Christmas Surprises

Tuesday, 24 December 2019

~ o ~

Harry'd been in the kitchen cooking for the greater part of the day. He'd insisted on doing it up the Muggle way—without any assistance from a House-elf—because he knew how much Draco loved his cooking and...well, because he just sort of liked being in there cooking for his family.

And, with the kids all home from work and school, they had a full house again, which made Harry—and Draco—extremely happy!

Well, not home home—at the moment—because they were all out doing some last minute Christmas shopping and/or visiting—much to Harry's relief! Because, though he loved having them all around, the week had been hectic with the comings and goings of nine plus people—the plus being Teddy and Victoire Flooing in (daily), Narcissa Malfoy stopping by to visit (most days), and Ron and Hermione—and other various Weasleys—popping in (mostly unannounced) here and there. The week had been busy, to say the least!

Currently, Draco was in his study, getting a little writing done in the peace and quiet of only the two of them in the house (he had a deadline coming up for his most recent book about Magical Essence Pregnancies—his, to be specific—it was a tell all!), so Harry, having the kitchen to himself, was moving around the room as he cooked (sort of dancing—a bit awkwardly), humming to the music that he'd put on (at a semi-high volume), occasionally singing the words (completely out of tune) to whatever song he knew or especially enjoyed (which was a lot of them, since he'd tuned into his favorite Muggle station), and taste-testing his dishes as they cooked (to be assured of its quality—or so he told himself). And he was fixing everything!

Turning, Harry became aware that Draco was standing there watching him with an amused—and completely besotted—smile. Blushing he said, "Oh...er...hi."

Pushing off the door frame, Draco said, "It's really not fair that you look this good," as he moved toward his husband and wrapped his arms about him. "You look divine, love. I'd really like to devour you right here in the kitchen," the blond said as he took Harry's mouth.

Harry chuckled into the kiss. "Shut it, you," he responded, his blush deepening as he returned his husband's ardent kisses.

"It's true though," Draco said. "You look...perfect."

Harry snorted a bit. "I'll sure feel better when I can stop hiding myself behind all the loose-fitting clothing, because this is just a little too frumpy, even for me. But...thanks for that."

Tugging at the dark-haired man's a little too large pullover, Draco laughed. "You don't look bad at all, love...though, I too will be relieved when all this secrecy is over. Do you know how many times this week I've wanted to touch your belly, just to be close to the baby?"

"Probably as many times as I've had to resisted touching it myself," said Harry, his green eyes twinkling.

"That's over tonight though," Draco said, capturing Harry's lips again. "Mmm. You taste heavenly," he said after the kiss. "What are you making?"

Harry licked his lips and said, "Oh. Dessert. German chocolate cake. Sirius and Lyra's favorite. Late birthday cake. Just put it in the oven, but I was...er...licking batter off the utensils." He blushed again. "I hate that we missed their day."

"Can't be helped...with them off at Hogwarts now. We missed Scorpius' birthday too," Draco said with a smile before he kissed Harry again, then nibbled at the corner of his lips where some of the cake batter had gotten left behind. "Very tasty, you are," he said.

"Not all that pretty, this sort of cake," Harry said with a frown as he thought about dessert—a brown cake with caramel-colored topping. "I think I'll put together something else to go with it. What would your mother enjoy?" he asked.

"Anything, Harry. You know you can do no wrong where Mother is concerned," Draco said.

"Hmm. And what about Father?" Harry queried, saying the last work as if Lucius Malfoy were a parent shared by the two of them.

Draco snorted. "Well, you know my father."

"I'm sure he's thoroughly displeased that Narcissa is dragging him here tonight. I don't think he'd leave The Manor if he didn't have to...especially to come here."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Don't be daft. He was here just last week."

Harry snorted. "Yes. To lecture us about..." he started—but stopped and frowned. "No. Scratch that. He never once looked at me or addressed me. He was here to lecture you about proper pureblood marriages and the unseemliness of public affection."

Draco laughed a bit. "Well, we were a bit overzealous that day on Diagon Alley."

Harry chuckled. "That we were. Ron about lost his lunch."

Draco grinned. "Watching Weasley is always an amusement. Well, except when he's eating. That's just..." Draco shuddered with disgust.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Be nice."

"Always, dear."

"When always?"

Draco shrugged. "Anyway. Back to my father. You know he can't help himself and you know I ignore ninety-nine percent of what he has to say."

Harry sighed. "It's still annoying and...well, I hope he behaves with the children around," he said.

"I doubt it, but you know the children don't let him get away with any of that holier than thou shite, so...we should be good," Draco said. "In any case, that is why I've purchased Father's two favorite wines, to be served with our meal...and the finest Firewhisky I could locate for during and after our announcement."

