December 25th, 2009

2:30 a.m.

Harry was standing on the roof of his house, carefully and delicately leaving marks in the snow that trailed across the roof under his daughters' bedroom window. When he would take a step he would brush the snow back to cover his own snow prints. He realized as he finished up his task that there was probably an easier way to do this. For example, magic may have been useful. He rolled his eyes at himself as he stood at the edge of the roof, quite a ways above the ground. He looked back at what few footprints he had missed. He pulled his wand out and quietly brushed them out of sight. He then turned and jumped down calmly from the roof, whispering under his breath, "Arresto momentum," before he could crash to the ground. The spell worked instantly and stopped him just short of the ground. After a brief pause, his feet plopped down in the snowy yard without a sound. He turned and headed through the sliding glass doors into the dining room, shivering a bit.

He found Draco in the living room, carefully dusting little footprints from the fireplace to the pine tree in the corner and then back to the fireplace. It looked as if snow had been tracked in the house, but it was just a little flour. They had never been this ambitious with their Christmas celebrations. The girls' first few Christmases were tame and modest, just a tree and a couple gifts. This year Draco had insisted would be the first year that they go all out. He had brainstormed almost all of the ideas himself and had enlisted Harry to help him out.

"Roof's all good?" Draco asked from his spot on the floor. He had placed one of his shoes on the floor and was sprinkling the flour around it.

"All set," Harry whispered. "Oh, the stockings?"

"Right, right, almost forgot. They're under a disillusionment charm in the closet."

Harry stepped over to the coat closet by the front door and muttered the incantation under his breath to reveal the stockings on the top shelf. He picked them up just as Draco whisper hissed at him, "No peeking in yours!" Harry smiled to himself and dutifully avoided taking a look into his stocking. He hung them up in front of the fireplace on the candy cane hooks that he had made earlier in the week. "As long as you don't peek into yours," Harry reminded him. They had agreed to only get each other one "pricier" gift for the holiday while the stockings were to be strictly small, less important items. Draco had a tendency to go a little over the top for any gift giving occasion, something that Harry was trying to curb. It was starting to make him look like a bad husband when he didn't get such well thought out gifts like Draco did.

They finished putting up a variety of smaller decorations throughout the house before finally taking a break at about four in the morning. They took another nip of Wideye potion as they sat on the couch beside each other, downing the pile of sugar cookies the girls had helped Draco make for Father Christmas. Harry laid his head in his husband's lap as they quietly ate together.

"I knew parenting would be exhausting," Harry murmured, "But this isn't what I expec-" Harry paused as he had taken a bite of an apparently fragile cookie that sprayed crumbs all over his face. He started laughing as Draco dusted the crumbs from his cheeks. After a short fit of giggles, Draco glanced at the clock, "I should get started on the breakfast, they'll be up soon."

Historically, whenever something exciting was happening in the morning, the girls woke up at six in the morning. On school days they had to be up by seven thirty anyway, so they had developed a tendency to get a bit over excited and wake themselves up.

"You want me to help?" Harry offered, "I want to remind you that I'm not utterly incompetent in cooking, you just make it look that way."

Draco laughed and kissed Harry's cheek, "I know, I'm sorry. You can help if you want. You wanna fry up the bacon for me?"

The two headed into the kitchen and got to work. Draco went about mixing pancake batter as Harry started on the pound of bacon in the fridge. The two talked in hushed tones as they worked about the kitchen.

"Just think," Harry said with a grin, "Next year we'll have another stocking up on the fireplace."

"We should probably tell the girls soon," Draco reminded Harry.

"We've got time," Harry hedged.

Draco hummed in irritation, "She's due in April, Harry. There's not a lot of time left that we can even hide it from them. We're going to have to move the library into the office and put the crib up there pretty soon."

Harry sighed, "Okay, fair, but now's not the time. It's the holidays. I don't want them to get distracted from the joy of the season by such big news."

