Disclaimer: I do not own any characters created by J.K. Rowling.

Author's Note: I am very sorry for the lateness of this update. Over the last three weeks now (wow has it really been that long?) I have been suffering with some horrible symptoms that leave my left leg and arm in agonising pain for long periods of time. Naturally, this makes it difficult to write freehand let alone type. I will be taking my time from this point on and keep plugging away at my stories in the intervals where I AM pain free.

B x

Chapter Twenty-Two

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~Christmas Day~

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The floo roared to life, the green flames flashing violently as Andromeda stepped out onto the hearth with Teddy cradled against her chest. She stepped to one side, brushing soot off her robes and wiping at Teddy's cheeks with a handkerchief, before another roar from the fireplace announced Draco's arrival.

"Ah, there you are dear. I was worried you'd gotten lost," she teased, offering him a clean handkerchief to wipe the dust from his face.

He accepted it with an eye roll. "Not likely, Auntie."

A doorway upstairs shut. The thundering of feet hurried across the landing and down the staircase. "Draco! Draco! Draco! Draco! Draco!" Harry skidded to a stop in the doorway, his hair ruffled, his eyes bright behind his glasses and his Spider-man print pyjamas seeming just a little too short on his wrists and ankles. "You're back!" he beamed, running at Draco with his arms stretched wide for a hug.

Draco fought the muscles in his face but was unable to stop the smile from breaking free. Bending down, he grabbed Harry under the arms and planted him firmly on his hip with a grunt. The kid was getting a little too big for this lark. "Merry Christmas to you too, Harry. Did you miss me?"

"Yes!" Harry nodded enthusiastically. "But I had to stay here and go to sleep otherwise Santa wouldn't bring me any presents."

"Well look," Draco turned and showed the huge stack of brightly coloured gifts under the tree. "Looks like Santa came and left without you knowing."

Harry's mouth dropped open. "Wow! Wait …" he frowned. "You weren't here last night, does that mean Santa didn't get you a present?"

Draco felt his smile drop. "I wasn't a very good boy this year, Harry. I don't think I'll have any presents from Santa."

"Oh," Harry dropped his head and started to pluck at the silver snake pin on Draco's collar. "Did you say a bad word?"

Andromeda snickered.

Draco nodded, "Yes, I said a few bad words. I did some naughty things, but I'm trying to be good now."

"Oh, well that's okay then. Daddy says as long as you try to do your best that's what counts."

"It does indeed, squirt," Remus appeared in the doorway with a mug of coffee. "Glad to see you're all extremely early this morning. Would anyone like some tea and breakfast?"

"That would be lovely," Andromeda smiled, crossing the room and stroked Remus' fringe out of his eyes. "You need a haircut, young man."

He swatted her hand away, "Yes, yes, I'm fully aware." Tenderly lifting Teddy out of her arms, he pressed a kiss to the child's plump cheek. "I missed you, little man. Who'd have thought I'd miss waking up at 4am to change you, eh?"

Andromeda chuckled as they turned to head to the kitchen. "You're welcome to that part of his life as long as you want."

As they disappeared down the hallway, Draco settled Harry back down onto the floor. "Come on then, kid, let's get some breakfast and then you can open your presents."

"Wait!" Harry tugged on Draco's hand, pulling him to a stop. "Have you seen my Daddy? I went in his room to wake him up, but he wasn't in there."

Draco frowned. "Maybe he was in the bathroom."

"Nuh uh, I checked."

"I'll go and see where he is, okay? Why don't you go and have breakfast with the others, and I'll find Sir – er- your Dad?"

Harry pouted, swinging gently on Draco's hand before letting go. "Okay."

Draco stood in the entryway until he saw Harry step down into the kitchen and closed the door behind him. Hanging his blazer up for the time being, he took the stairs two at a time and started looking through each room. The third floor was empty, as was the second. None of the bathrooms were occupied. He was just beginning to think about panicking when he looked out of the second storey window out onto the back garden and frozen. Sirius was sitting in the frosty grass, a man-shaped green patch where he'd been lying for who knew how long.

"What the fuck?" he hissed to himself.

He hurried down the stairs and pried open the back door. The bite of the cold air made every muscle tighten. He hunched over, arms tightly wrapped around himself as he stalked across the patio and down onto the crisp grass. He made his way to Sirius, his teeth already chattering.

