A/N: Christmas! I don't know about you guys, but writing about Christmas when it's not actually Christmas kind of makes me sad. But oh well. This is a pretty happy chapter; I couldn't exactly write a depressing chapter about Christmas. Season of festivity and what not. So yeah, I hope you guys like it. Also an enormous thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter: ncis-lady, SlyDevil. COOKIES, cutietrp, Dimcairien, midnightstar19, MaddyGervais, chocolateMnMs, snitch-bewitch, and Aris1013. Your words were extremely encouraging, and I truly do appreciate them. So thank you all :) For those of you interested, I think I'm going to end this just before the Battle of Hogwarts. Haha, the feedback I got was lovely; it kind of helped me weigh up the pro's and con's (you guys were very divided in opinions). So yes, thanks to everyone who replied to that too. And okay, this author's note is WAY too long, so on with the chapter!

Ok sorry, had to repost this... spelling mistake.

Chapter 11

George could hardly believe that a festivity like Christmas was still being celebrated so enthusiastically by their mother when there was a chance that Voldemort could burst through their door and kill them all at any second. But it was, and George had no intention of complaining.

Although really, she thought he and Fred had their priorities wrong? Seriously?

George ducked as a Christmas ornament soared above his head. He turned to see Fred grinning as the ornament reached the Christmas tree and settled itself amongst the branches, loudly emitting a Christmas carol.

"Perfect," Molly declared as she adjusted the last piece of tinsel on the tree. She and the twins stepped back to admire their handiwork.

"We'll let Ginny put the star on top," Fred said, placing the star on the mantelpiece for safekeeping. Molly glanced at the clock nearby.

"Goodness, we'd better head off to Kings Cross. Ginny will be there any minute!" She exclaimed, hurrying over to the fireplace. "Arthur!" She called.

Moments later, their father came indoors, shivering from the cold, and looking slightly dishevelled. He had been attempting to use a muggle contraption called a hair drier (or as Arthur called it, "hair droor") down in his shed.

"Arthur, Fred and I are going to pick up Ginny," Molly said, pulling on her coat. "You and George be careful, alright?"

"How are you getting back?" George asked curiously as he took pity on Fred, who couldn't find his jacket, and gave him his own. They had decided beforehand that since they were apparating to Kings Cross, George would remain at the Burrow so as not to draw any unnecessary attention to his condition. He was still finding it difficult to apparate alongside Fred without collapsing afterwards. Meanwhile Fred and Molly would pick Ginny up and bring her home for the holiday.

"We'll be apparating there and back," Molly replied, wrapping a scarf around her neck. "Ginny will apparate with me. Fred, have you got your scarf?"

"Yeah, right here," Fred replied and he tightened it around his neck before pulling on a pair of gloves. "Alright, ready to go!"

"Be careful," George said hurriedly. For a moment Fred's face was solemn, and George could feel the worry creeping in on him. But then a cheeky grin spread across Fred's face.

"We'll only be gone for a few minutes George. Honestly, you're worse than mum!"

George couldn't help but grin back, shoving Fred gently. Arthur raised his wand and removed the wards momentarily as Fred and Molly disapparated with a loud crack. There was a still silence as both George and Arthur gazed at each other.

"Well George, would you like to come and see the hair droor? It's a truly remarkable thing; you press a button, and this gust of hot air comes bursting out! I've adjusted it so the noise isn't as loud, and it doesn't need ekklecity anymore." Arthur looked so excited at the prospect of tinkering with his new toy, and George felt a surge of affection. He grinned.

"Sure dad, why not?" The two bundled up (George found Fred's previously misplaced jacket and pulled it on) and headed outside, wincing at the cold. George could feel his skin beginning to freeze and he pulled Fred's jacket closer. They hurried to Arthur's work shed and shut the door, heaving a sigh of happiness as the warmth rushed back to their bodies. Arthur led George to his work table.

"Here it is," Arthur proclaimed, gesturing towards the 'hair droor'. George peered at it curiously.

"It doesn't look like much," he remarked, observing the strange shape. "Does it hold hair or something?"

"No actually. But you know how muggles are, always confusing things. They probably misnamed it or something," Arthur said offhandedly. "But look at what it does!" He enthusiastically flicked the switch on and a rush of hot air blew directly into George's face, sending his hair flying.

"Woah!" He exclaimed, jumping back. Arthur quickly switched it off. "That was awesome! What do they use it for?"

"Something to do with their hair, although I can't figure out what," Arthur replied, frowning at the device. George was about to speak when they heard a loud crack outside, the sound of several someone's apparating. Exchanging a look, they both crept to the door and peered outside. At first all George could see was several dark figures, but as they approached their vivid red hair grew visible, and George grinned.

