Harry Potter and all associated characters are the property of JK Rowling.
This story belongs to MinaandChao. I make no claim to ownership.
Chapter 9: Making Christmas
Harry shook himself off when he came through the vent, crashing hard into the floor of the station in Diagon Alley. So that's what Floo was. He didn't like it. He could taste soot and ash and he was pretty sure he was covered in it. A loud noise sounded behind him and he gave a strangled, startled noise when Draco landed half on top of him, rolling off onto the floor of the station.
"Come, come," Narcissa's voice sounded and Harry hauled himself up, watching as Narcissa Vanished the soot and ash from Draco's clothing with gentle flicks of her wand.
Harry stood still while Narcissa did the same to him, his eyes lowering down to his raggedy clothes, which swam on him, in shame. Even on the train Draco, like some other Pureblood students, had worn modified robes. Now he was dressed in a pair of well fitted jeans and a deep blue turtleneck sweater. He took a fluffy, large black parka from his mother and shrugged it on and zipped it with a quiet 'thank you, Mother'.
"Harry, did someone jinx your clothes?"
Harry scratched the back of his neck and kicked his dirty shoes in a line of ash on the floor. "No, Narcissa."
"Well, clearly those Muggles didn't know how to dress you. No matter, we'll fix that first before attending to your robes. I also need to pick up some potions supplies."
Harry gaped at the woman but took the parka she had brought for him - deep red - and zipped it up, pulled the hood over his head and jammed his hands into his pockets. They had been warned the weather was blustery and cold. They threw themselves into the snowy cold.
A quick passage through the Leaky Cauldron had them onto the streets of London. Harry made to protest that he hadn't changed any of his gold to pounds, but he figured fighting against Draco's mother would be useless. It was strange, Harry thought, watching as Narcissa moved effortlessly through the crowds of people with a haughty air about her that was mimicked less severely by Draco, to see the witch in modernity. The regal nature of her attitude seemed so out of place. Harry, however, had no problems blending in and disappearing as he shoved his nose down into the collar of his coat to keep his face warm and trudged through the snow, shoulders hunched.
They boarded a taxi and Harry and Draco loaded themselves into the back, shivering despite the short walk, while Narcissa eased herself into the front seat. She managed to look effortlessly perfect while also looking subtly perturbed, as if the existence of a car annoyed her. She gave the address and they started off. The ride was unusually quiet, filled with sounds of the radio turned low and the two-way talkies for the cabbie. Harry looked out the window and watched the streets slip by as they turned into the more fashionable areas of London. Before long they turned onto Bond Street and they stopped. Narcissa opened her clutch purse and pulled out a wallet, she rooted around a minute before pulling out a few notes and handed them off to the cabbie, who stared down at the notes - which were far more than necessary - before pocketing them and doling out change.
They climbed out of the car and without a word Narcissa strode across the iced, shoveled pavement and walked into Ralph Lauren's boutique. Draco followed after her unhesitatingly but Harry stopped outside the store and peered into the large glass windows feeling out of place. Seconds later Narcissa opened the door and looked at him and he dashed inside quickly.
Draco was already draped in a chair, his coat being carried off by an attendant and he looked perfectly at home with an expression of boredom. Harry hesitantly handed off his coat and ducked his head in embarrassment when the shop girl looked him top to toe and her lip curled. He may as well have been the scum on her shoe. Harry looked around the shop in wonder before he trailed after Narcissa when she called his name and started pulling things randomly from the shelves and draped things over her arm.
"You would look lovely in red, Harry. Maybe black as well, no one ever looks bad in black. Maybe some blues to bring out your eyes... Some dark greens..." She snapped and unloaded her heap into the salesgirl's arms with a quick "hold this for me, would you?" before she attacked a rack of pants. She unfolded some, made faces and discarded them, moved onto others. Before long, the poor salesgirl had deposited three armfuls of clothes by the dressing rooms, where Draco was now reading a magazine, looking bored.
"Alright now, Harry. Let's get you trying these on."
"But I really don't-"
"There's a good boy, I'll hold your glasses for you, in you go."
"But, Narcissa, really I-"
"Excellent, dear."
Before Harry could even manage another half worded request he was huddled in the changing room with the curtain drawn with the first heap of clothes. He squinted down at them before he pulled off one of Dudley's old t-shirts and dropped it on the floor, it was followed seconds later by his jeans. He stepped into the first pair of trousers, which were black and soft, he left them hanging open while he pulled on a dress shirt and buttoned it. He tucked it in and zipped up the pants before rummaging through the pile on the floor and pulled up a sweater vest and tugged it over his head. He may not have had the chance while living with his family, but Harry had learned how to dress well from people watching.
