Nativity.
"So what is this again?" Narcissa whispered to Hermione as the pair took their seats in the muggle church alongside their husbands and Hermione's parents.
"A nativity play," Hermione replied. "And a carol service. Basically the children will sing Christmas carols and songs, and there's a little play based on the birth of Jesus."
"That's the nativity?" Narcissa checked.
"Yes," Hermione answered with a nod. "It's basically the origin of Christmas."
"According to muggles," Narcissa said.
"Yes, according to muggles," Hermione replied. She didn't doubt that the wizarding world had another story about the origin of Christmas, but now wasn't the time to hear it. Right now her focus was on what was about to happen.
Hermione and Draco's four year old twins would both be taking part in the nativity, albeit it in minor roles, and all of the family had shown up to watch. Hermione had been a bit worried about how Lucius and Narcissa would cope being in muggle surroundings for the whole afternoon, but so far they were like any other grandparents at the school. Luckily they weren't totally alien to the muggle world, and while they hadn't adapted as well as Draco, they could cope. Hermione just hoped they managed for the entire afternoon.
"Can we sing along to the songs?" Narcissa asked as she plucked a programme, which contained the songs for the carol service, from the pew in front of her.
"If you know the words," Hermione replied. "But the songs will all be muggle."
"The words are in here," Narcissa said as she flicked through the programme. "I can sing along."
Hermione wasn't sure what to think of Narcissa singing along, but before she said anything, Draco nudged her in the side and when she turned to face her husband he shook his head.
"Don't try and stop her, it only makes her worse," He whispered. "When she starts to sing, just cast a silent spell over yourself so you don't have to listen to her."
"Is she that bad?" Hermione whispered back, glancing at Narcissa and seeing she was in deep conversation with Lucius, therefore wasn't listening to what she and Draco were saying.
"My mother has many talents, but singing isn't one of them," Draco replied.
Hermione wondered how bad Narcissa could be, and unfortunately she soon found out as the service got under way. After the headmaster of the school where the twins attended made a brief welcome speech, the service kicked off with the first carol – Silent Night. When the song first started, Narcissa was pretty quiet as she picked up the tune, but as the song progressed and she felt comfortable to join in, she did so with gusto. Unfortunately for Hermione, Draco was right, and singing was not one of his mother's skills. Narcissa's voice was quite high pitched, not to mention loud, and she was already receiving some odd looks from the people round about. Fortunately, there was just the one song before it was time for the nativity.
The nativity was made up of children in the first year of school, so everyone taking part was only four or five. However, one of the older children was doing the job of narrating, so the youngsters only had a few lines to remember. Even so, Hermione was thoroughly impressed with the youngsters when the play started and the excited children took to the spotlight.
Most of the children ended up waving to their parents when they spotted them, and when Scorpius made his entrance as a shepherd, he was no different. Dressed in his shepherds outfit, he had a stuffed sheep under his arm, and when he saw his parents and grandparents, he waved his sheep at them, causing a few people in the crowd to chuckle warmly at his antics.
"He's a natural," Narcissa whispered to Hermione as Scorpius tucked the sheep back under his arm and focused back on the nativity.
With a smile on her face, Hermione watched the nativity, waiting for Lyra to make her entrance. Lyra was playing an angel, and she made her appearance just after baby Jesus was born. Like Scorpius, she waved excitedly at her parents and grandparents, before focusing fully on her duties as an angel.
When the nativity reached its conclusion, the children received a standing ovation from the entire crowd. From where she was sitting, right in the middle of her family, Hermione thought they could possibly be amongst the loudest of the parents. Draco, Lucius and Richard were certainly clapping and cheering loudly, and when they sat down Hermione heard Lucius boasting to the woman he was sitting next to that his grandchildren were the stars of the show.
With the nativity over, the children settled down in their seats and the rest of the carol service got going. The children had clearly been practising their songs as Hermione noticed the twins singing their little hearts out as they sat looking adorable in their outfits. Unfortunately for Hermione, the longer the carol service went on for, the more confidence Narcissa was gaining in her singing. A couple of times she even started singing from the beginning of the song, resulting in her singing totally out of tune and having to adjust herself when she realised what the right tune was.
"Told you," Draco whispered with a smirk as his mother murdered 'Away in a Manger' beside Hermione.
Finally the service drew to a close, and the twins came running over to their family, as the other children rushed over to theirs. While everyone praised the twins and their performances, Jean pulled out a camera and she took a series of pictures of the twins in their outfits.
"Okay, I have to go and sign you out with your teacher," Hermione said. "Do you want to go and get changed, or are you staying as you are?"
"I'm an angel," Lyra cried, twirling round in her floaty white dress, golden wings and halo hair-band.
"And I want to stay a shepherd," Scorpius said. "I want to show Alex."
"Okay, go and get your bags with your Daddy, and I'll go and see your teacher," Hermione instructed.
Ten minutes later the Malfoys and Grangers were leaving the muggle church, alongside a gaggle of other children and their parents. Hermione had signed the twins out with their teacher, meaning the school wouldn't worry that they'd lost them, while Draco had gathered their bags which contained the normal clothes they'd been wearing that morning.
"Since the pair of you were so good today, I thought we could all go and get some hot chocolate," Hermione announced.
"Yeah, chocolate," Scorpius cheered.
"You are coming, aren't you?" Hermione checked with her parents-in-law. Since they were in the nearby muggle town, where the twins went to school, Hermione was planning on just going to a nearby café for treats.
"Of course we are. We're not going to go and abandon out little stars," Lucius replied, swinging Lyra up into his arms. Lyra giggled and snuggled into her grandfather as the family made their way to a nearby cage, where they celebrated the twins' first nativity with hot chocolate and warm mince pies.