Extended Family

Chapter 67: Her First Real Christmas

Takes place before Chapter 143 of Family

The wind howled, pounding on the windows and walls demanding to be let in.  Snow collected heavily against the windows, frosting and chilling them.  However, the fire within the home flared brightly, filling the space with warmth and light.  The laughter that filled the air was just as warming if not more so.

"No!" Alicia cried, wiping tears of merriment from her eyes.  "I don't believe it!"

Katie coughed from laughing so hard, sipping some juice to clear her throat.  "It's true!  Nate and Sam seriously tried to eat a noodle Bludger!"

"Gosh, why didn't we ever think of that?" George asked Fred.

"Right?  There has to be a big market for edible Bludgers," Fred mused.

"How did they even make it?" Angelina asked, shaking her head.

Harry chuckled from the floor where he was currently wrestling with Dahlia, Hadley, and Hailey.  "So they measured the dimensions of a practice Bludger and then prepared some spaghetti and formed it into a ball with red sauce.  Tina is working on her Charms mastery and she enchanted it to zoom around."

"Why did they try to eat it when flying at them on brooms?" Alicia asked, shaking her head.

"Well what's the point otherwise of a Bludger?" Oliver grinned.

"Mummy says I'm a Bludger," Hailey said proudly.

"Yeah you are bun," Angelina said.  She smiled when Hailey tackled Harry, knocking him over.  "Case in point."

"You're much more adorable than a real Bludger," Harry said, hugging her.  "I don't mind getting hit by you."

A severe gust of wind made the windows rattle and Alicia looked outside.  "Winter's fierce this year."

"It sure is cold and windy," Oliver agreed.  "No winter camping this year.  Even I have my limits."

"Thank goodness for that," Alicia snarked and kissed him sweetly.

"It's good for Christmas time," George said.  "Nothing more satisfying than crummy weather out there while spending time indoors with friends and family."

"Mum's going nuts this year with presents," Fred laughed.  "I asked her why and she said it was the sprogs first real Christmas."

"What does that mean?" Katie asked.  "They've had a few at this point."

"She said most don't remember the first few and this is the age where you start making real lasting memories," Fred explained.

"To be fair, we don't remember much under age six or so," George said, "but that might be due to all the head trauma we've had through the years."

"Self-inflicted?" Alicia grinned.

"And Bill and Charlie inflicted," George said seriously.  "And Ron and Ginny as they got older.  I swear, she learned the Trip Jinx early for a reason."

"Self-defense," Angelina laughed.

"Hmmm, Molly might be right," Oliver said after some thought.  "I think three or four is the first Christmas I remember."  He smiled softly.  "I got a children's learning broom at that age."