"It's them!" He exclaimed, opening the door and running outside. He had intended on giving Ginny a hug, however as soon as he reached within twenty metres of them, a snowball flew over and hit his chest. George glared at Fred, who was obviously the guilty party. He was rewarded with a wide, toothy grin. Bending over, George scooped up his own snowball and sent it hurtling towards Fred, who managed to dodge most of it, but still ended up with a patch of snow on his jacket. Or well, George's jacket.

"Snowball fight!" Fred declared, hurling yet another snowball at George, who performed some kind of pirouette to avoid it. Fred burst out laughing at this rather unmanly display. George was about to retaliate when a third snowball hit his forehead. Spinning around, he found Ginny, grinning unabashed.

"Two on one and you both gang up on the only injured person!" He protested. Ginny considered this, then whirled around and threw a snowball at Fred, who ducked, wide eyed.

"Ginny! You promised you'd be on my side!" He exclaimed.

"But George is injured, Fred. He's practically worthless on his own," Ginny explained, laughing.

"Oi! Still here you know!"

While Ginny stood giggling to herself, Fred and George looked at each other, as though sharing a private conversation. A second later, their faces split into identical grins. Ginny stopped laughing immediately.

"Oh no," she said, backing away. "No, that's not fair. You're both taller than me!"

"Should have thought of that before," George replied, advancing.

"It's your fault for being so mercurial," Fred said, still grinning.

"Oh, using big words now are we Fred?" Ginny asked rhetorically, trying to distract her brothers so she could run back into the house.

"I'll have you know that my vocabulary is perfectly adequate at all times," Fred shot back, sticking his nose in the air. This was the moment Ginny had been waiting for. She sprinted towards the house, and had advanced about 20 metres when George grabbed her, pulling her down to the cold snow.

The three engaged in a furious snowball battle, only stopping when it grew dark and they could barely see.

"Dinner's nearly ready, come in and wash up!" Molly yelled from the doorway. Fred, George and Ginny scrambled up and headed indoors, throwing a snowball at each other every so often, laughing. Arthur chuckled when he saw them, soaked to the bone, shivering, and wearing massive grins. Molly just scolded them lightly and sent them upstairs, handing Ginny her trunk which she had completely forgotten about.

"You should take better care of your possession," George commented as they walked upstairs.

"You shouldn't have distracted me," Ginny shot back.

"Technically Fred started it," George pointed out, looking at his twin.

"You're both as bad as each other," Ginny replied, refusing to give up.

"Guys, stop arguing," Fred said. George and Ginny looked at him in surprise. "Instead, wallow in your sorrows."

"Why would we be sorrowful?" George asked suspiciously. Fred shot them a grin.

"Because I'll be taking a nice hot shower while you lot sit here freezing!" He exclaimed loudly before sprinting upstairs, Ginny and George at his heels. After a lot of pushing, shoving, elbowing and hair pulling, Fred eventually got into the bathroom first. George and Ginny both groaned.

"He'll be forever," Ginny sighed, sliding down the wall.

"I can still hear you!" Fred's voice echoed from inside the bathroom.

"That was the point, you numpty!" George yelled back. The door creaked open and Fred peered out at them.

"Numpty? Numpty? Just for that, I'm going to take five minutes longer," Fred informed them snootily, before shutting the door again. Ginny groaned once more.

After dinner, the family gathered around the tree. George handed Ginny the ornamental star they had saved for her, and she took it with a smile. Moving a chair closer to the tree, Ginny perched precariously on the edge, and eventually managed to place the star on top of the tree. She stepped down, looking back at Fred and George, who had a better view of the tree from where they were standing.

"How does it look?" She called out.

"Perfect," Fred told her and she grinned.

Come Christmas morning, the occupants of the Burrow were up quite early. There were thuds echoing from upstairs as the three siblings frantically tried to get to the tree first to open their presents.

"George!" Ginny shrieked as he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up, placing her behind him.

"Fred!" George complained as Fred used his arms and legs to block the staircase.

"Ginny!" Fred yelped as she poked his side repeatedly, trying to get past.

Eventually they all made it downstairs, albeit looking rather dishevelled. Molly raised an eyebrow at them but decided not to comment, instead directing them into the living room where the Christmas tree was.

"Alright, who's first?" She asked cheerfully. The three exchanged a glance before they all lunged for the presents.

"That's mine, George!"

"No it's not! See, the name starts with G." George protested, pointing vehemently at the label.

"My name starts with G too!"

George sheepishly handed the present to Ginny. Fred roared with laughter beside them, unwrapping his own gifts.

"Hope there's room for one more?" A voice asked from behind them, and everyone turned around to see a smiling Charlie standing at the doorway.

"Charlie!" Molly exclaimed, rising to hug her son. Fred, George and Ginny weren't far behind.

"Hey George, how's the ear?" Charlie asked, smiling at George, who shrugged.

"Caused a bit of trouble, but it seems to be fine now," he replied, grinning. Charlie raised an eyebrow but received no further explanation as Ginny pulled him in for a hug.

