"From all over the world?"
"I'm telling you, Tori, this place was like nothing I'd ever seen before," Draco insisted. It was a Monday afternoon almost a month after his trip to the British Museum, and Astoria had finally had a free day to meet him for lunch; she was completely enthralled by his descriptions, listening attentively as he told her all about everything he'd seen. "All centuries, all corners of the globe…and all of it absolutely unbelievable."
"Don't you think it's a bit odd that we say 'corners of the globe' when the Earth is round?" Astoria mused. Draco rolled his eyes in as exaggerated a fashion as he could manage.
"Only you would say something like that," he muttered, throwing a chip at her. Completely unfazed, Astoria promptly picked up the chip and ate it.
"So proper, you are," Draco said with a snort.
"Aww, you love me for it," Astoria joked as she chose another chip.
"Well, you've got to be good for something."
This time, it was Astoria throwing the chip.
Their banter continued in this vein for several minutes as the two friends ate their lunches. As Astoria wasn't quite ready to jump headfirst into the Muggle world like Draco had done, they were dining at the Leaky Cauldron – unfortunately, this meant Draco had already seen several flashbulbs go off from the inevitable reporters who would do anything to get some sort of scoop on the high-profile names from the war, himself included. He laughed quietly to himself and shook his head as he imagined what they might be getting out of this one.
"What's so funny?" Astoria asked, cocking her head to one side.
"Imagining tomorrow's headlines." Draco jerked his head towards the corner where another flash had just gone off, this one directed at George Weasley, who was passing through with Angelina Johnson. "Just think of the scandal it'll cause when they print that they've caught members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight throwing food in public."
"Such appalling manners," Astoria mock-gasped, barely able to contain her giggles. "Either that, or we'll be engaged by this time tomorrow."
"Again? How many times have I supposedly proposed to you? Or your already-married sister?" Yes, that latter one had actually been written – according to the reporter, it was quite the dramatic affair. Adrian had nearly choked on his drink, he'd laughed so hard when Daphne had showed him the headline. As for Astoria herself, in another lifetime, Draco might actually have married her – she was smart, funny, beautiful, and her bloodline was almost as pure as his. But that lifetime hadn't happened, and as much as he loved Astoria, Draco couldn't imagine such a thing happening now. They were far too much like siblings, cared for each other on a completely different level than that of a romantic partner…no, the idea was almost as laughable as Draco stealing Daphne from Adrian.
"Oh, six or seven, at least," Astoria said. "You'd think they'd come up with something new." She paused to roll her eyes as the flash went off again. "Anyway, enough about the rubbish our journalists call news – what's next on your agenda with Hermione?"
"Christmas celebrations," Draco replied. Now that it was December, Christmas was just around the corner, and Hermione was adamant that he was going to experience a proper Muggle celebration. Draco was free to do as he pleased on Christmas Day – Hermione told him she certainly wasn't going to bind him to anything on the day itself – but there were plenty of other things to do in the meantime, the first of which was coming up that weekend.
"Sounds like fun," Astoria said sincerely. "I always did love Christmas – it'll be interesting to see what Muggles do differently."
"Granger's assured me I'll be experiencing a lot," Draco replied.
"I think you're really brave to be doing this, you know," Astoria said softly.
"Tori, I'm not brave," Draco said with a self-deprecating chuckle.
"But you really are," Astoria insisted. "Not many people would – or could – willingly jump headfirst into a world they know literally nothing about, and yet stay as calm as you, never mind be excited about it. It kind of makes me appreciate what Muggle-borns go through when they first join the Wizarding world. You're taking a huge risk, Draco, but from the looks of it so far, it's paying off. I'm proud of you – we all are." She reached across the table and squeezed his hand; Draco immediately squeezed back.
"Thanks, Tori," he said quietly. "It is hard, you know? Because you're right – I know absolutely nothing of what I'm getting into, but I'm trying. Granger's lessons are really good – she really does want this curriculum change to succeed, and after just a few months, I have to say I agree with her. There's so much outside our own front doors that we don't understand – the museum opened my eyes to how small Wizarding Britain really is – and we can learn so much, can really enhance our lives, if we open ourselves to the idea of cross-cultural communication." Draco paused, seemingly gathering his thoughts. "But even knowing what I know now, I don't think I could do it if you lot weren't supporting me. I don't think I tell you nearly as often as I should how much that means to me."
