"Happy Christmas, Draco!" Morgana shouted as she jumped into Draco's room in her pyjamas.
The excitement that exuberated off of her made Draco want to roll in his sheets and get engulfed by them. After all the years of getting up early at Hogwarts, he relished the ability to sleep in. The training with Morgana didn't allow that sometimes, but it was a worthwhile sacrifice. The holidays, though, he hoped warranted an extra day of sleep.
Glancing at his wand on his bedside, he realised the date. "Bloody hell, Morgana, it's only Christmas Eve!"
"That's Christmas!" she exclaimed with more exasperation.
Regardless whether she spent the holiday in the UK, Japan, or any other part of the world, the Diamanté's always celebrated on the eve. It was also the only holiday where she would see all of her family, from both sides. The Diamanté's would lower their pride to spend the holiday with the Iaculus's – but only for Morgana's sake. For 24-hours, the two families got along fabulously! Morgana was the jewel of both the families. There was talk that her and her mother would be removed from the family tree when they moved to Japan in order for her to attend Mahoutokoro, but the words never developed into action.
"Draco!" she continued to whine like a little child. The blond below her didn't do much except for swat at the air in front of her. "Fine, if you're going to be this way…" she trailed off and waltzed down to the kitchens.
Morgana may have been a bit of a laze when it came to normal, everyday tasks, but when it came to the holidays, she was on her feet the moment she could. When she was young, she was barely allowed in the kitchen, but was allowed to bake. The first few holidays she found herself alone, she took it all on herself to give her the best of the holidays. Although presents weren't exactly a surprise, it was never about the presents for Morgana; it was always about the enjoyment.
Just like her parents, she refused to take any missions on the holidays. There was to be no bloodshed on days of joy – no matter how much of a smile grew after each mission.
When she entered the kitchen, the handful of house elves stopped and stared wide-eyed at her.
"Hi!" she cheerfully greeted the help. "I don't want to hinder or bother any of you today. I know you're preparing for dinner for tonight and tomorrow – and I vastly appreciate this! But I would like to put in a request." Morgana held up a little piece of parchment with her scribbling all on it. "And," she started after the house elves smiled and nodded their heads. "I just want to bake one pie. I promise to be out of your way."
The house elves adored Morgana. They loved her more than their masters, but they would never cross the line. They feared Draco just as much as Lucius, although he was never nearly as cruel. By the end of Morgana's pie, the elves shook her hand and a couple even hugged their gratitude.
"Thank you for everything, Miss Diamanté!" a little female house elf expressed. "And thank you for giving us both the evenings off."
"Just be responsible, okay? I'll take care of Master Malfoy," she beamed down at them.
It was now nearly the afternoon and Draco had finally chosen to leave the comforts of his bed. "Good morning, darling," she lightly sang as she sat down beside him. "Are we in a better mood now?"
Draco glared softly at her as Morgana conjured up their breakfasts. Before Draco could dig in, Morgana rose slightly from her seat and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Cheer up, love, it's Christmas! And I got you a present for today!"
Whether it was from the little kiss or the sound of a present, Draco's mood was a bit more to the season.
The time from their training brought the two closer together. Draco started to work less, and was graciously offered to work from home and with a lighter workload. He brought the proposition to Morgana, who politely pushed him to take it and reminded him that her work would save them both if necessary. Draco only had to leave every few days and only for a couple of hours, so most of their afternoons and evenings were spent together. The feeling of being lesser than Morgana started to ebb away the more they trained. Morgana didn't push his limits to shame him; she did it to make him better than anyone he would come up against.
What he really cherished were the moments after training. Although they still haven't done more than kiss – and way too little of the action (in Draco's opinion) – there was a stronger bond growing between the two. Elenei even started to warm up to him and allowed him to pet her every so often.
Morgana was happy that Draco had taken less on at his work. It gave her more time to train him into who she saw him to be. His body and his mind were growing stronger. Without his knowledge, Morgana spent the small time apart peering into his mind. Although careful not to wander into parts of his mind he kept away, she started to peel away what made the great Slytherin Prince, Draco Malfoy. The more she uncovered for herself, the more she started to be enamoured by him. She kept it to just little kisses from time to time, but even that was beginning to not be enough for either of them.
"Hey little dragon?" Morgana softly asked as they ended their breakfast. Draco reached over and gave her hand a little squeeze before returning it to the side of his plate. "I'm going to go out for the entirety of the afternoon, but I'll be back around 6 for dinner."
"I thought you didn't take missions on holidays," he recounted her statement from before.
Morgana shook her head. "I'm not going on a mission. I just have something personal to do and I'd rather do it alone," she added when she saw Draco about to interrupt.
