Family Planning

Chapter Thirty-Eight

The delicious aroma of Molly Weasley’s Christmas feast was swimming through the air of The Burrow. Hermione breathed in the familiar scent of roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, roasted potatoes, and numerous other delicious foods. Molly Weasley made enough food on Christmas day to feed America’s entire military. She was currently in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the spread.

“Hey!” James said, walking out of the backyard, “Where have you guys been? We’ve been here since two o’clock! It’s five now!”

Pansy walked out of the kitchen, “James! Where are your manners? You need to greet people politely!”

“Sorry Mum,” he said sheepishly, “Let me start over. Hello, how are you? Where have you been?”

Pansy just shook her head before greeting the family, and taking their coats to hang up. She then returned to the kitchen with Narcissa in tow, the blond woman said that she was going to see if Molly needed any help.

The twins promptly disappeared into the garden, with Hermione warning them not to ruining their clothes. Draco, throughout the entire thing, was looking around the house with a strange expression on his face.

“Are you okay?” Hermione asked, placing a hand on his shoulder softly.

Draco turned his head towards her, “I’m fine, I just never had a Christmas like this before.”

Hermione’s heart broke. She never thought of how bad Draco’s Christmas’s were, but thinking about it, she knew that there might of been a tall tree, that had been decorated to perfection by the best tree decorators that money could buy. Draco might have gotten expensive, but meaningless gifts. That’s what Hermione thought Christmas in the Malfoy household, during the time Lucius Malfoy was alive, was probably like. Or it might have been worse.

“Well, you’ll get one now.” She forced a smile onto her face.

The moment was interrupted by a loud, shrill voice yelling, “TIME FOR SUPPER!” and a bell ringing along with it. The sound echoed the property.

Every single person in the house piled into the dining room. As a present to their mother, after the War, the Weasley children had teamed up a paid for renovations to the home so that the kitchen and dining room could be expanded to suit the family’s needs. It could now fit all of the people they invited for the holidays.

Jake, Lea, and James’s eyes widened at the sight of the food piled on the table. It looked better than any Hogwarts feast, because of the fact that everything was cooked by hand, and not by magic. Jake and James’s mouth was watering at the sight of food.

Everyone took their seats, and began to eat; different conversations could be heard from all around the table.

“Victoire! Give me back my plate!”

“Arthur, did you put all of your muggle things away?”

“The Ministry is in rebuilding! I’m being appointed the Head of the Minister’s Office!”

“You promised that you’d get me the new Butterbeer CD! But you didn’t!

“I want candy!”

Once the feast had been finished, the dishes were cleared, and the families made their way to the Family room, to open gifts. It took some time to get everyone organized, but in the end, Hermione was seated on the couch, with Draco’s head rested on her legs. While the kids had somehow all squashed themselves on a sofa, and the rest of the adults found places to sit, with the helpful help of magic.

Every person in the room got a traditional Weasley jumper; Draco’s was a deep midnight blue, while Hermione’s was a light green. Lea and Jake both got matching indigo coloured sweaters. Molly had even taken the time to knit Narcissa a purple sweater, which Narcissa thanked Molly profusely for.