Chapter 51: Lumos

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They picked Luna up from the Hogwarts Express themselves, and brought her to stay in the spare bedroom above their shop.
The Weasleys celebrated Christmas, but Delphi had introduced the twins to Yule, and in her memory they lit a Yule log with Luna and went through that tradition with mixed humour and solemnity, but an authenticity that could not follow them to the Burrow on the 25th.
Luna refused to come with them, heading instead to the Longbottom household for the day. They were perfectly prepared to do the shovel talk with Neville if necessary, but didn't want to deprive Delphi of the pleasure when they got her back.
She did have quite the way with judgemental matriarchs too.

Anyway, Christmas with their wonderful, loud and almost universally tactless family.
It was filled with as many poorly thought out comments, awkward pauses and sideways glances as they'd expected. Worse than they expected was their mother having the audacity to make a comment filled with suggestion about how involved Angela and Katie were becoming at their shop.
It was really bad.

The gifts were much better.
Bill and Fleur gave them a picture of them at the cottage, laughing sat on the beach, Delphi between them head on Fred's shoulder. The frame was silver, worked to look like ferns wafting in the breeze. Charlie got them purple and orange throw blankets that were weighted and warm, treated with a modified love potion to smell of...well, to them, Delphi.
That caused Fred to break down, George had to thank Charlie for both of them while his twin spent some time outside.
Their father and Percy joined the ranks of considerate gift givers, both working together to give the pair a membership for delivery of cooked dinners three times a week.
Ginny and Harry got them purple scarves, just the right shade.
Ron and Hermione gave them a rowan/mountain ash bonsai which was definitely Hermione's idea.
Their mother gave them jumpers, though much like Ginny, her's were in purple wool.

Despite the gifts that made them feel much more charitable as a whole, they decided to leave early. The others wouldn't really let themselves have fun until Fred and George weren't around looking years older than they actually were and producing an aura of misery despite their impressive bravado.

Surprisingly, Ron walked them to the door.

Ron and Hermione had been going steady since the battle, and getting on far better than even anyone expected, least of all the couple themselves. The war had matured Ron a great deal, and mellowed Hermione enough that their bickering rarely escalated.
Ginny and Harry were another matter, the golden boy being a lot more scarred and damaged by all that had happened, he'd even considered leaving the Wizarding world altogether at one point. Ginny had to coax him and handle him like a rescue animal, not that they could blame the guy at all.

Ron shuffled awkwardly in the hallway, moving foot to foot.
"You guys...aren't doing okay." He'd stated eventually.
"Blimey Gred," commented Fred sarcastically, "Ronnie-kin's insight knows no bounds!"
Ron glowered. "Quit it. I'm trying to say something meaningful."
George poked his head out the door to check the sky, "sky ain't falling Forge."
Ron groaned before thrusting his closed hand toward them, "here. You gits. Take it."
George raised an eyebrow but did just that, opening his palm to find a familiar lighter.
"Dumbledore's Deluminator?"
Ron smiled distantly, "It does more than turn lights on and off. Helped me find Hermione actually...after....after I left. Maybe it'll help you guys too. 'Mione says if I use it one more time in the dorms she'll dump me anyways."

George let his fingers close around the device hesitantly, even though he had no idea how it was supposed to help them in any way. It was Dumbledore's, if it turned out not to help, they could stomp on it for stress relief.
And yes, the man was dead, did not mean he wasn't an underaged girl mind rapist. Git.
"Thanks." Said Fred.
The three shared an awkward nod, before Ron turned away and headed toward the kitchen, no doubt after some more sausage rolls.

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