Chapter 12 - A Weasley Christmas
When George opened the door, five redheads looked up at them. Ginny squealed and jumped up from the sofa and wrapped her arms around Hermione's waist. When Ginny pulled back Hermione looked in awe at all the traditional and magical Christmas decorations in the room. From a simple elf-on-a-shelf to a Santa Clause flying around the tree in his sled.
"Hermione?" Charlie asked surprised, a smile on his face as he got up. "Never thought you would be the surprise."
"Yeah, me neither. I was in the dark as much as you guys." She laughed as Charlie hugged her, pulling her away from the twins. Charlie let her go and walked her over to Bill.
"Bill, this is Hermione Granger. Hermione... Bill."
"Nice to put a face to the stories." Bill smiled as he put his hair in a low ponytail.
"Stories? What have they been telling you?" Hermione looked at the guilty party.
"Nothing bad, I promise." He gestured her to sit next to him.
"They better not." She chuckled. "Hi Ron, Percy." She waved over to the two quiet Weasleys. "I heard you're a curse breaker?" She asked excitingly when the other two gave a small nod.
Bill beamed as he talked about his work in Egypt. Charlie, George and Fred looked at the talking duo.
"We lost her to Bill... figures." Charlie grinned.
"She's drawn to the smartest person in the room." Ginny laughed as she decked the cards for another game.
"Oi!" The three of them cried out. Hermione rolled her eyes at them before turning back to the oldest brother.
HG
After a few games her mother entered the living room. "Dinner is ready kids."
"Coming!" The twins called out and packed up the game, Ron already running to the kitchen. When the rest entered Ron was already waiting impatiently at the table. The twins placed Hermione between them, Bill and Charlie across from her.
"Oh Ginny, Hermione will be staying in your room. They had a long drive; it would be too long to head back tonight."
"How long does it take?" Bill asked as his mother started filling up the plates.
"By car? About three hours."
"Three hours? Blimey!" Ron said already with his mouth full.
"Dad, can't you get a connection for their floo?"
"Floo?" The three Grangers asked.
"It's a way of transportation." Percy explained. "You step into a fireplace and with the use of floo powder you can transport to another one in seconds."
"That sounds..." Her mum said uncertain, unable to finish her sentence.
"Can it be used by muggles?"
"As long as you have floo powder, yes."
"If you want, I can see if it is possible." Arthur said. "We'll show you how it works tomorrow, then you can decide."
"Molly, this all looks delicious." Her mother smiled, looking at all the dinner she had prepared. "I wish I could've helped."
"Nonsense." She waved her off. "You are our guest."
"Mum doesn't like help in the kitchen." Fred whispered as he reached over for the mashed potatoes. "Do you want some?" He asked after he loaded his plate.
She nodded her head, grinning. "Thanks, but not as much as you."
"That's the Weasley appetite, everyone here has it, even Ginbug."
"Do you have a nickname for everyone?" Hermione asked with a cocked eyebrow.
Fred grinned wide at her as he filled their plates with steamed carrots. Hermione shook her head, chuckling and turned her attention to the others.
Dinner was... loud, very loud. Hermione wasn't used to such a busy Christmas. She was a bit prepared with her hanging around the twins and Charlie for the last few months, but this was something else. They all talked over each other, yelling across the table; laughing, whispering, everything. It didn't even sound like anyone was eating. But still the dishes grew smaller as the Weasley clan ate and talked their way into the evening. Hermione finished her plate first and after listening and talking to everyone at the table she excused herself for a moment.
She walked out of the loud kitchen and closed the door behind her, letting out a deep breath. She glanced around the hall and saw moving pictures hanging on the walls. She walked over and studied the photographs. She giggled as she saw the twins about a year old running around the garden butt naked. Next to it, a photo of Charlie sitting in the living room reading a children's book about dragons, holding a purple stuffed dragon. One where Bill and Charlie were standing side by side in front of the Hogwarts express. Ginny and Ron as babies together in a tub, splashing each other. The wall was covered from pictures of them as babies till just last summer. She was so focused on a picture with two twin boys who looked a lot like Fred and George, she didn't hear someone come up behind her.
"Those were my mums twin brothers." Charlie said, making her jump. "Uncle Fabian and Gideon."
"Fred and Georges middle names." She said as Charlie walked up next to her, looking at the photo.