Draco gave him a stern look as he poured green pancake mix into the sizzling pan. Harry flinched as bacon fat jumped out of the pan and sizzled on the back of his hand. He held his hand up to his mouth and sucked on the red pain at the base of his thumb. Draco continued to glare at him. Harry rolled his eyes and relented as he turned the heat down on his burner, "Fine. We tell them the day after New Years. They don't go back to school until the fifth anyway, so it gives them time to process. Is that fair?"

Draco didn't seem tremendously pleased, but he knew it was a compromise for a reason. He nodded solemnly in agreement as he flipped the pine tree shaped pancake.

They worked quietly for a few more minutes, not speaking. Harry had plated the bacon and moved it to the dining table. Draco was still diligently working on his small army of Christmas tree pancakes. He had just taken one off the pan and stacked it onto a large plate when Harry interrupted him. He gently grabbed Draco's wrist and pulled him away from the hot stove. Draco sighed and put his spatula down as he turned to face Harry, "What?"

Harry let go of his wrist and stood close to him, "Hey," He murmured softly under his breath, "I'm not trying to be a pain on purpose. I'm just scared of how they're going to react to the news. It's not like we can undo this choice."

Draco's steely expression softened considerably, "There's no need to be scared. You're right, there's no turning back. So they'll just have to get used to it eventually. That's why I don't see the point in delaying telling them."

Harry nodded, "That's fair. It also might not be a good idea to tell them right now or even tomorrow because they might turn around and tell everyone at Molly's. And didn't we agree to not tell anyone until a month before the birth?"

Draco sighed, "I suppose you're right with that. Can we tell them after the holidays but before New Year's? How about the twenty seventh?"

Harry smiled, "Alright. Deal. We'll tell them in two days time. Happy?"

Draco sighed softly but a small smile curved his lips up slightly, "Yes. I'm sorry I got cross with you."

"It's alright, I'm sorry I was being a pain in the ass."

"Oh, hush," Draco said softly as he snaked his arms around Harry's waist and kissed him. Just as Draco was starting to deepen his kiss they heard a thud from upstairs. They pulled apart with a smile and looked at each other, "Ready?" Draco asked. Harry laughed, "I'm never quite ready to handle their energy, yet I always survive, don't I?"

"Too true," Draco snickered softly as the kids came barreling down the stairs.

...

2:15 p.m.

The Burrow had been known to be filled to the brim with children in the past. After all, Molly and Arthur at one time had seven children running under their feet. Now, however, they had far surpassed the previous maximum the Burrow had ever held for one holiday. A grand total of ten Weasley grandchildren were running, sitting, crawling, and cooing throughout the Burrow. All six Weasley children and their five spouses were in attendance as well. In addition, Harry and his family were also there, as well as Andromeda and her grandson Teddy. The latter parties were not formally related to the Weasleys, but were as close as family.

Teddy was back from his first term at Hogwarts. Everyone had privately suspected that Andromeda would be all over him with how much she had missed him in the fall. Instead, they found Andromeda quite content over the term and not remotely clinging to her grandson. She had been filling most of her days, as she told Molly over a mug of cocoa by the fire, with her work at the Ministry. She was publishing a book on proper muggle relations, although as she reported to Molly, "My original idea they threw out the window. I wanted to write about creating a safe community for both wizards and muggles to live side by side, without secrecy. I really don't see what all the fuss is about. There's so much misunderstanding in our world about muggles. Everyone assumes they're idiots because they don't have magic, but I know it's not true. Have you heard of Stephen Hawking? He's a muggle and he's smarter than anyone I've ever met. These muggles can explain the ways in which the world works without magic, and it makes perfect sense! They call it science I'm told. It's really fascinating stuff. But, then again, the editors gave me a face not unlike the one you're wearing now, Molly." Andromeda laughed genially at the befuddled look on her friend's face. "Don't worry yourself dear, I know my thoughts are a bit radical at times."

