"Draco... Draco! Not the tree!" Narcissa Malfoy scolded her six-month-old son, while Lucius Malfoy sat, reclined in his leather chair, wearing an amused expression.

"Lucius-" Narcissa huffed, casting her husband a backward glance as Draco crawled out of her reaching grasp, screeching with laughter.

"My dear Cissa, what could he possibly do?" Lucius chuckled.

"Oh-" Narcissa was cut short by the sound of an ornament cracking on the floor and looked up to see the tree sway dangerously as little Draco attempted to use one of the lower branches to pull himself up.

"Draco!" She snatched the baby out from harm's way while Lucius put the tree back in order with a casual wave of his wand.

"See? No harm done." He assured

"You won't be doing that every single time he gets into trouble..." Narcissa clutched Draco tightly in her arms.

"Of course not," Lucius agreed, gesturing for his wife to bring his son to him. "But today, I can make an exception..."

"Until my parents arrive this evening," Narcissa added.

Lucius rolled his eyes.

"Must they?"

"Yes," she answered. "It will look bad, otherwise. And, I've spared you my sister..."

"There is some light then," Lucius took Draco and set him on his lap, prying the little boy's cloying hands away from his loose, silver-blond hair before kissing his wife's cheek. "I thank you for that."

"At the very least..." Narcissa feigned irritation but couldn't hide her playful smile for long.

"And before they arrive, I think this one should like to enjoy his Christmas before he's stuffed into that outfit you insisted on fitting him with."

"It's not that bad, Lucius," Narcissa rolled her eyes.

"It's solid black and positively Medieval; he looks as if he's gone to mourning."

"Love, you always find something to begrudge." Narcissa. "He just has to wear it tonight; then, no more puffy jester's sleeves."

"Indeed," Lucius wrinkled his nose, curling his mouth in disdain.

"Oh, lighten up," Narcissa made to shush her husband with a finger to his lips but he caught her hand and held her fingertips to his mouth.

"My apologies," He murmured, looking up at her unblinkingly. "I promise you, I will be in decent spirits this evening."

"For me?" Narcissa smiled mischievously.

"Only you." Lucius answerd with a stern grimace.

"That's good enough." The lady pulled away and Draco reached out for her with a yearning cry.

"Not yet, Draco," she put up her hand. "Mummy has to take care of something for a moment. You stay here with Papa."

Draco protested, pushing against Lucius when he tightened his grip against his son's struggling.

"She'll be right back," Lucius assured. "Mummy won't be gone forever…"

"Of course I won't," Narcissa agreed, giving the hallway that started from the back right corner of the room a sideways glance. "Only a minute or two, my dear."

"Come now, Draco, she's not leaving forever," Lucius tried to soothe their son, standing him up and bouncing him on his knee just as Narcissa turned to leave.

"Lucius," she sighed, pausing when she spotted them from a backward glance, "He just ate-"

Quickly, Lucius stopped bouncing Draco, but not in time to stop the babe from spitting up on the front of his half-buttoned nightshirt.

"Narcissa!-" Lucius called to his wife, swiftly pulling his son away at arm's length, but his wife had already disappeared down the far hall.


Narcissa Malfoy quickened her footsteps as soon as she was out of sight, making her way to the main atrium and speedily up the stairs that led to the upper rooms, pausing only to open the doors of the master bedchamber, where a small washbasin she used for her face, stood in a far corner of the room, next a nearly identical one that belonged to Lucius.

Grasping the sides of the basin, the lady Malfoy leaned over it and closed her eyes, flushed and dizzy, and waited several minutes for the condition to abate. When it didn't, she could only heave desperately, and shuddered with discomfort.

"Narcissa?" Lucius stood, framed in the entryway, holding Draco against his side, fighting him off with one hand when his son tried to pull at his hair. "My dear, are you ill?"

"No," the lady managed, straightening up to face her husband. "Just...dizzy."

Lucius opened his mouth and raised a brow in confusion.

"Dizzy- Draco! I am not a plaything!" He snapped at his son, who had grabbed handful of his hair and yanked on it until he had pulled Lucius' head sideways.

Narcissa nodded slowly, gesturing at her husband to let Draco down so she could hold him.

"I've had it before; it might be a few weeks before it lessens."

Again, Lucius looked momentarily baffled before he answered, "You've had this before…."

An understanding expression crossed his normally-cold features and Lucius actually smiled.

"Another one, Cissa?"

"Not a word to my parents tonight; I want to be sure." she answered firmly, glaring at her husband who joined her side, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"As you wish," he murmured, kissing the side of her face before he reached over to ruffle Draco's hair. "And then you can have someone else to distract you, little dragon."

Draco giggled and screeched with delight.

"Well, we have an heir," Narcissa pulled Lucius' attention from his son. "I would like a girl; after all, I have sisters…"

"You mean, you have one sister who is madder than a banshee…"

"As if you're a lamb to put up with all the time," Narcissa rolled her eyes. "And you'd do well with a daughter, I think.

Lucius snickered.

"Can't be more demanding than this one…"

Narcissa laughed.

"Oh, you've no idea."