It was the week before Christmas break and the school grounds were covered with a fresh blanket of fluffy snow from the previous night. This inevitably meant that the seven of us were racing down to the grounds to take advantage of the opportune winter's day which also gratefully happened to be on a Saturday. I was currently helping Alicia and Katie make a fort while Ange helped the boys make an immensely large snowman. Precariously, they decided to place the snowman right outside the fort's opening, much like a sentry to a castle. They even leaned a large branch against it as a makeshift staff. An hour later we stood back to admire our efforts.

George and Lee however took the moment to shove the snowman over onto the fort.

"You prats!" I yelled as they doubled over in laughter.

In retribution I bent down and made a snowball before taking aim at George's head. It pelted him straight in the nose.

"Hey!" he yelled as he wiped the snow from his face.

"Serves you right," I said in a dignified tone while crossing my arms over my chest.

"Well I'd get running if I were you," George replied smugly as he and Lee bent down to form their own snowballs.

Without another word I turned and dashed to the other side of the grounds followed by the girls. A snowball fight soon broke out, boys against girls, as Fred decidedly joined the enemy team.

It paid to have three chasers on my team, plus I wasn't a bad shot myself. I had just pelted Lee in the shoulder while Ange and Katie landed shots on George's back and Alicia hit Fred in the chest. But the competitiveness of the boys kept us on high alert as they mischievously set up traps and cornered us if we broke away from the group. I had decided to try and circle around to where the boys were huddled behind a tree while the girls launched a frontal assault. However, the boys had magically rigged the ground behind them to swallow the person up to their hips if they stepped in the right spot.

Letting out a scream as I fell into the cold earth the boys looked back at me in hysterics.

"Looks like we caught a Hare," Fred said while still laughing.

"Ha, ha, very funny, you prat," I told him as I crossed my arms over my chest.

My feet were already aching from the cold and my torso was starting to go numb.

"Why don't you get me out of here?" I asked Fred as he approached the hole I was stuck in.

"You have to admit, it's a pretty funny bit," Fred said amusingly.

"Which part? Freezing to death or being stuck?" I said mockingly, trying to bait him.

"Oh come on Hare, lighten up. It's all in good fun," Fred tried to say reassuringly as I watched the girls all sneaking up behind him.

"No, this is fun," I said causing Fred to have a confused look on his face.

Just then Alicia, Angelina and Katie all bombarded Fred with snowballs in the back. I could see him stiffen at surprise of being pelted from behind but didn't dare turn around so to avoid being hit in the face. He then dropped to his knees and covered the back of his head with his arms before raising them in surrender.

"Looks like you fell into our trap actually," I said with a smirk, also noticing Lee and George slowly making their way to our location.

They had previously been ambushed by the girls while I had been distracting Fred. All part of the plan.

"Alright Hare, the girls get this round," Fred said begrudgingly as he stood up and pulled me out of the snow.

I immediately started shaking after having being submerged and having all my layers soaked through in the freezing weather.

"Better get you warmed up Hare," Fred said, already taking my hand and leading me up towards the castle.

Angelina, Katie and Alicia were all giving each other high fives as George and Lee followed them dejectedly back up towards the castle. The two boys both had snow in their hair and looked as if they had been hit from all directions. They were always too trusting of us.

We all headed to the Gryffindor Tower so we could change and sit by the fire. Lee and Katie decided to play exploding snap while Ange and Alicia went to walk around the castle to stretch their legs. This left the twins and me deciding to go down to the kitchens.

We walked down to the basement in an easy silence, all still exhausted from the hours we had spent outside. When we entered the kitchens however our easy silence was cut when we became immersed in the bustle of the house-elves cleaning up the supper dishes.

"Miss Marnee! Mr. Wheezies!" we heard Posy calling out as she ran up to greet us.

"Hello Posy, how are you today?" I asked politely, seeing the house elf light up.

"Always so nice to Posy, Miss. Marnee is! I is well miss. What can Posy get for you?" she asked before leading us to the small table in the back.

