RP: Christmas Dinner

[shh_molly]

Date: December 25th, 2005
Character(s): Molly Weasley, family members and others
Location: The Burrow
Status: Public
Summary: Molly hosts Christmas dinner at the re-built Burrow
Completion: Incomplete

Comments

[shh_ron]

Ron was glad it was finally Christmas. Three days earlier, he and Lavender finally gave up on the house, which was freezing and getting more frozen by the day, and went to stay with his mother at the Burrow. Unfortunately this required them to sleep in separate bedrooms, which was no problem for his mum, as she now had plenty of room in the house with all the kids living on their own. For Ron, though (and he suspected as much for Lavender too) it was a bit of a hardship; they'd just moved into their own house but, thanks to the cold snap, hadn't managed to sleep in their own bedroom yet. And with only one bed in the Burrow big enough for two people, and that belonging to Molly Weasley, Ron and Lavender had been forced to sleep apart; he was in his old room while she was sleeping in Ginny's.

Still, at least they were living under the same roof, which they hadn't been a month ago, and that was a Christmas gift in itself.

"I'd like a drink, Mum, thanks," he said, the smell of dinner making his stomach rumble a bit.

[shh_molly]

Molly smiled, wiping her hands on one of her festive tea towels and going into the living room to see her guests. There was a lovely fire crackling away and the whole house seemed lovely and Christmassy to Molly; she'd even hung a sprig of mistletoe in the doorway of the kitchen, wanting to indulge any young lovers.

She'd already had a glass of sherry as she prepared the vegetables, so was feeling nice and cosy inside, too. "And what would you like, sweetheart? I've got some wine or beer or... well, anything you like, really!"

[shh_ron]

"Think I'll have some wine today," said Ron, eyeing the mistletoe as he stood in the living room. His mother must know it was there; he hadn't hung it up, and he was pretty sure Lavender hadn't either. His lips quirked in a half-smile as he imagined Molly directing the mistletoe to a spot where just about everyone attending dinner would have to pass at some time during the day.

"Nice job, Mum," he said, pointing to the mistletoe. "Reckon you're looking to see a lot of snogging today."

[shh_molly]

Beaming, Molly found some of her nice wineglasses, opening a bottle of red wine with her wand. "I thought it made a nice decoration. And I'm all for encouraging a little bit of love and romance at this time of the year."

[shh_ginny]

Turning from where she had been looking out the kitchen door window, Ginny smiled as her mum bustled around the kitchen. She'd offered to help only to be hugged and shoo'ed to 'enjoy herself' which is how Ginny found herself staying out of the way now. The aroma of delicious Christmas food surrounded her and she couldn't help but be thankful for the hard work her mum had put into the Burrow - getting it back to liveable conditions so quickly

[shh_molly]

"No, the kettle's not on at the moment," Molly said, shaking her head. "But if you'd like to put it on, you can. I know I'd love a cup of tea if there's one going."

She pursed her lips, looking at Ginny a little more seriously. "How are you getting on in all this cold weather, darling? If it's too much for you, you're always welcome to stay here. Lavender has your old room at the moment, but there's always room for you if you need it."

[shh_ginny]

"Sure, Mum," she answered with a smile. Giving her Mum a quick kiss on the cheek, she summoned the kettle and filled it with water from the tap before setting it on the stove.

Shrugging Ginny hedged. "I'm doing okay, Mum. I'm at the hospital most of the day but I appreciate the offer. Maybe after the holidays... I'm looking around for something more manageable at the moment."

[shh_molly]

"Thank you," she told Ginny appreciatively. As much as Molly would have liked another glass of sherry, she still had to finish getting dinner ready and a drunk cook wasn't very useful!

"Your house always was rather large. I'm sure there's other, smaller properties available. And there's always a home here for you here at The Burrow."

[shh_hermione]

By the time she and Roger finished celebrating their engagement, and showering after, they didn't have a lot of time before they were due at the Burrow. Hermione chose a pair of warm trousers and a heavy jumper to wear, and waited for Roger to get dressed.

When he was ready, she gathered the gifts that she'd bought for Ron, Lavender and Molly, and took his hand. "Hold on. I'll Apparate us, since the weather is too nasty to walk."

They arrived at the Burrow, and she looked at the house, noticing the changes since it had been rebuilt. "Are you ready?" she asked Roger before she knocked.

