The Welshman
by Hyena Cub
Rating: PG-13 for violence, language, and death, especially later on.
Genre: Harry Potter

--

CHAPTER 12: Christmas

I woke up next morning to Dad's voice, calling from the doorway. 'Time to wake up, lazybones—I need you to watch your brothers for an hour or so.'

I opened my eyes a crack to see my dad standing there looking entirely too cheerful. 'Go away.'

I closed my eyes again, and Dad laughed. He was used to my occasional forays into thorough morning grouchiness. I yelled sleepily in protest as he yanked the covers off of me and launched a furious tickle attack on me. I started hollering in outrage as I squirmed, trying to get away from him, and I heard Killian wake up in surprise and slide off the bed to avoid the wrestling match. I wasn't normally that ticklish, but my dad always knew just where to tweak – it was infuriating.

'I'M UP I'M UP!' I finally yelled, feeling entirely surly. My hair was all over the place as I got out of bed and I tried to get it all out of my face. Killian was standing off to one side looking half-awake but amused. 'I am too old to be tickled!'

Dad apparently thought that was amusing. 'Of course you're not,' he said. 'Anyone that's ticklish is fair game.' He winked and I fumed. 'A parent's privilege, let's say…come on, we've got breakfast on the table.'

I scowled thunderously as I finally got all my hair behind me, and could see properly again. Dad left the room and Killian slipped out after, obviously not wanting me to see his great amusement. Parents could be an absolute bane sometimes.

By the time I had washed up a bit and brushed me teeth, I felt a bit more like a human being, so that I was able to do something other than growl unintelligibly when I got to the breakfast table. 'So how come I'm watching the boys?' I asked once I had a bit of food in me. I wasn't looking forward to it; all three of them looked entirely too fidgety.

'Well, we're going over to pick up Arcturus,' said Mum, and my mood lifted a little.

'Yeah? His parents said he could come over?'

'They did,' said Dad, frowning. 'They said if we came and got him, since they were too busy to bother bringing him over themselves. Not the nicest people, certainly.'

'Told you,' I said, shaking my head. I didn't get how anyone could be so uncaring about their own kid. 'Guess it could be worse, but still.'

'Yes. Still. So he'll be staying over until you boys go back to Hogwarts.'

That made my mood even better! 'Brilliant! That way he'll actually enjoy Christmas. I wonder if his parents even give him presents.' It wasn't something I'd ever bothered to ask him before; we all exchanged presents at Christmas time – I usually used my allowance and whatever spending money I earn by doing odd jobs during the summer holidays. And my parents usually gave me a few Galleons to get presents for people. But I have no clue if Arcturus's family ever got him anything.

'Well, we'll be bringing him over after breakfast,' said Dad.

'Awww, we have to wait THAT long before we open presents?' exclaimed Kieran.

I blinked…oh yeah! It was Christmas! I didn't think I'd ever woken up on Christmas and not realized it was…I blamed Dad for waking me up like he did. At least I was awake, now!

'You'll survive,' said Mum mildly. 'And you behave for your brother, you understand?'

Kieran scowled, but grudgingly agreed. I swore that kid could be the biggest brat in the United Kingdom. Maybe even in all of Europe.

It was clear Mum and Dad had begun eating before Dad came to wake me, because they were both nearly finished. I was only half done with my meal before Mum stood up and stretched. 'Well, I suppose we should head off, then. You've got their address, haven't you?'

'Yes, it's in my pocket,' said Dad, patting the breast pocket of his robes. 'It's in a wizarding neighbourhood, so we can Apparate onto the block.'

'Arcturus has a broom, right?' said Dad. 'We'll be flying home, as I don't want to try Side-Along Apparating him. I don't know how comfortable he'd be with that.'

'Sure, he's got a broom…but I dunno if he brought it with him from Hogwarts. If not, take mine, just in case; he can use that.'

