"Some Christmas this is," Molly mutters. "Hey happy Christmas! Here's some breakfast, and Dom screaming at Vic, and Teddy chasing after Vic through the forest. And just when you thought it was over, here's Fred and James tearing each other's throats out!"
Lucy, Lily Hugo, and Theo are sitting on the ground playing a muggle card game that Hugo taught them. Annie is sitting in front of Molly, who is braiding her hair. Rose and Ophelia are sitting in a corner far away from everyone else which leaves Albus and I sitting on the piano bench. I'm pressing the keys mindlessly, half playing a song I learned years ago, half just distracting me from what just happened.
"Did you know? What Freddie did?" Albus says quietly to me.
I shake my head, "No one tells me anything. I always find out when it's too late and people are killing each other."
The front door opens, "Hello, hello, hello my favourite Weasleys!" Uncle Walter's voice sings throughout the house.
I jump off the bench and run over to him, "Uncle Wally!" I shout and throw my arms around him for a big hug.
"Hey, bug! Happy Christmas!" He hugs me tight and moves out of the doorway so Uncle Lee and their kids Gilbert and Jordan can come in. I give uncle Lee a hug too. Technically they aren't my uncles. Like by blood. They're some of mum and dad's best friends from Hogwarts, just like my auntie Em is.
I give Gilbert and Jordan hugs too before they rush off to join the younger kids. Jordan's name is actually Beatrice but she hates the name with a passion so she makes everyone call her Jordan, one of her last names.
"Where's your mum and dad Cass?" Uncle Lee asks after he hugs Nan and takes Uncle Walter's coat for him.
"Upstairs with Freddie," Theo says mindlessly from the living room. "Freddie got in a fight with James."
Uncle Lee and Uncle Walter look at each other. "Right then. Molly darling do you need any help in the kitchen?" Uncle Lee goes over to Nan and she starts giving him jobs to do so dinner can be ready on time.
Mum comes down the stairs, "Walter, looking as awful as always." She says smiling.
"LeStrange, not looking much better yourself."
Mum throws herself into Uncle Walter's arms and they hug and sway back and forth for what seems like forever. I wish I could have a friendship like that. The only friends I've got are the ones I'm related to or Darcy.
Mum and Uncle Walter whisper some things to each other and head outside.
Freddie comes down the stairs next, with Dad close behind him. He looks like he's been run over by a truck. No one says anything to anyone as Freddie sits on the couch in the living room.
I sit back down on the piano bench and start playing some muggle Christmas song I heard a long time ago.
In about an hour or so Uncle Walter and Mum come back from where ever they went, along with Uncle Draco and Scorpius. Instantly Albus and Scorpius go off to talk and hang out leaving me alone again.
"What's wrong with you?" Ophelia says, sitting down on the bench beside me.
I scoff, "I really don't want to talk to you right now Ophelia."
"Why? Cause our brother is an idiot?"
I stop hitting the piano keys and look at her, "Because you're the reason he looks like he's been run over by a truck. Honestly, you've got to learn to shut your mouth." I snap at her.
She looks shocked and I cannot for the life of me figure out why that is. "Fine then. I'll leave you alone I guess."
Slowly the tension in the room fades away. I start playing real songs and everyone starts to sing and talk and be merry. James is on the opposite side of the room to Freddie, both of them glaring at each other like their life depends on it. But Aunt Gin has got James on a short leash by the looks of things. Wherever Aunt Gin goes, James follows behind. Which means that he's been in the kitchen a bunch helping Aunt Audrey, Mum. Nan, Aunt Gin, and Uncle Lee with dinner.
"Hey, darlings! Sorry, we're late. Someone couldn't figure out what jeans they wanted to wear." Auntie Em says coming through the door.
"Mum was that really necessary?" Darcy groans.
I watch as Mum goes over and gives Auntie Em a massive hug, Dad gets up and gives her a big hug too. Before Darcy can come to sit down beside me Nan rings the dinner bell and everyone jumps.
"Hey, Cass," Darcy says coming over to me in the big line for food.
"Hey, Darcy," I say awkwardly.
"Uh, happy Christmas."
I nod, "Yeah, Happy Christmas."
"God you two are awful at conversations," Louis says from behind us.