"Draco, you're sounding like a Hufflepuff – that's my job," Astoria quipped, though her smile was sincere. "And you know that we're here for you – we told you that when you first told us you were starting this little project, and we'll be there for you 'til the end. Some of us do value that Slytherin loyalty, after all." Draco laughed and squeezed her hand again.
"And I'm very glad you do."
Four days later, phase one of Hermione's Christmas plans for Draco went into action. Draco glanced out his front window – it was too cold to sit out on the porch steps – as he waited for Hermione to come pick him up for their first task of the day: finding a Christmas tree. Hermione had told him to dress warmly and in clothes he might not mind getting dirty, and he hoped his jeans, trainers, and thick jumper fit the bill. Hermione arrived a few minutes later, chattering excitedly, and the two climbed into her car for their trip to the tree farm.
The tree farm was quite large, with rows upon rows of evergreens in all shapes and sizes stretching out through the fields further than Draco could comfortably see. Hermione told Draco on the drive in that she had been coming to this particular farm with her parents since she was a very small child. After making sure she had everything they needed, Hermione set off along the path, Draco following close behind.
"So what exactly are we looking for, Granger?" Draco asked as they walked.
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked. "Surely you had Christmas trees at the manor?"
"We did, but I never helped choose them," Draco told her. "The house-elves were responsible for decorating the manor, and that included finding an acceptable tree."
"How sad," Hermione said, choosing for the moment to ignore the bit about the house-elves in favor of the more pressing matter. "Decorating for Christmas is one of my favorite things about the holiday – it really gets you in the spirit, you know?" She paused and thought for a moment. "Well, if you've never picked out a tree, we'll have to find a really special one – perhaps we'll even come back another day and get one for Star Cottage as well. As for what constitutes the perfect tree, that's really up to you – my family always chose a tree that was as tall as our ceilings would allow, and it had to be fat and fluffy, with no awkward gaps or holes. I'd like to find something like that today as well." Draco nodded in understanding, and they left the path to wander through the rows of trees, hoping to find that elusive perfect specimen.
"Are you sure Heather's alright with us picking out a tree without her?" Draco asked as they walked.
"Believe me, I asked her the same question about a thousand times," Hermione replied. "She's so busy these next two weekends though, what with the show and all, that she just doesn't have time, and the party is only a few days after that." Heather, as is transpired, was a dance teacher, and Hermione had told Draco all about The Nutcracker, which was apparently a very popular Christmas story that nearly every studio put on, Heather's included. Their production was set to open that evening, which meant Heather was already at the performance space and making sure everything was ready to go. "Our Christmas tree criteria lists are very similar – we lived together at university as well, you know, so we've gotten trees together before – so she trusts me to pick one we'll both like. All she asks is that we leave a little space for her to add her ornaments later."
Finding the perfect Christmas tree took a surprisingly short amount of time – it was actually the first one they found, although they looked at several others before deciding to stick with their first choice. They cut it down using a little saw Hermione had brought before bringing it back to the farm's entrance to be bound. The workers helped Hermione tie the tree to her roof rack, and after wishing them a very happy holiday, Hermione and Draco headed for Hermione's flat.
For all the time he'd spent with her recently, Draco had yet to see Hermione's home. It was a cozy, welcoming space, and Hermione had already set several cardboard boxes, all labeled 'Christmas' in her neat script, next to the sofa. Other boxes, these labeled 'tree', sat on the coffee table.
"I suppose we can cheat a little with setting up the tree, since Heather's out," Hermione said.
"I thought these lessons were all about the Muggle way," Draco replied, flashing Hermione a teasing grin.
"Trust me, you wouldn't complain if you knew how much of a pain this part can be," Hermione said. "If you really want to know, I can explain how it's done. Besides, we have plenty of other more fun things we can do, and we'll be able to do more of them if we get the tree set up quickly." Unable to argue with Hermione's logic – she knew far more than Draco did about this whole business, after all – Draco conceded, and the tree was soon situated in its stand, multicolored lights circling its branches and twinkling lightly as they awaited the ornaments and garland.
"And now comes the fun part," Hermione said, her eyes twinkling just as much as the lights. Without delay, she opened the first box on the coffee table.