"W-what are y-you d-doing out h-here?"

Sirius glanced up at him, his face drawn and taut, his curls hanging limply around his cheeks. "Get b-back inside D-Draco. I'll b-be down before lunch."

"I'm not g-going in without you," Draco ground out.

With a sigh, Sirius forced himself to his feet, wrapped his arms around himself and allowed Draco to guide him back up into the house. Draco accompanied his cousin to a bathroom on the second floor. Sirius sat down listlessly on the toilet seat whilst Draco hesitated, before running water into the bathtub. As steam rose in the room, the frost that had accumulated on Sirius' person began to melt. The older man shivered as icy drops ran into his collar and down his chest.

Once the water was deep enough, Draco turned around to give Sirius some privacy as he shrugged out of his sodden clothes and slid into the frothy bath. Turning back to him, Draco scooped up the clothes off the floor. "Do you want me to get you anything?"

Sirius shook his head, "My robes on the back of the door. I'll be fine."

Draco hovered for a moment, before leaving his cousin to his own devices.

He returned to the ground floor just as the chime of the floo opening at 10 o'clock rang out. Side-stepping into the lounge, Draco closed the door and watched as the flames flared green and roared upwards. His stomach lurched as Narcissa appeared in the fireplace and stepped out onto the hearthrug, dusting soot from her simple robes. He felt a momentary sadness overwhelm him; his mother used to love dressing her finest for Christmas, not simply for appearances sake, but because she liked to dress-up. Unfortunately, all their most expensive clothing had been confiscated and auctioned off as part of their reparations.

She cleared her throat, bringing him sharply back to the present. He smiled and hurried to her; arms outstretched. She caught him, a smile playing on her lips as she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face against his shoulder. Draco sighed, burying his nose in her hair and squeezing.

"I'm so glad they let you come here today," he murmured, slowly pulling away.

"So am I, dragon," she sighed, a strained smile on her face as she released him. Gently touching at her hair to make sure it was in place. She was nervous. Her grey eyes darted towards the door, her lips pressing together. "I had rather expected everyone to be in here."

"They're all in the kitchen, having something to eat."

"Ah, I see." She glanced him up and down and nodded approvingly, "You look very handsome, dear. What is this you're wearing?" She touched the lapel of his blazer.

"It's a muggle blazer. Sirius and Remus insisted I may need one. I haven't had an excuse to wear it until today."

Narcissa hummed thoughtfully, "I never thought I'd say it, but it suits you very well."

Draco couldn't help but preen a little. He hadn't felt anything like his old confident self since long before the trials. Extending his arm for his mother to take he said, "Shall we go down and join everyone?"

Narcissa froze, her hand on his forearm. "Is … is my sister here?" she breathed.

"Andromeda? Yes, she's here with her grandson."

"Oh, yes. He was born right before the final battle, wasn't he?"

Draco nodded solemnly. "Andromeda has been very kind to me."

Narcissa nodded curly. Drawing in a deep breath, she sighed. "I suppose we may as well get this over with."

Walking down towards the kitchen was a little awkward considering how narrow the hallway was. However, they managed to squeeze down, shoulder-to-shoulder. Draco opened the door and stepped down into the kitchen, clearing his throat so that he could get everyone's attention. Doing a quick scan of the room, he noted that Sirius still wasn't present.

"Everyone, I just wanted to let you know that … um …" he swallowed thickly. "My mother has just arrived."

Remus's eyebrows rose. "I didn't hear the floo. Bring her in, I'll put the kettle back on."

Draco nodded stiffly and stepped down into the kitchen. He noted the hush of his mother's robes on the tiled floor as she appeared in the doorway. "Good morning everyone," she said, adopting the detached voice she usually wore when attending ministry functions with his father. "I'm honoured that you would be willing to host me for Christmas after … everything."

A chair scraped back against the floor.

Andromeda was on her feel, her wide eyes narrowed slightly as she walked along the length of the decorated table to stand a few feet in front of her sister and nephew. Draco heard his mother's breath hitch behind him.

"Narcissa."

"Andromeda."

"It's been a while."

"It has."

They stared at one another, a thousand unspoken arguments, insults and apologies racing through the air between them. Draco couldn't even begin to imagine how difficult this was; one sister disowned from her family for marrying a muggle, the other one having fallen quite spectacularly from grace mere months beforehand. It was enough to make anyone's head spin.