Opening the curtain, Harry stepped out and took his glasses from Narcissa and put them on. She was standing there, clasping her hands proudly as she looked at him. Harry's heart soared and he found himself smiling, glowing at her approval. Draco peered over his magazine and his eyes widened, his brows lifted in shock and he stood, a grin working onto his lips.
"Wow, you clean up well."
Harry grinned sheepishly and headed to the mirror to look at himself. He swallowed thickly and stared. He barely recognized himself. The pants were a deep grey, the dress shirt was a pale blue and the sweater vest was a darker shade of blue with a white line running along the collar and hemline. He looked so different. He straightened his posture and threw his shoulders back, feeling confident.
A flurry of movement in the reflection made Harry turn and he saw Narcissa bundling up the clothes he had worn into the shop. She handed them off to a salesgirl. "Do me a favour and burn those." She turned back to Harry and clapped her hands together. "Let's keep going."
Just over two hours later they finished up at the shops, spending just under £1000 on mostly things for Harry, and a few things for Draco. While the shopgirls were busy with other customers, Naricissa transported their bags away with a hidden flick and they bundled up back into the street. Harry was proudly wearing a pair of smart white trousers and a black v-necked sweater with a dress shirt underneath. The only thing missing was a pair of shoes. Which is where they headed next.
They spent a small amount of time in there, Harry had got a pair of dress shoes, a pair of new running shoes, and a pair of leather boots. Draco had gotten two pairs of boots and Narcissa bought herself three pairs of high heels.
With that they flagged down a cab and were headed back to the Leaky Cauldron. With a quick tap of Narcissa's wand on the back brick wall, they crossed into the archway to Diagon Alley. As soon as the wall closed up behind them, Harry lowered his hood, it was strange to explain, but being among Wizarding people made him feel more comfortable than he had been while amongst Muggles. Nothing bad, just... he felt like he wasn't hiding.
They stopped in at Gringotts and Narcissa changed her pounds back to galleons and she and Draco waited in the lobby while Harry went down to his vault. Once he got a sufficient amount, Harry rejoined the others in the lobby. They exited and agreed to meet in front of Flourish and Blotts in an hour. Narcissa strode off towards the Apothecary and Harry and Draco headed off to look at shops.
The boys made their way into one of the various gift stores that sprung up annually, and shared a look before splitting up. Harry made his way to a rack of various winter accessories. Pansy was the first girl he'd ever really gotten to know, and he found himself at something of a loss for her gift. Jewelry was kind of a personal taste kind of gift, from what he'd seen, and he didn't want to spend a lot of money and time on something she'd hate. Clothes seemed like the next best thing, but he didn't know her size. So something like scarves seemed right - friendly and useful.
He pawed through the various scarves, grimacing at the brighter coloured ones. Pansy would strangle him with it if he got her a hot pink one. Finally he came across one in a nice, cool silver color. It had swirls of black and dark green on it that coiled as he watched, almost like snakes. The cloth was warm and thick, and seemed pretty high quality. It seemed like something she'd like, and it would even go with her school stuff. He dragged it off the hook and started to move on, but indecision struck him. Pansy was used to really lavish gifts - his measly little scarf looked silly in comparison. Maybe some sort of pin to use with it?
Turning back around, Harry scanned the rack, looking for something to go with it. His eyes landed on a matching hat - one of the ones with the big fluffy ear flaps that had danging fluffballs coming from it. The vision of Pansy is such a silly hat nearly made Harry burst out laughing, and he grabbed it and stuffed it with the scarf. It nothing else, she'd get some satisfaction from insulting him for it. And then he could offer to get her something else like he'd planned it.
Pleased with himself, Harry ducked back farther into the store. He passed a display of candies and grabbed a box, figuring Ron would probably like them. They were edible, after all. This area was filled with more ornamental type items, and Harry passed through them idly, not really expecting to find something worth-while.
A glint of light caught his eye, and Harry turned and froze. On the shelf in front on him was a fancy hourglass - the kind that sat on a desk or shelf as decoration. The dark wood encasing the glass housing looked freshly polished, and the sand within it was coloured in shades of dark grey and black. A silver, metal dragon wrapped itself around the entire thing, shifting and slithering about, eyes watching Harry.