"Some hot chocolate would be great," Fred said once we all sat down.

"I get your hot chocolate right away! Miss Marnee and Mr. Wheezies must be cold from the snow! I get this for you right away!" Posy said before she ran off towards the ovens.

"Marnie, we got a letter from mum today," George said gleefully.

"Oh yea, how is she? How's Ron and Ginny?" I asked, not having heard an update in a while.

"She says that you and your dad are invited over for Christmas dinner as well as New Year's Eve," Fred said excitedly.

"Oh that sounds wonderful!" I said since I had always secretly hoped I would be able to spend Christmas with them.

"Yea, mum always puts a big effort into Christmas and New Year's. Lots of food and friends over. It's always a lot of fun," George continued with a wide grin.

"Sounds fantastic," I said, now watching as Posy set down our hot chocolates.

I turned to the house elf before she started to walk away.

"Oh Posy," I called out to get her attention.

"Yes miss," she replied politely with a big smile.

"I wanted to give you your Christmas present," I said, immediately causing the house elf to gape in silence.

The twins also looked at me ruefully.

"That better not be clothing," Fred mumbled as the speechless elf stepped closer with even bigger eyes.

"Hush, we've learned about house elves in History of Magic. I know they won't accept clothing," I whispered severely. "I would never offend Posy," I added before turning back to look at her.

"Here you go Posy, it's a Christmas card," I said as I put the envelope into her little hands.

"A Christmas card?" Posy asked quietly as she opened the paper to reveal a piece of parchment with a drawing of herself in the kitchens with added Christmas decorations in the background.

I didn't draw regularly but I wasn't half bad when I put my mind to it. I had often drawn things for my dad and Remus growing up, both of whom had actually framed a few of them.

I watched as Posy stared at the picture as her eyes started to well up.

"Oh Posy, I didn't mean to offend you!" I said hurriedly. "I thought it was just clothing you couldn't receive," I looked at the house elf worriedly.

"Miss Marnee is too kind to Posy!" the house elf wailed as she flung herself onto my lap.

"Well you're my friend too Posy," I explained, only making the house elf's sobs become louder.

"Posy does not have any possessions Miss Marnee. I shall go put the picture under my pillow," Posy said, running towards the other side of the room, carefully pressing the card to her little chest.

I looked after Posy as she disappeared into another part of the kitchens before turning back to the twins. George was smiling at me with a mocking look while Fred just shook his head.

"You are one of a kind Marnie," was all George said as Fred just looked at me with an undecipherable expression.

We then stood up and headed out of the portrait hole.

"Care to throw a few dung bombs into the Hufflepuff common room?" Fred asked revealing some from the depths of his pockets.

He also took out the map to see if Mrs. Norris or anyone else was approaching. I nodded and took one of the bombs out of Fred's hand before approaching the entrance which looked like a bunch of stacked barrels. I stood there for a few moments before turning back to look at the twins.

"What should I do?" I asked since no one was heading out of the common room like last time.

"Knock?" Fred answered with a shrug.

I gave him a skeptical look before turning back to the stack of barrels. I knocked twice and paused before knocking three more times a little louder. To my surprised fortune the entrance opened up and I could see a few Hufflepuffs looking towards me in surprise. We then used that moment of disbelief to chuck the dung bombs and flee back down the hallway. We ran all the way back to the Gryffindor common room before settling down in front of the fire in an innocent manner. Lee and Katie were still sitting together while Ange and Alicia were reportedly upstairs in the dormitory. After a few minutes I decided to head to bed myself and bid everyone good night. By the time my head hit the pillow a few minutes later I fell instantly asleep, dreaming of Christmas cakes and mistletoe.