Decorating the flat was a lot more work than Draco was anticipating, but it was also a highly rewarding experience. Hermione's face positively lit up every time she pulled something new from the boxes, and she told him countless stories of Christmases past as she carefully hung each ornament or decoration. They draped festive green garland adorned with red velvet bows along the mantle and the stair railing, they placed snowmen and reindeer on the bookshelves, they swapped out all of the kitchen and bathroom towels for holiday models, and, of course, they decorated the Christmas tree. The tree fascinated Draco the most, he thought. It was so very different from his own childhood trees, which were always immaculately trimmed in priceless creations of gold, silver, and crystal, and which Draco himself was always warned not to touch lest he break something. This tree, however, wasn't a perfect work of art – the ornaments were a complete mishmash of objects, some store-bought and others homemade. Some were large and others were small, and they represented a wide variety of shapes and materials. Some were clearly expensive, like the delicate crystal swan engraved with Hermione's name and birthdate. Others, by contrast, appeared to be homemade – one ornament featured lots of glitter and what seemed to be several dozen pieces of colored macaroni surrounding a photo of a young Hermione, her wide smile showing off her prominent front teeth. There was a miniature castle and a carved lion with a red ribbon around its neck – tributes to Hogwarts and Gryffindor House, no doubt – and there were representations of the Eiffel Tower and the Sydney Opera House. And yet despite the lack of coherency, this tree was special, because it had meaning. Hermione had happy memories associated with every single one of these ornaments, and those memories meant far more than the impersonal masterpieces Draco had grown up with.
Equally as fascinating as the Christmas tree was Hermione herself. She'd put on an old record of Christmas carols for them to listen to while they worked, and it wasn't long before she was humming along to the familiar tunes. She was no superstar, but her voice was surprisingly pretty, and Draco couldn't help the fond look that crossed his features whenever she wasn't looking. She was just so into this whole Christmas business, dancing around the flat as she placed this ornament or that decoration, dressed in an oversized blue sweater and black leggings with a pair of fuzzy pink socks on her feet, her crazy curls threatening to break loose from her braid at any moment. The picture was far from the bookish nerd Draco had known at Hogwarts, and he couldn't help but think that this side of her was rather adorable. Aside from the mountain of presents he always received, Draco had never before thought of Christmas as particularly special – given how this day was going, however, he suspected that view was about to change.
Partway through their decorating, something huge and orange came sauntering down the steps, surveying the scene with a confused look in its large yellow eyes. It blinked and stretched luxuriously, and Draco could see then that it was some sort of cat, although its squashed face and bottlebrush tail made it look very different from any cat he'd ever seen before.
"Crooks, my love!" Hermione said, hurrying over to the creature and scooping it into her arms. "Did I wake you?" She nuzzled the cat's nose with her own, then promptly turned pink when she remembered she wasn't alone. Slowly, her arms still clamped firmly around the cat's middle, she turned to Draco.
"Erm…I suppose it's my turn to introduce the members of my household," she said, recalling Draco's words when he'd introduced her to Posey. "Draco, this is Crookshanks – I've had him since third year."
"So he's yours, eh?" Draco said, stepping a little closer to better study the cat. When Hermione gave him a questioning look, he added, "We – my fellow Slytherins and I – used to see him wandering the grounds at school, and we always wondered who he belonged to." He paused and thought for a moment. "What…he's not really just a cat, is he?" Hermione chuckled and shook her head.
"No – the woman at the Magical Menagerie didn't know his full pedigree for sure, but he's at least part Kneazle, and he's proven time and time again that he more than lives up to that side of his lineage." Crookshanks purred and rubbed his head against Hermione's chin, seemingly understanding that his mistress was complimenting him. Draco could see why – Kneazles, he knew, were extremely intelligent creatures, so it wouldn't be surprising if Crookshanks did understand Hermione's words.
"Would you like to pet him?" Hermione asked then.
"Erm…" Draco wasn't expecting the question and didn't quite know how to answer. "Yeah, sure, I suppose." Hermione stepped closer until they were just a few feet apart, and Draco slowly reached out a hand towards the cat. Crookshanks sniffed his fingers warily, but he must've decided that Draco was alright, because he nudged Draco's hand with his nose and purred contentedly when Draco moved to scratch his ears.
"Oh, he likes you," Hermione commented with a grin. "He doesn't let many people do that."
"He's quite soft," Draco said, letting the fluffy fur glide between his fingers and secretly gloating that he was one of a privileged few.
"He is," Hermione agreed. "He makes quite a good pillow, actually." Here Crookshanks turned his head and gave her what was unmistakably a glare.
"Oh, you know you love me, you grumpy old thing," she giggled, planting a kiss on the top of his head. "Why don't you go curl up on your blanket, yeah?"
