Stardust

Chapter 1

Hogwarts was beautiful in winter. That was a given as the snow seemingly came overnight. Many of the younger students were outside, getting into snowball fights and trying to enjoy the blissful wisps of Christmas snow that blanketed the grounds.

Though for two particular Hogwarts students were forced to stay inside and endure something neither of the two blond-haired children wanted to do; have a family meal together.

Harry Potter, the host of this meal sat in front of his two offspring, finally reuniting what was supposed to be a happy family. The newly named Aster Potter-Malfoy sat poking her food with no interest. After all, having a dish with "liver" in its name did not appeal to the eleven-year-old child. James wasn't even touching his meal. His hands remained in his lap as he stared blankly at the dish of liver and mashed potatoes and broccoli. He glared over at the girl beside him, and she glared in return. They each had their own reasons for not liking each other, but those reasons were being ignored by their parent, who was happy to have his children with him for the first time ever. "This is nice, right?" Harry asked, not great at small talk, even with his own children. "Just us. Finally, together. A family."

James let out a chuckle that could have sounded like a cough. Harry glanced at his platinum-haired son, "James? You okay? You haven't even touched your food and you look a little thin," Harry commented on, finally having a good look at his son. The blonde boy had been starving himself for the last two weeks and in that time he had sullen cheeks and heavy bags under his eyes that was hidden with some girl's makeup who had a similar complexion to him. He barely had gotten much sleep and he just ignored his dad, "I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked. "Cause if you don't want the liver, I can get you something else. What do you want?"

James was glared and crossed his arms, turning away, "I said I'm not hungry! How hard is that for you to understand?"

Harry looked at the girl, who seemed to have mustered up the courage to take a bite of the liver meat and gagged at the taste. "I can't! It's gross!" She said and spat it out in a napkin. "What is this food anyway?"

"Haggis," Harry answered. He wasn't the best cook, but he tried. As a professor, he had his own living corridors and with that a kitchen. "It's sheep liver, heart, and lungs. A Scottish dish I thought I would try the recipe for," he admitted.

Aster's face paled as her eyes quickly darted away from the meat. She felt her body shiver, "sheep?! Heart?!" Aster gasped in horror as she pushed the food away and began crying. Cow and chicken, she could eat just fine, pork, it depended on how it was cooked, but sheep?! Fluffy sheep?! Especially the heart?! She had to draw the line somewhere! Harry held the urge to roll his eyes from annoyance. "Fine. I will save these for later and you two can eat whatever the House Elves make us," He said as he took the dishes away.

Harry headed to the kitchen area where a gigantic pile of plates from him making the food still needed to be cleaned. He pulled out his wand and began implementing the cleaning spells and the food preservation spells to save the food properly. It was a waste, but Harry held his tongue as he picked up a special bell and jingled it, having one of the House Elves appear in a flash. "Go ask what my kids want to eat," he said with a lingering annoyance in his voice, "and do not take I'm not hungry for an answer."

"Yes, Mr. Potter!" The house elf said as he ran out of the kitchen and began asking the kids what they wanted to eat. Harry sighed and looked over at the outside window, seeing snow falling down. He walked over and gazed outside for a moment, taking in the natural beauty of a crisp December's evening. It reminded him of a time not so long ago when was happy and had received some wonderful news. Though that time had passed and now he must endure the present.

Though in the back of mind he wondered for a brief moment...what was Draco up to?

Draco never fancied himself a lover of the Yule Tide season, but this year was a miracle as he walked through the snow in his backyard. The crunch of the snow under his boots and the brisk cold air reminded him that he was free.

Free from Azkaban.

The man never imagined that he would ever be this excited for the holidays since his son was born, and now he would have his entire family to celebrate the Holidays with! His parents Lucius and Narcissa, and his children James and Aster. He would see his son after eleven years of not seeing him.

Draco still remembered that day when he was arrested on sight. He had his son ripped out of his arms and Teddy's frightful expression as he was being detained on a crime he did not commit.