XXX

A week and a half later was Christmas Eve. Remus was spending the night as per our tradition but had decided not to accompany us to the Burrow the following day. Despite them obviously knowing each other since they had both been associated with the Order, Remus decided to maintain his minimal association with the wizarding world. I was a little disappointed when Remus rejected my dad's offer, but I understood his reasoning. His answer for everything was always him being a werewolf; especially since they were further looked down upon than squibs by the wizarding world, not that I thought the Weasleys would hold such prejudice. However, we were the only family Remus had ever known after Lily, James and Peter were murdered all because of their best friend Sirius Black.

Although we had all been greatly impacted by Sirius' deception and betrayal, Remus had outwardly taken it the worst. He was more reclusive than my dad and coupled his hurt with the realities of being a werewolf. When I looked at my uncle I almost wondered if he considered himself cursed, having lost too much for too steep a price. At the end of the day we still had mum, but Remus had lost the men he considered to be his brothers.

Every now and then he would accompany us to see mum, but I would catch his pained look as the reality of the war always hit him. Remus and my mother had been very close at school, although I knew I didn't know the whole story from their time at Hogwarts. I felt it must be like losing her every time he visited which is why I also wondered how my father could walk into that room every week and not break into pieces.

The three of us had visited my mother the first day I had returned since I wanted to see her after her injury. Dad had told me she had just gotten the cast taken off and was slowly getting back on her feet. We guided her on a short walk around the Permanent Spell Damage ward and even ran into Neville's mother. Augusta had been walking beside Alice who looked straight at my mother without any recognition of her once best friend. My mother also returned the vacant expression as we continued on to my mother's room to put her to bed. Despite how sad it was to visit my mother I was glad we went and ensured that she was alright after her fall. Plus, I ran into Neville and gave him his Christmas present which was a knitted Gryffindor scarf. He smiled sheepishly at me while mumbling something about not being sorted into that particular house. Augusta just scolded her grandson and reassured him that of course he would be sorted into the same house as his parents.

XXX

We spent Christmas Eve playing scrabble and eating sugar plums. Dad made his signature maple-glazed goose since we would be spending both Christmas supper and New Year's Eve with the Weasleys. December 31st fell on a full moon this year so Remus wouldn't be able to come with us even if he had wanted to. So we just enjoyed each other's company before Remus decidedly turned in for the night. We have a small bedroom which also seconds as dad's office for his editing business at the top of the stairs. But because Remus is the only one who ever stays over, it is his unofficial room both when he is and isn't here. The closet is filled with some articles of his clothing and piled with books he has collected over the years. I'm pretty sure the sheets are also from his own bedroom which he brought over for creature comfort.

The next morning I woke up to feel the chill of winter creep in through the old windows and sparse insulation. I hugged the blanket up to my face before deciding to hurry down to the fire which was surely already started. I hurriedly got out of bed and walked to the top of the stairs only to hear my dad and uncle's hushed tones emanating from the sitting room.

"You should come tonight Remus, you know Arthur and Molly would love to see you," my dad said quietly.

I heard Remus sigh in response before answering.

"You know as much as I do that if Marnie hadn't befriended their sons that you wouldn't be in touch with them either."

I frowned as Remus' answer was seemingly truthful.

"You're probably right Remus. But I don't regret being in touch with them now," my dad said gently. "Molly is just as mothering as always while Arthur is just as quiet and caring."

There were a few moments of silence before my uncle responded.

"I'll think about it Joss, but I don't regret living my quiet life with you and Marnie," he paused. "Lena is enough of a reminder of our time from back then," he continued sadly.

I could almost hear the frown on my father's face.

"Remus, you know Marnie and I are always here for you. We're your family. And if it wasn't for you, I don't know how I would have raised her all by myself. We as good as raised Marnie together, but I just want you to consider the possibility of reaching out to old friends. We aren't the only ones who are hurting," my dad replied quietly before I heard him get up and head towards the kitchen.

I heard my uncle sigh after a few moments before getting up to presumably follow him.

"You know our girl wakes up hungry. You better be frying up the works," I heard Remus say with a small laugh.

