- CHAPTER ELEVEN -

Holidays

The next day I was awoken by Ginny's excited voice hollering in my ear. As a twelve-year-old girl, she was still obnoxiously excited over Christmas. I groaned and rolled over in my bed, trying to stifle her voice with my pillow over my ears.

"Get up Juliet, it's Christmas!" she yelled as she yanked the covers off of me.

"I know," I grumbled, scratching my eyes ruthlessly.

"Well come on, let's go open presents!" she shouted. "Everyone else is downstairs!"

"Would you stop yelling?" I asked her, pulling my blanket back up over my head.

Two new sets of footsteps entered the room, and I heard Fred and George's voices.

"Ginny, calm down," George was saying. "Go downstairs and help Mum with the tea."

"You're coming down though, aren't you?" Ginny said.

"Just go," Fred urged.

I listened as Ginny bounded out of the room and then allowed myself to peek out at the twins standing over my cot.

"I'm glad I don't have any siblings," I groaned, scrubbing at my eyes once more.

"Well, she ruined our wake-up call," George huffed. "We had it all planned and everything."

"But I suppose Ginny's voice is just as obnoxious as what we had planned," Fred shrugged.

"We'd better get down there before she comes back up and fetches us," George said. "We just wanted to give you your gift here so Mum wouldn't make a fuss."

George handed over a bulky package labeled with a hand-written W.

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

"They're the first of the successful Weasley twin products we've been able to finish properly," Fred explained.

"Aside from the Perception Putty you've got some finalized Canary Creams and a small collection of what we think we're going to call Skiving Snackboxes," George said.

I ripped open the brown paper and peered at all of the colourful bobbles and sweets in the package. It looked like the twins had tried to design packaging. Everything was labelled with the same capitalized W as the wrapping had been.

"This is really cool," I said appreciatively.

"It's all still in the works," Fred told me, "and we don't recommend you eat them yourself, but we thought you should have a box of our first products."

"We've got big plans for this stuff," George said. "These early masterpieces could be worth a fortune someday."

"Collector's items," Fred grinned. "Plus, you've been a lot of help."

"It's not really much," George admitted sheepishly.

"But we've put a lot of work into it, and we know you have too—"

"I love it," I said, grinning at them both. "Thank you."

Fred and George wore satisfied smiles as they grabbed onto my arms and yanked me up from the bed.

"Well come on now, we'd better get downstairs," George said.

I followed the twins out of Ginny's bedroom. George led the way, and I gave a jolt when I felt Fred reach out and grab my hand. This time my morning reflexes weren't quick enough to allow me to react and instead my hand clamped around his nervously. I could feel myself starting to panic, and tried not to look at him.

When we made it down to the living room I immediately freed myself from Fred's grip and sat down on the floor next to Ginny, who was still bouncing in place excitedly. Fred and George sat down with us. Mrs. Weasley was making tea in the kitchen and Percy, Bill, Charlie and Mr. Weasley were seated around the room in their pyjamas.

"Mum!" Ginny called into the kitchen. "Mum, everyone's here. Can we start?"

Six teacups came zooming into the living room, followed by Mrs. Weasley who was carrying a tea kettle.

"Yes Ginny dear, you can start," she said kindly, beginning to pour tea for Percy.

The gifts were sorted into piles for each person. I had a small pile marked "Juliet" which included gifts from the Weasley family (save for Fred and George), Harry, Hermione, Katie, Alicia, Lee, and my parents. I received brand new quills, Quidditch gloves and a pewter cauldron (I had melted my last one in an unfortunate Potions lesson) as well as a copy of Hogwarts, A History, which Hermione had been insisting I read, and several bars of Honeydukes chocolate and sweets. Mrs. Weasley had also knitted me a blue Weasley jumper. They were not exactly fashionable, but they were extremely useful during the cold weather months in the castle.

In fact, all of the Weasleys had received a jumper. George insisted we all put them on so we could spend Christmas day looking like a proper family. I agreed, mostly because I didn't want to cause a fuss in front of Mrs. Weasley after she had so painstakingly made my jumper for me.

The atmosphere at the Burrow was very upbeat throughout the morning. I found that I couldn't even bring myself to worry about Fred while everyone was in such a good mood.

As the day wore on the snow outside picked up fiercely. The wind was howling against the windows, and the sky was littered with white flecks so thick you could barely see the backyard.

