"Look, it seems to me like it's the holidays again," Rose said as she looked at the Weasleys enter the house. Her eyes searched for a person. "Scorpius, do you see Uncle Bill anywhere?" she asked as she looked from face to face in search of him. Scorpius shook his head. "Guess he's not coming this year," she said succinctly.
Just as Scorpius was about to reply, there was a loud crack from the back door. Scorpius turned and saw the doorknob slowly open. He smiled when he saw Bill enter the house very cheerfully. The younger Weasleys ran across the room to greet him. Scorpius studied him. Bill had thinned a bit and his hair seemed to have done the same, maybe because of stress. He still had those wild freckles all over his face and the cheerful smile along with it which made him the Bill everyone knew.
"Happy Christmas to you too, Ginny," Bill said as he gave his sister a hug. He looked at the other boys. "So how's it been going?" he asked. His eyes shifted to Ron. "I believe you've grown another inch. At this rate, you might be taller then Fred and George in no time." He looked at the twins who did not seem to be too happy upon hearing it. "But they're Fred and George all the same," Bill added to soften them both to a smile.
Molly walked over to Bill. "Oh you do look peaky. Have you been eating right?" she asked. Bill laughed and embraced her as well. She kissed his cheek. "Come on in. The weather outside is biting cold and I daresay you don't stand a chance against it." She ushered Bill into the room and by the fireplace where Arthur was.
"Glad to see you, son," he said. Bill nodded. Arthur stood up and shook Bill's hand. "I've heard a lot of compliments about you recently when I visit Gringotts. I'm glad that you have finally found your calling." Arthur couldn't help but be proud of Bill.
Scorpius turned his eyes to the stack of presents just as he saw not to long ago apparently years back from the Weasleys. It seemed to have the same pile, although there were slightly different of box sizes. He looked at the Weasley fireplace. Red stocking hung all over them, each with the children's name written on it. It was evident that Molly had knitted them for the children. He looked at the Weasleys feet. They all had seemingly warm socks now, much to Scorpius's delight.
Bill looked around. "Where's Charlie?" he asked. He looked back at the rest of his family.
"He wrote," said Ron suddenly. "He said he wouldn't be home for Christmas this year. He's going to stay at Hogwarts with his girlfriend." There was an evident tone of sadness in Ron's voice. He always looked forward to holidays because he would be able to see all the people in his family again and it didn't make him too happy when Charlie said he wouldn't be coming home.
Bill raised his eyebrow at his father. "And you allowed him, Dad?"
Arthur shrugged. "He's no longer a child, Bill. He can make his own decisions. I let you make yours when you turned fifteen." Bill looked just as upset as Ron when he heard. He sat on the couch by the fire. "I'm going to ask him to come by this Easter though. It would be too much if he didn't," he said dryly as he looked at the crackling fire.
Ginny squatted on the floor. "What's Egypt like, Bill?" she asked, hoping to take away the sadness in his face. She had missed Bill so much when he had gone and she'd rather have him smiling than worrying about Charlie.
Bill looked at her. "It's hot in the summer," he replied. "I think it's all right. Everyone's really nice there and I like my job. I'm not much but a trainee, but it keeps me going." He sat down on the couch and leaned back. "It's a tiring job being a Curse Breaker, but I enjoy going inside those ancient tombs the old wizards cast upon. It's funny at time to see their amateur work, but some are very good. I can tell. My trainer taught me well," he explained.
"Will we be able to go to Egypt someday?" asked Ron, looking interested now.
Bill nodded. "If you'd like to. I'm sure we'd figure out a way for you all to come with me." He looked at Arthur who nodded. Bill reached into his pocket. "Here are some photos me and my co-trainees took. There are seven of us there. I'm glad I took the job. It's got low salary but I'm sure I can work my way up from there," he said.
"Don't worry about the money," said Molly as she entered the room with a tray of hot chocolate. "Just make sure that you're enjoying it. It's most important in a job." She looked at her husband and gave him a pleasant smile. "Isn't that right, Arthur?" she said. Molly took a mug from the tray and handed it to her husband.
Arthur took a sip and nodded. "All too true, Dear."
"I wouldn't trade this kind of family for a girlfriend," said Scorpius in a low voice, but Rose managed to catch what he said. She looked at him gently. Scorpius looked back at her. "Really, I won't. I mean, you said it yourself. Christmas is for family." He looked at Bill's direction. "I think Bill was hoping to see Charlie. The two of them are like Fred and George in a way," he said.
Rose nodded thoughtfully. "You can say that again. I wouldn't trade a boyfriend for my family either." She looked at Scorpius. "It doesn't have to be this kind of family. Whatever kind of family you have, that's your family." She neared Scorpius. "One day, you'll see.Us Weasleys aren't so different from the Malfoys if you look hard enough."
Bill took a mug from the tray. He looked at his three younger brothers who had come back from Hogwarts. "So how was your term?"