The dragon decided it for Harry, and he grabbed the hourglass, shivering slightly as the metal beast slipped over his hands as it made its way around. It was colder than he had expected. He stashed that in his bag and set off back towards the front, looking forward to Christmas just a little bit more now.
Fairly certain that he'd finished before Draco - the other boy was notoriously picky, and Harry doubted that the exception was gifts - he started poking around the various displays. One in particular caught his attention. It was filled with fancy looking mirrors, similar to the handheld one his aunt kept in the bathroom. He picked up one, using it too look behind him at the other customers. When he looked up, Harry noticed his own reflection in one of the mirrors that was facing the wrong direction. He blinked at it for a moment, then looked around for a sign.
Two-way mirrors! It declared. Keep in contact no matter the distance! A slow smile spread across Harry's face, and he grabbed a particularly regal looking set. He was certain that Mr. and Mrs. Mal- er, Narcissa would appreciate a way to keep in contact with their son at Hogwarts. And if it kept down the number of times Draco complained about being away from home, than all the better.
Finished fooling around, Harry went to the front, keeping a steady eye out for Draco. When he couldn't see the other boy, he took out his purchases and gave them to the clerk to check out. By the time Draco ambled out, clearly taking his time, Harry had been set to go for 10 minutes.
When he spotted him, Draco froze. Then the blonde furiously gestured at him to turn around. Harry rolled his eyes, and Draco glared at him. Sighing, he shrugged and spun around, gazing out the window into Diagon Alley. He spotted Narcissa coming out of the Apothecary, managing to look regal and unaffected, despite being followed by flying bags full of no doubt disgusting things.
He got distracted watching the various witches and wizards come and go, and so was startled when Draco suddenly appeared at his sight. Harry let out a highly undignified squeak and nearly dropped his bags, then glared at the blonde as he snickered into his hand.
Only the fact that Narcissa had reached them stopped Harry from stomping down on the other's foot, and judging by the look on Draco's face he had planned it that way.
"Are you boys ready?" She asked, arching an eyebrow at them. They nodded and Narcissa led them along to the Apparition spot. With a surprisingly quiet crack, they were standing at the gates of Malfoy Manor.
Harry wobbled on his feet, feeling faintly sick, and smoothed a hand down his front to make sure he was all there. He really didn't like that. He groaned quietly and trailed behind the other two into the front hall of the Manor. His eyes darted around the room and he let out slow breaths at how opulent things were. He was sure that the Dursley home could fit inside at least three or four times over. More if you counted the grounds as well.
There was a pop and Harry jerked back in surprise at the sight of a large-eyed, short creature with long fingers and drooping ears. The thing bowed politely and introduced itself as Dobby, the Malfoy's main house elf. Harry was torn with a mixture of poking Dobby to make sure he wasn't an illusion and flinching away in a mix of horror and disgust. Instead Dobby just took their coats and disappeared with another pop.
"Well then, why don't you show Harry to the guest room?"
Draco nodded and tugged lightly on Harry's arm before stooping down to pick up his bag of purchased gifts. Harry picked up his own bags and followed behind Draco. His eyes roaming over the walls at the various pictures and paintings on the wall.
"Watch out for the -"
"Ouch!"
"-false step."
Harry glared at Draco and rubbed his shin when he managed to free his foot from the trick stair. "A little more forewarning would have been nice."
Draco shrugged and continued up the stairs, Harry following quickly behind. They got off on the third level, a level above the "extra drawing rooms, the library and Father's study". Draco swept down a winding hall before pausing in front of a door. He knocked on the door twice and then turned the knob, pulled the door towards him before pushing in. The door swung open and Draco stepped inside and Harry followed him inside.
The room, which judging by the shining placard on the dark wood door was Draco's, was not what Harry expected for Draco's personal room. Instead of deep, dark colours, it was a pleasant shade of reddish brown, slightly lighter than a rust colour. The borders along the floor-line were taupe while the molding on the ceiling was eggshell white. Together they made the room look homey, and gave it a comforting atmosphere, something soothing that seemed unlike Draco.
Various posters lined the walls, the same group of people were on several posters. From the state of them, they looked to be a musical band, Harry approached the poster closest to him, watching as one man, who was sprawled on a couch scratched his nose. The name of the group - Weird Sisters - was shimmering above their heads. Harry thought it strange. They were all men, so it was a funny sort of title.
