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(Alanna) Christmas with Family
Author: Beck
Date: 11-05-09 17:47
Alanna stepped back from the Christmas tree and surveyed her handiwork. With her grandmother's help, she had baked two dozen gingerbread boys and girls, decorated them with red, green and white icing, and turned them into ornaments for the tree.
"Looks good enough to eat," Anthony commented. He set Alex onto the ground, who made a beeline for the tree with hands outstretched.
Plum scooped him up before he could do any damage to it.
"You're not allowed to eat any of them until tomorrow at the earliest," Alanna warned, placing a hand on her hip. She wagged the index finger of her other hand at her older brother. "That means no arms or legs ought to go missing from now until then!"
Anthony held up his hands, palms outward. "Okay, okay. I won't touch your precious gingerbread men tonight. Can't swear Toby won't try to take a bite, though." He gazed fondly at Alex. "Or this little one, for that matter."
"Speaking of Toby, when's he set to arrive?" Alanna asked her grandmother, as Josefine passed through the room with a tray of sweets.
"I think he and Bronwyn are splitting their time between us and the Dewhursts and their guests," Josefine stated, setting the tray down on the coffee table in the living room. "I think they are coming here first."
"But knowing Bronwyn, it'll be a while before she's dressed and ready to go," Alanna joked.
"Jared coming?" Anthony asked.
"He said he might make an appearance," Alanna replied. "Depends on how his family stuff goes. Ariella and Lawrence should also be stopping by," she went on, "though I think they have other plans as well. Something about a party at Cloud's Kiss, if I'm not mistaken."
Just then, Katherine came through the floo. "Happy Christmas, all!" she exclaimed, depositing the gifts she brought under the tree. "Is everyone here yet?"
"No, not yet," Alanna answered. She gave Katherine a hug and when she turned back to the tree she gasped.
"Anthony!"
"What?" Anthony asked.
"This gingerbread boy is missing his arm!"
"You said I couldn't eat any of them, not even an arm or leg until tomorrow at the earliest," Anthony replied. "But you didn't give Gramps the same warning."
Alanna's expression was blank for a moment. "What?" she finally asked.
Gramps, who was now in the room, swallowed what he'd just eaten off the tree and shrugged his shoulders apologetically. "I'm sorry, Alanna. The gingerbread smells so good and your grandmother is taking too long with the Christmas ham!"
Katherine and Plum started giggling first. Then Anthony was laughing, and even Alex who probably didn't understand what was so funny. Finally, Alanna broke and started laughing too.
Family Gatherings
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 11-06-09 10:01
"Are you girls ready yet?"
Toby skidded into his bedroom and halted abruptly when he found Bronwyn fully dressed and ready to go to the various Christmas Eve gatherings they were scheduled to attend that evening. She had her back to him and her face to the window. Omnioculars were pressed to her eyes. Next to her stood Bianca Diamond, who was staying at the duplex for the Christmas holidays. Surprisingly, Bianca also had a pair of the wizarding binoculars in her hands.
Toby shook his head, smiling. "Seriously? I thought we were running late because you were taking too long to get ready. If I'd know you were watching Ethan Somerset get dressed, I'd have started bothering you much earlier."
"He looks really sharp," Bianca stated. "I'm almost wishing I would have attended Hogwarts just to have him for a professor."
"I wonder where he's going tonight," Bronwyn murmured.
Toby yanked the omnioculars from her hands. "How about you ask him later. My family is expecting us, as is yours."
Sighing, Bronwyn turned away from the window, and Bianca put down her omniculars and reached for a stylish evening bag.
"I guess I'll see you at your dad's house later?" Bianca asked Bronwyn and Toby.
"Yes," Bronwyn replied. "We're going to the Becks first and then on to my parents' place."
"Okay, I'm out." A moment later, Bianca disapparated.
The Diamond entourage had arrived in recent days to spend the holidays with the Dewhurst family. Bronwyn and Toby had taken in Bianca, who'd arrived sans her rockstar boyfriend, though since he was native to Britain they'd already seen a lot of him in the short time Bianca had been at their home. Desi had taken in her parents, while Annabelle had graciously allowed Wotan to have his son at the Dewhurst house.
Bronwyn and Toby had promised to pay the Beck residence a visit tonight, but they had also planned to go to Wotan and Aemilia's house. The whole Diamond family would be there, as well as Bronwyn's uncle Will and cousin Kate.
Bronwyn reached for her own stylish handbag and said, "Okay, I'm ready."
Toby kissed his wife on the cheek and guided her downstairs to the floo. "I think we might need to invest in shutters for the house, or maybe I should recommend a shutter company to Ethan...?"
"Oh, don't you dare!" Bronwyn protested playfully (though she was also very, very serious about it!).
Toby laughed and reached for a handful of packages that were for his family. Bronwyn grabbed a few herself and then one after the other, they flooed to Manchester.
Visiting the Burrow for Christmas
Author: Bill Weasley
Date: 11-06-09 11:06
"Happy Christmas!"
