Warm Christmas Morning
Ginny yawns as she walks into the living room. A steaming mug of coffee in her hands to warm up her cold hands. She loves this time of the year, especially Christmas when all of her family gets together, but the cold... She has never been a fan of it. Her eyes catch sight of two people sitting on the couch. She walks further into the living room, a quick look at the magically lit up Christmas tree, when she sees both of her sons sitting on the couch. Albus engulfed into James' embrace. His face against his chest, his raven-black hair a mess, just like his fathers, and a peaceful look on his face. Basking in the warmth of the arms of his big brother. James has his head resting on top of little brother's head, holding him so tight to his chest that even Albus' glasses had fallen off.
Ginny remembers finding James up in his room at the start of their Christmas break, earlier this week. She had heard his quiet sobs through the door. When she knocked and opened the door she found James with his back to her. Trying to wipe away the tears off his face before turning around to his mother. His eyes were red and him wiping away his tears did nothing for the new ones that were trickling down his cheeks.
Ginny closed the door behind her before walking up to her oldest son. He looked up at her and she had never seen her oldest child this sad before. James wasn't the one for crying. He had an incredibly strong personality and felt like he couldn't cry as he was the oldest of the three Potter children. He had to be the big brother, the rock, the one his younger siblings could rely on. He didn't want them to see him cry. He wanted them to look up to him for being the strong brother they need. But deep down, James was a very sensitive and emotional person. Ginny saw a lot of herself in him, as well as Albus. The brothers just don't see how much they are alike deep down.
She sat down next to James as she cupped his face with her hands, wiping away tears with her thumbs as she smiled at him. 'What's wrong, buttercup?'
Normally James hated the pet name she had given him when he was a little boy. But right now his mother's voice, touch and her calling him by his old pet name only made him cry even more. She pulled him into a tight embrace. James was taller than her but as she was cradling him close to her chest, he looked so small. So vulnerable. He was her little boy. She knew exactly what was wrong but she let him pour his heart out as he cried into her shoulder. He missed his little brother.
He had watched Albus suffer throughout the years at Hogwarts and had seen him turn more into himself with every year that passed. More into himself and away from James. He felt like he was losing his little brother, that he maybe had already lost him and he was scared. He blamed himself for their broken relationship. For not being there for Albus as much as he should have been, for not looking out for him like he's supposed to as a big brother. It broke Ginny's heart.
So she didn't walk into James' room last night when she woke up to whispered voices coming from his room. She was standing at the door, listening at what was going on when she heard Albus and James talking to each other.
'Let's finish these presents before mom finds out we're still up and hexes our asses,' James had said which made Albus laugh.
It made her heart leap. Hearing her boys talking to each other, wrapping gifts and hearing Albus wholeheartedly laughing at something his big brother said to him. So to see the two brothers laying on the couch, into a warm embrace, warms her heart.
A soft cough catches her attention and when she looks up from her sons passed out on the couch, she sees her daughter sitting on the big armchair. Lily Luna Potter is looking at her mother with a big smile on her face. Her long red hair is tied up in a messy ponytail, leaving strands of her hair out. Her face illuminates in the light of the Christmas tree, full of joy and wonder. Lily has been the most excited about Christmas morning. Ginny wonders if her daughter has even slept at all. She gestures for her little girl to follow her out of the living room.
'How long have you been sitting there, Lily Luna Potter?' Ginny asks as they walk into the kitchen.
Lily shrugs as she takes place at the big dining table. With a family as big as Ginny's she was bound to have a big dining table. There was always enough room at the table, because her family often dropped by unexpectedly and stayed far longer than they planned on. Lily looks up at her mother and Ginny can't help but smile at her big toothy smile and the spark in her eyes. She reaches out for her daughters face, cupping her cheeks and pressing a kiss to the crown of her head.
She takes places behind Lily, picking the tie out of her hair.
'Did you do this yourself?' Ginny asks as she combs through the red hair with her fingers.
Lily giggles as she looks up at her mother. She nods as Ginny starts braiding her hair into a French plait. Lily loves it when her mother does her hair, sometimes she'd purposefully mess up her hair just so her mother would sit her down and braid her hair in all kinds of different styles.
'So how about we drink some hot chocolate before the rest of the house wakes up?' Ginny wraps her arms around her daughters shoulders and presses a kiss to her cheek.
'But I heard you tell daddy that we had to lay off the sugar,' Lily says, confused.
'Your dad has to lay off the sugar, dear. He's getting kind of an uncle Ron belly,' Ginny pats her own belly as she round the kitchen counter and Lily giggles. 'But this will be our secret. Care to help me, Giggles?'
Lily jumps up from her chair and takes place next to her mother. She wraps her arm around her mother's waist and puts her head against her side as they wait for the milk to warm up.
