Hello lovvies! How are we all? Sorry its been so long between updates. Who else has seen Beauty and the Beast and LOVED it? I've been listening to the soundtrack on repeat. Thanks to everybody who has followed and read my little story. Pretty please leave reviews, how else do I know if you like it! And I hope you continue to enjoy it xoxo
P.S the watch scene later on in this chapter is inspired by my Grandfather's watch, which I received after he passed.
"Aunt Hermione! Uncle Draco!" a very excited James Potter yelled.
"What is it monster?" Draco asked, matching his level of excitement.
"There's 10 sleeps until Father Christmas!" Names screamed, jumping up and down.
The past weeks since Draco and Narcissa reconciled had flown by. London had been blanketed by a continuous flutter of snow, giving the city a beautiful black and white appearance that was only broken by the bright Christmas decorations that adorned the city. With Christmas fast approaching, Draco was starting to panic as to what he should get Hermione. What do you get for the woman who has given him so much?
"And have you been a good boy this year?" Hermione asked him.
"Yes Aunt Hermione." James smiled.
"Don't even mention Christmas and presents." Harry moaned, taking a sip of coffee. "If I hear "Dad can I have" one more time, I'm going to cancel it."
"No Daddy!" James begged, his little face panicking. "Please don't!"
"I'm only joking James." Harry said, reassuring his son. "Now go and get your coat and we'll go to the park."
As James ran off to get his coat, Harry turned to Hermione and Draco, "You guys have all of this to look forward to."
Hermione went bright red, "Who said we are going to have kids?"
"Oh please Hermione." Harry said, rolling his eyes as the three adults followed a now dressed James to the front door. "I might wear glasses but I'm not totally blind."
"You are such an arse Harry Potter." Hermione laughed, gently shoving him.
"Aunt Hermione, race you!" James yelled as he started running in the direction of the park.
With Hermione chasing James, it gave Draco his opportunity to ask Harry for suggestions for Hermione's present.
"Merlin, I don't know." Harry said. "A book?"
"Getting Hermione Granger a book is like getting another wand, pointless." Draco said.
"You could just ask her to marry you." Harry joked, a little too casually for Draco's liking.
Draco said nothing as the two men slowly walked. True, Draco had had fleeting thoughts of asking Hermione to marry him, but it had only been six months since her near wedding to Ron Weasley. Yes they had discussed future children, but Draco didn't want to rush her, at this stage children were a hypothetical dream. Draco and Harry sat on a bench and watched as Hermione and James played around in the snow.
"I don't want to rush her." Draco finally responded.
"I don't think you would be." Harry told him. "You've been brilliant with her since that whole Ron cheating on her on their wedding day fiasco. You two just mesh, she's not trying and neither are you. But if you think its too soon, then how about a weekend away somewhere?"
Draco was lost in thought about where he could take Hermione away, when Hermione and James came running back over to them. "Daddy." James said, tugging on his fathers coat and pointing to the other side of the park. "Why is that fat man staring at us?"
The three adults looked in the direction James was pointing and saw that there was indeed a fat man staring at them. He had blonde hair, his clothes were boring and corporate and looked a little like a pig. He was accompanied by a small boy too. To Draco, he appeared to be nothing more than a strange man with a small child staring at people having fun in the park, but it was clear by the identical horrified looks on Hermione and Harry's face that this was someone they both knew.
"What in the name of all that is Holy is he doing here?" Hermione whispered to Harry, not breaking eye contact with the man.
"No idea." Harry replied, standing up. "Do me a favour and watch James for a second?"
As Hermione and Draco distracted James with the encouragement to build a snow fort, they watched Harry walk over to the man and child, where the two older men shook hands a little awkwardly and begin talking.
"Who is that?" Draco asked Hermione quietly.
"That's Harrys cousin, Dudley." Hermione told him, piling more snow for James' fort. "Dudley's a muggle. He and Harry don't really get along so I have no idea what he's doing here."
After some time, Harry said goodbye to his cousin and the child and made his way back over to Draco, Hermione and James.
"Daddy, who was that?" James asked as he was making a pile of snowballs.
"That was Daddy's cousin and his little boy, Walter." Harry explained, kneeling down to help his son with making snowballs.