'Dad nodded in approval. 'Good idea—I'll grab that from your room. All right then, we're off. And you three behave…we'll be back in an hour, hour and a half, tops.'

I nodded as Dad trotted upstairs to grab my broomstick, then came back down to join Mum at the front door. The two of them Disapparated, and I turned to my brothers. Kian was taking the whole thing rather in stride, interested for the time being in his meal. Kieran was looking mutinous, but wasn't being a hellion just yet.

'Do I know Arcturus?' asked Killian.

It was a fair question; Arcturus has visited a couple of times, but not often; his family weren't the most social types. At least not with the likes of us. Killian knew Peter and Ke'koa far better…even Faolan had been over more often. 'You've met him a couple of times. He's got long, black hair. He's that one who I was taking to on the platform a few days ago.'

Killian's expression lit in recognition. 'I remember him! I like him. He's kind of creepy, but I still like him.'

'I like creepy,' said Kieran. He looked at me, a shrewd sort of look on his face, and asked, 'What'll you do to me if I act out?'

'Take back the cool present I got for you,' I said immediately, taking a bite of my eggs and pretending as if it wasn't a big deal to me. 'Then I'll tell Mum that you tried to ruin Christmas.'

I gave him a sidelong look and was pleased to see he was scowling. That normally wasn't a good sign, but in this case it was because he believed my threat and was annoyed about it. He wasn't about to risk me not giving him the present I got, nor telling Mum he misbehaved on Christmas. And he knew full well that I always made good on my threats. It was the only reason that I could get the little creep to behave when I had to watch him. I loved all my brothers, but Kieran could really be a prat sometimes.

I looked up at him, wondering suddenly just why he did that. 'So what's your problem, anyway?' I said. 'How come I have to threaten you so you don't act like a git? Do you like me to be upset and angry all the time because of you?'

Kieran's scowl deepened, but he didn't answer, and I didn't push it. It was probably a stupid question, anyway. I wasn't entirely sure Kieran always did it on purpose. I tried thinking, myself, why he was like that. It couldn't be because he was a middle brother…so was Killian, and he was shy and sweet. Did he just like to fight? If so, that it was rubbish. Because it sure wasn't any fun for us. It wasn't like Mum and Dad ignored him, anyway! And if Killian and Kian did, it was because Kieran was always so mean to them.

I sighed, no longer feeling all that hungry, and left the rest of my breakfast.

'Can I have your bacon?' Kian asked interestedly.

'Sure,' I said. 'Have at it.' Kian snagged my bacon and I gathered my plates and glass and put them in the sink – I wished I could use magic outside of school.

Kian, Kieran, and Killian were amazingly quiet in the hour my parents were gone. Kian was bouncing excitedly around, but he wasn't being loud. Killian was normally pretty quiet, and Kieran…well, he just sat on the couch and gazed rather morosely at the tree. As I wasn't feeling too loud myself, maybe our silence was affecting Kian, too. I was very glad when my parents finally came home, heralded by footfalls outside, and the opening of the door.

'It's snowing!' my dad exclaimed as he came in, and as I looked up, I saw that it was true. Fat flakes were falling outside the windows and in through the open door. It looked like it had been snowing for a while, too, which cheered me up some. I liked the snow.

Mum and Arcturus came through the door next, Arcturus holding my broom and his both in his hands; obviously he had brought his home. He looked a little uncomfortable as he stomped the snow off his boots and came in, then stepped aside so his school trunk could float in, courtesy of Mum's levitation charm.

'Hey!' I exclaimed, grinning. 'Well come in here, then!'

Arcturus broke into a grin as he saw me, and came over, handing me my broom. 'Thanks,' he said. 'But I always bring my stuff home. If I don't, some Slytherin berk'll wreck it.'

I took my broom and set it in the corner. 'I didn't think of that. Well, these're my little brothers. Kieran, Kian, and Killian.'

Kian waved cheerfully, and Kieran gave a sullen sort of wave. Killian mumbled a 'hi' and I sighed softly.

'Er, I hope I haven't said anything,' said Arcturus.

'No,' I said quietly. 'He's just a bit shy. He'll warm up to you. Well come on, you can sleep in my room, we can drag out the camp bed. I'll sleep on that if you want mine.'

Arcturus waved a dismissive hand. 'Aw, I don't need a bed,' he said. 'I can just kip on the floor – I've brought my sleeping bag.'

'Well, if you say so,' I said. Mum had dropped the levitation charm on Arcturus's trunk once it was inside, so I helped him carry it upstairs. 'And I can't wait until I can use magic outside of school. Things like this'll be a whole lot easier!'

'You said it,' Arcturus agreed as we struggled into my room. We set the trunk down at the end of my bed, where mine usually went, and he set his broomstick down next to it. 'Hey…thanks for inviting me and all. It's a lot nicer here than home!'

'Don't mention it,' I said. 'I hated thinking about you getting ignored all holiday.'

I probably would have said more, except a call from downstairs cut things short. 'Calen! You two better get down here quick – if the boys have to wait much longer for their gifts, there's gonna be trouble!'

Arcturus and I looked at one another and burst into laughter. 'Well, come on! It's not like I'm not getting any presents, either!'

I was beginning to feel excited again as we tromped downstairs.

'I have your gift here, too…I woulda just given it when we got back to school, like normal, but since you're here….' The five of us always gave our gifts when we got back to school, not before. That sort of gave us something to look forward to after Christmas itself, when the reality of school, winter, and a long, boring January began to set in.

'You won't hear me complain,' said Arcturus. 'I've got yours, too.'

'About time,' said Dad as we entered the living room, even though we'd not taken long. They'd lit a roaring fire in the grate, and the Christmas tree lights were sparkling, and an incredible feeling of goodwill settled on me. It made me feel warmer than the fire did, and for the time being I forgot about Kieran's difficulty.

Arcturus sat on the couch, and Kian came over and sat on his lap. Arcturus blinked, looking very much taken aback, and I stifled a laugh. Kian just loved everyone, and wasn't shy about showing it. Arcturus, on the other hand, was very much unused to affection. I watched for a moment to make sure Arcturus wasn't truly uncomfortable, but finally he smiled, looking touched, and put an around Kian. I could've kissed the kid…what a way to make Arcturus feel at ease.

'Which first, which first?' asked Kieran, bouncing up and down. The prospect of presents obviously had chased off his bad moon as easily as it had chased off mine.

'I think we should let Kian open one first,' said Dad. 'He's littlest, after all. That's polite, isn't it?'

Kieran gave a great sigh, but didn't protest. After all, if it went from the smallest, up, that meant he'd be next. Kian smiled excitedly, then looked up at Arcturus. 'Which one should I open?'

'Er,' said Arcturus, blinking a little. 'Which ones're yours?'

'Here.' Kian slipped down off of Arcturus's lap and tugged on his sleeve until he knelt down onto the floor. Kian showed him the pile of presents that had Kian's name on them; we usually put the presents in sections according to who they belonged to. It made things a little less chaotic come Christmas morning.

'Hurry up, you slowpoke,' I said, giving Kian a wink. 'Or we'll never get to ours!'

Kian giggled, and stuck out his tongue.

'This one,' Arcturus decided, pointing at one with emerald green wrapping paper. 'It's my favourite colour.'

'Okay!' Taking the one Arcturus suggested, Kian opened it…it was a magical Hangman game from our Auntie Carrie; Kian was learning to read, so that was a good game for him. Kieran was next, and he nearly dived into his pile, picking out the biggest one, which was a miniature version of the Hogwarts Express; it even billowed steam and made sound. Killian opened an antique clock that was owned in the 1970s by one of our ancestors; he was fascinated by old machines, especially timepieces, and liked to collect them.