That reminded him. He would see Teddy and his new family. The young man had grown up and despite being a young man with a new career, he was about to get married and he and his wife, Victoire Weasley, already had a daughter together from what he heard. Well, he would love to see the man after years of not seeing him. Harry and Draco practically raised Teddy as their son since before James was born, though they didn't legally adopt Teddy since he still lived with his grandmother at the time. Now from what Draco understood, Teddy was passed between the Weasley households to Harry most days and now he was a young man with a new family of his own in the works.

The blonde felt the brisk of Jack Frost's air and he almost felt like a child again. Though he soon had to go back inside. He soon turned his back and headed to the Malfoy Manor.

Once he was inside, the smell of food cooking in the kitchen filled his senses and the manor was beautifully decorated in Christmas attire. He had never seen such golden decorations adorn in the house before, but his mother had been most enthusiastic about this particular Holiday. Even now he could hear her humming magical Christmas carols to herself as she waved her wand, decorating the Christmas tree in the living room.

"Such lovely decorations," Draco said in amusement. "I'm amazed we still have half of the old ornaments," he mused as he looked around, watching the magic happen. As though Narcissa was a conductor with her wand, Narcissa moved like a swaying tree, decorating the tree to completion and the living room in gold and silver tassels and stockings that hung by the chimney. Draco walked over and saw stocking from his youth, an old green stocking with silver lettering itched in the fabric. All stockings were enchanted with a spell that would make it bigger on the inside, using the Undetectable Extension Charm.

"I'm surprised this thing is in perfect condition," Draco mused loudly. Narcissa finished her casting and walked over, her heels clacking Against the hardwood floor. "Of course, I would save it for you Draco!" She said. "I still have James's stocking from his very first Christmas," she said, pulling out a smaller stocking that was green as well with Golden writing on it. "I always put these up around the Holidays. And we must make one for Aster!" Narcissa perked up. Draco smiled, "I'm sure she would love to pick one out for herself. She seems to be a fan of the color pink."

"Pink?! For Christmas?! Draco that's so...tacky!" Narcissa spoke and calmed herself, "I would be willing to her have a red stocking if that's the case. Though it would break out family colors quite a bit," Narcissa said with an annoyed pout. "She must be a Gryffindor," she groaned, "I can't even imagine such a delicate flower as her being placed with such brash fools!" She shuttered at the thought. "Though she didn't seem to possess those traits."

"She's not in Gryffindor Mother," Draco said.

"So she is in Slytherin!" Narcissa's eyes widen with joy. Draco looked uneasy, tugging at the collar of his shirt. "Not exactly," Draco coughed, "Aster told me she's a Hufflepuff."

There was a break in an ornament that had dropped to the ground. Narcissa held in a breathe, "A...Hufflepuff? A Hufflepuff?!" Her voice went high. "Why don't you just cut all my hair and burn it why don't you?!" She exclaimed dramatically. "My granddaughter with the worst house in Hogwarts?!"

Draco sighed, "I know it's not great, but she'll do well there."

"The house with no standards Draco! Their fashion sense consists of of...ugly sweaters and farm colors!" Narcissa panicked superficially.

Draco crossed his arms, "she's a kind-hearted girl and frankly, it's the house without the drama from what I heard. They can give her stability in this rough patch she's going through. You might not like it, but I approve of her being in there." Draco stated.

Narcissa frowned, "well I'll go look for a golden stocking then. At least she can have Golden stocking and still fit the color scheme of the ornaments," Narcissa said as she walked out of the room, needing a moment. Draco rolled his eyes; his views of Hogwarts Houses have greatly changed since his days. Actually, it made him reflect on what he had said about Hufflepuffs before when he was an ignorant child. Imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave…

Draco walked over to the fireplace, feeling the warmth of its flames spread through the manor. He sat down and stared at the dancing energy, burning. With years in the dark, he felt so cold no matter how close he was to the flames.

The flames were a reminder that he was not in that cell anymore.