"Let's go outside," George said, eyeing the blizzard with excitement. "We could play Quidditch. That'd be an interesting game, wouldn't you say, Juliet?"

"You won't be going out in this weather," Mrs. Weasley said, "I am not going to risk having you freeze to death or blown away in this storm."

"Aw, Mum. Where's your sense of adventure?" George objected.

"You worry too much," Fred agreed.

"Fred, George, if you want to do something, you can help me make dinner. It'll take all day," Mrs. Weasley said.

"I think that's the last thing you want us helping you with," Fred said with a grin that agreed with his statement.

"Well then, you can help clean the house," she said sternly.

"No, I don't think we'll be doing that mother dear," George said.

"Of course we will Mrs. Weasley," I piped up. Molly Weasley had a lot on her plate. Despite the fact that I was as nearly as mischievous as her sons, I couldn't bring myself to deny her a little bit of help around the house.

"Thank you dear," she said warmly. "Boys, you get going!"

The Burrow was by far the most fascinating house I had ever stepped foot in. Even cleaning it was interesting. Molly and Arthur had all sorts of knickknacks passed down from generations of their families. Each room had its own personality. It didn't make any difference to me that the walls were lopsided, or that there were unexplained creaks and drafts in areas of the house. The Burrow was distinguished. I envied the twins and their bedroom located on a floor entirely supported by magic. I loved the foul-sounding ghoul who lived in the attic. My house seemed downright dull in comparison to the wonders of the Weasley residence.

The afternoon sped by quickly with the three of us tidying up. Ginny, Bill and Charlie were all dusting surfaces and sweeping floors – Bill and Charlie were of course using magic – and the crooked house was in top condition just as my parents arrived.

All of us were relaxing in the living room before dinner. I was seated in an armchair with Fred leaning up against my legs in a would-be casual manner. I couldn't help but notice, however, the way his fingers kept reaching up to trace my hand which was hanging off the edge of the chair's arm. George kept shooting me suspicious looks that I pretended to ignore. I was trying very hard not to think about what all of these changes with Fred meant.

When my parents arrived I was quick to jump up from the incriminating position in which Fred and I were seated. I had no desire to let my mother get any silly ideas about the two of us. She's not the type of mother to interfere, but I preferred to avoid any awkward dinner conversations that could possibly arise.

Anyone who knew my parents separately would never have guessed they were a married couple. My Dad, standing at a full height of 5 foot 7 inches, was only a smidgeon taller than me. He was balding, but kept his hair very short to disguise it. He had the impression that being bald by choice was a much more respectable look. His round face, however, was completed by a very thick beard and moustache. I have never known him to ever have been without it. He also had a skin tone much darker than my own. I did, however, inherit his deep chocolate brown eyes. Working as a Mediwizard taught Dad to be highly analytical. He scarcely misses a detail, and was well regarded as one of the strongest wizards in his field. Talented in his youth, Dad has worked hard to gain the success he has today.

My Mum is an entirely different story. Taller than my father, my Mum stands at a solid 5 foot 9 inches. She has dark, chestnut brown hair that she crops short, and a smile that is infectious. She has light freckles across her nose (which I inherited), and soft green eyes that she frames with thick square glasses. Mum could almost pass as my older sister, but the crinkled wrinkles around her eyes give her away when she smiles. Unlike Dad, Mum has a tendency to overreact and shies away from difficult decisions. She works at a wizarding publishing company as an editor due to her love of reading. It is because of this that she has such a vast understanding of the magical community.

My parents both attended Hogwarts—my dad four years ahead of my mum. Dad was a Gryffindor and Keeper on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He was a brilliant boy, but had difficulty with schoolwork. Mum was a studious Ravenclaw who had top marks in her classes. They met when she graduated school, and were married when she was twenty-two. I was born just short of a year later.

"Juliet," Mum said with one of her infectious grins breaking across her lips, "how are you? Have you been behaving?" She shot a knowing smile at Fred and George.

She enveloped me in a tight hug. Mum and I were fairly close. She had simple tastes and was easy to get along with. Sometimes I missed the days when I was young and could spend all day with her.

"Yes Mum, of course," I said with a falsely innocent tone.

Mum released me and hugged George, followed immediately by Fred. Every time my mother had encountered Fred and George she broke into hysterics at their antics. She found them to be delightful.