"We have a lot to discuss," Andromeda stated in a clipped tone."

"Yes," Narcissa sighed. "Yes, we do."

"But not today." Draco's head snapped up to stare at his aunt. In that moment he saw that she was definitely a Black daughter with the way she held herself, the regal tilt of her head. "Today is a time for family, old and new, to celebrate. Any other such things can be discussed later."

"I … I would like that very much."

"Good," a curt nod. "Would you like to meet your great-nephew?"

Narcissa let out a soft 'yes' and was soon guided around the kitchen table to sit adjacent to her long-lost sister, baby Teddy in the middle happily grizzling away in his chair whilst gumming a muggle toy.

Sighing with relief, Draco took a seat on his mother's other side. Remus came to sit down beside Andromeda, setting several mugs of tea on the table before returning to the cooker. "Draco do you want some eggs on toast?"

"Do you have any bacon as well?"

"Of course, I do!"

"Then yes please, I'm rather hungry."

"Narcissa would you like anything?"

"I -no, thank you. I had something before I floo-ed over."

A plate of food hovered over, and Draco plucked it out of the air with a smile. It was only then that he noticed Harry wasn't at the table. At his frown, Remus waved a spatula at the ceiling, "He ran upstairs looking for Sirius."

Andromeda eased her sister into a somewhat stilted conversation; although the tension was thick around them, Draco was mildly amused that neither woman faltered in finding something to discuss. Breakfast was served, and suddenly Draco didn't care that he wanted to prove to his mother that living without magic hadn't changed him; he dug straight into the meal as though it were his last. He could feel her eyes on him, but he wasn't at all bothered. Remus' breakfasts, he'd come to find, were worth looking like a slob for.

Once finished, he took his and Remus' empty plates to the sink, despite having his wand tucked safely away in his bedside drawer. As he was stacking the now clean plates onto the side, the kitchen door swung open to reveal a worn-out but immaculate Sirius. He smiled at the two women sat at the table. He even did a little bow, taking first Andromeda's hand and then Narcissa's, kissing their knuckles in such a dramatic manner.

"Ah, to be in the presence of such beauty as my two lovely cousins!" he beamed dreamily. "Such a pleasure you were able to be here for Christmas, Cissy."

Narcissa pulled a face, "Please don't use that nickname, Sirius! It's ghastly!"

"Lighten up," Andromeda smirked. "It's only for one day."

"Yes, but the letters will last a lifetime," Narcissa bemoaned drily.

The kitchen door slammed open, making everyone jump.

"Daddy! Can we open Christmas presents now?"

Draco felt his heart lurch in his chest. Sirius recovered quickly and straightened up. "Now, pup, we agreed that as soon as everyone is finished with breakfast, we'll open presents."

Harry frowned before hurrying over to Draco and tugging on his sleeve. Rolling his eyes with a sigh, he lowered his head so that Harry could whisper in his ear. "Are you finished eating, Draco?"

"Yes, Harry, I am."

Turning a broad grin to his godfather Harry announced, "Then it's time to open presents!"

The kid was so enthusiastic, he turned and hurried up the few steps and out into the main hall.

The silence in the kitchen hung hot and heavy, making Draco wish he could claw his own skin off. He chanced a glance up at his mother, who's face looked frozen in shock. He braced himself for what was coming.

"Would someone please like to tell me why the FUCK Harry Potter is a child?!"

~0~

It took an hour to calm Narcissa down.

Draco was in the lounge trying to entertain Harry as much as possible, to distract him from the absence of other adults and the lack of opening Christmas presents. He was shocked when Remus had snuck into the room and murmured 'Alohamora' at the drink's cabinet, snuck a bottle of firewhiskey out, and held his finger to his lips before slipping back out. Harry hadn't even looked up from the game of 'Snaps!' he was playing with Draco.

Not long after, Remus and the others entered the lounge without Narcissa. Taking Draco to one side, Sirius murmured, "I think your mother wants a quiet minute with you. She's had a bit of a shock."

"Yes, I know how she feels," he'd replied quietly. With a clap on the back from his cousin, Draco excused himself and hurried down into the kitchen. He closed the door behind him and frowned as he took a seat beside his mother at the worn kitchen table. They sat in silence for what felt like forever. Draco chewed on the inside of his cheek, his palms sweating. "Mother?" he eventually said. "Are you alright?"