"Great," said Fred with pleasure. "I ended up in detention only twice a week." Bill looked amused. "George and I found a lot of neat things around the castle too." He looked sideways at his suspicious mother. "But we don't do anything to the neat things," he added knowing that questions would come from his mother later.
George nodded in agreement with his twin. "Yes, it was neat. Everything was more than we expected. We never missed one of Charlie's games." His eyes sparkled. There seemed to be a more solid reason to be there than to just be of moral support to his brother.
Percy slanted his head. "It was okay," he reported.
Bill smiled. "That's great to hear." He turned to Ron and Ginny. "Don't worry. You'll be off to Hogwarts before you know it. You'll going to be telling me about your times at Hogwarts soon." Ron smiled back at him. "Now that's the Ronald I know," said Bill. He turned to the window in front of him. "There seems to be a blizzard out there," he muttered.
Ron turned too. "I heard there was going to be one this Christmas. I saw the weather forecast of the Daily Prophet." He turned back to Bill. "Guess what, Bill? I've read the Daily Prophet since you left and I've never stopped. I'm reading regularly now like the way you said I should." He looked very proud of himself as he said it.
Bill laughed. "Good for you."
The family gathered around by the cozy fire. "Come on now, it's time to have our dinner," Arthur said as he set the mug on the rundown coffee table in front of him. He clasped his hands together and turned to his family. They didn't look too cheerful as they ought to be. "How about a Christmas song? Where's the Christmas spirit? Bill is here to join us!" he pointed out.
"Charlie isn't," Ron mumbled grudgingly.
Arthur waved his hand. "Charlie doesn't know what he's missing. He'll come around and he'll be here next year, I'm sure of it. Come on, it's Christmas! Don't be so dull about it." Arthur walked over to the dining table. "Come on now, boys, Ginny. Gather around." He looked at Molly. "Let's start dinner so we can open the presents earlier tonight. Wouldn't you like that?" he asked.
"Christmas isn't the same without Charlie," Ginny suddenly said.
"Yeah," Fred agreed.
Molly sighed. "Come on you lot, we're going to have Christmas dinner now." She smiled at her children and walked off to the kitchen. "Every one of you go wash up now. I'll have dinner served in a while. Ginny, come in here for a moment please," she said as some pots and pans clanged.
Ron looked back at the kitchen for a moment before going up the stairs to wash. He followed his older brothers to the bathroom. He studied Bill's face. It looked uptight like it never did before when Christmas comes around. Ron didn't take his eyes off of Bill. He had never seen him like this before. He felt sorry that Charlie did not want to see them in a family holiday. He knew Bill was looking forward to meet them all after being gone for some time.
"I won't be here next Christmas," said Bill suddenly, making all the boys turn and stare at him. "Don't tell Mum and Dad yet. I know they'll be upset when they hear it, but I need to stay at work for some time. I just got off the hook this time because I really told them I was homesick. They sent me here with a warning that I must not appeal to come home again unless I'm fully trained," he explained.
Ron looked shocked. "What about seeing Charlie next Christmas?" he asked.
Bill's eyes dropped. "I guess I won't."
Ron's throat tightened. "But Charlie would want to see you." He looked at Bill's sad face. He sighed heavily and turned to the faucet. He didn't want any on of them looking down on Christmas day. He shoved his hands inside his pocket. "Charlie should have come home this Christmas then." He turned to Bill. "Why don't we send him an owl then?" he asked.
"The more he'd refuse," replied Fred unhappily. "You know Charlie. He wants to be the boss of himself. He hates it when people persuade him to do something he had already decided against." He and George walked out of the bathroom. "Let's just forget about him for tonight. It's Christmas. There are a lot of presents to be opened. I bet we'll enjoy it this time around."
Percy walked out of the bathroom and put on a smile. "Fred's right. I saw something interesting this year, bigger boxes." Without another word, he walked towards the staircase and started to go down. The other boys followed his lead and did the same.
"Happy Christmas, Weasleys!" greeted Arthur as all the boys filled the room.
"Happy Christmas," the boys chorused lamely.
They all gathered around the table. Molly levitated all the dishes to the middle of the table. George was first to reach out to the food. The clicking of the silverwares was heard next. Everybody ate in silence and there seemed to be no one too happy about dinner. It was unusual for the Weasleys to eat without someone telling about their term. Most of the time dinners was the best meal of the day because of each others' stories.
"Don't be gloomy during dinner," snapped Molly as she looked at her children. "Not everyone has dinner on Christmas. Now smile, everyone." She tried to smile at them, but she could feel the void too. She looked at Charlie's chair and knew why no one had been smiling, but she could feel that there was more to that. The boys seemed even more downcast now that she had looked closely. "Is there something you boys are not telling me?" she asked.
All of them shook their heads. Arthur looked at them suspiciously. "After raising Fred and George for ten years, I have quite a doubt that this is nothing. What is it that you are not telling us?" he addressed the boys in a calm manner.
