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Chapter 4: A Very Weasley Christmas
Molly Weasley looked around the table with a fond look in her eyes. To her right was her only daughter , her baby. Though she had babies of her own now—seated next to her was Lily, Albus, James and Emma, who had been part of the Potters for some time now. Harry sat on the other side of his children. She could not have asked for a better son-in-law. Next to Harry sat George who was shaking his head as his father and son discussed their obsession of the new muggle innovation-the iPod. Across the table was Angelina, Roxanne, Rose then Hermioine, all chatting about how they couldn't wait to see Victorie and discuss the wedding. Bill and Fleur and their family were spending Christmas dinner with Fleur's parents so they could meet Teddy. Percy and Audrey had been over with the girls the previous night, but were having a quiet family dinner at their own flat in London. Ron and Hugo sat on the other side of Hermione, bringing the table back to Molly. Molly's eyes met Arthur's who cleared his throat.
"I'd like to make a toast," he said, raising his goblet. The family followed suit and listened intently. "To another year together as a family. I am blessed that we can all be here tonight to celebrate the holiday. I toast you all, and Bill, Percy, their families, Charlie, and" His expression became slightly less jolly and Molly's eyes felt suddenly full of water. "And of course to Fred. Who, if he were able to be here, would probably have put puking pastels in our treacle tarts." Everyone laughed at the truth of that statement and Molly spoke up.
"To family. Both here in body and in spirit." She said and they all toasted their glasses and drank their drinks. Molly waved her wand and the food hovered in from the kitchen and onto the plates. For a few minutes the only sound was the scrapping of forks on to plates and food being chewed until Hugo spoke up, remembering something his cousins had told him to ask about earlier.
"Mum, who did you go to the Yule Ball with?" Hermione dropped her fork and Ron nearly choked on his potatoes.
"Um…why do you want to know dear?"
"James said Aunt Ginny told him to ask me to ask you." He said simply. Hermione and Ron shot Ginny, who was staring intently at her pea soup, looks. "So who'd you take?"
"I took Viktor Krum actually," She said, her cheeks growing pink.
"NO WAY!" The majority of the kids yelled.
"MUM!" Hugo's eyes dancing with excitement. "You dated a world famous international Quidditch player!"
"And he was so handsome!" Roxanne added.
"He was the youngest seeker Bulgaira had ever seen." Hugo said. "He actually caught the Snitch in the World Cup game of '94, but the Irish still won."
"I know, I was there" Ron told his son, attempting to show that he was pretty impressive as well. "So was your mum, granddad, some uncles and Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry."
"Really?!" James asked his dad. "You never told me that story!"
"You always wanted to hear more about the trouble he got up to in school," Ginny smiled at her son.
"Plus, going to the World Cup never got your dad on a Chocolate Frog Card." George grinned. "It was all that heroic and brave bit that made 'the golden trio' a collectable item." Hermione and Harry grimaced at the name the media had given them and Ron after the defeat of the Lord Voldemort, but Ron looked rather pleased. He considered being on a Chocolate Frog card one of his best accomplishments.
"Yeah, Krum hasn't got a card." Ron said smugly and Hermione shook her head.
It was dessert time and the table was broken up into several different discussions.
"I keep telling you dear, the team could use you." Molly said to her daughter when the subject of the Holyhead Harpies was brought up at their end of the table.
"Mum, I'm far too old to be playing Quidditch professionally." Ginny told her. "Besides, I like working at the Prophet. It is a shame about their last game though."
"Bet Malfoy isn't too happy about their season so far," James said to Emma who rolled her eyes.
"I knew it was you!" Rose, who had been oddly silent during the meal, screeched from across the table, giving James a vivid look. "You and Ben are the biggest prats at Hogwarts."
"Rose!" Hermione scolded, but it was no match for her daughter's fury.
"No! I won't let this go on anymore! He never did anything to you and you pull some stupid, embarrassing prank on him because you think it is funny and-" Her voice rose and the table got quiet and watched her shout at James. "Because you have some stupid hatred towards him because of his family. No Malfoy ever affected you! And you shouldn't judge Scorpius based on his relatives. If someone judged me based on you they'd probably think I was some arrogant prankster who slides by on his Quidditch talent!"
"Rose Weasley-"Hermione said more sternly.
"You don't even know him!" Rose yelled at James.
"And how would he get to do that?" Albus suddenly and surprisingly defended his brother. "You never bring him around Rose! You're always sneaking off to meet him, how are we supposed to know anything about this kid other than he takes you away from your family! You don't even know what goes on with us anymore. Especially not me." Rose (along with the majority of the family) looked shocked at Albus' outburst at her. They all sat in silence. Harry had an odd sense of déjà vu from seeing the fiery redhead flip out on the glasses-wearing, messy-haired Quidditch Captain for being arrogant and hexing innocent people. He struggled to wrap his head around how to handle this one. Ginny cleared her throat.
"James and Albus, your father and I would like to talk to you in the sitting room. Now." The four Potters got up and walked out of the kitchen mumbling 'excuse us' to Molly and Arthur.
"And Rose, how about we take a walk?" Hermione looked at her daughter who silently nodded and followed her out of the house.
"She's gone mental." Hugo said softly when they exited the room.
"She's a teenage girl," Angelina offered but Ron shook his head.
"She's just exactly like her mother sometimes. Hermione used to get the same way sticking up for house elves."
James and Albus sat side-by-side on the couch and looked at Ginny and Harry who each took a chair across from them.
"Boys, you cannot just have a shouting match in the middle of Christmas dinner." Ginny started.
"I didn't say a word!" James defended. "She blew up at me for no bloody reason!"
"If she did whatever you did to Scorpius to Ben, wouldn't you have reacted in a similar way?" Harry asked.
"It's different-"
"The bond between best friends is the same in every pair." Harry told him. "Whether they are family, Gryffindors, Slytherins—it's not any different. And as for judging Scorpius because of his house, that is not fair. Emma's whole family was in Slytherin, yet she proved to be different. Give him the same chance." James nodded glumly.
"And as for your antics James," Ginny started. "You know your father and I think that if you pull the prank at school, the school should punish you and if you pull it at home, I will punish you. But doing something that hurts a member of this family accidentally or on purpose is unacceptable anywhere. Do you understand?"
"Yes. And I'm sorry I hurt Roise. I swear I didn't mean to, I just thought it was funny."
"Well sometimes you gotta think a little harder son," Harry said. James gave him a nod and Ginny sent him out to the kitchen.
"Hey Al?" James turned around as he was about to go out the door. "Thanks for defending me."
"You're my brother." Albus said simply.
"Yeah," James said. "I'm glad you're mine."
Meanwhile in the snowy garden, Hermione held Rose while she cried.
"I know I shouldn't have said those things to James, even though they're true, I just got so mad because no one understands Mum! And now Al is furious with me and I don't even know why which is the worst part because he's right, I have ditched him and I just don't know how to balance it all!" Hermione stroked her hair.
"I know honey and I'm sorry you feel so torn. But this is all fixable." Her daughter looked up at her, her eye color mirroring her mothers and even had some of her mom's curl in her hair. "You need to talk to Albus and then everything else will start to fall back into place." She nodded. "But you also need to apologize to James. Although he may be a popular athlete who has a knack for trouble, he is also your cousin who looked out for you your first year and made sure you had a smooth adjustment." Rose nodded.
"I guess I should apologize to grandmum and granddad too for causing commotion at dinner." Hermione smiled.
"See? You already know how to patch things up."
NEXT:: Kreacher! hahaa i love him and had to write him in