Kate Fontaine
"Happy Christmas!" Bill chirped to wake me up, kissing me chastely. His red hair was ruffled and his grin was so big he looked like a child on, well, Christmas morning.
"Merry Christmas, Bill." I replied, getting out of bed and pecking his lips again. "I'm going to take a shower." Bill hummed, nodding his head as I walked into the bathroom. I took a quick shower and dried my hair using magic, before changing into something warm. "Here," Bill handed me a dark crimson red knitted jumper. "from my Mum. It's a Weasley jumper, as my Mum calls them. Everyone in the family gets a new one for Christmas every year."
I smiled pulling on the jumper. "I love it." I promise, snuggling further into it. "Open my Christmas present!" I said excitedly, handing the package over to him. "Merry Christmas."
"I love it already." Bill smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of my head and unwrapping the packaging. Once he was done, he found a clean jam-jar with plenty of strips of paper inside of it. "'Reasons I Love William Weasley'." He read from the jar. I blushed a little, looking hopefully at him. Quietly, Bill unscrewed the jar and took out a slip.
His deep eyes scanned the paper and he folded it up again, closing the jar. "So what do you-" Bill kissed me deeply to cut me off, his hands resting on my waist. "Nobody has ever loved anyone as much as I love you." he breathed once we pulled away and I bit my lip.
"Well, there's one exception." I retorted, resting my head against his chest. "I love you so much."
"I love you more." Bill smiled, taking my hand and walking downstairs where everyone was opening Christmas presents.
"Happy Christmas you two!" Molly cried happily. "Oh Kate! That colour looks so wonderful on you." she beamed, referring to my own Weasley jumper.
Everybody else was wearing their new sweaters as we had lunch. Molly was sporting a brand-new midnight blue witch's hat glittering with what looked like tiny star-like diamonds, and a wonderful golden necklace.
"Fred and George gave them to me! Aren't they beautiful?" Molly gushed. I nodded my head. And expensive-looking. I thought to myself.
"Oh, I forgot to grab my present for you!" I commented, reaching under the tree for the small package. "Merry Christmas Molly." She smiled, telling me I didn't need to get her anything. But as she opened it, she teared up a little.
"I found it a few days ago." I admitted. "I know it isn't much of a present but that picture means the world to me." I added, motioning to the wizard picture Ginny took after Bill proposed to me. I was grinning like mad in the picture and Bill was doing the same, gazing lovingly at me as I faced the camera. Then I leaned up to kiss his cheek, and the actions repeated themselves.
"Thank you." Molly hugged me and we went on with lunch.
"Well, we find we appreciate you more and more, Mum, now we're washing our own socks," said George, waving an airy hand as he related to the expensive presents he and Fred got her. "Parsnips, Remus?"
"Harry, you've got a maggot in your hair," Ginny brightly spoke, leaning across the table to pick it out.
"I wish Tonks was here." I said with a sad sigh. "We've grown close over the past few months."
"I invited dear Tonks to come along today," Molly admitted, putting down the carrots. "But she wouldn't come. Have you spoken to her lately, Remus?"
"No, I haven't been in contact with anybody very much," Remus said in a tone I couldn't identify. "But Tonks has got her own family to go to, hasn't she?"
"Hmmm," Molly considered this. "Maybe. I got the impression she was planning to spend Christmas alone, actually."
"Tonks's Patronus has changed its form," Harry blurted out. I choked on my water and Bill immediately came to my rescue, patting me lightly on the back with a concerned look on his face.
"I'm fine," I promised, lightly patting his cheek.
"Snape said so anyway." Harry added. "I didn't know that could happen. Why would your Patronus change?"
Remus took his time swallowing his food before he spoke as if he was dreading the words. "Sometimes... a great shock... an emotional upheaval..."
"It looked big, and it had four legs," Harry went on to say. "Hey... it couldn't be-"
"Arthur!" Molly said unexpectedly. She rose form her chair and had a hand over her chest, looking out the kitchen window in surprise. "Arthur; it's Percy!"
