I reallyyyy disliked writing this chapter, if the year and a half break didn't show that. But, hopefully, with it written and out of the way, I'll be a bit more enthusiastic to write for this story- however, it will not be my top priority. I started this book back in late 2019, and my writing has moved away from this now, but there will be an attempt ^-^
I hope you don't hate the chapter as much as I did writing it!

The ball was in full swing by the time Avior, his grandfather and grandmother finished their rounds. He was raring to get on with the festivities- as well as gorge on the snacks conveniently placed around the hall- but could not until after the hosts of the evening held their announcement.

There was great speculation about what the Malfoy family were going to announce- and why they felt the need to do it with so many people in attendance. He had heard all sorts of rumours, from the family trying to boost their reputation with a public donation to a charity, to a baseless accusation that they were moving out of the country!

Well, Avior hoped that the latter wasn't true, He'd sorely miss his best friend if they did, and would probably punch him after the ball for not telling him beforehand. With decorum, of course. And with nobody, especially his family, in sight.

But in the meanwhile, he had to stay with his family, at the side of the ballroom because there were so many of them in attendance, and wait for the Malfoy couple to climb the steps of the dias. The pair did so with grace he was infinitely jealous of, their sons trailing behind them, a perfect family of four that looked so dazzling with their fine clothes and snowy white hair compared to the majority in the hall.

Arcadius' father tapped his wine glass to gather the attention of those who had yet to pay attention, looking disapproving as he did so, dark blue eyes staring down at them with a cold stare that sent shivers down their spines. He cleared his throat and began his speech.

" We thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for joining us tonight for our Yule ball. It is an honour to host you all in our humble home-" Avior attempted to reign in his loud snort but was seemingly unsuccessful if the glare his mother sent him was anything to go by. "- And I know that there have been many rumours circling tonight about what we were going to announce, some as outlandish as that we are moving country. Why would we want to be anywhere but here, in this great country!" This drew cheers from the more patriotic in attendance. " No, the news we wished to announce is something much more special to us than that." There was a pause as Lord Malfoy looked to his wife, then to his two children who seemed just as eager to know. " We are expecting our third child, a little girl who will be the first female born to our family in many generations!"

A round of applause swept the hall at that. A magical birth was always something to celebrate, as it meant that their dwindling population still had hope in the next generation. Avior could already spot the greedy eyes of some in the crowd, obviously planning to have a child soon so that they could attempt a marriage between their own and the new Malfoy girl. It had apparently been the same for Arcadius' birth, as well as his own.

Usually, the pregnancy of the heir is kept a secret until after it, and only girls and extra heirs are announced to the public, to stop any attempts of assassination or pre-birth engagements due to similarity in age between a family's child and the other who was conceived only for that purpose.

" Thank you all dearly for your congratulations, may this child, and our magical society, be blessed by mother magic for many generations to come!" The cheers were almost deafening, and Avior could tell by the twitching of his grandfather's lip that he found the whole performance to be tasteless, raising his glass in silence. Avior copied him, although he could not help but smile in the direction of his friend, who seemed to be almost jumping for joy beside his nearly emotionless brother.

" May the child and our community be blessed for many generations to come." He murmured, sipping at the apple juice in his glass in sync with his family.

Evening

Once the ball was over, and they headed back to their homes, Avior's favourite part of the season came around. The gift-giving. Like every child, no matter that he was raised to always hold some sort of decorum, he went nuts when presents were involved, hopping around restlessly as he waited for his mother to hand him the parcel.

" Blessed Yule, Avi." His mother handed him a perfectly wrapped gift with a grin, nodding at him to open it when all he did was stare at the pictures dancing on the paper. He shook it lightly, hearing a small rattle. Curiosity forcing him, he quickly unwrapped it to the sight of a medium-sized box.

" It's not another ring, is it?" He asked, smiling up at his mother.

" Open it." She urged him once more, grinning.

He did, eyes widening at the sight of the pendant inside, inscribed with many runes. It was a beautiful thing, the pendant a black opal with sparks of colour and the chain silver, both obviously old, although most of the runes looked freshly cut into it. The magical aura surrounding it was intense and bright, its colours a mix of gold and silver that intertwined beautifully.

" It's a protection pendant, I got a runemaster to inscribe many of those runes, and your father even added some himself. It was my great-grandfather's, and he said that it had once been owned by his own many times' great-grandfathers who had received it from their mother, the last living Peverell. From the last Peverell to its family's new heir, poetic, yes? Do you like it?" His answer was clear to her as he lunged, arms wrapping around her neck tightly as he grinned tearily into it.

" I love it, thank you!" She held him tightly to her chest, relishing holding her youngest child.

Melania had been told, after the birth of her Orion, that the chances of her getting pregnant once more were close to zero. Both previous pregnancies had been harsh on her body, the near-death of both herself and Orion still fresh on her mind when she was informed. Still, she had hoped for another child, dearly wishing to give her children another sibling, her husband another child, and mother magic had heard her plea.

" You're welcome, Avi." She stroked his hair, watching her elder two wrestle over a book on advanced Ancient Runes in the background with a fond smile.

One of his father's gifts to him was learning a new, more advanced spell with him as tutelage, something of a rarity. He wanted to go straight to the duelling room but was persuaded to wait until at least tomorrow, much to his disagreement. The others he received were the typical gifts of age-appropriate spell books, lots of sweets, and an assortment of trinkets- such as a remembrall that thankfully didn't light up once he held it.

He got a brand new wizarding chess set from Orion and Lucretia, made out of white and black marble, encrusted lavishly with diamonds. Orion looked sheepish when he gifted it to him as he gaped, spluttering that it was much too extravagant for a Yule gift. It took ages for both of his siblings to persuade him to accept it, their parents looking on, amused.

Having only been able to owl order gifts once he was outside of Hogwarts, Avior was only able to get each of his closest family members a single gift, but he tried his best to make it one that they would appreciate. Such as his mothers-

" Oh, Avi! I love it, thank you my gorgeous darling!" She yanked him closer, planting a kiss right in on his cheek, much to his horror. As she pulled away to admire the crystal figures he has bought her, he scrubbed at his cheek with his hand, gaining a disapproving tut from his father. He was grabbed once more, this time, his cheek being attacked by a handkerchief. Avior struggled against the treatment, but his father held firm.

" Do not scrub at your cheek using your hand as a street urchin would, it is improper. Always use a handkerchief." His father chided, and he briefly stuck out his tongue in retaliation, earning himself a clip to the ear. " And what about my gift, hm? Did you remember to get your dear old dad something?"

Avior pouted, pointing to the tree. " Of course I did, It's under the tree." His father beamed, hurrying to the tree with a childish gait and diving under it. The present was a small one, but he thought he had chosen it well. "Cufflinks, and the ones I pointed out to your mother a few weeks ago." He received a nod, and turned away happy at that to observe his brother's reaction to his gift, but was pulled into a ferocious hug. "Thank you, Avi."

He blushed and squirmed, yanking to get out of the hold. How embarrassing! He was already eleven, he didn't want to be hugged! "Dad!"

His father simply chuckled, watching with him as Orion eagerly unwrapped his gift.

"Oh, wow! It's got diamonds on it!"

"How pretty!"

He had gotten Orion a notebook with five-thousand pages of different sorts, the book itself thin to the eye and easy to carry. And as for his sister-

"A Kitten! Oh, how lovely! She's got such a pretty collar!"

"A KITTEN!?"