1 fic - challenge #84, "holiday traditions".
Title: Stay Warm
Rating/Warnings: G
Characters/Pairing: Ron Weasley, Harry Potter.
Summary: Another Christmas at Hogwarts, and another Weasley jumper.
Word Count: 770
Author's Notes: Here, have some fic.
Registered purchases?: Both registered.
“Not another one.”
Ron groans a little as he picks up the lumpy package wrapped in brown paper from the foot of his bed. He doesn’t have to open it to know what’s inside. It’s got his mum’s loopy handwriting on the front.
Merry Christmas Ronald!, it says. Stay warm!
Every stupid year, she wishes him to stay warm. He’s not sure if she thinks he spends most of his time outside buried in the snow instead of in by the roaring fires of the Gryffindor Common Room, because staying warm isn’t exactly a challenge at Hogwarts. He knows there are good intentions behind the present, and he knows that he’s being awfully ungrateful. It’s not as if she’s loaded like Harry is and can afford to buy him something better. It’s not like she’s just withholding fancier, more expensive gifts.
Harry looks up from amidst a pile of presents scattered atop his own bed. The nice thing is that even though Harry has significantly more money than Ron does, the two still get the same amount of presents.
“Another jumper?” Harry asks.
Ron nods and tugs on the brown shoestring holding the whole thing together. He feels like a no-good ingrate child, but is it really so bad to hope for one year where his mother doesn’t simultaneously embarrass him and remind him that they only have the money for wool?
“You’ve got one too,” Ron says, jerking his chin towards an identical lumpy package resting my Harry’s left foot.
Harry picks up the gift and smiles at the writing on the front. Harry is always more grateful for Mrs. Weasley’s presents than Ron is, which honestly makes Ron feel like a little shit. If Harry had grown up getting these presents every year for his entire life, he’d be resentful too, Ron thinks.
Harry pulls an infamous Weasley jumper out from the brown paper wrapping. “Oh, it’s nice,” he says with a grin, and holds it up for Ron to see. This sweater has an H knitted on the back below the collar, and the front features a giant golden snitch. It’s emerald green, as Harry’s jumpers always are, and Ron makes a face.
“Yeah, well, she always makes yours nicer than she does her own kids, doesn’t she?” he says, unwrapping his own jumper. It’s maroon with an orange R knitted smack-dab in the middle.
“Oh, yours isn’t so bad,” Harry says.
“I get the same jumper every year!” Ron moans. “The only thing that changes is the size. And she knows I hate maroon.”
Harry’s already pulled his jumper on over his pajamas. His hair sticks up at an odd angle in the back, and his glasses have been knocked askew. Combine that with the grin that’s spread over his face, and Ron thinks he looks rather mental.
“Look,” Harry says. He climbs off his bed and pads over to Ron, picking up Ron’s jumper. “Your mum takes the time to knit nine sweaters every year. She even makes ones for Hermione and me, and we aren’t her kids. And that’s pretty great. She’s a great mum, Ron.” Harry’s voice softens. “I’d give anything to have a mum who makes ugly jumpers for my friends and me.”
Ron sort of feels like someone’s punched him in the gut. He forgets, sometimes, how selfish it is to complain about his mother to Harry. He forgets that while Harry has many, many more material things than Ron does, Ron has something Harry can never actually have - a mother.
Ron keeps his eyes downcast as he pulls the jumper on over his pajama top. It fits perfectly - somehow, even though his mum hasn’t seen him in four months, she always knows what size he’s going to be. The maroon and orange clash with his hair and his skin; he doesn’t have to look in a mirror to know that. But somehow it doesn’t feel like that big of a deal, this time.
“It looks great, mate,” Harry says helpfully, and Ron looks down at the R printed across his chest. A little piece of gold yarn pokes out from the center, and he can’t help but smile.
“Yeah,” Ron agrees, “it does.”
He wears the jumper to Christmas dinner in the Great Hall that day, smiling around at Fred and George in their navy sweaters, Ginny in her white, and Hermione in her first Weasley jumper - a soft pink. Maybe the jumpers aren’t so ugly after all, he thinks.
That year, he even sends a thank-you note.
The jumper’s great, Mum, thank you. I promise I’ll stay warm.
end.
770 words/30 = 25.6 26
+ 10 points for bonus items
= 36 points for Hufflepuff!
