A Perfectly Starry Christmas
A/N: This story is a substitute for the lovely GeekyLola whilst her other one comes in. Hey, you can never have too many stories :) Merry Christmas, Lola, I hope your Christmas was as enjoyable as Luna's, if not more!
Everything was perfect.
A merry fire crackled in the fireplace, casting a warm glow over the room, as shimmering, crystal snowflakes drifted around outside. The delicious, mouth-watering smell of a roasting turkey wafted from the kitchen, causing his stomach to rumble hungrily, as he watched his daughter playing happily with her toy – a garden gnome in a purple tutu, long ago resigned to his fate as a doll – on the mat. Yes, everything was perfect; except for his frustratingly blank mind.
"Luna, are you sure there is nothing you would like for Christmas? Some doll's clothes, perhaps? A tea-set of your own?"
His little girl shook her head, oblivious to his problem. "No, Daddy, I'm fine. Nibbles already has an extensive wardrobe and I don't need anything materialistic."
"What about a snargaluff puff pup then?"
"Oh no, Daddy, I could never take one from his family. I'd imagine he'd be lonely not being with his family on Christmas if I were to have him for myself. I'll be alright."
Despite not receiving the answer he wanted, Xenophilius couldn't help but smile down at his daughter. She seemed to grow more like her mother every time he laid eyes on her. Like Pandora, Luna had a larger vocabulary than most children, and adults, and yet never appeared to be pretentious in any way. Her heart was always in the right place, causing him to wonder what he had done to deserve such a special girl.
Luna quickly turned back to her gnome, pulling out a tiny comb from the back pocket of her overalls so that she could start coming through its curly, golden wig. The gnome itself huffed uncomfortably, folding its small arms and rolling its beady, black eyes upwards, evidently hoping for its 'bedtime' to come early.
Xenophilius leant back into his armchair, watching his daughter thoughtfully. He knew she was right; there was nothing Luna was really in need of that had not already been provided for her. Unlike some, she had a warm bed to sleep in, a thatched roof over her head, somebody to play with and plenty to eat. If her clothes were too small or in need of repair, he would make sure that she had more. If her shoes were too tight – though Luna rarely liked to wear them, and thus never wore them out – he would buy two new pairs the very next day. Yet, even so, he couldn't help feel that she deserved something special for Christmas.
He allowed his blue eyes wandered around the room, searching for a possible clue as to what he could get her. As they passed across several old lamps on a side table, his buzzing and whirring printing equipment, and a selection of old magazines and gumboots haphazardly piled in a corner, they fell upon the framed picture of his wife. The picture was sitting atop the mantle and was hand-decorated in puka shells and silver glitter; a gift his Luna had given him the previous Christmas. Tears immediately pricked the corner of his eyes as his late wife smiled out at him, holding up a potion vial and pointing at its swirling red and purple content happily.
If only she was here right now – she would know what Luna needed, wanted, for Christmas. She would have sent him out with a long list of goods he needed to buy, and when he got home, she would have met him with a kiss and a snowball to the face. Alas, she was not able to help him now; as Luna often pointed out, she was instead up in the sky, basking in the brightness of all the other stars.
Sighing deeply, then quickly fixing a smile upon his face as Luna looked up at him curiously, he settled further into the chair. He would just have to manage this one on his own, and pray to Merlin that he got it right.
Perfection did not exist, Xenophilius was sure of it.
He had been walking down the crowded streets of central London for three hours, peering into various frosted shop windows, and yet nothing had appealed to him. The shiny new brooms on display all looked much too fast and dangerous, and the jars upon jars of sweets screamed out 'tooth decay'. The one present he had considered, a small, lavender-filled plush dragon, had sold out before he could reach the front counter, the last of which went to a tall, sneering blonde witch and her equally blond husband, neither of whom looked as though they belonged anywhere near the modest toy store.
Xenophilius had even ventured into Muggle London, in the hopes of finding anything worth purchasing. All he had found, however, was confusion, as harried shoppers laddened down with heavy bags pushed past him without so much as a passing 'sorry'. He was very much surprised that they were out at all given the amount of snow fall and general slipperiness of the roads, and had made a mental note to later investigate whether or not Muggles had discovered the art of keeping warm with a few simple charms.
