Thursday December 24th
Christmas Eve
7:27 pm
- - -
"Can we open up a present tonight?" begged Roxanne from her seat by the tree.
"Please Mum," echoed Fred as the two faced their parents.
"I don't know dears," said Angelina Weasley as she leaned back on the sofa and scratched her head, pretending to think. "What do you think George?" she asked, turning to her husband.
"Well, this is the same boy who tried to get his presents early; do you think we should reward him?"
"I didn't get my presents though," replied Fred logically, "so technically, it doesn't count.
George only shook his head and wagged his finger at his son. "I don't know….."
"Please Daddy," asked Roxie as stood up and ventured over towards her father, climbing on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck, giving him her best smile. "Please?" she pouted prettily.
George Weasley was a goner. He turned to his wife and give her his best smile. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt for them to open one gift," he said slowly.
Angelina shook her head -her husband was such a softie- but she got up from the sofa and walked over to the tree, pulling out two similar packages and handing them to her children. "Here you go," she said.
"Thanks Mum!" chorused Fred and Roxanne as they eagerly ripped through the packaging, their looks of excitement quickly turning to looks of disappointment as they pulled out their gifts.
"Knickers?" asked Fred dejectedly as he and Roxanne held up identical pairs, black for Freddie and purple for Roxanne.
"Merry Christmas!" said Angelina merrily as her husband began to laugh.
-:- -:- -:- -:-
"Hugo, you need to go to sleep," commanded Hermione as she tried to put her unwilling son to bed.
"No Mummy," protest Hugo as he attempted to climb out of the bed, "I'm not tired," he insisted even though his eyelids were beginning to droop with sleep.
Hermione simply shook her head and pushed him back down. "Sweetheart, the sooner you go to bed, the sooner Christmas will come."
"Promise?" asked Hugo wearily as he stared at his mother through sleepy eyes.
"I promise," replied Hermione as she bent down and pressed a light kiss to his forehead. "Now try and get some sleep," she said, tucking the blankets around him snuggily.
"I can't sleep. Too excited. I hafta give Dad his present tomorrow and I ha-"
Whatever Hugo was going to say next was lost as he slowly closed his eyes and drifted off to dreamland. Hermione gave her son another kiss, knowing that it wouldn't be long before he refused their nightly rituals, something eight year old Rose had deemed childish a few months before.
"Night Hughie," murmured Hermione as she looked lovingly at her son's impish face. "Sweet dreams."
-:- -:- -:- -:-
"I can get it," protested Andromeda as she struggled to get out of her chair.
"No, you sit Grandma. I can get it," insisted Teddy as he walked over to the counter and refilled her mug with hot tea. Bringing it over to her he smiled gently as Andromeda murmured her thanks.
"You're so good to me," replied Andromeda after she took the first sip.
"No Grandma," replied Teddy as he took in the kitchen decorated with Christmas ornaments and knick knacks from years past. In one corner sat a Christmas tree his mother had made in nursery school, the once vibrant green paint now worn and dulled with age. Home drawn pictures of snow and smiling snowman were pasted onto the walls, reminders of Teddy's lack of artistic ability, noticeable even at the tender age of four. The coffee mug that Andromeda drank out of was a cherished possession, one his grandfather Ted had given her on their last Christmas together. Teddy breathed in all the Christmas memorabilia and looked at his grandmother, smiling softly. "It's you who is good to me," he told her truthfully, as he laid a kiss on her wrinkled cheek.
-:- -:- -:- -:-
Percy walked up the stairs, all ready to put his youngest daughter to bed. As he got closer to her room however he heard voices and stopped in front of her door, surprised to see his daughter Molly in there with her sister.
"Twas the night before Christmas" said Molly from her place on the bed, reading from the book that laid open on her lap. Lucy was curled up next to her sister, following along in the book with her fingertip, "And all through the house..."
Percy stepped back and leaned against the doorframe, drinking in the sight of his two daughters reading together quietly, their two heads bent intently over the book. Not wanting to interrupt them, he stood there patiently; a slight smile on his face as he watched them.
A hand slipped into his as Percy felt someone join him. "It's good to have her home," said Audrey as she leaned lovingly against Percy's side, her face beaming as she watched the tender scene in front of them.
"I agreed," said Percy as he squeezed his wife's fingertips softly. "It doesn't feel like Christmas without all my girls home."
