A/N: Welcome new readers! Welcome back old readers!
Seasons greetings to everyone! Are your Christmas trees up yet?
Their clothes were lying discarded all over the room as Draco gently stroked Hermione's hair in bed.
"So this is an exact replica of your Dorm Room?" Hermione said looking around as he held her from behind.
"Mmhmmm…" He hummed kissing her collarbone. She smiled and turned around.
Grey met brown and her heart skipped a beat at the intensity with which he looked at her
"Marry me…." Draco said
Hermione burst out laughing "What?"
"Don't you want to?" Draco asked pouting
"Eventually… yes… we're not even done with school… you're not even of age… and by muggle standards I have no intention of marrying before I'm at least 30…" Hermione said seriously
"30! Do you want me to be a father or a grandfather!" Draco asked distraught
Hermione laughed and kissed him but he was still pouting "Let's first make this world safe enough to have kids…" she said
"The world is always going to find a way to go to hell…" Draco said leaning back into the pillows and pulling her with him "Just wait till my parents find out…." He said rolling his eyes and smirking
Hermione's eye's suddenly went wide as she remembered what Narcissa and McGonagall saw as she had destroyed the horcrux in Snape's house… "Errrr….. about that…." Hermione said sitting up looking worried "I think your mother might already know…"
Draco's eye's went wide with shock "WHAATTT!"
—
"You are a sublime dancer Miss Lovegood" Blaise said formally as he bowed and led Luna of the dance floor. He said it loud enough for everyone to hear and then followed it up with a kiss on her hand
Luna smiled knowingly and said "Would you care to join me under the mistletoe so that I might thank you properly Mr. Zabini…"
Ginny Wesley's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. Harry choked on his drink and Ron groaned and whispered to Harry "I can't believe I'm saying this, but 'Mione's a bad influence…"
—
The typical Christmas eve bash of Malfoy manor still happened. Despite Voldemort putting a damper on the festivities, Narcissa instead on keeping up appearances. She had limited the guest list to close friends and family only but the decorations, food and wine were still the very best. Even after being pumped with potions by the best healers in the Wizarding world, Lucius Malfoy was looking pale and his left hand had developed a bit of a twitch from all the torture he'd recently endured. The inner circle of death eaters and their families had been invited. They had a few dances and then decided to have dinner. Snape did not make it as he needed to be present at Hogwarts but everyone noticed that McNair was missing as well.
"Did the dark lord send him on another mission?" Nott asked as he dug into the feast "by the way excellent roast Narcissa…"
Narcissa raised a glass lightly in acknowledgement…
"Not to my knowledge… Lucius?" Yaxley mused
Lucius merely shook his head
"Will the dark lord not be joining us?" Crabbe asked stuffing his face
Yaxley, Nott, Lucius and their wives all looked at Crabbe like he had lost his mind…
After the dinner, desserts, a spot of peppermint tea and some very poor conversation from Bellatrix, everyone had finally retired for the night.
Narcissa had changed into her nightgown but Lucius was sitting by the fire nursing a fire whiskey
"Come to bed…" She said gently
"I have a bad feeling about McNair…" Lucius said as the fire danced in his eyes
"How so…" Narcissa asked but at that very moment the Dark Mark seared and Lucius groaned in pain. He let himself be dragged to his lord in the west wing of the house.
The inner circle all appeared in puffs of dark smoke and were shocked to see not the gaunt, noseless Voldemort but a tall dark handsome man. The man they had almost forgotten existed…
"My Lord…" Goyel gasped as he couldn't look away from Tom Riddle Jr.
Lucius's eyes were downcast and his mind was reeling. While the rest of the Death Eaters were gazing upon his face, Lucius saw the brassard of Morgana pinned to the Dark Lord's chest.
—-
Dumbledore coughed up some blood as sat back in his chair. His hand shook a little as he reached for water. Snape wandlessly levitated the glass to him.
"New year's day…" Dumbledore said sighing
"Yes…" Snape said stoically
"Very well… I shall keep the order on standby…"
"Don't you think you should send the students home?" Snape said
"He would kill you…"
"If I cared about my life, I would have not become a spy…"
"No Severus… the castle will protect the students… besides I need you…"
"To kill you…" Snape finished with venom
"Yes… spare young Malfoy's soul…. And help me pass through the veil with a little dignity"
Snape narrowed his eyes as Dumbledore dismissed him.