She turned to look at his as though not really seeing him. "Yes, dear. I'm just … surprised, that's all."

Draco nodded mutely.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was sworn to secrecy. I couldn't. Besides, you know our letters are monitored and no doubt intercepted. I didn't want to risk Harry getting exposed for what he did."

Narcissa nodded. "I can understand that. I just … I was unprepared. I hadn't expected to see him so … young."

Draco hummed softly. "It … took me a while to get used to it."

"I can imagine."

They lapsed into silence once again.

"So … has this been helping you? Come to terms with … living without magic?"

A little," Draco admitted. "Sirius has been pushing me in at the deep-end a lot, especially in regard to childcare and working around two children. Remus had been more patient, even teaching me to cook the muggle way a little bit."

"Really?" her eyebrows shot up. "I'm impressed, dear. Hopefully you can cook for me one day soon."

"Have you learned, mother?"

"I have … struggled," she sighed. "Hopefully after the New Year you could send me memories of Remus teaching you to cook. Perhaps I could learn the muggle way as well."

Smiling widely, Draco said, "I'd love that very much, mother." He took her hand in his own and stood. "Let us go next door so Potter can open his presents."

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Harry was bouncing on the carpet as he anxiously waited to open the tall mound of presents. He really had gotten spoiled. Remus had a distant look on his face, that he forced into a tense smile whenever he felt someone's eyes on him. Draco wanted to ask him what was going on between him and Sirius, but there was enough drama to deal with today, without adding THAT into the mix.

"Alright, kiddo, time to open your presents!" Sirius grinned, kneeling down beside Harry, a garish muggle Santa hat on his head. Grabbing a present from the pile he plonked it down on the carpet. "Now this one is from … me!"

"Wow, it's big!" Harry grinned, his hands gripping at the paper and ripping. The paper tore away to reveal a small broomstick, it's twigs sleek and smoothed into a perfect bulb at the end. "A broom?! Wow, Daddy this is brilliant! I can't wait to ride it!" Leaping to his feet, Harry flung himself at Sirius, his arms around his neck and almost toppled them back into the tree.

"At least this time he's a more appropriate age for this," Remus said.

Sirius rolled his eyes good naturedly before handing Harry another present.

For another thirty minutes, they all watched as Harry ripped his way through his pile of presents; from Mrs. Weasley he got a miniature knitted jumper as well as a new hat and mittens that he'd outgrow within a few weeks, a few muggle toys called 'ACTION MAN' from Hermione and a children's first snitch from Ron. From Remus, he got a couple of age-appropriate books and some art-and-craft kits, which would definitely help to entertain on those rainy days. From Andromeda he received a few boards games, muggle and magical, along with a few clothes in various sizes.

Draco felt his hands grow clammy as his presents were placed in front of Harry. He hadn't known what to get the kid and he'd tried to think of some way he would be able to help Harry as he aged. Harry plucked at the nametag and beamed up at Draco after mouthing his name. Tearing open the paper of the first present, Harry lifted out a stuffed dragon. He gasped when the pudgy stuffed wings flapped and a plume of lavender smoke puffed from his nostrils when Harry squeezed it.

Without any prompting from Sirius, Harry stood up, dragon in arms, and almost knocked Draco over again in his eagerness for a hug.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" he chimed, bouncing up and down, his arms squeezing Draco's legs tightly.

Everyone chuckled, the atmosphere lightening a little bit. Draco could feel the weight of his mother's gaze on him and he slowly extracted himself from Potter's grasp. "You're welcome, Harry."

"Oh … you have another one here, Harry."

The wrapping paper was torn off eagerly and Harry frowned down at the box in his hands. Sirius glanced at the box over Harry's head and let out a loud bark of laughter, "Oh, blondie that's brilliant!"

"What is it?" Andromeda asked, smiling.

Sirius held the box up. On the front, in bright, bold letters were the words '101 MAGICAL POTIONS EXPERIMENTS FOR KIDS!' Andromeda chuckled as did Narcissa, whereas Remus merely shook his head fondly.

"I'm telling you all, here and now, I am NOT cleaning up that lab when Harry gets purple goop over everything."