Janna/Hufflepuff
Rating/Warnings: G
Characters/Pairing: Ron Weasley, Harry Potter.
Summary: Another Christmas at Hogwarts, and another Weasley jumper.
Word Count: 770
Author's Notes: Here, have some fic.
Registered purchases?: Both registered.
“Not another one.”
Ron groans a little as he picks up the lumpy package wrapped in brown paper from the foot of his bed. He doesn’t have to open it to know what’s inside. It’s got his mum’s loopy handwriting on the front.
Merry Christmas Ronald!, it says. Stay warm!
Every stupid year, she wishes him to stay warm. He’s not sure if she thinks he spends most of his time outside buried in the snow instead of in by the roaring fires of the Gryffindor Common Room, because staying warm isn’t exactly a challenge at Hogwarts. He knows there are good intentions behind the present, and he knows that he’s being awfully ungrateful. It’s not as if she’s loaded like Harry is and can afford to buy him something better. It’s not like she’s just withholding fancier, more expensive gifts.
Harry looks up from amidst a pile of presents scattered atop his own bed. The nice thing is that even though Harry has significantly more money than Ron does, the two still get the same amount of presents.
“Another jumper?” Harry asks.
Ron nods and tugs on the brown shoestring holding the whole thing together. He feels like a no-good ingrate child, but is it really so bad to hope for one year where his mother doesn’t simultaneously embarrass him and remind him that they only have the money for wool?
“You’ve got one too,” Ron says, jerking his chin towards an identical lumpy package resting my Harry’s left foot.
Harry picks up the gift and smiles at the writing on the front. Harry is always more grateful for Mrs. Weasley’s presents than Ron is, which honestly makes Ron feel like a little shit. If Harry had grown up getting these presents every year for his entire life, he’d be resentful too, Ron thinks.
Harry pulls an infamous Weasley jumper out from the brown paper wrapping. “Oh, it’s nice,” he says with a grin, and holds it up for Ron to see. This sweater has an H knitted on the back below the collar, and the front features a giant golden snitch. It’s emerald green, as Harry’s jumpers always are, and Ron makes a face.
“Yeah, well, she always makes yours nicer than she does her own kids, doesn’t she?” he says, unwrapping his own jumper. It’s maroon with an orange R knitted smack-dab in the middle.
“Oh, yours isn’t so bad,” Harry says.
“I get the same jumper every year!” Ron moans. “The only thing that changes is the size. And she knows I hate maroon.”
Harry’s already pulled his jumper on over his pajamas. His hair sticks up at an odd angle in the back, and his glasses have been knocked askew. Combine that with the grin that’s spread over his face, and Ron thinks he looks rather mental.
“Look,” Harry says. He climbs off his bed and pads over to Ron, picking up Ron’s jumper. “Your mum takes the time to knit nine sweaters every year. She even makes ones for Hermione and me, and we aren’t her kids. And that’s pretty great. She’s a great mum, Ron.” Harry’s voice softens. “I’d give anything to have a mum who makes ugly jumpers for my friends and me.”
Ron sort of feels like someone’s punched him in the gut. He forgets, sometimes, how selfish it is to complain about his mother to Harry. He forgets that while Harry has many, many more material things than Ron does, Ron has something Harry can never actually have - a mother.
Ron keeps his eyes downcast as he pulls the jumper on over his pajama top. It fits perfectly - somehow, even though his mum hasn’t seen him in four months, she always knows what size he’s going to be. The maroon and orange clash with his hair and his skin; he doesn’t have to look in a mirror to know that. But somehow it doesn’t feel like that big of a deal, this time.
“It looks great, mate,” Harry says helpfully, and Ron looks down at the R printed across his chest. A little piece of gold yarn pokes out from the center, and he can’t help but smile.
“Yeah,” Ron agrees, “it does.”
He wears the jumper to Christmas dinner in the Great Hall that day, smiling around at Fred and George in their navy sweaters, Ginny in her white, and Hermione in her first Weasley jumper - a soft pink. Maybe the jumpers aren’t so ugly after all, he thinks.
That year, he even sends a thank-you note.
The jumper’s great, Mum, thank you. I promise I’ll stay warm.
end.
770 words/30 = 25.6 26
+ 10 points for bonus items
= 36 points for Hufflepuff!
Janna/Hufflepuff