Chapter 3: O Christmas Tree
It's hardly the fault of a child if they misbehave when the parent leaves them a bloody wide open invitation to do so! Keep that in mind during my next confession, do. When my mother tells it, Gellert and I are both dreadful inconsiderate boys who completely traumatized her and my father.
Yes, SHE can actually proclaim this with a straight face. WE, Gellert and I, completely traumatized the two people who turned my mother into a seven husband murdering spider queen? No. Just no. I love my parents dearly, but sometimes they can be quite...ridiculous. At the end of this, my third confession, do feel free to form your own opinion, am I right, or do you side with my parents? Feel free to comment, but if you side with them, I won't care or change my mind and neither will Gellert. You can't tell us nothing and all that.
Here's how it went...down. The next day, Gellert and I left Wolfgang's to enjoy the Christmas holidays with my family. I'd never looked forward to the holidays so much. Of course any year, I was glad to get away from the boredom of Hogwarts for a time, but this year everything was different in a new, shiny, sparkling with magic sort of way. Confession... I'm still embarrassed writing such gushing words about Gellert and love just because...
This is a series of confessions, though, so may as well keep it honest. Gel is far more comfortable expressing his emotions and I admire him for that. I'm far better than I was in the beginning, but trust me, it took years. I suppose it's a little...a lot scary when something, in this case someone matters that much... More than anything else in the world. Our friends say it makes us crazy, but neither of us cares.
When we arrived home that day, my mum was ready to take the traditional yearly Christmas photos which Bramble put on all the Christmas cards that went out to family and friends. Mum always made all of us wear matching ugly Christmas sweaters, Bramble included. The elf hated this particular family tradition, but I secretly enjoy it, because I look good in Christmas sweaters. Mum had one ready for Gel, which truly touched my little dark heart...his as well.
"We're just telling everyone he's your boyfriend from Germany," my Mum explained with a casual wave of her neatly manicured hand. "This is an important holiday for Gellert, and we can't leave him out of the family Christmas card photo."
Gellert actually blushed, and I could tell that he was touched by the bemused yet nearly adoring look he gave my mum. He'd mentioned being raised by his aunt and losing his parents at such a young age that he could only vaguely recall them. Everyone should have parents, and I was more than glad to share mine with him. Not in general mind you, as I'm not the sharing sort, but with Gel I will share anything.
After the photos were taken, I gave Gellert the grand tour of the manor right away so that he'd know where everything was. It was my intention for him to feel at home and knowing the layout helps that sort of thing. We started downstairs in the library, then to the parlor, dining room, and finally my father's study.
No one is allowed to enter the kitchen, not even family, or Bramble has a literal cow, and I did remember to inform Gellert of that. After I'd shown him the entire first floor, kitchen aside, we headed to the basement where my parents had a heated pool installed for me when I was around eight.
I'm a swimmer and I enjoy warm water, so with this pool I can swim all year round. It keeps me in shape, and after all, it's this mean lean body that got me Gellert Grindelwald. That and my equally amazing mind, of course. When Gellert tells me how much alike we are, it really pumps up my ego, I will admit. My few friends cringe at this, for they feel my ego is quite big enough as it is... It matches other parts of me if you get my meaning. Sorry, I've had a bit more eggnog tonight than usual. It's the holidays, though, and as such the time to live it up which Gel and I never miss an opportunity to do.
After I showed off my heated pool, we went up to the second floor where the bedrooms and bathrooms are. Above that, there's only the attic where my parents store boring junk they won't get rid of, so we stuck to the second floor and I gave him the tour of my room before lunch.
I showed him the wardrobe, the bookshelves, the bed...showing him that took a while, because there truly is a lot to see. Here's another silly moment, sorry...but it felt really nice shagging him on that bed, because I'd never shagged anyone there. My bed is my personal space, and that I don't share... Or at least I didn't until Gel. My bed was pure and untouched by shagging until Gel and I christened it as it were. I'm too much into my own space to have ever taken a girl to my bedroom, plus there is the matter of respecting my parent's home and not having casual shags there of which they would disapprove.
Obviously they knew that Gellert and I were anything but casual so I assumed they expected us to be intimate under their roof. We planned to keep it respectfully behind closed doors. I didn't see my parents shagging, so of course planned to give them the same courtesy.
We got the news at lunch. My parents had apparently been invited to some ski resort in Iceland, and they'd committed to it nearly a month ago, far before they knew Gellert would be here for the holidays.
