Harry entered their cabin after a long day of working with the dragons. Charlie had to work late as there was a sick Hungarian Horntail that needed care. He sighed as he looked around. There were no Christmas decorations in sight. They had been busy working since they came back from the island, but Christmas was less than two weeks away. They were staying in Romania this year instead of going to England. It was their year to work during Christmas.
He decided to floo over to Potter Manor and ask Elsie and the other house-elves for help. After dusting the soot off his clothes, Harry called for Elsie.
The head Potter house-elf popped in front of him. "Master Harry, what can I do for you?"
He smiled. "Would you like to help me decorate the cabin? We need a tree and some of the beautiful decorations we had here last year."
Elsie nodded excitedly. "I will ask the other elves to help. We will get a tree and bring all the decorations to you soon."
"Thanks, Elsie. You're the best," Harry said before stepping back into the floo to return home.
The raven-haired wizard quickly cast some cleaning spells around the cabin, removing all traces of dirt and dust. He decided to place the tree in front of the large window along the far wall of the living room. He angled the couch to face both the fireplace and the window. He wanted to snuggle on the couch with Charlie, enjoying the view of their Christmas tree.
Elsie and three other house-elves appeared in the cabin with a tall Norway spruce tree and lots of boxes. Harry directed the elves to put the tree in front of the window.
"Please set the tree up over there by the window but don't decorate it. Charlie and I will trim it ourselves."
"Yes, Master Harry. Mimi, you can set the lights and ornaments by the tree. Tilly, you can get started hanging the garland. Rocky, you can hang the stockings on the mantle," Elsie said as she divided the jobs among them.
Harry started looking through the boxes of decorations. Their cabin was small and cozy, so he didn't think they would need all of the adornments and baubles. He found a beautiful wreath made from evergreens, holly berries, and a red and gold bow. Going outside, the raven-haired man was hanging the wreath on the front door when he heard his name being called.
"Harry, what are you doing?" Charlie yelled as he walked towards their cabin. The sick Hungarian Horntail was finally resting peacefully, so he was able to come home and relax with his fiancé.
Harry smiled as he watched the handsome redhead stroll towards him. "Just getting into the holiday spirit."
"Looks good, babe," Charlie said as he joined Harry at the door and gave him a quick peck on the lips.
"Thanks. Now let's get inside and warm you up," said Harry as he opened the door.
The blue-eyed wizard followed him into their cabin and stopped immediately. He looked around in surprise at the drastic make-over. Their cozy, rustic cabin was turning into a winter wonderland.
Harry saw his gobsmacked fiancé. He nervously asked, "Is it too much?"
Charlie tore his gaze away from their festive cabin and looked at his worried lover. "No, love, it's perfect. I just wasn't expecting it."
The redhead did honestly like the decorations. Christmas was his favorite holiday even if he did spend many of them alone in Romania. He had lots of happy memories of the spending the holiday with his large and loud family while he was growing up. Last year was his and Harry's first Christmas together as a couple and they spent it at Potter Manor, visiting with all the Weasleys except Molly. The Weasley matriarch couldn't accept that her son was gay and in a relationship with Harry. She excluded the two men from the family dinner on Christmas day and didn't make either of them a sweater. They were both hurt by her actions but refused to let her ruin their first Christmas together. The two men invited their friends and family to Potter Manor on Boxing Day for an exuberant party.
Charlie was going to miss his dad and siblings this year, but he was looking forward to spending Christmas alone with Harry. Even though they had to work, they still would have time to celebrate the holiday as a newly engaged couple. He still couldn't believe that the green-eyed wizard had accepted his proposal a few days ago on his birthday. It was the best present he could have asked for.
Harry prodded Charlie's shoulder, knocking him out of his train of thought. "I thought we could decorate the tree together. I never did it before and wanted to share it with you."
Charlie hugged him tightly. He knew his fiancé was deprived of many things during his childhood and it made him sad and angry every time he learned something new. He couldn't understand how a person could be cruel to a child. He wanted to find the Dursleys and hurt them for hurting the man he loved, but Harry told him that it wasn't worth it. Harry didn't want to see Vernon or Petunia ever again, although he did keep in contact with Dudley.
"That sounds great, babe. I would love to decorate the tree with you," Charlie said. Unfortunately, his stomach chose that moment to growl loudly.
Harry laughed. "I think we should feed the beast before we do anything else."
Elsie popped into view. "Dinner is ready, Masters Harry and Charlie."
"Thank you, Elsie, but you didn't have to cook. We could have managed," Harry said.
The two men walked to the kitchen where they smelled the delicious aromas of lasagna and garlic bread. After eating their fill of the rich and hearty meal, they headed back to the living room where the tree awaited them. The house-elves had finished decorating everything else while they were eating and returned to the manor.
Charlie added another log to the fire to keep away the chill of a Romanian winter night. He smiled as he saw the stockings hanging from the mantle. They were made from red crushed velvet and had their names embroidered in dark green thread.
Harry knelt down beside the tree and looked in the boxes. He found small, white Ever-lit candles; they would stay lit once ignited until a Finite Incantatem spell was said. They also would never drip wax, so they would stay looking perfect. Harry levitated the candles onto the branches while Charlie opened another box containing the ornaments. There were golden baubles, sparkling icicles, and an assorted mix of round glass balls in many colors.
Harry and Charlie laughed as they decorated their tree. They placed the ornaments on the tree with no rhyme or reason. They chose to use whatever ornament they liked. There was definitely no color scheme. It was a hodgepodge of colors and sizes. However, they loved their tree. They didn't want a perfect or elegant tree. They just wanted a tree that was theirs.
Charlie opened the last box and removed the tree topper. It was a beautiful golden star made of glass with a large gold Ever-lit candle inside. He handed it to Harry. "You should put the star on top."
Harry took the star with reverence. "We should do it together."
Charlie nodded and stood behind him. He wrapped his hand around Harry's wrist as the raven-haired wizard held his wand and softly whispered, "Wingardium Leviosa."
The large star floated up towards the ceiling before gently settling on top of the spruce tree. Harry then lit the candles with a wave of his wand, and the happy couple looked at their tree. They thought it was beautiful and perfect.
Charlie wrapped his strong, freckled and scarred arms around Harry and pulled him back against his body. He pressed a soft kiss to the side of his neck. "It's beautiful. We did a wonderful job."
Harry sighed as he snuggled into his fiancé's embrace. "Not too bad for our first time."
Charlie chuckled deeply. "Let's sit on the couch."
He nodded and stepped out of his arms. "Go ahead. I need to get something out of the kitchen, and then I'll join you."
Inside the kitchen, Harry quickly made his famous hot chocolate. Charlie loved it, so Harry made it often during the cold winter months. Carrying two steaming mugs of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows floating on top, the green-eyed man made his way over to the couch. He handed a mug to the redhead and then sat beside him.
Charlie smiled as he took a sip of the hot beverage. It tasted delicious as always. He carefully wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders, gently tugging him backwards. He didn't want to spill any hot chocolate on his fiancé and burn him. Harry cuddled contently into his side.
A warm glow from the fire and the candles settled on the couple. Harry felt warmth and peace as he leaned against the man he loved. He closed his eyes and whispered, "I love you."
Charlie held him tightly, experiencing the same feelings of peace and joy. "I love you too."
As they curled up on the couch, drinking their hot chocolate and admiring their bright, sparkling tree, they thought this was the perfect start to the holiday season.