Seeming content with his answer, James didn't ask anymore questions about Dudley or his son. Harry caught Hermione eye and just shook his head gently. Draco knew about Harry's muggle family and he knew that they were on Christmas card terms, but as far as he knew, they never saw one another.
Draco had invited Harry over to his house in an effort to get to get to know him and establish some sort of friendship. Draco knew he had a long way to go, but he figured that starting their friendship over a couple of beers was probably the right place to start. He had been listening intently as Harry told him about his life growing up with the muggles and how he had never felt like he belonged anywhere until he came to Hogwarts. Draco felt thoroughly ashamed of his former self, trying for force Harry out of the one place he could call home and was accepted by people who genuinely cared for him.
"So you're telling me, that even after your cousin found out you were a wizard AND Hagrid gave him a pigs tail, he still used you as a punching bag?" Draco asked, taking a sip of his beer.
"Yep."
"Merlin Potter." Draco said, looking a little embarrassed. "And then I did my best to make your life miserable at school."
"Yeah but you didn't do a very good job." Harry laughed. "I've managed to somewhat forgive them a long time ago for how they raised me." He continued.
Draco just looked at him, how could he forgive the people who were responsible for his abuse growing up. Draco wasn't quite sure if he'd be so forgiving if he was in Harry's situation.
"My Aunt was incredibly jealous of my mother because she got a letter from Hogwarts AND then when they died, Dumbledore didn't give her an option as to whether or not she wanted to raise the child of sister she was insanely jealous of."
"That's still no excuse for child abuse Potter and you know it." Draco said.
"Don't forget, I also had a piece of Voldemorts soul in me." Harry reminded him.
Draco still hated hearing that name, he could almost feel his Dark Mark move whenever someone mentioned it. "What does that have to do with it?" Draco asked.
"Well, Hermione has a theory about that." Harry said, taking a sip of his beer. "Being around a horcrux eats away at you over time, influencing the way you feel about things and people. We were all affected when we were trying to destroy that damn necklace. The Dursley's already didn't think much of having to raise me, but to be around a horcrux for 10 years, its got to have some sort of influence over their behaviour."
Draco sat quietly, thinking over what Harry had just shared with him. It did sound highly plausible, mind you, anything that came out of Hermione Granger mouth was bound to be right.
"You're a forgiving man Potter." Draco told him.
"Yeah but I'm petty too." Harry laughed. Draco just raised an eyebrow. "If they every annoy me too much, I just tell them that I know the spell that Hagrid used to give Dudley a pigs tail."
Back inside the house and James had been put down for his afternoon nap, Harry told Hermione, Draco and Ginny exactly why his cousin sought him out.
"His son is a wizard."
Hermione and Ginny mouths hung open and Draco's eyes went wide.
"Is he sure?" Ginny asked.
"Positive." Harry said. "The kid is making things levitate and he changed the colour of his bedroom wallpaper because he didn't like beige." After a few moment of silence, Harry burst out into laughter. Draco started grinning at Harrys outburst, but quickly stopped when he saw the stern looks on Hermione and Ginny's faces.
"Why is this so funny?" Hermione asked incredulously.
"Their whole situation." Harry said, continuing to laugh. "Like it's their penance."
"Yes, we all know how they treated you Harry." Ginny said, raising her voice and slapping her hands dawn on the table. "Yes, they made you suffer terribly because you're a wizard. And if history is anything to go by, your Aunt and Uncle might treat this child with the same contempt they showed you!"
There was silence in the room. Draco hadn't thought of that, if the stories Potter told him were true, then this child stood no chance of getting any support in transitioning into the magical world.
"From where I stand, you're all that boys got in terms of magical support." Ginny continued, talking gentler to her husband. "You have to be the bigger person here and offer your support to your cousin. You say you've forgiven them, well, its time to prove it"
"You were lucky that you had Hagrid take you around Diagon Alley." Hermione said, "My parents, though accepting of who I was and my new world, struggled to understand how it all worked because they were muggles."
Harry sighed and dragged his hands through his hair. "Yeah you're right. I'll go and visit tomorrow and see if they have any questions."
"Good." Hermione said, standing up. "Now that that's sorted, I'm sure you two have a lot to discuss. See you at Christmas."
After saying goodbye to their friends, Hermione and Draco apparated home. "Promise me something Draco." Hermione asked, taking her shoes off.