I frowned at the conversation between my uncle and dad. I was happy to hear that my dad was getting comfortable branching out from our small little life, but it was sad to hear that Remus still held some trepidation about following suit. However, it had taken my father eight years to do so, so maybe Remus just needed more time. Plus, I also couldn't help smile at the reference to being raised by not only my father but my uncle as well. Remus had always been such a large part of my life and I had always gone to him when I didn't want to confide in my dad. Being referred to as 'our girl' was both humbling and comforting.

I waited a few more minutes at the top of the stairs before being overtaken by the cold. I then hurried down the stairs to sit by the fire while hearing my dad and uncle in the kitchen. Remus soon came to join me and handed me a cup of hot chocolate before we started talking about school and the twins. He asked how we were getting along plus wanted to know about all of my other friends. However, he seemed especially interested in how I got along with the twins and even asked about Charlie and Percy whom he also knew were in school. I couldn't help smiling at his want of information on the Weasleys after just hearing their hushed conversation. I figured it could only be a step in the right direction.

"Alright breakfast is on, get it while it's hot," my dad said from the adjacent room.

Remus and I stood, moving towards the wafting scents of eggy toast and sausages.

We all sat down and filled our plates while falling into a comfortable silence. Dad raised his glass of pumpkin juice as we started eating.

"Happy Christmas," he said causing us to raise our own glasses.

I smiled at my dad while I clinked my glass against his before turning back to my food. After breakfast was finished, we went over to the tree to open presents. I sat down in front and was responsible for handing each person a gift. I first gave Remus and my dad each their gift from me. I had gotten my dad a pack of foxglove seeds to be able to plant in our gardens next spring. He smiled at me while Remus opened his own gift which was a sack of wolf's bane seeds. My uncle also looked up at me with a soft expression before quietly thanking me. I had read all about them in the book he had given me last year and figured it would bring him some reprieve from the unforgiving side effects of being a werewolf.

I then reached for a crumpled looking package wrapped in brown paper packaging which was left under the tree. I opened it to find an orange-coloured, homemade sweater with the letter 'M' stitched onto the front. I smiled realizing Mrs. Weasley must have made it for me. I hastily put it on and immediately felt the warmth it provided. My dad was smiling at me as well as Remus.

"I can't believe she still makes those," my dad said with a chuckle.

"Molly always had a motherly spirit. I remember her sometimes knitting those during the Order meetings whenever she could attend," Remus said thoughtfully.

I then continued to pass presents from the tree. Remus had given me another book called Dark Creatures Lurking in Britain. I smiled as I would have something else to read over the holidays. Plus, I knew Defense Against the Dark Arts had been his favourite class while attending Hogwarts. My dad gave me a pair of pink earrings which were in the shape of peonies; victoire de la marne peonies to be exact, which my father kept a garden of under my bedroom window. The fact that my father had thought of a gift that combined my interest for Herbology with his affinity for gardening was heartening and meaningful.

"I love them," was all I could say as I went to hug my dad.

I had read all about my namesake flower in one of my Herbology textbooks. Amusingly, their most common use amongst the wizarding world was to crush their flower into a potion which would then be used to repel rodents from eating one's garden, especially hares- go figure.

I spent the rest of the morning and afternoon reading my new book while I kept on my new sweater and had put on my earrings. After the sun had set, I heard a knock at the door. Dad was finishing the pies he had made to bring over for dinner and Remus was lying down in his bedroom. So, I walked over and opened the door to see Mr. Weasley standing on our doorstep.

"Good evening Marnie, happy Christmas," he greeted me as I went to give him a hug.

"Happy Christmas Arthur," my dad said from behind me with pies in his hands before handing one to me.

"Arthur has offered to bring us to the Burrow instead of getting your uncle to do it or have us drive in the icy conditions," dad explained thoughtfully.

"Shall I bring Marnie first?" Mr. Weasley asked while already extending his arm out to me.

"I'll meet you there dad," I answered with a wave.

