Chapter 14

"Well Rudolph he didn't go for that
He said "I see through your silly games"
How could you look me in the face
When only yesterday you called me names?"
Song - Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer, by Jack Johnson

14 December 2005

Draco

"I'm home!" Harry announced from the door to the kitchen.

"Did you get them?" Teddy asked, excitedly running over and throwing himself around Harry's waist. He nearly stepped on the cat who was trying to wind herself around Harry's feet.

"I did. And they're even better than the old ones, I think."

"So they don't have cat pee on them?" Draco asked from his place by the table, the pastry board and rolling pin set up and waiting on Harry's return.

Harry shook his head with a wince. "Nope. No cat pee on these." He pulled three fluffy pairs of slippers out of the bag, each with a red nose and antlers on top. They were ridiculously adorable but terribly unclassy. Surely, Harry wasn't expecting Draco to wear these?

"Did they not have anything more…suitable for adults?"

"They're wonderful, Uncle Harry!" Teddy turned back to Draco. "Draco, we can all match, just like we're all a family."

And oh, fuck, how the hell was he supposed to refuse that? He looked from Teddy's wide brown eyes up to Harry's pleading ones, and he sighed. "Of course, Teddy. They do look warm and quite comfortable."

Harry nodded, seeing Draco's weakness and pushing forward. "And look! I charmed the noses to light up!"

Draco closed his eyes and prayed for patience as the reindeers' red noses each lit up and twinkled in sequence with one another. "Salazar, help me," Draco muttered.

Teddy was already pulling his socks off and tugging on each slipper. Harry watched in amusement before handing Draco his pair. "Here you go, love."

"Don't," Draco growled, his voice low so Teddy couldn't hear him, but he took the slippers and sat down to slide them on.

"So what's all this about?" Harry asked, gesturing to the setup on the table as he put on his own slippers. "I'm home early, as requested. I wasn't making progress with the case today anyway. What's going on?"

"Biscuits!"

"Ooo… What kind?"

"Iced," Draco said, pointing to the cutter shapes and little bags of icing he'd already put together.

Harry stared at the table, then up to Draco and Teddy. "Do you have any idea how to do this?"

"Not really," he admitted, "but Hermione said it's something Muggles do all the time, so it can't be that difficult, can it?"

Harry's lips twitched before breaking into a full grin. "It can. I used to help Aunt Petunia prepare them, but I can't say I remember much about it."

Draco looked out over all the supplies he'd had Linney put together for them and realised that they might, indeed, be in over their heads. Linney had seemed so pleased that he'd asked, though, so perhaps… "Linney?"

His mother's favourite house-elf appeared with a quiet pop. Harry's own house-elf, Kreacher, had finally passed away shortly after Draco had moved in with Harry earlier that year, and Linney had been kind enough to help them keep Grimmauld Place in order from time to time.

And it just so happened that Linney loved children, and Teddy especially. "Can you help us with the biscuits, please?"

Linney bounced up and down, clapping her hands. "Yes, Linney was hoping you would ask, Master Draco."

"Wait! Linney, can you actually teach us so we can do it ourselves next year?" Harry asked, running a hand over Teddy's blue hair. "You can still keep helping us, but I want to learn, too."

Linney's eyes grew wide and her voice hushed. "It would be Linney's honour, sirs."

"Yes!" Teddy cheered, reaching for the bag of sugar. "Biscuits!"


Harry

Harry ran the mixing bowl under the tap, mindlessly washing the dishes while watching and listening to the scene before him. Draco held Teddy's little arm steady as he decorated the baked biscuit with glossy icing. Linney watched over them both, carefully directing each step.

He'd never imagined a holiday season like this.

Well, that wasn't true. He'd imagined it plenty, but even in his dreams, it'd never been this good. The man he'd come to realise was the love of his life. The boy who held his heart in his hands. Even Linney, the little elf who popped in and took care of them when needed. It was almost too much.

Teddy's giggles interrupted Harry's musings as Draco shouted in mock affront, a smear of pale blue icing smeared across his sharp nose. "Edward Lupin, you apologise this instant, you heathen."

"But you said to put it on the pointy part!" Teddy said, laughing hysterically now, trying to catch his breath. "I just did what you said!"

Harry tried to stifle his own laughter, but Draco must have heard him and turned on him. "You! You taught him this."

Harry put his hands up, palms out. "No, I swear. I didn't."

"But you're laughing!"

"It's funny! You know it's funny. I can see you're laughing, too. At least on the inside."

"Hardly," Draco drawled, his lips twitching as he stepped forward, closing in on Harry. "Just for that, I think you need a kiss."

"No!" Harry backed up, laughing harder now, and Teddy was cheering them on while Linney squealed in delight. "Here." Harry shoved a tea towel into Draco's hands.

"What's the matter, Potter? Is there some reason you don't want to kiss me? Is there something on my face?"

He grabbed Harry then, pulling him towards him and, without giving Harry time to get away, rubbed his nose across Harry's cheek, smearing it with icing before pressing his lips to Harry's and giving them a little bite.

Finally, he pulled back, a smirk on his face. "Blue really isn't your colour."

Harry looked up into the pale grey eyes still only inches from his own, the cackling of his godson still flooding the kitchen, and he just knew this was a moment he'd never forget.

This was turning into a Christmas he'd never forget thanks to the man before him.


A/N: Do you think Harry identifies with Rudolph, lol? I mean, seriously, everyone treated him like shit until it was time to save him. I think that's why I love the Jack Johnson version of the song I attached to this chapter. It doesn't really have to do with the chapter other than the slippers, but it totally goes with the reindeer slipper prompt that inspired this chapter.