Chapter 25

"Every Christmas from now on I'll be here, by your side,
And now, every day in between and for all of our lives,
I'll be waiting under the mistletoe,
And any kiss from you… From now on
All my Christmases with you."
Song - All My Christmases, by Jillian Edwards

25 December 2005

Draco

Draco opened his eyes, the dim morning light cutting through the crack in the curtains. Harry lay lightly snoring beside him, and Draco closed his eyes again, allowing the peace of the morning to flood through him.

It was Christmas. The rest of the day would be busy and full of people, but here, now, in the peace of his bedroom, he could take a moment and appreciate this for what it was.

He was waking up on Christmas morning with Harry by his side. The previous year, they'd spent the day apart, Draco with his mother and Harry with the Weasleys, and something had felt like it was missing from his day. Or someone.

And that someone was here with him, an integral part of Draco. He might be able to ignore it during the hustle and bustle of the year, but there was no denying it now, on Christmas, with nobody here but him and Harry.

There was no coming back from this. There was no stepping back if their relationship failed, no moving on, no finding someone else. This was it, because Harry had burrowed his way so deeply into Draco's soul that if he were gone, there'd be an important piece of Draco that he'd take with him.

His father would have scoffed at that, would have called him weak and would have tried to push him away from something he considered as ridiculous as love. But Lucius wasn't here; he was dead, and Draco was free to be this person that loved Harry Potter.

To be the person who Harry Potter loved.

Harry rolled onto his side, his long eyelashes fluttering, and Draco's fingers itched to trace the shadowed jaw. It'd be scratchy this time of the morning, leaving little prickles along Draco's neck or stomach that he'd be able to look at all day, in his quiet moments alone.

"Are you done staring at me yet?" Harry asked, his voice deep and rough with sleep.

"What makes you think I'm staring at you? You're asleep."

Harry's lips twitched and he cracked his eyes open. "I can feel you staring. And Merlin, I can hear you thinking. You're the loudest thinker I've ever met."

Draco snorted. "And you're the loudest snorer I've ever met."

"Liar. Blaise says Nott kept the entire dormitory awake in school."

"Yes, well, he didn't sleep in my bed, thankfully."

Harry reached out and put his arm around Draco, pulling him closer into a spooning position. "Happy Christmas."

"Mmm… Can we just stay here all day? I'll get Linney to bring us some breakfast in bed, and we can just stay here together and look at my beautiful new watch."

"But then I couldn't give you your other present."

Draco turned over to look at Harry. "Harry, that watch was already ridiculously expensive. Surely you didn't buy anything else."

"It was just something small."

Draco just raised an eyebrow.

"Well, comparatively small. Besides, you already gave me so much and I know for a fact there are three wrapped gifts downstairs with my name on them."

"Fine. I shall allow it. But I'm not ready to get out of bed just yet."

Harry grinned. "How about I go down and bring them all up here and we can open them in bed. And I'll bring up some tea and toast."

"Perfect."

When Harry returned, Draco was finally fully awake and trying to prepare himself for his first Weasley Christmas. Harry had told him what to expect, and for someone who was used to the formal holidays of the manor, it was a little terrifying. Which was why he was glad to have these few minutes of peace with Harry.

They ate their little breakfast, and when Draco finished his tea, Harry placed a large box on Draco's lap. The paper wasn't as fine as the one on the watch had been, but Draco could tell Harry wrapped this one himself.

"You go first," Draco suggested with a smile.

Harry leant forward and gave him a kiss, then eagerly opened the first of three packages. He drew back the tissue inside the box to reveal a beautiful cashmere jumper in a rich midnight blue. It had a v-neck that Draco preferred on Harry, and it was butter soft.

Harry ran his hand gently across the jumper. "It's beautiful. Truly. I love it, thank you. I think I'll wear it today."

Draco grinned. "Do the next one too. They're a set, of sorts."

The next box contained a pair of wool trousers Draco'd had tailored specifically for Harry. "I had several Protectant Charms applied to the entire outfit to protect them in case you're called away on a case while wearing them. I know sometimes you don't like to wear nice things because you're worried about that, and I thought, maybe if you didn't have to worry—"

He fell back as Harry threw himself on top of Draco, his lips showing their thanks better than words.

"You like them, then?" Draco finally got out as Harry drew back, a strange little smile on his face.

Harry nodded. "It was so thoughtful. Really. The clothing is beautiful, but the charms… That's not something I would have ever thought of." He trailed off, but his eyes were intent on Draco's.

"Right, well, maybe you can wear them both today?"

Harry nodded, then pointed at Draco's box. "Your turn."

Draco eagerly pulled back the wrapping to reveal an exquisite pair of dragonhide boots. The boots were a light black, almost grey, but when he turned them slightly, they had an opalescent effect with swirls of purple and green. "Antipodean Opaleye," Draco breathed.

"Yeah. One passed away in Charlie's sanctuary, and I had the opportunity to commission a pair."

"Wow."

"I know, right? I took your favourite shoes to the cobbler and they assure me these should be just as comfortable. If they're not, take them back and he'll adjust them."

Draco nodded, eager now to get dressed so he could try on his new boots. "Okay, last one for you. And don't get too excited. It's not anything nearly as lovely as these."