Harry sighed. "Best get him schnockered at dinner...he's not going to be in an agreeable mood, is he?"

Grinning, Draco brought his mouth to Harry's again and kissed him deeply, then leaned back. "Mostly likely not...not that he'll arrive agreeable, but yes, that's the plan. Lots of booze. Heavy announcement. More booze. But Mother will make up for Father's unpleasantness, I think. She's going to be so pleased for us."

Harry nodded. "And the children...they'll be excited too. And then we'll have to let everyone else know before it gets out."

"Immediately," Draco agreed. "I shuddered to think about the papers getting a hold of this news. And Pansy's going to be positively furious that we've hid it this long."

"We'll have them over next. As soon as our lot go back to school," Harry said. "I'm dying to see little Flora again, so..."

Draco grinned. "She sure was a smooshed up thing the day she was born," he said. They'd gone to the hospital the day Flora Dursley had come into the world eight months prior, but things had been busy and they'd only had a chance to visit twice since—and Pansy was simply livid in her fury.

"Hmm. Newborns usually are. Well, the ones that have to be born via the birth canal," he corrected with a smirk.

"Still planning to suffer the pain of waiting for our child to Apparate him or herself out of that belly?" Draco asked with a nod down at Harry's tiny hidden bump.

Harry shrugged. "I know how much it means to you, love...to know if he or she is magical, so...yes."

Draco smiled, his eyes full of love.

Smiling as well—though more of a smirk—Harry continued. "Besides, if you can do it four times, then I think I can manage it once!"

Draco harrumphed. "We'll see."

Harry laughed—then reached out and pulled his husband into his arms. "Now, I think we have time for a little..." the dark-haired man said as he brought his lips to the ticklish place on his husband's neck.

Draco grinned. "There's nothing I'd like more," he said—then Apparated them both to their bedroom.

~ o ~

"So, we'll have another dinner party week after next," Draco said an hour later, continuing their previous conversation as he set a flower arrangement at the center of their dining table and picked at it a bit, making sure it was just so.

As he finished putting out the silverware, Harry frowned. "Hmm. After tonight, what's the chance they don't hear it from someone else?" he asked. "I mean, between Teddy and your mother, Andromeda and her husband are going to know. And, between Teddy and Victoire and Andromeda and Arnold Weasley, all the Weasleys are going to know. There's no way they'll all keep their mouths shut."

"Seems Teddy's the issue in all this. Maybe we shouldn't have invited my little cousin tonight," said Draco.

Harry laughed. "We couldn't do that! He's one of our kids. And your mother...I bet she sends Andromeda an owl as soon as she gets home tonight."

"True, but..." Draco sighed.

"And, after the kids go back to school and tell everyone...including all the Weasley kids...do you really think there's any chance that Ron and Hermione won't be here, banging our door down, demanding to know why they weren't told?"

Draco laughed. "Maybe we should have just invited everyone and gotten it all over with in one go," he said.

Harry chuckled. "I did suggest that, but...as you pointed out, your father's going to be upset enough as it is, so...best not add any Weasleys, hmm?"

"What do you think of those Muggle birth announcements?" Draco asked. "We could just send them out tonight after everyone's gone."

"And no dinner party? Hmm."

Draco shrugged. "Just a thought."

Harry nodded. "A good thought. You know I'm not a fan of entertaining, so...I like it!"

"Mind. The moment they're received, you know we're going to have everyone here demanding to know why they weren't told sooner," Draco said with a frown.

"We could make a game of it...between the two of us," Harry suggested. "We'll place a few bets on who'll arrive first and..."

"...who'll be the angriest?" Draco grinned.

Harry all but giggled. "Then owl everyone the announcements..."

Draco's face brightened. "Spelling them so they can't be opened until all those receiving them have them in hand, of course..."

"Then sit down in front of a roaring fire and see what happens."

They both laughed. "Sounds a bit...evil."

"Sounds like a fabulous plan," said Draco.

"You're such a wicked man."

Draco raised a brow. "Ahh...Slytherin."

"Hmm. Yes, but there's also some bravery involved there, as both Pansy and Ron are going to explode on us," Harry countered.

The blond rolled his eyes. "Of course you'd see it that way."

"Well yes...Gryffindor."

The two men grinned at each other—both with adoration for the other in their gleaming eyes. Then the dark-haired man sighed.

"Wait though," he said, a frown creasing his brow. "Why don't we just tell everyone else tomorrow. I mean, we'll be at The Burrow, so..."

Draco frowned as well. "But Pansy won't be there and she'll be incensed if your friends know before she does."

"Hmm. Probably. Unless..."

"Unless what?" the blond asked.

