Disclaimer: Hi guys! As of late, I have been really in the Christmas mood, so I decided to write this two-part Holiday Dramione one-shot. Make sense? :) Just so we are clear; I own none of these amazing characters. They all belong to the equally brilliant J. K. Rowling.
The Gift~ Part One
"No."
Hermione sighed pinching the bridge of her nose. Her husband could be so difficult sometimes.
"Draco, we've been through this!"
"And we'll go through it again," he replied, not looking up from the Daily Prophet. She growled in frustration, slamming both her palms onto the dinning table.
"You cannot wait until two days before Christmas to go Christmas shopping!"
"Well darling," Draco drawled, calmly setting his paper down and meeting her icy glare, "The way I see it, I have until an hour before we arrive at my parent's house to buy them a gift. Problem solved."
"Problem unsolved. All the shops will be closed."
"That implies you know where I will be buying their fabulous gift, whatever it may be." Draco replied smugly, sipping his coffee.
"Every shop is closed on Christmas! Christmas is a time to relax, spend time with loved ones-"
"I don't see why you can't just go get them a present..."
"They're not my parents!"
"They're your in-laws!"
"I ask you to do one thing for me, one thing, Draco!"
"Are you kidding?" Draco asked, incredulously. "One thing? Who put up all the bloody decorations?"
"Um, that would be me," Hermione shot back.
"Who put the lights up out front, hm? That would be moui."
"Why can't you just do this for me?" Hermione cried.
"Because I'm not in the Christmas spirit."
"You're never in the Christmas spirit."
"I don't enjoy Christmas."
"Everyone likes Christmas..." Hermione said softly, looking at her husband.
"Well I don't." Draco replied shortly, standing up and buttoning his suit jacket. "I'm off to work."
"Will you be home before your parent's party tonight?"
"Probably not."
"Will you even be coming to the Christmas party tonight?" Hermione's voice broke.
"Don't bet on it." He grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and disappeared in a flash of emerald flames. He didn't look back.
Draco groaned, running a hand through his platinum blonde hair. His argument with his wife kept playing in his head. It wasn't the holiday itself that Draco strongly disliked. In fact, as a child, Draco had loved the idea of Christmas. What little boy wouldn't love the idea of receiving a new broomstick? Or seeing the look of joy that had flashed across his mother's face when she had tried on the ruby necklace he had bought for her with his own allowance? However, Draco's perspective on Christmas began to change when he entered into his Sixth Year at Hogwarts. His mother had long stopped decorating the Manor. It remained dark and cold. Santa Claus no longer left presents wrapped with ribbon under the tree.
...
As Christmas drew closer and closer, Draco began to dread the holiday more and more. Christmas morn dawned clear and cold, with snow glittering on the ground. Despite the perfect weather, and the seemingly perfect holiday, Draco began to shake as he put on his best dress robes. Once he had finished dressing, Draco left his room and headed down to the drawing room. It may very well have been the walk a convicted prisoner would once have walked on his way to the exocutiner's noose. And perhaps that's exactly what it was...
Draco would never forget the scene that met his eyes as he opened the heavy, mahogany doors as long as he lived. The room was full of silent people, sitting at a long ornate table. The room's usual furniture had been pushed carelessly against the walls and the only source of light in tht room came from the roaring fire beneath a handsome marble mantelpiece surmounted by a gilded mirror.
"Draco," said a soft voice that seemed to echo around the silent room. "Welcome."
The speaker was seated directly in front of the fireplace, so that it was difficult, at first, for Draco to make out more then his silhouette. As Draco drew closer, the figure's face shone through the gloom, hairless, snakelike, with slits for nostrils and gleaming red eyes with vertical pupils. Draco advanced slowly, trying to calm his racing heart. He met no one's eyes, keeping his own eyes trained on his pale, intwined fingers. He took a shaky breath, before dropping to one knee next to shadowed figure. "My Lord," he whispered hoarsely.
"Is their anyone gathered here who doubts Draco Malfoy's loyalties?" The man paused, gazing around the room. "Come, come ladies and gentleman surely we are not all at a consensus here..." No one spoke, no one moved.
"Very well... Who then, will vouch for this boy?" Severus Snape rose from the chair next to Narcissa's.
"I will vouch for Draco Malfoy." Voldermort's lip curled.
"Arise, Draco." Draco stood, feeling a wave of nausea wash over him. "Do you, Draco Scorpius Malfoy, swear loyalty to your Lord and Master?" Draco looked into his red, glowing eyes.
