Christmas Memories
Draco Malfoy stood in front of the tree, gazing at the lights and ornaments that covered every inch of it. Piles of gifts were under the tree; Hermione had started Christmas shopping in the summer and didn't stop until yesterday. And of course, there were presents from friends and grandparents making it look like the tree skirt was overflowing.
A small smiled crept on to his face as his eyes looked at each ornament carefully, many of them having special meaning connected to them. After Leo was born, they had decided to start a tradition of putting up ornaments of the special people and events in their lives. Hermione had put in a lot of effort looking for the "perfect ornament" to depict their lives. And Draco had to admit, he was impressed. He was lost in memories when he felt the slight tugging of his robes.
His eyes went down to the little brown haired boy with silver eyes that looked up to him as if he had all the answers in the world. His hair was messy as if he had been rolling around in bed and he was wearing blue pajamas with feet. Other than the hair, Draco couldn't help but think that he looked like a miniature version of himself.
"Daddy?" Leo Malfoy said, lifting up his arms gesturing that he wanted to be picked up. He had crawled out of bed, too excited for Christmas to sleep.
Draco's smile grew as he picked up his boy and settled him on his hip. "Shush, Leo, mummy is sleeping with Evangeline." He said, nodding at the couch.
Leo looked over to see Hermione sleeping upright on the couch with her newborn baby swaddled in her lap. Leo nodded his head and put his finger to his lips. "Shhh, mummy is sleeping with baby."
Draco nodded at his 4 year old boy. "That's right, and we know that mummy needs her sleep. Now, what are you doing up, young man?"
Leo's eyes instantly went to the tree and he pointed at it. "Pretty daddy." He was specifically pointing at an ornament of Hogwarts.
"That's Hogwarts. That's the school where your mummy and me went to. You'll go there when you're 11." He whispered, remembering memories from his alma mater.
"Eleven? That's a long time, daddy." Leo said, his forehead crinkling trying to imagine being such an age.
"It'll be here before you know it." Draco said, smiling fondly. "Your mummy was in Gryffindor, that's why her ornament is a Lion." He said, pointing to a gold Lion with her name written in red. "And this one is mine and I was in Slytherin." He then pointed at a silver snake that was wrapped around the Hogwarts logo, his name written in Green.
Leo leaned forward to look at Draco's ornament. "I wanna be in Sl'thern like you, daddy."
Draco couldn't help but look at him with pride. "I hope you are, too."
"Where is grandmother's?" Leo asked, looking around the tree. "There it is!" He pointed at a sparkling silver diamond with Narcissa written on it.
Draco scowled slightly as he thought about his father. He had never told Leo about his father, and if he had his way, Leo wouldn't ever know he existed. He still could feel the anger he felt towards him from all those years ago.
"And there's Nana's and Papa's." Leo continued, oblivious to Draco's distress, pointing to two muggle Christmas balls, one red and one green with Hermione's parents' names written on it.
Draco decided to continue, getting his mind off his father. "Whose is this one?" He asked, pointing to a golden snitch ornament, Harry's name written in red.
"That's Uncle Harry's!" Leo said excitedly and then lowered his voice as he remembered his mother sleeping. "He likes to play quitch. I wanna play quitch, daddy."
Draco shook his head. "You know your mummy doesn't want you to, not until your older."
Leo sighed. "I know, mummy said when I'm this old." He said holding out both hands with all his fingers extended.
"That's right, when you're 10." Draco said, rubbing Leo's hair.
"And that one is Aunt Ginny's, and Uncle Ron's and Aunt Pansy's." He said, his attention returning to the tree. He had pointed to a white angel, a brown and yellow broomstick and a purple flower each with their names written on it.
Draco nodded along as Leo pointed to the ornaments. "Those are indeed their ornaments."
"What about that one?" He asked, pointing to an ornament of a castle, a picture of Hermione and Draco from their wedding in the middle.
"That was from our wedding day, Leo." He explained, smiling ruefully at the memories of that day.
Leo leaned over and squinted at the picture. Draco wore a bored look on his face and stood straight up while Hermione looked anxious, her eyes darting around. There was at least 6 inches of space between them as they looked at the camera. "You don't look very happy." He observed, looking at his father expectantly for an answer.
Draco took a better look at the picture and shook his head. Unfortunately, when going through the album years later, that was the best picture of them. "That's a very good observation, son. It was a tough day."
"Why daddy? Weren't you happy to be marrying mummy?" Leo asked, confusion in his voice.
Draco wondered how to answer this question without lying and thought about it for a moment before answering. "Of course, I just didn't realize it at the time. But I love your mummy very much." He answered and Leo seemed to accept the answer, not fully understanding it but agreeing with the last part.
Leo pointed to another ornament that almost made Draco choke. "What about that one?"
The ornament in question was a pair of blue little booties with the name "Henry" written on it. Draco could feel his eyes starting to tear up at the memory of his lost son but Leo's questioning eyes helped him stay in control. "That ornament is for your brother." He answered, sadness in his voice.
"A brother? I have a brother?" Leo asked, wide eyed.
Draco smiled sadly at his little boy. "You had an older brother. He's gone now."
Leo frowned. "He's gone? Where did he go? Why didn't he want to stay?"
Draco swallowed the lump in his throat thinking about the day he lost his boy. The day Astoria took him away from them; it was murder, cold blooded murder. "Someone hurt him really badly and, and he couldn't get better. It was a very sad day." He saw Leo frown and his lip started to quiver so Draco changed the subject by pointing at another ornament. "Do you know who this ornament is for?" He asked pointing to a small blue cradle hanging from the tree, the name Leo written on it.
"That's mine!" Leo said, his face brightening up considerably. "See, that's my name! L - E - O."
Draco smiled. "Very good! And this one is for your sister." He said, pointing to a pink umbrella with "Evangeline" written on it.
Leo nodded as he looked at the ornament. "It's sparkly." He said as he watched the ornament sparkle in the light. "What about that one?"
Draco looked over at what he was pointing to and remembered their first family vacation. "Do you remember when we went to Paris last summer?" Leo nodded his head enthusiastically. "Do you remember what that is?"
Leo's eyebrows knitted together as he tried really hard to remember. "It's...it's the...the...waffle tower!" He said enthusiastically, proud that he remembered its name.
Draco couldn't help the laugh that escaped him as Leo looked at him questioningly. "What's so funny daddy?"
"It's called the Eiffle Tower, honey." Hermione said, having been woken up by the commotion. She walked up to them carefully carrying her daughter.
"That's what I said, mummy. The waffle tower." Leo said, cocking his head to the side.
Hermione chuckled as she leaned over to give both her boys a kiss on the cheek. The grandfather clock in the hallway then started to chime, signaling midnight.
"Alright sweetheart, it is way past your bed time." She said as Leo gave out a large yawn.
"Okay, mummy." He answered as Draco let him down. "Good night mummy. Good night daddy." He then walked out of the room sleepily.
"I think it's time for bed for you too, love." Draco said, looking at her sleepy eyes and their sleeping baby.
Hermione nodded. "I hope she lets me get a few hours of sleep tonight."
Draco smiled as he led her out of the room, his hand on the small of her back. "Happy Christmas, Hermione."
Hermione turned her head towards him and gave him a big smile. "Happy Christmas, Draco."
A/N: Just a little Christmas cheer for Draco and Hermione. Thanks to IheartDracoandRon for the idea. I've always wanted to add a little bit to Desperate Marriage and I'm glad this gave me the opportunity. I hope you guys like it. Merry Christmas a little early. ~Chrissy