He left the headmaster's office and headed to Minerva McGonagall.
—-
"NO!" Narcissa exclaimed disbelievingly. He eyes as wide as saucers were brimming with fear "No… please… we were so close!" She levitated a a few crystal lamps and smashed them against the wall in frustration…
"I'd know it anywhere… McNair was so proud to be one of the disciples…." Lucius said
"Where is McNair! I could kill him with my bare hands!" Narcissa snapped
"If he isn't already dead…" Lucius mused "I think we need to go see our guest and let's hope in his infinite knowledge of the magics of old, he gifts us a miracle…" Lucius said closing his eyes. His mind was racing but the fatigue carried him off to a troubled sleep filled with nightmares
—-
'Soft' was the first thought 'Delicious…' was the second 'Mione' was the third thought of Christmas morning as Draco smiled with his eyes closed responding slowly to the kiss
"Happy Christmas…" Hermione said with a smile
"Blessed Yule indeed…" He said opening his eyes
"Our presents are here!" Hermione said pulling sheet up to cover her modesty and crawling to the edge of the bed. She shrieked and giggled as Draco put and arm around her waist and pulled her back. He rolled them over and trapped her underneath them.
"We'll get to those in a minute…" He said looking at her hungrily
"Honestly! You kept me all night already…" Hermione said blushing slightly
"No, that was Santa… this… is Miss Granger is Draco Malfoy…. And Draco Malfoy always get's what he wants for Yule…" He said cockily as captured her lips
"Spoilt rich braaaaa…" Hermione moaned as Draco began his ministrations
"The worst…" He whispered in her ear before the both of them lost themselves to more baser instincts
—
"Morning…" Blaise said Kissing Luna's forehead as soon as her eye's opened
"Blessed Yule…" She said with a smile then asked "Draco's not back yet…"
"I doubt we'll see either of them before lunch…" Blaise mused "Now… you said something about blessing and Yule just now and I'd very much like to be blessed…"
"Is no one going to see us before lunch either?" Luna asked as Blaise sunk lower into the blanket pulling her close
"I think that's a great idea…" Blaise said with a hungry look in his eye
"I concur…" Luna said looking at him intensely
—
"Blessed Yule" Grindelwald greeted his hosts with a smile as they arrived on Christmas morning
"He made another Horcrux…" Narcissa said walking right past the old man and grabbing herself a large swig of firewhiskey
"It's Morgana's brassard…" Lucius said sitting down and taking the swig of the potion from a vial a housefly just popped in and offered to him
"Not so blessed this year…" Grindelwald said sitting down
"He's also put the snake in a bubble… I think it's the last horcrux…" Lucius said
"Or the obscurus…" Narcissa said pouring herself a second shot "Merlin! Why won't he just die!" She shrieked and smashed the glass against the wall shocking Grindelwald a little. Narcissa then wandlessly fixed it and set it aside. She calmly walked and took a seat in the most elegant way possible and said "apologies… it seems my temper is not tempered enough to be pleasant company at the moment…"
Grindewald sighed and said "The Brassard…. I believe it would have given him immense strength as well…"
"He almost looks human now…" Lucius said
"He has corrupted a vessel of old magic… even with all my knowledge I don't know how to recover it…" Grindelwald sighed "But… I do know how to destroy it…."
Narcissa and Lucius looked at him in shock
"The brassard of Morgana is indestructible… Merlin himself couldn't…" Lucius began
"Not couldn't… didn't… the brassard of Morgana has the power to absorb and emit waves of what you today call dark magic… the way merlin's sickle does for light magic…" Grindelwald smiled softly "destiny had a a weird sense of irony…"
"Please don't speak in riddles… we are out of time…" Narcissa said seriously
"Merlin's sickle is the only thing in the world that can destroy the brassard…" Grindelwald said seriously
"But?" Narcissa asked curtly
"But it too will get destroyed in the process or else the magic will be put of balance…"
"Will the wielder of the sickle get destroyed too?" Narcissa asked
"I don't know…" Grindelwald said "It's never been tried, besides aren't the decedents of merlin famously known to be operate from the shadows…" He said looking at Lucius pointedly
Narcissa sensed she was missing something and looked at her husband… "Lucius?"
