Christmas Odds

The air was crisp as he walked back into the house, wiping his shoes on the front mat. He pulled off his traveling cloak and hung it haphazardly on the coat wrack.

"I'm home," he called out. Ginny appeared in the kitchen doorway.

"Oh good you're home early," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.

"Well it is Christmas," he murmured. The pair stood like that in the front hall for a few minutes more, only to be interrupted by the sound of their eldest son's voice.

"That's so disgusting," James said, making a face.

"It won't be disgusting forever," Harry said, dislodging himself from his wife's grasp. He crossed the hall and tussled his son's hair.

"It will always be disgusting when you two do it," the ten-year-old said. Harry just laughed and headed for the kitchen.

"Percy sent mail this morning. Penelope's had a little girl," Ginny informed her husband of the latest addition to the Weasley clan.

"I do hope they haven't named her something awful like Pricilla," Harry joked.

"You're horrible" Ginny scolded, fixing her husband with the classic Weasley glare.

"Alright. So what'd they name her then?" he asked.

"They named her Prudence," she said, reading from Percy's letter.

"It's better than Pricilla," Harry sniggered just as Albus came wandering in.

"Dad, you're home," the eight year old said, looking surprised.

"What? I can't come home early for Christmas?" Harry questioned. Albus just smiled at his father.

"Mum, when are we going to Grandma and Granddad's?" the boy asked.

"Not until six," she answered, eying the clock.

"Why can't we go now?" he whined.

"Because we have to finish getting ready. Have you bathed? And we've got to finish wrapping presents," Harry replied in his wife's stead. Albus sighed at the bathing comment.

"Go on. Get in the bath. The faster you get in, the sooner you get out and we go to Grandma and Granddad's," Ginny said, shooing her middle child out of the kitchen.

The afternoon passed by fairly quickly despite Albus' previous protests. By five fifteen all three children had bathed and were dressed. Harry had finished a few last minute presents for Rose and Hugo as well some of the other nieces and nephews. Just as Harry was finishing up putting away the lunch dishes there was a loud thump from the sitting room. Harry rushed in to find a rather soot covered Teddy Lupin.

"Oi, Harry. You should clean that out. It's right disgusting," the six-teen-year-old said with a cough.

"Teddy's here!" Lily screeched from the top of the stairs.

"Merry Christmas Lily," he said, giving the girl a wave.

"I'll tell James he needs to clean it better. Come on, we're about ready to leave," Harry said, dusting his godson off a bit.

Across town, Ron and Hermione were in much the same state of last minute preparations. Of course it was mostly Ron who was running late. Hermione had all of her presents picked out and wrapped months ago.

"Honestly, Ronald. If you'd done this last weekend we wouldn't be running about like chickens with our heads cut off," Hermione bemoaned as Ron struggled with trying to tape the paper around the new broom he'd bought for James.

"Just another minute 'Mione and I'll be set. Are the kids ready?" he said, biting off the tape with his teeth.

"They've been ready since about eleven this morning. You know how they love Christmas at your parents," she said.

"Well I suppose we're ready. Mum won't mind if we show up a bit early. She'll just rope us into doing some sort of chore or other," Ron muttered.

"Rosie! Hugo! Come on, we're leaving," he bellowed up the stairs. Two pair of footsteps pounded down the stairs and Rose and Hugo appeared.

"Are we going by Floo, Dad?" Rose asked.

"We're going to do side Apparition. Don't want to clog up the Floo with everyone else showing up," Hermione answered her daughter. Rose's eyes bulged a little bit.

"Oh don't worry honey. You won't get splinched," she said.

"Nice way to scare the poor child," Ron muttered as he grabbed hold of Hugo. Hermione shot a dark look in her husband's direction as they all disappeared. They reappeared in the back yard of the Burrow. They didn't see anyone else so they headed in.

"Mum we're here," Ron called out.

"Oh Ron dear," Molly's voice echoed as she appeared, pulling her youngest son into a firm hug.

"Merry Christmas dears," she said, kissing her grandchildren on the cheeks.

"Happy Christmas, Mum," Hermione said, hugging Molly as well.

