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_ginny]

Ginny apparated into her living room and made a beeline for the bathroom, dropping her jacket onto her overstuffed armchair as she passed it. Ten minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom wrapped in towels and crossed to her armoire and trucks. Pulling out a simple black dress, she slipped it on and dug around in her trunk for her favorite pair of shoes.After a minute, she found them and slipped them on before returning to the bathroom to fix her hair

[shh_jack]

He glanced at his watch for the eighth time that minute, before blinking and shaking his head in frustration. Ginny had told him to be there in about five minutes, and every second seemed to be slipping away far too fast for his liking, time itself seeming to mock him with its celerity. He'd showered, shaved and dress in a simple, pale blue shirt, black trousers and his smart shoes, forgoing his boots for today. With a sigh, he stared at the wall, starting when he realised Kali had landed just behind his shoulder and was nudging his cheek.

Christ, two minutes left, when did that happen.He knew he was working himself into a panic, but really, this situation was a bit extreme. He wouldn't just be meeting her mother, but also her other sibling (of course, he'd known Fred and George and he knew Ron, but not very well. Bill he'd need to speak with regarding the Ginny thing), their girlfriends, and whoever else came along. He didn't know if he was ready for it, but he had promised Ginny, and in truth it was nice to have somewhere to go on

[shh_ginny]

"... and I..." Ginny tilted her head up, feeling the wards tingle with the signature of 'not family' clearly and she was setting her wine glass down as her voice faded away, glancing up at her mum's kitchen clock. Biting her bottom lip nervously, she said. "Jack's here, mum. I'm just going to go out and meet him. Be back in a jif."

Disapparating to the wardline, Ginny smiled as she took in his clothes, so out of character for Jack, and Kali perched on his shoulder. Smoothing her dress she clicked her tongue sharply, grinning as she spoke. "There's a perch in the kitchen, Kali. Make yourself at home."

Closing the distance between them, her heart thumped harder as she curled her arms around his neck, leaning up to press a soft kiss to his lips. She winked mischievously, "Hey Jack. Thought I'd come out and walk you over. It's just Mum at the moment but the other's will filter in soon. Always good to have solid ground before the boys arrive, gives you the advantage."

[shh_jack]

...because the thing is, even if you miss the hexes, they'll get you with the...good GOD, what is she wearing?

Guh...et tu, Brute?

"Ginny, hey," He said, after forcing himself to close his mouth and stop looking at her...very shapely figure she cast in that stunning dress. "You look fantastic." He smiled as she kissed him, her warms arms wrapping themselves around his neck, resting lightly on his shoulders. "Merry Christmas, love." He said, his heart thudding painfully quickly as she winked at him.

Hey...hey Jack...

What?

Remember the last time she wore a dress like that?

Oh for fuck's sake...besides, the other one was red.

He cursed his inner voice, making a note to get a lobotomy at the earliest opportunity. Clearing his throat, he had to stop staring at her again before his faculties returned to him, and he shifted the objects in his hands, Kali taking off to soar the thermals and wide, open space of the Burrow grounds.

Traitor."I um, I didn't know what your mum would like, so I just got a bottle of..." He trailed off,

[shh_bill]

Bill watched Fleur run around their bedroom with mild amusement. She always dressed to kill at family functions no matter how many times he'd told her that she didn't have to. Dress nice, yes, dress to give heart palpitations, not necessary. "Come on love, you look absolutely stunning as usual, so let's go yeah?" he said standing from where he had been sitting on the bed. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her gently but firmly to keep her from moving.

She finally relaxed in his arms and nodded. He kissed her deeply as he Apparated them just outside the family wards and walked down to his mother's tent with his arm wrapped around her waist. "Hello all!" he called out holding the flap aside for Fleur to step in front of him.

[shh_gabrielle]

Gabrielle had sworn to herself she wasn't going to go. She had resolved beyond a doubt, with no exceptions and no extenuating circumstances, that she was going to stay far, far away from the Weasley tent, no matter what.

No matter what.

Of course, the minute she'd come to this conclusion, she'd set out for said tent, stalking the outside of it and having a raging inward debate as to whether or not she should go in. It was something she'd been invited to, but... there were going to be people there, and not marks she could pickpocket, but actual people she'd be expected to socialize with. It would please Fleur but... did Gabrielle really care about that anymore

[shh_jack]

Jack glanced up, along with the rest of the room, at Bill and Fleur's entrance. Excusing himself from making small talk with Molly...who'd actually not turned out to be a Nazi-style prison guard type, contrary to his worst nightmare, but a very warm, open woman, and made his way over to the pair. The last time he'd seen Bill had been the poker game, and although he'd meant for them to get together again, he'd had very little time for himself and Gin, let alone for relaxation. Approaching the two, he caught their eye before he spoke, not wanting to startle them or otherwise provoke what he had the horrible feeling was rapidly becoming a delicate situation, if Granger and Ron's eyes lingering on the back of his head were any indication.