"Merlin was hunted by the disciples of Morgana for many years after he vanquished her… " Grindelwald said looking out of the window to no one in particular "they found the brassard and wanted to restore her with the blood sacrifice of merlin… fortunately for him Morgana's head disciple of many years had foreseen the insanity of the witch and fled with it… While he held on to many of her principles, Salazar Slytherin was far more tame than his master…" Grindelwald looked at Lucius again
Lucius sighed and continued the story "once the reign of Arthur Pendragon ended, Merlin had no one to protect him. Mogana had already cursed the love of his life Nimue to become the lady of the lake but she didn't know about their Son… To hide him in plain sight, Merlin with the help of Arthur had made him the first Lord Malfoy…"
"The warlocks of the round table…" Narcissa said softly looking at her husband in awe "you never said anything…"
"When the curse of the late Lady Malfoy ensured we didn't have two children, I hoped the line could end with me and Draco could claim your fae magic…"
"The magic has it's own plans…" Grindelwald said with a smile "however…" he said seriously "You are in no shape to open the vault…"
"I am not…" Lucius said
"Will my son die if he wields the sickle against the powers of Morgana?" Narcissa said with tears in her eyes…
"It's a good thing you know how to bring him back" Grindelwald said softly "the question is, when the time comes Narcissa Malfoy… Whom will you choose?"
—-
"Merlin Draco!" Hermione said opening the 10the gift from him "How many gifts did you get me?!"
"Not enough… but that one isn't from me…" Draco said getting up to get himself a glass of pumpkin juice. The Room of Requirement or the elves had been kind enough to deliver all their gifts in the room itself.
Hermione had gifted Draco a kit for his broomstick and all his favourite sweets.
So far Draco had gifted her
1. A rare tome
2. An emerald hair pin
3. A quill set with her name engraved on it
4. A crystal bathtub shaped jewellery holder (which she had tried to throw at him and break for it's cheekiness but turns out it was unbreakable)
5. A set of earrings to go with the pin
6. A bracelet with a single charm of a snake coiled around a lion
7. A few out of print muggle classics (She was sure these were more Blaise's idea than his)
8. A pendant with a picture of him and her inside it with a charm so that it's invisible to anyone else
9. A whole bunch of toys for Crookshanks (this made her heart melt)
"Really? Cause it's been sealed with a wax seal of your family crest…" Hermione said admiring it
Draco choked on his juice as he dashed to Hermione snatching the gift from her hand "Don't open it! Don't touch it! Let me…" He said. He opened the wrapping slowly as if waiting for it to blow up. A small box and a letter fell out of it. He opened the box first and his eye's went wide. He snapped it shut and opened the letter. His eye's teared up and he smiled and handed the letter to Hermione. It read
Miss Granger,
While short and not under the best of circumstances, it was still a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I have of course heard of your several academic achievements and can only assume that the several tomes Draco asked me for over the past few years were for you.
I am glad that Draco had chosen a strong, sensible and exceptional witch. I hope my son has been treating you like a lady. I noticed you borrowed a tome on wizarding customs as well, so I'm sure you are aware that when courting, it is tradition for the wizard to gift witch a family heirloom. Most of the family jewels could be harmful to a person of your heritage and that is why I suppose Draco didn't ask me for one. It is sweet that he cares for you. I however want you to know that you have my complete support and so please find enclosed this black family ring. It was mine, passed down to me from my grandmother.
I hope we can have tea sometime so I can get to know you better.
Thank you for making my son smile and please keep him safe.
Happy Yule
Narcissa Malfoy
Hermione took the box from Draco and opened it to find the most exquisite rose shaped ring set with sapphires.
Draco took the ring from the box and kneeled down in front of Hermione "It would be an honour to see you wear this…."
"The honour would be mine…" Hermione smiled and gave him her hand as he slipped the ring on the finger
—
Snape smiled as he opened the gift box. Minerva McGonagall had given him a set of rare ingredients he'd been looking for. He smiled not at the gift but at the normalcy of it. In 5 days they were going to face off against Voldemort and yet Yule seemed like last hurrah before everyone and everything decide to implode or explode.
Suddenly the floo came to life
"Severus…" Narcissa's face appeared in the fire
"Blessed Yule… " He said greeting her
"To you too… I need to take Draco to the henge at midnight…" She said
"What happened?" Snape asked
Narcissa looked behind her and disappeared from the fire leaving Snape more worried than confused. He also had not seen his godson or Miss Granger at breakfast. He sighed "I hate teenagers…" he whispered to no one in particular then sent a quick floating memo to Blaise Zabini to show up in his office as quickly as possible
—
"Did you not like your gift? Because I assure you no other teacher got gift's from me…" Blaise said jokingly but his smiled vanished when he saw the look on Snape's face. He quietly took a seat in front of his second favourite professor
"Where is Draco?" Snape asked curtly
"Knee deep in his witch…" Blaise muttered
"What was that?"
