dementor daycare viii
a/n: there's really no excuse for this shit, so don't even ask.
The Christmas season was upon them all. Frantic shoppers congregated at Diagon Alley to find last-minute gifts for loved ones, children excitedly wrote out letters to Santa Claus, and twinkling lights shone everywhere. It was an absolutely magical time of year.
During the holiday season the dementor tended to be in better spirits than usual. She hummed festive carols as she vacuumed the house, and didn't even object when they made cookies and she discovered Modesty sneakily nibbling on chocolate chips. All was so well in her world that she proposed to Barty an idea she would never have agreed to any other time.
"Why don't we have a celebration with all the children?" she suggested, swishing sprinkles from her cloak. "A Christmas party, if you will, perhaps at the daycare."
"Quico," Barty did a long exhale. "Think about what you just said."
She had, and it seemed like a good idea. At least, it did right now.
"It'll be fun!" she told him. "We'll decorate cookies, make festive crafts, and generally have a jolly old time!"
Just seeing the excitement in his wife's usually soulless eyes struck something within Barty, and eventually he sighed. "Anything you want. But we're going to have to get some chaperones. And keep anything with sugar up high."
"Of course we will. It's just that Christmas is a time of such magic that I want to share it with them."
"I do as well, in a quieter fashion," Barty could already feel a headache coming on. "But if you want a party, we'll have a party."
She threw her arms around him.
The Death Eater had been planning to politely talk the dementor out of it later. But a second later, they heard, "Oh, I've always wanted to go to a Christmas party!"
Modesty had overheard them, and now that she had gotten her hopes up for a Christmas party, Barty couldn't take that from her. The little Barebone certainly deserved a party, after so many years of miserable pea-filled holidays where her mother grew intoxicated and confused the children's gifts from their grandmother with Ivan's dinner.
So they would have a party. They would probably regret it later, but there was definitely going to be a party.
-x-
The day of the party dawned bright and early, like most days when you had three children. Gellert was snapped into his new Christmas overalls, Severus was given some cheesy crackers shaped like bells, and Modesty wore her new holiday dress that actually fit. Which shouldn't have been noteworthy.
At eleven sharp they left the house and collectively Disapparated. Per usual Gellert fell over, and Modesty said something about how she was beginning to nausea. But it soon passed, and she and her siblings were led inside.
Inside, where a Christmas wonderland lay.
Not only had Maisie arrived a good hour early, but she had gone all-out with the decorations. Strings of lights twinkled everywhere, and there had to be about five Christmas trees visible, each towering over a pile of ornately wrapped presents. If this was just the daycare, Quico couldn't even imagine what Malfoy Manor looked like.
"Wow," Modesty gasped, her mouth falling open in wonder. Gellert even let go of his pants.
Just then Amycus stepped into the room, using his tongue to hang up another strand of lights. "I do believe that's all for the lights, Maisie dear. Shall I start on the centerpieces?"
"Yes, but please don't give yourself a papercut again," Maisie warned, calling after her husband. "And nothing pointy where Alecto might get it!"
As if summoned, Maisie's adopted daughter darted into the room. She was dressed in a festive fashion down to the sparkly red pacifier in her mouth, although per usual was so bright that you could see your reflection just looking at her. And red and green frosting.
"Have you been eating the holiday treats I made again, young lady?" Maisie raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe." Alecto responded in a voice that clearly meant, "Yes, and I'm about to have some more if you take your eyes off me again."
Wordlessly Amycus reached for a few cookie tins and used his tongue to place them out of his sister's reach. Alecto gave her mother an innocent look as if she had no idea why her brother had just done that, and then returned to her toys.
"You did all this?" Barty gaped at Maisie.
"Amycus helped, of course," She just shrugged it off like lavishly decorating an entire daycare in an hour was nothing.
They were interrupted by a tap at the door. River had arrived with Draco, who didn't even wait to be led through the door before ripping his hand out of his mother's and barreling toward Sev.
Dragon was next, sighing as she led her children inside. "A most loathsome holiday," she griped as she set a foil-wrapped package in Maisie's hands. "But Creeds wanted to come to the party, and he's been doing so well lately."
Soon afterward came the arrivals of Cam and Tassie. Harry was talking about what he wanted for Christmas before he even had his coat off, and Albie greeted Gellert with a big wet kiss on the lips. Tassie and Quico just looked at each other, neither of them really wanting to be the one to bring it up.
Chastity, the last to arrive, still came a full forty-five minutes before the party was even supposed to start. But since everyone was here, they might as well get this party started.
