A/N II: Just so you know, when I say snog I mean making out/kissing. :D
There was so much left to do before that evening... Gifts to wrap, decorations to put up, review of the guest list, Flooing the caterers, finding a Yule log...
"Even though eggs continue to cook for a while after being taken off the heat, that doesn't mean you should wait until they go stone cold to eat them."
Draco looked up from his breakfast to see Luna staring at him with those protuberant pale eyes of hers. She rarely blinked, not because she was dotty but because she didn't like how so many witches would bat their eyelashes to get male attention. No one but him had ever noticed how beautiful her eyelashes were until he had coaxed her into putting a Darkening Charm on them. She had actually started to care about her appearance, although he still had to put up with those ridiculous acessories of hers...
"I'm going to eat them, I was just thinking about what's on my to do list." He replied, cutting into the yolk.
"You can finish the planning and then I'll take care of the rest." She informed him, flipping through the Prophet, looking for the results of the latest Wimborne Wasps match, do doubt. He cheered for Puddlemere.
"You can't possibly do everything else." Draco responded, putting his fork down. She looked back up at him and smiled that dreamy smile of hers.
"I can and will. Besides, you need to rest a bit so you can enjoy all the work you put into Christmas."
He scoffed. Like he would actually be able to relax, when so many things needed looking after.
"You will relax, whether you want to or not." She told him as she got up from the table and kissed him on the cheek, before she wandered out the door of the Dining Room.
It truly was frightening, how well she knew him without even trying. Her falling in love with him had seemed so effortless as well. Returning her feelings hadn't been too terribly difficult either, which had frightened him at first. Romantic love was something new and alien to him, not having parents who loved each other as an example like she had been blessed with. He also knew that he was expected to marry a witch that was pure blooded, rich and had a high standing in society. Luna was of course from a good line of witches and wizards, and had plenty of money. However, her father had become a laughing stock ever since his wife died and he started up that magazine of his. Draco didn't want to marry some witch that he was expected to. He had seen how miserable it had made his parents, and he would have rather died an old bachelor than suffer through that.
At first, both of his parents had been sceptical of the relationship. After a few months of getting to know Luna, his mother had come around and accepted her. His father on the other hand had become even more adamantly opposed to the pairing. They had had countless screaming matches, until one day he had left in such a fury that he hadn't gone back since. Three days later he had purchased the large estate that he and Luna were now living in. His excellent taste surprised even him, when he had come with all of this belongings to move in. The masonry, carpentry, everything was just superb from the massive gardens and quidditch pitch on the grounds, down to the dragon knocker on the front doors that spat fire if any unwelcome person came calling. He had claimed one of the towers for his study, library and personal lounge. Another was Luna's, so she could carry out crazy experiments in it (which was warded so that no nasty hexes would come flying out of it). The last tower contained their bedchambers. He half longed to be back up there, toasty warm and sleeping. He had work to do, though. He was going to show everyone that Draco Malfoy was capable of putting on the best bloody banquet ever!
Draco's eyes rested on the cards from family and friends strung up in a dense web out in the corridor, and his anger rose again. His father's signature was conspicuously missing from the card he had received from his mother.
He Banished his dishes to the kitchen too forcefully, and ended up smashing them against the wall instead. After Vanishing the evidence, he began to walk around their stately home. It wasn't as large as Malfoy Manor, but he had the distinct impression Luna kept adding floors and rooms to it. She really could frustrate him to no end sometimes.
His first stop was the Entrance Hall. There were stairs leading up to one of the towers directly across from the main doors. The banister needed a garland of holly wrapped around it. He decided that he'd just do it himself, as he knew exactly what he wanted anyway. He flicked his wand at it and the stairway was graced with green leaves and red berries. His pointed his wand at the doors, "Expositus!" and they opened. He Conjured simple wreaths of pine boughs on both of them, and closed the doors again. Turning around, he saw Luna standing in a nearby doorway.
"I was just…" he trailed off.
"Planning quite thoroughly, I see." She replied, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. She glided over to him and slid her slender arms around his waist and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her, smelling the scent of apples in her freshly washed hair. She pulled back slightly so she could see him. "How about we go around the house together, and you can tell me the sorts of things we'll need?"
"I think I'll just do it by myse-."
"That's settled then," he heard her say before she took his hand and dragged him room by room through the first floor. He was half-pleased she was being so forward, and half frustrated that he couldn't just do it alone as it would have been faster. Perhaps he shouldn't have been training her to be more agressive and stop letting people walk all over her...
He was describing the decorations for the Ball Room, when she interrupted him. "After that, some mistletoe hanging from the chandeliers..."
"We can't put mistletoe there."
"Why not?" he inquired, turning to face her.
"It's always infested with Nargles." Luna replied.
"That's insane. What idiot told you that?" This caused her to smile dreamily again.
"I believe that idiot was you."
"When did I say this?" he asked, honestly not recalling the incident.