"With Hermione in their room…"
"Their room?"
"The room of requirement…"
"Get him for me please… "
"You could have said that in the note…"
"You could get detention for a month…"
"Whats the point we're all gonna be dead in 5 days anyway…" Blaise said voicing Snape's thoughts as he got up to leave
"You will not…" Snape said loudly
Blaise turned around "you will not be dead… if all goes well, we will all finally be free…" Snape said
Blaise nodded at him then smiled lightly as he said "I hope the nargles agree with you…"
—
Draco was in shock as he heard his father tell him of his ancestry and then his mother explained to him about the brassard and the sickle
"Tonight at midnight, on the henge you will claim your magic and then I shall accompany you to the vault of merlin to retrieve the sickle" Lucius said in the same commanding tone that he had used to raise his son
Draco sat in silence for a while and then said "Mother may I speak to you alone…"
Once they had locked and put Sevela wards on the study of Narcissa Draco hugged his mother "Thank you…" he said and Narcissa was taken aback. It had been years since her son had sown this sort of affection.
"Thank you for sending the ring and the letter to Hermione…" Draco said "I am happy that she has your approval at least…" he sighed and walked up to the window. The peacocks that once danced all around the lawns were almost awakes in hiding these days. Some how the garden didn't look as magical as he remembered
"Are you afraid?" Narcissa asked
"Are you?" Draco asked
"Yes…" She sighed
"Look at us mum, a bunch of Slytherin's trying to be Gryffindors…" He snickered
"I was almost a Ravenclaw you know…" Narcissa said thinking back "The hat was going to put me with the eagles and I begged it not to… I was sure I would be disinherited…"
"Really?" Draco smiled thinking back to his now sorting where the hat barely touched his head before putting him in Slytherin
Narcissa nodded "I know we've told you a lot of things, you were raised in a certain way but I am glad and proud to see the man you've become… Well done Draco.." Narcissa said touching her son's face
"I don't want to die mum…" Draco said
"You wont" Narcissa promised hugging her son
"Also mum…" Draco mumbled into his mother's stomach as he hugged her around the waist "Mione is the heir to Slytherin"
"What?!" Narcissa looked at him shocked
—-
A deep blue and silver helix rose around Draco as he claimed his familial magic. When he opened his eyes there were electric blue. His fingertips crackled with energy as he was set back down. He blinked several times as he looked at his father and godfather
"I feel… " Draco searched for the word to describe what he was feeling when Lucius said "I know…" and handed him a protkey pulling out his pocket watch
Draco grabbed onto the old ruler sighing at the anti-climatic nature of his life with his father and waited. At 12:11am exactly he felt a tug behind his navel and they landed on what seemed to the ruins of Camelot on the edge of a cliff
He followed his father to the center of the broken castle. There he channelled his magic on the center tile that had the flower of life carved into it. The entire castle began to glow. He felt the magic being sucked out of him. Only when he was completely exhausted did the tile rotate and open up to revel a set of steps. A golden glow was emanating from within the cave. They followed the light until they came upon a altar similar to that of Morgana's. A stone with reveal runes carved around it and a glowing golden sickle embedded in the stone. The sickle was emanating waves of golden magic from it.
Draco looked unsure and that's when for the first time Lucius spoke like a parent "It's okay… it's your birthright Draco… One I never had the courage to claim but you are a better man than I…"
Draco looked at his father and found a sincerity he'd never seen before. He took a deep breath and picked up the sickle. The pluses stopped and entire altar began to cave in. Lucius apparated them out of the cave as it collapsed. Once outside the father and son watched the final remnants of Camelot disintegrate into rubble.
Lucius handed Draco a blue velvet cloth to wrap the sickle in "Don't touch the blade…" He said but it was too late Draco had already touched the golden blade. His eye's had begun to sparkle blue as wave upon wave of visions hit him.
He saw himself running towards Voldemort
He saw Hermione get hit by a spell
He saw Arianna Dumbledore's obcusorus scream and explode
He saw Blaise shield Luna
He saw Greyback leaping towards his mother
He saw himself laying dead holding Hermione's hand
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