Stumble - A Fred Weasley Fanfiction

Chapter 42: 128 Days Before

Addie woke up on Christmas morning with a smile, her conversation with Ginny the night before momentarily forgotten. It was the first time in many years that she had woken on Christmas morning excited for what the day would bring.

The year before, she had been under the Imperius Curse. If it hadn't been for the Christmas Tree set up in the office, she never would have known the holidays had arrived. The year before, she had celebrated a lonely Christmas with her mother. It had been awkward, the first Christmas spent together since Addie had gone to Hogwarts. Neither had known what to say to each other, so they had merely exchanged gifts, given thank you's, and settled down to a quiet dinner.

During her Hogwarts years, she had never once come home for Christmas. Her first year at Hogwarts, it had simply been due to her absolute love of the castle, and she had been desperate to see what a wizard Christmas inside the ancient walls of Hogwarts would be like. It had been a mistake, one that Addie's eleven year old self hadn't realized at the time. It had further divided her and her mother, increasing her mother's resentment for the wizarding world that had stolen first her husband, and now her daughter away.

After that, she hadn't come home for Christmas because she knew it would be as awkward as summer holidays were. That her mother wouldn't hear a word about Hogwarts, or magic.

But this year was different, in so many ways. The world had grown dark, danger lurked around every corner, but in that small little shack, in the middle of nowhere, far from her mother, she woke up to the best Christmas of her life.

The first that hit her as she opened her eyes were the smells: the pine of the Christmas tree, and something else, something that wafted in from the kitchen: cinnamon. Addie sat up in her sleeping bag, taking in the lit up tree and the dozens of presents underneath it. Her own had been added to the pile last night, and many more had been added in the morning.

Mrs. Weasley entered the living room. "Oh, good, you're up. Do you mind waking the others? The boys are awake, but I sent them outside so you could sleep longer. They're eager to open presents." She rolled her eyes. "They're grown men, but I swear, every Christmas they become small boys again."

Mrs. Weasley returned to her baking, and Addie shook Ginny and then Charlotte awake. Ginny woke up quickly, smiling in delight as she realized what day it was. Charlotte yawned and tried to shove Addie away, but she too, was eventually roused. Addie quickly dressed and darted outside to see what the boys were up to.

Charlie, Fred, and George had each found broomsticks and were soaring around the yard, beating a pair of bludgers at each other. Arthur stood beside the house, watching his sons, but his eyes kept a close eye on the bludgers. One came too close and he quickly blasted it away with his wand. The bludger shot away, swerving back around and heading straight for its next target: Addie.

She didn't have time to pull her wand out and defend herself. Her arms flew up around her head, waiting for the impact. There was a whooshing and a loud crack, but nothing hit her. She peeked between her arms to see Fred hovering on the broom above her, the beater's stick in his hand. The bludger was now flying fast in the other direction. "I got your back," he said before flying off again to whack the other bludger in Charlie's direction.

Addie went to stand beside Arthur, and the two watched with both their wands at the ready, prepared for another stray bludger. "Happy Christmas, Addie," Arthur said.

"Happy Christmas," Addie returned. "How long have they been at it?" she asked, gesturing to the boys.

"Hours, now," Arthur said. "They've never grown out of the habit of waking up early on Christmas. They're rather like small children," he said, echoing his wife's words.