Gift for the Parents.
"Well Hermione, that was as delicious as ever," Richard Granger declared as he finished his Christmas lunch.
"It was," His wife, Jean, agreed. "Your roast potatoes were extra lovely this year."
"They were no different from normal, Mum," Hermione chuckled as she began to gather the plates. "Is everyone wanting dessert?"
Of course everyone wanted a portion of Jean's delicious Christmas pudding. With Draco's help, Hermione removed the plates and brought the pudding in for dessert.
"More wine?" Lucius asked as Hermione dished the pudding out. "Hermione, do you want a glass?" He prodded.
So far his daughter-in-law had been drinking water, claiming his elf-made wine was too strong for her. However, she hadn't objected other years and Lucius had deliberately made sure to bring a selection of his milder bottles.
"No thank you Lucius," Hermione replied as she placed a steaming bowl of Christmas pudding and custard in front of him. "I'm cutting down on alcohol this year."
"Isn't it a bit early for New Year's resolutions?" Richard laughed as Lucius topped his glass up.
"It's never too early to try and get a bit healthier," Hermione retorted.
"Just as long as you don't go on any ridiculous diet," Narcissa warned her daughter-in-law. "There's nothing worse than women who don't need to diet, depriving themselves just so they can look like twigs."
"Don't worry Narcissa, I won't be trying to lose weight," Hermione said with a slight smile.
"I should think not, a Malfoy man likes a nice, curvaceous woman," Lucius declared. "A few curves are what we look for in a perfect women, isn't it Draco?"
"I didn't fall for Hermione because she's gorgeous with a good figure," Draco replied, shaking his head at his father's ability to turn every conversation inappropriate. "I fell for her because she's kind, funny and smart."
"If you say so son," Lucius replied with a roll of his grey eyes.
"Are you trying to tell me, you asked me out because you liked my figure?" Narcissa asked her husband. "I thought you said it was because I stood up to you and wouldn't fall at your feet like the other girls."
"It was a bit of both," Lucius admitted. "I liked your fire, but I also admired your pert backside."
"And that's enough of that," Draco said loudly as his parents-in-law chuckled at his parents antics. Trust him to have the most embarrassing parents alive.
With a bit of laughter, the conversation was changed and attention turned to what everyone would be doing at New Year. As they always did, Lucius and Narcissa would be throwing a large party at the manor. Richard and Jean were planning on heading up to Scotland, to visit a cousin of Richard's. As for Draco and Hermione, they had been planning on spending a quite night together, but Lucius vowed to get them to attend his party.
Lucius was still trying to convince the couple to spend New Year at the manor as the group moved into the front room. As usual, the exchange of presents happened after lunch. Draco and Hermione had swapped their presents that morning, but they would now exchange gifts with their parents.
Settling down, Draco summoned the presents from under the tree and the exchange got underway. For the next ten minutes wrapping paper was ripped and discarded onto the floor, much to the delight of Hermione's cat, Holly, who was in her element playing with the paper and ribbons. Presents consisted of alcohol, chocolates, perfumes and aftershaves, books, jewellery and even a weekend at a spa for Draco and Hermione.
"We do have one final present," Hermione announced once all the other presents were opened.
Grabbing two envelopes from the fireplace, she handed them to each couple. The four parents exchanged puzzled looks, before opening what they assumed was a Christmas card. At first glance they did have a Christmas card, albeit a personalised one that Hermione had made up from a photograph of the house covered in snow from the previous Christmas.
"Doesn't the house look gorgeous," Narcissa cooed, admiring the picture on the front of the card.
"It does," Jean agreed.
"Are you not going to open the card?" Draco asked impatiently. He and Hermione had been waiting all day for this moment, and now their mothers were getting distracted by the picture of the house.
"Have some patience, Draco," Narcissa scolded, her voice trailing off when she opened the card and she was confronted with something very unexpected inside.
Following suite, Jean opened their card and she joined Narcissa in staring at the card in shock. Inside the card was a baby scan, and the message above it wished the grandparents to be a Merry Christmas. Narcissa and Jean showed the cards to their husbands, who also took in the picture in complete surprise.
"Is this what we think it is?" Lucius finally asked.
"That all depends, if you think it's a scan of our babies, then yes it is," Draco replied.
"Babies?" Narcissa whispered. "As in plural?"
"Two to be exact," Hermione answered with a wide grin.
"Twins," Jean gasped. "You're having twins."
Jean's exclamation was the key for everyone to start rejoicing. Jean and Narcissa leapt to their feet and joyfully embraced Draco and Hermione. Of course Lucius and Richard also joined in the action and congratulated the couple.
"And this explains the drinking," Lucius chuckled as he hugged Hermione.
"It does," Hermione replied. "No more drinking for a few more months."
"Why didn't you just tell us, I could have brought some non-alcoholic wine," Lucius said.
"We already had this planned," Hermione said, looking over to where Narcissa and Jean were looking at the scan pictures again. "It seemed like a good way to break the news."
"It was certainly unique," Lucius replied with a smile. "I'm sure no-one else has a Christmas card from their unborn grandchildren."
"I'm sure they don't," Hermione agreed with a laugh. "So I take it you're happy about becoming a Grandfather?"
"I am," Lucius replied with a smile, before he suddenly began to frown. "Wait a minute. Grandfathers are old men, I'm no old man."
"You've got a son in his twenties, you're no spring chicken," Hermione argued. "Besides, it'll keep you fit having two grandchildren to look after."
"Grandchildren. I'll be a Grandpa," Lucius muttered as he sat back down. "Bloody hell, I'll be like Arthur Weasley. That old goat already has a dozen grandchildren."
"Lucius." Hermione playfully slapped her father-in-law on the shoulder, knowing he didn't really mean any offence and that he and Arthur had buried their differences years ago. "You'll never be like Arthur. He's got so many grandkids, because he's got so many kids. You'll be getting two grandchildren in a few months, and who knows if you'll get any more."
"True, Narcissa and I did have a bit more self-control than Weasley and his wife when it came to having children," Lucius said with a nod. "Not that we weren't capable of having more children. We were certainly active enough to have more."
"We all agree it's a miracle you've never had a later life surprise the way you two go at it," Hermione muttered. "But this isn't a competition with Arthur."
"If it is, we would win, though," Lucius declared with a smirk. "Weasley may have more grandchildren, but they won't be as adorable as our two. We're going to have the best grandchildren ever. Just you want and see, they'll be perfect little Malfoys."
Hermione laughed at the pride in Lucius's voice as he spoke about the grandchildren he hadn't yet met. It was clear from everyone's thrilled reactions that the twins were going to be two spoiled little children when they arrived. Next Christmas was certainly going to be fun with two new additions to the family.