"Well...what if I owl Molly and ask if we can invite Pansy and Dudley over for dessert and we do it then? All the Weasleys are dying to see little Flora."

Draco seemed to consider. "Do you think our kids can keep their gobs shut until dessert?"

Harry chuckled. "I'm sure there's a spell for it anyway."

Draco's eyes widened with mock surprise. "You're willing to jinx our progeny?"

Harry laughed again—and shrugged. "Whatever works, love."

"Actually, a potion would work better and they wouldn't even know they'd been given one. We could spike their dinner drinks."

"You're willing to drug our offspring?" the dark-haired man asked.

Draco nodded. "Absolutely, yes." Then nodding, he said, "I think this could work...though, I do so love the idea of a bet."

"We could still do announcements," Harry said. "Everyone else can wait for the announcements to arrive."

"Yes, but the sitting and waiting for them to flood into our drawing room would be...entertaining."

"You do love to torture your friends," Harry said.

Draco shrugged. "What can I say?"

"Slytherin!" the both said in unison.

~ o ~

"Good evening, Mother," Draco said, smiling at his mother as she stepped over the threshold and into his and Harry's home.

"Good evening, darling," Narcissa returned, kissing her son's cheek, then smiling when his husband offered to take her cloak. "Thank you, Harry dear. How are you?"

With a smile, Harry turned and hung up the woman's outerwear. "Very good, thank you," he said as he turned back and leaned to kiss Narcissa's extended hand. "I hope you're well."

Narcissa nodded. "Quite. Thank you. And so very pleased to be invited over tonight," she said. "I just love the holidays and...it's so nice to see you both. You look...wonderful." She eyed her son's chosen man—and his attire (a little less together than usual, but still rather smart)—then looked at Draco. "As do you, my dear. You look so...rested."

"Thank you, Mother," Draco said—then turned. "Father," he continued with a nod at the man. Lucius was just standing there, glancing around their entrance hall, a sour look on his face. "How are you this evening?"

Lucius scoffed. "Being dragged out of The Manor on Christmas Eve is never my idea of a good evening. And why are we getting together on Christmas Eve, rather than tomorrow? Isn't this the year that we do Christmas Day together...at The Manor?"

Draco huffed and opened his mouth to remark, but Harry cut him off.

"Sorry for that, sir. I do hope a home-cooked meal and some fine wine will make it worth it," he said, but didn't really explain. Usually they spent Christmas Day at Malfoy Manor on odd years and The Burrow on even years—and the opposite on Boxing Day—but this year they'd decided to do Christmas Eve dinner at home with Draco's parents and Christmas Day at The Burrow, because most of the kids had asked to do their own thing with friends on Boxing Day.

Lucius' scowl deepened. "It had better be the finest," he retorted. "And...home-cooked? Did you boys hire a cook or have you managed to get over your aversion to House-elves?"

Draco sighed. "Father, you know Harry and I have decided that we'd like to take care of our own household and the needs of this family without the aid of any sort of help. We are both perfectly capable. And, to be honest, Harry's a much better cook than anyone we could ever hire," he said, smiling lovingly at his husband.

"There is no need to hire House-elves," Lucius continued. "They're just...there."

Harry rolled his eyes, but managed to keep the act hidden. Draco, on the other hand, glared. "This is not Malfoy Manor, Father! In our house, we do not find it necessary to have House-elves, paid or otherwise. And I'd appreciate it if you'd not imply that there's something wrong with that. It's perfectly normal. Most people do not have servants."

Lucius harrumphed. "Where are the children?" he asked next. "I'm surprised the house is not rumbling with the activity that always seems to be generated by such a large number of them."

Harry chuckled at that. "Isn't that the truth?!" he quipped. He knew his father-in-law meant it as an insult, but he couldn't help but be amused by the truth of it. "They're out though. Well, some of them. Corvus and Sirius are up in the family lounge watching some Muggle movie and, last I checked, Scorpius was in his room studying. Caelum's taken the girls shopping and Orion is out with a friend, but they'll all be home soon, I suspect. And Teddy...he and Victoire should arrive in about thirty."

"Hmm."

Draco frowned at his father's reply—or lack thereof. "Shall we go into the lounge and have a drink?" he asked.

"Oh. That would be lovely, darling," said Narcissa. "I would just love a cocktail."

Draco stared at his mother. "A what?"

"I was over at Andromeda's last week and she...well, Arnold, he fixed me something called a Hanky Panky. It was quite nice," she said—causing both Draco and Harry to grin.

Lucius scoffed. "That man," he semi-snarled—and that's all he said.

"Well, I can make you that, Mrs Malfoy...if you can tell me what's in it," Harry said, "because, I've never heard of that one."