So while Andromeda was leaving her grandson alone for most of the party, Teddy still found himself being swamped by his friend Victoire. She was nine, still a couple years away from getting into Hogwarts. She wouldn't stop pestering Teddy with questions about school, "What's the Hufflepuff common room like?"

"Um, warm I guess. It's by the kitchens."

"Oh the kitchens! I heard there's house elves in there!"

Hermione overheard this as she was feeding baby Hugo on the couch and made a face. She glanced over at the kids and listened closely.

"I dunno, I've never seen one. I thought they got rid of them actually."

Hermione's expression relaxed slightly and she privately decided she would send and owl to Minerva after the holidays and inquire about the house elf situation at Hogwarts.

"What was it like putting the hat on? Was it scary?"

"Not really, it figured my house out really quickly. My mum's house apparently. That's what Headmistress McGonagall told me anyway."

"Ohhh I heard she was very strict!"

"I mean, she is," Teddy shrugged, "But she's gotta be doesn't she? She's got a school to run, it can't be easy. But she's got a soft spot. Maybe she just likes me though, I dunno."

"Daddy tells me Hagrid is a real nice gamekeeper, have you met him yet?"

"Yeah," Teddy sighed as he plopped down at one of the dining room chairs. Their extremely early dinner had been consumed just an hour ago. The family was meandering through the cramped house. Many others already sat chatting at the dining table. Percy sat at one end of the table with his two and half year old daughter, Lucy, in his lap. His wife, Audrey, sat across from him. The two parents talked animatedly with Charlie about the similarities of parenting and raising a dragon.

"I've met Hagrid, he's nice. I've had tea with him once or twice. He tries to talk to me about mum and dad sometimes, but I don't really like it. He gets really sad and starts to cry, and I don't like it. I don't like to think about them."

"Ohhh, have you been in the Forbidden Forest yet?"

"Merlin," Teddy rolled his eyes hard and stood again, "Victoire can you just leave me alone? Go find Dominique and bother her!" He shouted angrily and stormed off back into the living room where most of the family was congregated. Victoire was left crying quietly in the kitchen. Bill, having heard his daughter's familiar whimpering from across the kitchen, made a beeline for his daughter. She was getting bigger, but he still managed to pick her up and carry her outside. He held her up as the snow drifted down from the cloudy gray sky lazily, "What happened my love?"

"Teddy got mad at me," She whined softly, leaning against her dad's shoulder.

"Were you asking him about Hogwarts?"

"Was I not supposed to?"

His arms growing weary, Bill slowly lowered his daughter to the ground. He knelt in front of her and wiped some of her tears off her cheeks. It was alarming him how fast she was growing up. He was seeing her mother in her more and more every day. He hated that she was getting older, but he would never admit it to anyone but Fleur. "It's okay to ask him questions. I know how curious and excited you are to go to Hogwarts. But Teddy has only been there a couple of months now. He won't have an answer to all of your question. He also might be going through his own stuff right now and might not want to talk. I'm not saying it was okay for him to snap at you, but try to remember he might have a lot going on. Okay?"

Victoire nodded slowly. He held open his arms and she fell against his chest, hugging him tight around the middle. Bill was going to sorely miss her when she had to leave in two years for her own year at Hogwarts.

Teddy, meanwhile, had not managed to evade the rest of his family as he had hoped. As soon as he had stormed away from Victoire he ran directly into Harry who had just walked away from Ginny and Terry. He had been introduced to their baby daughter, Madeline, who had been born precisely nine months after their wedding in 2007. Harry had happened to turn away at just the precise moment that Teddy was storming off. Instead of making a grand exit, he ran headfirst into his godfather.

"Woah, sorry there Teddy," Harry apologized calmly. He looked down at his godson but was surprised to find the boy's head a vibrant crimson shade instead of his usual mellow blue. He rested a hand on his godson's hair as he looked up at Harry with fire in his eyes. Quite literally, even Teddy's eyes were a flaming orange shade.