"Roses for your darling, roses for your darling," an old woman, dressed in Victorian clothing, called out to him as he began walking back to Diagon Alley, thinking it best he return home.
He gave the woman a polite wave, watching as she continued beckoning to people. He thought the Muggles rather rude, however, as many of them ignored her calls, some even going so far as to cross the road before they came to her. Other people took out cameras and began pointing them at the woman, clicking away as they jostled their friends. Xenophilius couldn't fathom their behaviour, particularly as the woman's roses appeared absolutely lovely in their yellow, pink and red hues. Pulling out the small leather purse he carried with him, he decided to investigate her cart.
"Look, look there. He must be part of the act, I reckon," one woman whispered to her husband as he walked past, but he firmly ignored them.
"Flowers you gov?" the lady asked as he approached, revealing blackened front teeth. Her eyes travelled up and down his cloak and she smiled wider, continuing in her cockney accent, "I picked the best for you, I did."
Carefully, he looked over the selection of flowers before picking out a delicate, light pink rose. The stem felt very stiff and the petals were a little hard as he rubbed his thumb along them. Still, it was in perfect shape, and he was sure Luna would take good care of it.
"This one will do," he said, smiling brightly at the woman. Fishing around in his purse, he took out a silver sickle, "here, more for your troubles."
The woman blinked several times as she looked at the coin placed in her gloved hand. After bending down to peer closely at it, she shook her head and leant in towards him.
"Psst, I think Mark has given you the wrong coinage. This isn't real."
"Of course it is," he replied, astonished.
"That's not a penny; it isn't even from the 19th century. You're supposed to be handing out the real things. Now that I think about it, Mark has even stuffed up your costume too, by the looks of it. At least the twit got the pocket watch right… I think." Standing up, the woman quickly smiled at the crowd, before leaning in again. Her accent had changed into the regular British drawl Xenophilius was accustomed to as she hurriedly whispered, "You go and tell Mark that he better fix you up proper, now, or I'll be telling the boss that he's not done his research again. Go on, now, quickly, before someone in the audience notices. Go on."
His turn to blink, Xenophilius leaped back as the woman hurriedly snatched the rose from his grasp. She pushed him back slightly, and as he finally complied and began to walk away, unsure as to whether or not Gringotts was misdealing – another article for The Quibbler – he could hear her shouting, "And not a penny from Mr Scrooge, oh poor Tiny Tim, whatever shall we do. Roses for sale, roses for sale! Oh won't you please buy one, lovely young miss?"
People in the street were ignorant to his confusion as they continued to bustle to get a clear view of the woman and her cart. They shoved at his shoulders and jostled his arms, forcing him further and further down the street. It was probably just as well, for he could hear the beginnings of a Christmas carol being sung, and more people in similar dress began to gather where the woman stood.
He was ready to go home anyway. His legs were beginning to ache from all the walking he had done, and as the time wore on, the more the cold winds bit at his face. Taking a deep breath, this time not marvelling at how the cold air came out as a puff as he usually did, he began walking the opposite direction.
"Say, I heard you were looking for a gift. For someone special, I bet."
Xenophilius turned around in surprise as a wheezy voice addressed him. A rather short man in his late twenties was leaning against a brick archway, looking up at him with a smirk. On his chin there were several sprouts of hair and his blue eyes appeared rather sharp and dark as they took in his appearance. Xenophilius did not quite like the look of him, as natural as he appeared, and felt the strong urge to move away from his presence. However, knowing it never did to judge a book by its cover, he remained where he was.
"Yes, that is correct," he replied hesitantly. "For my daughter."
"Well, aren't you lucky then, 'cause I've got just the lovely, unique gift for her, I do."
Xenophilius' ears perked up at hearing this and a good feeling began to churn in the pit of his stomach. His Luna was unique; that was without any doubt. If he could get her something just as special, well, that would be lucky. Still, not many people could truly appreciate just how special Luna was; whatever the man was offering had to be exceptional.
Raising his eyebrow, he said, "oh? What is that then?"