"Anything."
"If anybody suggests names like Walter for our children, you'll hex them."
Hermione groaned as she rolled over to check the time. Six o'clock in the morning. What adult without children wakes up at six o'clock in the morning on Christmas Day. Getting up quietly as not to disturb Draco, who was still snoring, she put on his shirt from last night and crept downstairs.
As she sat at the kitchen table nursing a cup of tea, she couldn't help but think at how different this Christmas would be compared to the last.
Hermione sat at the kitchen table with a cup of tea waiting for Ronald to drag his sorry arse out of bed. It was nearly one in the afternoon and they were due at the Burrow at two for Christmas lunch with the Weasleys and Potters. As she finished her tea, Ron came thumping down the stairs, haphazardly dressed.
"Merry Christmas." Hermione smiled at him, but she only received a yawn and wave in return.
"These my presents?" Ron asked, collecting the three gifts addressed to him.
"Yes." Hermione said, sitting next to him and reaching for the only one that had her name on it.
She wasn't surprised that Ron only bought her one gift, it was a miracle that he bought her anything, but after the wedding, Hermione was sure he'd get better. She opened her gift and saw it was another quill, ink pot and parchment. The go to gift for her birthday, their anniversary and now Christmas. At least he was being practical. She watched his face light up as he opened the gifts from her, dragonskin quidditch gloves, a history of the Chudley Cannons Quidditch team book signed by the current team and season tickets to their games.
"Thanks babes." Ron gushed, oh how she hated that nickname. "You're the best. Did you like your present?"
"Of course I do, its brilliant." Hermione told him, however inside she was screaming no. "How about we get a move on and get to your Mums?"
"Good Morning." A voice behind her yawned. "Happy Christmas."
"Happy Christmas." She replied. "Sorry if I woke you up."
"Nah you didn't." Draco smiled, giving her a kiss on the top of her head.
She watched Draco as he sleepily walked into the kitchen, clad in only his white Calvin Klein's, and pour himself a cup of tea. Hermione smiled to herself, of course this Christmas is going to be better than the last, she has Draco.
"And what are you smiling at?" Draco asked, as he started pulling food out of the fridge.
"Just admiring what's mine." Hermione retorted, standing up.
"You're not coming over here to help." Draco told her, as he spread cream cheese on a round bread loaf.
"And why not?" She asked, smiling at him.
"Because I want to make Christmas breakfast for the most beautiful girl I know." Draco informed her teasingly.
Hermione laughed at him and sat back down. If somebody had told her a year ago that a seminaked Draco Malfoy would be making her Christmas breakfast, she would have laughed at the idea. Hermione would have thought she'd be married to Ron, probably hoping for some kind of miraculous change in him. "So what's the plan for today?" she asked, taking a sip of her tea.
"Well after breakfast, we'll open presents." Draco said, arranging smoked salmon, cherry tomatoes and basil on the bread so it looked like a wreath. "Then visit your parents, go to the Burrow and then come home."
"Sounds perfect." Hermione smiled, as Draco brought breakfast and champagne over to the table. "Why are we having champagne?"
"Why not?" Draco retorted, popping the bottle. "Its our first Christmas together and we're happy, an emotion that I didn't realise I was capable of experiencing until our worlds collided."
"Good answer." Hermione said, taking her glass from him.
After breakfast, Hermione and Draco sat in front of the living room window, almost childlike, watching the snow fall. She picked up his first present and handed it to Draco and he did the same. With excited grins, they both peeled the paper away from their gifts. Hermione gasped when she saw that he had bought her an Oscar de la Renta Falling Flowers Cloqué dress. She had seen the dress a while back in Harrods and made on offhand comment to Draco that she liked the dress, but never did she imagine that he would buy it for her.
Draco's eyes widened as he opened a box containing Cartier custom made Golden Snitch cufflinks. "Thank you Hermione. These are amazing."
"You're more than welcome, I noticed you only had two pairs so I thought you should add another to your collection." Hermione replied. "This dress is stunning. How did you know?"
"See you thought I wasn't listening to you as we walked by." Draco said with a little bit of playful teasing. "The only part I didn't know was what size to buy, so Ginny got it for me." She laughed at him before opening her next gift of a first edition of Hogwarts: A History. "Draco where did you get this? Its wonderful."