"At the Christmas ball your parents hosted when you were 13 and I was 12. I told you I wished someone would stand with me under the mistletoe, then you said that Nargles infest it so you've never stood under the mistletoe."
While it was amazing that she could remember word for word conversations from over a decade ago, it was frustrating that she had actually believed his tall tale. He had tried to work on her gullibility over the past few years, but was finding it much harder to change than being a door mat.
"Can't we at least have silk mistletoe?"
She appeared to be lost in thought for a moment, then told him, "I suppose, but I'm not going to stand under it just the same."
"Fine then, I'll just snog you senseless next to the tree." This prompted a fit of giggles to escape her. As he had found out a month into their relationship, tickling her also led to her becoming breathless with laughter, so he decided to not waste any time and mercilessly tickled her until they were both collapsed on the floor.
"I don't think you should snog me senseless next to the tree during our party." She announced once she got her breath back.
"Why not?"
"You might make the older folk die of shock." She replied, holding her sides and wincing as several more giggles came out.
"Yes, I think you're right." he said, pretending to also be lost in thought. "I think I'll just snog you senseless right now." With that, she rolled on top of him. Apparently, she had thought it a good idea to.
----------------
He had sneaked a peek at her when she had been baking. He wanted to make sure she didn't burn or cut herself like she usually did when she was cooking, as her thoughts were frequently located far above the heavens. Thankfully, she had appeared to be accident free in the brief glimpse that he had seen. The image of Luna with her hair all tied up in a messy bun; unusually flushed cheeks and a streak of flour on her button-like nose had caused him to grin.In fact, when he had Flooed Fortescue's Fine Cuisine (this Fortescue was the nephew of the ice cream parlour owner), he was still ginning. One of the dishwashers commented that he must have received an early gift from his girlfriend with an over-exaggerated wink, who was promptly smacked up the side of his head by the head chef.
Draco narrowed his eyes and placed his hand on his wand (hidden in his cloak pocket).
"Excuse me?" he asked coldly.
The young wizard cringed. "I'm so sorry... I didn't mean anything by it."
His insides froze. Not only had he insulted Luna, but he had also insulted Draco. He wouldn't stand for it.
Draco leaned in and whispered in icy fury, "I'm sure you didn't. All the same, I'll make sure you're unemployed by the end of the evening." He noticed the boy was shaking as Draco left the room.
It had been too long since people had trembled when he was near, and he had missed it. He could get quite used to it again. He made a mental note to tell Fortescue about the vulgar employee precisely when the topic of price and payment came up, hoping that the inconvenience of that shameful episode he had just experience would count for a substantial discout.
Draco gave short and sharp responses to all of Fortescue's question's, not giving any more information than was necessary. Of course, Fortescue valued his patronage, so he was indeed offered a great reduction in the total bill, along with the assurance that the little miscreant would be out on his backside as soon as their meeting concluded.
----------------
The decorations were amazing. He had rather underestimated Luna's abilities and now refined taste. He entered the Drawing Room, and saw snow that refused to melt falling from the ceiling. Shelves on the walls that were usually carried interesting artefacts had icicles hanging off them. Ice sculptures glittered all around the room, his favorite was of a massive polar bear with a fish in its mouth. Next, he walked into the Lounge, where everything was dark except for gold and silver boxes that looked like wrapped presents cast a soft glow on the room's occupants as they drifted around the room. Then, he passed into the Ball Room. There was a massive tree in the center, decorated with irredescent bubbles, ribbons, and live fairies. Small shrubs of pointsettias the perimeter of the room. Draco traveled into the Dining Room. The massive table was aligned with crystal, silver and fine china. Chocolate name cards sat at each of the place settings. Along the center, hundreds of candles of various shapes and sizes (each more beatiful than the next) were lit except for a few at the end farthest from him. It was then that he spotted Luna. Her fringe was pulled to one side, and he could see she was yet again lost in thought. He was about to walk over to her, when she seared her finger on the flame of a nearby candle.
"Typical. Do all that baking and not a single burn. Light a few candles, and poof!" he drawled as he swaggered over to her.
She didn't appear to have heard him until she said, "Happy Christmas to you too, Draco."
He smirked, knowing she wasn't saying it sarcastically to tease him back. She straightened up once she was done her task, and tilted her head as she took in his dress robes. His were a Slytherin green velvet, with Celtic knots embroidered in silver on the hems, sleeves and collar. Hers were a silky satin that looked either black or the colour of wine depending on the way the light hit it.
"Glasonbury torr. No, they're not here yet, so you'll have to hold that thought for later." He sweared her thoughts were so randomly put together it was a miracle that anyone understood her half the time. Frighteningly enough, he could understand her quite well now. He offered her his hand palm up.
"Then dance with me."
She placed her hand on his and walked with him into the Ball Room. They turned to face one another.
"No dancing under the mistletoe," she reminded him before they started to waltz around the room.