"Will you three boys be alright for a few days alone," my mother asked, casting a fretful glance around the table at me, Gellert, and Bramble, our family elf, who always ate with the rest of us.
"Of course we'll be fine," I assured. "We'll just do whatever we'd do if you were here. Mostly that's continuing to work on making things to use for the Voldemort situation," I reminded her. "We promise not to leave the manor if that's what you're worried about."
Gellert nodded his agreement to my words of assurance. I hated the way his blue gaze darted to the side, avoiding the very thought of doing anything that would put his freedom at risk. It only stood to reason that those long, long years of captivity had done something to him, but I hated to see his proud will bent and cowed if not broken.
He still had dreams, aspirations, and he reached for life in a way no one truly broken could, which was a relief. He needed support and reassurance, though, and I was glad to give it to him as often as it was required. He was also glad to take it, which meant a great deal to me. I'm not the sort to give reassurances. That sort of rubbish doesn't come naturally to me, and I would normally never burden myself with those who required it.
I understood why he had the need for the support, though, and I knew that with my support, he would regain his strength again in proper time. When I say my support, I do mean mine. Support in general is nice, but it needs to come from the right person to really mean anything. That may not sound nice, but it's just the way it is.
Our reassurances settled my mother for the most part, and she gave us a grateful smile. "I'm not particularly worried about anything. I know that the three of you are all resourceful enough to take care of any situation that might arise, but I hope none do. If trouble does somehow appear, get to Wolfgang's as fast as you can." She was looking at Bramble when she said that last bit, and he nodded.
His expression was grimly stoic, which was per usual.
My mother's steady piercing blue gaze then turned to Gellert. The look she gave him was firm, but not unkind. "I can only imagine how difficult simply cooling your heels after so much time locked away must be. The world has changed much, though, and we need to get Voldemort dead and you reeducated as to what the world has become before you decide what you want to do in it."
"Understood," Gellert said quietly, nodding. "I have no plans other than laying low and cooperating at this point. If anything changes, I respect you all enough to make such clear before making any moves. Were I to do so, there would be good reason, but I don't see such coming to pass."
My mother nodded back. "Fair enough."
My parents departed for their trip after lunch, promising to return in three days, in time for us all to arrive in Italy for Christmas Eve. Gel wanted to learn some Italian for when he met my father's family, so we spent the next hour in the library while I taught him the basics.
When we took a break from that, at least for the time being, we remained in the library, beginning work on the next items we planned to make. This time, rather than items that Wolfgang and the others would find useful, we focused on something just for the two of us. I transfigured two silver coins into two pendants of The Deathly Hallows superimposed onto a spider web.
It was, to my mind, a perfect representation of Gellert and I combined. He transfigured two more coins into chains on which we would wear the pendants. We spent nearly an hour layering enchantments on the pendants that would allow us to get to one another if necessary, no matter where we were or what wards were up to block apparation.
Basically, to state things in the least complicated manner I can for a layman, we made portkeys that went to a person rather than a place. This gave us the confidence we needed in the knowledge that we could never be separated. If someone captured one of us, or, gods forbid Gellert was somehow discovered and reimprisoned in Nurmengard, we could still always get to one another.
The final charm we placed, kept any of the other charms from being detected. Each pendant would just look like a bit of silver jewelry and nothing more. Not a trace of magic was detectable, and the pendants wouldn't work for anyone but us. No one else could take them from us and use them to get to the other.
After this was done, we were a bit tired, so it was a welcome treat when Bramble came in with tea and holiday gingerbread. Bramble's gingerbread is heaven. It has this delightful pumpkin glaze, and it's rather addictive. Bramble placed the tea tray down onto a low table beside the Christmas tree, so we moved two chairs over.
The smell of pine mingled with the scent of festive gingerbread and hot cinnamon tea. There is nothing like holiday smells to put one into a cheerful mood. My mood was already on the level of bliss, but the holiday ambiance did serve to elevate it even more. There is truly nothing like falling in love with your soulmate on the Christmas holidays. It adds that extra layer of magic that can't be rivaled.
As we ate our gingerbread, our talk was mostly focused on magical theory, and how certain spells could be combined and altered to make entirely new ones.
"We're going to do great things together, I just know it," Gellert said, tossing back his curls and giving a happy laugh as he pulled me close for an impulsive kiss.
Of course we were going to do great things together! We were both meant for greatness, and together we were amazing. His mouth was magnetic, and I fell into the kiss with complete abandon as I always did. He was something I couldn't get enough of mentally or physically, and that hasn't changed. As one kiss turned into another, my gaze fell on the towering Christmas tree and the soft dark red rug that lay beneath it. Suddenly I had the understandable as well as incredibly sexy idea to shag under the tree.
