Chapter Four: A Suspicious, yet Unimportant Package
Saturday, 24 December, 1983, The Burrow lounge room
One day until Christmas
Molly replaced a glowing red bauble on the Christmas tree, having moved it from the next little branch across. She wanted it to be perfect “ no, not wanted. It had to be perfect for Christmas lunch tomorrow (and not just because her mother and Aunt Laura were coming). Everything had to be exactly right. She stood back to admire the huge tree, the angel on top almost brushing the ceiling…
No, no that bauble had been better on the other little frond. She carefully took it off and threaded the original frond through the loop of thread coming from the top of the bauble.
Perfect.
Decorating had been surprisingly easy. Fred and George had been scarce whenever they weren’t helping, and when they were, they worked quickly and efficiently before disappearing again. In fact, the same went for all seven of her children. The only time when there was any type of problem was when everyone who could do so was helping and Ron and Ginny were left with nothing to do. And that only happened once “ when they had decorated the Christmas tree, and even then they had managed to keep the two youngest involved most of the time.
She was growing curious. There was some kind of attraction outside “ maybe a new game or something? “ that they were ever so keen to get back to whenever they had a spare moment, yet none seemed to want to tell her what it was. Whatever they were doing, it seemed to involve playing in the mud. Much of the time, they would come back absolutely filthy, though it wasn’t too bothersome “ a spell could quickly clean the floor, which they kept as clean as possible anyway, it didn’t take long to take a shower, and the older children didn’t mind giving Ginny or Ron a bath, for some reason.
Just as she was scanning the tree one last time, Molly heard a tapping at the window, and turned to see a large, vaguely familiar, tawny owl sitting irritably on the windowsill, with a very large package tied to its leg. Before she had taken a single step towards it, she heard thumping feet and voices coming from outside.
“…be sure you saw it, George!” This was, unmistakably Bill’s voice.
“I am! I swear!” The second voice was one of the twins’, presumably George.
“Yeah, it was definitely the package!” This voice was identical to the second.
“Fred!” exclaimed Bill’s voice, getting louder as the three children approached the house. “You didn’t even see it!”
“Yeah, well… well, shut up… Billy!” Molly could imagine Fred challenging Bill just by his tone.
Bill burst in through the front door, the twins at his heels. All three of them were walking at top speed, and looked immediately to the left towards the window and the owl with the package, so they must have totally missed Molly.
“See?! There, I told you,” said George, pointing at the package, which they were fast approaching.
“Well, it’s about bloody time it turned up,” sighed Bill, wrenching open the window. The owl looked supremely unimpressed as Bill lifted it from the sill carefully, cradling the package in one hand, and untied the tough leather string. “I mean, I was beginning to think all their hair“” he cut off, having turned to put the parcel on the table, and spotted Molly in the lounge room.
As Bill froze, the twins turned, and both exclaimed at the same time,
“Mum!” She raised an eyebrow.
“You boys were expecting a parcel?” They all shifted uncomfortably.
“Maybe…” muttered Fred.
“Anything else you’d like to tell me?”
“No…” he muttered, not looking her in the eye.
“Then what’s in the“”
“Nothing!” exclaimed George, finding his voice. Molly said nothing.
“Important,” added Bill, and blinked, “in that it’s not. I mean, not that it’s not nothing, but it’s… Well, it is nothing “ not literally, but it’s nothing… important,” he finished lamely.
“Nothing important,” repeated Molly.
“No,” said Fred, unconvincingly.
“It’s not illegal,” George put in hastily.
“Not at all,” added Fred.
“Is it?” asked George. Bill smiled slightly.
“No, not illegal.” There was a nervous silence.
“But you can’t say what it is?” She flushed slightly in the lack of a reply. “Bill, we made a deal“”
“And I haven’t broken it “ nor any of us,” said Bill honestly. No one said anything for a few moments.
“Well,” said Fred. “We should take our… err…”
“Unimportant parcel,” supplied Bill.
“Yeah, that,” said Fred, still not meeting Molly’s eyes.
“And get outside “ back outside,” said George.
“Yes, alright,” said Molly. “Have you all got your outfits for tomorrow ready?” The twins headed for the door, between them keeping the parcel, although wrapped, out of sight, as if the inability to see it would make Molly forget it was there. Bill watched them exit the door, looking amused.
“Of course, Mum. You’ve been saying that for days,” he said, heading after them.
“Bill“”
“We still have a deal, Mum,” he said, reaching the door. “And it really isn’t anything illegal.” With that, he disappeared. The owl, having relocated to the kitchen bench grumpily, gave an annoyed hoot. Molly stared at the door through which Bill had gone for a moment, then grinned vaguely to herself, and glanced at her watch. There wasn’t much time to go; she should probably get back to work on the only things that were not already totally finished and perfected (save for the food, which she would take care of in the morning): the presents for her seven children, most of which lay, half finished, on her and Arthur’s bedroom floor.
Coming up next, Christmas Day...