Moon and Stars

fifty one

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Three Days Until Christmas
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There was more than enough room at the Weasley household for everyone, so the rooming situation wasn't as crowded, even with the abundance of people.

Ginny shared her room with Hermione for the time being, and Aurora resided in her old room, along with Fred. Ron and Harry shared a bedroom as well, and since Charlie's room had been converted to a storage room after he left, he bunked in the twin's old bedroom, since George's whereabouts were unknown. Bill's old room was still intact, so him and Fleur were packed in there. Since the family knew Percy would be returning soon, his room remained vacant for the time being.

Since the family rarely gets to be together as a whole group, everyone spent most of their time in the den, or out in the backyard with each other. Multiple informal quidditch matches were held, and at one point, Arthur dusted off his old broom and joined for a few games.

Recipes were traded, and a superfluous amount of baked goods were made, filling the house with the sweet aromas of vanilla, chocolate, and gingerbread. Decorations were hung all throughout the house, and a beautifully green Christmas tree stood in the den, with gold, white, and red ornaments decorating it's branches.

The Christmas spirit was lively, and for the first time in what felt like years, there was no negative energy anywhere to be seen. Bill and Charlie got to feel like kids again, and they hung around their younger brothers just like old times, picking on each other and letting all seriousness fade away.

The girls got to spend quality time together, and Fleur got to be exposed to sisterhood. Though her and Bill have been together for some time, she hadn't experienced what being a real part of the family actually felt like, and being able to be around during one of the biggest times of the year, it made her feel accepted and comfortable.

Fred and Aurora shared quick kisses under the mistletoe, which was conveniently hung above every doorway. Even though they didn't spend the entire day together, since they were off having fun with the rest of the family, the happy environment around them made it perfect.

Molly received a letter from Percy that explained how he should be home tomorrow, so her spirits were raised, and Arthur was just as excited, since they hadn't seen much of Percy since the war. Molly made sure no one exchanged any early gifts, since that was always Percy's guilty pleasure, and she wanted to make sure he was here before the early gift exchange started.

The Weasley family never had much money, so the amount of gifts on Christmas day was never a lot, but Percy decided that spreading them out on the days leading up to Christmas made it feel like they received more, and it became a sort of a tradition.

The air outside became freezing, so the outside party eventually moved inside, and everyone shared hot cups of tea around the fire, trying to warm up their cold bodies. The baked goods from earlier were dug into, with enough left over to last them until Christmas.

Stories from last holidays were told, and everyone laughed at the various memories, reminiscing on the past. Fleur's childhood holiday's and Charlie's holiday's in Romania were far different from the Weasley holiday's, and it was interesting to hear the differences.

As the sun dipped into the horizon, small snowflakes sprinkled from the sky, explaining the crisp air from earlier in the afternoon. Snow had always been one of Charlie's favorite forms of precipitation, and he managed to drag everyone outside in warm clothing to have them love it, as well.

There wasn't enough on the group to build snowmen or have a snowball fight, so instead he starting singing a Christmas carol. It was slow and awkward at first, but his booming voice motivated Ron and Harry to join in, soon followed by the rest of them.