Off the Pitch

Chapter 16: Christmas at the Burrow

I woke up in the morning to see snow falling down behind the window. I got up from bed and pulled on a knitted jumper to chase away the cold. I looked out to the yard: the ground was covered in a perfect, unbroken coat of snow. Well, almost unbroken: I noticed someone had walked through the yard, leaving a trail of footprints on the freshly fallen snow. I heard a muffled bang from downstairs and decided to go investigate. 

I tiptoed down the stairs and stepped into the kitchen. There, in the doorway, stood a man covered in snow. He noticed me walk in and tilted his head:

"Are you Fred and George's friend?" the unknown man asked.

"Yes", I answered quickly and walked to him to shake his hand: "Amelia Urquart."

"Bill Weasley", the man smiled as he grabbed my hand. Standing closer to him, I now got a good glimpse of his face. He had sharp facial features and shoulder-length red hair; he was no doubt a part of the family. "Are the others still asleep?" Bill asked and let out a major yawn.

"I think so", I replied: "I'm afraid I've taken over your room. I can move my stuff out if you want to get some sleep–"

"No, it's okay!" Bill said quickly: "I can rest on the couch."

"Are you sure?" I asked uncomfortably and then continued: "I don't need any more sleep, and it is your room after all."

"It's fine", Bill swung his arm: "Besides, the others will probably wake up in no time. I wouldn't be able to get much sleep anyway." 

Bill took off his snow-covered coat and gloves and hung them up to dry. "Do you want coffee?" he turned to me. 

"Sure", I replied. Bill swung his wand and the kettle on the stove started steaming. A minute later he was already pouring the hot beverage into two big mugs. We sat down to wait for the others to wake up. 

"Long journey?" I asked as the red-head yawned yet again. 

"Yeah", he took a sip from his mug: "You came here yesterday, right?" 

I nodded. Before I could open my mouth again, we heard footsteps from the stairs. Fred and George barged into the room. 

"Bill!" Fred grinned and ruffled his older brother's hair: "And Amelia?" 

"She was keeping me company", Bill smiled at me before turning back to the twins: "How are you two?" 

"Fantastic", they replied simultaneously. Another pair of feet ran down to the kitchen. 

"Bill!" Ginny shouted in excitement. Bill got up from his chair and lifted his sister in the air: "Hey there, G." After ten minutes, the rest of the house had woken up and were now sitting around the kitchen table. Mrs. Weasley was already cooking breakfast; it felt rude to watch her do everything by herself, so I helped her set the table. After breakfast we put on a warm set of clothes and headed out to a nearby forest to find a Christmas tree. We returned to the Burrow after three hours with a huge tree waiting to be decorated. My cheeks were red and hands freezing, but Christmas tree hunting in the forest had been fun, especially in this company. We were all entirely covered in snow – the aftermath of a spontaneous snow fight. 

"Come down, everyone", Mrs. Weasley shouted before dinner: "It's time to decorate the tree!" 

I stepped into the living room and saw everyone gathered around the tree. Mrs. Weasley smiled at me and then lifted her wand to point at the tree. I disrupted her, trying my best not to sound rude: 

"Could we maybe do this the traditional way?" I asked shyly and then clarified when everyone stared at me in confusion: "The Muggle way, I mean. That's how my parents and I always did it..." I swallowed the end on my sentence, trying to hold back the tears. Mrs. Weasley gave me a warm smile: