Christmas

Leah was sitting near the fireplace with a hot chocolate in her hands, next to her Hermione while the twins sat behind them on the couch. Leah smiled as she leaned her head against Fred's leg enjoying her first Christmas at the burrow. It was loud and crowded, but it felt like home. Molly just came back into the living room carrying a tray of cookies, her and Leah made that afternoon. It's when Molly put the plate down on the table, she noticed a shimmer on a few of the cookies and alerted Hermione not to take those as she nudged her head to the twins behind them. Neither boy had noticed the small exchange as their eyes were glued to everyone who took a cookie. All deeming it safe since their mum and Leah made them, not thinking the twins had their hands on them after they came out of the oven. It was Ron who started to change first, his nose and mouth started to transform into a beak. While Bill and Charlie were too late to notice it and already started to transform, Percy let his cookie fall and slapped the one in his girlfriend's hand away. He received a full glare from her, before he pointed at Ron, who had turned into a pinguin for a minute. Charlie had changed into a large white rabbit with fluffy ears, quite the opposite of what he had to work with. And Bill turned into an orangutan for a hot minute. When they all turned back, the room started to fill with laughter once again. Even Molly couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips, happy to have everyone back for Christmas.

Percy was the first one on his feet to hand out his presents. But he didn't pick a gift from under the tree, he took a small rectangular box from his coat, and all the girls gasped when their eyes fell on it.

"Odilia, you've been my ray of sunshine this past year. It has been hard, for all of us." He glanced to Fred for a second. "But now, I've never been happier. Odilia, will you marry me?" He asked with a trembling voice, clicking the box open. Odilia squealed in delight; her pitch-black hair danced around her as she flung herself to her new fiancé. Molly rushed over to congratulate the newly engaged pair, engulfing them in a hug.

"That's a bit fast, isn't it?" Leah asked with a low voice. "They've been together for just about a year." She didn't see the shocked faces of the twins behind her as they exchanged looks, nor did she feel Fred stiffen behind her.

"It's normal in the magical community." Hermione answered looking from the couple back to her. "They all marry young."

"Huh." Leah pondered over it for a few seconds before shrugging. "I'll just go congratulate them then." She smiled and pushed herself of the ground making her way to the others.

"Do you think it's weird, Hermione?" George asked as he stroked her hair, getting her attention. Hermione turned a bit so she could look at the two confused faces above her.

"I'm used to it by now, since I've seen how this world works since I was eleven. But in the muggle world, especially nowadays, you date for a few years before getting married. Or not, I mean there are a lot of people I knew, and Leah stills knows that live together for years without getting married, even having children outside of marriage."

"Huh." George said looking from the couple to his twin, who shifted uncomfortable in his seat, clutching his pocket. Hermione didn't notice Fred's behaviour as she had stood up and walked to Percy. Leah made her way back to the twins, getting a safe cookie from the platter and hopped back down between Fred's legs. She leaned her head back to smile up at her boyfriend, but when she saw his look, she started to get worried, she went to open her mouth to ask what was wrong when Molly called out.

"Who's next?"

The rest of the morning was filled with the ripping of paper and opening boxes. Leah had giving Arthur tickets for the science museum in London and the Cambridge science centre, while she gifted Molly with her own personal cookbook where she could write in all of her own recipes. The two were over the moon with her present and hugged her tight. Hermione's eyes turned even larger than normal when she unwrapped her present, revealing a new leather briefcase.

Harry was a bit more difficult; she knew he didn't have a lot growing up, but now he had everything he needed and could buy everything he wanted. He started to laugh as he opened the small envelop, and took out a year subscription to the zoo. They had talked about his childhood, and he told the horrendous story about what happened when he finally had a day out in the zoo, right before he turned eleven. When he came over laughing and pulled her into a hug, she whispered. "I got one too. We can go together, make new memories." When Harry pulled back, she saw a few tears gather in his eyes, but he quickly tried to shake them away, not wanting to show the others how much it meant to him.

She didn't know the others Weasleys that well. She had been so busy with everything else; she hasn't had the time to get to really know them. But she was happy George went shopping with her to help her out. She got Ginny some new quidditch protection gear, while Charlie got a muggle book on dragon lore and fire protective jacket. She laughed as his eyebrows disappeared behind his hairline and started to mutter it was too much. She just waved him off as she saw Bill open his package with precision. When he put the golden pyramid in his hand, he looked to her with a quirked eyebrow.

"Since you're a big fancy curse breaker and all." She heard his wife, Fleur giggle next to him. "I thought you would like a puzzle."

"A puzzle?" Ron snorted. "What's the fun in that."

"Shut up, Ron." All his brothers called over.