Harry picked up the small package, and Draco's stomach twisted nervously. What if Harry hated it? What if he laughed and Draco was humiliated? It was always a possibility, and—

"Draco," Harry said, his voice barely audible. He just stared down at the gift, his face unreadable.

"If you don't like it, it's okay. It was just my first try, and Molly said the first one is usually rubbish." Draco hadn't thought it was rubbish, though. It had mostly looked like what he'd meant it to look like: a scarf. But maybe he hadn't been able to see it clearly. Maybe Harry hated it. He probably hated it. If he didn't, he would have said something by now. Draco reached for it to grab it back, but Harry pulled it away.

"What are you doing?" Harry accused.

"You hate it, and it's rubbish. It's okay." It wasn't okay, but it would be.

"Draco, stop. I don't hate it!"

"Yes, you do!" Oh, Merlin, did his voice just crack. Fuck.

"No, I don't. I was just shocked. You made this?"

"No!" he denied. "I mean yes, I did, but you don't have to like it just because I made it. It's rubbish." He reached for the scarf again, and Harry pulled it away just as quickly as the first time.

"You made me a scarf," Harry said again like he was trying to figure something out. "You, Draco Malfoy, knitted me a scarf."

Draco just closed his eyes. Perfect. He was blushing now.

"And did you say Molly taught you?"

"Okay, look," he said, keeping his eyes closed and wishing he could crawl back under the covers. "I went to Molly and asked her to teach me so I could make you something for Christmas." He said it all so quickly that he'd be surprised if Harry could pick out any of it.

Apparently, Harry was better than he thought. "Draco, look at me."

Draco shook his head. "Can't."

Harry chuckled, and the bed moved as he moved closer. "I love it, Draco. You couldn't have given me anything more perfect."

Draco finally opened his eyes to see Harry with the aubergine-coloured scarf wrapped around his neck. Draco could see all the dropped or uneven stitches and his fingers itched to grab for it again. Why did he ever think he should give this to Harry?

"Hey."

Draco met Harry's eyes, and they were soft and glassy with tears. "I love it, you arsehole. You can't have it back."

"But it's not very good."

"It's perfect. I can't believe you learned how to knit. When the hell did you find the time to do this?"

Draco shrugged. "When you were working the case. It's actually kind of relaxing. It calms me a little."

Harry caught Draco's mouth in another kiss, and this time, he slowed down, drawing it out but not deepening it. It was sweet, and loving, and it made Draco's heart sing. When he pulled back, all the anxiety was gone.

"That," Harry said quietly. "That smile right there is the one that finally made me realise that I would do anything to make you happy. That I wanted to be the one to make you look like that. I love you, you daft man."

And then Harry diffused all the genuine feelings with humour and snark, and Draco loved him even more. He glanced at his watch and grimaced. "We're supposed to be at the Burrow in an hour."

"We have plenty of time."

"No, Potter, we do not. Some of us like to actually brush our hair." He got up and headed to the bathroom, intent on a shower.

"I brush my hair!" Harry called after him.

"Don't follow me or we'll be late," Draco ordered as he shut the bathroom door. He took a deep breath and leant back against the door. Merlin, what a morning.


Harry

"Harry! Draco!" Harry braced himself as a body crashed into him and a head of bushy hair suddenly crowded his face. Hermione seemed to have them both in a hug, one in each arm, but before he could say anything, she'd already pulled Draco aside to coo over his watch.

Harry walked over to Ron and Molly, giving each a hug as he set down the batter he'd made for the Yorkshire Pudding they'd bake right before everyone sat down to eat. He poured himself and Draco each a glass of wine, then watched as Draco was passed from one Weasley to another, each talking to him about whatever their current interest was, each eager to share their Christmas.

This was what he wanted. For this Christmas and for every Christmas to come, he wanted this. Family and friends, and more than anything, Draco by his side. When Draco finally made his way back to Harry, taking his glass of wine, Harry grinned.

"What?"

Harry pointed up to where a sprig of mistletoe was strategically placed.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"I reckoned it was as good of a place to wait for you as any." He moved in for his kiss, then hesitated right above Draco's lips. "I'll always be waiting for you under the mistletoe."

"You're such a Hufflepuff."

"For you? Definitely."

The cheers that filled the room around them mixed with shouts of dismay, and Harry grinned, deepening the kiss, intent on making the perfect Christmas memory.


Finis


A/N: Well, dear readers, that's the end of this little story. Thank you so much for sticking with me through all 25 days. I'd love to hear which of the chapters was your favorite! Also, if you haven't had the chance, don't forget to check out the playlist and recipe list in my user profile.

One final reminder that the rest of the series is available and found in my user profile, if you want more. The story that follows this in the series is "To the Victor Go the Spoils", which takes place about 2.5 years after this fic ends. I'll also be starting my annual writing competition in January, so if you follow me, you'll see short fics pop up every two weeks through the winter and early spring. They're not all Drarry, but more often than not, they are, and sometimes they even fall into this universe.

Merry Christmas! I hope you and yours are safe and happy this Christmas and that you have a wonderful New Year!

ETA: I just saw that the 25 days challenge just dropped some New Year's prompts. Now, I can't promise anything, but there's the possibility for a little New Year's addition to this if the time allows and mood strikes.

Update: Added a New Year's epilogue, so there's one more chapter now. :)