Oh Lucius...you're in for it now...

LPOV

The room was dark as I stepped through the floo, so I took care not to rattle the grate as I stepped over it. I couldn't deny the relief that swept through me, though of course it was short lived.

"Where have you been, Lucius?"

I couldn't see her, but knew it was Narcissa from somewhere further in the room to my left. I turned slowly, slipping my hand into my robes for my wand.

"Ah, ah, ah," she tutted, my wand flying from my fingers and - likely - into hers, "Is this any way to treat your wife? Like some common whore? Like someone you only indulge when it suits you?"

Her voice reminded me of her sister Bellatrix, and I hated her for it. It was no secret that the Black family had suffered from delirium for centuries, but I couldn't help but feel that she'd done this to herself. She'd made herself crazy with all of this scheming and manipulation and Salazar, I hated her in this moment.

"I haven't done anything, Cissa." I said tiredly, "I was at a pub for a drink."

"Avoiding me!" she said shrilly, her voice now to my right.

I didn't deny her words, there was no point.

"You and Draco have just abandoned me over some disgusting little mudblood filth and you expect me to just sit back and do nothing? No, Lucius." she said coldly, her voice slithering around my body in a way that made goosebumps rise on my arms.

This woman was not my wife.

"So," she murmured, drawing out the word, "I'm going to give you a chance to make it up to me."

I closed my eyes, breathing through my nose as I asked, "And what would you have me do?"

At that she laughed, the sound a loud cackle in the otherwise silent room.

"Lucky for you, it's very simple." she said, voice directly in front of me now, "Since you fawn over the mudblood so much, since you think she's just so brilliant, you're going to polyjuice yourself to look like Draco. I don't care what you do with her, but at the end, you break her heart."

I had been shaking my head before she'd even finished talking. There was absolutely no way that I was doing that. I certainly hadn't been fawning over Miss Granger and I most certainly didn't want to impersonate my son around her.

All of this was just so wrong.

"What's so wrong with letting our son make his own decisions?" I asked, "It was your idea to get them together in the first place."

"Yes," she snapped, "And you didn't agree with my methods. You told him. But truthfully I should be thanking you. If it weren't for you I wouldn't have realized what a disgrace I was being to the Malfoy-Black name by trying to set my darling son up with such garbage. Our ancestors would be rolling over in their graves, Lucius, and you know it."

I did know it, but I didn't care. While watching Draco's infatuation with the witch grow into something more, while seeing him actually happy, I realized that I didn't quite care who he was with so long as she made him happy. After everything that the war had taken from him - his childhood - I owed him so much more than this.

We both did.

"I'm not going to break that poor girls heart, Narcissa, and certainly not polyjuiced as our son." I said resolutely, "She didn't ask for any of this."

"That poor girls heart?" she shrieked, something - likely a crystal decanter - hit the wall and shattered as she continued screaming, "Am I the only one who sees reason? What is wrong with you? She's nothing. She's lower than the dirt on our shoes, yet you choose her feelings over mine?"

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose as I started, "I am not choosing -"

"Enough," she snapped, and suddenly the room was bathed in light, "I wanted to give you the choice, but clearly you've chosen wrong, so I'm making the decision for you."

Oh gods.

"Narcissa, what have you done?"

HPOV

"Has Harry been acting strange to you?"

I arched an eyebrow at Ginny and asked, "No, why?"

She sighed, glancing over at Harry and Malfoy across the room before whispering, "He's just been off lately. I'd think he was planning something, but Ron would've ruined it by now - and there's no way he'd do anything without telling him, right?"

I shrugged, focusing on hanging Christmas ornaments on the tree as I said, "I don't know. We all know Ron can't keep a secret to save his life. Maybe Harry just didn't tell him."

She narrowed her eyes and said, "Well then he would've told you."

I pasted the most surprised look I could muster onto my face as I said, "He hasn't said anything to me, Gin."

It was clear she didn't believe me, but before she could call me on it, Malfoy and Harry were standing next to us.

"How does it take two capable witches this long to decorate a tree?" quipped Malfoy, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind and pressing a kiss to my shoulder.

I snorted and Ginny said, "Because we're doing it the fun way. By hand. No magic allowed."

I could hear Malfoy's eyes rolling, but he said nothing, simply squeezing me a bit tighter.

"It reminds Mione and I of being back home." said Harry, shooting me a grin as Gin and I continued hanging ornaments.

Malfoy pressed one more kiss to my temple before he and Harry made some unbelievable excuse about getting more decorations and left.

"What do you think they're doing?" I asked, eyes narrowed at the doorway they'd just left through. I knew that they got on fine, but they didn't hang out.

Gin shook her head, "I have no idea. It's rather odd though, isn't it?"

I couldn't stop my snort as I agreed, "Odd isn't even the word."

Once we'd finished the tree and hung some twinkling lights around the living room, we retired to the couch with a bottle of wine, the boys still nowhere in sight.

"You know, since you're not coming to the Burrow, we'll have to do an early Christmas here." she said, taking a sip from her glass as she smirked at me over the rim.

I rolled my eyes and said, "I'm surprised you're not still trying to guilt me into bringing Malfoy."