Everyone dissolved into laughter as Sirius called for Kreacher to get everyone a cup of tea. The old elf obliged, bowing until his ears nearly stroked the floor, before disappearing with a crack! As everyone's cups was refilled, the presents for everyone else was handed around. As Sirius handed them out, he felt his heart droop a little and not seeing anything for him with Remus' handwriting on it. He'd toyed with the idea of buying anything for his friend, the last week having been an unmitigated disaster that happened AFTER he'd finally caved. He left said present under the tree; it was small so no one would notice.

Draco received an array of thick, muggle clothing that would help him through the winter, some new notebooks and quills for his assignments, some rare potions ingredients that he wasn't sure he had a use for, but was grateful for regardless. Narcissa gave him a sad smile. He knew how she felt; it had been hard to fund Christmas presents this year. He didn't hold it against his mother, and he hoped she felt the same.

The other exchanged their gifts; Sirius got a box of muggle sweets that had his eyes light up like Christmas decorations, along with a snazzy silk waistcoat from Andromeda and a new paperback book, apparently from some muggle author he really liked. Draco noticed that Remus didn't offer his cousin anything and had to bite his tongue really hard from saying anything.

Remus got a load of new cardigans from Andromeda -at his protests she'd tutted at him and her disapproving stare made the mild man shrink a little -a photo frame with a moving photo inside of Teddy and himself from a few weeks prior.

Once everything had unwrapped and the wrapping paper vanished, Sirius scooped Harry up and plopped him down on the sofa beside Andromeda and Teddy. "Watch my little man, will you, Andi? I have to get dinner started."

"You're cooking?" Narcissa asked, her eyebrows arching in surprise.

Sirius nodded, "Tastes better when cooked the muggle way. Mostly."

"Do you want some help?" Remus offered. Sirius and Draco snapped their heads to him. Remus ignored them both, adopting an innocently placid expression. "At least I can help peel and chop things. You can't cook the entire meal by yourself."

"I … er … yeah, sure! That's be great!"

The two men left the room.

As soon as the door closed, Andromeda flicked her wand at the door and cast a Muffliato. Adjusting Teddy in her lap, she turned to Draco and leaned a little closer, "Now, nephew dear, would you care to tell me what on earth is going on with those two?"

~0~

It was a few hours later in the kitchen. Everything that had needed peeling or chopping had been handled within the first hour. The chicken was sizzling slowly in its own juices, darkening to a beautiful golden colour, all the timers were set and now they were working on perfecting the potatoes in a separate oven as well as the pudding. Sirius had complained, not wanting a fig pudding as no fruit should ever be allowed near a cake for dessert. Remus had rolled his eyes and said that they could make chocolate lava cake instead.

It had gone well. The only real magic they used was a stasis charm on anything that was ready. The table was laid out, ready and waiting, whilst Sirius flicked his wand at the used utensils in the sink and set the scours to scrubbing. Remus had cocked an eyebrow.

"I said I wouldn't use charms for cooking, not for cleaning," Sirius retorted to Remus' judgemental silence.

Remus chuckled as he continued working on the chocolate pudding. He set the three puddings into the oven, flicked his wand, and cast a stasis charm on them, before turning to toss his implements into the sink.

"Finally!" Remus sighed, swiping a hand across his brow. "I am exhausted. I don't think I have the energy to eat."

Sirius laughed and raked a hand through his ear. There was a small smear of chocolate right by Remus' lip. He reached out and wiped at the smear with his thumb. Remus stiffened at the contact; the light atmosphere replaced with something cloying. Their eyes locked for a brief moment before Sirius cleared his throat. "Er … you just had some chocolate … right there."

"Oh," Remus used the cuff of his Christmas jumper to wipe at spot on his face.

Sirius felt the words forcing their way up his throat. He could say it now, whilst they were alone. Movement from above caught his eye and his heart thrummed achingly.

Mistletoe.

Remus glanced above them and felt everything tense.

As he was about to open his mouth the kitchen door forcefully swung open. "Daddy! I'm hungry!"

Sirius jerked away, hurrying over to scoop Harry up and tickle him. Remus turned back to the counter to busy himself with wiping the sides down, willing the colour in his cheeks to subside. He drew in deep breaths, calming himself down. He nearly jumped when he saw a stray mistletoe leaf drift down onto the spotless counter. He swiped it away into the sink before turning back to face the room.

"Take your seats everyone!" Sirius grinned with forced cheer. "We didn't slave away all afternoon for you to look at it!"