"What?" Everyone chorused. We all stared out the window and Ginny had to get up and march towards it, due to being the furthest away. Of course Molly wasn't wrong and Percy really was there, walking across the snow towards us.
"Arthur, he's- he's with the Minister!" Molly added.
There was a painful silence as Percy came through the back door. Then Percy spoke quite stiffly. "Merry Christmas, Mother."
"Oh, Percy!" Molly leaped up and threw herself into his arms. Percy didn't look very phased by her actions and Rufus Scrimgeour paused in the doorway, leaning on his walking stick and smiling as he observed this affecting scene. Somehow, even he seemed happier than Percy.
"You must forgive this intrusion," Scrimgeour uttered when Molly looked around at him, beaming from ear to ear and wiping at her eyes. "Percy and I were in the vicinity – working, you know – and he couldn't resist dropping in and seeing you all."
Of course, Percy's attitude didn't meet Scrimgeour's description at all. He didn't seem excited to greet anybody and stood awkward staring around at all of us. Mr Weasley, Fred, and George were all watching him, stony-faced.
"Please, come in, sit down, Minister!" spluttered Molly, straightening her new hat out. "Have a little purkey, or some tooding... I mean-" she blushed at her stammering.
"No, no, my dear Molly," said Scrimgeour. "I don't want to intrude, wouldn't be here at all if Percy hadn't wanted to see you all so badly..."
"Oh, Perce!" Molly said, distressed, reaching up to kiss him.
"...We've only looked in for five minutes, so I'll have a stroll around the yard while you catch up with Percy." Scrimgeour suggested. "No, no, I assure you I don't want to butt in! Well, if anybody cared to show me your charming garden... ah, that young man's finished, why doesn't he take a stroll with me?"
Everybody looked from Scrimgeour to Harry. Of course he meant Harry, who else would he be talking about? I certainly wasn't convinced that he casually chose Harry against all odds.
"Yeah, all right," Harry agreed. "It's fine," he added quietly, as he passed Remus, who was about to get out of his chair. "Fine," Harry repeated, as Mr Weasley opened his mouth to talk.
"Wonderful!" Scrimgeour cheered, standing back to let Harry pass through the door leading out back. "We'll just take a turn around the garden, and Percy and I'll be off. Carry on, everyone!"
"Oh Percy, I must tell you the news!" Molly exclaimed. "It's Bill, and Kate! They're getting married!" Percy didn't look at all interested.
☾ ☾ ☾
On the day Ginny, Harry and Ron all left to go back to Hogwarts, Fred, George, Mr Weasley and Bill were at work, so Molly and I saw them off. It was January the sixth. Molly was quite tearful about it. I was rubbing her shoulder soothingly as she burst into tears.
Sadly, it took very little to set her off lately; Molly had been wailing on and off ever since Percy stormed from the house on Christmas Day with his glasses splattered with mashed parsnip. Unabashed, Fred, George, and Ginny all professed credit for this.
"Don't cry, Mum," Ginny soothed, patting Molly on the back as she watched her mother sob into her shoulder. "It's okay..."
"Yeah, don't worry about us," Ron said, allowing his mother to plant many wet kisses along his cheek. "or about Percy. He's such a prat, it's not really a loss, is it?"
This only made Molly cry even harder as she hugged Harry. "Promise me you'll look after yourself... stay out of trouble..."
"I always do, Mrs Weasley," Harry pointed out; a little bit of a lie. "I like a quiet life, you know me." Molly gave a watery laugh and stood back.
"Be good, then, all of you..." she trailed off and I got to hug everyone as well.
"I'll be seeing you all before the year ends." I reminded them with a small wink. "I'm sure Dumbledore will need me to look after the three of you at some point." Harry smiled, before stepped into the emerald fire and shouted. "Hogwarts!"