"Never you mind." Draco smiled. He had actually plucked the book from his Mothers library, knowing Hermione's affliction for books, he knew it would be perfect for her, so he took it and left a note for his mother informing her of his actions. Peeling back the paper of his second gift, a monogrammed black cashmere scarf. "This is perfect."
They opened a few more presents. Draco loved his new selection of silk ties, and Hermione was excited with her Louis Vuitton stilettos that matched her dress flawlessly. They each had one last gift for one another. Exchanging their gifts, they opened them together. Hermione gasped, holding a crystal Eiffel Tower and tickets for a romantic weekend away to Paris. "Draco this is too much." She said, leaning forward to give him a kiss.
"Nonsense." Draco said. "You deserve it because I love you." He opened a small white box and pulled out a silver wristwatch. It seemed like Hermione had had this for a while. He turned it over and saw an engraving on the back. Time is not measured by clocks, but by moments. "Wow, Hermione." He said softly.
Hermione smiled at him and held his hand. "It was my father's and his father's before that."
"This is too much." Draco said. "I can't –"
"I want you to have this." She told him firmly. "At the moment in time I needed help, you were there. And I'm sure he would be grateful that you were."
Draco slipped the watch onto his wrist and buckled it, a perfect fit. For the first time in a long time, Draco felt his eyes water. He was sorry that his former life and those he surrounded himself with had broken a family whose lived were full of love and a little jealousy that Hermione could love her father when all Draco felt for his was hate and contempt.
Hermione crawled into his lap and brushed away his tears. "Draco, I love you." She whispered. "We have all the time we want now."
He sniffed, taking comfort in their closeness. "Thank you for giving me a chance. I don't think I can be without you in my life."
Hermione laughed, kissing him softly. "Good thing you're stuck with me then, isn't it?"
"Merlin." Draco said, rubbing his hands over his face. "You're turning me into an emotional wreck Granger."
"I'm sure you'll live." Hermione teased. "Now lets go."
"I hate that you have to do this." Draco said softly as he watched Hermione talk to her parents.
"So do I." Hermione agreed, discreetly conjuring a wreath to place on their grave. "But they would be happy with the life I now have with you." Draco just looked at her, he had been feeling for some time now that Hermione was the one for him, he couldn't imagine being with anybody else. She made him want to be the best man he could be.
Once Hermione had said goodbye to her parents, they apparated to the Burrow, where they were greeted with hugs and Christmas greetings from everyone. Draco and Hermione gave Mrs Weasley an ornate crystal vase that Hermione has enchanted to keep any flowers placed in it to always look fresh and Mr Weasley a muggle laptop.
"My boy, this is amazing!" Mr Weasley exclaimed, admiring his present and smiling at Draco and Hermione.
"This looks amazing Mrs. Weasley." Draco said, sitting down next to his love. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"No thank you dear. Just sit and enjoy yourself." Mrs. Wesley replied, giving Draco's cheek a little loving pinch.
Draco couldn't help but notice one Weasley was missing, Ron had yet to surface. Not that Draco was complaining, he was enjoying not being hassled by his former school mate. However, no sooner had he finished that thought, Ron burst in.
"Happy Christmas." He said, taking the only seat, which happened to be in front of Draco. Draco reached for Hermione's hand and gave it a gentle reassuring squeeze. "What are they doing here? They're not family." He continued, waving hugs hands at Hermione and Draco.
"Yes they are Ronald Weasley!" His mother scolded him. "Wed've known Hermione since she was a child and Draco is a wonderful addition, he adores James and Albus and has been so kind to this family."
The table went quiet for a moment. Draco didn't expect to be defended like that by Molly Weasley. It made him feel good to know that he now was a part of a family who liked him for who he really is. In the beginning for his friendship with the Potters, Draco was positive that Mrs. Weasley would never warm to him, but once she saw how much James loved him, she started to thaw. Now, Draco couldn't imagine how he would get by without his chats and advice from her.
"Uncle Draco! Guess what?" James said enthusiastically as he ran over to sit on Draco's lap.
"What monster?" Draco replied, smiling at him.
"Father Christmas got me a broom!" James squealed with excitement.
"No way! That's so cool." Draco said, giving James a high five.