"You need to put it in the right sequence of symbols for it to open up. When you find it, it will reveal your reward."

"Where did you find this?"

"George and I made it. And had a little help from Professor Babbling."

"So, that is one from me too." George added with a laugh.

"Thanks." Bill's grin wide before his eyes turned back to the pyramid with full fascination.

She got Ron a pair a sturdy leather boots that had spell repelled on it. He quickly discarded the note with the explanation on it as he pulled the boots on. "You should've read the card, Ron." She called over laughing as the boots started to attack his feet. All eyes turned to Ron and the boots in amusement and confusion. Leah rolled her eyes and waved her wand at the boots, making them stop biting Ron's ankles. "You need to put a charm on them, so they only listen to you." She explained as she waved her hand, and the piece of paper landed in his hand. Ron turned the paper around and started reading it carefully.

"You mean to say, they repel spells?" Ron gasped.

"Yes, I got the boots for you, Fred and I worked on the spells. Don't worry, he didn't do any funny business with them."

"It will repel most spells, like a sticking charm for example. But dark curses, that's something else." Fred's tone serious. Leah turned her head to look to him again, but he wouldn't face her, his gaze locked on his younger brother.

Percy got a brand-new fancy quill and pencil set with a leather-bound journal, while Odilia and Fleur got a simple necklace with a drop shaped pendant on it, that would change colours depending on their moods, that too she had worked on with the twins and they were going to start selling them in the new year. Her heart warmed with all the excited reactions she got from the Weasleys. She leaned herself back against the couch, when she suddenly jumped up, remembering the twins.

"Can't forget about you two now, can I?" She grinned as she picked up two gifts from under the tree. She had noticed George liked a lot of muggles drinks, like whiskey and scotch. So, she put together a package from the best liquor around Britain, all gathered in a wooden crate. "Wait." She put up her finger to George, when he went to put the crate down to hug her tight. "This one is for the both of you." She glanced from the excited George to the still gloomy Fred, who had watched his brother unpack his gift, his still closed on his lap. George raised an eyebrow as he took the small, thin package out of her hands.

"Is it a broom?" George joked as she shook the present near his ear. He opened the paper curiously and his eyes widened as he looked at the unwrapped present in his hands, a wide smile appearing on his face, even Fred leaned closer to have a better look.

"How?" Fred whispered, his eyes going from the package to her.

"It wasn't easy, but Hermione told me a bit more about that day when we were walking through the castle, passing the spot. And then I found Dennis. Dennis Creevey."

"Colin's little brother." The twins said.

"Yeah, he had all the photo's Colin took from his time there and even developed the last ones on his camera. And he gave this one to me."

"This is amazing." George's eyes scanning the photo. Leah clicked her tongue against her palate and tapped the picture once. It enlarged at least ten times the original size and the twins stood up, each holding one side of the frame and turned it so the others could see it. It was the day of the grand escape from Fred and George at Hogwarts. The twins high on their broom, laughing, surrounded by fireworks, while you saw the heads of the students below cheering.

"I thought we could hang it in the house."

"You're brilliant." Fred let the picture go and George quickly held the other side, Fred cupped her cheeks gently, before kissing her.

"You haven't opened your present, yet." She snickered against his lips. He gave her one last kiss and pulled her next to him on the couch. Leah felt relieved that he acted like his normal self again, but it still gnawed on her what was bothering him. But she shook away the feeling and turned her attention to Fred, while George went around the room to show everyone the enlarged picture.

Fred took a hand sized quidditch pitch out of the box and looked at her with a confused look. "Uhm, thank you?" He said unsure. Leah's grin just went wider and pulled him up from his seat, dragging him to the window. She pointed her wand at the tree line in front of her and she felt the rest of the Weasleys come closer behind them, all curious what this was about. The trees shifted so they suddenly had a clear view of six large quidditch goals post in the distance. Fred's eyes found hers, and her heart skipped a beat from the smile he gave her.

"You put up a quidditch pitch in your garden?"

"No." She said simply and chuckled at Fred's crestfallen face. "I put it in our garden."

"You-" He grumbled before pulling her back into his arms, kissing every inch of her face.

"How did we not see that?" George asked looked at the goalposts as he came up behind them.

"I wonder that myself, they've been standing there since last week." Harry laughed.

"You knew?" The twins turned to him.

"He helped me set them up, but Minerva helped me disguise them, because a simple disillusionment charm wasn't enough."

"You give the best gifts." George picked her up and twirled her around. "I can play too, right?"

"Yeah, you can play too." She rolled her eyes before stepping back into Fred's arms. She leaned her head on his shoulder and whispered. "You get another present when we're home." The way she whispered it against his neck, made his body shiver all over.