With a flick of his wand the stasis charms vanished, and the fresh cloud of aromas burst into the air. Crackers were pulled and silly and tissue hats were placed haphazardly onto people's heads. Remus laughed as the lame jokes were told, anecdotes were shared and solemnly raised his glass when they made a toast, over dessert, for their missing loved ones. He tucked into his sinfully decadent chocolate pudding, his insides were twisting at the sadness he felt for the absence of Dora, and for the way his heart had skipped at Sirius referring to them as 'we'.

Once the kitchen was cleared -leftovers having been placed in the fridge or in containers for Narcissa to take home and were all under stasis charms -they retired back into the lounge where Narcissa had her first experience with muggle TV. Draco was a little more used to it, but he had never seen 'THE GRINCH' before. Andromeda laughed every time either of them jumped or gasped at what they saw on the screen. Sirius thought it would be lovely to have some photos and so he disappeared to retrieve one.

When he came back down his heart stopped in his throat as Harry had come to stand right in front of Narcissa. They were staring at one another curiously, Harry's head tilting slightly. "Are you Draco's Mama?" he asked.

"Yes, dear, I am."

"Oh," his face looked distant for a moment. "You seem really nice."

"Thank you, young man. You seem very nice too."

"Daddy always tells me to be polite," he beamed brightly. "Did you know I don't have a mama?"

"I … yes, I do know that. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I have my Daddy and he loves me. I'm glad Draco has a Mama who's as nice as you."

"Oh, why is that?"

"Because Draco is the nicest person I know! He must have learned from you, cause I learned all my manners from Daddy!"

Narcissa smiled, "He taught you very well, didn't he?" She reached out and tickled his cheek. He giggled and shied away slightly. "So why do you think Draco is nice?"

"He watches my favourite movies with me, and he doesn't yell when I'm bad, and and and sometimes he tucks me in at night, but only sometimes." He drew in a breath and then continued, "He also loves playing games with me and he's the best Seeker ever!"

"Seeker?" Narcissa cocked an eyebrow. "You two have played Quidditch?"

"No, daddy says I'm still too little, but we plays hide and seeks! And Draco is the best Seeker ever! He always finds me super fast!"

Narcissa laughed brightly, her eyes catching Draco's as he groaned and dropped his head into his hands in embarrassment. It was the most perfect image as Sirius uncapped the lens and snapped a photo.

The rest of the evening passed with a lot of photos. Draco saw his mother get a little emotional; they hadn't had any casual or candid photos for years at the Manor. Sirius took enough photos to fill an entire album, and Draco was more than happy for it. Andromeda had even looped an arm around her sister's waist and pulled her close, the first photo of the both of them for over twenty years.

At some point throughout the course of the evening, Draco heard his mother and aunt discussing muggle cooking, and Andromeda had even offered to give his mother some tips. She'd had to learn at one point, herself, as Ted had only known how to cook the muggle way.

10 o'clock chimed from the grandfather clock and the floo roared to life, startling all of them. An Auror stepped through, his robes dusting soot along the hearthrug. "Narcissa Malfoy, I am here to escort you back to your premises where your probation will be resumed."

Nodding curtly, Narcissa stood and embraced her sister. A few words were murmured back and forth, before she swooped in to hug Draco and whispered, "I love you my Dragon. Write to me," into his ear. She then hugged and kissed Sirius and Remus on the cheek before making her way over to the hearth.

The auror was just about to wave his wand to bind her wrists, when something tugged at the sleeve of her robes. Glancing down, Narcissa was surprised to see Harry peering up at her with his wide, green eyes. Ignoring the auror, Narcissa crouched down so that she was eye-level with Harry. "Yes, dear, what is it?"

"Do you have to go away again?" he asked quietly.

"I'm afraid so, Harry."

Harry nodded solemnly. "I thought maybe you could have this," he mumbled, taking his hands from behind his back and presenting Narcissa with a white stuffed owl with large orange eyes. It was incredibly soft to the touch.

Taking the owl in her hands, Narcissa felt her heart clench in her chest. She blinked tears from her eyes and forced a smile as she absently stroked the feathers. "That's rather sweet of you, Harry, but don't you want to keep her?"

Harry shook his head, "Hootie kept me safe for a long time. Now she can keep you company! Until you come back and you're not lonely anymore!"

"What about you, dear?"