He nodded. "Just take care of yourself, little fairy."
Although Malfoy Manor and its grounds were guarded against apparation, Morgana left with the simple thought of her destination. It was something only some Diamanté's were capable of doing, and it was much safer (and more importantly not tracked) like apparating. When she opened her eyes again, she was in a large, snow-covered garden. The vast ground that she stood in Northern Ireland was the Iaculus graveyard. There were statues, headstones, gazebos, and overgrown trees scattered all over. She visited each site momentarily, giving her wishes to those she remembered and those whose stories she grew up knowing up.
In the middle of the grounds was an ominous building. It was bare, stoned, and barred up from intruders. Grabbing her dagger from her side, she effortlessly sliced open the palm of her hand and allowed the red liquid to flow from herself and into the bowl where a lock should've been. After a few drops had been spilt, the bowl disappeared and the gates opened up for her entry.
Instead of the cold, stone walls of the outside, the interior was much more hospitable. White marble covered the walls and the floor and the Iaculus family crest was emblazoned across the entirety of the ceiling. The room's rounded walls were covered in tapestries of generations of Iaculus's. In the middle of the room was a pit of fire that never went out. After looking around and seeing the smiles of her family past, she walked up to the smouldering fire.
"Happy Christmas, everyone," she softly spoke as she held her hand over the open fire. The flames engulfed her hand but it did not harm her. The wound she inflicted on herself closed and left no scar and a little bit of violet dust flew into the air with the cracking embers.
She closed her eyes once more, and in a second, she was in a field of barren trees. The Japanese garden was beautiful to her this time of year. All the trees, the little river, and all of nature were around her. Unlike her mother's family, the Diamanté's graveyard was a sanctuary. She followed the known path through the trees and walked into the golden pavilion in the middle of it all. Each level was a story of many generations, and it continued the higher up you went. Kept at the back of the lowest level, was the altar. With a sweeping motion of her hand, she lit all of the incense sticks up in the jars. She dropped to her knees in prayer and bowed down to the large statue of her ancestor.
A soft Japanese prayer spell left her lips and as it did, the statue started to wake.
"Hello child," it said gently as a giant could to her little frame.
"Happy Christmas," she greeted from her bow.
"I am glad to see that you have not forgotten your family whilst so far away." The old Japanese language was difficult for her to follow while it echoed so much, but Morgana was not be shamed by her ancestor.
"I could not forget from whom I came from, elder. But I am simply here to give my best wishes to my family - no matter how far I am from them now," she said eloquently as she could in the language scarcely used.
"Your family wishes you well and more prosperity. I will pass on your wishes if you will pass on with happiness and love." With those last words, the statue returned to its former pose and in front of Morgana was left in the smoke of the incense.
Not much time had passed when Morgana returned to the Malfoy Manor. It was mid-afternoon. Wandering up to her room, she caught a blur out the window. With her back to the window, she stripped herself of the black cloak and black kimono she donned for her visit. She wiggled into a pair of fitting patented leggings and a matching oversized, black knit sweater. When she turned around to face the window, she just caught the bristle end of Draco's broom whizzing past.
She spent the rest of the time alone in her room. She stared at the crystal ball which now cleared, but would not show anything besides her reflection back at her. Morgana had hardly noticed Elenei flying through her open door and back on her perch.
"You're back early," Draco said as he leaned against the doorway of her room. She was lying against something invisible as the crystal ball floated in the air in front of her.
She shrugged. "It surprised me too. What time is it?"
Draco took a quick glance at her wand on her bedside. "A quarter past five."
"Oh!" The time seemed to pull her out of whatever reverie she was in. "I ought to get ready! You too, little Dragon," she said as she strode up to him in her doorway. "Dress to impress me tonight, but do dress," she added when she noticed a mischievous glint in his eyes.
In the confines of his room, Draco dressed himself elegantly simple. With all the exercise and the healthy diet regime Morgana had him on, Draco was looking his absolute best. He was fitter than he ever was from quidditch and his skin was no longer a sickly pale as it was in his final year in Hogwarts. And it seemed that he was happy for once in his life. So when he slipped into a fitting black, collared button-up, he looked daringly handsome. He left the top few unbuttoned as he slipped into a pair of black, slim pants and into his newly polished shoes as well.
After Morgana heard Draco's door shut behind him, she quickly dashed back into her own room. She quickly threw off her old outfit and shimmied into a very fitting black cocktail dress that shimmered slightly with the light. Its three-quarter sleeves exposed her forearms, which she covered one in a charm bracelet. Although the neck was cut high, the back was cut quite low, exposing nearly all of her tattoo. To top the outfit off, Morgana slipped into a pair of black stiletto booties.