Shortly after Ron and Hermione had arrived. Bill and Fleur appeared with Victoire and Celeste trailing them.

"Celeste, why don't you go play with Rosie and Hugo," Bill told his daughters. She raced up the rickety stairs to find her cousins.

"Daddy? Is Teddy coming?" Victoire asked.

"I'm not sure. You'll have to wait until Uncle Harry gets here and ask him," Bill replied, taking the stack of presents out of Fleur's arms.

Not five minutes after Bill had spoken, Harry and his family turned up by Floo. Teddy spotted Victoire and dusted his robes off a bit more.

"Merry Christmas Teddy," she said, giving him a wave.

"Merry Christmas," he answered, nearly tripping over his own feet trying to get out of the fireplace.

"Behave you two," Bill ordered sternly as they rushed off.

"Evening Mum," Ginny said, giving her mother a big hug.

"Where's Dad?" she asked, looking around.

"Oh he'll be home in a bit. He has to finish some things up at work," Molly replied.

"Where's Hugo and Rosie?" Lily asked, tugging on her father's sleeve.

"They've gone upstairs to your mum's old room," Molly told her. Lily sprinted towards the stairs.

"Hey wait for us!" Albus and James called in unison, racing after their sister.

"It's as if they haven't seen each other in months," Hermione sighed, coming in from the kitchen. Now that a large portion of the family had arrived, Molly began dishing out tasks to people. Harry and Ron were setting the table when George and Angelina arrived by broom. Angelina was too far into the pregnancy to risk splinching in apparition.

"Oh you look wonderful," Ginny gushed over her sister-in-law.

"Thanks Gin," Angelina said, giving the younger girl a hug.

"Have Percy and Penelope arrived yet? I'm dying to see the new baby," she said, looking around.

"No they're last to arrive aside from Charlie," Hermione called from the kitchen.

Half an hour later the last of the family had yet to arrive. Molly was pacing back and forth in the kitchen.

"Mum, they'll come," Ginny said, growing tired of her mother's pacing.

"I know I just…the children are getting antsy," Molly lied. She was anxious to see her new granddaughter.

"I'm home!" Arthur called out as he came in the back door.

"And Percy and Penelope and baby have just arrived," he added as he held the door. Instantly Molly was hovering over her daughter-in-law.

"Mum, do give her some space," Percy commented.

"Oh isn't she just precious," Molly cooed. As Molly continued to fawn over the child, other members of the family wandered in to greet the latest arrivals.

"How's fatherhood feeling?" George asked his older brother.

"Odd. It still doesn't seem real," Percy admitted.

"Yeah…I expect it will be that way for us when Angie has the baby," George agreed.

"Grandma…can we eat yet?" James asked, coming into the room. The rest of the cousins had followed and the girls were now huddled around Penelope.

"We've got to wait for Uncle Charlie dear," Molly answered, giving her grandson a sad smile.

"I hope he gets here soon. I'm starving," Albus added, rubbing his stomach for effect.

"Be patient the both of you," Ginny reminded her sons.

"Yes Mum," they mumbled.

Another hour had passed and Molly had given in to her grandchildren's' hunger. They all sat down to dinner and were enjoying pudding for desert when a pop was heard in the back yard. Chairs scraped back and people began to clamor into the kitchen, trying to peer out the window to see if it was Charlie.

"He's here," Arthur announced to those who could not see.

"Has he come with anyone?" a chorus of voices rang out. Before Arthur could reply, the door opened and Charlie slipped inside. The mass of people was still huddled around the window, trying to discern where he'd gone to.

"What are you all staring at?" Charlie asked from behind them. They all turned, several of them blushing. No one moved or spoke at first.

"You're here," Molly exclaimed, pulling her oldest son into her arms.

"Sorry I'm late, Mum," Charlie apologized.

"We had a couple of dragons who'd gotten into a scuffle and we had to tame them down a bit," he explained.

"It's alright. Come on, sit down. Have some supper. We would have waited but the children got hungry," she rambled. Everyone sat back down and all eyes were on Charlie as he ate his meal. He'd come to Christmas without anyone…again.