***
Chapter One - Relive and Remember
Looking around, Molly saw that the house was decorated for Christmas, just as hers was now. The stockings were hanging on the mantle, five in a row, just like they used to when she was young. Wait, was that her stocking? And Gideon's and Fabian's, too? Her mother's and her father's completed the row.
This was her childhood home.
Awestruck, Molly slowly moved around the room, surveying the chairs and tables that were so familiar to her. This was where she had grown up, the house she had lived in when her brothers were alive, before the First War destroyed her whole way of life.
Molly walked over to the corner of the room where her parents had always kept the calendar- it was Christmas Eve of 1958, the year she had been eight years old. Gideon had been ten, while Fabian, at twelve, was the only one of the siblings at Hogwarts. Molly remembered this Christmas vaguely; she recalled receiving a doll which she had played with for years and years until it wore out, upsetting her greatly.
"How are we here?" she asked Fred dreamily, still reminiscing about grand times she had had in this house.
"Mum, I'm a ghost. I can do stuff like this," Fred answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Oh, look who it is!"
Turning around swiftly, Molly saw a little girl walk into the room. The girl had red hair and brown eyes, a miniature version of herself. The younger Molly skipped over to the Christmas tree and plopped down next to a medium-sized box with an enormous red bow on top. She lifted the package slowly and put it to her ear.
Just then, a woman walked into the room, two lanky boys at her heels. "Molly, what in the world have you gotten up to?"
Shocked at being discovered, the younger Molly put the present she was holding back under the tree reluctantly and stood up, mumbling under her breath, "Tattletales..."
The woman, who the older Molly recognized as her own mother, put her arm around her daughter, whispering something in her ear. Giddy with delight, the little girl wrapped her arms around her mother and kissed her on the cheek. Then she walked back over to the tree, smirking at her brothers all the while.
The boys, Gideon and Fabian, looked outraged at this turn of events. Molly picked up the present, and slowly undid the bow. She lifted the lid off of the box, and saw a beautiful doll. It was wearing a long silky dress with pale pink flower petals embroidered into the fabric. A large bow was tied around her waist, a matching one in her dark brown hair. The doll's eyes were blue like sapphires, sparkling in the light of the Christmas tree.
"Oh, Mother!" The younger Molly was amazed at the loveliness of her new doll, shocked at how expensive it must have been. She sprang up and gave her mother a big hug, unable to find words to describe her gratitude. The doll was the most wonderful present she had ever received, and she was sure she would remember this moment for the rest of her life. It was a magical gift.
The scene in front of her brought tears to the older Molly's eyes. She turned to her son, wondering how he had known to bring her to this time in her past, this most wonderful memory. Fred had a look of delight on his face, and a mischievous grin spreading from ear to ear.
Smiling warmly, Molly's mother ushered her children into the next room. The older Molly followed, Fred at her heels. They arrived in the kitchen, nostalgia brewing in Molly as she recognized the paisley wallpaper she had loved as a girl. Her mother picked up a tray, and sat down at the table with her little ones. Each of them had their own mug of hot chocolate to enjoy, marshmallows floating on top, melting slowly into the frothy brew.
These were the times the older Molly missed, days when her family had all the time in the world to enjoy each other and relax. She remembered that her father was working on this night; it had been horrible for her, as she loved spending time with her father. It was Christmas Eve, too; how could someone possibly work on Christmas Eve?
Lost in her thoughts, Molly barely noticed when Fred whispered in her ear, "Mum, are you ready to go?"
"Wha- we have to leave?"
"Sorry, Mum, but we need to be heading to our next stop."
"And where might that be?" Molly was getting worried now; when Fred wanted to take her somewhere, it was usually followed by some kind of constricting through space with no air in her lungs, which wasn't Molly's forte.
"We'll just have to find out, now, won't we?" Fred said, and before Molly could object, the orange cloak was flung around her and that feeling of vertigo passed over her once more.
***
Her feet touching down again on hard earth was just what Molly needed to keep from passing out. Thankfully, when she opened her eyes, she found herself home again. There was one odd thing about this, though - it wasn't anything like the home she had left earlier that night.
In this version of her house, the Christmas tree was set up and lit in the middle of the room, presents strewn all around it. There were angel figurines on almost all of the shelves, wreaths adorning the walls. Molly knew she hadn't gotten around to this yet, so how could it have been done?