'You know you could just do this with magic, right?' Lily says as she looks up at her mother.
Ginny strokes her daughters hair as she looks back down at her. 'We use our magic for a lot of things. So many things that we often forget how much joy there is to find in doing things the normal way. If we had done it with magic, I wouldn't be standing here, cuddling with my favorite daughter.'
Lily scrunches her nose. 'I'm your only daughter.'
'That's true,' Ginny softly boops her nose. 'But you're my favorite little girl and nothing will ever change that.'
'Not even when I'm older and taller than you?'
Ginny crouches down, looking into her daughters brown eyes. Holding on tight to both of her hands and a smile on her face.
'You will always be my little girl, Lily Luna Potter. Nothing can and nothing will ever change that. Don't ever forget that, my little angel.'
Lily wraps her arms around Ginny's shoulders and buries her face in the crook of her neck as she quietly whispers that she loves her. Ginny stands up, her arms wrapped tight around her daughter's waist. For a moment they're just standing there, the two Weasley women holding on tightly to each other.
'Is there something burning?' a voice sounds from behind them and they look up.
James and Albus are standing in the opening of the kitchen. Their faces scrunched up in disgust as the smell of burning milk fills the room. Lily jumps down from her mother's embrace and Ginny quickly turns off the stove.
'You know mom,' Lily says as she tries to hold in her laughter. 'If we would have done it with magic this wouldn't have happened.'
Ginny sighs as she reaches for her wand. With a simple flick she cleans up the burned milk from the pan.
'I'll do it,' Albus walks up to the stove and pours milk into the pan.
Ginny looks at her youngest son with wonder on her face. His eyes are bright, there is color in his face and the smile on his face as he looks up at his mother is one she hasn't seen in a long time. She ruffles her hand through his hair before kissing the crown of his head.
'My sweet little boy,' she whispers as he leans into her touch. 'Lily, will you be a doll and help Albus? James and I will start on Christmas breakfast.'
Lily walks up to Albus and leans her head against his shoulder as she watches him stir the milk. Lily has always looked up to her two big brothers. She watches them, knows almost everything about them. The little things like how Albus starts wringing his hands when he gets nervous or how James keeps bouncing his legs up and down when he is trying to hide something from his parents. But most of all, she loves her brothers fiercely. Ginny knows what it's like to be the youngest sibling. But Lily has never felt ignored or left behind, like Ginny often did. Lily is more like the glue of the family. She always makes sure all of them know just how much she loves them.
'Is it too late for me to go back to the couch and pretend like I'm asleep?' James asks as his mother waves him over.
She softly whacks him in the air and all three Potter siblings burst out in laughter. If someone would ever ask Ginny what her favorite sound was, it would be this. It would be the laughter of her three children, all together. She can listen to it for hours. It's that kind of sound that will never get old. It will always warm her heart.
'You kids will wake your father before we have his cup of coffee ready,' Ginny says. 'And you know how he gets when he doesn't have his coffee. And we still have a long day to go. Late afternoon we will have to be on our way, we got somewhere to be tonight.'
James wraps his arms around her shoulders, pulling her close. He has grown much taller over the summer and Ginny suspects he grew even more in his time at Hogwarts. She looks up at him and presses a kiss to his cheek. His smile broadens and for a moment he buries his face in the crook of her neck, basking in the comfort of his mother's arms.
'Now come on buttercup, let's get to work,' she softly whispers in his ear and kisses his cheek once again before letting go of him.
The Potter-Weasleys work hard in the kitchen and soon the burning smell is overwhelmed by the smell of freshly baked bread and pancakes mixed with the sweet smell of cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate.
Albus balances four mugs full of steaming hot chocolate into the living room, followed by Ginny and his other two siblings. He puts the tray on the table and looks down at them with a proud smile. Lily and James grab their mug and settle in the couch as they carefully take a sip.
Ginny hands Albus his mug as she sits down next to him on the other couch. He snuggles up to her, her free arm around him, pulling him closer. She looks down at him, her hand slowly running through his hair as she used to do to calm him down when he was a little boy.
'I'm proud of you, you know that right?' she whispers.
He looks up at her, warm brown eyes looking into hers. His face lighting up at her words. He puts his head against her shoulder as he leans into his mother's warmth and safety and her touch. She takes a sip of her hot chocolate and looks at James and Lily who are pointing at the presents, trying to guess what might be in them.
Her children are everything to Ginny. She didn't think she could love them more than she already did, but with every day that passes it seems that her love for them grows bigger and stronger. As she is looking at Albus, Lily and James she knows that no matter what it takes, she will keep them save. They are the greatest gift that she could have ever wished for.