"We both know that was never going to work." she laughed, "But seriously. We all have gifts for each other, and since you're not going to be there we have to do it before. I even got Malfoy something."

I wasn't able to keep my laugh in, "You got Malfoy a present?"

"You get Harry a present!" she defended, crossing her arms.

"Harry's one of my best friends, Gin." I snorted, "We've been getting each other Christmas gifts since before we knew you, remember?"

She sighed dramatically, "I'm sure he'll hate it anyway. Do you know how difficult it is to buy something for Malfoy?"

I groaned, leaning back into the couch as I said, "Trust me, I know. I haven't gotten him anything yet. I'm so worried that he won't like whatever I get him - because what do you get someone who can literally buy himself anything?"

Gin smiled sympathetically, patting my hand, "He'll love whatever you get for him because he loves you, Mi. He -"

"Oh not this again." I huffed, "I'm vetoing this subject of conversation."

Before she could say anything else Harry and Malfoy stumbled through the floo, green dust clinging to their winter robes.

"And where have you two been?" asked Gin, eyebrow raised and arms crossed as she stared them down.

"I'd hate for you to make me ruin a surprise, Ginevra." said Malfoy wryly.

Her ears perked up and she asked, "A surprise for who?"

The smirk on his face was sinful as he shrugged, shooting me a wink before dropping down onto the couch beside me.

"Oh come on!" she groaned, turning her attention to Harry, "You know I hate secrets."

Harry scoffed, taking a seat next to her as he said, "No, you love secrets, you just hate when you don't know them."

"That's not the point Harry Potter!"

I laughed, tugging Malfoy up from the couch as I said, "We'll leave the two of you to this riveting argument. Gin, I expect a call if you badger it out of him." I added with a wink.

I was curious about what the two of them had been up to, but I knew that if anyone could get it out of Harry, it'd be Gin.

I just hoped he didn't spill the proposal secret.

DPOV

I hadn't realized how important all these muggle traditions would be for Granger, but obviously they'd be important. She didn't have her parents and these things were all she had left of them.

When Potter and I had left Grimmauld Place we'd come back to the Wiltshire property. He'd given me every muggle cookbook for Christmas dinners known to man - and thank Salazar he'd highlighted things he knew she loved. He'd also mentioned that I should invite her to make the dessert with me - it was apparently the one thing Granger could do well, by following her mother's recipe.

I'd stopped him at wanting to set up a larger than life Christmas tree in the foyer though. Some things just weren't going to work.

Compromise, though.

I hadn't asked, but Potter had offered a few ideas for what I could get her for Christmas - mostly jewelry related items, which I supposed made sense considering he was literally giving Ginevra an engagement ring as his gift.

Surprisingly enough, I already knew what I was giving her - and okay, yes, one of those things was jewelry, but the other was so perfectly Granger that I knew she'd love it far more than any sparkling crystals I could put on her.

"Have you spoken with your parents at all since moving here?" she asked, dipping her finger into the sauce I was working on.

I shook my head, swatting her hand away with a chuckle as I said, "I spoke with my father a few times. Not at all with my mother."

"Do they know you're not going to Christmas?"

"I'm sure they've inferred it."

She rolled her eyes but dropped the subject, instead asking, "What do you want for Christmas?"

"You." I said honestly, and by her look of surprise I could only smirk wider, "You, under the tree, in nothing but a green bow for me to unwrap."

Her cheeks blazed a beautiful pink, her bottom lip pinched between her teeth as she asked, "What do you actually want, Malfoy? We can sort through your ribbon fetish later."

"That is what I want." I said, wrapping my free arm around her and tugging her into my side as I continued stirring my sauce, "There's nothing you could get me that's better than just you, love."

If she hadn't looked at me with that smile, I would've been embarrassed by my cheesy words, but she was looking at me with that smile.

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, my fingers drawing soft circles on her hip underneath her thick sweater.

"What do you want?" I asked, glancing down at her.

She shook her head, a few strands of hair that had fallen from her bun swishing around her face, "Nothing. I don't need anything."

"I didn't ask you what you needed, Granger, I asked you what you wanted."

"The answer's still the same." she said with a chuckle, "You've already done so many amazing things for me - I mean Brill is the best Christmas gift I ever could've asked for."

"He wasn't a Christmas gift." I snorted, "I did that because you were both happier together."

"Regardless," she said with a smile, "It's more than I would've ever asked for."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Fine, but that doesn't mean I'm not getting you something regardless."

"Can I ask for the same thing you want?" she tried with a smile, fluttering her eyelashes at me.

I chuckled, "As enticing as I'm sure I'd look in nothing but a ribbon, you can't just steal my idea, Granger. Besides, it's very taboo to get and give the same gift."

She rolled her eyes but huffed out a resigned sigh.

"You'll love what I get you." I said softly.

"I don't doubt that. Just don't go spending -"

"Nope," I interrupted, "Not letting you determine a budget for this."

She laughed, leaning up on her tip toes to press a kiss to my lips, before hopping up onto the counter to the right of the stove.

"Fine, but it better not be something ridiculous."

At that I laughed. Full on, loud, belly-laughed.

"Love, I'm a Malfoy. Ridiculous seems to be in my nature."