the muggle next door | f.w. golden trio era

↳ 4.5

...and on christmas

December 18th, 1995

UPON HEARING THE good news, Fred fell back into his chair with his hands over his face, obscuring the fact that he was crying out of relief.

George and Ginny got up, walked swiftly over to their mother, and hugged her.

Ron gave a very shaky laugh and downed the rest of his butterbeer in one take.

"Breakfast!" said Sirius loudly and joyfully, jumping to his feet. "Where's that accursed house-elf? Kreacher! KREACHER!"

But Kreacher did not answer the summons.

"Oh, forget it, then," muttered Sirius, counting the people in front of him. "So it's breakfast for— let's see— seven... Bacon and eggs, I think, and some tea, and toast —"

Mrs. Weasley pulled Harry into a crushing hug and said in a muffled voice, "I don't know what would have happened if it hadn't been for you, Harry. They might not have found Arthur for hours, and then it would have been too late, but thanks to you he's alive. Dumbledore's been able to think up a good cover story for Arthur being where he was."

She released him to turn to Sirius and thank him for looking after her children through the night. Sirius said that he was very pleased to have been able to help, and hoped they would all stay with him as long as Mr. Weasley was in hospital.

"Oh, Sirius, I'm so grateful... They think he'll be there a little while and it would be wonderful to be nearer... Of course, that might mean we're here for Christmas..."

"The more the merrier!" said Sirius with such obvious sincerity that Mrs. Weasley beamed at him, threw on an apron, and began to help with breakfast.

It was settled, then. They wouldn't be staying in the Burrow.

✿ ❀ ✿ ❀ ✿

December 25th, 1995

SIRIUS WORKED TIRELESSLY in the run-up to Christmas Day, cleaning and decorating with everyone's help, so that by the time they all went to bed on Christmas Eve the house was barely recognizable. The tarnished chandeliers were no longer hung with cobwebs but with garlands of holly and gold and silver streamers. Magical snow glittered in heaps over the threadbare carpets. A great Christmas tree, obtained by Mundungus and decorated with live fairies, blocked Sirius' family tree from view. Even the stuffed elf heads on the hall wall wore Christmas hats and beards.

Fred awoke on Christmas morning to find a stack of presents at the foot of his bed and George, already halfway through opening his own pile.

"Hey, look, Tonks got us gifts!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! It's brilliant!" George said, opening a box of unconventional, hard-to-get ingredients for their pranking supplies. "We need this for the Nosebleed Nougat."

They dug into their mount of mostly identical presents and slid on the stairs' railing down. With their wand swished, they popped into the kitchen with a drum roll and dramatic fake snow cracker. "Merry Christmas— whoa, okay, what's going on?"

Mrs. Weasley was a crying, blubbering mess, hiding her face in a knitted jumper.

"Percy sent back his Christmas jumper without a note," Lupin elaborated.