"Yeah, they died in the war."
"I'm sorry." Hermione whispered. "How were they like?"
"Funny, jokesters like the twins. Their friends called them Matchstick and Rusty." He laughed. "The twins admire them; I wish they had gotten to know them. They were only three when they died."
They stood there in silence for a bit looking at the photographs on the wall, the noise in the kitchen muffled by the closed door.
"A bit much, I presume?"
"Huh, what?" She tore her eyes away from the wall.
"The noise, the famous Weasley racket." Charlie grinned as he led her to the living room.
"Yes, I thought with being around the twins it would be okay, but this is next level." Hermione chuckled as she sat down next to Charlie.
"I thought so. That's why I came up to see if you're okay. You didn't even agree to come here."
"No, I didn't. But I don't mind, really. It's always quiet and a bit boring at our house, only the three of us. So, yeah this is a bit much, but I'm really enjoying myself."
"Thank Merlin, you and Fred get along now then." Charlie laughed and Hermione chimed in. They were still laughing when the rest came in, looking like they just lost it.
"What's so funny?" Her dad asked as he took the armchair on her left.
"Charlie just said, thank God Fred and I get along now, or else it would've been quite awkward." Hermione grinned as her laughter died down.
"You didn't get along?" Her mum and Mrs. Weasley asked surprised looking from her to Fred, who sat there sheepishly.
"Not at first." Fred said, nervously rubbing his neck. "She got along with George just fine but... "
"But with Fred it took a couple weeks. But that's okay." She hastily added. "We are very different people." She chuckled looking at Fred. "Isn't that right, Rusty?"
"Rusty? That's the nickname you choose for me, little Granger?" Fred asked smirking. Hermione looked at Charlie smiling before glancing back at Fred.
"I think it's perfect for you." Hermione turned when she heard a sob from the other side of the room. Mrs. Weasley had her hand over her mouth, tears in her eyes. "Mrs. Weasley?"
"I'm- I'm fine dear. It's just... that was a nickname for one of my brothers."
Hermione stood up and walked over to the witch, smiling. "I know... Charlie told me. That's why I chose it."
Mrs. Weasley couldn't hold back her tears anymore and wrapped her in a bone breaking hug. Mr. Weasley stood up and pulled his wife away from Hermione and led her to the sofa. Hermione walked back and sat down next to Charlie, who was talking with her father. She saw Fred eyeing her, taking her in.
"What?" She asked in a low voice.
"Nothing." He answered leaning forward, closer to her. "It's just... I – I – Thank you, little Granger." He smiled before leaning back. Hermione didn't know what he wanted to say, but she smiled back before her mum brought out monopoly and called everyone over. They paired everyone up, the ones who have played with the ones who didn't. Her dad with Mr. Weasley, mum with Mrs. Weasley. Fred and Ginny, George and Ron, Charlie with Percy and Hermione with Bill.
"It least now the twins can't cheat." Hermione said as she counted their money.
"We didn't cheat!" The twins called over.
"Yes, you did. You duplicated your money but now you can't use your wands." She grinned. "Let's see how far you can get now."
"OH, you wait and see." They called back challenging. Bill and Hermione won by a landslide and Fred and Georges team didn't have anything left at the end, no money, no houses, much to the chagrin of their teammates.
HG
After the game Mr. Weasley dragged her dad to the shack in the garden.
"Shack?" Hermione asked as the two of them disappeared in the dark.
"Dad loves to thinker with muggle stuff, but mum won't let him do it in the house." Bill chuckled.
"With a reason, the last time he did that, the back of the house was gone." Mrs. Weasley said before she went to the kitchen to make a pot of tea.
"Oh, Hermione you should come see their clock." Her mum said, Hermione stood up and followed her mother to the kitchen. She pointed at a large wooden clock but instead of numbers it said: Home, Work, School... Seven hands pointed at home, on each hand a picture of a Weasley attached to it.
"That's amazing, Mrs. Weasley."
"Thank you dear." Mrs Weasley said fondly as she looked dreamily at the clock. "Mr. Weasley made it as a wedding gift."
"It is really beautiful. Do you need any help with the dishes?" Hermione asked gesturing to the full sink.
"No, no. You just go relax with the others."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive." She smiled. "Thanks for offering."