Above the bed was a poster for Quidditch, a chaser for the team was zooming around on his broom. Harry moved to look at the team name, he twisted his head and peered up. Vestra Vultures was a sleek black at the very bottom.
"Where're they from?"
"Bulgaria. They play hard. No holds barred. Not like Puddlemere, who believe in morality and integrity so much it's cost them games."
"I've never seen professional Quidditch before."
"We should go sometime. Alright, let's get you to the guest room."
They exited Draco's room and Harry followed him into the guest room. It was cool gray with hard black borders that popped. It was sparsely decorated with modest, tasteful furniture, a large, oval shaped standing mirror in one corner and several paintings of scenery. Harry smiled softly, the room was overly large, and all for him. The bed looked soft, so soft he could sink into it, and it looked inviting. He had to fight the childish urge to fling his things aside and leap on it with a cry.
"Well... I'll leave you to it." Draco smiled at Harry and nodded once before leaving Harry alone.
Harry watched the door for a long moment before he dropped his things and ran for the bed. He leaped and landed on it with a laugh, practically swimming in the bedding that collapsed on top of him with the force of his impact. Rolling onto his back, Harry grinned up at the ceiling.
He could get used to this.
The next morning, Harry woke bright and early, still used to the Hogwarts schedule. Part of him wanted to roll over and luxuriate in a world where he could sleep in, but another part of him was vibrating with energy, even this early in the morning.
Too wound up to do more than doze, Harry slipped out of the covers and checked the clock. It was 8:00 AM. Draco never got up before 10 on the weekends, and he figured it would be the same here. It would be kind of boring in this room for the next while, but the idea of wandering around the house without the other boy felt like an intrusion, somehow. He had no idea what the norms were here, and if it'd be seen as inexcusably rude if he started to poke his nose around.
Instead he grabbed yesterday's purchases and looked at them with pride. Christmas shopping was a new idea to him, and the fact that he'd found such good gifts made him feel hopeful. No matter what his relatives had done or told him, maybe Harry could live a good live in the future.
Spotting the wrapping paper he'd bought - green with little dancing silver bells on it, that if one listened very closely the sounds of chiming could be heard - he snatched it up and started to unravel it before. This was another thing Harry had never done. Aunt Petunia didn't dare let him near any of Dudley's many gifts, even if it meant she had to wrap all of them herself. However, he'd watched her do it enough that he had the basic idea. Grabbing some tape and scissors, Harry eagerly got to work.
A little after nine, Draco knocked twice at the door before barging in. He found Harry surrounded by scraps of paper, some of which were sticking up in his hair. The boy had somehow managed to get tape on nearly every surface around him, including his face and glasses. Despite all this, he was grinning like a loon as he finished wrapping up a scarf and hat. Draco eyed the items curiously, and judging by the way Harry only blinked at him in surprise, he figured it wasn't for him. A few other items were on the bed, all surprisingly nearly wrapped, considering what a disaster the room is. As he watched, one of them seemed to shift and move oddly, and Draco wondered what it could be.
"Morning." Harry greeted cheerfully, giving a little wave, which sent a scrap that had been clinging to the back of his hand fluttering down to the floor. Draco watched it fall with an almost dispassionate air, before snapping his eyes back to Harry's face.
"What in Merlin's name are you doing?"
Harry blinked at him. "Wrapping Christmas presents," He murmured, in a tone that sounded like he thought Draco was absolutely barmy.
Rolling his eyes, Draco picked out a relatively clean spot in front of his friend and sat down. "I know that. Why are you doing it, though? That's what the house-elves are for."
A confused head tilt was his answer. "That's what who are for?"
Resisting the urge to slap his hand against his forehead in a very undignified manner, Draco shook his head. "It's like you don't know anything." He declared. Harry rolled his eyes. "They're like servants. They do chores like cleaning and cooking. And wrapping Christmas presents."
Harry didn't look any less confused. "Why would I let them do that? I wanted to wrap the presents."
"So that your room doesn't end up a mess?" Draco offered dryly, and Harry looked around sheepishly.
Gathering some of the pieces around him - which only sent the ones in his hair tumbling to the ground - Harry offered, "I can clean this up..."
A loud scoff made the dark-haired boy look up. "You don't listen at all, do you? The house-elves do the cleaning. They'll take care of it." The boy stood up and held out his hand for Harry, which he took. "Let's go see more of the Manor before breakfast. We can't be late, though. Father would be mad." With that Draco dragged Harry up and out of the room, ignoring the way the other boy gazed back at the mess with a distracted little frown.