I turn around and glare at him but he and Freddie just laugh. That's when Darcy sees just how jacked up Fred looks.
Turning back around Darcy and I stand awkwardly beside each other, "What happened there?" he says.
"Freddie kissed James' girlfriend and Ophelia told him." I look at Darcy and he's half-smiling, "What?"
"You people can't even do Christmas without violence." He starts laughing to himself and soon the both of us are giggling together.
By the time Darcy and I get our food, the main table in the living room is full. Mum, Dad, Uncle Lee, Uncle Walter, and Auntie Em are drinking butterbeer and talking loudly about god knows what.
Darcy and I decide it would be best to sit on the stairs, out of the way of everyone. "It's awkward between us." He says after a moment.
I take a bite of my mashed potatoes, "It's not awkward." I say very quickly.
"It's been awkward ever since I said that I told my mum about our date."
I look at him, "That's on me I think."
"I mean, I'd rather you be my best friend again then be something else." Darcy pushes his green beans around on his plate. "Not that like... anyways."
"No, I get it. I uh, I'd rather have you as a best friend too. At least for now, I think. I don't think I'm ready to go on dates and hold hands and stuff."
Neither of us says anything but it's not awkward anymore. Darcy nudges me with his shoulder after a bit. He goes to say something but he's interrupted by Victoire and Teddy coming into the kitchen from outside.
"Sorry, we missed the beginning of dinner." Teddy mumbles. He looks like he's been crying and Victoire doesn't look any better. Aunt Fleur and Dominique still aren't here.
"Seriously what the fuck did I miss?" Darcy whispers.
I laugh, "Beats me honestly."
Once everyone is fed to Nans standards she starts to hand out her handmade sweaters. How she's managed to make all of them I'll never understand it. Each of us, including those not blood related, get an awful sweater with our initial in the front of it.
"Think you gave me the wrong G there mum," Dad says holding up a small, bright red sweater with a gold G in the middle.
"Oh dear, that's Ginny's sweater. So sorry Georgie darling." Nan goes to take it from Dad but he's already got his tee-shirt off and is pulling the sweater over his head. It stops about the middle of his torso, right above his belly button. Everyone starts laughing as he stands up and strikes a few poses.
"I think it looks fantastic." He says happily. "And isn't this what everyone is going on about now? How men should wear crop tops and things. Violet darling, don't I look good?"
Mum laughs, "You're beautiful darling." She says back to him. Dad leans down and pecks her on the lips. Nan is still fussing about the whole thing.
Darcy unwraps his and pulls it over his head. It's a hideous shade of bright yellow with a baby blue D in the center of it. "Go on Cass, everyone else is doing it."
Sure enough, everyone now has their sweater on. None of them is the same colour combination. It looks like someone threw up an entire wax crayon box in here. I already know what colour mine is going to be before I even get it open. Black with a white C in the center. Nan used to make me and Ophelia matching lime green ones with black letters but once we started to show our personalities more she changed it up.
I notice that Aunt Fleur and Dominique have managed to sneak into the house and put on their sweaters without being seen by anyone by the looks of things. I don't even think that anyone really noticed that the two of them weren't around cause when Aunt Fleur shouts for a family picture like she does every year no one bats an eye.
Mum gives Nan the sweater that she's made for her. That started when Mum and Dad got back together after the war, Nan never had her own sweaters so mum learned how to knit so Nan would have one. But it's changed from having an M in the middle for Molly to having an N for Nanna. Same with Pops, instead of an A he's got a P.
Everyone squishes into the kitchen, Aunt Fleur stands in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, directing us where to stand and things. All the kids have to sit on the dining table for things to work. Annie, Theo, Lucy, Jordan, Gilbert, Lily, Hugo in the very front of the table, then me, Leah, Rose, Darcy, Albus, Scorpius, Freddie, Louis, and James further back. Dom, Molly, Teddy, and Vic get to stand with the rest of the adults.
"The two broken boys try to hide your faces please?" Aunt Fleur calls which makes everyone laugh. Once she's happy with how it looks she sets up the camera and sets the timer. She then scurries over to Uncle Bill and wraps herself in his arms.
"Happy Christmas!" She shouts.
Everyone shouts it back,
"Happy Christmas!"
click!