are our friend." Hermione said handing Dobby her handkerchief.
Mrs. Weasley had to ask Dobby to start on lunch to calm him down. She explained that he would feel better if he was doing something helpful, 'it's their way.' Harry had received a book of Dark Arts spells from Hermione, a muggle t-shirt from Ginny and a Cuddley Canons jersey from Ron.
"It's the Quidditch team to root for." Ron explained.
"Just because you like him doesn't mean Harry would." Ginny argued.
"Its ok Ginny, I like them too." Harry lied.
Ron began to explain in great detail how Cuddley Canons were far superior to any other Quidditch team in England. As he was explaining how their seeker captured the golden Snitch in the 1904 Quidditch Cup final, Hermione let out a great gasp. She was holding a small gift box in one hand and a gold necklace in the other.
"R—Ron, i—its beautiful." Hermione said admiring the pendent on the necklace. It was her name written in a soft cursive font.
"I—I had to get it custom made from a muggle goldsmith." Ron said nervously. " Ginny helped me charm it, it shines brightly when you rub the 'H'. I thought it would help you when reading at night."
Hermione was in awe at Ron's thoughtfulness. Before Ron could say anything else, she ran upstairs to Ginny's room with tears running down her face.
"I'll talk to her." Ginny said to Ron with sympathy. She raced after her only after she gave her older brother a hug.
"Ronald, how you afford that." Mrs. Weasley said interrupting the silence.
"U—um, I, um…" Ron stuttered.
Harry could tell that Ron was thinking up of a lie to tell his mother. It was apparent to the twins as well.
"We gave it to him." Fred chimed in.
"Um, yeah, as a loan of course." George added.
"You shouldn't loan your brother money." Mrs. Weasley huffed.
"We thought it was a worthy cause." Fred said.
"Love always is." George continued.
"Besides, if a brothers can't help each other, what use are they?" Fred said.
"Would you have us turn away our own brother?" George said now hugging Ron around the neck.
"No, but what's in it for you two." Mrs. Weasley asked suspiciously.
"What, us take advantage of family!" Fred gasped.
"I raised you two, I know you got him by his socks on this one." Mrs. Weasley argued.
"Well, he did agree to work off his loan at the shop…" George said smiling mischievously at Ron.
"…it will only be a few months this summer." Fred said catching on.
"Did you agree to this Ronald?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Um, yeah mum." Ronald relented.
"Oh what boys do when they are in love…" Mrs. Weasley sighed, "that was sweet of you Ron, you know you're a romantic just like your father."
"Urgh, mum we don't want to hear how much a Romeo dad is." Fred said with a face of distaste.
"We already know he's a romantic, mum, there are seven of us." George quipped.
The remainder of the Christmas holiday went by as quietly as it began. Ron and Hermione did not speak to each other, even after Ginny and Harry attempted to talk some sense into Hermione. Hermione sat in awkward silence as Harry tried to explain Ron's feelings for her. He felt he blew his argument when he compared Ron's feelings for her for his feelings for Quidditch. "I don't think anyone can love someone as much as Ron loves Quidditch." Hermione huffed.
The morning of the day they were too return Hogwarts, Arthur Weasley apparated into the living room with a tall, narrow wooden crate.
"Oh it finally ready!" Mrs. Weasley said excitedly, "Just in time for the children's return."
"Yes, they said it took longer with the Christmas rush and all." Arthur smiled.
"What is it?" Ginny said curiously.
"Don't get too excited," Mrs. Weasley said tapping the crate with her wand. " Its just the old grandfather clock that was in the living room, we wanted to make some…additions."
Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny watched as the crate opened to reveal the old grandfather clock that Harry remembered. This clock was not like other clocks that told time. This told were the Weasleys were. George and Fred's faces were pointing to the word Shop, Pearcy, Bill, and Charlie's were pointing to the word Work, and Arthur, Molly, Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Harry's faces were pointing at the Burrow. Harry had just realized that his and Hermione's faces were the 'additions' Mrs. Weasley was talking about.
"Um…Mr. and Mrs. Weasley…I—I don't know what to say." Harry said slowly.
"Well, you don't have to say anything dear," Mrs. Weasley said placing her hand gently on Harry's shoulder, "we think of you two as our own children now. Just think of everything you have done for us."
"You do everything for us, what have we done for you?" Harry said quietly.
"Well if weren't for Hermione, I am not sure if Ron would still be in Hogwarts," Mrs. Weasley said smiling. "and if it weren't for you Harry, A—Arthur might not…might not…"
Mrs. Weasley smile started to quiver. Tears began to form in her eyes.
"Its ok, Molly, its ok." Arthur said hugging his wife, "Excuse us Harry, I think its time for you all to pack your trunks into the car's booty."
After they all gave Mrs. Weasley a hug goodbye then made their way to the train for Hogwarts. Harry daydreamed as the train made its way toward Hogwarts at a steady speed.
The Weasleys' accepting him as family made him feel very warm inside. Unfortunately he could tell Ron and Hermione did not have the same feeling. They sat across from each other the whole train ride without saying a word each other. He decided to take advantage of the quiet and take a long nap, long enough to get him to Hogwart's train station.