"I do." A fiery serpent shot out of the Dark Lord's wand and coiled itself around Draco's left wrist.
"Do you swear to follow my every order, no matter how absurd it may sound to your own naive ears, without question?"
"I swear."
"Do you swear to kill anyone that stands in the way of our ambitions, or anyone who may oppose my reign?"
"I swear."
"Do you swear to take pleasure in torturing and killing filthy Muggles and Mubloods?" The Dark Lord hissed. Her face flashed through his mind. Draco quickly pushed the thought of her away.
"I swear."
"And, should the tides turn, do you swear to give your life to our noble cause?"
"I swear." Draco clenched his eyes shut, knowing what was about to happen and wishing he could do something to stop it.
Voldemort pressed the tip of his wand to Draco's porcelain wrist and whispered a single word... "Morsmordre." Draco bit his tongue to stop from screaming in pain. His whole arm felt like it was on fire. His vision began to blur. It was pain beyond pain, a pain he had never experienced before, not even when his father had Crucio'd him. The burning sensation began to recede, but still, a dull, throbbing pain lingered. When Draco opened his eyes, he wished he hadn't. His once unblemished, pale skin was now marred by the Dark Mark. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing the tears to go away. He was a monster...
...
Draco sighed again. He shouldn't have snapped at her... How could she have known why he hated-strongly disliked- the holiday if he never told her his reasoning behind it. He would tell her that he was allergic to the tree, that the Christmas carols were annoying, or the decorations were a waste of space and buying gifts was simply a waste of time and money. And while some of this might be slightly true, he had never told her the darker reason he hated the season.
Knowing he was too distracted to get anything done at work, Draco decided to pay his mother a visit. Knowing he was walking into the open-firing range, what with the gala to be held at Malfoy Manor later that evening, talking to his mother always seemed to help. He would never admit it, but she gave some of the best advice in the world.
Narcissa Malfoy hardly batted an eye when her son emerged from the roaring green flames in the parlor. She knew he would stop by... Sooner or later. "So Hermione called me this morning..." Narcissa began, not looking up from the Christmas card she had been looking at.
"Mm," Draco replied, flicking imaginary specs of dust off his impeccable suit.
"Yes," Narcissa continued, "She seemed very distraught... She said the two of you had gotten into a little argument this morning and that you weren't coming tonight." Draco was silent.
"I hope you have changed your mind..."
"You know how I feel about Christmas, Narcissa," Draco hissed through clenched teeth.
"Draco, you ought to tell her..."
"I know mother," his voice had a slight edge to it.
"She already knows about your past. I don't know what you are worried about. She knows that you could do nothing to stop it, she knows that you regret it, she loves you and knows that you beat yourself up everyday because you blame yourself..."
"But don't you see, Mother?!" He cried. "If I tell her the reason I hate Christmas, she will never see Christmas the same way! Because she is such an empathetic woman, she will feel like she has to share my misery with me! I can't burden her with that! It's not hers to bear... Just mentioning Christmas in July brings a smile to her face... I will not destroy that smile or joy." Narcissa finally looked up, meeting her son's dark, swirling eyes.
"I think you already have." She said, softly, Draco shut his eyes, trying to hold back his tears.
"I don't want to lose her," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
Narcissa reached over, grabbing ahold of her son's hand, and giving it a gentle squeeze. Draco's eyes shot open when he felt his mother place something cold and metal in the palm of his hand. In his hands laid a ruby necklace.
"It's your necklace," his voice sounded strangled.
"You bought it for me with-"
"With my very own allowance," Draco finished with a small smile.
"I think you should give it to Hermione... It would look much better on a younger neck."
"Are sure?" Draco asked.
"Yes, dear," Narcissa laughed. "Red was never my color anyway."
"Thank you, Mum." Draco leaned down, giving Narcissa a peck on the cheek.
"You are most welcome, Draco... And I hope to be seeing you and your wife later tonight..." Draco paused at the fireplace.
"We'll see." And he was gone.
To Be Continued...
Author's Note: So what did you guys think? Please drop me a review, I always LOVE hearing from you guys :) but no flames, constructive criticism only! So the plan for this Christmas fanfic is to become a collection of cute, fluffy one-shots... I have a lot of different chapter ideas, but not enough time to write all of them this holiday season... However, I will post a new chapter as soon as I can and hopefully that will be before Christmas Day :) If you liked this Dramione fanfic, I recommend that you read my other Dramione Holiday One-shot , The Christmas Shoes. Just a warming: it's kind of sad though... Once agan please R&R and have a merry Christmas!
~Katherine