Narcissa chuckled. "I have absolutely no clue, Harry dear, and...I don't have to have that cocktail. Anything interesting will do. And...please do remember not to call me that," Draco's mother reminded.

"Right. I'm sorry...Narcissa," said Harry. "How about a Painkiller?"

"Hmm. That sounds...ominous," she said—causing Harry to laugh.

"Oh Mother. Yes. Those are delicious," Draco interrupted. "We had them in the Caribbean. Along with something called...a Bushwacker."

"Are we even speaking English?" Lucius intoned snidely.

"Be nice, Lucius," Narcissa chastised. "There's no need to be unpleasant. It's quite unbecoming after all this time."

Lucius' eyes narrowed at his wife's scolding. He was about to give her a piece of his mind when the Floo flared and Caelum appeared—followed quickly by Aria and Lyra.

"I just don't understand why we had to go all the way to Hogsmeade when you two were just up at Hogwarts a few days back," he complained.

"Because we're not old enough to go to Hogsmeade while we're at school, you ninny!" Lyra barked.

"Thank you for taking us," Aria said diplomatically—then, when she noticed they weren't alone in the room, she hissed out a "now shush, you!" before smiling at their fathers and grandparents, who were still standing in the entryway. "Hello Grandmere. Grandfather."

Quickly, the girls rushed forward to receive kisses from their grandmother, leaving Caelum to come more slowly.

"You're both so lovely," Narcissa said, a hand on each of her granddaughter's cheeks. "Growing up so quickly. How has school been, darlings?" she asked, clasping a hand of each.

Lyra shrugged. "Well, you know...it's school."

Rolling her eyes, Aria elbowed her sister. "It's fine Grandmere. We're all doing quite well with our studies and also getting along excellently."

Lyra snorted, using her free hand to flick a strawberry strand of hair off her face. "Well, you don't have to share a House with Orion, so..."

Aria laughed. "Yes, because Scorpius is sooo much more fun," she said sarcastically.

Lyra frowned. "Point taken," she said. "But at least he's not always scheming."

"True that," Aria agreed. "He is, however, quite moody...and that can be extremely exhausting. Much more annoying than Orion's silly shenanigans. Plus, Orion's been better since...well, you know..." She let her words trail off as she pushed her long blonde hair off her shoulders.

Narcissa chortled her amusement. "I dare say, you two would just keep going if left to do so, wouldn't you?"

"Sorry Gran," the girls said at the same time, both smiling sheepishly.

"Greet your grandfather, girls," Draco finally said. It was true, the girls were close, but often managed to poke and prod the other without any mind to the others in a room. It was only worse when Sirius joined them.

Both girls turned toward the older man. "Good evening, Grandfather," they said—once again in unison—then went to the man and gave him a hug.

Lucius pursed his lips, but relaxed some as his granddaughters enthusiastically embraced him—then kissed his cheeks. He liked to act as though all the children were a nuisance, but he really did hold affection for them—in his own way—even though he mostly refused to show it. He was, after all, a reserved man. And they were sneaky little buggers, being excessively demonstrative intentionally, just to ruffle him.

When the embrace had ended, Caelum came forward. "Grandfather," he greeted with a stiff nod.

It wasn't a secret—at least not to Draco and Harry—that Caelum wasn't overly fond of Lucius Malfoy. Since he was the oldest—and had had more alone time to think on it—he quite resented the way his grandfather treated the lot of them. He especially disliked how Lucius Malfoy treated Draco, his very own son. Caelum could tell it hurt his father deeply. Harry, on the other hand, seemed to take it in stride. Caelum knew the histories. He'd read all about it and he thought his grandfather was an arse! The others may or may not have had similar feelings, but Orion had Corvus—and vice versa. And Scorpius...well, he had his own issues. And Aria, Sirius, and Lyra had each other too—they were almost like triplets!

But Lucius didn't seem to notice the young man's standoffishness.

"Caelum," Lucius said coolly.

"Do I get a cuddle too?" the young man asked the older one—causing his sisters to giggle. He wasn't totally serious and so he extended his hand to be shaken instead—like the man he now was.

Lucius stared at the hand before him for a moment, then slowly put his hand in his grandson's and shook it firmly—then surprised Caelum by reaching out with his other hand and resting it on the younger man's shoulder and squeezing.

"How are you, Caelum?" Lucius said, his hand slipping over his grandson's shoulder to his back to steer them into the lounge. "I hear you have a new position at the Ministry."

Feeling oddly warmed by the touch—and unexpected interest—Caelum smiled and nodded. "I do have, sir," he said. "It's in the Department of Mysteries, but it's quite a low position at this point. It's a foot in the door though, so..."

Lucius smiled proudly. "It certainly is, son."