"Nothing," murmured Percy. "It's nothing, Dad."
Not wanting to ruin the night more than it already is, Molly stood from her seat. "Okay, I believe you," she said. Arthur looked at her, but she shook her head. "Now that I see that everyone's done, let's all gather in the living room and open presents." Her voice didn't seem too thrilled about it as much as she tried to. Everyone pushed away from the table and stood up. They all followed Molly into the living room. "Youngest first," Molly reminded them. She smiled nicely at Ginny. "You go ahead, Dear."
Ginny weakly reached for her present. She slowly tore it open. "A sweater," she muttered. She looked at her mother with grateful eyes. "Thanks, Mum, Happy Christmas," she said. Although she was indeed grateful, the thought of not having one of her brothers wasn't very merry. They had always celebrated the holidays together and there was never a year when they hadn't.
"Next, Ron," said Arthur.
Just as Ron was about to reach for his present, the front door swung open. The Weasleys all looked up. Arthur's heart slightly pounded in fear. A dark shadow appeared before the door. None of the Weasleys moved until the person stepped out from the dark, apparently shivering.
"Merlin, it's cold outside," said Charlie as he stepped into the living room.
"Charlie!" exclaimed Ron. He was the first one to jump and run to his brother. He threw his arms around Charlie making Charlie fall back a little. Charlie managed to keep his balance. He smiled as he looked at Ron. "I thought you weren't coming!" he exclaimed.
Charlie smiled and tried to pry Ron off of him. He looked at the rest of the family. "What's a Weasley Christmas without Charlie?" he asked. He looked up and saw Bill. "Merlin, Bill! You're here! I can't believe it." Bill smiled and stood up from the floor. Ron stepped aside for both brothers to hug each other. "It's been a while, Bill. I never thought you'd actually come home for Christmas." His eyes sparkled as he looked at Bill. "It's a good thing I came home."
"I thought you had already replaced us with your girlfriend," said Bill, laughing.
Charlie waved his hand. "Nah, Christmas is for family and we're not family yet. I told her that if we were really meant to be, we'd be celebrating Christmas together if we get married someday." His mother walked to him with a blanket and wrapped it around him. She took the opportunity to wrap her arms around him as well. Charlie chuckled and hugged his mother back. "I'm sorry for making you think I wasn't coming. Happy Christmas, Mum." Molly slowly let go of him and nodded.
Ginny danced her way to him. Charlie bent down and she gave him a kiss. "I missed you," Ginny said in a small voice which made Charlie smile. Charlie scooped her up. Ginny threw her hands up to the sky. "I can't be carried now, I'm eight years old!" she exclaimed, but she rather enjoyed it when Charlie carried her in his arms.
"You're still my little sister no matter how old you get," said Charlie as he set her down.
Arthur walked towards his son. He gave Charlie a thump on the back. "I honestly thought I wouldn't be seeing you. I'm glad you decided to join us this time of year." Charlie smiled and nodded. Arthur held out his hand. "You're not a boy anymore. In a few months, you'll turn out to be a man. I hope it is a fine one too," he said.
Charlie took his father's hand and shook it. "Oh, I will be," he promised.
Fred looked at Charlie. "Glad to have you here again!" He had a wide grin on his face. He turned back to the presents. "Ron, hurry up you little git," he said jokingly. "You open your present now so that George and I can open ours," he said.
Ron went to his present and opened it. It was a new pair of shoes and another Chudley Cannons poster. He looked at his parents gratefully and gave both a hug. Molly and Arthur enjoyed their children smiling and were happy to see them so.
Ron quickly tried on his shoes. They fitted him perfectly. "These are the best, Dad, Mum. Happy Christmas!" "You know what's the best gift yet this year?" said Ron suddenly, speaking his mind. Everyone turned to look at him. Ron's face lit up. "Everyone's come home." Ron looked at his gifts, then at Bill and Charlie. At that moment, it didn't matter to hi whether he had new shoes or posters as the moment. All that mattered was that he had a Christmas to celebrate with his family. You can tell by the look of his dazzling eyes.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
I don't want a lot for Christmas
There's just one thing I need
I don't care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is..
You
-Mariah Carrey-
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
"That ended well," said Scorpius, smiling. "I knew that Charlie wouldn't be able to resist a family like this. Who would? With all the warm feelings around every time they were together no matter where they are. It's not something you can find in shops, you know. It's not actually for trade if you ask me, no matter what the trade is." Rose laughed a bit. Scorpius turned to her. "What?" asked Scorpius.
Rose grinned. "I never knew you had a soft side on you," she said. The scene started to fade away. Rose looked at the Weasley family for the last time as all of them settled in and found a family in each other warmly. "But I guess you're right. It's nothing up for trade. It's a lifetime…"
A/N: Thanks forall those reviews that have been coming in. Please read and review this one too.
NEXT CHAPTER: You'll Be Safe Here