"Want to take a step outside with me bud? You look like you might need to cool down. It is rather stuffy in here," Harry suggested gently. Before Teddy could say anything he gently put his arm around him and lead him out the front door of the Burrow. "Alright, let it out." Harry suggested as soon as he shut the door behind him. Teddy went off on a tirade about how annoying Victoire was and how he didn't want to talk about Hogwarts because he wasn't having as much fun as he let on.

"I can't stand it! I thought it would be easy to make friends with everyone but it's like they all knew each other already! The muggle borns don't wanna talk to me because they don't think I'd get them cuz I was raised by a witch, and the few purebloods expect me to be some big fucking hero because you're my godfather and my parents were martyrs!"

"That's enough," Harry cut him off sternly. Teddy huffed in frustration but eased up a bit, hsi shoulder relaxing and the hue of his hair and eyes softening. "To start, you don't need to use that foul language at this age. I don't mind, but you'll give your grandma a heart attack. Secondly, your parents were not martyrs. They were people who laid down their lives for what they believed was right. You know that, you're just mad. I know you're not going to believe me, but I do understand what you're going through."

Teddy made a loud noise of disbelief and threw his hands up in disbelief. Harry suppressed the urge to laugh at this show of frustration, "Teddy, I was raised by muggles. But when I went to the wizarding world everyone knew me as a great vanquisher of He Who Must Not Be Named. Expectations were rested on my shoulders from the day I walked into that school. It's not unlike what you're going through."

Teddy seemed receptive to this. He knew a bit about his godfather, but he hadn't quite been aware of how much pressure had been on his shoulders as a kid. Teddy seemed to return to normal, his hair returning to his preferred blue, "How did you get through that?"

"You need to prove that you're not who they think you are. You need to think for yourself. Don't try to be like me or your parents or your grandmother. You are your own person. If anyone gives you grief, you can just tell them that you are Teddy Remus Lupin. You are not Remus. You are not Tonks. You are not Harry. You are only yourself. Trust me, if you are just yourself you will find yourself with friends. Something tells me you probably have already met your friends, you just might not know them as friends yet."

Teddy shrugged, "I mean, maybe. Cameron is alright, but he's a little weird."

Harry smirked, "Oh yeah, how's he weird?"

"He knits a lot and has painted nails. The other boys make fun of him when he's not around or when he has his back turned."

"Do you make fun of him?"

"No, but he does seem a little odd."

"Maybe try getting to know him and don't let the others make fun of him?"

Teddy nodded, "Yeah. Maybe."

Harry smiled and ruffled Teddy's hair, "Feeling better now, kid?"

Teddy rolled his eyes but smiled up at his godfather, "Yeah."

"Alright, get back in there. Maybe go say you're sorry to Victoire."

Teddy sighed but agreed and headed back inside. Harry waited a beat before heading back in. Draco immediately found him, sidling up to him and wrapping an arm around his waist, "Everything okay?" He murmured under his breath, "I saw you slip out with Teddy."

"Just school stress really," Harry explained, "Nothing to worry about. How are the girls?"

"Well," Draco said with a small smirk as he glanced at the nearby staircase, "Take a look for yourself."

Harry's eyes wandered to the wide and tall stairs and saw toward the top, nearly out of sight, were a handful of children. The twins and Freddie occupied one step while Molly and Rose sat on the stair below. Between the two girls was a large box of Bertie Bott's that they had gotten from a cracker. Harry watched as Rose covered Molly's eyes and Molly blindly took a bean from the box and ate it. Fred seemed to say something at the same time as Lyra as they watched Molly expectantly. When she started to cough and stick her tongue out, clearly disgusted by the flavor, Lyra pumped her fist in the air as Fred shook his head in disappointment.

"Well, at least they're having fun, right?" Harry snickered.

Draco shrugged, "I suppose. We're gonna have to tear them away somewhat soon."

"I thought your parents didn't expect us until five?"

Draco smiled, "Sweetheart, it's quarter to already."

Harry made a face, "You've got to be kidding."

