AMOR FATI . . . fred weasley

X. MERRY... KISS-MAS?

    His mention of Santa Claus suddenly gives her a brilliant idea. 'Ooo, should we wait up for Santa this year? Or see if we can catch him? Please please please!'

    Both twins stare at her with amusement. George, she kids you not, even takes off his reading glasses to laugh. Rude. 'Joeypoos,' Fred begins, 'y'know he's not actually real, right?'

    She shoves both fingers in her ears. 'La la la, I'm not listening.'

    'Don't worry, Annie, I wouldn't wanna listen to them either,' comes a voice from the door, and Joey squawks with excitement as she leaps from the table to him.

    When Bill hugs her, it's dead cute, because he always lifts her up and spins her around a little. She knows it's silly, but in his hug, she feels safe. It's like, Joey has spent her whole life being an older sister - even though Matthew was her twin, and with Ced, they were kind of equal - but finally, it's like she has a big brother looking out for her. It's super-duper lovely.

    'Will you wear a Santa hat, Billy? Fred won't.

    'Of course I will,' Bill beams, shoving it on over his long hair as Fred opens his mouth to protest. 'Fred's just being horrible. As per usual.'

    'Are you quite finished bullying us, William? Shame on you!' George gasps, acting as if he's physically hurt. Drama queen.

    'Yep, for now. Mum just wanted me to let you know dinner's ready.'

    'Best get rid of these then, Georgie,' Fred says cheerfully, gesturing at the parchments.

    'Right you are, Freddie,' and with a wave of their wands it's like their business stuff was never there. As if by magic, who'd have thought!

    The dining room does look brilliant, actually, as they all settle down to dinner. Sirius has been decorating - with Joey's help, of course! - and so the whole house looks incredible, all joyful. There's magical snow everywhere, which is so exciting for when they'll inevitably have an indoor snowball fight (and it means she can make snow angels at any time), and a Christmas tree decorated with live fairies. She'll say that again, so you can properly catch her excitement: live flipping fairies!

    Sirius comes wandering in carrying the dinner, looking hilarious in a 'Kiss the cook' apron and loudly warbling the same verse of 'God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriff' over and over again. Joey carefully places all her cards to one side and sits straight back down in her usual seat, with the twins on either side and Bill and Frances, who winks at her from across the table, opposite.

    It's weird without Arthur interrogating her about why Muggles use different sized spoons for different foods, almost unnaturally quiet, somehow. She's almost grateful when the twins spark up an argument about the fact that they're not allowed to drink Frances' Firewhisky at the table - which Joey also finds outrageous, but you don't hear her grumbling about it, do you? (OK, yes, you do. What can she say, she does love a bit of Firewhisky! But she wouldn't have the nerve to ask for it at the dinner table, that's for sure.)

    'Alcohol is for adults only,' Molly says firmly, in the type of tone that is all, Boys-don't-mess-with-me-I-swear! Joey recognises because usually you hear it just before the three of them get into huge trouble... Whoopsie-daisies!

    'But we are adults now!' Fred cries. Hmm, debatable.

    Sirius chuckles. 'Oh, come on, Molly-'

    'No! Oh, if your father was here to see this...'

    He'd probably encourage them, asking me what Muggles like to drink, Joey thinks, but she's too much of a scaredy-cat to say it out loud. Obviously!