Title: The Greatest Gift of Them All
Challenge/Prompt: Written for slythindor100's 25 Days of Draco and Harry (Traditional Prompt #6, Christmas Stockings), dracoharry100's Christmas Challenge (Prompt #18, Christmas with the family), and hd_fluff's prompt #98 (Holiday/Winter). Also written at Random Nonsenses' request (wanted some more family fluff). Hope you liked this :P
Rating: K+
Word Count: 1234 *is proud*
Characters/Pairings: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Albus Severus Potter, James Sirius Potter, Scorpius Malfoy, and Lily Luna Potter / Established Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy
Disclaimer: This work of fiction is in no way connected to the author of Harry Potter, JK Rowling. Harry Potter is owned by her, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Warning(s): HP: EWE, post-Hogwarts, family fluff, and innuendo. XD
"Papa, Papa!" a voice shrieked above Harry. The brunet turned over instantly, burying his face in the fabric of his pillow.
Well, he would've, had a warm body not jumped on him. All of the air left his lungs with a sharp exhalation from impact, and Harry's
eyes blinked open drearily, trying his best to bring the air back in.
"Scooorp," he groaned, "What are you doing up so bloody early?"
"It's Christmas morning!" the blond exclaimed excitedly, rocking back and forth on Harry's stomach. The bony knees digging into Harry's stomach caused any protest to die in his throat. The glare he sent his son's way didn't even faze the brat, and Harry cursed Draco for a brief second.
Harry sat up with a grunt, causing Scorpius to lose his precarious balance and land on his back next to his papa. Squinting to his left, Harry tried his best to bring some clarity to his rotten vision as he scoured his night table for his glasses and wand.
Once he retrieved those items, Harry shoved the circular-frames on his nose and checked the time with a softly muttered, "Tempus."
"Where's your father?" he asked, a jaw-breaking yawn stretching the end of the sentence. Scorpius was already at the other side of the room, rocking back and forth on his heels near the door.
"Downstairs," said Scorpius, a mischievous twinkle in his grey eyes. "Father told me to wake you up. With instructions."
"Of course he would," Harry rolled his eyes, stepping into his frayed slippers. "Now, let's get going!"
Scorpius gave a surprised squeal when Harry picked him up sideways and raced down the hall and stairs with the blond child over his shoulder.
James, Lily, Albus, and Draco were already seated around the tree, excited chatter brightening up the room. After dumping Scorpius on James' lap, Harry took his place next to his lover of five years, perching on the edge of Draco's armchair.
"Did you have to send Scorp up like that?" asked Harry inquisitively, dark brow arched in exasperation.
"Would any other way be enough?"
"I would think not," Lily giggled, leaning over from her seat next to the Christmas tree. Incidentally, she was within grabbing distance of her own gift, wrapped in reindeer-pattern paper. "You're usually out like a light."
"Now, listen here," Harry mock-wagged his finger at his daughter. "If that were true, I would be late to practise every day."
"It's a surprise you've not been kicked off the team," Draco muttered, to which Harry pointedly ignored with a slight shove.
"Ha, ha."
"James!" Scorp yelped, grabbing the stiff fabric of the older boy's trousers and holding on for dear life. Why his eldest would get so dressed up this early in morning was beyond Harry. "Stop!"
"I can't have you messing my clothes up," James growled fiercely, before sending the blond toppling over the edge of the couch and towards Albus. Al, whom had been sitting cross-legged on the floor, gave a pained moan as he sprawled across the floor with Scorpius on his back. After a second, the raven-haired child broke into boyish giggles from the surprise.
"Think that's funny?" Scorpius rolled off Al and turned towards him with a mock-stern expression on his face, before he lost it entirely and broke into giggles, as well.
Draco and Harry looked at each other, sharing a look of exasperation and fondness.
"Okay," Harry started, but everyone continued on as they were: James fussing over his appearance, as always, Scorp and Al playing roughly on the floor, and Lily eyeing the gifts with a hungry gleam in her almond eyes.
When Harry tried again, Draco pat him on the shoulder before sitting up straighter and softly announcing, "It's time to open the presents."
At that, all the children were at full-attention, and Harry couldn't help but pout at the ease Draco had with directing the children. His lover just shook his flaxen head and kissed Harry chastely on the cheek.
Then, they started the task of sorting out the presents.
Harry kneeled at the front of the tree, checking the specially tagged gifts.
"This goes to Lily," he handed her a large, rectangular package. She put down the gift she had been eagerly inspecting, and took the new one out of her papa's callused hands. When the red-head ripped open the paper surrounding it, she squealed happily and hugged Harry fiercely.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Papa!" she sang joyfully, before sitting back and clutching her newest books to her chest excitedly. "I've always wanted to read these particular books!"
"Thank Draco," Harry smiled, waving her off. "He's the one who tracked down these copies."
While Lily hugged the stuffing out of Draco, Harry was rummaging beneath the tree for another gift.
"Here ya go, Jamie," he handed his oldest son a small gift, wrapped in plain, crimson paper. James raised an eyebrow at the nickname, and Harry did so right back. Years of playing that particular game with Draco paid off, and James reluctantly shrugged and reached for the present. Opening it up, the young brunet smiled.
"Thanks, Dad!" he looked over the packaging and text, before setting it aside. "I've needed a new pick for ages now, but I just kept forgetting to get around to it."
"No problem," Harry nodded his head, before bringing James into a brief hug. The teen almost never really gave into physical affection lately, and it was a pleasant surprise for Harry to have the embrace returned so warmly.
Once they pulled back, Harry gave his son a few moments of distance by picking up another few gifts. He could hear Draco in the background, handing off presents to the others.
When he turned around, there were ranges of small to large bits of destroyed wrapping paper littering the previously moderately clean floor. Albus, being a pack-rat, was carefully taking the paper off his presents from Santa Claus and putting it all to the side and next to his neat stacks of compiled gifts. Where Al got that controlled neatness from, Harry had no idea.
After passing the gifts in his hands off, Harry checked the other gifts and found the only presents left were for Teddy, Hermione, Ron, Parkinson, and a few others mixed in here and there. The former-Gryffindor rose up from his knees, stretching the kinks out as he unhooked the Christmas stockings from above the roaring fireplace.
Draco intercepted him on the way back, took two stockings, and kissed Harry slowly and deeply. When the blond pulled back, Harry was panting slightly, lips a faint red.
"What was that for?"
"For giving me the greatest gift of them all," said Draco. At Harry's bewildered expression, Draco continued with, "Family, you prat."
Looking behind Draco at their boisterous household, already enthusiastically inspecting their newest toys, clothing, and art sets - in light of Lily's new hobby - Harry couldn't help but agree with the sentiment.
"Stocking time," Harry smiled warmly, raising his voice slighty for the children. Leaning over, voice dipping into a deeper tone, Harry placed his mouth near Draco's ear and whispered, "The sooner we get done, the sooner we can have the house to ourselves."
Swallowing thickly, Draco turned around with a smug grim and hurried things along. Oh, he was so looking forward to sending the kids off to the Weasleys'.
Author's Note:
Did you guys enjoy this? XD
I hope I did alright. I've never written a story where so many things are happening at once, and where I have to build so many characters at once. :P
And, as always, I wrote this really late at night on my phone, so I blame any and all mistakes made on sleepiness, and frustration :P