A moment later I was feeling my stomach squeeze out my naval right before we arrived in the front yard of The Burrow.

"I'll just go ahead and get your father. Go right in Marnie, Molly's waiting for you," Mr. Weasley said as I started walking towards the front door.

Before I even got to the stoop the door swung open and I was greeted by Mrs. Weasley.

"Happy Christmas dearie! Come in, come in. You're bound to catch a cold being out there in just a sweater!" Mrs. Weasley said grabbing me by the arm and pulling me into the house.

The doorway opened into the Weasley's living room which was nice and warm due to the fire and the fact that the oven had probably been on the entire day.

"Marnie!" I heard Ginny say from the bottom of the staircase as she rushed over to hug me.

"Hi Gin, happy Christmas," I greeted the younger girl who was only about an inch shorter than me at this point.

"Orange! None of us ever get an orange sweater!" I heard George say from behind me.

"That would be because it would clash horribly with our hair," Ginny answered matter-of-factly.

"It's because of her eyes," I heard Fred add as he joined us in the living room.

I looked at Mrs. Weasley who just smiled at the remark and turned to go back into the kitchen.

Moments later Mr. Weasley and my father joined us, and we all sat in the living room while we waited for dinner to be ready.

"How's your Christmas been Marnie?" Ginny asked as she made her way to sit down beside me.

I enjoyed her company and always felt slightly bad for her being the only girl amongst the chaotic group of Weasley boys. Although I knew she enjoyed the company of her brothers.

"It's been pretty quiet, but I always enjoy being at home," I answered.

"I can't wait until I go to Hogwarts! I can't believe Ron gets to go next year," Ginny sulked, causing me to look over at Ron who gave a small smile.

"Looking forward to Hogwarts Ron?" I asked the always timid boy.

From the twins' stories, Ron was seemingly as blunt as Fred and always had something to say, but he was always quiet whenever I was around him.

"Yea, I can't wait to be able to use magic," he exclaimed excitedly.

"Think you'll be sorted into Gryffindor?' I asked, wanting to talk a little more after seeing Ron become more animated.

"I expect so. The whole family's been sorted there, don't know why I would be any different," he answered.

I frowned at his remark even though he had answered in a positive manner. It must be even more difficult being the youngest boy of six, than being the only girl of seven.

Just then Mrs. Weasley announced that dinner was being served. We all piled into the dining room and gazed at the delicious spread of food put before us. The table was filled with yams, roasted potatoes, brussel sprouts, carrots, squash soup, turnips and tea biscuits. In the centre of it all was a very large roast which was triple the size of the goose we had had the previous night.

The whole dinner was chaotic, noisy and crowded in the best possible way. We were all packed around the worn table which was groaning under the weight of all the food. Everyone was chatting excitedly amongst each other, basking in the Christmas spirit. When we eventually finished dinner, Mrs. Weasley quickly cleared everything away and brought out the pies my dad had made plus some figgy pudding and more sugared plums. After dessert we all retired to the living room where we sat in idle chatter, feeling the fullness of our stomachs.

I closed my eyes for a moment and heard a soft melody in the background as Mrs. Weasley passed around the tea pot.

"Mix a pinch of spice with a dash of charm

And a sprinkling of romance

They're why my cauldron full of hot, strong love

Is worth it, take the chance!"

"Mum, do we have to listen to this rubbish?" Fred asked from beside me, making me realize that this must be Celestina Warbeck.

The twins had mentioned it being their mother's custom to listen to the witch during the holidays.

"Celestina is a Christmas tradition Fred, you know that dear," Mrs. Weasley answered quietly only causing Fred to sigh.

We stayed sitting in the living room for the next hour before Mr. Weasley offered to return us home after seeing Ginny try to stifle a yawn. We bid everyone farewell and headed towards the front lawn after Mr. Weasley while the rest of their family stood waving in the doorway.

"We'll see you New Year's Eve!" Mrs. Weasley shouted cheerfully.

This had been one of the best Christmas' I had ever had.