The mood was happier than ever now that Charlie had come home. Molly had received word earlier that Bill and Fleur wouldn't be coming over for Christmas, preferring to spend it alone (this had led to a lot of sniggering as Fred and George made several rather lewd comments before Molly told them off) and no one expected Percy or Ron to show up (for two completely different reasons). However Charlie's presence almost made them forget that several members of their family were missing.

"I hope you brought present, Charlie," Fred said as he held out his hand expectantly. Charlie chuckled and handed over the few packages he had brought. George and Ginny cheered, and Ginny hugged Charlie again, declaring him her 'favourite brother'. Which earned her a glare from both Fred and George.

"Well isn't that just fine and dandy," Fred remarked, pouting.

"Don't worry Fred, you're my favourite brother," George told him sweetly. Ginny mockingly commented on how adorable they were, resulting in a three person chase around the house. Ginny eventually won by hiding behind Molly, who scolded the twins for such immature behaviour before giving them her annual Christmas jumpers, while Ginny poked her tongue out at them.

Lunch and dinner were separated by a snowball fight outside. Fred and George narrowly beat Charlie and Ginny, but they were laughing too much to care. By midnight, everyone retired to bed, exhausted, except Charlie, Fred and George who were seated by the fireplace. Fred was lounging on the rug right next to the fire, while George and Charlie were seated in nearby armchairs.

"So, what are you both not telling me?" Charlie asked them once they were sure Ginny was upstairs. They hadn't told her about the attack on Diagon Alley, preferring not to worry the only member of their family who still retained some innocence despite the war. With a sigh, George recounted what had happened with his ear in the past few months, Fred interjecting every so often. There was a silence once George finished, the crackling of the fire the only sound in the room.

"That's…" Charlie shook his head almost disbelievingly. "You just can't stay out of trouble, can you?"

"Hey, it's not our fault this time," Fred protested from the floor.

"Oh really?" Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Then whose fault is it, dear brother?"

"Snape's, of course. Stupid git," George remarked savagely, rubbing his ear.

"Does it hurt now?" Charlie asked, concerned, and Fred sat up immediately to look at George's response.

"No, it just… it just feels weird, you know? Just… different."

"Well, you can't see the difference anymore. Growing your hair out, are you?" Charlie asked, noting the twin's shaggy hair style which covered their ears, or in George's case, his lack of ear.

"Yeah, we're trying to rival Bill's" Fred joked.

"Not to sound offensive, but Bill pulls it off a lot better than you two," Charlie commented, leaning back in his chair. Fred shot him a look.

"How are we not meant to take that offensively?" He asked, holding a hand to his chest in mock pain. "You wound us with your hurtful words, Charlie."

"Well I'm very sorry," Charlie said sarcastically.

"Oh yeah, because you sound very sorry," George said, nodding scathingly. Charlie poked his tongue out at George, and wound up with a pillow in his face.

"So what did you get each other for Christmas?" Charlie asked, slightly intrigued. The twins had always exchanged obscure presents, things they knew the other wanted that no one else knew about. The most memorable so far had been their twelfth birthday, when Fred had given George a strange squishy purple object which emitted a high squeak when sat on (and because George would hide it in the couch, it was sat on a number of times) and George had given Fred a new scarf because his old one had been lost in the Forbidden Forest during a late night adventure, unbeknownst to Molly and Arthur.

"Nothing," came the reply, in unison. Charlie raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing?" He repeated.

"Geez Charlie, and I'm the one with the missing ear," George remarked, shaking his head in disappointment. Charlie aimed a swat at George, missing completely.

"You guys always get each other presents." Charlie was rather confused.

"Yeah, well this year we decided not to."

"Why? I thought business was going really well?"

"It's nothing to do with money," Fred looked slightly affronted at the suggestion.

"Then why?"

"Well for starters, this one-" George pointed to Fred "-wouldn't let me out of his sight, and as a result I wouldn't be able to buy him anything without him seeing. But we also decided not to buy anything this year."

"Why?"

"We… we just figured there are some things more special about the holidays than exchanging gifts," Fred said softly.

"Like spending time with family," George continued.

"Being happy," Fred said thoughtfully.

"Being alive," George concluded, and Charlie felt a surge of shock and pride at how mature his younger brothers had grown up to be.

"Wait, but you made me buy you a present," Charlie recalled suddenly.

"Yes well," George began, eyes sparkling. "You're our older brother Charlie. It's your job to dote on us."

"In fact, if you hadn't brought us a present, you wouldn't be fulfilling your duty," Fred said.

"But what about the whole family time and being alive and happy?" Charlie asked incredulously.

"Well sure, that stuffs great and everything. But in the end, you need presents to make up Christmas." Fred said, looking at Charlie in disbelief. "Surely you know that by now Charlie?"

And Charlie grinned as he threw a pillow at Fred's head, somewhat relieved that his brothers hadn't quite matured yet.

Next chapter: George wants to learn to apparate by himself, but Fred isn't too happy with the proposition.

Thanks very much for reading, and please review! :)