[shh_roger]

If it hadn't been the best morning he'd ever had, it must have been close.

Roger grinned as he pulled on a navy jumper in heavy cable knit over his trousers, then went to the closet to tug on his best boots. "Ready when you are," he told her, then jogged downstairs to take the gifts he had in a bag. A Muggle stethoscope that Ginny might find amusing along with matching dragon-hide bucket hats for the twins, new broom servicing kit for Ron and a pot of flowers for Lavender to put in their new house, and some fresh herbs for Mrs. Weasley. Hermione met him on the ground floor landing and Apparated them to the Burrow. He agreed it was too messy out even for the short walk.

"Yep. Are you?" he asked, tugging her hand to bring her closer and kissing her cheek as she knocked.

[shh_molly]

Molly nearly pounced on the door almost as soon as she heard the knock. It had to be Hermione and Roger, she decided, because any of her children would just simply let themselves in straight away as far as she was aware. As it was so cold outside, Molly couldn't bear to have her guests waiting out in the dreadful weather for any longer than necessary.

She opened the door, beaming. "Hermione! And you must be Roger! Merry Christmas. Do come in out of the cold."

[shh_hermione]

"Happy Christmas, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said, stepping into the warmth of the Burrow. "Thank you for inviting us."

"Yes, this is my fiance, Roger Davies." She spoke normally, but it was the first time she'd introduced him that way, so she hoped she wasn't blushing or bouncing around like a fool. "Roger, this is Molly Weasley."

[shh_george]

George arrived a bit late, but he was sure no one was surprised at that. It was him after all. He snuck into the kitchen, set the bag of gifts on the table and engulfed his mother in a bear hug from behind, planting a big wet kiss on her cheek. "Happy Christmas," he said, grinning at her. "Sorry I'm late. What can I do to help you?"

[shh_molly]

"Oof!" Molly had been about to pour drinks for people, so it was fortuitous that she had barely touched the bottle before George enveloped her in a hard hug from behind. She chuckled, turning her head to see him grinning at her.

"You can let go of me, for a start," she said, "otherwise I'll never finish getting dinner ready." She wriggled her shoulders until he finally let go. Molly turned around and gave him a bear hug of her own. "Merry Christmas, my darling. If you want to help, I suppose you can put the cutlery on the table."

[shh_george]

George chuckled and released his hold on her finally after she squirmed a bit. "Bloke can't even get a bit of love from his own mother. Pathetic," he teased her, going to grab the cutlery.

"You feeling all right? It's not like you to give me full out permission to handle the knives, you know?"

[shh_ron]

When the hubbub at the front door had died down, Ron stood back as the happy couple finally entered the house. Looking around, he expected to find Lavender nearby, but she wasn't. He followed his mother back into the house and discovered Lavender sunk in the armchair where she'd been earlier, petting Molly the cat and looking really tired.

At least Ron hoped she was just tired after a day at work and more than a week of ridiculously cold weather. She didn't look particularly happy anyway. He knew she liked Hermione and Roger and thought they made a great couple, so he wondered what the problem might be.

[shh_lavender]

Lavender's head rested against the back of the chair, gaze focused down on Molly the cat. She looked up when Ron entered the room, expression impassive for a moment before she gave him a tired smile and raised her hand in a wave.

"Hi," she said softly. "Did I hear right just now?" she asked. "About Hermione and Roger?"

[shh_ron]

Lavender seemed a bit depressed. He knew she was tired, having worked earlier that day, and unhappy about the situation with the house. None of it was her fault, or his either, but he still wished he could make it better for her.

"Hi," he answered, coming to sit near her. "Yeah, Hermione and Roger are engaged. Fancy that. I'm really happy for them."

[shh_lavender]

"A bit of a surprise. But that's great for them." When Ron sat down, Lavender gave the cat a gentle push away and got up so that she could go and sit on his lap.

"Sorry if I'm a bit off today," she murmured. "Think all the stress of the last couple of months is suddenly catching up with me." If she'd been tired over the last few weeks, she'd tried to hide it the best she could, not wanting to spoil their move or plans for Christmas. Of course, the weather had ruined that all for them and she still hadn't had a real opportunity to let her body recover from the stress she'd put it through during the last few weeks of her training.