Caelum glanced at his fathers, who'd followed them into the lounge. While it felt nice to get a little personal attention from his aloof grandfather, it was also a bit strange. Caelum couldn't help feeling uncomfortable. Both his fathers looked sympathetic to his plight.

"Would you care for a drink, Mr Malfoy," Harry asked his father-in-law, to shift attention.

Seeming to shake himself out of his uncharacteristic attention to one of the grandchildren, Lucius pursed his lips and gave Harry a clipped nod. It was Draco, however, who went to their liquor cabinet.

"Wine or whisky, Father? Or a mixed drink?" he asked.

"I agree with your taste...in most things...you choose," the elder Malfoy said.

Harry almost snorted out a laugh, but the look on Draco's face stopped him. Clearly, his husband thought he could do nothing right by his father, so he looked startled—and pleased—to hear such words. Harry, however, mostly only heard the dig towards himself. But it was okay, because the look of pleasure on his husband's face was beautiful to him. In the end, Draco fixed his father a whisky sour—which Lucius seemed to enjoy.

~ o ~

A short time later in the upstairs lounge, Orion stumbled into the room via the Floo, stopping abruptly when he saw Corvus and Sirius sprawled on one of the sofas.

"Hiya," he said, trying to straighten himself up a bit and wiping at his glossy, swollen lips.

"Hey," Corvus said, grinning as he sat up. "Everything all right?"

Orion glanced at their younger brother and shrugged—then grinned. "Better than," he said as he ran a hand through the disaster of dark hair on his head.

"The grandparents are downstairs," said Sirius as he clicked off the telly and stood up. "Dad popped up to let us know, but we haven't gone down yet. I suppose we should though."

All three of them wrinkled their noses.

Sirius looked from one brother to the other, then smirked. "I'll just...head down."

"I should probably change my clothes first," Orion said to Corvus as Sirius left.

Corvus grimaced. "You should probably shower first...you reek. Did you and Thaddeus even leave his bedroom?"

Orion had the decency to blush. "Er...nope."

Corvus chuckled. "Gross. I hesitate to even touch you, but...way to go, Ri!" he said, holding up his hand to give his twin a high five.

Still red in the face, Orion grinned and accepted the gesture. "You're right though...I'll just go rinse off."

"Oh. You're back," Scorpius said as he entered the room. "How's Thaddeus?"

Orion continued to grin. "Quite fine."

"Oh. I see," Scorpius said—then frowned and leaned forward a bit and scrunched up his nose. "You smell—"

"Like sex? I know," Orion said, grinning. "I was just going..." He nodded up. "Be down in a bit. Stall for me, yeah?"

Corvus chuckled. "We'll certainly try."

Scorpius snorted. "I won't."

Orion rolled his eyes. "Of course, you won't. Either way, I'll be down as soon as I can be."

Scorpius frowned. "I hope you're being careful."

"Score. It's just me and Thad. Neither of us have...you know?"

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Has being a child of Draco and Harry Malfoy-Potter taught you nothing?!"

"He's got a point, Ri," Corvus said.

Orion huffed. "You're right. I'll...um...be more careful."

"See that you do," Scorpius said—then disappeared down the stairs.

Orion frowned. "I might have to...do some research to, you know, be careful," he said to his twin.

Corvus laughed. "The dads have books, you know. I could...nick one of them for you, so you can read up."

Orion nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

~ o ~

By the time Orion had showered and made his way down to the main floor, everyone down there was more than ready to sit down to eat. Teddy had arrived without Victoire (she was feeling poorly) and all the grown ups (minus Harry) had had at least one adult beverage, so they were all mostly relaxed—or so Orion hoped when he sauntered down the stairs all squeaky clean.

But he didn't enter the room alone; Corvus had waited for his twin in their shared bedroom, so they could go down together. They were, like twins often are, very close...and Corvus wouldn't allow Orion to enter alone and possibly be given a hard time—by the parents, the grandparents, and/or their siblings—all by himself.

But Corvus didn't have to worry because, when he and Orion reached the family lounge, they were met with Aria, Sirius, and Lyra, who'd excused themselves to freshen up before Christmas Eve supper—so that the five of them could enter together. Really though, the three youngest didn't want to sit downstairs with their crotchety, old, pureblood grandfather.

And so they entered as a unit...

"Oh good. We're all here," Harry said when he saw them flood into the downstairs lounge.

"Finally," Lucius said snidely.

Ignoring his father-in-law, Harry stood up—he'd been perched on the arm of the chair that Draco was sitting in—and continued. "Is everyone ready to eat?"

Everyone nodded. Lucius Malfoy's nod was rather clipped, but everyone else's was vigorous—they were hungry!—and so Harry looked to his husband. "You want to get everyone seated while Cael and I start getting the food?"