A sparkle filled the young man's eyes as he looked Xenophilius up and down, taking in his unusual clothes. Licking his lips, he dug in his pockets before pulling out a folded piece of paper.
"This, this is something no one else has. I guarantee that, I do," the man gestured to the paper excitedly with a dirty fingernail, before directing his attention towards the sky. "See that up there?"
Looking up, Xenophilius shook his head. All that he could see was a blanket of white and grey cloud, looming over the city and threatening it with heavier snow. "See what?" he asked, going to look back at the man.
The man hastily pointed back up to the sky, shouting, "Look! Way up there."
Xenophilius squinted, but wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to see. He decided to continue looking to be polite, waiting for the man to explain.
"Well, 'course you can't see them now, can you? But they're up there, they are. Little twinkling lights."
"You mean the stars?"
"That I do! Hundreds… thousands of them. Sort of like glitter, ain't they?"
"I suppose they are. At night," he agreed thoughtfully. He and Luna always loved looking up at the night sky, trying to find new constellations. He couldn't believe his luck in finding a stranger that shared their love for them.
"Well, you see, I gots some special news. I discovered one of those stars, I did. Even named it myself. Special, innit, to have something like that?" the man winked at Xenophilius, placing something shiny in his pocket quickly.
Xenophilius smiled back, wanting to hear more of what he had to say. Perhaps this man wasn't so bad after all.
"Tells you what, though, I've got no use for it anymore. Bin wanting to give it to someone special, I have, for a long time. I don't suppose you'd be interested in buying off me, would you?"
Xenophilius had to clap his hands over his ears to make sure he had heard correctly. Was the man offering him a star? How could that be? Did Muggles really own what was up there?
As if reading his mind, the man hastily continued, "Now I knows what you thinking, it's probably a right bit expensive. I mean, you look like a man of taste and sense. But I wouldn't want to rip you off, mate, not a new friend of mine. See, I'll be willing to part with dear old… Pandora…for, say, seventy quid?"
Feeling ashamed, he ducked his head. He didn't know what seventy quid even meant, and guessed it was some kind of Muggle currency. All he had was a few knuts and sickles, and some galleons – judging by the woman's reaction earlier, they were probably all fake anyway. He doubted the man would accept any of his coins. Yet the sign was there, Pandora, telling him he needed this gift.
Sensing his reluctance, the man casually leant further back against the brick wall. He began to examine his fingernails and shook his head sorrowfully. "It's a bargain, I tells you. I'm sure your …daughter, was it? would absolutely love a star as a gift. No other chick round 'ere would have one. You don' believe me, though, do you?"
"Oh no, of course I do," Xenophilius hurriedly replied, looking up at the man.
The man sighed heavily before plastering a smile upon his face. "Perhaps I could lower the price then, and throw in this here Certificate of Warranty," he gestured to the folded paper in his hand and nodded towards a grassy hill that could just be seen above the shop rooves, "This paper here tells you it's official. You go take that up to that observatory up there and they'll tell you. I'll even be willing to let it go for fifty quid, alright?"
Deciding honesty was the best policy, Xenophilius held out eleven galleons. "I'm afraid this is all I have."
The youth's eyes gleamed as he took in the shiny gold. Picking up one, he flipped it in his palm and began tracing over the strange markings with his fingertip. "Never seen one of these before. Is it real?"
"I think so, though a woman told me it wasn't," he admitted, not wanting to lie to the man.
Lifting the galleon up to his teeth, the men bit into it cautiously. "Seems real enough," he said, examining the surface again. Then, peering up at the wizard, he sighed loudly. "I suppose… I suppose I'll let you have it for this. Mind you, you're getting the bargain."
Smiling broadly, Xenophilius wanted nothing more to hug the man before him. What generosity this man had! What selflessness, what graciousness! He felt his eyes begin to water and, with shaky hands, gladly accepted the piece of paper the man offered.
"Oh thank you, thank you!"
"Oi, alright, steady on!" the man gasped as Xenophilius gave in and firmly hugged the man, emitting a small squeak.