-x-
Since most of the children had just arrived, they hadn't gone too far. Newt, Harry, Draco, Albie, Sev, Gel, and Scabior were all in a clump listening to Modesty, Credence, and Chastity telling a story about their adoptive mother and her fish diapers. Nagini was being reminded by Dragon not to fill up on puffs or she wouldn't have room for party food, and Alecto was playing with a toy car and some produce.
"Alas," she said, running the car over a banana. "This is it!"
After the storytime had been broken up for now, and Maisie gathered up the squished banana for later use, Quico finally spoke. "Who wants to do a Christmas scavenger hunt?"
Everyone blinked at her.
"There are prizes."
Every hand shot up, even the parents'.
"That's better. Now, Barty here has left some clues all over the daycare to help you find the numerous items I hid. Some of them are toys, some are treats, and some are...well, a surprise." Now everyone looked interested, which had been her intent.
"Now, Christmas is a time of togetherness and community, so we'll be searching in teams. You can pair up - or group up - with whoever you like."
That last part was mainly so that multiple children would at least be in the same general area. If something happened, that meant fewer places to look for whoever needed help, and/or the guilty party.
Modesty decided to split off with Sev, and Credence opted to join Nagini and Chastity. River led a group consisting of Draco, Harry, Newt, and Scabior. Albie and Gel announced their intent to be partners, leaving Alecto to partner with Amycus, who brandished his tongue at the competition.
"On your marks!" Quico declared as if they were running a race. "Get set! Go!"
Pushing, shoving, and chaos ensued in less than two seconds.
The usually beautifully-behaved Modesty went so far as to bump Draco out of the way to claim a bag of jelly beans. Newt and Harry found a giant teddy bear at the same time and engaged in such a fight over it that Scabior claimed it without anyone even realizing. Alecto set her sights on a jumbo bag of chocolate coins, but Albie and Gel walked off with it.
"Mommy!" she shouted loudly enough to shake the daycare windows.
Instantly Maisie stood before Albie and Gel, tapping an irritated foot at the boys as she tried to force them to hand their prize over to Alecto. Eventually, twenty minutes later, a dejected Albie dropped the coins into Maisie's hand.
Meanwhile, Credence and Nagini hunted through a toybox while Chastity nosed through the adjacent bookshelf. She found a box of chocolate covered cherries and half of a kazoo, but the Obscurial and Maledictus were not so fortunate. After several minutes of searching, all they found was a gift-wrapped lightbulb.
"I...didn't put that in there," Quico said when they asked. Ignoring the fact that that meant she had no idea who actually did, she left to break up a skirmish between Alecto and Severus.
After Gel threw his pants in Nagini's face, Quico declared an end to the actual scavenging and handed out the remaining gifts to the children. Draco got a set of multicolored bow ties, Credence got a jar of honey, Modesty got a brick...
"Mummy, why are you handing out bricks?" she wondered, glancing at it.
Quico hadn't actually selected a brick to be among the gifts, and allowed Modesty to swap it for a rock.
Still, it was clear the scavenger hunt had overstayed its welcome. It was time to move onto the next activity.
"Does anyone want to share what they asked Santa Claus for this year?"
As she expected, seven hands shot up and Barty had to executively pick one.
Severus stated that he had asked for about 1,500 tons of cheesy crackers, and also a toy broom. Newt asked for another bowtruckle so Pickett wouldn't get lonely. Alecto went on and on for about ten minutes about all the things Santa Claus was going to bring her, and then on top of that, she was going to get even more presents from mommy and Amycus...
Around the time Alecto listed the 153rd item on her wish list, Quico politely encouraged Gellert to take his turn. But he just went on for a while talking about how he asked Santa to take all of his pants away. Which reminded Alecto that she wanted that too.
At least with the little ones distracted, the grown-ups were free to take the holiday snacks and treats down from their very high hiding place and set them on a table. A feeding frenzy would probably occur, but at least the parents had had the chance to sample a few before they all went sailing onto the floor.
-x-
Severus had inhaled an entire pile of cheesy crackers by the time his mother even put a napkin on his lap. Gellert and Albie were sharing a frosted holiday cookie, and Alecto had the entire table and floor covered in sprinkles and crumbs in a minute. Maisie just smiled fondly at her and wiped her face with a moist towelette, but she subsequently looked disapprovingly at the mound of crumbs in her own lap.