-:- -:- -:- -:-
"Give it back!" demanded Dominique.
"No," Louis as he squirmed away from his sister, holding the letter above his head. "I want to see what you're being so secretive about. Dear Dominique" read Louis as he sister gave an angry yell and tried in vain to snatch the letter away from him.
"Maman! Dad!" yelled Dominique angrily. "Louis is reading my letter!"
She attempted to grab it from him but Louis switch it rapidly to the other hand and continued to read, I hope you're having a wonderful Christmas. Blah Blah Blah" improvised Louis as he looked up at his sister. "You really like this guy, this-" Louis looked at the bottom of the letter, "Jacob?" he finished.
"Aggh!" screamed Dominique in frustration, "Stop reading it you little prat!" she yelled as she grabbed her brother's arm and tried to wrestle the letter away from him.
"Ahem," said a quiet voice from the doorway.
Both kids stopped and looked up to see their father standing there, his hands crossed loosely over his chest. "If you two are done fighting, I believe your mother just pulled out a tray of fresh baked sweet biscuits from the oven," explained Bill.
"Yum," said Louis as his sister released him, running eagerly to the door.
"Wait," said Bill as he stopped his son with a hand. " Are you forgetting something?" he asked as he motioned his head towards the letter still in Louis's fist.
"Oh," said Louis as he handed the letter reluctantly over to his sister, Dominique snatching it up eagerly. "Sorry," he muttered, unconvincing.
"No more reading your sister's letter's" scolded Bill as Louis started to run down the stairs. "Victoire's too!" He added as an afterthought.
"So Dom," said Bill as he turned towards her, noticing the letter she stuffed rapidly into her pocket, "How are things?"
"Um fine Dad," said Dominique nervously as she tried to exit her room. "What's that Maman?" she shouted loudly as she cupped a hand to her ear. "You need me in the kitchen? Sorry Dad, got to go help Mamma," Dominique said as she squeezed eagerly by him.
Bill frowned. He hadn't heard his wife.
-:- -:- -:- -:-
"One. Two. Three!" yelled Lily, Albus and James together loudly.
With a flick of Harry's wand, the Christmas tree lights turned on, causing a chorus of cheers to erupt from his children. "Now it feels like Christmas," said James as he drank his mug of hot chocolate, his siblings silently agreeing with him.
"Here you go Harry," said Ginny as she handed him his mug. She turned away but Harry stopped her with a touch of his hand and brought her face down to his for a quick kiss.
"Merry Christmas Gin," he said quietly as she drew away from him with a pleased expression on her face, their children groaning in disgust around them.
"Ew, Daddy," said Lily as she looked up at him, a small line of chocolate above her upper lip. "No kissing today," she demanded.
"No kissing today?" asked Harry playfully as he set his mug on the table. Capturing his daughter around the waist, he pulled her onto his lap and kissed her squarely on the cheek. "Oops, too late," he said as Ginny plopped down next to him, smiling. "I guess that means you need another kiss."
Lily laughed loudly, her small face lightening up with delight as her father proceeded to cover her face in loud kisses.
-:- -:- -:- -:-
"The apple pies are cooling off, the mince pies are still in the oven, I need to finish knitting Lucy's jumper," said Molly to herself as she ticked off items on her fingertops. Walking out of the kitchen, she picked up her yarn basket, her head whirling with endless thoughts. For tomorrow was Christmas day which meant all her children and their families where coming over to the Burrow for Christmas dinner, which meant Molly was going to be busy all day.
(Molly didn't mind being busy. Truthfully, she thought the house too empty which just Arthur and her rattling around in it.)
Suddenly the back door opened and her husband entered, large flecks of snow in his hair. "Molly!" said a smiling Arthur. Pulling his hands out from behind his back, he presented his wife with a gift, a small armful of greenery. "Merry Christmas."
"Oh Arthur," said Molly lovingly as she took the greenery from him, the yarn laying forgotten in her lap. "It's beautiful."
"I know it's not much love," said Arthur bashfully as redness crept up his cheeks, reminding Molly of the young boy she fell in love with all those years ago, "But its all I could find at this time of the year."
"No Arthur," said Molly as she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into his familiar embrace. "It's perfect."
Author's Note: A bit different from my previous chapters, but I hope you enjoyed it. And to all of my readers, I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas Eve filled with family, friends, food and laughter. I will see you all tomorrow with the final chapter!