All Morgana did to her face was apply a thing line of black eyeliner and fix up her hair to wave instead of its normal straight. It was Christmas, but she didn't want to exert herself too much.
When she was all done, Draco had yet to emerge from his room.
"Draco, are you still in there?" she asked as she knocked against the wood.
"Yes," he strangled out. "You may enter," he added right before Morgana could ask (or intrude).
Morgana couldn't help her eyes. His all black attire sparked a high interest in her carnal mind. Draco was flipping between having his hair slicked back and having it lay softly around his head. Taking his wand from his hands, Morgana motioned her hand around his hair and it placed itself perfectly aside his face with just the front slicked to the side. "Much better," she smiled to herself after her work. As she stepped back to inspect him, she couldn't hold back a face of frustration.
"Is something wrong?" Her unfurrowing brows made him concerned. Appearances were (nearly) everything. She didn't say a word, but undid the buttons on the cuffs of his shirt. Without much thought she rolled up his sleeves till it hit his elbows.
Draco respected how much Morgana never gave his dark mark a thought. Outside of other Death Eaters, most people stared at him and the mark with hate and distaste, whereas Slytherins without the mark ogled in a little bit of jealousy or adoration. But with her – she just saw it.
"Perfect!" she exclaimed, pulling him out of his musings. "Now you're good enough to be my date!" A sly smirk accompanied her statement.
Draco chuckled to himself as he held out his arm for her to accept. "Shall we go then?"
Morgana washed her smirk away and replaced with a small, gentle smile. As Draco kept her from tripping on the stairs, Morgana smiled at herself and the party's success. She had written to many of his past housemates using the owl in Draco's care in between small missions, training, and her readings. It didn't take long for nearly all of them to reply with an outstanding yes. The pile of acceptances she kept in a drawer in her room, away from Draco's peeping eyes. The pile wasn't nearly as high as she wanted it for the occasion, so she soon took up to writing to several of her close alliances.
Two of her guests were of a secret society. The men and the women in the society were akin to magic, but not so blessed with the ability to cast spells. Their talent rested in runes and they used them in their fullest capability. They were so familiar with the art that they were often able to create new ones. Although many associated the art of runes with bookish folks, the man and woman who were present were quite athletic. If Morgana hadn't known them, their physique mirrored those of many great quidditch players. They weren't the most beautiful people, but they weren't horrible to look at. They were unique, but average all at the same time.
Another one of her personal invitees was a standout if only for his eyes. He was lanky, pale, and hair as dark as ravens. His eyes… His irises were red and where the whites of his eyes should have been, they were instead black. Only Morgana knew him for what he was, and it remained that way. Even now, people avoided him. It was hard to avoid seeing the loner in the corner by the living room entrance.
Its informality allowed Draco and Morgana to not have to greet every guest personally neither did they have to be by each other's side all night. The moment they had reached the bar together, they grabbed themselves their poisons. It was a self-served bar, but all you simply had to do was ask and it would appear. Morgana held a tall pint of Guinness stout and Draco had a gin martini in hand.
"Who are the three people I don't know?" Draco mused.
Morgana waved her hand. "I'll introduce them to you later. Go enjoy your Christmas present with your friends, but don't drink too much. There's a second half of your present that I need to give to you later."
With a quick clink of the glasses, Draco disappeared amongst his many fellow Slytherins.
"You look very captivating this evening, Lady Diamanté," the loner from the corner lowly said in her ear.
A/N: Hello! This was originally much longer, but when I re-read it, I figured, "Hey, this could be two!" If I recall correctly, this is where the chapters get a little bit longer and take a turn. Still, I don't know where I'm going with this or how it'll end. I thank you, readers, for going on this adventure with me!
In a shameless self-promotion, if you think I'm any good, you are welcome to ask me to become your Beta Reader! I haven't done much that work since my high school days on Mibba. But I filled my profile, so you are welcome to ask me. It won't hinder my work with this story, if that's what you're worried about. Another self-promotion: if you are intersted in how I wrote as an annoying teen, I posted a little postcard story based on 'The Lovely Bones'. Give it a shot!
Again, thank you for reading my story! And hello to my new subscribers! You are welcome to my weird, little world. Don't forget to read, review, and whatever else!
Oh! Before I forget, if you find something wrong with my stories, or just want just a bit more from it, you are welcome to review or just PM me. And if you want to be my Beta Reader, drop me a line too! My best friend usually does this for me, but I always feel shy about giving her my personal writings to read over.