Nodding, Draco got up. "Right this way everyone," he said, gesturing toward the dining room.

"I'll help Harry," Teddy offered, starting after his godfather.

The rest of the kids knew where they sat, of course, so they went to their usual seats chatting happily as they entered the room and took their places. And, since this wasn't their first meal in their son's home, Lucius and Narcissa knew where they'd be sitting as well. Normally, Draco sat at the far end, but when his parents visited, he gave that seat to his father—his mother taking the seat to his father's left—and he sat at the other end with Harry to his left.

Just slightly on edge, Draco got them all settled, then rushed to the kitchen to assist his husband. When he got there, Teddy and Caelum were exiting the kitchen, each carrying two dishes, playfully bantering as they went.

"Good thing Dad gave you the veggies," said Caelum to Teddy as they walked by his father, "or we might find we'd have no main by the time we all got dished up."

Teddy scoffed. "Couldn't very well nick a morsel of meat with both hands full anyway," he said.

"Don't think I didn't see you shove a bite in your mouth before you picked up those bowls," said Caelum.

Teddy grinned—not at all sheepishly. "Try three bites."

"Merlin, Teddy...you'll be seated and eating in a matter of minutes. What sort of Hufflepuff are you anyway? Have some patience, would you!" Caelum said—causing Teddy to laugh.

Chuckling, Draco turned toward Harry. "Always squabbling about meat, they are."

Grinning, Harry nodded. "But it's true, Teddy can't help himself where that's concerned, which is why he was not given the roast turkey."

Both men laughed.

"Are you ready for this, love?" Draco asked, going to Harry and wrapping him in his arms.

Harry smiled. "I'm a little nervous," he admitted, "but yeah, ready as I'll ever be."

"Good. Let's just have this last meal with our little secret, then..."

Smiling, Harry nodded, then turned to hover a tray that contained the rest of their meal—minus the roast turkey, which Draco carried out.

~ o ~

Once everyone was served, there was a short silence as twelve hungry people tucked into their meals. But it didn't last long. After several bites, everyone started conversing.

Well, mostly Narcissa started talking.

"How is Victoire, dear?" she asked Teddy.

Teddy shrugged. "Mostly good. She was really sorry she couldn't make it tonight. She had a bad bout of sickness this morning and...Gran suggested she stay behind."

Narcissa nodded. "Oh. I'm so sorry. That's not at all fun. Andromeda's with her then?"

Teddy nodded. He and Victoire had decided to put their wedding off until after the baby came—much to Molly Weasley's upset—and they were living with his grandmother and Arnold Weasley for the time being. It wasn't ideal, but it worked—and Bill and Fleur seemed to support the decision, so that made things easier.

"I'd wondered why she wasn't here this evening," Narcissa said. "I don't get to see my sister as much as I'd like."

"Gran was going to be at home baking tonight anyway...for tomorrow...so she said it wouldn't be a problem," Teddy explained. "And Victoire said I shouldn't miss our family dinner, so that's why I'm here."

"Well, we're all very pleased that you are, Teddy," Narcissa said. "And everyone will be thrilled that Andromeda stayed home baking tonight. She makes the best goodies."

Teddy grinned. "Don't tell Molly Weasley that," he said.

Everyone chuckled. Molly made wonderful food and fabulous desserts, but it was never nice to point out that someone else's were the best—which implied that hers were less than.

"Will you be joining us tomorrow?" Teddy asked Narcissa Malfoy hopefully.

"Please do not tell me you're going over to that...hovel tomorrow," Lucius cut in.

"Actually, Father, we are going over to The Burrow tomorrow," Draco said.

Lucius was clearly displeased, but Narcissa started talking again. "No. Not this year, dear," Narcissa answered Teddy, sounding both sad and relieved. As much as she'd been able to get along with Molly, there was still a bit of a rift between them. She was grateful to Harry and all those who'd saved them, but she'd still lost a sister—insane though she was.

"We're going on holiday starting this weekend and we have a few pre-holiday errands to run prior to our departure."

Lucius Malfoy grumbled a bit, but everyone ignored him.

"Oh. Where are you going?" Teddy asked with genuine interest.

"Over to the continent," Narcissa answered. "Lucius has a cousin with a winter home there, so we thought we'd visit."

"What is it that you do, Theodore?" Lucius asked next, changing the subject.

"It's Teddy, actually...short for Edward, Father," Draco corrected from the other end of the table.

Lucius glared at his son.

"I'm working with Victoire's father," Teddy said. "He's a cursebreaker."

"Hmm. So I've heard," said Lucius. "And Caelum's with the Ministry." He looked then at Orion and Corvus. "Any plans for after Hogwarts?"

