Being Parents

Christmas Madness

Baby Rose made everyone's heart melt with her intense blue eyes and little red hair. Mrs. Weasley would daily ask when would Hermione go back to work (which would be after the New Year) so she could stay with her newest granddaughter. Dominique was the only one of the kids who didn't accept Rose very well. Fleur explained that she was upset for not being the only redheaded kid anymore, but Bill had a nice talk with his two and a half year old daughter of how there would probably be many more redheads in the family and that she should be proud of herself and also her cousin. Unfortunately, Victoire heard the conversation and she was the one to make a big deal about the fact she's blonde, therefore not a true Weasley. Thankfully, George was the one to calm her down, remembering that neither James nor Freddie had red hair.

The weather started to cool down exponentially and soon, snow began to fall on the British Isles. After a big family reunion in November, it was decided that each family would spend Christmas Eve together. With each couple starting their own family, they wanted to have their own time by themselves. Instead of the annual Potter Christmas Eve dinner, they would have a large (gigantic) party in the Burrow at Christmas day for everyone. It would be a get-together of what was becoming an enormous family. All the Weasleys, the Potters, the Longbottoms, Luna and Rolf, Susan and Seamus, Oliver and Katie, Lee, Alicia and Brian, Bernard, the Maxwells, Wallace and Kelly: they were all family and therefore had their Christmas Day planned to spend in the Burrow. It was the beginning of a tradition. 

With so many people, the work had to be divided, everyone had a job to do. Harry took over the kitchen and Christmas shopping for Ginny. As the due date got closer, and her belly bigger, Healer O'Neill advised bed rest for the redhead. The couple was worried because the date for the baby's birth was three days before the holiday. 

The new founded friendship between Ginny and Audrey was being of great help for both of them. As Ginny entered her maternity leave at the Prophet, she started helping her future sister-in-law's wedding while Audrey helped her with the kids when Flory couldn't.

Hermione and Ron were still getting used to the new routine. Waking up in the middle of night was getting the worst out of Ron and Hermione would always drop by the Potter's or the Burrow and even at George and Angelina's and Bill and Fleur's with Rosie for some maternity advice. 

George was through the roof when Angelina told him about the pregnancy. Fleur continued to worry about her daughter's social difficulties at school but couldn't thank Teddy enough. They sure were close friends and if they did end up together, Bill admitted he would be more than happy to have Teddy 'officially' in the family. Lee and Alicia slowly developed a good and stable romantic relationship and she cursed herself she ever thought it would be a burden to keep a romance working when indeed it wasn't. 

As for the rest of the family, the childless couples enjoyed their loved ones and regularly visited the little ones just for fun. Fred was getting lots of visitors ever since he started to talk. Seamus was entertained by trying to teach the baby new funny words as Katie kept trying to teach him her name but all she got was 'kata'. 

Hannah Longbottom was nervously waiting her husband to come home, standing in front of the fireplace. She had planned a very special night for them when Neville arrived from Hogwarts. The next day was planned to be spent visiting his parents at St. Mungo's and then Christmas Eve dinner at his grandmother's, and the next day would be spent at the Burrow. But that night, he would be all hers. Although they had worked it all out just fine how to keep the relationship healthy when he's working away (they wouldn't be married if they hadn't), she couldn't help but miss him a lot. 

Hannah wondered about their early days together, how weird it was to get to know someone that had been on her life for years and yet she knew nothing about. She wondered how she never noticed Neville in Hogwarts. She never looked at him before, not even as the clumsy kid he was back then, and yet, when they bumped into each other at the apothecary in Diagon Alley, one normal Wednesday morning, she was completely enchanted by him. He was a new man, a respected Auror who just stole her heart away.