Hermione smiled back before heading to the living room but was intercepted when Ginny grabbed her arm.
"Hi Gin."
"Uhm, do you want to see my room? Where you will be staying." She asked nervously.
"Sure, Ginny. Lead the way."
Ginny's smile went big as she ran up the stairs. Ginny's room was small but next to her bed was a cot placed for her, her bag on the foot of it.
"I know it's not much."
"It's great, Ginny." Hermione smiled as she looked around the room. "You're a quidditch fan?" She asked as she saw a quidditch magazine on her bed.
"Yeah..." she looked out her door before whispering. "Don't tell the others but I steel their brooms at night and go practice. I never get to play with them."
"That doesn't sound fair!"
"I know but what can you do..."
"Steel their brooms apparently." Hermione laughed with Ginny. Ginny walked over to her closet and took her pyjama's out.
"I'm going to go change, don't think I can hold out much longer." She finished with a yawn. "If you want to change or brush your teeth, the bathroom is the second door on the right."
When Ginny left and closed the door behind her, Hermione walked over to her cot and opened her bag, pulling out her warm dark red pyjamas. She walked over to the door and looked in the empty hallway. She quickly changed in her pyjamas, when she had just pulled up her pyjama bottoms there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
"Nice pjs Hermione." George grinned as he and his twin leaned against the doorframe. Both rocking flannel pyjamas. George was wearing a purple one with bludgers and Fred an orange one, with beater bats on them.
"You're one to say." She raised an eyebrow, pointing at them. The twins grinned and pushed themselves of the door and twirled in front of her.
"You're just jealous."
"Yeah, that must be it." Hermione laughed, shaking her head. "So, for what do I owe the pleasure?"
"We wanted to ask if you want to play a game of exploding snap with us?"
"Ginny will be going to bed; your mum and dad are busy with ours and Ron and Percy are playing chess. So, it's just us, Charlie and Bill."
"Alright. I kind of enjoy the company of your brothers." Hermione teased as she walked past them, out of the room.
"She's getting cheeky." They said together, looking at each other eyebrows high.
HG
"So, how is Credric doing?" Bill asked after his card exploded. "Did you meet with him during break?"
"No, he moved last summer." Fred said flipping a card.
"Do you know Cedric?" Bill asked Hermione, who nodded. "He lived near us, just behind the forest."
"Yeah, I know."
"You do?" Fred, George and Charlie asked.
"Yeah, I bumped into him when I went to the owl service to send your letters." She said looking at the cards. "He doesn't live to far from me now."
"Are you two friends?" Bill asked.
"More like acquaintances. He was the first person I met beside them." He pointed to the Weasleys in front of her. "He helped me load my trunk on the train and carried it to a compartment. Since then, we talk occasionally, say hello. But since we're in different years and houses we don't talk that much."
"You should get to know him, he's a good guy. Broaden your horizons a bit, away from these two knuckle heads." Bill grinned as the twins yelled. "Oi!".
"Charlie is graduating this year, so he'll be gone too. And he can be a great study partner."
"I have seen him in the library before, unlike those two." Hermione contemplated.
"Oi!" They yelled again and Hermione challenged them with a raised eyebrow. "Alright we'll give you that one."
HG
Her mum sends her to bed an hour later and the minute her head found the pillow she drifted to sleep. The next morning, she was brutally shaken awake by Ginny.
"Wake up, Hermione. Time for presents!"
When Hermione opened her eyes, she saw Ginny's long red hair disappearing down the stairs. She rubbed her eyes and climbed out of her cot. She took a hair tie and twisted her bushy hair in a messy bun on top of her head. When she walked down the stairs her parents appeared behind her.
"Morning, sweetheart." Her father smiled. "They really like their boxing day."
"Apparently. Ginny nearly gave me a heart attack waking me." Hermione chuckled as they reached the living room. They were the last ones to enter the room. Ginny and Ron sat impatient near the tree, Molly and Arthur cuddled together in their seat, holding a camera. The twins whispering to each other, and Charlie and Bill still half asleep on the sofa.
"Good morning." The Grangers said together as they looked around the room.
"Morning." Came a tired but excited call from the Weasleys.
Fred and George stood up and offered them their seats and dropped down on the ground in front of them.
