Disclaimer: see prologue
Guide: "Speech", Thoughts, ~letters and other written things, "Parseltongue"
Warning: sexual themes and kinks
AN: Here is the final part of the chapter "Christmas preparations". Enjoy!
-~-~- Altair -~-~-
-~-~-by Still waters are deep-~-~-
-~-~- Chapter 37 – Christmas preparations- Part III -~-~-
Monday, 22nd December 1997, Diagon Alley
The first breakfast Harry ate with the Malfoys was a very silent affair. Harry didn't know if this was the norm and the Malfoys were just not morning persons, or if it was just an after-effect from last night. While the Promising Ring ritual was rather easy, it had taken a large amount of his magic, tiring him out even if he did once again enjoy one of the best sleeps of his life in Draco's arms.
"So, Harry, have you already finished your Christmas shopping?" Narcissa suddenly interrupted the previous silence, once she finished her second cup of English Breakfast tea.
"Nearly," Harry answered after swallowing the remainder of his jam and toast. "I still have to find something for Mrs Weasley." And your family, he silently added.
"Maybe you can buy her Lachesis' newest knitting set," she suggested. "While it is a bit expensive, I'm sure that she'll love it."
While Harry didn't like that Narcissa's words implied that the set would be too expensive for Mrs Weasley to be it herself, Harry still thought that it was a great idea. After all the Weasley jumpers he received over the last years, this would be the ideal thank you gift. Besides, if they weren't something that Mrs Weasley would have the spare money to buy, he at least would not need to worry about her already possession the knitting set.
"It sounds good," Harry told Narcissa with a nod of his head. "Where can I buy it?" he asked sheepishly, after a moment of contemplation.
"The shop is only two doors away from Ollivanders. You will recognise it at their yarn and scissors symbol."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, Harry," Narcissa answered him with a kind smile.
After that, light chatter could be heard at the breakfast table, mainly talking about the presents they still needed to buy and even Harry was able to make a suggestion or two for acquaintances of the Malfoys. Who would have thought that hearing Aunt Petunia fret about what to give to the business associates of Vernon could be helpful? Harry thought with a chuckle as he went upstairs to get ready for his outing to Diagon Alley.
However, before Harry could leave the manor to Flew with Draco to the Leaky Cauldron, Lucius Malfoy spoke up to him, "Mr Potter, may I ask you to refrain yourself from giving any of our house-elves any Christmas presents, especially in the form of old, stinking socks."
"Don't worry Mr Malfoy, I've reserved all the smelling socks for Professor Dumbledore and Dobby," he answered, receiving a nearly unnoticeable upturn of Lucius' lips in return
It seems like Mr Malfoy is finally warming up to me, Harry thought with a smile as he Flooed off. The words of warning that sounded nearly like a joke were definitely better than the silence he met before.
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Harry successfully brought Lachesis' knitting set for Mrs Weasley for the respectable sum of thirteen Galleons. He found this a bit overpriced for some pieces of wood. But what do I know about knitting tools? he thought with a shrug as he made his way to the twins' joke shop.
"Oh, Harry, how can you not spend the holidays with us?!" Fred accused him as soon as he entered Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. At least, Harry believed that it was Fred.
"I mean, I understand that Malfoy looks hot and all," George interjected, as he joined his twin.
"But it won't be us much fun as it will be at our place," Fred argued.
"I'm sure that seeing Malfoy senior opening presents in his pyjamas will be an entertaining sight to see," George said.
"But this still isn't an excuse to miss our mum's Christmas dinner," Fred continued.
"Though, the Malfoys will certainly serve a rich table," George said.
"Non house-elf-made plum pudding can be as good as mum's," the Fred argued.
"Hey, don't ridicule the cooking skills of Hogwarts' house-elves!" George complained.
Obviously the twins had decided that one of them would blame the Malfoys for steeling Harry, while the other would protect Harry's decision to spend the majority of the holidays with Draco and his family.
Fearing that their dialogue would continue for much longer, Harry tried to stopped them. "As long as I still get my traditional Weasley jumper, I'll be happy. Besides, I'll come and visit you on Boxing Day, if you've already forgotten."
"Still," Fred and George said together.
"You both know that with your brothers coming, there won't be room for me. Besides, I don't mind celebrating with the Malfoys," Harry told them, a happy smile on his face as he thought about Draco opening his gift.
"Okay, okay, we'll stop pestering you about it," George said, happy to see that Harry was happy to spend Christmas with the Malfoys.
"But only if you promised to give Mr Malfoy this little gift," Fred added, fishing out an innocently looking, small, in gold and silver wrapped parcel from one of his robe pockets.
"We created it with him in our mind," George said.
Harry only looked warily at it. "What does it do?" he asked, in favour of taking the parcel from Fred's outstretched hand.
"Nothing that would ruin the relationship with your father-in-law," Fred said.
"He isn't..." Harry began to protest. But Fred just cut him off, laying a hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Don't worry. It isn't one of our prank products," Fred placated Harry, dragging him towards the back-room of the shop. "We are currently developing a new line of products that adjust to the user's mood," he explained once they were away from listening ears.
"We got the idea from one of those Muggle rings that are supposed change colours based on their wearer's mood," George told Harry. "So we thought that we would try to make a real Mood Ring and some other things."
"Like this little thing here," Fred said, holding out the gold and silver gift once again for Harry to take, which he finally did this time.
"And what does this one do?" Harry asked. "It isn't some kind of jewellery, is it?"
"No. It is something far more practical and useful," Fred said.
"But we won't tell you more, less we ruin the surprise," George told Harry as he shoved him out of the back-room.
