RP: Weasley Family Christmas

[shh_molly]

Date: 25 December 2004, early evening.
Characters: Molly & the clan.
Location: Molly's tent on the Burrow's property.
Status: Private.
Summary: Weasley Family Christmas Supper!
Completion: Incomplete.

Comments

[shh_ron]

Ron was in a very good mood on Christmas evening. He'd had a good weekend, first at the trio's Christmas dinner Friday night, then catching up with Harry the next night, and finally that morning when he, Hermione and Harry exchanged gifts. He decided to dress up a bit more than usual and wore two items Hermione gave him: a pair of natty brown trousers and a brown-and-blue plaid button-down shirt. It was about as dressed up as he ever got without wearing wizarding dress robes. It was his family, after all; who was going to dress up, really, other than Fleur and maybe Ginny.

Hermione came down the stairs, dressed in a nice pair of jeans and a pale jumper. Ron thought she looked great, but really, she always did, no matter what she wore. She'd grown up into a pretty woman, whether or not she realised or admitted it herself. No wonder blokes like Roger and Cedric were attracted to her. Harry joined Ron and Hermione a moment later, looking a bit tired. Ron suspected he was making an appearance at the Weasley dinner because he'd promised to go, mostly for Molly's sake. But it wouldn't surprise Ron if Harry was quiet and kept to himself most of the night.

"Okay, let's get going," said Ron as the three of them left the house and Hermione reset the wards. Harry hadn't been to Ron's mum's tent yet, so he held onto Hermione's arm as she Disapparated. Ron followed them and a few moments later saw them standing outside the tent, waiting for him.

"The food smells great, doesn't it? Looks like Mum outdid herself again," he said, leading the way into the tent.

[shh_hermione]

After staring at the rather meager contents of her wardrobe, Hermione finally decided on a simple pair of brown trousers and a pale jumper. She also wore her comfy boots that she'd worn to Lockhart's party.

When she went downstairs, she saw that Ron was wearing some of the new clothes that 'Saint Nick' bought him. He looked very handsome, as did Harry; though, the latter looked a bit tired. She squeezed his hand and arched a brow, silently asking if he was certain he wanted to go. He smiled, so she trusted that he felt okay.

They arrived at Molly's tent and followed Ron inside. There were already a few people there, and she casually checked for charms before she relaxed slightly. She saw Bill and Fleur, Ginny and a bloke she didn't recognize, a younger girl that was probably Fleur's sister, and Fred already there. It wasn't too crowded yet, thankfully, and she knew most of them. Still, she had that pressure that crowds always seemed to cause when confined to smaller space, so she carefully made her way to a corner to watch quietly.

[shh_ron]

Once inside the tent, Ron looked around to see who'd already arrived. Bill was there with Fleur, who looked stunning, as usual. There was a younger blonde woman too; Ron suspected she was Fleur's younger sister, Gabrielle. Ron hadn't seen her since Fleur and Bill's wedding; she'd certainly grown up nicely. He quickly banished that thought, not sure it would be a good idea to stare at his brother's wife's younger sister. Fred was there too, looking very sharp.

Ron looked around to find his mother and saw her talking with a bloke whose hair marked him as "not Weasley" but who looked very familiar. Ron realised it was his work mate, Jack Sloper. He wondered why Jack would be at a Weasley family dinner.

Then it hit him.

Jack's here with Ginny.

That was the only possible answer.

"Hermione," he hissed, "you see Ginny over there? And that bloke standing near her? That's Jack. Jack Sloper. He built the owl barn with me and Roger. He must be here with Ginny."

Ginny and Jack must be together. If Jack did anything to hurt her...A vein in his temple started to throb.

[shh_hermione]

"What?" she hissed back, leaning closer to Ron to hear what he was whispering. She looked over and saw Ginny looking very pretty in a fancy black dress unlike anything she'd ever owned. She glanced down at her trousers and jumper and suddenly felt very underdressed. She looked back up when Ron mentioned the unknown bloke.

"That's nice," she said slowly, not sure why that news required hissing whispers and Ron starting to glare...oh, bugger. "Ron, Ginny is a grown woman, and you, yourself, have said that Jack is a nice bloke. Roger wouldn't work with him if he wasn't a decent sort. Take a deep breath, count to ten, and be glad that he's come to meet your mum instead of indulging in some casual intimate relationship with her like, oh, say you and Lavender."

"Besides, you can't just come home after seven years and be a protective older brother when you've not even seen Ginny since we arrived in town," she reminded quietly. "Just be there if she needs you and kick his arse if he hurts her."

[shh_ron]

Half-listening as Hermione advised him, Ron continued to glare in the direction of Jack and Ginny, then turned his glare on Hermione when she mentioned Lavender. "It bloody well better not be some 'casual intimate relationship' if she's brought him to meet Mum at Christmas," he grumbled. "'S all I'm sayin'..." Obviously he, Ron, hadn't even considered bringing Lavender to the family Christmas dinner. That was a totally different situation. Besides, how long could Jack and Ginny have known each other? A couple months?

"Well, that just... don't go taking her side now...no need to remind me," he babbled, totally flustered. He and Hermione didn't argue often these days, but he still hated when she was right. He sighed. "Yeah, well. He damn well better not hurt her, or he'll wish he'd never met her or me."

Anxious to change the subject, Ron looked around again and saw George with Katie Bell. By all appearances she was George's date, not there merely as his friend. Ron smiled.

Well, that took them long enough.

"Look," he nudged Hermione and Harry. "George and Katie. Together. Like, on a date." He gave them a smug grin. "I knew it. I could tell at Katie's birthday party. Always suspectd George fancied her."

[shh_ron]

Ron kept an eye on Ginny and Jack for a few moments, noticing how happy they seemed to be in each other's company. Just watching them together eased his doubts. He liked Jack; though he didn't know the other man well, Ron thought of Jack as a salt of the earth kind of bloke. And he fancied Gin enough to brave a Weasley Christmas dinner, which would be fairly frightening to an outsider, even a Gryffindor.

Suddenly feeling parched, he said to Harry and Hermione, "I'm going to the kitchen and get something to drink. I'll be back soon."