They shrugged. "Not yet," they said in unison.

"I plan to attend University when I finish at Hogwarts," Scorpius threw out there.

Lucius frowned. "University?"

Scorpius nodded.

"Score's interested in Muggle studies...or rather, studying the Muggle way," Aria said.

Lucius' nose wrinkled a bit. "But you'd be surrounded by all those Muggles," he said disdainfully.

Scorpius snorted. "Yes. What better way to learn about them."

"Maybe he'll marry one!" Sirius said mischieviously—knowing full well what he was doing to his grandfather.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Lucius burst. "Scorpius wouldn't marry a Muggle!"

"Why not?" Lyra asked. "Dad's cousin is a Muggle and he's married to a witch. I think you know her too. Her name's Pansy."

Lucius' eyes widened. "Ms Parkinson married a Muggle?"

Draco sighed. "Yes, Father."

"And they just had a baby girl," Aria continued. "Her name's Flora and she's adorable."

Draco glanced at Harry, who was frowning. The conversation was getting a little out of hand. Both fathers could tell that the children were intentionally trying to rile up their grandfather. Narcissa saw this too and interrupted.

"Such a lovely set table, Harry," she said next, her blue eyes going down the table to her son-in-law.

"Oh," Harry said, lifting his napkin to his mouth and wiping before saying anything. "Thank you, Narcissa, but...this is all Draco."

Draco rolled his eyes. "It was a shared venture, Mother," he said. "Together, we spent some time on the Internet looking up interesting holiday settings and this..." he said, spreading his arms, palms toward the table, "was the outcome."

"What is...the Internet?" Narcissa asked.

"It's the closest the Muggles can come to magic, Grandmother," Aria interjected. "I'll have to show you sometime. It's brilliant!"

"I'd like that," the blonde women said with a smile.

Again, Lucius Malfoy grumbled—this time more than a bit. "Why is everything red and gold?" he finally asked.

Instantly the table got quiet. Sirius, who'd been laughing at something Lyra had said, frowned, then uncharacteristically dropped his eyes down and just stared at the food on his plate. Sitting next to him, Lyra grabbed her twin's hand and squeezed it.

"The walls are green," Orion said after a glance up at his usually talkative Gryffindor brother.

"And red," Lucius countered. "Which they always are."

"The forks, knives, and spoons are all silver," Orion pointed out.

Lucius gnashed his teeth.

"The pine sprigs are green," Lyra pointed out.

Lucius narrowed his eyes at his youngest granddaughter. "And brown with red and gold bows tied around them," he said, his gaze going down the table to his son. "The baubles are gold. The crackers are red. The napkins are red. The placemats are red. The packages are red. Need I go on?"

"How about the tree, Grandfather? Do you have an objection to that too?" Scorpius asked from the far end of the table.

Lucius, right next to the tree, barely gave it a glance. It had colorful fairy lights on it and a lovely array of ornaments that the children had made over the years. He didn't comment.

"It's Christmas, Father," Draco said flatly.

"Well yes, and isn't green a Christmas color as well?" Lucius went on.

Draco sighed. "What I'm saying is that...it's Christmas! Would it be possible for us to have a nice meal as a family without Houses coming into it?!"

"I was merely pointing out that it seems overly—"

"Father!" Draco snapped. "There are three Gryffindors, two Hufflepuffs, two Ravenclaws, and five Slytherins at this table!"

"Don't remind me," the older man bit out.

"If anything," Draco said over his father's voice, "the other Houses are outnumbered and underrepresented here. Could we please just enjoy our Christmas dinner?"

His eyes narrowing, Lucius picked up his glass of wine and drained it.

~ o ~

"That was a lovely meal, Harry," Narcissa said. "You did a fine job with everything. And I must say that I've never tasted brussels sprouts quite like yours. I'm not sure what you did to them to make them so delicious, but I do hope I can have your recipe."

Harry's eyes lit up. "Oh. Um. Of course, Narcissa. If you want it, then it's yours," he said, wondering if his mother-in-law ever entered the Malfoy kitchens for anything other than baking. He knew she liked to bake.

Lucius rolled his eyes.

"It's Molly's recipe actually," Harry said, worried that his husband's mother might like the dish less if she knew who'd taught him how to make it.

"Oh, really? Well, isn't that nice," she said. "She had all that practice...cooking for seven children...she must be very good."

Everyone at the table nodded.

"As are our fathers," Corvus said.

"Seven of us and all," Scorpius added.

"Eight, counting Teddy," Orion put in.

All the Malfoy-Potter kids were grinning and nodding at their beloved cousin—and Lucius Malfoy practically had steam pouring out of his ears.

"Oh. For Merlin's sake, Father!" Draco burst. "It's been twelve fucking years!"