Modesty and Chastity kept furtively reaching for more treats when no one was looking, as if they would immediately be struck dead if anyone noticed them. Not that anyone was even really paying attention to them. They didn't make messes or attempt to shove wrappers down their pants, unlike other people the dementor knew.
Credence, however, had his eye on his sisters, observing as Chastity appeared to agree to be on the lookout while Modesty obtained a cookie. If he could, he would most likely be over there with them, enjoying the taste of a gingerbread cookie as he fondly recalled his grandmother's confections. But it went without saying that if he had just one, he would undoubtedly begin to nausea.
Even as he thought about it, Credence began to reach for a cookie designed to look like a Christmas tree. But he felt something stop his hand. "You mustn't, Creeds," Dragon said, as she gave her son some graham crackers to nibble on.
Splendiferous holiday treats were everywhere, and all Credence got was a few measly graham crackers? That wouldn't do at all. "I am...a Dumbledore," he began to say. But, unsure where he had been going with that, he eventually sighed and resigned himself to his afternoon snack. At least it wasn't a soggy fish diaper salad, he thought to himself.
The good news was that their snack break was almost over. The bad news was that they now had to somehow wrangle nine children on sugar highs into a new activity, which was easier said, considered, or even implied than done.
Severus was easily pliable as soon as he was promised cheesy crackers at some ambiguous later time, as were Newt and Draco. However, many of the others just completely refused to cooperate. Alecto shrieked that she wasn't done despite inhaling about sixteen cookies in the last five minutes, and Gellert threw his pants into the Christmas tree.
Nope. Scratch that. After the day they'd already had, they were going to have a quiet activity. One where the parents would ideally be within arm's reach of their little angels.
-x-
"'Twas the night before Christmas," Quico read. The children sat around her on the alphabet mat, each accompanied by every single last one of the grown-ups. "And all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a pygmy puff."
Nagini licked her lips, probably savoring the mere idea.
"The fish diapers were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there." The Barebone children shared a noticeable look, Chastity even shuddering at the memory. "The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of bitter grass candy danced in their heads. And Gellert in his kerchief, and little Gel in his cap, had just settled down for a long winter's nap."
Gellert was wearing his pants as a cap. His mother had completely given up.
"When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I glided from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I glided like a flash, tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!"
"Oooooh," Severus oohed.
"When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer, With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick."
A few mouths dropped open.
"More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, and he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name; "Now, Severus, now, Gellert, now, Harry and Draco! On, Scabior! On, Albie! On, Newt and Alecto!" Not expecting their names to be added into the story, a few children gaped in surprise.
"He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot. A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, and he looked like a peddler just opening his pack. His eyes - how they twinkled! His dimples - how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow."
A few paragraphs later, Quico came at last to the end. "He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
Merry Christmas (or winter solstice) to all, and to all a good night!"
Closing the book, she surveyed the scene. Credence was snuggled against his mother with his thumb in his mouth, as was Alecto, and Gellert's hands had completely fallen away from his pants. Modesty looked up at Chastity, and in a rare moment the sisters shared a smile.
If the party had ended there, Quico would have full-on grinned right alongside them. But alas, that wasn't quite it.
-x-
Alecto was the first to fall asleep. Her parents soon had her bundled back into her coat and hat and wrapped up in a blanket in her brother's arms with her thumb still in her mouth. Quico had assumed they would take that as their cue to leave. They did not.
The next one down was Newt, and Tassie decided about twenty minutes later that it was time to go home. Albie protested and insisted he needed to see Gel, but was so distracted by the promise of a playdate that he left without even saying goodbye. And River and Cam found Harry and Draco asleep in the supply closet with orange puffballs in their pockets.
That left Dragon, who was aiding Nagini in helping up a tired Credence to take him home. "Thank you for the party, my friend," she said, as Scabior reluctantly trailed them out the door.
So Maisie was...still here. Her daughter was asleep and her husband was licking the construction paper. "We have construction paper at home, darling," she said, like the daycare's construction paper wasn't worth anything.
"Yes, Maisie, but have you ever licked such a shade of dainty blue? I don't think you have. It is exquisite."
The Malfoy matriarch sighed. "Thank you for this," she said. "Sometimes it's nice to have a day she actually takes her afternoon nap."
"Is she that much trouble?" Quico wondered.
"No, absolutely not! She's an angel, albeit one who gets just a bit wound up sometimes."
Just a bit, huh?
With everyone gone, Quico turned to Barty and said, "I guess you were right."
And then she passed out and didn't wake up until noon on Christmas Eve.
-end-