Written for the Teddy/James Winter Hols mini-fest.
JK Rowling owns all the characters and settings depicted.
The garden of Malfoy Manor was decorated with tasteful silver fairy lights which, somehow, only served to make the place look even more creepy to James. He had never spent a Christmas away from home before. Teddy spent every other year with this side of his family, though. And now they were couple so they spent their Christmases together.
"Do you think they'll make us sleep in separate bedrooms?" he asked his lover as they trudged through the snow up the path to the intimidatingly large house. Luckily it was artificial, decorative snow and therefore charmed to warm their feet.
"Your Dad did last year," Teddy pointed out.
"I know, but we'd only just got together then." James slid his hand out of Teddy's as they walked. Just in case there was going to be an issue. They seemed to have been approaching it for ages but the Manor hadn't got much closer. This was one long garden. "Anyway, I was only eighteen and, you know, he's my Dad."
"Yeah. I don't think he fancied the idea of you getting shagged under his roof."
"Teddy!"
"Didn't want to think about the mechanics of it."
"Still doesn't," James agreed.
"He thinks I'm too old for you, that I'm corrupting you." Teddy snatched James' hand back.
James thought about that. "I think he's got used to it now," he said quietly. Then he added, "Not that he's wrong."
It was too dark for Teddy to see James' cheeky grin, but he could picture it; he knew it well enough.
"Your question is whether my cousin Draco and his wife are going to be allowing me to continue that corruption tonight or not." Teddy sighed. "I don't know. On the one hand: he'll be delighted that Harry Potter's first-born is being defiled -"
"I do love a bit of defiling of a winter's evening."
"- but on the other hand, they are quite traditional and certainly not short of a few spare rooms."
"Maybe they'll give us communicating guest rooms so they can pretend not to be encouraging fornicating sodomy."
"What would be the point in them making us happy if it doesn't piss your Dad off?" Teddy countered.
The large windows on either side of the front door were lit up orange by the fires within. All of a sudden they seemed to be a lot closer. James' guts flipped over. He wished this walk would last forever.
"Do I look like my Dad?" he asked Teddy.
"No."
"That's good. Because the Malfoys hate my father, don't they?"
Teddy nodded. "But you do look like your Uncle Ron and he winds Draco up even more than Harry does."
"Bugger."
"Still, Scorpius will be there. You know him from school, don't you?"
"Hmm," James replied darkly.
"Something you want to tell me?"
"Just ..." They had reached the bottom of the marble steps up to the front door. "We might not have parted on the best of terms. There was a Quidditch cup involved."
"You got good gifts for everyone?" Teddy checked nervously.
"You know I did. You went shopping with me, told me what to get."
"Oh, yeah. I remember." Teddy squared his shoulders. He raised his arm.
"Is it going to be alright?" James asked.
"Only one way to find out," Teddy replied. He took hold of the serpentine doorknocker. "Just remember, whatever happens, that I love you. Happy Christmas, James." He knocked on the door.