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Author: Grandma Kate Story: Ginny's Fifth Year at Hogwarts Rating: Everyone Setting: Pre-DH Status: Completed Reviews: 6 Words: 44,208
The Harry Potter Universe belongs to J.K. Rowling. I’m just borrowing the characters for a while. This is for pleasure only, no profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended. Bold Face Type indicates a direct quote from Chapter Sixteen, A Very Frosty Christmas, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. A/N This story is told from Molly’s Weasley’s point of view and parallels Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and the summer after it. Molly smiled at the familiar complaint. ‘It’s my warm heart. Haven’t you ever heard — cold feet, warm heart? Are you ready to see what Father Christmas left us?’ ‘Let’s snuggle for a bit. I don’t think anyone will be up for a while.’ After quite a nice long time, Molly and Arthur reached down to the foot of the bed for their stockings, pulled them under the covers, and began to investigate their contents. Arthur usually managed to pack a surprise or two in Molly’s stocking along with the usual fruit, nuts, and St Nicholas Drops. This year he had given her a hand held mixer that he had modified to work on magic and some bath beads from America. Their scent was called ‘Sugar Cookie’ and they smelled like Molly to him. ‘Oh Arthur, I’ll smell so good after soaking with these, you won’t be able to resist nibbling.’ ‘That’s the general idea,’ said Arthur waggling his eyebrows. Then he dug into his stocking, pulled out a small box, and opened it. “Is this what I think it is? A real Swiss Army knife? I have always wanted one. Thank you!’ He began pulling out the small attached tools. ‘A scissors, a thing to pull corks out of bottles, a toothpick, and a file. That’s just one side.’ Molly’s second present for him was received with equal delight. It was a Muggle string shopping bag that folded up very small. ‘So you don’t have to shrink things that don’t respond well to Shrinking and Expanding Charms.’ Molly smiled at how pleased Arthur was with her stocking presents. ‘Did you find the lemon sherbets? Albus told me which confectioners shop had the best ones.’ They kissed and wished each other ‘Happy Christmas’ again. They made quick trips to the loo, put on their dressing gowns, went down to have breakfast, and open more presents. Everyone came to the breakfast table in dressing gowns and ate slices of the freshly baked Christmas bread. Bill and Fleur drank coffee but the rest split equally between tea with milk and cocoa. Molly noticed that Ginny made two cups of cocoa with cinnamon automatically and handed one to Harry. Opening their presents didn’t take long but was very noisy, as usual, with everyone calling out thanks across the sitting room. Molly was surprised by her present from Bill and Fleur. It was a set of amethyst coloured mother-of-the-groom satin robes with a matching hat. ‘Zis way you and my mozher will, ‘ow you say, complement each ozher,’ said Fleur, smiling sweetly. Molly was effusive in her thanks for such lovely robes. She barely had a chance to peek in the boxes containing the rest of the presents before everyone went back to their rooms to take a little nap before Christmas lunch. Molly checked to be sure that the turkey was nearly done and that the mashed winter vegetables were growing more flavorful on low heat on the back of her big cooker. She took the turkey out to rest and made the gravy from the drippings. When she finished, she went upstairs to change and put on the extravagant presents that Fred and George had given her. While Molly dished up dinner and sent it to the table, Arthur took a magical picture of the children and Fleur by the tree to memorialize the occasion. Everybody was wearing new sweaters when they all sat down for Christmas lunch, everyone except Fleur… Molly wore her new midnight blue witch’s hat glittering with what looked like tiny starlike diamonds, and a spectacular golden necklace. ‘Fred and George gave them to me! Aren’t they beautiful?’ ‘Well, we find we appreciate you more and more, Mum, now we’re washing our own socks,’ said George. waving an airy hand. ‘Parsnips, Remus?’ ‘Harry, you’ve got a maggot in your hair,’ said Ginny cheerfully, leaning across the table to pick it out… ‘ ‘Ow ‘orrible,’ said Fleur, with an affected little shudder. Molly only half noticed that Ron knocked over the gravy boat, which would have dumped on Fleur were it not for Bill’s graceful rescue. She was too busy watching Harry staring at Ginny with an odd expression. She began to pay attention to the conversation again when she heard Fleur make a remark about Tonks also knocking things over. “I invited dear Tonks to come along today…’ said Molly. ‘But she wouldn’t come. Have you spoken to her lately, Remus?’ Remus told her that he hadn’t been in touch with anyone for a while and then he and Harry began discussing why a witch or wizard’s Patronus would change. Molly was not exactly listening to their conversation but couldn’t help hearing about Tonks’ new Patronus. Then she saw something out of the corner of her eye that astonished her. “Arthur!’ said Molly suddenly. She had risen from her chair, her hand was pressed over her heart and she was staring out of the kitchen window. ‘Arthur — it’s Percy!’ ‘What?’’ …Everybody looked quickly at the window; Ginny stood up for a better look. There, sure enough, was Percy Weasley, striding across the snowy yard, his horned-rimmed glasses glinting in the sunlight. He was not, however, alone. Molly spoke first. ‘Arthur, he’s — he’s with the Minister!’ Indeed, the limping wizard crossing the yard with Percy was Rufus Scrimgeour, his mane of graying hair and his black cloak flecked with snow. Before any of them could say anything… the back door opened and there stood Percy. There was a moment’s painful silence. Then Percy said rather stiffly, ‘Merry Christmas, Mother.’ Molly could not believe her eyes and ears. Percy joining his family for Christmas had been her most fervent wish. ‘Oh Percy!’ …and she threw herself into his arms. Rufus Scrimgeour paused in the doorway, leaning on his walking stick and smiling as he observed this affecting scene. ‘You must forgive this intrusion,’ he said when Molly looked around at him, beaming and wiping her eyes. ‘Percy and I were in the vicinity — working, you know — and he couldn’t resist dropping in and seeing you all.’ But Percy showed no sign of wanting to greet any of the rest of the family. He stood, poker-straight and awkward-looking, and stared over everybody else’s head. They all stared back stony-faced. ‘Please, come in, sit down, Minister!’ fluttered Molly, straightening her hat. ‘Have a little purkey, or some tooding… I mean —‘ ‘No, no, my dear Molly,’ said Scrimgeour… ‘I don’t want to intrude, wouldn’t be here at all if Percy hadn’t wanted to see you all so badly…’ ‘Oh, Perce!’ said his mother tearfully, reaching up to kiss him. Rufus Scrimgeour said that Percy did not have much time to spend with his family and that he did not want to intrude. He then announced that he wanted to see the garden and chose Harry to show him. Molly was so happy to have Percy home for Christmas that she couldn’t imagine why Arthur, Remus, the twins and Ginny were giving the Minister such strange looks. Bill and Fleur continued to feed each other small morsels of turkey while Ron watched them but no one spoke a word. ‘Yeah, all right,’ said Harry into the silence… ‘It’s fine,’ he said quietly, as he passed Lupin, who had half risen from his chair. ‘Fine,’ he added as he passed Arthur. ‘Wonderful!’ said Scrimgeour, standing back to let Harry pass through the door ahead of him. Molly sent Harry’s plate away and summoned a clean plate and silverware for Percy, who was still standing where she had greeted him. ‘Sit right here, dear Percy,’ she said, pushing him into Harry’s seat. Ginny was across the table between the twins. ‘Parsnips, Percy?’ she asked, plopping a large spoonful on his plate so that it splattered everywhere. ‘Yes, older brother, we remember that parsnips were always your favorite vegetable,’ said Fred, reaching across the table and adding another heaping spoonful of them to Percy’s plate. ‘Or was it carrots?’ asked George, splattering a spoonful of mashed carrots next to the parsnips. He then reached across the table and began to wipe Percy’s face and glasses with his rather well-used napkin. Molly was trying to put some slices of turkey on Percy’s plate along with some potatoes and gravy. ‘Oh, isn’t this nice!’ she said with a little sob. ‘All the family together again for Christmas.’ “Except for Charlie,’ said Fred. ‘Who would give anything to be here with us because he still considers himself a part of this family,’ said George slowly, as though he was explaining something to a very small child. Bill and Fleur stopped feeding each other slivers of turkey and stared at the middle of the table where Percy sat, stiff as a statue, with a heaping plate in front of him. Ginny reached over and pushed some of the parsnips into a taller mound and said sweetly, ‘Percy, your gravy is starting to drip onto the table.’ ‘So it is!’ said Fred. ‘Mum wouldn’t like that!’ He and George used their wands to make a tall mountain of parsnips on Percy’s plate. ‘Much better,’ said George. ‘It nearly reaches his chin now.’ ‘All the better for him to eat it,’ said Ginny, in a serious voice. Molly decided that she had better sit back down. She looked down the table at Arthur and Remus and toward the other end where Bill, Fleur, and Ron were staring at Percy. ‘Oh isn’t this nice! ‘ she said brightly. ‘Percy, have you heard that congratulations are in order? Your oldest brother is marrying Fleur Delacour.’ Percy kept his face turned toward his mother. ‘I have been informed of this turn of events. It is a strange time to be getting married with so much turmoil for the Ministry to deal with.’ Fleur gave a little huffy sound and Ginny and the twins turned toward her as though she were about to serve a Muggle tennis ball. Bill put his hand onto Fleur’s shoulder and said clearly, ‘I would watch the tone of voice you use when speaking to my future wife.’ Now everyone at the table turned to look at Percy behind his mountain of parsnips. He remained silent with his face turned toward Molly. Molly smiled at him. Ginny reached across the table and began to push his mound of parsnips higher. Fred and George seemed to be doing something under the table that Molly couldn’t quite make out. Whatever it was, Percy seemed to be growing increasingly uncomfortable. He was squirming in his seat. ‘Eat all you want, Percy,’ Molly finally said as the silence at the table began to get on her nerves. ‘Fleur’s mother has sent us a French Yule log. We’ll have it as soon as Harry finishes showing the Minister the garden. Goodness, I wonder what they are doing out in the snow this long.’ Harry suddenly burst through the door and started warming himself in front of the fireplace. Ginny, followed by Fred and George, went over to him. Percy stood up and started for the door. He glared at Harry and the group standing protectively around him. ‘All right there, Harry?’ said Remus. Harry nodded his head. ‘Do you have to go so soon?’ said Molly in a pleading voice. ‘You haven’t eaten anything. Did you get your Christmas jumper?’ Percy looked as though she’d thrown a bucket of cold water on him. He bowed in Molly’s general direction and said, ‘Thank you for dinner, Mother. I must go and attend the Minister.’ He nearly ran out the door. ‘Bloody prat!’ said Bill. ‘Amen!’ chorused everyone except Molly and Fleur. ‘Language!’ said Molly in a shocked voice, looking from Bill to Arthur. ‘Was that a Shrinking Charm you were casting on Percy’s underwear?’ asked Bill, looking at the twins. ‘Very sharp eyes, oh oldest brother,’ said Fred, as the twins began sending dishes into the sink. ‘Come on, Fleur!’ said Ginny. “Do we set this log on fire with brandy or anything?’ Arthur perked up. ‘Isn’t this a Muggle dessert?’ Percy’s arrival and strange behavior cast a pall on the rest of Christmas. Later that evening, everyone picked at the leftover turkey and ate far too much of the very rich chocolate Yule Log. They all seemed to need some time to digest both the food and what had happened. Remus left to report to Professor Dumbledore as the rest of the household disappeared up to bed early, except for Bill and Fleur who cuddled by the fire. As Molly and Arthur were cuddling before they went to sleep, Molly said she was puzzled by why Percy had come for Christmas and yet was so cool toward everyone but her. Arthur told her that he thought that Rufus Scrimgeour had used Percy’s visit as an excuse to get some time alone with Harry. He gently explained that the Minister was very jealous of Albus Dumbledore and wanted to use Harry to enhance his own prestige. He told her that he and Remus were very worried about what else he might do to Harry and Albus. Now Molly had even more things to worry about besides Percy’s puzzling behavior and she slept fitfully. She dreamed about Ginny flirting with Harry and his obvious admiration of her. Usually this would have made her happy, but tonight her dreams seemed not quite right. ***** Thursday was Boxing Day so the whole Weasley family had another day off to play in the snow or reflect on what had happened on Christmas afternoon. The twins and Ron and Harry bundled up warmly and went out as soon as they had eaten breakfast. Bill and Fleur went to spend the day with some friends from work. Arthur went out to his shed to tinker with his collection of Muggle appliances so Molly and Ginny were alone in the kitchen when the big brown owl came with a small box for Ginny. She looked stricken and took it up to her room immediately. Molly continued to sort out the kitchen after breakfast. She was thinking about slicing more turkey for sandwiches when Ginny came down the stairs, looking troubled. She sat down at the kitchen table and said, ‘Mum, is it possible to like two boys at the same time?’ ‘It depends on what you mean by like,’ replied Molly in a matter of fact tone. ‘Do you like them as friends or do you fancy them as possibly something more?’ Molly sat down across from her. ‘Maybe a little of both. You see... there’s this boy that I’ve liked for a really long time. I always dream about him and the two of us getting married and having a family. Only he treats me like I am his little sister.’ Ginny put her head down on her arms. ‘But now I think he’s starting to like me back… ‘ ‘Is that a problem?’ ‘This other boy likes me a lot more than I like him. I didn’t even get him a Christmas present and now he’s sent me one.’ Ginny’s eyes were shiny with unshed tears. ‘What did he send you?’ asked Molly. ‘A-a hair clip in the shape of a heart!’ sobbed Ginny. ‘Is this the boy who’s one of the Chasers? Dean?’ Ginny nodded. ‘Who thinks you should spend all your free time with him?’ Ginny nodded again. ‘Do you feel like he is putting pressure on you to go further than you want to?’ Ginny nodded. Molly thought a while before she asked, ‘Ginny, does Dean know that Harry is spending the holidays with us?’ This time, Ginny shook her head from side to side. ‘Oh dear!’ said Molly. ‘Ginny, how do you feel about Dean?’ ‘I don’t know,’ said Ginny quietly. ‘He likes me a lot and he’s nice to me but he wants me to like him more than I do. And he’s always kissing me.’ ‘You are a very pretty young woman. You’ll have many young men attracted to you. You have to be careful that they don’t get the impression that you like them more than you do. Strong feelings are very hard to control. Remember the song Celestina Warbeck sang the other night? About a cauldron full of hot strong love? It is amazingly easy for two people to be carried away. You might have to turn down the heat and you have to be careful not to stir the cauldron.’ Ginny looked a little puzzled. Molly felt relieved. ‘We can talk more later, if you want to.’ ‘Mum, I’d never do anything that I didn’t want to.’ ‘I think I hear a horde of hungry young men about to rush the kitchen,’ Molly said, as the kitchen door opened wide. Fred was carrying George on his shoulders and all four of them were covered with snow. Molly waved her wand and got rid of all of it. ‘George is King of the Snow Hill!’ announced Fred, proudly. ‘He gets first dibs on a drumstick!’ The twins returned to their flat in Diagon Alley after the evening meal ready to greet their ‘many happy returns’ customers and start the after Christmas sale. Fleur and Bill sent word that they were staying in Diagon Alley until New Years Eve. ***** Arthur went in to the Ministry Friday morning to finish what he had been working on before the Christmas holiday. Ginny cast on stitches for a hat for Dean in Gryffindor red and gold wool as soon as Ron and Harry finished breakfast and went to start their homework assignments. She sat in the kitchen and worked on her knitting while she and Molly listened to the pre-recorded marathon of Days of Destiny. All the shows were from September so Ginny hadn’t heard most of them. As the morning went on, Ron and Harry joined them. They drank tea and ate some of the biscuits they had decorated. Fleur had charmed her wedding party so they stood proudly on a platter on a high shelf. Molly suspected that she had also cast a spell that made them impervious to insects. Molly’s sleep continued to be troubled as the week went by. Ginny finished Dean’s hat and spent considerable time out in the snow with Ron and Harry. She and Harry were frequently sitting in the kitchen with empty cocoa cups when Molly came down to start breakfast. Fred and George came for dinner nearly every night and the lounge was noisy with the sound of the children playing games. Molly was both happy that some of her children were home and sad that Percy wasn’t. She knew that Arthur was worried about her mood swings and fitful sleep. On New Years Eve afternoon, Molly and Ginny were preparing food for the small gathering they were going to have to see in the year 1997. Ron and Harry had gone back to work on their assignments so the two of them were alone in the kitchen. ‘Have you heard from Dean?’ asked Molly. ‘You could invite him for tonight if you want to.’ ‘No, I don’t think that would be a good idea. Ron doesn’t like him very much since we have been going out and Harry gets weird-acting when he’s around.’ ‘So long as you don’t mind having just family. Amos and Corrine will come by for a glass of wine but I think they want to be alone when it’s midnight.’ Molly sighed. ‘I remember how hard it was over the holidays the year that Fabian and Gideon were murdered. Corrine and Amos miss Ceddie most over the holidays.’ Ginny nodded. ‘We all do. He was nice to everyone. Did I tell you that during my first year, he spent some time talking to me and trying to get me to tell him what was wrong?’ ‘No, you never mentioned it. But that sounds like Ceddie.’ ‘He always told me that he used to pretend that I was his little sister when he was lonely. He said I was a very cute baby.’ ‘Yes, he used to suck your toes to make you laugh.’ Now Ginny giggled. ‘So even if I turn out to be an old witch who never marries, I can tell people that a handsome man used to suck my toes.’ She looked up just in time to see Harry standing in the doorway, blushing Weasley red. ‘I just came down to get a drink,’ he said in a squeaky voice. Molly quickly got a glass and asked him what he wanted while Ginny looked like she wished she could go through the floor. Harry said that water would be fine and left hurriedly. Molly and Ginny both giggled. ‘Well, that answers any questions I might have had about who your secret admirer is,’ said Molly with a warm smile. ‘Do you really think so?’ asked Ginny hopefully. ‘His mum and I dreamed this would happen,’ said Molly. ‘Mothers want what is best for their children.’ She and Ginny continued to arrange food as each of them thought about the year to come. Fred and George brought twin girls to the party. Molly wasn’t sure whether their names were Trixie and Nixie or some other rhyming names. They didn’t stay long but were very affectionate to the twins before they left for another party. She overheard Ginny and Harry calling Ron ‘Won-Won’ while winking at each other and laughing when the girls were hanging all over Fred and George. She’d have to remember to ask Ginny what that was all about. Amos and Corrine Apparated over at about eleven and had a glass of California Chardonnay from the case that Kate Wallace had sent to the Weasleys for Christmas. Corrine said she didn’t like it as well as Butterbeer but Amos went on and on about the oak and citrus and vanilla he tasted. They wished everyone a happy, prosperous, and safe New Year and left before midnight Bill and Fleur had already been to one party when they arrived so Fleur refused any of the food that Ginny and Molly had prepared. ‘I ‘ave eaten too much already. I can’t eat again until next year!’ Bill laughed and looked at her adoringly. As it drew nearer to midnight, Molly drank another glass of wine, followed by some champagne to welcome in the New Year. Everyone was saying ‘Happy New Year!’ Suddenly, there were tears trickling down her cheeks and she felt Arthur’s arms around her. ‘There, there, Mollywobbles,’ he said. ‘This is going to be a better year. No more tears.’ Molly hiccupped and sobbed, ‘I know. I am just being silly. Percy will see how wrong he has been. I just know it. He’ll have to come to the wedding.’ Arthur signaled to Ginny to clean up the kitchen after the party and gently led Molly up stairs.
Ginny and Harry are parents of teenagers in this conversation from 'Beautiful Boy.' “You know, Mum gave me a version of the talk when I was going out with Dean.” Harry moved so he could look into her face. “She did?” “She did. During the Christmas holidays my fifth year she told me that a witch in love was like a cauldron.” “A cauldron?” She giggled. “A cauldron that, once stirred, would eventually boil over if you didn’t watch it and lower the heat.” “Was this cauldron stirred by a wand?” They were both laughing now. “I didn’t laugh at the time,” Ginny admitted. “I was so angry and embarrassed that she assumed I would get carried away and let a boy do anything more than I wanted.”
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