For Lyrrie the cheetah - happy (belated) birthday and Merry (early) Christmas! I hope you like this.

"Pity you went for the eggnog," Ginny commented, sipping from her mug. "I much prefer hot cocoa. Mum's hot cocoa is unmatched."

"Yes, but so's my eggnog," Sirius shot back. "I make mean eggnogs…I even throw in a secret ingredient in there."

"You mean rum?" Ginny scoffed. "There's a reason why I avoid it."

"Wait, how did you know?"

"You aren't very quiet." She kept a straight face. "I overheard you telling Harry in the kitchen. You know I'm very picky about my alcohol."

Sirius scowled, but it vanished when George declared, "All right, Weasleys...and non-Weasleys," he amended, glancing at Sirius, and then at Harry and Hermione. "It's time for the annual ugly sweater contest! Everyone, go get dressed!"

Ginny smirked. "Just wait, Black, I'm going to wipe the floor with your arse," she said confidently, jumping to her feet and setting down her drink.

"Oh really? I'd prefer other activities involving my arse if you catch my drift," he said, raising an eyebrow and his eyes sparkling. "I'd rather you wipe our bedroom floor with my arse."

Ginny would be lying if she said that didn't affect her, so she settled for patting his chest. "Not your best line," she informed him. "Try again later and maybe I will consider wiping the bedroom floor with your arse." Standing up on her tiptoes, she kissed his cheek before sauntering out of the room. Sirius touched the spot where her lips had brushed his skin in somewhat of a daze, marveling at the effect she had on him.

Ginny returned to the living room where her family was clustered on the couches and the armchairs. She perched on the armrest of Sirius's chair, picking idly at the stuffing.

"Good evening, Weasleys," George began in dramatic fashion. "Welcome to the annual Weasley-Potter-Granger-Black ugly sweater contest."

"Oi, get on with it, will you?" Charlie called, pulling his coat tighter around his body. If Ginny had to wager, he had some dragon-themed sweater on underneath.

George shot him a look. "This is a sacred, time-honored tradition," he stressed. "Ever since…"

"Does he give this same speech every year?" Sirius asked in a low voice; this was only his second time participating.

"Yeah," Ginny hissed. "We all could probably recite it word-for-word, but that takes too much effort, so we let the twins handle it." She sobered. "Well, just George now."

"...and with that, let the reveals begin!" George ripped off his coat, revealing his sweater, and the rest of the family booed.

One by one, each of the participants unveiled their sweaters. Ginny laughed, booed, and nearly spilled her cocoa when Harry unbuttoned his coat — for he had a Hungarian Horntail on his chest (er, sweater), and this sent Ginny into hysterics. Harry grinned crookedly.

As the youngest in the group, she always went last, and this year was no different. Except this time, she had a little surprise (well, not really a little surprise, unless you thought about it size-wise) up her sleeve. She went to the front of the room, made eye contact with her mum (as she was the only one who already knew), and in a tension-building movement, opened her coat.

The last of the laughter died abruptly and nervousness pooled in Ginny's stomach as she tried to gauge everyone's reactions. Were they upset? Pleased?

"You're…" Hermione broke the silence first, her jaw snapping shut and her eyes widening.

Ginny patted her stomach, filling it in for her. "It seems so."

"Gin," Sirius breathed, the next to speak, his eyes fixated on the stick on her sweater, "you're pregnant?"

All of a sudden, the room seemed to come back to life.

"Congratulations, Ginny!" Hermione cried, racing forward to hug her. "That's wonderful!"

Meanwhile, most of her brothers looked stunned, with the exception of Bill, who already had children. He came to her next, looking down at her proudly. "Congrats. I can't believe my baby sister is having a baby of her own."

"If you need tips or any advice, you can come to me," Fleur offered generously.

Ginny had long outgrown her resentment for her sister-in-law, so she accepted her kind words gratefully. "Thank you, Fleur," she said.

One by one, her family members edged forward to congratulate her (and to comment on the words etched on her sweater). What was disconcerting was that Sirius didn't come to say anything, and she thought she saw him leave the room. Her heart sank. She'd been anticipating his reaction the most.

What was going through his head?

After everything had been said and done, Ginny retreated to the kitchen. Sirius was sitting at the table, his fingers drumming the sturdy, faded wood restlessly, and he appeared to be waiting for her. A fresh wave of anxiety rolled over her and she hesitantly sat next to him.

"Sirius?" she asked, not daring to reach for his hand, though that was her first instinct.

"Pregnant," he said, his grey eyes meeting hers first and traveling to her stomach. "We're pregnant."His voice was unreadable.

"Unless you plan on carrying this child yourself," she replied, "then I'm the one who's pregnant. You can have the duty of changing their nappies, though."

Sirius cracked a smile and Ginny nearly sagged with relief. "I'll pass, thanks," he said, pulling a face, and she smiled. Now she intertwined her fingers with his.

"All jokes aside, how do you really feel about this?" she asked intently. "I know this is a surprise, and you're probably…" she trailed off, as she saw the incredulity on his face.

"Gin, you're mad if you think I'm anything other than absolutely thrilled," he said his face earnest. "Yeah, it caught me off guard, but I want to raise a child with you. I want to have a baby with you."

"Are you ready for the responsibility? You didn't have the best role models growing up." She was frank because she needed answers from him.

"You know they haven't been my family for a long time," he said, fixing her with a lovesick look. "You are. And as batshit insane as they are," he gestured to the living room, "they're my family too."

Ginny's heart melted and she stood up to embrace him. "I'm so glad I'm with you," she whispered. "You've been so supportive, so kind and…" A lump formed in her throat. "...thank you for everything."

"Of course. I love you, Ginevra Weasley. I love everything you are…and everything you will become, including the child growing inside of you. And that clever sweater of yours." He poked her chest.

She laughed, glancing down at the glittering letters with warmth spreading through her body.

There's a bun in my oven.

1119 words

12 Days of Shipmas - Your ship partakes in/deals with the ugly sweater/jumper tradition.