"I have my dragon now!" he grinned, pointing at the stuffed dragon perched by Draco's feet. "He'll look after me now!"

Narcissa bit her lip but was unable to hide her smile at the sentiment. "Well," she cleared her throat. "You have to look after your dragon, too, Harry. So that he grows big and strong to protect you even better."

Harry blinked up at her before leaning in and whispering, "He can't really grow. He's a teddy!"

Narcissa laughed gently. "Well in that case, you have to look after him anyway," her eyes met Draco's above the mop of black hair. "Dragon's need protecting too." She pulled Harry to her chest and hugged him tightly, the tears springing forth and he hugged her around the neck. She stroked his back a few times, the way she used to do when Draco was young, before pulling back and straightening up. "Thank you for having me everyone. Have a lovely new year."

The auror flicked his wand and thin, gold cuffs gleamed around Narcissa's wrists. She stepped up beside the auror into the fireplace. He spoke loud and clear when he recited her current address and then they vanished in a roar of emerald green flames.

"I think I'd best make a move as well," Andromeda said as the green flames died down. "Get little Teddy tucked up into bed."

"Do you want me to come through with you?" Remus asked.

"No, you're okay," she smiled tiredly at him. "I'd rather like to sleep myself. I wouldn't want you to be alone."

No one had the nerve to argue with her as she summoned her cloak from the coat hooks in the hallway, along with Teddy's baby carrier. Adjusting her cloak around her neck, she tucked Teddy into his carrier and lifted it into the crook of her elbow. "We'll be back again tomorrow afternoon. Try to get some rest."

She pressed a kiss to Sirius and Remus' cheeks before hugging Harry and then Draco with one arm. She took a pinch of floo powder from the pot on the mantle, tossed it into the flames and recited her address before she, too, vanished in a swirl of emerald light.

~0~

Just before 11 o'clock, Draco took Harry up to bed, the child dozing instantly on Draco's shoulder as he was carried out of the room, his dragon hanging limply over the blonde's shoulder. Sirius smiled wistfully at the blonde, before the atmosphere grew thing around him, like algae. He was alone with Remus once again, something that he was well aware the other man had wanted to avoid since the cooking debacle.

He toyed with his empty glass. He could feel his heartrate picking up speed as he debated on whether to open his mouth or not. He swallowed thickly. "Moony I –"

"Sirius."

He looked up; eyebrows raised expectantly. Remus was in much the same position as himself, his head bows as he toyed with the glass in his lap.

"I'm sorry," Remus sighed, rubbing awkwardly at his brow. "I've been making things awkward between us for a while. I should know when it gets to this sort of … time."

"Time?"

"For me to bow out. Step aside."

"Step aside -Moony what are you talking about?"

"I think I need to … um … l-live with Andromeda for a while. Let things settle down between us."

Sirius snorted and downed the last of his whiskey with a wince. It burned on the way down and he fought a cough. "Do you really think you moving out for a few weeks is going to stop all of this from happening?" He glanced up and cocked a derisive eyebrow at his companion. "You really think it'll stop me from wanting you lying next to me every night? From wanting to take care of you on a full moon? From caring for Teddy as though he were my son?"

Remus sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "Sirius you haven't dated much. You don't know what's out there, what you want -"

"Why do I need to go out looking for something when it's right here in front of me?" he challenged. "You think I'll go out there and meet the great love of my life?"

"It's possible."

"It's bullshit, Remus, and you know it!" he growled. Turning in his seat, he placed his arm on the back of the sofa and stared at Remus. "Do you really think I'm going to want them to touch me? Do you think I'll not compare their hair to yours and how it feels through my fingers? You don't think I'll judge them on how they like to take their tea or coffee and not instantly think of you?"

"Sirius you can't know that you love me!" Remus protested, his bright eyes almost pleading, for what he did not know. "How long have you even felt this way? A few months perhaps, since you came back?"

Another cold laugh came from Sirius' mouth. It made Remus flinch. "You want to know how long? Since fifth year! And it was doubly confirmed in sixth year, when we brewed amorentia at school!"

Remus' cheeks flared red and his lips trembled as the words sank in. "N-no, you're mistaken."

"Oh, am I?" Sirius challenged, his eyes burning a deep, smouldering grey. "Tell me what you smelled."

"It's irrelevant!"