"Hi Dad," I said, greeting my father with a hug as well. Dad and I were very similar people. He had a sense of humour much like my own, and was incredibly easy to talk to. He was always encouraging me to be the best I could be… and if I were the type of person to be swayed by that kind of encouragement, it would be him that would rub off on me most.

"Hello," he said simply. "How has school been? No more dangerous incidents with Sirius Black, I hope."

"Not since the last one," I said with a strained smile at the memory.

"I'm sure Dumbledore is taking every precaution to prevent that from happening," Mr. Weasley said.

"Arthur," Dad greeted, shaking hands with Mr. Weasley.

"Kirk," Mr. Weasley said with a smile. "How is work?"

"It's been busy," he answered. "There have been a lot of incidents where people have jinxed themselves silly. They keep thinking they see Sirius Black and are attempting ridiculous magic. This whole thing has got people scared silly."

"You don't have to tell me," Mr. Weasley replied. "We're getting angry letters every day asking why no one has caught him yet. Everyone's in an uproar."

"Now, now," Mrs. Weasley said, coming in to greet my parents as well, "it's Christmas. There's no need to be talking about Death Eaters at dinner."

"Molly, everything smells lovely," Mum said, giving Mrs. Weasley a hug. "How do you manage to look after all of these kids and still cook a fantastic meal?"

"Oh, you flatter me," Mrs. Weasley said with a wave of her hand. "But everything is served, so come, sit down."

When everyone was seated at the dinner table George leaned over and hissed into my ear. "What is going on with you two?" I knew he was referring to Fred and the way we were seated in the living room earlier.

"Nothing," I answered truthfully, muttering out of the side of my mouth.

"Right," George said sarcastically. "After the conversation we had last night, I would have thought you'd be more careful around him."

"Listen, I don't think of him that way," I told him in a whisper so Fred wouldn't hear. He was sitting on the other side of me, but was immersed in conversation with his dad and mine.

"Fine," George replied, "Just make sure he knows that."

Dinner progressed with light conversation being passed back and forth across the table. My parents had not met either Charlie or Bill before, and Mum enjoyed hearing stories about the dragons Charlie looked after in Romania. Percy was attempting to attain praise by gloating about his position as Head Boy. No one was paying him much attention. As for Fred, he seemed to be trying extra hard to flirt with me. I wasn't sure if I was just noticing it because I was looking for signs of his fancying me, but I could feel my face flushing up with nervousness. It happened so much that by the end of the night my dad was asking me if I was feeling okay.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley invited my parents back for New Year's Eve. Mum and Dad went home with the promise that they would be seeing us again soon. To my horror my mother made a joke about Fred keeping his hands to himself around me. I felt my face flush up and I gave a hurried goodbye before making a break for upstairs.

Fred and George followed quickly after me and pulled me into their room. They seemed to be in a very good mood after the lighthearted dinner, and I was thankful that neither of them had heard the joke my mother had muttered in my ear.

"Did you hear Percy at dinner?" George asked with a laugh. I forced down my shame and tried to forget what my mother had said.

"I was trying not to listen to him," I said with a half-hearted chuckle.

"He literally does not have a life outside of school," Fred said, flopping down onto his bed. "I saw him in his bedroom yesterday polishing his Head Boy badge."

"Where's the use in that?" George asked.

I laughed in earnest this time. "After all of these years I am still honestly shocked that he is related to the two of you."

The twins chuckled appreciatively.

"Well, to be fair, there aren't too many Weasleys who are in the same realm as Fred and me," George pointed out.

"Yeah, that's right," Fred agreed. "I don't think any of them hold a candle to us. Bill would probably be the least exasperating, wouldn't you reckon?"

I laughed. I knew Fred and George were joking. As much as they took the mickey out of their siblings, I knew they really did appreciate every one of them… well perhaps Percy really was an exception to that.

The laughter between the three of us continued well into the night. The light-heartedness of the holidays had settled in the atmosphere and had us swapping stories and chuckling long after midnight. It was hours before George fell asleep on his bed with his face in his pillow. I was dozing off in my seat on Fred's bed as well, and jolted at the sound of his voice.

"A little tired?" Fred said with a smile in his voice.

I grumbled in response and leaned my head up against the headboard, hardly noticing as Fred pulled the blanket up and over me.

"You can sleep in here tonight," he said quietly. "I don't mind."