Narcissa cringed. "Draco. Language," she hissed.

"Don't worry, Grandmother," Sirius cut in, "we hear those words all the time at Hogwarts."

Harry shook his head. "You're not helping, Sirius," he said to his youngest son.

Sighing, Draco pinched the bridge of his nose, then looked down the table at his father. "When are you going to get over this?" he asked, his voice low.

"I suspect never, Draco," said Lucius. "How does one get over this, as you say?"

Draco sighed again. "Hmm. Well then, I suspect you won't be overly pleased with our news."

"I figured there was something," Lucius said. "Not a divorce then, I guess?"

Draco snorted out a laugh—but everyone else just glared at the Malfoy patriarch.

Aria and Lyra looked...incensed. "That's just...rude!" the latter said just as the former said, "despicable!" Both girls stood up—Sirius with them—tears shining in their eyes as they looked at their fathers. They clearly wanted to leave the room, but had not been dismissed, and so they just stood there.

Narcissa was upset as well. She would deal with Lucius later, but she was quite curious now. "You have...news?"

Draco glanced at Harry, who smiled back at him encouragingly, then took his husband's hand and looked back at everyone staring between them. "Come April, we will be adding another to this family," Draco said proudly.

Narcissa gasped, then clapped a hand over her mouth, while everyone else—except Lucius—grinned. Lyra and Aria jumped up and down and squealed, then ran to their dads.

"Oh Merlin!" Lyra said, tearfully. "This is...wonderful!"

Though less overt about it, all the boys seemed pleased, if their smiles were any indication. Caelum was the only one who got up and went to his father.

"Congratulations, Dad," he said.

Draco smiled. "Don't look at me," he said. "This time it's Poppy."

At the far end of the table, from the least pleasant person in the room, there was a heavy sigh. "Oh. Thank. Merlin."

Draco and Harry chuckled a bit. "So very glad at least something pleases you, Father," Draco said—then continued on before his father could reply. "Dessert anyone?"

~ o ~

"So...Orion has an announcement as well," Sirius said after swallowing the last bite of his cake.

Corvus snorted and Orion's eyes widened in terror.

"Seriously?" Orion said with a glare.

Shrugging, Sirius grinned. "Obviously."

"You're not pregnant too, are you?" Harry asked his son

"Of course not!" Orion said—causing Lyra and Aria to giggle and Scorpius to snort.

"Well then," Draco said. "Do tell, please. The suspense is killing me."

Orion huffed. Then he sighed. Then he squared his shoulders. "Okay. So. I'm seeing someone," he said.

"Oh. That's lovely, dear," Narcissa said. "Do we know her?"

Biting his lip, Orion glanced around at his siblings. "Well. Um. Yeah. But..."

Frowning, Caelum leaned forward so that he could see Orion around Corvus. "It's Thaddeus, isn't it?" he quickly deduced.

Orion turned bright red. "Er...yeah." He looked then at his fathers and waited. They looked...upset. He'd thought that maybe they would be.

"Thaddeus Nott?" Draco queried.

Nodding, Orion dropped his gaze to his empty dessert plate.

Draco glanced at Harry, who was frowning. "And...you didn't think you could tell us?"

Shrugging, Orion looked at his fathers. "I...um..." was all he could manage—until he felt a hand snake into his.

"Ri," Harry started, squeezing his son's hand. "You...all of you...can always tell us anything. There's almost nothing we wouldn't support if it made you happy."

"Okay," the sixteen year old boy said quietly.

"I am surprised though," Draco said, his brows knitted together, "that you felt you couldn't tell us. I mean...have we ever given you the impression that we wouldn't accept a gay son? Because, clearly that's a ridiculous notion."

Orion shrugged. "I guess it is," he said with a frown. "Yeah, of course it is. I was...just being stupid. I sort of just figured it out...at Scorpius' birthday party at school, but I...thank you for understanding."

Harry draped an arm over Orion's shoulders and pulled him close. "So, I hope you'll bring him around, so we can get to know him."

Orion grinned. "Really?"

Draco snorted. "Of course," he said—then looked at his husband. "Maybe we can have the Notts over before the kids return to school?"

Harry shrugged. "Absolutely. Why don't you owl Thaddeus later on and find out what would work best for them."

Orion nodded. He didn't know what to say, so he just smiled shyly—which was sooo uncharacteristic of Orion Severus Malfoy-Potter.

But then, as everyone started talking again, and he wasn't the center of attention anymore, Orion relaxed—and accepted another piece of cake when it was passed down to him. And started laughing at something Sirius said. And sighed when Corvus's hand took his. And smiled knowingly when he noticed his fathers gazing at one another lovingly. What a lucky group they were!