The boys ran around the upper levels of Malfoy Manor. Draco was practically vibrating with excitement over being able to share the home he loved with someone else, which was probably the reason he was up so unusually early. Harry was fascinated by all the interesting rooms the Malfoys had. There was one with old, medieval tapestries and objects, kept looking new by charms. Another led to what appeared to be an indoor garden, almost similar to the botanical garden Harry had been to once for a field trip in primary. There was even pair of comfy looking benches for sitting around and enjoying the view. The biggest difference between this and the one he'd visited before were the fairy lights that dashed about, ducking and weaving within the bushes and flowers.
The biggest hit was probably the library. Draco, knowing Harry's weak point, took him to first a section on the history and strategy of Quidditch, and then to an area devoted to potions. Harry ran his hand over the titles excitedly, recognizing the names of several authors from the extra sessions he'd had with his professor. Pausing at one worn looking book, his eyes widened and hr slipped it out, flipping through the pages gently, but with enthusiasm. "A copy of Advancements in Philter! From the way Professor Snape talked about this, he would kill to read it."
"That would be unnecessary, considering that he already has." Lucius Malfoy's voice told him, and both boys whirled to see him watching them through the library's open door. "That very copy, in fact." His eyes tracked between Harry and the book, as if unsure if he should let the boy keep hold if it, but the obvious care with which he held it must have persuaded him. "Breakfast will be ready rather shortly, boys. Take care not to be late." With that he swept down the hall.
Harry glanced at Draco, who puffed up his chest. "Mother and Father realize the importance of keeping up proper manners, even at home." Under Harry's deadpan stare, the mask slipped and Draco shrugged and grinned. "That's what they say, anyway. Let's get going. I'd leave that book here. It'd just get dirty at the table." Harry nodded and set the book back in its usual place, and then the two of them dashed off, following Mr. Malfoy down to the dining room.
They washed their hands before sitting down to breakfast, which was served at a large table, but they sat together at a grouping near the head. Narcissa was sipping from a delicate mug, and from the scent, it was strong coffee and not tea. She was dressed languidly, still in her nightdress, which could have put some of Harry's Aunt Petunia's Sunday best to shame. Her hair was smoothed back from her face and piled on top of her head, kept in place with a series of pins and curlers and further secured with a snood. While Harry was sure there were charms that could be done to fix hair, he was pretty sure Narcissa liked the put together look of doing it herself.
Lucius sat at the head of the table, Narcissa was off to his right and Draco and Harry sat side by side at his left. Unlike his wife Lucius was dressed in a fine pressed suit, with shining buttons, his long hair was fastened back in a simple black silk ribbon. He looked like an upper-class man from the past, so regal and out of the ordinary. One of the strange little house-elves appeared along with a partner, the two handed off their plates to respective people at the table. Harry took his with a gracious smile and set it down in front of him.
Each person's plate was arranged with different foods. Draco's, for instance, was fitted with black pudding, over-medium eggs (Harry had learned Draco only ever ate over-medium eggs after an unfortunate incident when Crabbe had given him an over-easy egg once), tomato, and toast. Narcissa had eggs Benedict atop crumpets with smoked salmon and potato. Lucius had the simplest, a side of toast, fresh fruit, and cereal, along with piping hot, strong dark coffee. Harry, however, had hot cakes with strawberries and rich syrup. How they knew his favourite breakfast was beyond him, but it was served along with orange juice and Earl Grey, the perfect mix.
"Do you have to go to the Ministry today?"
Lucius shook his head lightly, stirring in some fruit to his cereal and taking a bite. "St. Mungos."
Draco nodded his head and took a bite of his black pudding and a sip of his orange pekoe. He shifted in place, dressed down from his usual robes, and dress clothes in a pair of jeans and a loose t-shirt. He looked far younger than his usual self, even his hair was messily styled. It looked good on him.
Breakfast was eaten mostly in silence, save for the occasional talk about school, or what they were going to do about the holidays. Narcissa discussed putting up the tree. Harry loved that idea, and quietly pitched in his approval, as he had always loved decorating the tree at Primary. One year he had even put the star on the top of the tree. After that Lucius Apparated from the front hall and Draco tugged him towards the stairs so they could go look at something.
"I think you'll think this is neat, c'mere."
