Title: Christmas Shoes
Author name: Sweet Sorrow
Category: Books, Harry Potter, Lucius Malfoy, Drama, AU
Spoilers: None.
Rating: K
Summary: "I never really liked Christmas. Until, that night." Minor Lucius/Narcissa; AU Christmas Fic; ONE-SHOT
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including, but not limited to, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., INC. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. New Song owns "Christmas Shoes."
Author Notes: I'm American, so my knowledge of the Euro is very limited. I tried my best to make it work in this story. Also, the song is a Christian song, but I tried to keep religion out of it as much as possible. Can anyone guess who the red-headed boy is? Happy reading!
Christmas Shoes
By: Sweet Sorrow
'Twas the night before Christmas and the city of London was covered in snow. Families enjoyed each other's company in their warm home and the streets were decorated with colorful bulbs that hung on the house's roof edges. There were also Santas that danced on the windows. In the city, the streets were almost empty of cars but there were shops that were still open for last minute shoppers. In a certain store, right in the heart of London, stood a man.
He had long hair that were so blonde, that it looked almost silver. His face showed elegance and his clothes agreed. He stood in line, holding a couple of toys that were to be presents. He tapped his foot impatiently, wondering why the lines were so slow. His heart held annoyance at the people's Christmas spirits.
In front of him, stood a little boy about the age of eight. He had fiery red hair and his skin was delicately pale. He was dressed in old and worn clothes and was dirty from head to toe. He was pacing in his little space in the line, just like any other child would. In his right hands, he held a pair of shoes.
'What a filthy child.'
Lucius, the man, was getting irritated at the boy's movements. He was bored ... but he had to buy these presents for his little eight-year-old boy, Draco. The line was finally starting to move, and the little boy in front of him looked more and more anxious as he neared the counter.
'Line, line, hurry up. Line, line, hurry up,' Lucius repeated in his head.
Lucius let out a breath of gladness as it was the boy's turn to pay.
'Just one more ... you can hold it ... just one more.'
Lucius was about to turn his attention back to reading the advertisements on the wall, when he heard the boy begin to speak. His heart began to swell.
"Sir," the boy said to the worker. "I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please."
The worker looked uninterested and took his time in ringing the item up. The boy continued to speak.
"It's Christmas Eve and these shoes, here, are just her size."
The man behind the counter worked like a sloth. The boy began to get impatient.
"Could you hurry, sir? Daddy says there's not much time. You see, Mama's been sick for quite a while ... and I know these shoes will make her smile."
Lucius was about to turn away from the 'conversation' when he heard the boy finish his explanation. His mouth opened in disbelief.
"And I want her to look beautiful ... if Mama meets Jesus tonight."
The cashier began to work a bit faster, after hearing the boy's heartfelt confession. He rang up the total. It was 24.98. The boy took his dirty bag out and started to count the pennies. Lucius watched the boy pick each penny out of the bag, and place it on the counter like it was gold. After what seemed like years, all the pennies had been counted: 13.45. The cashier looked at the boy sympathetically and said,
"Son, there's not enough here."
The boy dug in his pockets frantically, hoping for at least another penny. He stopped and his body showed his disappointment. There wasn't anymore money on him. The red-headed boy turned to Lucius.
"Oh, Mama always made Christmas good at our house, though most years, she just did without. Tell me Sir, what am I going to do?"
Lucius just watched. He didn't know what to do.
"Somehow, I've got to buy her these Christmas shoes."
Then Lucius understood. He searched in his cloak pocket and pulled out the money needed. He took the boy's dirty hand and pressed the money into him. He closed the hand over the money and looked into his crisp blue eyes. The smile on his face was so bright, it's amazing that Lucius didn't go blind.
The boy opened his mouth and said, "Mama's gonna look so great."
He turned to the cashier and gave the money to him. The shoes were his. The cashier handed the bag that carried those Christmas Shoes to him. He grasped it tightly and turned to Lucius.
"Sir, thank you. Thank you."
Without even letting Lucius reply, he ran out the door and back to his home. Lucius smiled and gave his items to the cashier. He stood there, amazed at what just happened. Before he knew it, he was walking home in the snow. He stopped by the park and sat on the bench, admiring the beautiful view. His thoughts occupied his time.
A while later, he felt a bustle on his left. He turned and saw his wife, Narcissa, sitting next to him, looking like an angel. She laid her head on her husband's shoulder and closed her eyes.
"Hello, Lucius."
Lucius smiled. "My Christmas Angel."
Narcissa looked up, surprise written all over he face.
"You are sure in the Christmas mood. Is there something that I should know about?"
"I was reminded," he began, "of what Christmas was all about."
"How so?"
"At the store, there was this little boy with red hair. He ... was so unexpected. I never knew that a boy like him could make me enjoy a time like this."
Narcissa kissed his cheek and asked, "Really?"
Lucius smiled.
"Yes, really. It was heaven's love, Narcissa. That boy was heaven's love."
"Well, I'm glad."
And the couple sat there, on the bench, in the middle of a park, watching the snow fall gently onto the ground.
Please review and tell me what you think!