He now had the absolutely, most perfect gift for his Luna, and just in time. The sky was beginning to darken as the wind became fiercer, causing his robes to whip furiously about his ankles. He waved farewell to man who promptly ran off, laughing loudly, and began to head towards the hill he had pointed out. The man had said something about being able to see the star on a telepope, and he wanted to see how beautiful it was before he showed Luna.
Disastrous. Everything was horribly, irreparably, disastrous. Nothing could fix this evening.
Carefully, with small tears, Xenophilius unravelled the ribbon and matching bright red paper of the package before him. Despite the little holes that already covered the top of the box, he did not want to completely destroy the beautiful wrapping job Luna had managed. It was the least he could do after the blunders he made shopping the afternoon before. He knew her face would not be shining as it did so now, watching him expectantly and awaiting his surprise.
"Ouch, what…uh, oh… oh, it's lovely Luna, how did you ever know?" he said as he quickly withdrew his finger and placed it in his mouth to suck, feeling it begin to throb.
Luna beamed up at him from her position on the floor by the tree. "It's a he, daddy, not an it. Do you like him?"
The Cornish pixy rattled the cage that it was in, sticking its tongue out at him. Luna had evidently caught it in the garden the night before when she had told him she was looking at the radishes they had planted. She knew blue was his favourite colour, and had probably connected that fact to the azure blue skin of the pixy. How she managed to wrap him up without getting bitten was a mystery to him.
"I do," he said finally, trying to make his voice not sound strained.
"You'll like this then," she said, giggling as she pulled out another wrapped package from behind her back.
Xenophilius accepted it hesitantly, not sure he really wanted to open it. Still, watching Luna's excited face, her eyes lit up in anticipation, he unwrapped the package. Hopefully the floppiness of the parcel meant that gloves were inside.
Squeezing his eyes shut and biting his tongue, he prepared for another bite to come his way as he pulled the contents out. He released a huge sigh of relief when no pain came.
"Now we can play together! They even match!" Luna squealed, clapping her hands together.
Opening one eye before the other, he saw that he was holding two small pieces of material. Smoothing them out in his palm, he realised that they were probably clothing for his pixie to wear.
"Oh, thank you, Luna, they're... uh… very creative as always." Leaning forwards, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Then, pulling out the gift he was hiding behind his back, he smiled sadly. "This is my gift for you, pet. I'm afraid it's not too spectacular, though."
The girl took the package from him, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. She, too, took the time to open it, cautiously removing the ribbon as though it were as fine as a spider's web. As the final piece of paper was removed, several little objects fell into her lap. Lifting one up, she examined it with a small smile.
"Now, I'm afraid I couldn't get you what I wanted to. These stars only light up in the dark, apparently – you stick them on your walls or on the ceiling. I wanted to buy you a real star, but unfortunately there were a few hiccoughs with that…" Xenophilius trailed off, his thoughts turning bitter as his memories of the day before came to his mind.
Not only had the man at the observatory laughed in his face and called him an 'old fool' to think that he could buy a star, he had also discovered that his favourite pocket watch had gone missing. He was now left to face the disappointment of his daughter at not getting a delightful gift. Squirming uncomfortably in his chair, he tried to think of what he could say to Luna, noticing that her eyes were swimming with tears.
He turned his gaze towards the picture of Pandora on the mantle, wondering what he could do. Perhaps he could sneak out after desert and find another gift for her. Maybe the shop in Diagon Alley had an extra plush dragon out the back, or someone had returned theirs? Perhaps he could find a less dangerous model broom Luna could put her garden gnome on?
Becoming lost in his thoughts, he was surprised when he felt a small hand clasp his own. Looking up, he saw Luna smiling up at him, her eyes still shining.
"Silly Daddy, you can't buy a star! No body owns them." Then, with a slight tug, she tried to pull him up out of his seat. Slowly and with a little groan, he got up and allowed her to drag him over to the window. Opening the velvets to reveal the night sky outside, she pointed to wear the clouds remained highlighted silver by the moon. "See? Their beauty belongs to the world, just like mummy's does."
This time, he could see. Though the cloud cover was thick, Xenophilius knew Luna was, as always, right. The stars were for everybody to see, as was now his wife. Lifting Luna up onto his hip and hugging her closely, he watched the sky.
It was perfect.