I grinned at Killian as he set about examining the clock, figuring out how it ran, as I cast my eyes to the pile of presents with my name on them. I chose one about the size of a magazine, and felt rather like one, too. I was intrigued by it. When I opened the present, I gaped – it was a copy of Quidditch Today from June, but that wasn't the half of it. It was signed. It was signed by Ryker Carridan, one of my favourite Quidditch players, a Beater for the Wimbourne Wasps.

'Blimey, is this autograph real?'

Mum chuckled. 'It is. I had the good fortune to meet Mr Carridan when I visited the Department of Magical Games and Sports this summer when they were organizing the All-England Cup. I grabbed up the magazine and asked if he wouldn't mind signing it for my son, and he was happy enough to do it.'

I laughed in amazement. 'That's…that's great! Thanks, Mum!' I got up and hugged her, still with the magazine in my hand. There was even a picture of a speeding bludger on the cover, which was appropriate.

'Who next?' asked Killian.

'I think we should let Arcturus open a present,' said Dad, and tossed my friend a present. But it wasn't mine…had Mum and Dad gotten him something? Whatever it was, it was heavy, as it made a solid thunk with Arcturus caught it.

Arcturus looked just as surprised. 'Calen, is this--?'

'No,' I said, looking at Dad.

Dad smiled. 'It's from us, Arcturus. I had seen it once when we visited Diagon Alley, and based on what Calen's told us about you, I thought of it when Calen asked if you spend Christmas with us. I hope you like it.'

Arcturus actually blushed a little, not something I had ever seen before. 'Well…thanks,' he said, interestedly opening the package. It was a book of some sort, and I peered over Arcturus's shoulder to have a look at it. The title read, Guide to Duelling: History, Technique, and Stories.

'That's pretty cool!' I said.

'Yeah!' said Arcturus in pleased surprise, thumbing through the pages. 'This is brilliant…thanks, Mr Weasley, that was really…well, nice.'

'My pleasure,' said Dad. I grinned at Dad, liking that he'd thought of Arcturus. I was pretty lucky to have the parents I did, really. Dad could drive me nuts with his overprotection, and Mum could be really strict sometimes…but they were both great all the same.

We got through the rest of the present giving rather quickly; we never got ridiculous amounts of presents. My parents made good money, but there were four of us. I had gotten Arcturus a fancy quill set, with some different coloured inks, and some parchment stationery. He had gotten me a nice, new watch, since I'd broken mine in Quidditch practice sometime in November. I'd gotten Mum and Dad some books they'd been wanting, and I got Killian a set of music books. (He liked to sing.) For Kian I had gotten a talking book about bugs…the kid loved bugs.

As for me, I got a few books from various family members, a broomstick servicing kit from Mum and Dad, a coin cleaning kit (I loved to collect coins), and various other trinkets…but the signed magazine was definitely my favourite.

Until Mum and Dad brought out a last present each for my brothers and me. We didn't always get a big present at Christmas, but sometimes they would surprise us and get us something really cool. This year looked to be one of those. I felt my heart do a Wonky Feint in my chest as I saw how long and thin mine was…Kieran's was long and thin, too.

'Well go ahead and open them, boys,' said Dad.

As excited as my little brothers, I ran over to mine and tore open the package, my eyes widening as I saw the writing on the box beneath: Firebolt Streamline…the newest Firebolt model! 'Wow,' I whispered, looking at it. I let a delighted laugh and ran over to hug both Mum and Dad, who also laughed at my reaction.

'I know you've been wanting a new broom for a while,' said Dad. 'And your old one was getting pretty worn. I imagine this one will help you chase after those bludgers.'

'Definitely…thanks!' Grinning like a maniac, I looked over to see what my brothers had gotten.

Kieran had a Nimbus 2070, a fairly inexpensive model, but the point was, it was a grown-up broom. Kieran's broom had been a junior model, only going up twenty feet or so, and not going more than fifteen miles an hour or so.