And so their transformation of the apartment continued, now supervised by one large Kneazle-cat holding court from his basket by the couch. Draco had to hold back his laughter some twenty minutes later when he turned from setting up a miniature Christmas village to find Hermione twirling around with Crookshanks in her arms, singing some ridiculous song about a red-nosed reindeer.
Finally, their hard work was complete. In a matter of hours, the flat had been completely transformed, morphing from an already welcoming living space into a winter wonderland. Hermione beamed, obviously pleased with the result, and they broke for an early supper, the Christmas carols still playing in the background and Crookshanks napping at Hermione's feet. Not long after that, Hermione told Draco it was time to get ready for their outing that night – they were meeting up with the rest of Hermione's friends and all going to support Heather's hard work. As The Nutcracker was a Muggle Christmas classic, Hermione viewed it as a bit of a bonus lesson for Draco as well. Now that Draco knew the location of the flat, he could Apparate to the designated Apparition point, and he headed home to change while Hermione retreated to her bedroom to do the same.
Draco returned twenty minutes later, now sporting black trousers and a dark green button-down under his nice winter coat. It wasn't long before Hermione re-emerged as well, wearing a cowl-necked sweater dress in a festive shade of red with dark stockings and knee-high boots. Draco could smell the light floral scent of her shampoo, her now-loose curls still a bit damp from her shower. Hermione made sure she had their tickets, tucked her wand into the holster she always wore, and locked up the flat, leading the way to the car and the theater.
The theater Heather's studio had rented was a charming old building, and Heather and the other teachers had decorated the lobby with dozens of pictures of their students from their many rehearsals. Draco couldn't make heads or tails of the story from the pictures alone, but Hermione had promised she would explain it to him before the show began. Draco and Hermione mulled around the lobby for a bit while they waited for the rest of their group, and it wasn't long before the others arrived – Cat and Dave, of course, as well as Lauren and Chris, the couple who hadn't been able to join them on their tour of the British Museum. Draco had met the latter two once or twice already, as the group had been on several outings since, and they all fell into easy conversation as they joined the queue heading into the theater.
The theater itself was lovely, with gilded decorations and plush seats upholstered in a deep shade of burgundy. Heather had gotten her friends a block of seats about a third of the way back, and they all filed down the row and settled into their seats. As promised, Hermione gestured to the program in Draco's hand and began to explain the story.
"The main character is a little girl called Clara – her parents are hosting a Christmas party," she explained. "Her godfather gifts her a nutcracker, which she loves instantly, and when her younger brother breaks it, she is heartbroken. The party continues late into the night, and Clara falls asleep after the guests have all gone home. The clock's chime wakes her, and she discovers that the nutcracker, as well as everything else in her living room, has come to life. A great battle ensues between the nutcracker and the mouse king, and Clara saves the nutcracker's life. When she does, the spell upon him is broken, and he transforms into a handsome prince. Grateful for what Clara has done, the nutcracker prince takes her to his kingdom, the Land of Sweets, where all of the residents dance in Clara's honor."
"How does it happen – the room coming to life?" Draco asked. "I thought Muggles didn't have magic."
"It's…a bit ambiguous, I suppose," Hermione said slowly. "Some might say that Clara's godfather, who is rather mysterious, is magical and orchestrated the entire thing, while others could argue that it's all in Clara's mind – just a dream. Muggles might not have our magic, but I suppose you could say they have an entirely different kind of magic."
Draco was still mulling over Hermione's explanation and trying to understand what she meant when the lights dimmed and the music started. The curtain rose to reveal a magnificently painted backdrop and an enormous Christmas tree, around which a group of people in fine eveningwear were gathered. One couple, evidently the hosts, began greeting their guests, and the party began.
Draco was mesmerized. The Wizarding world had music and theater, but he'd never seen anything like ballet before. The performers managed to tell an entire story through only their movements, and yet he understood it as clearly as if they'd spoken at length. It helped a little that Hermione had told him the story beforehand, but Draco suspected he wouldn't have had any trouble regardless. It wasn't a complicated story, but it didn't need to be. The dancers whirled around effortlessly, making countless hours of rehearsal look easy, and they conveyed so many different emotions that Draco wasn't sure what to think next. Perhaps Hermione was right – maybe Muggles did have their own sort of magic.
"What do you think?" Hermione asked once Clara and the prince had left the snow forest and the curtain had dropped for intermission.
"I've never seen anything like it," Draco replied truthfully. "It's…well, Muggles certainly do a lot more than we give them credit for."
