I can't wait to get home

[alt_ron]

For Christmas!

And Mum's cooking. I mean, here at school you don't ever wake up because you're smelling breakfast cooking, do you? Or know it's time to come in for lunch because you can hear Mum banging pots about in the kitchen. And you don't start thinking about supper at half-four because you can already smell the roast cooking.

And none of it will be transfigured!

It's been a while since I've been home for Christmas, too. So I can't wait to see all the decorations: the garland and the candles, and Mum sticks cloves into apples--and oranges, too, if she can get any--and that makes everything smell great!

I hope they haven't brought in the pine boughs yet for over the doors. I remember going with Bill and Charlie when I was still pretty small and helping them pull the branches back home.

And Mum'll be humming carols all the time. And there'll be sweets for tea time.

I don't know how much snow there's been at home, but one year we got great gobs of it over the hols, and when Charlie came home from school, we made a giant snow fortress, and the twins made a cannon and shot snow balls at Percy and Ginny when they came out to see what we were up to!!!

And there'll be pie. And Mum's jam. And toast soldiers with our eggs.

So, yeah. I can't even wait!

Comments

[alt_draco]

Nice way to rub it in for some people, Weasley.

[alt_ron]

Huh?

[alt_ron]

What?

You jealous because your Mum doesn't cook for you? Or 'cause you don't have any brothers to do stuff with?

[alt_blaise]

Oh, look at you, trying to make out that your mother isn't a common drudge.

Some of us have elves and servants who do that sort of thing, so our mothers are free to be proper witches and leaders of society.

But carry on, Weasley, making juice out of rotten pumpkins. I wouldn't want to drink it, but I suppose you have to make do.

[alt_draco]

I think we all know who's really jealous. Ever since Harry told you to bugger off on the Hogwarts Express, you've gone out of your way to shadow his every move like some love-spurned girl. First the Dementors, then his broom, and now this. Harry admits that he isn't going to Buckingham for the hols and you shove his nose in the fact that you get to go home to your cosy hovel.

You're starting to look really pathetic, and that's saying something, considering how pathetic you were before.

[alt_ron]

Who is the pathetic one? Are you saying Marvolo thinks this is about him? You mean he's such a giant girl's blouse he can't stand it if anyone else is happy about anything?

Nice.

News flash. Not everything's about him.

Or you.

[alt_draco]

You haven't written more than a few lines here and there in your journal for most of the term, and then you just happen to write a long, celebratory post about your Christmas plans right after Harry's written about his. That's fine if you're happy about it or whatnot, but have some class for once. I realise that's asking a lot, but surely you can muster it from somewhere.

[alt_ron]

You're absolutely right, Malfoy.

I'm really sorry.

[alt_draco]

Oh, hilarious.

Private Message to Draco Malfoy

[alt_padma]

What's he playing at?

Re: Private Message to Draco Malfoy

[alt_draco]

Haven't got a clue, have I? Being an arse as usual, most likely.

Re: Private Message to Draco Malfoy

[alt_padma]

I dunno. Do you reckon he's just taking the mickey or what? Finnigan thinks Bighead Boy finally frightened him into politeness.

Re: Private Message to Draco Malfoy

[alt_draco]

Weasley's not scared of his brother, though. At all.

Wonder if elder Weasley did something drastic.

[alt_padma]

Honestly, Weasley, you're such a clod.

Has it not occurred to you that some people already said they didn't want to hear about people going home and being lucky? How can you be so insensitive?

[alt_ron]

...

Guess I am lucky to have such a great family. Hadn't really thought about it that way, but now you mention it, it's really true.

Why shouldn't I be happy about that?

[alt_padma]

You've got a great family? Excuse me? That's a laugh.

I've seen your mum, Weasley. I bet she was on someone's list of the porkiest witches when she was our age and she certainly hasn't got any better since. And who in the world would admire a couple of delinquents like Fred and George Weasley? One day they'll be in Azkaban where they belong. And let's not even start talking about your other brother or that sister of yours. And like Zabini says, your dad may as well work for the ghost relations office for all that he'll ever amount to anything at the Ministry.

Besides, it's really quite mad to be crowing about going home for Christmas now, when last year you were so miserable because of them you made certain to stay, even before everyone had to stay in the castle for our own protection from Black's Paralysis!

If you were any kind of proper wizard you'd be well ashamed of having a family like that.

[alt_sally_anne]

Oh, do talk about the Head Boy, Patil, I'm sure he's dying to know what you think of him.

[alt_padma]

Nobody asked you, Perks.

[alt_ron]

Patil, while I disagree completely with what you said about my parents, you were right that I was insensitive. I will try to be more careful of what I say in the future.

[alt_padma]

.....

Is that really you, Weasley? Or has someone nicked your journal and is writing it for you?

[alt_ron]

...