His husband shook his head, "I'm afraid not. How do you think we can bribe them away from their game?"

Harry scratched at the growing five o'clock shadow on his jaw as he considered their options, "I would say we could offer them candy but they already have a good supply up there. Honestly, babe, I don't think there's any bribing. We just gotta go up there and grab them."

"Lyra is going to scream. Lily is going to cry."

"Yes, but I don't think there's any way to avoid it."

"You go first," Draco insisted.

Harry smiled and rolled his eyes good naturedly before heading for the stairs. He stepped up a couple stairs and called for them, "Girls, it's time to go. We gotta go see Grandma Cissy and Grandpa Lucius."

"But daddy!" Lyra whined.

"They'll have a few more presents for you," Harry hinted.

Lyra and Lily exchanged a look. They seemed to be trying to decide whether getting more presents was preferable to playing a game with their friends. They both sighed but agreed. They hugged their friends goodbye and came down the flight of stairs. Harry took one of each other hands in his and turned to Draco with a cocky grin. Draco stared back at him in astonishment.

They all turned toward the fireplace where Molly and Andromeda were still sitting, though Arthur had joined their conversation about muggles.

"Oh, you're not going are you Harry?" Molly asked with a sad smile.

"'Fraid so. Heading over to the Malfoys'. They're dying to spoil their grandkids."

Molly strained a smile, "I'm sure they are. Well," She stood and knelt in front of the girls, "It was lovely to see you as always my dears. Come back soon, okay?"

"Yes grandma Molly," Lily grinned.

"If there's more treacle tart," Lyra said casually, "I'll be around."

This cracked Molly up quite a bit, "Like father like daughter I suppose," She winked at Harry as she stood. She hugged him close and kissed his cheek. She turned and hugged Draco just as hard before letting the family go on past her to the fireplace.

...

9:22 p.m.

"Tell me a story," Lyra mumbled as she laid her head down across her grandpa's knees. Lucius smiled and pet back Lyra's dark brown hair from her face. Her eyes were already shut and she yawned for the fifth time in twenty minutes. "What kind of story dear?"

"I dunno, a fun one," She muttered vaguely against his knee.

Lucius glanced at the opposite couch in the family room. Draco was conked out on said couch, his head leaning against his husband's shoulder. Harry was engrossed in a book that Narcissa had bought for him for Christmas. He smiled to himself and glanced at Narcissa sitting on the other side of the sofa with him. Lily was already completely asleep in her arms. Narcissa continuously pet back Lily's wild red hair, occasionally kissing her head as she slept. His wife caught his eye and smiled at him.

"Once upon a time," Lucius murmured to Lyra as he kept his eyes locked on his wife, "There was a man. He was like most men. He had an education, a job, and wealth. He was successful and whole, but he wanted so much more than that. He was unaware that what he had been missing was right in front of him all along. Love was all he needed. He needed to be loved and he needed to love another. When he found his sweetheart, he felt complete for the first time in his life. He knew he could never let his love go." In a way, Lucius spoke of his wife. However, he deliberately was considering Harry and Draco's relationship as well. It was a story the girls were unaware of so far, but one day they would know all too well.

Regardless, Lyra did not exactly hear the story. She drifted into a sleep almost as soon as Lucius has began speaking. With the last granddaughter knocked out, Lucius cleared his throat. He managed to do so just quietly enough to not bother the girls but to get Harry's attention. His eyes flicked up and quickly assessed the situation behind his round specs. He smiled and put his book down in his lap. He carefully nudged Draco awake, "Time to go love."


A/N: I'm so sorry it's been so long guys! I graduated late May and (luckily) got a job right away and have been a bit preoccupied. If I'm being honest I also fell out love with the story and I just suddenly, the other day, fell back in love with it and whipped out 8k words in 24 hours. There's way more where this came from! I apologize if there's any typos in this one, I was so excited to post this that I wanted to post it as soon as possible. I'll make any corrections later ^_^