"That they do," Hermione agreed, smiling slightly. "Intermission will be about fifteen minutes, and then they'll start the second act. It gives the dancers a little break and the chance to change costumes if they need to."
"How do they do it – the snowflakes, how do they dance like that?" Hermione didn't need to ask what he meant. The snowflake dance had been done en pointe, and if she hadn't understood how that worked, she would've asked too.
"Advanced dancers wear special shoes – the toes are squared off and very stiff, which is how they balance on their toes like that," she explained. "You'll see plenty more of that in the second act." They'd see Heather as well – the studio wasn't huge to begin with, and their class of advanced students was particularly small that year, so a few of the teachers were dancing in the show as well. Heather was covering the role of the Dew Drop Fairy, and another teacher would be dancing the Sugarplum Fairy, with the studio's lone male teacher as her cavalier.
Hermione was right – the second act featured far more older students than the first, which had been mostly little kids dressed as cute mice or toy soldiers. The students in the second act wore elaborate costumes with big tulle skirts, and as Hermione had suggested, many of them wore pointe shoes. Hermione explained in a whisper that the dancers were supposed to represent different delicacies – tea, coffee, chocolate, and marzipan. The Mother Ginger sequence elicited plenty of laughs, and the audience clapped appreciatively at the difficult leaps and turns executed by the Russian dancers. Finally, it was time for the Waltz of the Flowers. These students wore light pink costumes with flowers at their waists and in their hair, their movements mimicking the delicate swaying of petals. Heather, by contrast, wore green, a tiny tiara glittering atop her head and her tutu shimmering as she twirled around her fellow dancers. This dance was by far the longest segment of the second act, and Draco wondered at the stamina and strength required to perform such a piece.
The final presentation was that of the Sugarplum Fairy and her cavalier, both of whom wore costumes of silver and white that sparkled like diamonds. The dance was complex and their technique impeccable, but Draco somehow preferred Heather's bit – while the Sugarplum segment was undoubtedly beautiful, Heather had had a spark and an infectious enthusiasm that the Sugarplum dancers did not. At long last, their piece ended, and the inhabitants of the Land of Sweets all returned for one last goodbye to Clara, who glided off the stage in the same snow-covered chariot in which she'd arrived.
"That was wonderful," Draco said truthfully as he buttoned up his coat and followed Hermione from the auditorium.
"I'm so glad you enjoyed it," Hermione replied. "My parents used to take me to see the show every Christmas since I was a little girl – I've seen it done by a number of different companies, each one with its own unique twist, but they've all been lovely." She stopped for a moment to let another family out of their row. "Heather said she'd wait for us in the lobby – she won't be home until later, but she can spare a moment to say hello."
Heather was indeed standing in the lobby, conversing with a few of her students. Up close, Draco was a bit taken aback by the sheer amount of makeup she wore, her eyes and lips especially enhanced, until Hermione explained in an undertone that the exaggeration was necessary so that Heather's features wouldn't get washed out by the stage lights. He also got a better look at her shoes, which were indeed squared off at the toes like blocks. Hermione and the others waited patiently as Heather crouched down to have her picture taken with a young mouse, whiskers still painted on her cheeks, and then they grinned broadly as the family stepped aside and they were able to talk to their friend.
"Heather, you were lovely!" Hermione gushed, stepping forward to hug her roommate.
"I'm so glad you were all able to come, thank you!" Heather replied. "The children did wonderfully, we're so proud."
"As you should be!" Cat chimed in. "You've worked really hard." The others added various agreeing sentiments, and Hermione presented Heather with a lush bouquet of flowers she'd picked up before the show.
"Oh, you shouldn't have!" Heather protested, bending down to kiss Hermione's cheek. "You're too sweet."
"You deserve them," Hermione insisted.
"Thank you, all of you," Heather said sincerely. "I really should be heading backstage, make sure everything's cleaned up so we don't walk into a disaster zone tomorrow, but it was absolutely lovely of you to come."
"We wouldn't have missed it for anything," Cat assured her. "Now, go get yourself cleaned up and dressed so you can get some sleep."
A/N: My biggest apologies for the delay - last week was vacation, so I was away for part of it, & then I was really busy for the rest. I had a good portion of this chapter written but wasn't able to finish it 'til today. Hopefully the extra length makes up for it, & I still plan to post another this Wednesday as usual.
It's Christmas time! Christmas chapter #2 next time, & then NYE, which will be very interesting...
Thank you all for your kind words, & of course for follows/faves & for reading!
JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R&R, & enjoy! :)