Bill came in through the front door at the Burrow, his arms laden in packages of varying sizes. Behind him came Fleur, who carried only one bundle, little Victoire, who was decked out in a red, velvety Christmas dress. Gabrielle followed, dressed in cute ballet flats, jeans, and a stylish green jumper.
Molly kissed Bill and sent him on his way to the Christmas tree, where other festively wrapped gifts waited to be opened. He added his to the pile, while Molly greeted Fleur, Victoire and Gabby and guided them to the seats in the living room.
"Where's Dad?" Bill asked.
"Out in that shed of his. I told him to come in early and get ready for company, but you know how distracted your father can get when he's playing with his "toys"." Molly shook her head, still after all these years not understanding her husband's obsession with Muggle items.
"I'll go get him," Bill suggested.
"Thank you, dear," Molly said, seating herself next to Fleur on the sofa.
Bill stepped outside into the brisk air and crunched over the snow to his father's shed. It was only slightly warmer inside the small building. There he found Arthur bent over a strange-looking green string with many clear objects attached to it equal distances apart.
"What's that?" Bill asked.
"Oh, hello Bill. Happy Christmas," Arthur greeted. "This is a chain of Christmas lights. You plug this end into an outlet," Arthur explained, holding up the end that had prongs. "Then these bulbs light up. You can put this chain on a Christmas tree, on the roof of your house, or on the bushes and trees in the yard. And see this end?" He held up the other end of the chain, which looked like an outlet itself.
"You can hook another of these right here and make a longer chain."
"Fascinating," Bill said.
"Isn't it? Now I suppose your mother sent you out here to bring me inside."
Bill smiled. "How did you know?"
"Just a lucky guess," Arthur replied with a smile of his own. "Come, let's get out of the cold and enjoy Christmas Eve. I think everyone will pop by, though I'm sure some have other family obligations tonight as well."
Bill nodded in understanding. "We're going to Paris in the morning to celebrate with the Delacours."
"Christmas in Paris! How lovely!"
"Yes, I'm sure it will be."
By then, they'd reached the house. They stepped inside to find others had arrived for the Weasley Christmas gathering.
Past Due
Author: Blossom
Date: 11-07-09 11:27
"Sit down. Sit down," Molly instructs Blossom. "Arthur, help Blossom get comfortable."
Blossom starts to say that she's fine but she truly is tired, knackered as Fred would say. She's also in a great deal of discomfort and there is pain. For once Blossom doesn't protest. She waddles into the living room and sits in one of the overstuff, comfy chairs, accepting Arthur's arm to help lower herself.
"Thank you, Arthur."
"My pleasure," he beams at her before saying to Seth and Gideon at the tree, "No peeking, boys. Say. What's this? How did you get up inside the tree, Miranda? Is that Larkin with you? Come, come. Let's find you lot something less destructrive."
By that time Fred and George have arrived to help their father. They lure the four children away from the tree and the enticing presents there with promises of some fireworks in the backyard. George scoops up Georgie along the way. At 1 1/2, Georgie should fine bright lights doing interesting things exciting as long as the explosions aren't scary. Charlie wrangles his two boys, Schuyler and Artie and follows the group outside, leaving the inside of the house suddenly much quieter.
Although she's only 8 months old, Bill decides to take Victoire out to see the lights, thinking she might be entranced by them. After making sure his daughter is bundled against the cold, they too head out the kitchen door. From the kitchen comes the lively chatter of Molly, Majandra, Fleur, Hermione, and Hendrika. Blossom's not sure where Ginny and Gabriel have gotten off to nor does she hear Ron or Harry.
"Knock, knock."
Blossom waves a come in gesture towards the now open front door. "Merry Christmasm Penny! Merry Christmas, Percy!"
"Happy Christmas, Blossom! Still no labor?" Penny asks sympathetically at the same time Percy says, "Where is everyone?"
Blossom answers Percy first and although it's already clear that several of the family are in the kitchen she says, "Your mother and several of the other women are in the kitchen. Your dad and most of your brothers are in the backyard entertaining the children. I think a few people have gone upstairs but I'm not sure."
Blossom pats her swollen belly as she replies to Penny's question. "Early labor but not enough to be sitting around St. Mungo's."
"But you've been in early labor for days!"
The front door pops open again as Penny says these words. Ron enters followed by Harry, their cheeks bright red from having been outside for awhile. "Yes, you've been in labor for days," Ron parrots Penny's words. "If you were having twins or triplets, you'd have given birth early. We're a few days past your due date and nothing yet. That means even though you look about as you did with the triplets, you are just having one this time."
"Ron, if this is an attempt to get me to reveal details, it's not going to work. And are you saying I'm fat?"
Ron colors a little more. "No! Not fat. Just... you look exactly as you did when you were about to have the triplets so some of us figured that meant more than one baby, only you haven't given birth yet and don't multiple births always come early?"
"Sometimes."
"So you are having more than one?"
"Ron."
Percy, who'd moved into the kitchen to greet his mother and the other ladies, sticks his head back into the living room to say with a chuckle, "Don't you know better than to make a pregnant woman mad, Ron?"