"And Daddy says that you and him will give me lessons because you're the best fliers in the whole wide world!" James said. Then he leaned in to whisper to Draco, but being three he hadn't mastered it yet, continued. "But not to listen to Aunt Hermione because she's rubbish at flying."
"Really?" Hermione laughed, raising an eyebrow at Harry.
"Don't look at me like that. You know its true." Harry grinned. "As I remember, you couldn't even get off the ground in our first flying lesson."
Hermione just stuck her tongue out at him. Harry had a point, she was awful at flying, but hopefully any children her and Draco have will inherit his flying abilities.
"And guess what else?" James continued, ignoring his Father and Aunt Hermione's exchange.
"What?" Draco replied.
"I have a new cousin, Walter and he's a wizard and Daddy is going to show his Daddy how to help him." James informed him.
"Doesn't that sound great." Draco told James. "So your discussion went well then?" he asked Harry as James slid down from his lap and returned to his seat.
"After an hour of trying to console my Uncle." Harry said, rolling his eyes. "They seem to have taken it better than they did with me. I'm going to visit again and slowly introduce them into things"
"Well that's good." Hermione smiled. "Small steps."
Christmas dinner and the present exchange had gone off without any incident from Ron, who had of course not bought anybody a gift, as that was usually Hermione's job when they were together. Hermione hoped to herself that Ron must have learnt his lesson in how to behave after their meeting at the park, but with the glares he was shooting them, it seemed like he was restraining himself from causing a scene.
"Not spending Christmas with your Death Eater parents then Malfoy?" Ron asked as rudely as possible.
Everyone at the table went quiet, in shock that Ron would attempt to start an argument on Christmas Day. However Draco had mentally been preparing himself for some sort of remark from the man sitting opposite him, and without missing a beat he retorted, "I'm sure they're out there somewhere torturing a muggle for Christmas. How's Lavender?"
It seemed that Ron didn't have a response to Draco's question, he just kept opening and closing his mouth like a fish. Draco just turned to Hermione and gave her a kiss on the cheek before pouring her another drink. He wasn't just going to sit back and let Ron Weasley ruin his and Hermione's Christmas, not when he was determined to make sure she had the day she deserved.
"Uncle Ron, you're so mean to Uncle Draco and Aunt Hermione." James told him, very seriously. "If you can't think of anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all. That's what Thumper says."
"Thumper?" Draco asked, looking at Hermione.
"The rabbit from Bambi." Hermione told him. "It's a muggle movie we all watched growing up."
"So Draco." George piped up, changing the subject with a mischievous look in his eye. "Are we going to play another round of golf anytime soon, or can't you bear to be apart from your gorgeous girlfriend?"
"The latter." Draco smiled. "But I'm sure if you want to lose again, I can tear myself away from her side for long enough."
"That's fighting talk Malfoy." George laughed, pointing his fork at him.
Their afternoon progressed without another outburst from Ron, who sat and glared at Hermione and Draco the whole time. When Hermione saw Draco asleep on the sofa with James curled up against him, her heart melted. Harry came over to collect his son, but first put his arms around Hermione. "Happy Christmas."
"Happy Christmas Harry." She replied, hugging him tighter.
"And I was serious about the flying thing." Harry laughed, picking his son up. "Stay away from my kids if they have a broom."
"I'll make sure of it." Draco mumbled, standing up. "Ready to go?"
Hermione nodded and held his hand before saying goodbye to everyone in the Burrow and apparated home. It had been on Hermione's kind since Ron brought it up, had Draco wanted to see his parents on Christmas?
"Draco?"
"Yes?"
"Did you want to see your parents today?" she asked, watching him light a fire.
Draco turned and looked at her, his parents weren't even a thought that crossed his mind today. "Maybe my Mother, but she would have brought Father along and I don't see him setting foot in this house again anytime soon."
Hermione did agree with him, their last encounter with Lucius had been terrible. "Maybe one day he'll catch on that you're your own man and you can make your own choices."
"Yeah and then hell will freeze over and it'll rain diamonds!" Draco said with great sarcasm as he sat sown next to Hermione.
There was a peaceful silence between them as they listened to the crackle of the fire and watching the snow fall outside the window. Both totally content with the world and ready to embrace what moments in time they would experience in the New Year.