"You're like a beautiful present in that Christmas sweater," I murmured against Gellert's mouth. "Your clothes are the wrapping paper, and I want to...place you under the tree along with all the other presents and open you because...you are the only present I want."
Gellert's beautiful eyes fluttered closed as his slender hands played across my chest, lips parting breathlessly for another kiss. "I'm...up for that," he managed.
We moved from the chairs to the soft rug, shadows and lights from the branches of the richly decorated Christmas tree playing over us.
"You in that sweater," I groaned, my hands running over the soft fuzzy red and green reindeer patterning that covered his chest and slender arms.
Gel looks even more sexy in an ugly Christmas sweater than I do, and trust me that's saying something, because I can rock a Christmas sweater, boys and girls.
"Should I leave it on," Gellert teased and I laughed.
"I think you'll have to," I agreed breathlessly. "Everything else can go, though."
I withdrew my wand from the pocket of the black dress slacks I wore and flicked it at the library door to close it. We certainly wouldn't want Bramble walking in on what was about to happen.
We quickly shed our clothes, piling them in a heap near our chairs. As Gellert stretched out full length on the rug wearing only his Christmas sweater, I gave a blissful sigh of anticipation. Gellert's eyes were focused on the branches above his face. "Those look soft," he observed, a grin playing over his lips.
My gaze followed his to the only two plush ornaments my family owned. One consisted of a cluster of plush hanging snow balls and the other was a pair of plush reindeer antlers. Though they'd always seemed innocent before, at that moment they seemed to be made for...a bit of naughty holiday fun.
"I know just where to put them," I proclaimed, snatching them from the tree, and approaching Gellert, walking on my knees, careful of the sharp pine branches. "Which do you want," I asked, and he regarded the ornaments in my hands thoughtfully.
"I'll take the snowballs, because I want to see you in the antlers," he murmured, grin widening.
Grinning back, I used the string that connected the two antlers to tie them to my balls. Then I decorated his in kind with the snowball ornament. Task completed, I settled down under the tree at his side. "Alright then, Snow," I murmured reaching to caress him as well as his snowballs as we snuggled closer. He murmured something sensual sounding in German against my mouth as the library door sprang open.
"Our trip was called off due to bloody death eater attacks in Iceland so we're just going to Italy early," my mother explained peevishly. She was obviously annoyed to have the trip called off, so it took her a moment to focus in on us and register precisely what she'd walked in on. "Oh my gods, Geo," she shouted at my father, who stood in the doorway behind her with a look of raw horror on his face. "Our tree! And are those our ornaments on their..."
That was when my father finally spoke. "No. Not at all. Those are not at all our ornaments, because they will never ever touch our tree again. Those ornaments now belong to Blaise and Gellert."
"We can't even leave you alone for three hours," my mother shrieked.
My lips twitched in spite of the situation. "We didn't go anywhere. We kept our word."
"Just shut up," my mother suggested and I did. "You have ruined Christmas forever. I can never see a tree or ornaments again without picturing this forever more, I just know it," she ranted.
Both of my parents were busily looking anywhere but at us.
"Take those ornaments which shall forever be yours, and get yourselves upstairs," my father directed firmly. "Now."
"Yes sir," Gellert said.
I rolled onto my stomach and snatched up our clothes, clutching them to my chest as Gellert grabbed up our shoes. Grasping his arm with the tips of my fingers because my hands were too full to do much else, I apparated us upstairs to my bedroom. There we exchanged horrified whispers about the situation, then transfigured my wardrobe into a large, elaborately decorated Christmas tree under which we had our festive shag that my parents had so inconsiderately interrupted.
It was glorious. Afterward, I lovingly tucked the ornaments away in the bottom of the wardrobe once we'd transfigured it back. We'd be using those ornaments next year and for years to come. Over dinner, my parents continued to rant about our debauchery.
For his part, Bramble shot us disgusted looks as they went on and on. Gel and I attempted to defend ourselves, explaining that they would be correct in their opinions of how rude and classless we were had they been home, but as they were supposed to be away, it was, in actuality, their fault. I'd like to say they have let this go. I would like to tell you that over the years, their wrathful feelings on the matter have given way to Christmas forgiveness, but this would not be true. From time to time they still bring it up. Some people just won't allow themselves to heal, it seems. As for Gel and I, though, for us, nothing is more sexy than a well decorated Christmas tree.