He ain't gonna be happy.

No! No he isn't!

"Bill, Fleur," He said, outstretching his hand towards the eldest Weasley and smiling warmly as he did so, as he put Ron's glare out of his mind for a moment. "Merry Christmas, nice to see you again."

[shh_fred]

Fred apparated onto the property, already salivating at the thought of his mother's home cooked meal. He looked forward to the Christmas meal all year - well, the meal, and seeing his family, of course. And the presents.

As he entered the tent, he looked around to see who had already arrived. Not very many... He hoped that everyone could come; he knew his mother would be very disappointed if they couldn't. The family didn't quite get to see enough of each other, and he knew his mum took it hardest of all. Fred nodded his hello to everyone who'd arrived already, noting Fleur's sister hiding in the corner. It didn't look like the poor girl wanted any attention, though, so he directed his greetings towards the rest of the family.

[shh_molly]

Molly stopped mid-sentence in her quizing of Ginny and rushed over to Fred.

"Fred! Fred, look at you!" she cried, throwing her arms about him. "But, dear you're wasting away! Are you taller? My word, you've grown!" She pulled back and cupped his face, pulling him down to kiss him once, soundly, on each cheek. "It's hardly decent, you being so tall and having so little meat on you. You're not eating properly, I can tell."

[shh_fred]

Fred hugged her back before sighing dramatically with one hand on his hardly-wasted-away stomach.

"It's true, mum. I'm starving. George has abandoned me - I've been reduced to rummaging through rubbish to find food. Thank goodness for the Christmas meal or I might not have made it."

[shh_molly]

"Don't tease me, dear," Molly scolded, swatting at his arm lightly. "A mother knows." She smiled at him widely, chuffed as ever to see him. "Lucky for you I've made the most marvelous pudding. Sausages in from Wales, even, or at least that's what they told me at the shop. You never know, though, do you?"

[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

[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

[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_george]

George apparated with Katie into the yard. He was dressed casually in jeans and his Weasley sweater. He couldn't resist wearing it for old times sake. He had a large grin on his face looking forward to spending the day with family and Katie.

Katie had brought flowers for Mum and he had baked some banana nut bread. He slipped his arm from around Katie's waist and interlaced his fingers with hers.

He saw that Fred, Bill, and Ginny had already arrived and waved at them. He turned to Katie and said, "Want to go leave the flowers somewhere inside with the bread?"

[shh_katie]

"I think I'd prefer to leave them with your mum herself, considering she's the one I'm trying to impress," Katie replied with quiet laugh. "I doubt your brother's will care I brought a bouquet." Holding the flowers she had brought for George's mother, she glanced around the room. It seemed most of the Weasley family had arrived, including a few friends and such milling about.

She recongized quite a few of those there, but not everyone. Katie took a deep breath and steeled herself, although she knew she was likely making more out of the evening than she should. That wasn't stopping her nerves from taking over however.

She was going to pull her hand from George's, but for the moment decided she needed the contact. Trying to make it look like she wasn't bracing for battle, she turned to George. "It looks like nearly everyone made it," Katie commented mildly. "At least judging by the numbers."

[shh_george]

"You don't need to impress my Mum," George told her. "You impress me and that's what matters." George knew Katie was nervous about tonight although he wasn't completely sure why.

George looked around the crowd. "Yea it is getting pretty crowded. Although considering Mum filled my invite with lots of family guilt and I'm sure she did the same with the rest of the clan. I think it was really important for her that we all show up here tonight. Lets walk around and look for her. I want to make sure and say hello." He finished as he and Katie went looking for Molly.

[shh_fred]

Fred walked over towards George and Katie, who looked oddly petrified. He put on his best, non-threatening smile - George had threatened him severely, and somehow he figured it was in his interest to be on his best behavior.

"George, Katie," Fred said politely. He could do this. No teasing. "How is your evening?"

He had also seen Ginny and some fellow across the room - he was curious...

"Do you happen to know who accompanied Ginny to dinner?"

He was so all over this 'acting nice' thing.