"Well, mine smelled suspiciously like dark chocolate, being out in the forbidden forest, that old smell of books and parchment and then of course, the kicker, Earl Grey tea. Now, who does that remind you of?"

Remus swallowed thickly the lump in his throat making it hard to speak. He felt jittery inside, his thoughts an erratic mess as the warmth of Sirius' body drew closer across the sofa. He was so close Remus was sure he could count every black eyelash that surrounded those beautiful grey eyes. He felt a small flame tickle his insides, but he trampled it down instantly.

He wasn't allowed to feel those things. He'd gotten lucky enough once that someone like Dora would love him but … that was short-lived as he'd always suspected it would be. If it hadn't been for the war, he was positive he would have done something bad to either drive her away or worse.

Lightning didn't strike in the same place twice. That's what the muggles always said.

Sirius sighed, his fingers lightly tracing along Remus' shoulder. "I never want you to feel pressured by how I feel, Moony, and if you reject me for anything other than self-loathing, I promise to back off."

"But you won't know?"

"No," Sirius shook his head. "Because I know you're not thinking beyond that hatred of yourself."

Remus ground his teeth and dropped his gaze to his lap. There was no point in arguing with him.

Sirius' hand came up and stroked his jaw. "You really are beautiful, Remus," he murmured, his fingers teasing the hairs on the nape of his neck. A shiver ran down his spine and he immediately clamped down on the butterflies that stirred in his belly. "I wish you could see what I see."

Remus felt hot breath ghost against his neck and he closed his eyes. He was struggling to keep his composure, he could feel himself responding to the heady, masculine aroma drifting up from Sirius' collar. It shouldn't have made his mouth water, but it did, and he hated himself for being weak.

"Sirius," he murmured, turning to look up at his friend. They were so close now, barely a few centimetres between them. Maybe it wouldn't be such a terrible thing if he caved and gave-in to his emotions and desires? He shifted in his seat, the jittery excitement battling with his nerves until he felt his muscles shaking a little.

Sirius threaded his hand through Remus' hair and gave a gentle tug, earning him a soft gasp. Moving closer, he felt Remus lean back against the pillows. He leaned close, feel the sharp touch of shadow grazing against his jaw, his lips ghosting so close he could –

TAP! TAP! TAP!

"For Merlin's sake!" Sirius shouted, causing Remus to jump.

Sitting upright on the sofa, he smoothed his hair down and felt embarrassment and regret rush through him as Sirius opened the window, snatched the note from the owl outside and shooed it away. He slammed the window closed, cutting off the rush of cold air that whipped inside.

"Um …" Remus cleared his throat. "Who's the letter from?"

"Hermione," he grunted back. "She wants them to come over at some point tomorrow to discuss the Polyjuice nonsense with Draco."

"Ah, well, good."

Sirius pocketed the letter and raked his curls out of his eyes. He looked around the room, at the decorations and twinkling lights. With a flick of his wand, the fairy lights turned off, the room cleared itself and only the lamp in the corner remained on, illuminating them both. Remus stood up, dusting himself down and setting his empty glass on the coffee table.

"I suppose we should call it a night, eh?"

Sirius stopped him with a gentle hand on his chest before either of them made it out of the doorway. "Promise me one thing, Moony?"

"What's that?"

Sirius' shoulders slumped, his fingertips pressing a little more firmly against his companions chest. "Promise you won't leave? At least stay until new year?"

"Sirius -"

"Please? I don't want to worry the boys."

Remus pursed his lips before nodding slowly, "Of course. I'll stay and have a think on … everything."

Sirius gave a wan smile that didn't reach his eyes. A fluttering motion drew their eyes to the top of the door. Another sprig of mistletoe was curling out of thin air above them, the pale berries almost glowing white in the dim light. Exhaling slowly, Sirius leaned up and pressed a kiss to Remus' cheek. "Merry Christmas Remus," he murmured quietly, before letting his hand fall to his side.

Remus watched as the older man walked up the stairs. He sighed and raked a hand through his greying hair before flicking his wand at the last lamp, casting the entire house into darkness.

A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I know I've had similar complaints about my turn of phrase in the past but I shall like to answer those complaints here;

Remus is TALLER than Sirius but is YOUNGER than Sirius (by a few months).

Remus: born 10th March 1960, is 6'2" tall.

Sirius: born 3rd November 1959, is 5'5.9" tall.