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“Pansy, are you sure about this?” Ron asked, taking his girlfriend’s hands into his own.
“We’re three feet from your parents’ home’s doorsteps, and you ask me now?” Pansy teased, arching a brow at Ron.
He flushed. “Er, well, I’m asking, aren’t I?”
Pansy leant in and kissed Ron briefly. “I love you, and that means that I want to spend our first Christmas together.”
“But we can go to your parents if you want,” Ron said. “It’s not too late.”
“Ron, I think you’re the one that’s nervous about me being with your family on Christmas, not vice versa.”
He shrugged. “I just know that my family can be a lot sometimes.” He paused. “Er, well, most of the time. I just don’t want to scare you away.”
Pansy cracked a smile. “I’m a Slytherin, love, tougher than I look.” She kissed him again. “A bunch of Weasleys aren’t going to scare me off. And besides, I’ve met most of your family already.”
“But that was in small doses,” Ron countered.
“You’re not scaring me off so easily, Weasley,” Pansy said, grinning at him. Stepping closer, she kissed him passionately, holding onto him tightly in the cold. Ron responded to the kiss eagerly, pouring his love into it.
“Oi, are you two gonna stay out there all night and snog or come in!” A voice yelled, interrupting the tender moment.
Pansy pulled away from Ron, blushing. Looking towards the house, she saw Fred standing in the doorway, a large grin on his face.
“Prat!” Ron shouted, shaking his head. “Come on, then.” He pulled Pansy along into the house.
At once, Pansy felt at home. Truth be told, she had been looking forward to spending Christmas Day with the Weasleys. Her parents celebrated, but not like this. The Burrow was warm, and it smelled amazing. She could hear Christmas music playing in the background, and there were people everywhere, including small children running around. This was the type of Christmas she had always longed for…
“You okay?” Ron whispered in her ear.
Turning, Pansy smiled. “It’s perfect.”
“Hi, Ronald!” Mrs Weasley said, coming over to the pair. “Sorry about Fred, I told him to leave you dears alone out there.” She hugged her son tightly before turning to Pansy. “Hello, Pansy, dear, so happy to have you for Christmas!” She then hugged Pansy tightly.
“Thank you for having me,” Pansy said once the hug ended. “It smells amazing.”
“Molly’s been cooking all morning,” Mr Weasley said, coming over. He put his arm around his wife.
“Well, I look forward to eating, Mrs Weasley,” Pansy said, honestly meaning it.
“Call me Molly, dear,” she said warmly. “Oi, George, get your fingers out of those mashed potatoes!” she shouted, bustling back towards the kitchen.
“Come on, let’s go find Harry and Hermione,” Ron said, taking Pansy’s hand and leading her to the living room, where most of the family was already gathered.
“Hi Ron, Pansy!” a collection of voices rang out.
“Hi, everyone,” Pansy said, smiling warmly. She immediately made her way to Hermione and Charlie, who were sitting cosily on the sofa. Hermione was the reason she and Ron had started dating - the two of them worked together at the Ministry, and she had convinced Ron to give her a second chance.
“I’m glad you made it,” Hermione said warmly, moving over so that Pansy could sit next to her on the sofa. “Charlie, this is Pansy, Pansy, Charlie,” she introduced.
“Hi, Charlie, I’ve heard a lot about you,” Pansy said, sinking into the warm sofa. She loved that it was soft, not like the hard upholstery her parents had at their manor.
“Good things I hope,” he said, grinning at Hermione.
“Fifty-fifty,” Pansy teased, laughing. “There are so many little ones,” she commented, looking around.
“Yup!” Charlie said. “Nieces and nephews… Luckily enough to keep my mum happy before she starts pestering Hermione and me.”
Hermione rolled her eyes. “I love your mum, but she can be a bit much when it comes to grandchildren. Just wait ‘til she starts pestering you and Ron.”
“We’re not even married,” Pansy countered. “Surely she won’t bring that up with us.”
Hermione and Charlie exchanged an unreadable look. “Yes, well, she’s nosy, that one, but she means well.”
“So, who belongs to who?” Pansy asked, looking around. She spotted Ron talking Percy, whom Pansy knew well from the Ministry. She gave them a small wave.
“So, there’s Victoire, Fleur and Bill’s daughter, and she’s talking with Teddy, who was Remus and Tonks’ child, Harry is his guardian, but you knew that. Fleur is also pregnant with another child. Over there is Lucy, who is Percy and Audrey’s, but I think you’ve met her before,” Hermione said, pausing. “Over there is Roxanne, who is Angelina and George’s, and then there’s James and Albus, Harry and Ginny’s kiddos.” She looked around. “I also think Ginny is pregnant again, but she hasn’t said anything yet, so I can’t be sure.”
“I’ve heard Ron talk about most of his nieces and nephews, so it’s nice to put faces to names.”
“All right, everyone, it’s time to open presents!” Molly announced in the doorway to the living room. “The turkey is going to be just a little longer, so we might as well open some gifts before we eat.”
There was a chorus of excited shouts from the little ones as everyone scrambled to find a seat in the living room. Ron came over and sat down next to Pansy, taking her hand.
“Mum and Dad hand the gifts out,” he explained. “It’s sort of tradition.”
Pansy nodded. “I imagine it would be chaos if everyone tried to grab their things at once.”
“It happened like that one year and Mum lost it.”
Pansy laughed. She could only imagine what Molly Weasley looked like when she was angry, and it was a sight she didn’t want to see.
Sitting quietly, Pansy watched as everyone began to open gifts as they were distributed. Ron got a new sweater, some gloves for work, and a few other items from his family members. The two of them had agreed to exchange gifts alone later at her flat because it was something ‘big’, so she was surprised when Molly handed her a wrapped gift.
“Ron, I thought we said we would wait,” she murmured, looking at her boyfriend.
“It’s not from me,” Ron said, grinning. “Open it, Pans.”
Pansy slowly opened her gift, not realising that everyone had stopped to watch her. Unwrapping the paper, she let out a small gasp as she realised what it was. Taking it out of the box, she smiled. It was a Weasley sweater with a P on the front and a lovely colour - her favourite shade of blue. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes.
“Welcome to the family, dear,” Molly said, smiling at her warmly.
Pansy hugged the sweater to her chest. “Thank you so much.” Looking at Ron, she reached up and quickly brushed away the tears that were threatening to fall. She kissed him. “I love you.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Ron said. “Mum was nervous you wouldn’t.”
“I love it,” she said sincerely. “Ron, this is literally everything I’ve ever wanted. Thank you for the best Christmas ever.”
He grinned, a blush dusting his cheeks. “I hope it’ll be one you never forget.”
Her heart warmed at his words and kissed him briefly. She held onto her Weasley sweater tightly as she watched the little ones open their presents. Snuggling deeper into Ron’s side, she decided that this was something she could certainly get used to.