the one | h. potter

40. christmas dinner

Because of Harry's antics, we are the last ones to arrive. I smirk at him and he lifts his hand to brush my cheek.

"Soot," he explains quietly, smudging it away. I murmur in assent and take in the festively decorated house.

Tinsel, holly, and mistletoe frame the walls and ceiling, growing out of seemingly nowhere. An enormous tree floats in the corner of the room, decorated with little floating lights and what looks like popcorn strings. Under the tree sits an ever-growing pile of presents, most of them shrunk until we do gifts tomorrow morning, to save space. The fireplace is crackling, spreading a nice warmth into the room, but the room is a bit stuffy because of the large number of people. Above the fireplace hangs an absurd amount of colorful, but currently empty stockings. Plates and bowls of treats sit on the stuffed coffee table, and a large bottle of firewhiskey stands on a small stand in the corner with some glasses. The living room is currently empty, but I can hear voices coming from the garden and kitchen. We throw our bags onto an empty armchair and place our gifts in a separate pile under the tree.

"Harry! Liz!" Ron pokes his head through the doorway and grins. "Happy Christmas! Better go say hi to mum before she gets mad at you for being late."

"I told you so!" I remark. Harry rolls his eyes. "Honestly, without me- you'd be so lost."

"Probably," he mutters.

We greet Molly in the kitchen, who fawns over us and buries us under tons of dishes to take out into the garden. We stagger outside under the weight of the plates and deposit them at the table.

"Hi!" Ginny says, hugging the two of us. "You're just in time. Dad's taken out the firewhiskey. Three bottles of it!"

Harry rubs his hands together. "Well then. Let's not waste it, huh?"

I jab him with my elbow. "Don't let me get too drunk tonight, okay?"

He furrows his eyebrows. "Why?"

"I don't want to get drunk in front of Molly and Arthur! They're the equivalent of your parents!"

Harry huffs. "Fine. I'll try to stop you at three glasses, alright? But if you get more while I'm not looking..."

I smile and peck him on the cheek. "Thanks," I say, and run out to find Hermione.

I find her in the back of the garden, sitting around a portable fire with Ron, George, and Angelina. We make small talk for a minute before going back to the main table to get food.

Once Molly comes outside, we all sit around the long picnic table. As per normal, Hermione and Percy start their Ministry politics discussion on one end of the table. Harry and I, thankfully, are seated on the other side of the table.

"So, what's the setup for tonight, mum?" Ginny asks, reaching over the table for some salad.

"Oh! Setup. Every couple's got their own room, except you, Ginny, you are sharing with Charlie," Molly says. "And where is that boyfriend of yours?"

"Oh, Michael? We broke up," Ginny says nonchalantly.

"You what?" Harry blanches.

"I broke up with him," she shrugs.

"Wha- why?" George asks.

Ginny shrugs again. "I dunno, he was kind of an ass."

"Kind of an- Gin, you do realize no one is perfect, right? Everyone's a bit of an ass."

"Harry wasn't," she retorts. I suddenly feel really small in my chair.

"Then why'd you break up with him?" Ron snorts from across the table.