Something inside of me probably should have set off a warning, telling me that likely wasn't the best idea. It didn't, however. Instead I groaned again cuddled into his side, falling quickly into sleep.

New Year's Eve was upon us before we had even realized where the holiday break had gone. My parents came back to the Burrow to celebrate with the rest of us. Everyone was gathered in the living room waiting for the moment when they could say goodbye to the old and ring in the new. There was still about an hour left and everyone was swapping stories happily.

Ginny and Charlie were playing a game of Wizard's Chess, and Fred was waiting to play the winner. Bill and George were playing a round of Exploding Snap and the adults were drinking themselves stupid.

"You know…" said Fred turning to me.

"What?" I asked him raising my eyebrow.

"You're supposed to kiss someone to welcome in the New Year," he said with a suggestive smile. "It's tradition."

"Well that's great, but considering I am the only non-related girl here, I'm not going to go around kissing all of your brothers," I told him.

"That's not true," Fred said, "Your mother's here."

I made a disturbed face.

"Well kiss her then," I replied humourlessly.

George made snickering noises and Fred looked put out. Ginny cast me an 'I told you so' look.

"Looks like I was right," Ginny whispered in my ear after having beaten Charlie at Wizard's Chess. Fred was reassembling the board.

I cringed a bit at the thought, but didn't say anything to her. Instead I just shrugged and turned away.

"It's almost time," George said, looking at the clock on the wall.

I smiled. Fred and George had set up firecrackers all around the house and put them on a timer. They would go off at exactly midnight. Only Ginny and I knew about their plan, and that was only because we had walked in on them when they were setting them up. I knew Mrs. Weasley wouldn't be happy about it, but Fred and George always did things big.

"Tired?" Fred asked me as he waited for Charlie to make his move on the Wizard's chess board.

"A little," I answered holding back a yawn.

He put his arm around me and I leaned up against him… I mentally scolded myself for behaving so stupidly. One minute I was telling Fred to go kiss my mother, and the next I was snuggled up under his arm. I was beginning to feel very mixed up.

That's when I felt it-Fred kissing the top of my head. I knew I was in for a world of trouble. I glanced at George and saw him giving me a warning look.

I promise I'll straighten up in the New Year. That'll be my resolution.

"Hey, it's almost midnight," I heard Bill say.

I sat up as everyone started counting down. I braced myself for the eruption of noise that would occur after the counting was complete. Fred and George both grinned widely as we reached the last seconds of the year.

A huge amount of noise filled and surrounded the house as rockets shot off and swirled around the Burrow. The windows were lit up with every colour of the rainbow. Fred and George jumped up and danced around enthusiastically.

"YOU TWO!" yelled Mrs. Weasley angrily.

"It's almost finished Mum," George yelled, prancing around the room. He was trying to get Percy up and dancing with him.

Mrs. Weasley didn't look impressed.

I looked over at my parents and saw my father looking drunk beyond belief. He and Mr. Weasley were dancing around like idiots as well. Mr. Weasley was enthusiastically giving Fred a high five. Ginny and I were chortling in appreciation at the display.

After all the noise died down I gave my mother and very drunk father a hug before they left. They had Apparated to the Burrow, but because Dad was now impaired he was going to have to do a side-along with Mum.

"Have fun at school," my mum said as she stepped back to Apparate away. Dad was shaking Mr. Weasley's hand and seemed to forget that he was supposed to let go.

"I will," I promised, smiling.

"And be good!" she said stressing her last sentence before both of my parents disappeared.

"Alright, everyone up to bed!" Mrs. Weasley said shooing us all upstairs to our rooms. "Fred, George, we will talk about this in the morning."

The boys grinned in response. They must have known their mother wasn't going to hold onto her annoyance tonight.

Ginny and I ascended the stairs together, watching as the twins continued up to the next floor. Once they were out of earshot Ginny gave me a superior look.

"I told you," she said as we entered her room and readied ourselves for bed.

I didn't respond.

"Thank Merlin you didn't kiss him," she said scrunching up her face, "I would not have liked to see that."

I let out a small laugh at her expression and pulled on my pyjamas.

"Seriously, it's so obvious," she said, climbing into her bed.

"Yes Ginny, now can stop talking about it please?" I said exasperatedly her as I crawled into my cot.

She grinned widely at me, "Goodnight then."

I grumbled.

"Goodnight."