Her questions were soon answered, for into the room walked a very young Charlie Weasley, followed by Bill, no older than the young Molly had been at the previous house. Arthur followed his sons into the room, sweeping up Charlie playfully and taking a seat in his easy chair. Finally, there came a plump Molly, obviously pregnant. She was holding a little boy, only a year old: Percy. This meant that she was pregnant with Fred and George.
Fred apparently knew this, because he said quite loudly, "George took up all the room in there, I swear..."
Laughing under her breath, Molly replied, "Now why are we here, Fred?"
"It's all part of my evil plan," Fred said mysteriously. "You'll learn soon enough, Mum. I thought you preached to us to be patient."
"I did, but those types of rules don't apply to me," Molly explained earnestly.
"Why not?"
"I'm your mother, I deserve the right to know why we've gone back in time, and then forward again."
"Just watch and use your brain," Fred said impatiently. "You'll figure it out if you know what's good for you."
"Hmph!" Molly still thought she had the right to know, but she wasn't going to press it. She remembered this Christmas well enough; it was the one when she discovered she was having twins.
She had gone to St. Mungo's within the last couple of days for a checkup on her pregnancy. She well remembered that this time around, her stomach had enlarged much more and more quickly than the past three times. She thought it was just the fact that Arthur had been feeding her more, but the Healer had hinted at it being more than just that. He had told her he had been able to determine the gender of her baby, and asked if she wanted him to send her an owl on Christmas to make it all the more special. She had agreed.
The Healer had apparently decided he couldn't wait, and sent the owl a day early. Molly watched as a white owl clearly from St. Mungo's descended through the open window and landed on the table in front of Arthur. He untied the string holding the piece of parchment from the owl's leg, and the bird flew back through the window and into the night.
Arthur handed the parchment to his wife, and she unrolled it slowly, wondering whether she was carrying the first female Weasley in generations. She quickly read the note that was scribbled before her aloud:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
We have analyzed the results of your recent tests, and we have wonderful news for you. You are expecting twin boys! We at St. Mungo's hope this letter reached you well, and we wish you and your family the very best at this exciting time in your lives. Merry Christmas, and we will see you at your next appointment on January twenty-first.
Yours Sincerely,
The St. Mungo's staff
"Oh my goodness!" Molly threw her arms around her husband, and he planted a kiss on her cheek. "We're having twins!"
"What's twins?" Charlie asked, confused at his mother and father's delight.
Again, tears were brought to the older Molly's eyes as she watched her younger self explain to her son that two babies were going to be added to their family. She remembered the raw emotion that had overcome her on this night the first time around. She was so happy, and frightened at the same time. Everything had worked out wonderfully, and the staff at St. Mungo's had been very helpful to her.
Fred comforted his mother as she sobbed into his shoulder. He wasn't sure why she always had to cry at the most unusual of times, but he had learned to go with it. After all, she was crying over him, so how bad could it be? He had never made anyone cry in his lifetime, at least not on purpose. These had to be happy tears; what could he have done?
When Molly finally calmed down, she saw that another one of her happiest Christmases had ended in hot chocolate. Her younger self must have brought it out while she was sobbing. She didn't know why she sobbed any more than Fred did; maybe motherly instinct. It was hard for her to see the very beginning of her son's life, especially after she had seen past the end.
Molly and Fred stood there for a few more minutes, just watching their family celebrate. Finally Fred broke the silence once more. "We need to go again, Mum."
"Alright." Molly reluctantly obeyed. "Where are we going now?"
"Shouldn't you know that I'm not going to tell you?" Fred said, shocked that his mother had dared to ask him such a question.
"I just thought I'd attempt to get something out of you."
"Didn't work, now, did it?"
"No." Molly took one last look at her young family before Fred threw the cloak over her again, and they were swept into nothingness.
***
The Christmas Caller by ravenclaw1997
Chapter Notes:This chapter's purpose is to show the main character past Christmases that were happy in their lives. Enjoy!
Thanks to OliveOil_Med and CoolCatElly for beta'ing!
Chapter Endnotes:Thanks to everyone who's reading this; I really appreciate it and love seeing the numbers go up every day!
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