"And it really isn't a prank?" Harry had to asked once again.
"It isn't, Harry," they assured him.
"What isn't a prank?" Draco's voice suddenly asked next from Harry.
"My present for your father?" Harry more asked than said.
"Oh, what have you gotten him?" Draco asked, curious as they made their way out of the twins' shop.
"This?" Harry said in an unsure voice, showing Draco the small wrapped parcel.
"And what is this?" he asked, holding the door open for Harry.
"I have no idea," Harry honestly answered as he put the package away. "But maybe you can help me find something saver for him and your mother before we meet my friends at the Leaky?" Harry asked, trying to copy Ginny's puppy dog eyes look.
"Sure," Draco said and led Harry to one of the accessory shops his mother liked.
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"Man, I'm exhausted," Ron said when he let himself fall down in the chair opposed from Harry in the Leaky Cauldron, his bags falling to the floor with a loud thud.
"It's just a little Christmas shopping," Harry said.
"You try spending nearly two hours at Flourish and Blotts to find just the right book for Hermione," Ron said.
"You could always just give her a voucher," Harry answered, taking a sip from his Butterbeer.
"It will even save you from getting hit with the book if she shouldn't like it," Draco said, having come back from the rest rooms and reclaimed his place next to Harry.
"Like she needs a book too injure anyone," Ron answered, only now noticing the second mug of Butterbeer on the table that belonged to Draco.
"Yes, I can still remember the yellow canaries of hers or the one time she slapped you," Harry said, looking first at Ron and then at Draco.
"I'm telling you," Ron said, grabbing his mug out of Butterbeer from the bartender's hand, "she's scary!" Underlining it with a toast and a big mouthful of Butterbeer.
"To our brilliant but scary, Hermione," Harry toasted, using the exact same words Ron'd used back in first year.
"What have I done to deserve a toasting?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow, taking the seat next to Harry.
"Just being your beautiful self," Ron answered.
"Yeah?" she asked, sceptically. But before she could say more, Luna and Ginny arrived at their table, sitting down on either side of Ron.
Why, oh why, have I to always meet Lovegood in the underwear section of the clothing shop where we're talking about Harry's boxers? Draco asked himself, when Luna took the seat across from him and winked at him.
Really, Draco had just entered Twilfitt and Tatting's in search for a new hat for his mother, for which he needed to walk through the underwear department when he once again saw Luna Lovegood holding up men's underwear. However, unlike the last time, today she had the most ridiculous underwear imaginable in her hands.
In her right hand, she was holding up a set of g-strings which had a stocking attached to the front, which resembled a candy cane, where the penis was supposed to be placed in. In her left hand, she held a somewhat tamer set of red boxers, where also a kind of stocking was attached. This time it was in a triangular shaped so that it resembled one of the Muggle's Santa Clause hats, white pompon and all.
Don't see me, Draco pleaded in his head, picking up speed. Too late, he thought when Luna called out, waving him over with her right hand and thus the set of g-strings.
"I'm so happy to see you," she greeted him. "Maybe you can help me decide which one I should give Harry for Christmas?" she asked, holding up both underwear at his eye level for closer inspection.
"How about neither?" he said, taking a step back to get away from the offending pieces of clothing, if they even could be called that.
"But I really need to give Harry new underwear," she said, confusing Draco further.
Maybe she really was mad? he wondered.
"The Nargles have developed a special licking for Harry's underwear," she explained, her voice serious. "And I can't let Harry walk around without any, can I?"
Okay‒y, Draco thought, sceptically. "Maybe you should trick the Nargles into believing that the underwear doesn't belong to Harry," he suggested just to be nice to Harry's friend for Harry's sake.
"That was why I was considering these," she said, once again holding up the crazy underwear.
"How about stitching someone else's name on a more simple pair of briefs?" Draco said, pointing at an advertisement three stands away.
"Embroider your underwear, 1 Galleon, up to three words" Luna read the advertisement out loud. "That's a good idea," she said, nodding her head. "Thank you, Draco," she said, letting the underwear in her hand fall back into the stand they came from.
After taking a final look at Luna who was now inspecting much more wearable underwear, Draco's eyes landed on Luna's discarded g-string. Maybe this candy cane isn't for Harry, but it makes a good joke gift for Blaise, he thought as he picked up the ridiculous red and white stripped thing, before finally going to the women's section to search for a new hat for his mother.
"Draco, Draco," Harry called out, finally resolving to give the blond a light shove. "Draco?"
"Yes?" he asked.
"Ron asked if you wanted to join me at the Weasleys for Boxing Day," Harry said.
"Thank you," Draco thank Ron bewildered, instinctively replying with the manners that had been trilled into him from his early childhood. He couldn't believe that Ron had asked him to go to his house, during Christmas no less. "However, I need to decline. I already promised to see Blaise that day," he declined the offer, happy that he already had made other planes once Harry's holiday schedule had been worked out.
"Thank, Merlin," Ron said, taking a big gulp from his Butterbeer and nearly choking on it when Ginny elbowed him.
"That isn't nice, Ron," his sister chided him. "You can't invite him and then loudly voice how happy you are that he won't be coming."
"But I only invited him out of courtesy to Harry," Ron defended himself.
"You're hopeless," Hermione and Ginny said in unison.
"But you still love me," Ron answered, getting up to get a new mug of Butterbeer. The other occupants of the table just shook their head.
"At least some things don't change," Harry said with a smile, happy that his friends got along well enough with Draco.
~-~-~-~-~-~-Altair-a life changing event-~-~-~-~-~-~-
Next: Christmas, maybe even including the visit to the Weasleys and New Year. It depends how long the chapter will become.