I was thinking, does that even work? And then I remembered Director Selwyn's daughter.

It's really me.

[alt_padma]

Right. How come you don't sound like you then, at all?

Well.

It's good that you've finally realised what you did to Marvolo, so. Yeah. All right, then.

Private message to Ronald Weasley

[alt_neville]

Um....now that you've sort of smoothed things over, maybe you put the journal away for now, Ron? You said you wanted to look over that Care of Magical Creatures essay again before you turned it in. And look, there's pudding for dessert!

Re: Private message to Ronald Weasley

[alt_ron]

That's a really good idea, Neville, thank you for reminding me about the homework.

Re: Private message to Ronald Weasley

[alt_neville]

Uh, anytime.

[alt_blaise]

None of it will be transfigured?

I doubt that. For the whole pack of you? On your father's salary? I mean, he's just an underhack under the undersecretary to the subsecretary to the assistant's assistant, isn't he?

Or has he taken up embezzling from the Ministry to pay the grocer's bills?

I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good

[alt_sally_anne]

Oh I'm itching to answer this one even though I know it would be a bad idea.

Blaise ought to have been on the 'thickest' list, he seriously has no IDEA how most of the people in the Protectorate live their lives. I think he honestly thinks it's a serious hardship to occasionally have to make your own breakfast, and he can't even begin to imagine life without oranges and other things that don't grow here.

BLAISE IT IS NOT THAT HARD TO MAKE A MEAL OF FOOD THAT'S NOT TRANSFIGURED. YOU JUST CHOOSE YOUR RECIPES CAREFULLY SO THEY ONLY USE INGREDIENTS THAT ARE GROWN HERE. A 'recipe' is a set of instructions for one of those dishes that appears on your table, so you know, and 'ingredients' are the bits that go in to them, and when I say 'grown here' I mean they come from FARMS like the ones on the Stretton's estates and muggles work in the fields and eventually we get apples and carrots and turnips and even mutton and beef and chicken. It's like magic! Except not really.

Re: I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good

[alt_sally_anne]

I mean for Merlin's sake my father used to refuse to transfigure anything when he was cross. So mum and I ate turnips. We got bloody tired of turnips but you can live on them for a good long time, actually.

I hadn't thought about that in ages.

I hope

[alt_ron]

As a matter of fact, it is possible to have an entire transfigured meal without a lot of cost if you choose recipes carefully.

Which we do, because we are a family that is careful with our resources.

I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good

[alt_sally_anne]

Bloody hell, what's up with the pack of them? It's entirely possible to have an entire meal of non-transfigured food if you choose your menu carefully (or don't mind eating loads of turnips).

It's no use answering, Ron. Just ignore them.

Re: I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good

[alt_hermione]

They don't really think about it, I mean they would never even imagine it, they always eat things that are high-class tasting, because it's a way to show how much better they are than other people. And they wouldn't ever think to not do that even if it meant they had to eat transfigured food, because if they didn't have things like oranges and raspberries in winter and so on then it would mean they weren't really so rich and important.

Re: I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good

[alt_sally_anne]

Too bloody right.

Oranges aren't really any tastier than apples and strawberries and other things that do grow here.

[alt_harry]

Well.

Bugger off Weasley.

[alt_ron]

Nice.

Obviously the point is I'm looking forward to it. Or did you want me to go somewhere else than home?

[alt_harry]

SHUT UP.

[alt_ron]

Why don't you?

Private message to Ronald Weasley

[alt_percy]

DO NOT ANSWER HIM Ron. At least not yet.

Please, I'm begging you. Come see me at lunch before saying ANYTHING to him further.

Re: Private message to Ronald Weasley

[alt_ron]

Thank you for your concern, Percy.

Re: Private message to Ronald Weasley

[alt_percy]

Er...don't mention it. I'm glad we've got that sorted.

[alt_ron]

I thought about this and I wanted to say, I'm really sorry, Marvolo. I didn't think about your earlier post when I put up mine.

I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I'll try to be more careful in the future.

[alt_gredforge]

Turning over a new leaf, bro? Hmm....

Order Only

[alt_bill]

A very new leaf....only who's the one who's really turning it over? Ron--or Percy?

(Dad? Remember what I told you I thought I might have seen last summer?)

Re: Order Only

[alt_arthur]

Oh, my.

Re: Order Only

[alt_molly]

Oh, Arthur!

Re: Order Only

[alt_arthur]

Let's...let's not jump to any conclusions, Molly. It's a good thing both boys are about to come home. I'll be able to sit down with them, have a chat. Hopefully, I'll be able to get to the bottom of this.

[alt_molly]

I'm so glad you're looking forward to coming home, as much as I'm looking forward to your all being here!

I did manage to get some cloves this year, although no oranges. But I also have some cardomen, so I'll be sure to make the spice biscuits I haven't been able to make for the past few years.