"Ginny, why don't you pick one first." Mr. Weasley smiled at his youngest. Ginny didn't need to be told twice and hurdled at the presents underneath the tree. Everyone passed each other presents and after the Weasley family was done, her father picked a large box from under the tree and handed it over to Mr. Weasley.
"You didn't have to." Mr. Weasley started.
"You invite us to your lovely home and made an outstanding dinner, this is the least we could do."
Mr. Weasley looked like a giddy schoolboy as he unwrapped his present, much to the amusement from his children. His mouth dropped open when he saw what was inside. He pulled out piece by piece and placed them on the coffee table in front of him. The kids all looked at each other with a frown.
"What is all that?" Ron asked.
"That is a Gameboy, a Tamagotchi, a Walkman, a video cassette and an old video player."
"All things muggles, like us, use to entertain ourselves."
"Thank you! Molly..."
"You can go." Molly snickered. Arthur gave her a chaste kiss, put everything back in the box and dragged her dad out to the garden. Her mum stood up and carried a pink box with a white bow on top, to Mrs. Weasley.
"Don't think we forgot about you." Her mum smiled and took Mr. Weasley's seat next to her. Mrs. Weasley smiled as she undid the bow and opened the box. "Remember when we took you to muggle London? The bakery you loved; I had them put together their best cookies."
"Thank you, Jean." Mrs. Weasley said with tears in her eyes. "You really didn't have to do all this."
"Maybe not, but I wanted to." She hugged Mrs. Weasley tight against her. Hermione smiled at the two women, who became fast friends before she stood up and stepped over the twins and reached behind the tree revealing the last presents of the day. She walked closer and tossed one to Charlie, George and Fred. All of them looked surprised up at her.
"What?"
"We didn't get you anything." The twins said, Charlie agreeing. She sat down back behind the twins and looked at the three of them.
"You don't have to. Charlie, you already gave me that book and what you two did for my birthday, I'll never forget. So, no protesting. Open up."
"Yes, ma'am." The three of them grinned as they opened their presents.
"George, Rusty. You can share yours." She said before they fully opened them.
Fred pulled out a book with a frown, when he turned it over, his eyes went big. "The Kid's Guide to Pranks, Tricks and Practical Jokes." He whispered as he began flipping through the pages, even George stopped unwrapping as he looked at the book.
"Thanks, little Granger!" He grinned over his shoulder.
"Yeah, thanks Granger." George smiled before looking back at the box on his lap. And just like his dad he took out several pieces and placed it on the floor in front of him. "What is it?" He asked looking up.
"Gag gifts, sort of muggle prank items. The description is on the back. Just don't use them on me!" She pointed at the little box he was holding.
"Wouldn't dare." George grinned. "Sneezing powder, fart whistle, dirty face soap, whoopee cushion, doctor crap-a-lot's teabag." George laughed so hard as he read all the boxes out loud. "Hermione, these are great! Thank you." He pulled her leg, so she came crashing down to the ground, half on top of Fred. Fred just grinned and scooted up before the both of them pulled her into their twin hug. She looked over at Charlie who grinned and mouthed thank you as he pointed at his book 'Romanian for dummies.'
After Fred and George showed the Grangers around their property, going to the lake and the forest they packed everything up in their car to leave. Bill and Arthur showed them how the floo network would work and they agreed it would be easier for Hermione to meet up with her friends. Hermione was now waiting for her dad to get back with Mr. Weasley as he asked if they could take a drive in the car. She was looking out the window and saw the car reappear on the hill. She grabbed her coat and her mothers and handed it over.
"Thank you again, Mrs. Weasley. I had a wonderful time."
"You're always welcome dear." She smiled and gave her a hug. "Jean, I'll see you in a couple weeks." Mrs. Weasley turned to her mother, and she turned to the young Weasleys.
"I'll see you in a few days." She hugged the boys goodbye. "Bill, it was really nice to meet you."
"Yes, it was really nice to meet you too, Hermione."
"Ginny, thank you for letting me sleep in your room."
"I'll miss you." She wrapped her little arms around her. Bill snickered and pulled his little sister off her.
"Ron, Percy." She waved at the boys in the living room before she followed her mother outside. Mr. Weasley was beaming as he exited the car and walked over to the door, wrapping his arm around his wife. The twins and Charlie were looking out the kitchen window. Hermione slid on the backseat and waved to the Weasleys one last time before her dad drove off.