'Now your mum and I expect you to show responsibility when riding this broom, Kieran,' said Dad firmly, as Kieran gaped wordlessly at the broom. 'I know you're usually pretty careful when riding, but this one's an adult model broom. You can die, falling from this broom if you're not careful. Okay?'

Kieran nodded slowly, still gaping at the broom with an open mouth, and I had to laugh.

Kian's cry of delight drew my eye to him. He was happily hugging a very large, plush billywig – a bright blue inset with wings on its head. The thing was a bit taller than Kian. He likes insects the best, but he liked stuffed animals almost as much.

Killian's special gift was a potions kit. It seemed to be an adult's potioneer's kit, with a large book on potions, a starter kit of ingredients, a set of measuring materials, a set of scales, and a set of phials and glass jars. It was cooler than the one I'd started with when going to Hogwarts!

'Wow…this is neat!' exclaimed Killian, looking it over. He wasn't necessarily a scholarly sort, Killian. He liked to read, but he only liked fiction. But when it came to certain things, like old clocks and alchemy, he loved to learn about them.

Mum spoke up. 'Keep that out of the reach of your brothers. It's got a lock I'll give you the key to. It's got some fairly dangerous stuff in there, like nightshade. You hear that, boys?' She turned her gaze on Kieran and Kian. 'You're not to go near your brother's potions kit, okay?'

'Okay,' they both said, almost in unison.

'Well!' said Dad. 'It's been a very good Christmas I think…why don't you boys bring all your stuff upstairs while Mum and I clean up all of this mess you've made?' He grinned as he indicated all of the paper and cardboard and other assorted remnants of the gift decorations.

We didn't need to be told twice! Arcturus helped me bring my new things upstairs, and I knew my brothers would need to make two trips…three in Kian's case, since he was so little. It had been a great Christmas! Not just the presents, either. Arcturus was there, and Ke'koa and his family would be there later, and I'd had a great day so far.

Arcturus and I spent the rest of the morning looking through his duelling book, and talking about which spells we'd use against the Moors the next time they started a fight. Kian came in and hung out for a while, I think to be near Arcturus. He seemed to have really taken a liking to him.

We had lunch around noon, then spent the afternoon looking through some of my books, admiring my new Firebolt, and talking about our next Quidditch match. (Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff.) I had told Killian that he could have my old broom if he wanted it, and he'd accepted it, after thinking about it for a while. He didn't much care one way or another about flying, but understood it would be useful to have a broom. (Kian had gotten Kieran's old junior model, which went higher than his kiddie broom.)

Supper that night was noisy, bright, and a lot of fun. Ke'koa and his family arrived around five o'clock, and were rather surprised to see Arcturus there. I explained we'd invited him over to get him away from his overly-charming family, and Ke'koa laughed.

Mum and Dad made us all set the table, and between me, Arcturus, Ke'koa, and my brothers, it was done in about a minute. Us older kids helped them set all the food on the table.

We mostly talked, during dinner. The adults talked about boring things, and Arcturus, Ke'koa, and I talked about our presents and what we were gonna do when we got back to school. Arcturus said he'd have to show Ke'koa his new book, and I mentioned I had gotten a new broomstick.

We ate sort of fast, as we wanted time to show Ke'koa the things we'd gotten for Christmas, but did stick around long enough for the pudding. Mum had baked a fantastic cake, full of blueberries and covered in sweet cream frosting.

Once we'd eaten way too much, I let Arcturus and Ke'koa up to my room, showing off my new broomstick and the signed magazine, Arcturus showing him the duelling book. Arcturus and I cracked up when the first thing out of Ke'koa mouth was, 'Brilliant, now we have ammunition against the Moor twins!'

'That's what we said!' I crowed.

'Great minds thing alike,' agreed Arcturus.

The Ilimas hung around for a bit after supper, the adults talking in the living room, and us kids in my room. When they left, around nine, I felt drained but happy. Definitely one of the better Christmases I'd had.