Harry chimes in for the first time, "I think Ron's just hoping to get a clue for another entry into the baby pool."
"What's it up to now?" Penny asks.
"Three hundred fifty-seven galleons," Harry says.
"Three hundred fifty-eight," Ron corrects. "Pinky put in another galleon."
Blossom laughs, "Are you serious? That much?"
"Day, date, time, number of babies, sex, and name suggestions each cost," Ron explains.
"I've seen some of those name suggestions. Parsley."
Penny sniggers, "Seriously?"
"I think whomever put that one is was thinking of Saffron Sacheverelle and Sage Porter," Majandra says from the kitchen doorway. "Would you like a drink or something to munch on, Blossom?"
"A hot cocoa would be wonderful, thank you."
Penny excuses herself to go in and say hello to everyone else but by that time Ginny and Gabby have come down the stairs to join those in the living room with Gabby asking, "What are zum of ze other name suggestions?"
Blossom laughs, "Where to start?"
Ron replies, "I'll get the list, hang on."
A minute later, as Blossom's stomach continues the slow roll of pain she's been experiencing for several days now, Ron starts reading off the list of name suggestions from the baby pool. At one point Blossom interrupts to ask, "Why does someone have to pay to the pool to make a name suggestion when Fred and I may already have a name or names picked out?"
"Because the name, or names, you use might be in the pool and if so, whoever put that name in gets part of the pot," Ginny says.
"There's also the hope that you'll hear a name you'd not yet considered and change your mind and use it, which means the one suggesting it gets part of the pool," Harry adds.
"Ah, okay. Continue with the list, Ron," Blossom says, leaning back in the chair, sipping her hot cocoa, wishing the labor pains would either go away for awhile or get serious and signal it's time for St. Mungo's.
Wonderful
Author: Sage Porter
Date: 11-07-09 19:02
"Ha! Beat you again!" Deak crows at Drake.
Drake hands the game controller to Sage. "Your turn. I don't know how he keeps beating me when I'm the one who's played this the most."
Sage grins, "If Deak keeps beating you, I don't stand a chance."
"I hope that doesn't mean you won't play," Deak says.
"No, it just means it's going to be a short match and whoever is after me shouldn't wander off."
Jack shoots Sage a huge smile, "That would be me."
Georgia gives Sage a thumbs up. "You can do it!"
Ophelia nods and gives him a thumbs up as well, "We believe in you, Sage."
Draping an arm around Ophelia Drake chuckles, "You believed in me too for all the good it did."
"It's the thought that counts," Sage laughs, thumbs now busy with the controller, eyes fixed on the screen. His game character takes a sword to the gut, eliciting a groan from Sage and a cackle from Deak.
"That's one life down."
Around them other console and computer games are being played and the sound of people talking and laughing filters in from other rooms. Saffron's and Aaron's Christmas Eve party is in full swing with partygoers made up of family, friends, coworkers, and students, including a number of the handful who'd stayed at Hogwarts over the holiday.
Frannie Miller comes to the door to loudly announce, "For anyone interested, a showing of the classic movie It's A Wonderful Life starts in 10 minutes in the theater room.
From one of the computers, Sage's stepbrother Ezra asks, "What's that?"
Frannie takes a couple of steps into the room so she won't be blocking the door. "It's a classic Christmas movie about someone who's given the chance to see what the lives of those he cares about and others in his town would be like if he hadn't been a part of those lives."
Deak gives a loud whoop. Grimacing at how poorly he did, Sage hands his game controller over to Jack. "All yours. Good luck!"
To Ezra he says, "Georgia and I are going to watch and I think Savannah said she is too when it was mentioned earlier. I don't know where she is now though." Sage hasn't seen his step-sister for probably half an hour.
"I passed her in the hall on my way in here," Frannie says.
"I'm at a good stopping point so I guess I'll come check it out. How do I save this again?"
Sage helps Ezra save his computer game then holding Georgia's hand walks to the room where the movie is going to be shown. As they find seats Georgia whispers in his ear, "We have to be vair good with so many others around so no snogging during the movie."
Sage grins at her. "I'll do my best but I won't promise anything."
"I'm sitting here," Libby Copperpot announces, crawling uninvited onto Sage's lap.
Georgia sighs, "You do know she's going to make sure you don't break your promise?"
"We'll distract her in a bit if she stay long," Sage whispers conspiratorally as he shifts Libby on his lap, reminding the youngest, "You have to sit still for the movie, Libby."
Less than half a minute later Libby has taken off, the thought of sitting still for more than a few seconds making her even more squirmy than usual. Georgia leans her head on Sage's shoulder as he slides an arm around her, "Genius!"
The movie is starting so Sage says in a whisper, "Shhhh. No talking. Not only will it disturb those trying to actually watch but if you're talking I can't steal kisses."
As the movie unfolds Sage can't help but think that this Christmas Eve and Christmas tomorrow, really are wonderful, especially when compared to the last two Christmases.