Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"The holly and the ivy,
when they are both full grown,
of all the trees that are in the wood,
the holly bears the crown."

-Traditional English

It's just over a week until Christmas and there are a thousand and one things to do. All of this Order business is heaped on top of her already long list of Christmas-related to-doings. At the moment, Molly is attempting to clean the house. She had no idea how, with just two people living there, the house has gotten this messy. Of course she's always known that Arthur is hardly the neatest man in the world but this is ridiculous. She's had a busy, taxing day besides and her mind keeps going back to what the healer said that morning.

It isn't like she's had no idea or that they had even wanted another one but . . . She bats at her eyes with irritation. This is not something to be sad about, she tells herself firmly. If anything, she can relax now. She flicks her wand at her bed and the covers jump back into place. She has always been amazed that Muggles have to do all of this by hand. She looks down at her wrist watch. It's late but Arthur is on patrol and she can't go to sleep until he's home. Unfortunately, that means that there are many night she is not in bed until very early in the morning.

She realizes with a jolt that this will be their first Christmas as a complete family. Up until this year, there had always been a chance, however slim, that there would be another Weasley joining the throng. Not anymore. Her days as full time caretaker/diaper-changer/milk-producer are officially, undeniably over. "Pull yourself together Molly," she mutters angrily. This is no time to fall a part. There is enough going on without her mind fixating on this.

She moves on to the living room which defintely needs a good dusting. Her eyes fall on a family photo. It is it one that was taken the Christmas before Percy went away to school. Arthur is holding Ginny who is squirming, a gigantic smile painted on her face along with a lot of chocolate her brothers have snuck her. Ron is in her lap, asleep because he'd been up the entire night before waiting for Father Christmas. The twins have snuck up behind Percy and are ready to attatch a sprig of mistletoe to his head with wood glue. Bill and Charlie are proudly displaying their Chudley Cannons jersies, a gift from Mum and Dad. They all look so happy.

Her heart aches. Percy . . . she hasn't the foggiest idea what to do about Percy. He had always been so stubborn and bound up in rules (not that she didn't like that about him at times). It breaks her heart that he's not talking to them, that he seems to despise them so much. However, she knows that it can't go on forever. Percy got his stubbornness from her afterall and she has set her mind to getting him back in the fold. Her mind is pulled from her third born by the appearance of a Patronus. Something has happened to Arthur.

A/N; I know it doesn't go into the actual Christmas but I feel like if I go further it's going to end up being a big long thing which isn't really in keeping with the rest of the chapters (short, oh so short). Besides, you all know what happens next. Anywho, just one more chapter to go and I'm about to write that right now!

Here's hoping you had a fantastic first, second, third and fourth day of Christmas!
-Liz